Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking

[luckyrabbit]

PART 12

Once she'd finished -well, got bored really- with hanging around Macca's apartment listening to constables telling her things she already knew, Eve decided that she really should pay a visit to the scene of the arson at the caravan park and make sure that Fitzgerald hadn't screwed up the investigation too badly. Leaving Jack in charge, it wasn't like there was anything left he could screw up, she and Tracey left the scene.

"Fitzgerald!" Eve yelled, get the attention of her junior officer who was busy talking to a witness. "What have you got for me?"

"Fire was definitely deliberately lit. They found two cans of kerosene inside the caravan." Lara reported.

"Any luck with the witnesses?" Tracey asked, even though she was fairly certain she already knew what the answer would be.

Lara shook her head. "Nothing so far, we still have a fair few to go. We're a little short handed at the moment." She explained.

Eve nodded. "Okay, good job." Lara blinked at the unexpected praise.

"Really? Thanks!" She said gleefully, then she realized how pathetic she sounded and cleared her throat. "Uh, how'd it go with the murder?"

Eve groaned and turned away. "Not too well." Tracey explained for her. "It's best not to get her started." She said, nodding at Eve.

"Oh my god!" Sally gasped, arriving on the scene. "What happened?"

"Just a little fire." Eve said. simply, as though it was no big deal.

"Zoe…Eve, I'm sorry I don't know what to call you." Sally frowned.

Eve shrugged. "It's okay, you can call me whatever you want. I honestly don't even care anymore."

"Oh…right." said Sally, a little overwhelmed. "How did this happen?"

"Arson."

"Arson?" Sally gasped. "But why? I…Is my family in danger?"

"It's unlikely that your family is in any immediate danger." Tracey assured her calmly. "If they were after you they it would've been the house that they targeted, not just a caravan."

"Well, that's a relief I suppose." She frowned and checked her watch. "Oh, I need to go and pick up Pippa, is that okay? Or do I need to stay or…"

"It's fine, you can go."

"This is getting intense." Lara remarked as Sally walked off. "A murder and a fire so close to one another. They're really stepping it up."

"It's a good thing." Eve informed her.

"How's that?"

"It means we're getting closer and they're getting scared."

"Where were you this morning?" Matilda asked, her arm looped through her brother's as they walked along the beach. "I woke up and you were gone."

"I went for a surf…I didn't really realize how much I'd missed the beach while I was at school until I got back." Henry said wistfully. "I…uh, I had to use Lucas' board." He admitted hesitantly. "It's just...Mum had mine put into storage when the Holden's moved in and Tony said it would be alright. Is…is that okay with you?"

"You know it's weird but it's like you never left." Matilda said cheerfully, ignoring his question and clutching tighter to his arm. "I thought that I'd be used to you not being there in the morning but when I woke up it was the first thing I noticed." Second thing. She stopped dead in her tracks as they rounded the bend to find the Diner surrounded by police cars. "Woah!"

"What the hell?" Henry muttered under his breath as they got closer.

"Oh my god, is that Martha?" Matilda gasped at the sight of her friend, sitting on a white plastic chair and rocking herself back and forth, a blanket clutched around her shoulders.

Henry squinted at Martha's jean-clad legs that were peaking out from the blanket. "More importantly, is that blood?"

The twins exchanged looks and rushed over to the distressed girl. "Martha? Are you alright?" Matilda asked gently, a little out of breath from the run.

"Were you attacked?" Henry asked, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from his sister.

Martha shook her head, her entire body trembling. "It..it's Macca." She looked up at them with teary, red eyes. "He's d-dead, someone killed my brother!" She wailed.

Henry looked at Matilda quizzically, he had no idea who Macca was. She mouthed that she would explain later and put her arm around Martha's shaking shoulders. "I am so sorry." She tried to comfort Martha but she was at a loss for what to say. She knew, from recent experience that words were just words, they didn't have the power to make you feel better when you've just lost someone you love. She looked at Henry helplessly. "What's Cassie going to say?"

"Geez, would you check out the circus out there!" Ric exclaimed, re-entering the house after going out to check out the commotion. "You'd think that nobody around here has ever seen a fire before." He noticed Cassie, sitting on the couch staring at her mobile phone in what seemed to be a state of shock.

"Cass?"

Cassie let out a shaky breath. "Th-that was Mattie…she…"

"Is she alright?" Ric asked in alarm, after everything that she'd been through…

Cassie nodded, tears starting to sting at the corner of her eyes. "Yeah, she…Macca's dead, Ric. Someone killed him."

Ric sat down heavily, his legs unable to support him any longer. "He what? What the hell is going on? First the bomb, then Lucas and now this."

Cassie let out a sob and buried her face in her hands prompting Ric to ask why she was so upset.

"Why do you think Ric?"

"Why do you even care? After everything he did to you."

"Ric, Macca was a good guy. He was really trying to-"

Ric couldn't believe what he was hearing, he knew not to speak ill of the dead but this was ridiculous. "He beat you up!"

"You think I don't know that?" Cassie exclaimed shrilly. "He made a mistake! He didn't deserve to die for it. He was really trying to get his life back together. And I…I cared about him. I still do. I can't just make that go away." She said angrily, trying to find the words to explain what she was feeling.

Ric held his hands out in front of him. "I can't believe I'm hearing this." He said quietly, getting up and heading for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"For a walk!"

It was only a few minutes later when Matilda appeared on the doorstep. "Cassie?"

"Mattie." Cassie gasped, rushing into Matilda's open arms and clinging to the pale girl desperately.

"Oh god, what is happening to this town." Cassie sobbed into Matilda's hair, holding her even tighter.

"I don't know, Cass, I don't know."

Shifting his feet uncomfortably, the unnoticed Henry decided it was time to speak up. "Hey, don't mind me."

Cassie pulled back from the hug with Matilda and looked at Henry in confusion, it took her a moment but soon enough recognition spread across her tear stained face. "Henry! Oh my god! What…Hi." She said, throwing herself at him to give him a short hug that was nowhere near as enthusiastic or heartfelt as the one his sister got. "I'm so sorry. I didn't notice you there."

"It's okay." Henry smiled. "I can see that you two were having a moment."

Matilda touched Cassie's hand to get her attention. "Cass, where's Ric?"

Cassie turned her hand in Matilda's and grasped it tight, she needed something to keep her anchored. "He…he went for a walk."

"He left you alone!?! With everything that's going on, he just walks out on you?"

"It's not his fault, he doesn't understand."

"Well, it doesn't matter, we're here now." Henry said, putting his arms around both girls.

"Yeah," Matilda added supportively. "you've got us."

Balancing two cups of coffee in her hands, Tracey opened the door to Eve's office to find the younger woman leaning back against the desk, admiring her handy work.

"God, I go out for coffee and you've completely redecorated the place. You'd better not do this to our apartment." Tracey informed her, looking over the back wall of the room which was now covered with newspaper clippings, photo's and maps, pretty much all of the information that had been collected on the case was stuck up on the wall.

"What? It helps me absorb the information easier." Eve explained, as Tracey set the coffees down on the table and took up position next to her.

"Fitzgerald radioed in the results of the door knock at the caravan park. No one saw or heard anything suspicious."

"There's a shock." Eve sighed sarcastically in frustration. "The preliminary coroner's report on McKenzie's in. It puts his time of death somewhere between six and seven this morning."

Tracey raised an eyebrow. "Did you get anything off his mobile phone?"

"Not yet. The killer covered their tracks and deleted all of his incoming and outgoing calls. It's with the techs now." Eve said, picking up another piece of paper and pining it to the wall. "Want to hear something weird?"

"What?"

"According the ballistics report, the bullet I found in the apartment was a .38."

"That is weird." Tracey frowned. "Not the usual 9mm we normally see in cases like this."

"Yeah well, is there anything about this case that is normal?" Eve sighed and stroked Tracey's hair.

Tracey looked at Eve seriously. "Do you think that we'll ever solve this?"

"Of course we will." Eve said with a self-assured smirk. "It's only a matter of time."

Next time on Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking: Two lives are put at risk, Tracey gets protective and Drew arrives back in the Bay.

So which two characters lives are in danger? Place your bets now.

[Oxidizer]

Eve and Tracey owns

Drew's returning? Are you trying to please me in unimaginable ways? My favourite three all in one fic *swoons*

Two lives at trisk? Hmm.. Matilda and Henry maybe?

[luckyrabbit]

Are you trying to please me in unimaginable ways?

*gasp* How did you know? Yes. Yes, I am. Is it working?

Two lives at trisk? Hmm.. Matilda and Henry maybe?

Nope. Try again

[swfc]

Brilliant! I love it! Why do I get the feeling that Henry has something to do with this whole thing. Maybe I'm just imagining it. But, it's really great! Can't wait til the next update!

[Oxidizer]

*gasp* How did you know? Yes. Yes, I am. Is it working?

Absolutely. [imagine it said the same way Zoe said it in 4206]

Nope. Try again

Lemme think, erm... Ric? And somebody.

[luckyrabbit]

Brilliant! I love it! Why do I get the feeling that Henry has something to do with this whole thing. Maybe I'm just imagining it. But, it's really great! Can't wait til the next update!

Thanks. As for the Henry thing, well in the words of Ghost!Noah "Everything's connected."

Absolutely. [imagine it said the same way Zoe said it in 4206]

*imagines it* Guhhhh! So hot!

Lemme think, erm... Ric? And somebody.

Think...bigger How's that for a clue?

[Oxidizer]

Bigger? *lets perverse side of mind kick in* Drew? I always thought he'd be bigger than the other guys...

[swfc]

*hmmmmmm* who else can it be?!?!?

Sally and Alf? Maybe Colleen.... I wouldn't mind if it was her.....

[luckyrabbit]

Bigger? *lets perverse side of mind kick in* Drew? I always thought he'd be bigger than the other guys...

Andy, you're a dirty boy.

But when I say think bigger, I mean in terms of the story and who the more major players are. I totally just gave it away.

[Oxidizer]

I try

Do you mean Eve and Tracey?