Previously on Neighbours
- Leo encourages Krista to call Reece to see if she can shed any light on what Tess has been up to
- It turns out that Reece had no idea about Tess trying to sell Sincast's hotel shares back to Paul
- Aaron recognises the pig necklace that Paul found at Tess's posh pad as Melanie's
- A bloodstain is found on the wall at Tess's place, which forensics later identify as Toadie's
- Terese tells the Kennedys and Paul that she's sure something terrible has happened to Toadie and Melanie
- Heath is shocked to learn from Tess on the phone that Justin has done something, but we don't yet know what
- Tess tells Heath that it's 'make or break time'
- Haz hacks Holly's phone in order to learn where she is; and he and Mackenzie prepare to fly to the outback
- At the retreat, Holly searches for her phone to message Karl, unaware that Heath has thrown it in the river
- Heath offers to send a message to Karl from his phone, rather than letting Holly send it herself
- An agitated Heath blows up at Holly for asking if Karl has replied, asking her if she wants to be here or not
The usual opening titles are dispensed with for the third time this week, in favour of the Neighbours logo over a remote outback scene, accompanied by a brief snippet of the theme tune.
Outback Retreat / Cairns Hotel
Holly watches from the doorway as, some metres away, Heath talks on the phone to Tess, who is in a hotel room.
HEATH: Cairns?
TESS: I've just checked into a hotel for the night.
HEATH: Oh, well, it's alright for some. What about me?
TESS: Nobody knows where you are. I've made sure the police won't find me either - or at the very least, bought some time.
HEATH: Okay, what's your plan?
TESS: I'm still trying to figure that out. Is Justin there?
HEATH: ...
TESS: Heath? Is Justin there?
HEATH: I dunno. I'm at the accommodation.
TESS: I told you to stay at Warrawee!
HEATH: Yeah, I'll go back now. You'd better get me out of this.
Holly approaches Heath as he hangs up, and asks if everything is okay. He says it is, but that he has to go back to the station.
HOLLY: Okay. Heath... I'm really sorry, about before. I didn't mean to seem ungrateful. I'm having a really nice time.
HEATH: Yeah, I'll be back soon.
He gets in the ute and drives off. Holly looks worried.
No 22
The living room war council is still in session, and now comprises Terese, Susan, Karl, Paul, Leo, Krista and Andrew. Andrew reports to everyone that Tess was booked on a flight to Honolulu which departed five hours ago - though they have found her phone in the bin at the boarding gate.
PAUL: Well, obviously she's fleeing the country.
TERESE: This is getting worse and worse.
ANDREW: We're trying to contact the crew, to see if she's actually on the flight (...) The flight is just in international airspace at the moment, so there's a lot of red tape.
KARL: Can't the Queensland police do something to help find Heath and Holly?
ANDREW: Unfortunately there's no station near Mount Harper. The nearest office is half a day's drive away.
SUSAN: But surely all of this is connected? Isn't that reason enough for them to do something?
ANDREW: Without confirmed proof that Holly's actually in danger -
KARL: Proof? How much more proof do you need?!
TERESE: Yeah. And all I know is that Toadie's out there somewhere. Injured, or worse.
Paul approaches Andrew and quietly asks him...
PAUL: Do I need to throw resources at this?
ANDREW: Appreciate that, Paul, but we've got processes in place for a reason. Just leave it with us, alright?
Paul murmurs agreement, and Andrew tells everyone that when Haz and Mackenzie land, he'll update them too.
ANDREW: We just don't know what we're dealing with.
Over the Outback
Mackenzie and Haz are in the tiny plane, presumably now nearing their destination.
MACKENZIE: Am I judgemental? Holly said that she didn't tell me about seeing Heath because I'd judge her.
HAZ: You're not judgemental.
MACKENZIE: She told Sadie about him and not me. What does that say about our friendship? (...) I keep going over our last conversation (...) What if something terrible happens to her? What if I never get the chance to make things right?
Outback Retreat
Holly is sitting on the bathtub, looking thoughtful. She walks back into the building, then picks up Heath's bag and begins rifling through it. She finds a small notebook with figures relating to financial assets for each of Sincast's assets in the Asia- Pacific region, including Lassiter's and Warrawee - complete with a note about how smaller investments are required in Lassiter's to avoid losses. Holly looks thoughtful again.
Warrawee Station
Heath is back at the station, and calling out for Justin. But there's no response. He checks his phone - Justin has sent him a text - 'Heading back to Melbourne. Jackaroo cottage, red toolbox.' Heath makes a beeline for one of the cottages on the property, and walks inside to find... Toadie and Melanie, gagged and tied together to an old stove, looking very upset!
Shortly afterwards, Heath removes their gags to give them some water.
MELANIE: Where are we? Why have you brought us here?
HEATH: Drink.
TOADIE: Heath... whatever's going on here, you don't have to do this.
HEATH: Shut up.
TOADIE: You're clearly part of something that's just much bigger than you.
HEATH: I said, shut up!
TOADIE: Yeah, I heard the guy who brought us here - I heard him on the phone to Tess. It didn't seem like he had much of a handle on all of this either.
Heath crouches by the wall, agitated, his hands over his face.
MELANIE: People are gonna notice that we're gone.
TOADIE: This wasn't part of your big plan, was it? You can get out of this - but you've got to let us go! Cos if you don't, they're gonna keep looking for us.
Heath rushes over, enraged, and threatens to put the gags back on. Melanie is terrified, but Toadie, who is clearly not in a great headspace, starts laughing at Heath.
TOADIE: They're gonna keep looking for you.
HEATH: There's nobody around to hear you scream, anyway.
TOADIE: You don't have to do this. You don't have to. Just let us go.
Heath rushes out of the building and locks it behind him, then breathes heavily. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the red toolbox Justin alluded to in his text, under the water tank at the side of the house. Inside...
TOADIE: They must've put us in different parts of the train.
MELANIE: Where do you think we are?
TOADIE: In the middle of nowhere. We're... north. We're far north. Yeah, this is part of some big scam, that much is clear. It feels like they're just making this up as they go.
MELANIE: That doesn't feel very reassuring.
TOADIE: Or we could use it to our advantage, yeah? So, there's a chance that we can still get out of this, okay?
Melanie nods through her terror...
No 22
Susan, Karl and Terese are still on deck, along with Krista and Leo, who are musing that it makes sense that Tess would go to Hawaii, given that Heath bought a house there.
KRISTA: But why would Heath be in the outback with Holly?
Paul comes in, finishing up a call to John Wong. He reports to the others that John is hitting the same obstacles as the police. Krista receives a report from Reece, detailing everything that Tess has been doing in the Asia- Pacific region. Leo suggests that he and Krista go back to her place and digest the report for clues. They go to leave.
SUSAN: We should go home and call Izzy.
KARL: Oh, yes. We promised her updates.
Terese says it's fine, assuring the Kennedys that she'll be okay. They get up to leave too, so that only Terese and Paul are left. Terese wonders what she'll tell Nell and Hugo. Paul tells her she doesn't need to say anything to them at present; they're with friends.
TERESE: Their father's missing. He's the only parent they've got left! They can't lose him. *I* can't lose him! I can't.
PAUL: Oh, Terese.
Over the Outback
In the plane, Haz reassures Mackenzie that she's 'not a bad friend'.
HAZ: You've always wanted the best for Holly. The fact that we're on this crazy trip just proves that.
MACKENZIE: ... I love you. Is that weird of me to say right now?
HAZ: I love you too.
They kiss.
Outback Retreat
Holly is setting up a table for two, with dinner plates and wine. She sees Heath pulling up outside. Heath is on the phone again, presumably to Tess.
HEATH: Yeah, but how could he just bail on me? ... What the hell am I supposed to do with them?!
A few seconds later, he finishes up the call and comes indoors. Holly explains she has been cooking, and Heath admits he's hungry. She says he smells of cattle (!) and he says he knows.
HOLLY: Why don't you go and start the shower, and I'll just turn the stove down? I'll come meet you in a minute.
Heath agrees, and heads outdoors, presumably to where the shower is. Holly immediately seizes the opportunity to grab his phone, which he's left on the table. She begins to try and access it, but Heath reappears behind her.
HEATH: What are you doing?
HOLLY: ... I'm just gonna text Dad.
HEATH: I said no.
HOLLY: I was gonna tell him how amazing everything is here.
HEATH (yelling in her face): No!
He pockets the phone. Holly is terrified, but does her best to pretend otherwise, putting her arms around Heath and telling him it doesn't matter - before gently leading him by the hand to the shower.
Warrawee Station
Toadie and Melanie are still tied together in the cottage.
MELANIE: Will they even be looking for us? We didn't tell anyone that we were going to that house. They're just gonna think we've gone missing. Both of us.
TOADIE: Someone will make the connection with Heath and Tess.
MELANIE: What if they don't? You know what everyone's gonna be thinking... I'm sorry, I'm not helping.
TOADIE: I'm the one that should be sorry. I dragged you into this.
MELANIE: You didn't know this was gonna happen.
TOADIE (emotional): No, umm... I've treated you so badly, Melanie. And Terese. What's she gonna be making of all this?
No 22
Terese and Paul are also having a heart- to- heart.
TERESE: You've been avoiding me.
PAUL: Well, I did a lot of thinking in New York. Realised that I have to be more respectful of you and Toadie.
TERESE: There was a time when you accepted us.
PAUL: ... I watched you fall in love, Terese. So I put my feelings aside because I just wanted you to be happy. And then I... I lost David. And in my mind, all bets were off. I did want you back, even the whole time I was with Chelsea.
TERESE: I felt such betrayal when I realised you had an agenda.
PAUL: Yeah, I know. I know - that's why I had to get away. Just to get some sort of perspective. When you love someone, you always put their happiness first; and I know that Toadie makes you happy.
TERESE (tearful): I want him back so badly. But the thing is... things weren't okay before he left.
Warrawee Station
Melanie asks Toadie why he got so upset when she said they were never meant to be.
TOADIE: I dunno. Just... Rhonda thinks that there's some pattern ruling my behaviour, and... sorry. Sorry, I shouldn't be telling you this. I'm sorry.
MELANIE: It's okay. I'm at peace with us now. I really am. Are you... are you questioning your love for Terese?
TOADIE: Um... I tell her that I'm not. But I'm lying. I know I am... I'm questioning everything.
No 22
Paul asks Terese if she's doubting her feelings for Toadie.
TERESE: No... no. I love him. I have faith in us. I have to.
Paul nods along with apparent sincerity.
No 32
Leo and Krista are trawling through the report that Reece sent through. Leo notes that all the businesses on the list, which Krista presumes are Sincast investments, are posting a loss. Krista has a brainwave.
KRISTA: The figures for Lassiter's are inflated. What if the others are too?
LEO: Well, if that's true, that means there's a lot of money missing.
KRISTA: Oh my god, it's so obvious now. She's embezzling. And I bet Heath must be in on it too.
Leo pulls out a record for Warrawee Station, which is running a $2.1 million loss. Leo shows Krista the location of Warrawee on his phone, and the pieces begin to come together...
Outback Town
Mackenzie and Haz are back on the ground, seem to have hired a car, and have stopped off at a small town for some supplies. As Haz comes back from the store, Mack tells him there's a message from Andrew; Toadie and Melanie are still missing and are now thought to have been at Tess's house. Andrew wants them to call him. Haz says he's had a message from Krista too; she said something about a cattle station.
No 22
Krista and Leo are reporting what they know to Terese and Paul about Warrawee Station.
KRISTA: It's a two- hour drive from Mount Harper.
LEO: And Tess just closed it down. So it would explain why Heath would head to that part of the country.
Andrew arrives with more news.
ANDREW: Turns out Tess wasn't even on the flight to Hawaii (...) We're checking all the airport CCTV to see if she caught a different flight.
Karl and Susan rush in, having been filled in by Krista via text.
SUSAN: Do you think Holly and Heath could be at this cattle station?
ANDREW: Well, I can contact the Queensland police again. Hopefully it's enough to send someone out there.
TERESE: Hopefully?
PAUL: Do I need to charter a plane myself, do I?
ANDREW: I think you're underestimating how remote this place is.
Andrew gets a call from Mackenzie, and goes into the other room to tell her the latest developments. Meanwhile, Krista tells Paul what Tess has been up to with the Sincast investments.
Cairns Hotel / Outback Retreat
Tess and Heath are having another phone conversation - Tess from her hotel room, Heath from outside the retreat.
HEATH: I'm not driving to Cairns!
TESS: You have to. How else will I give you your fake passport? How will we leave the country together?
HEATH: Well, can't you just transfer me the money?
TESS: What for?
HEATH: So I can make my own way!
TESS: I have organised everything. Our flights to Beijing, our transfers... Don't you want to be together?
HEATH: What I want is to not be in this situation.
TESS: I'm not happy either. But we are.
Holly calls Heath from indoors, but Tess hears it over the phone.
TESS: Who was that?
HEATH: Nobody.
TESS: Sounded like somebody.
HEATH: I need time to think!
TESS: Are you *sure* there's nobody there?
Heath doesn't reply. He has moved around the side of the building to get further away from Holly, who has come out of the building to find him.
TESS: You need to follow my instructions. That goes for Toadie and Melanie too.
Holly reaches the end of the building and finds Heath as he's finishing the call.
HOLLY: Was that Tess?
HEATH: She's always telling me what to do.
HOLLY: What exactly is going on at the station? If you tell me, I can help.
HEATH (agitated): It's under control.
HOLLY: ... You know, this place reminds me of how small we are in this world. We think we're so big... so important. But we're actually just little specks.
As she's speaking, we get some spectacular landscape and overhead shots of the area.
HEATH: Yeah, Tess makes me feel that way a lot.
HOLLY: Well, then, cut the cord. Do it now. Maybe we can go travelling together, like you said.
HEATH: What happened to talking to your dad?
HOLLY: Maybe I don't need to.
HEATH: ... Why did you come with me?
HOLLY: You invited me.
HEATH: No, you barely know me.
HOLLY: Well, I know that I like you. You said that you like me. Maybe we can do something fun tomorrow?
She tries to take his hand, but he pulls away.
HEATH: I'm going back to the station first thing.
Heath goes indoors. Holly becomes tearful as she looks out at the landscape.
Outback Road
It's night, and the stars are bright; Haz and Mackenzie are parked up in the car. They seem to have lost their way, and their phone navigation apps have frozen. They debate whether they took a wrong turn, then go quiet for a while.
MACKENZIE: Are you thinking about what Andrew said?
HAZ: Yeah. On the one hand, it makes me more worried about Holly. But on the other, it's like, should we just wait for the police?
But with no way of knowing where they're going till the apps start working again, it's a moot point...
Warrawee Station
We enter a montage. As dawn appears over the horizon at Warrawee, in the cottage, Toadie and Melanie are still bound together - Mel asleep, and Toadie sobbing uncontrollably.
No 22
Karl and Susan are still on Terese's sofa, huddled together in a blanket. Leo and Krista are lying together on the other sofa, while Paul walks in slow motion into the kitchen to stand with Terese, who is gazing out of the back window forlornly.
Warrawee Station
More sobbing from Toadie, as the montage ends.
No 28
Early morning, and Karl and Susan are back at home. Karl is looking out of the window, clearly beside himself, holding his phone in anticipation of news. He begins to sob.
KARL: Why hasn't she returned our calls? I know she's had a bad run with relationships, but this thing with Heath... I don't understand it. I don't understand it!
Susan silently hugs Karl as he breaks down.
Outback Retreat
Heath gets into his ute and drives away from the retreat. But unbeknownst to him, Holly is hiding under the tarpaulin in the back...
Coming up on Neighbours
- On the phone, Tess tells Heath to do as she says, but he replies that he's tired of her calling the shots
- Toadie and Melanie are still tied up
- Terese says, 'He's got Toadie. He's got them all'
- Heath pulls an ominous long black bag from under the water tank at the cottage
- Holly looking scared and about to run
- Haz creeping through some undergrowth
- Terese and Karl looking very worried
- An emotional Tess meets Heath in person and asks, 'What have you done?'
