'OK, why do you have to go to a safe house?' 'Those guys I saw are psychos' 'OK, I see, let's talk tomorrow, I need to sleep now, Josie love, be safe.' 'It's OK, I'm in good hands, sleep well, Rachel sweetie.' Eyewitness Part 4 by Alys

"Are you OK?" asked the Inspector as he drove carefully through the busy evening city traffic, "you're very quiet."

"Been a long day," I responded quietly as I sat there wondering what I had got myself into by phoning the police.

"How come?" he enquired a little absentmindedly as he negotiated his way around the busy 'Charles Cross' roundabout.

"Well, doh, I was a witness to a murder this morning, just a little stressful," I responded a little angrily, "and now you tell me I'm in danger myself and need to go to a safe house."

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry you've had a very difficult time, but believe me there was no other option after you identified the suspects," the inspector explained.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"They are extremely dangerous, their names are Jon Van Deer and Kronje VerMeel. They were members of the Afrikaner Volksfront in South Africa, they left after the fall of Apartheid and found their way to the UK via Israel," Inspector Lee stated, "they were known to be responsible for a series of racist murders."

"So why aren't they in prison?" I asked.

"They were given amnesty by the 'truth and reconciliation commission'," he explained.

"They were lucky I guess," I said, wondering what sort of commission would let murderers get away with it.

"Yes, very much so and I wasn't too surprised when you recognised them from the pictures, they are psychos. By the way Josie do you want to use my mobile to contact your mum?" he asked.

"It's OK I can use mine," I said, taking it out of my bag to show him before putting it back again.

He paused for a second and I thought I detected a smile on his face before he responded, "you're a devious girl, so the phone box was to avoid being traced in case you didn't want to get further involved?"

"Something like that," I said, smiling myself.

There was a silence between us as Inspector Lee manoeuvred into the police station car park. He switched the engine off and turned to me.

"Come on Josie, it's late and I bet you'd like to get to bed, we'll do this as quickly as possible," he said.

I followed him into the station, there seemed to be a lot of people milling around. I noticed two drunken, bloodied men, early casualties of the usual Saturday night city mayhem, being dragged in by four large policemen.

After a couple of minutes walking past 'indentik' offices Inspector Lee finally stopped, opened a door and let us into a small sparsely furnished room. A plump, middle aged woman with striking bleached blonde hair was on the phone, she acknowledged us and quickly finished her conversation.

"Yes sir as soon as possible," she said before putting the handset down.

"Was that the chief?" Inspector Lee asked.

"Yes..yes it was," the policewoman replied hesitantly, "he's under a lot of pressure. This is a high profile case after the news conference this afternoon. Who's this then Frank?"

"This is Josie, she's some important information for us," Inspector Lee replied, "Josie, meet my deputy, Sergeant Francis.

"Call me Melanie, Josie," said the policewoman, smiling, "we don't stand on ceremony here."

"Hi Melanie," I said before sitting down heavily on one of the chairs and putting my head down on my arms on the desk.

"You look exhausted, dear, I'll get some coffee, you want some Frank?" asked Sergeant Francis.

"Thanks Melanie that'd be great," he replied.

While the policewoman busied herself with the kettle, Inspector Lee logged onto his computer and downloaded the statement he had typed and emailed himself in the Jolly Sailor. Within a few seconds he had printed it on official police stationary for me to sign.

Sergeant Francis brought the refreshments over, as she put mine down on the desk I noticed the small tattoo on the top of her left breast, a circle and a cross combined, which looked strangely familiar.

She gave Inspector Lee his coffee and picked up the statement. She read it intently before commenting, "Frank you've done it!"

"It's pretty strong evidence, all we have to do is to keep Josie and her family safe for the next few days," he responded before briefly explaining the plan.

"So if you can go and pick up Josie's Mother and bring her along we can meet you there, is that OK Melanie?" he asked.

"No problem at all, see you later Frank, bye Josie," she said before leaving.

"Do you think you could phone your Mum now, Josie and tell her a policewoman will be coming round in about half an hour or so," he said.

"What can I give her as a reason?" I asked.

"Tell her.....no maybe it's better I do the explanations," he replied.

I pressed speed-dial two, one was Rachel of course, the phone was answered after five rings.

'Hello'

'Hi, Mum'

'Who is it? Is it you Phillip, why is your voice odd?'

I cringed at the sound of my male name, Inspector Lee looked at me strangely.

'Mum, I'm in a police station and there's an Inspector who wants to talk to you.'

'What have you done now, you idiot!'

I handed the mobile to Inspector Lee.

'Hello Mrs Murphy, your 'son' hasn't done anything wrong, but both of you are in danger.'

'What!'

'Please listen carefully, we are putting you and 'Phillip' into a safe house for a few days. I've just sent a policewoman to pick you up, can you be ready with a few days clothes for the two of you. I'll explain more when I see you there," he said.

My Mother gave into the natural authority of the Inspector and then rang off. I was handed the phone back.

"So, 'Phillip', I think I deserve an explanation!" he said sounding a bit annoyed, "I hope it's a good one and means I don't have to retype the statement."

I looked down at the floor trying to think what to say.

"I'm waiting 'Phillip'," Inspector Lee stated.

I was at a loss for words and then overcome by the stress of the day, and the pressure of the moment, I began to slowly sob.

"Don't cry, I'm not trying to be nasty to you, I just don't understand why you are dressed as a girl," he said in a more measured tone.

I looked up at him before slowly, deliberately taking my jacket off, then my blouse and finally my bra, "is that enough of an explanation?" I asked.

He stared at my small boobs for a few seconds before responding quietly, "I think you've made your point Josie, can you get dressed now or I'll be in trouble."

A few minutes later I was following Inspector Lee out of the busy station, with more drunken revellers arriving as we walked out.

"Josie you're going to have to sit down with your Mother tomorrow and go through your sex change issues, you should have plenty of free time over the next few days," he said, as he drove the car out of the station car park, sounding quite paternal.

"'pose so," I muttered, with my eyes half closed, I was really looking forward to laying my head on a soft pillow in a nice comfortable bed.

My phone rang, I took it out of my bag, noticed it was Rachel and answered.

'Hi Rach,'

'Hi Jose, you OK?'

'OK, but the police are taking me to a safe house, how's you?'

'OK, why do you have to go to a safe house?'

'Those guys I saw are psychos.'

'OK, I see, let's talk tomorrow, I need to sleep now, Josie love, be safe.'

'It's OK, I'm in good hands, sleep well, Rachel sweetie.'

"Was that your girlfriend?" asked the Inspector.

"Oh yes," I responded a little dreamily as I imagined Rachel in her bedroom, wishing I was there in her warm embrace.

"Does she know?" asked the Inspector, breaking through my beautiful image.

"'course she does, you think I'm that stupid!" I responded.

"Not at all...........that's funny I'm sure that car has been behind us all the way from the city centre. Oh well there's one way to find out, hang on, this could get a bit hairy."

The Inspector turned suddenly off the main road, the A379, into the suburb of Plymstock, there followed a series of quick turns down minor roads before, some minutes later, we returned to the road we had been on previously.

"Damn they're still behind us," the Inspector said, "oh well it's time for the blue light I guess, cover your ears this could get a bit noisy."

Ahead of us there was a line of stationary traffic waiting for the signals to change colour. The inspector turned on his siren and lights and like Moses parting the Red Sea, an avenue opened for us to go through while closing behind to form a barrier for our pursuers.

A few minutes Inspector Lee was still grinning with self satisfaction as he turned up towards Staddon Heights Golf Course.

"The house is on the other side of the golf course, Josie, you'll be perfectly safe there, they have armed guards and state of the art surveillance...what the hell!" he exclaimed in mid-sentence as the two cars blocking the road ahead of us turned on their full headlights, blinding us.

The bullets struck the front of the car first, with loud staccato thuds before the windscreen disappeared into a shower of blunt glass fragments.

The car veered crazily off the road before crashing into some gorse bushes and coming to a stop, throwing my body hard into the seat belt. A sharp pain went through my whole body and then the pressure was released as I fell back into the seat. I looked over to my companion. In the light from the cars ahead I could make out trickles of blood streaming down his head.

"Josie run, get out........" he mumbled, "they got me, you escape."

I looked up to see two figures silhouetted in the dazzling light making their way towards the car. I considered my options for a second and then realised that survival was my only choice. I unfastened the seat belt, slipped down into the foot well, opened the door slightly and then crawled out of the car. Luckily the side where I had been sitting had been turned away from the advancing attackers.

I made my way to the back of the car, keeping it between me and the people walking towards the car. I carefully made my way into the darkness of the golf course and lay under a bush.

"There's only the stupid pig here, she said there would be a girl too," said one voice with an obvious South African accent.

"Maybe she got it wrong," responded another South African.

"What about him?" asked the first.

"Do him," replied the second.

I watched in horror as the first gunman raised his bare arm, pointed his weapon and with three quick shots murdered the Inspector. I held my hand to my mouth to stop myself throwing up with the horror of what I was witnessing. As he turned his arm away from the dreadful deed I noticed a tattoo on his forearm.

It was the same circle and cross I had seen on the Sergeant's breast earlier! I suddenly remembered where else I had seen it. On an anti-fascist campaigning website. It was a Norse Rune, a favoured symbol of fascists, one of whom was at this moment on the way to get my Mother. I had to warn her!

The two psychopaths walked back to their cars. Once their steps were out of earshot, I got up an ran in the opposite direction for a good few minutes until I could no longer even see their headlights.

I took out my phone and pressed speed dial two. The phone rang for a while and finally was lifted up.

'Mum, mum, you've got to get out of there before the police do, they're.....'

'Too late you freak, we got here first and when we find you I might let Jon and Kronje play with you first.'