Bab’s New Year’s Resolution 12

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Beverly.

Barbara. Chief Protagonist AKA Bab’s.

Lola (Seventeen) Barbara’s oldest adopted child. Transgendered girl rescued from an attempted murder.

Olivia. (Fifteen) Barbara’s second adopted daughter: Black lesbian girl fostered out of care then adopted. (With Olivia’s consent!)

Joyce Banks. Bristol Social worker.

Aaron Talbot Surgical registrar – married to -

Shirley Talbot Lecturer at Local university.

They are a married couple who own a narrow-boat on the canal. Friends of Lola

Mickey Talbot (Twelve) Aaron and Shirley’s oldest child.

Jessica Talbot (Eleven) Aaron & Shirley’s middle child.

Bianca Talbot (Nine) Aaron & Shirley’s Youngest child.

Billy Medical colleague of Aaron’s – he also owns a narrow boat in Bristol.

Sandra Her parents also own another Narrowboat in Gloucester.

Jackie Sandra’s friend (a bit headstrong and ‘adventurous’)

Julie Third member of the threesome, (more level-headed and sensible than Jackie).

Jason. (Black) London Gang member deals in drugs at the children’s homes

Tyrone (Black) Also a gang member, friend of Jason. Also a dealer.

Tyson (White) Also a gang member into drugs and trafficking young girls.

Angela (Angie), Olivia’s trafficked, drug-addicted friend (Rape-gang Victim and important witness)

Sergeant Davis, (Bridie) female police bodyguard for Angela.

Detective Sergeant Davies. (Brian) Bridie’s twin brother.

Inspector John, Heading up the anti-rape-gang operation in Birmingham.

Chapter 12.

“Good gracious girls, do you two shower together?” Bridie squeaked.

“Sometimes,” Olivia revealed, “if we’re stinking and sweaty and muddy like today. It saves electricity for Babs’s bill.”

“But Lola’s still – you know – got her bits.” Bridie finished lamely.

“So? We don’t do anything, so what’s the problem.”

“Does Bab’s know?”

“Yes and she warned us.”

Bridie did a serious double-take. When she was their age she was a veritable nympho and the boys were even worse. The appearance of the pair with their bath-towels wrapped girly style gave her a huge insight into the nature of transgendered girls. Lola wasn’t even erect.

As the girls towelled each other and blow-dried each other’s hair Bridie as surprised to find herself sitting on the edge of the bath while Lola leaned over Olivia with the blower. Finally the pair got dressed in their bras and knickers then snuggled into the warm fluffy dressing gowns and traipsed downstairs to enjoy their ‘TV’ dinners while curled together on the settee.

Bridie followed them down to meet her twin brother Brian and Babs also lounging in the arm-chairs and enjoying their ‘TV-dinners’.

“Do you know about these two showering together?”

“Only when they’re particularly dirty after mowing the lawns or sorting the mud shuts down by the lock.” That blue-grey clay sticks like shit to a blanket. I had to hose myself down with the garden hose in the back yard this afternoon. Good job it was warm and sunny.” Brian revealed as he savoured a long cool lager with his dinner.

“And it sticks like crazy to your hair if you’re the bottom sagger. You have to have somebody help remove it from your hair, especially if you’ve got hair like mine,” Olivia declared, while adding, “tight and curly.”

Bridie was forced to accept their reasons and she just wagged her head in mild disbelief as Bab’s then revealed.

“I used to do it myself before the girls came and it took me hours to get clean. They’ve been a god-send since they started doing it. I never asked them but they just got stuck in one day and they make a game of it the little minxes. There’s good money in it to for them. The canal authority pay them well.”

“And showering up afterwards is fun to.” Olivia giggled.

“Alright!” Bridie riposted, “I don’t want to hear any more. TMI! TMI!”

“So Bridie, what did you come down from Birmingham for?”

“Oh! I almost forgot, what with the shock of these two and the shower. Tomorrow, there are some more detectives coming down from London. They’ve got some questions to ask Angela and they don’t know how much they’ll upset her. Inspector John and I will be listening in but once again, everybody feels if you Ollie, are with her, she’ll be reassured. She’s really attached to you isn’t she?”

Olivia replied softly as her memories ploughed a deep, painful furrow through her consciousness.

“Yeah. We’ve been through some stuff together.”

“I can only guess Ollie; I can only guess.” Bridie declared as she threw an arm around the girl. “Are you prepared to help, yet again girl?”

“Of course. Can Lola come? Yesterday I said I’d try and bring her the next time we met and it would be nice for once if I wasn’t having to lie to her. She does Like Lola – and so do I”

Olivia finished as she rested her head on Lola’s shoulder and snuggled that little bit tighter.

“Certainly she can come. I saw the effect Lola had when all three of you were shopping. Are you coming up tomorrow Brian?”

“Do you need me? They’re fitting up the electronic fish trackers tomorrow and it’s a good opportunity for me to hide the cables for our cameras and sensor stuff amongst their kit. That’s mainly why I was giving the mud shutes an extra clean. The cables can be buried all the way from the locks to the cottage, and along the overspill channel while Severn-Trent are installing their stuff.”

“That’s a pity,” Lola lamented. “I’d have like to have seen that.”

“Don’t worry babes,” Brian reassured her. “There’s still miles of cables to connect the Marina and the Carpark Cameras to the video screens here in the cottage and to fit up the satellite link to Gloucester Police Station then on to Birmingham.”

“Bloody hell!” Lola exclaimed once again. “This is a big op eh! No expense spared.”

“You gorr’it girl!” Brian replied before asking his sister. “Are you staying over tonight in the Caravan?”

“Is it ready bro?”

“Pretty much. Two double berths and the water and electricity are connected. Catering at the moment is here in the cottage.”

Bridie nodded affirmation.

“Okay. It’ll save me driving back home to Bromsgrove and then coming down tomorrow.”

“Yippee! Bridie’s staying over.” Olivia cheered.

After helping Bridie move her basics into the Caravan, the five of them settled down to discuss all elements of the case and Bridie explained what the London police were looking for.

As Bridie described the London aspects of the case, Olivia repeatedly interrupted Bridie’s narrative by advising of events and locations that she and Angie had been a party to before Tyson, Jason and Tyrone became deeply involved with the heavy stuff like kidnapping girls.

That night in the cottage, Bridie eventually felt compelled to call her London colleagues in their Birmingham hotel as some important clue was revealed by Olivia. Eventually the London superintendent could not hold back.

“Seriously Sergeant. Who’ve you got with you in that safe house, is it ‘deep-throat-two’ or something?”

“No sir. Just one very concerned, frightened and angry little lady. You might meet her tomorrow, if Inspector John and the lady herself is happy about revealing her identity.”

“That bad is it?” The London superintendent sympathised.

“Yes sir. She and the girl you want to interview, have walked the walk sir, - - - and it’s a very delicate path. Our girl knows only too well where that path took her best friend.”

“I see,” the London superintendent intoned. “Well until tomorrow then and if your witness wishes to remain anonymous, we’ll respect her wishes provided she answers our questions honestly; even by anonymous telephone.”

Olivia nodded vigorously and Bridie acknowledged her determination as she confirmed over the phone.

“She will sir, she’s very hurt, very angry and very well motivated.”

“Good for her. Give her my thanks.”

Olivia smiled and acknowledged the superintendent’s message as Bridie relayed her thumbs-up.

“She heard you superintendent, and she’s keen to help.

“Thank god! This is going to help the case enormously. See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow sir.”

Bridie closed her phone and sighed with satisfaction.

“Don’t know about you lot, but I’m for bed.”

“Same here,” Brian yawned as he went to his car and retrieved his powerful torch.

“We’ll need this, I learned my lesson the other night. It's pitch black out here of a night, no street lights, no other sources of light at all”

They made their farewells and at the same time Babs and the girls retired, - - - closely followed by a marmalade cat.

ooo000ooo

Dawn broke bright and sunny again and the sergeants were amused as well as surprised to hear light-hearted chatter and jangling keys go past the caravan door as Lola unlocked the river gates. Then they were further amused to see the girls posting a big cardboard sign that read, -

Lola and Olivia not on duty today!
If you want help, phone this number. - - - - - It is the marina manager.

The sergeants chuckled as Brian asked Lola. “Is this normal?”

“Yes, when we’re at school the marina staff are the regular operators anyway.” Lola replied as she adjusted the High water and low water times on the notice board clocks.

They were on their way to Birmingham shortly before eight and arrived at Birmingham central police station by nine o’clock after changing into a windowless van in a layby just outside the city. Even then, Bridie suspected a face loitering outside the station as they drove through the gates.

“Look at him. What’s he doing. He’s obviously checking vehicles and that convinces me he’s in the gang.”

“I’m sure he is,” Olivia confirmed as she peeped through space between the curtains. “He was with the very tall bearded bastard standing by the stage at the festival, and I saw him later at the gate talking to Tyson”

“Good girl Olivia. You’ve got an excellent memory for faces girl. Now he’ll be on several cameras by standing there.”

Olivia retreated back into the van then opened her back-pack. After the officers had checked in they returned to the van to collect the girls. There, Olivia handed Bridie a perfect likeness of the man they had just passed talking to a roughly sketched. but very recognisable image of Tyson standing by a marquee. Bridie just gaped at it disbelievingly.

“Where did you get this?”

“I just drew it now, while we were waiting. That’s what I saw outside the entrance to the festival in Gloucester when we became involved in all this.”

Bridie just stared at it totally stunned.

“This is better than our identikit artist. Did you really do this, just now while we checked in?”

Olivia nodded and smiled a little smugly but both officers were too stunned to notice. Brian was already busy on his phone before Bridie had returned to address Olivia.

“Have you got some sort of photographic memory. I mean these are just too stunning to believe.”

“I’ve a long memory for faces and yes, I've been told I can draw.”

“Can you draw any faces you remember seeing when you were on the streets with Tyson and Jason?”

“Some; not all; It’s the same with the names. I can attach some names to some of the faces but not all of course.”

Bridie and Brian were both wagging their heads in amazement as they took the girls into the inner sanctum.

“We’ve got to get you inside, here, put these on.”

Lola held hers at arm’s length while asking.

“Are these what I think they are?”

“Yes, Burqas, niccabs and hijabs.” Bridie replied.
“Bloody hell! Salaam Ali Cum!” Olivia chortled. “Do I have to take this off again to get through security.”

Even the normally phlegmatic Brian smiled as Bridie hustled them through and flashed her sergeant’s badge.

Once inside, they were taken to a high-tech interview suite where only Bridie and Brian sat with them. Several large screens flashed on and the girls were slightly startled to be confronted with two rows of police officers. Lola noted that none of the uniforms were below the rank of inspector but as to the suits she had no idea. However each was introduced by rank and name then the girls were reassured. They relaxed further when Inspector John’s voice came on and another screen lit up.

“Hello again girls. Yes of course you know me and for your peace of mind I can assure you that none of the other interviewers can see you. Only I can see you and your identities are not available to my colleagues.”

He waved and the girls waved back before he started in earnest.

“Right to business then girls. But first your friend Angie is joining you. Please look after her and reassure her for some of the images might truly distress her. I know Bridie and Brian are with you and they are there for the same purposes, to reassure you particularly Olivia if stuff gets too heavy. Okay girls?”

The pair chorused ‘yes’ as another door opened and Angela entered. Once again Olivia studied her momentarily with her artist’s eye for detail before the three girls enjoyed a group hug.

“You’re looking better than last time Angie, keep up the good work girl.” Olivia observed.

“Thanks Ollie; thanks for coming back so soon and thanks for bringing Lola!”

“I wouldn’t miss this for all the – well for anything!” Lola declared as she motioned to the comfortable chairs.

They sat down as Bridie introduced Brian to Angela and the girls vouchsafed him.

“He’s a friend Angie, I can truly say that!” Olivia affirmed.

“Have they told you how it’s going to work?” Angie wondered.

Oliva and Lola nodded affirmation then Inspector John got the interview started.

“Right girls, each police officer is identified on the screen and as you can see they come from several different police forces. I did tell you that this case was big, remember.”

The girls looked askance at the dozen or more police forces listed and quickly recognised that they came from all over Britain. What was more, several were obviously foreign police because their uniforms were nothing like the familiar British ones. Under these officers their own countries and their INTERPOL affiliations were displayed.

“Bloody hell!” Olivia gasped. That one’s from Turkey!”

“As I said,” Inspector John reiterated, “this case is big!”

Now ladies, Different officers are going to mention names and occasionally show pictures of men or even women occasionally and in different places. They will do it slowly and we ask you to take your time, okay?”

The three girls nodded as Bridie squeezed Olivia and Angela’s hands to reassure them.

The operation started and for the first few minutes Olivia and Angela readily recognised faces and names. As they attached names to faces the interview went well then gaps started to appear as names were mentioned and Angela could remember them but did not recognise any faces. Fortunately, although there were no faces available, Olivia could picture a lot of the men she named and she turned away to sketch the faces from memory. When Angie was shown the face by Olivia and Bridie she would sometimes recognise the face although she didn’t know the name. Sometimes she even attached a different name thus confirming that the individual that Olivia had remembered was possibly operating under different aliases.

“They called him Mufhasa in Brighton”, Olivia declared.

“Yeah well I knew him as Omah in Leicester, and that scar over his eye was longer. It made him squint more ‘home-and-away.”

At other times both girls chorused in unison and loudly, at other times they checked to confirm with each other.

“That’s Erica! with Irtan the Cypriot! What country is that?”

“That’s Allus! The Roma! Is that Nottingham. It is, that’s the River Trent!”

Then there would be a gaggle of discussion among several police officers as other facts and different identities were described. Then another question would be asked.

“Have you ever seen him in this coat.”

“No.” Olivia openly admitted as she admired the posh house in the background of what was obviously somewhere Mediterranean.

“Yes! Squealed Angie. “He was wearing that when he beat me up in Leicester.”

“Thank you girls. This establishes where he was on certain dates and what he was doing.”

“And this shirt? Do either of you recognise it.”

“It’s the shirt that had blood on it, the night Tyson and I ran out of the club. I recognise the blue embroidery and those blood stains on the right sleeve." Angie confirmed then struggled to remember other stuff.

“It was the night Arsenal beat Nott’s Forest!” Olivia added as she remembered Angie’s story.”

“Oooh yeah! That’s right, I forgot about that.” Angie admitted.

“You told me about it when you were spaced out the other day.” Olivia reminded her.

And so it went on, dates, locations, faces, sketches, events and names; always names, names, names. Several times Brian came in with cakes and biscuits, tea, coffee and fruit juices.

Eventually the girls remembered less about the images the police were presenting until it became obvious their rich vein of priceless, incriminating information was just about worked out.

Brian and Bridie had served their last cup of coffee and the girls slumped exhausted and distraught as the memories served to haunt them. Even Lola was shattered and she had hardly added any input save to sometimes reassure the girls and lend emotional support when their distress threatened to overwhelm them.

Eventually, Inspector John joined them and even stretched out his arms to hug his thanks. He actually had a daughter the same age as Olivia and Angela and he could not hide the tear as he compared the horrors these two kids had endured compared with his own daughter’s comparatively pampered existence.

“Thank you girls! I just don’t know how to thank you enough.”

“A reward for catching the bastards would be a nice start,” Olivia declared loudly.

“Oh, you’ll be getting that alright. Even the foreign police forces have acknowledged your parts in blowing this crime ring right open. There’s even a reward possibly from as far as Turkey. Olivia, your sketches have been excellent and some of my colleagues have even been able to identify some more criminals. You’ve definitely got a career in forensic art if you want one. Oh, and one final thing. They have found your blond friend Erica. She was on the point of being trafficked into Iran across the Turkish border. She’s not dead”

At this point both Olivia and Angela let the dams burst and tears of relief flooded down their cheeks.

“Come on, I think you girls need to get home.” Bridie declared as she grasped Olivia’s hand.

“Yeah! And what about Angie?” Olivia squealed. “What’s she got to go back to, eh?! A featureless room and a locked door.”

“We’re trying Ollie,” Bridie tried to justify Angela’s ordeal. “We’ll be visiting her again on Saturday, that’s a promise.”

Seeing Olivia’s distressed state, Bridie realised a little extra effort was required on her own part. She studied Olivia thoughtfully then declared - - -.

“Look, I’ll tell you what. Would you like to take her shopping in Cheltenham? I’ve got some business arising at the intelligence headquarters, GCHQ., based on some stuff you’ve revealed. I’ll drive you home again even if it’s after midnight.

“You’re sure of that!” Olivia demanded, “and we’ll definitely come back to meet her again on Saturday, not a day later, and not later than ten in the morning. Saturday morning ten o’clock!”

Bridie agreed their fixing a definite time served to soothe both girls and relax Lola. Eventually they were smuggled out of the Birmingham police station in three Burkahs and they ended up shopping in Cheltenham. All three girls did not get back to the Birmingham hospital until eight p.m.

Even so, after a wonderful day’s shopping and exploring Cheltenham, Olivia felt a huge rock of guilt crushing her heart as she watched her friend being dosed with Naltrexone then escorted into her secure bedroom in the hospital.
As she watched a very tearful Angie being encouraged gently to prepare for the night, a lump jammed in Olivia’s throat. Angie looked so small and vulnerable in her bed as Olivia watched the door being closed. Their eyes met for the last time as the gap narrowed and Olivia gave Angie a guilty little tearful wave just before the door clicked shut.

As she turned and forced herself to walk away, a curse escaped Olivia’s lips. She so wanted to comfort Angie all that night and just be there for her if any terrors came to haunt her in the darkest hours.

She just could not countenance or imagine what torments Angie must have suffered on her long road to recovery. Olivia wanted to simply squat all night outside Angie’s door, like a faithful guard dog..

It took Bridie and Lola all their combined persuasive efforts to get Olivia to accompany them home to the cottage. She wept all the way home in Bridie’s car and even when she got there, she ended up sharing Lola’s bed simply for comfort, reassurance and solace from Lola’s cuddle.