Bab’s New Year’s Resolution 20
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8890217/woman-who-began-inject...

List of Characters.

Barbara. Chief Protagonist AKA Bab’s.
Lola. (Seventeen) Transgendered girl rescued by Bab’s 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.
Erica. Another girl victim thought to have been killed by the gang.

Chapter 20

The next morning after Bab’s had phoned the school the arrangements to go shopping were completed. Olivia was pleased about Angela’s elevation from ‘the numpty class’ as all the children referred to it but she was chagrined to learn that Angela was having a morning off just so that she could buy her form mistress a present. At the breakfast table she alternately grumbled then grinned.

“Huh lucky bitch! Just cos’ she got a few maths questions right. I suppose it’ll be a world cruise if she graduates in the summer.”

“All I’m doin’ is saying thank you! Here; read this!”

Angie pushed the letter towards Olivia who had been secretly wanting to read it. After scanning the paper she nodded and grinned.

“So she’s not the wicked witch of the west then.”

“No! I had her wrong. I thought she was a dragon but it’s because she’s got a shit job.”

“Well, have a good time and I’ll see you at lunch.”

They separated after breakfast and soon Angela was in Bristol with Bab’s.

“It’s on the first floor of Debenhams.” Angela explained as they left the Galleries car-park and crossed the shopping centre.

“Slow down girl. This is your old Nina not your bouncing friend Ollie.”

Angela stopped and waited for Bab’s to catch up then they proceeded at a more leisurely pace into the store.

“Here they are.”

She held one up before checking the tag then frowned.

“Crickey! It’s more than I thought. Can you help me out please Nina? I’ll pay you back.”

“That’s what Nina’s are for.” Bab’s smiled as she nodded her head. “Is this the right size?”

Angie double checked the label and nodded.

“Yes. She’s the same size as me. Anyway, she can always exchange it if she wants provided I give her the receipt.”

Bab’s smiled to herself as she considered the thought of giving a gift with the receipt and price tag still attached. Still it was special circumstances and in truth, a very thoughtful ‘thank-you gift’. They completed the purchase then Angela bought Olivia a little bracelet to reaffirm their relationship.

“Get two of those, Bab’s offered. Then you can demonstrate your friendship.”

Angela’s face lit up and they stopped in a café for tea and coffee before Bab’s returned Angela to the school. While Angela presented her form teacher with her ‘thank-you’ present, Bab’s checked up on the new class that Angie was joining.
After conferring with the head of year about any continuing additional provisions to help Angela play ‘catch-up’. Bab’s left feeling much happier about Angela’s progress, then in the school yard she met briefly with Olivia before leaving for home.

“Steak and Kidney pudding for dinner darling, see you later.”

“Mmm! My favourite. See you later Nina.”

When the girls arrived home from school, Bab’s was pleased to see them wearing the matching bracelets.

“Which copper is on guard?” Olivia asked.

“Tony; he’s up at the Marina at the moment talking to Aaron and Shirley, they’re down for the weekend.”

The pair wolfed their food down and dashed up the tow-path to see their friends. It was all that Marmalade and Carbon could do to keep up. Rainbow, the tortoiseshell cat, as ever, remained curled up and sleeping by the cooker.

When they reached the marina, Aaron looked up and grinned.

“I see Marmalade has adopted you Angela. Hope you’re looking after him.”

Angie grinned as both girls paused expectantly before being invited aboard and soon they were chatting in the saloon They congratulated Angela about the promotion from the remedial class and then fell to chatting about the increased security arrangements until Shirley returned from the Marina shop with their three children.

“What-choo doing tomorrow Ollie?” Michael asked.

“Not sure yet. I think Bab’s has got something lined up for us.” Olivia replied to avoid revealing that they were going to Birmingham hospital.

Disappointment registered in Michael’s eyes.

“Aaah. You’re always going away on Saturdays. Can you come with us to see the birds at Slimbridge on Sunday?”

Angela chuckled.

“Don’t you get to feed enough ducks here?”

Aaron explained.

“Michael’s got a bird project for school; he’s meeting some school friends there.”

“Shall we make a day of it then?” Olivia suggested. “I could help them draw some birds.”

With arrangements made, the girls gathered the cats from Jessica and Bianca and returned with Tony the police guard back to the cottage.

Early on the Saturday morning Bridie got a message to say that the hospital was considering allowing Erica to have a day out.

“Where to?” Angela wondered.

“Well, not Birmingham city centre, that’s for sure.” Bab’s opined. “What were her interests when you were in the home?”

“There wasn’t much opportunity to indulge in ‘interests’ as you put it.” Olivia replied venomously. “It was as much as you could do just to get by. If you showed any interests they would be turned against you by the bullies. Remember my drawings? – Having to hide them in that rickety old shed.”

“Mmm.” Bab’s observed thoughtfully. “So no sports, or fashion interests, make-up, clothes.”

“We didn’t see much.” Angela added. “Well – all girls are pretty much into fashion and make-up and stuff, but I don’t remember anything that sort of stood out.”

“What about animals? I’m thinking a day at a zoo or something.”

“West Midland Safari Park might work. There’s rides and animals there.” Olivia opined.

“What d’ you think Bridie?” Bab’s asked the lady sergeant. “There shouldn’t be any security risk to the girls should there. I mean, nobody’ll know.”

“I don’t see a problem,” Bridie replied. “We use the same safety procedures with an unmarked van and things should work out.”

“Very well then, the safari park it is.” Bab’s decided. “Everybody back here in the kitchen for nine.”

The punctual way that everybody arrived ready to go at eight forty-five, demonstrated the importance that everybody attached to the trip.

ooo000ooo

At the hospital, Olivia and Angela did not even leave the van. They were certain enough now of the dangers to pay full heed to Bridie and Brian’s warnings before Bridie went to collect Erica. They were sat in the back when the warning knock sounded and the side door slid back to reveal Bridie and Erica wearing a full burkah plus hijab and niqab.

More sobering was the accompanying guard who Olivia and Angela rightly presumed to be armed. Brian knew the guard and introductions were confirmed as Bridie drove out of the catering department loading bay.

The guard explained why he was accompanying them.

“Erica is a very important witness and the Turks are holding two high-level Saudi princes under arrest for trafficking women and more importantly children as sex slaves. It was the Saudi and Iraqi gang who were trying to kidnap Erica into Saudi Arabia. They somehow got confused then ended up in Iran because they were trying to cross the border on remote dirt tracks and got lost. Talk about dumb! I wonder if they’ve ever heard of ‘sat-nav’”

It was an Iranian border patrol who picked them up and as I’m sure you’re aware, the Iranians are looking for every way possible to get back at Saudi Arabia.

After an hour’s driving and a vehicle change they reached the Safari Park and emerged inconspicuously before queuing to get in. Ordinarily, a pair of sixteen-year-old girls and a fourteen-year-old would have immediately separated from any adult supervision but sadly they were not an ordinary group of girls. Fortunately Bridie and the male police escorts were alert enough to keep slightly in the background while still watching for any untoward interest in the girls. The ruse mainly worked and for a couple of hours the girls enjoyed themselves.

It was at two pm, when they decided to queue for a big mac that a problem arose.

As Bridie and the girls stood deciding what they wanted, Bridie saw Erica go suddenly pale.

“What’s wrong darling?”

“Over there. Look; that guy with that Indian girl, he’s definitely one of the gang who I saw when they were smuggling me through Holland and Germany. He wasn’t actually with me but I saw him at least three times with another young girl at the same stop-overs. I’ll bet he’s grooming that kid. He’s only about nineteen or twenty because I heard him talking about getting married because he already had enough money and he claimed to be nineteen or twenty.

He was bragging to the man who was minding me because he thought I was out of it with drugs but at that point I was lucid.”

Bridie was on to it immediately because girl disappearances were still ongoing in the Midlands. A brief mobile phone-call produced immediate results. Even as the girls and Bridie ate their Big-mac meals and milk shakes, they saw four plainclothes officers approach the pair. The man actually panicked and tried to do a runner while the girl just stood there looking bemused and confused. She had already been drugged with Rohypnol.

Olivia and Angela just shook their heads in despair as they realised just how young the groomer was. They wanted to go outside and offer help with the girl but Bridie stopped them.

“There might be other gang members around. Leave it to my colleagues. We’ll have to keep as low a profile as possible.”

Even as she cautioned the four, two Sikh men and a woman arrived with another police officer. It was obvious that they were the girl’s parents or older relatives. As they watched the tearful scene, Bridie surreptitiously dialled her phone and one of the police officers arresting the kidnapper answered. After a few brief words to identify herself as the officer who had reported the incident, the arresting officer replied.

“Yes, they are her Mother, father and uncle. They reported her missing only this morning, we’ve been damned lucky to recover her and all importantly catch this piece of vermin.”

“Well don’t look towards MacDonald’s, or you might give things away to any watching gang members. I’ll be along to your station with my witnesses shortly. Is the girl drugged do you know, Rhohypnol or something.?”

“It very much seems like it. We’re taking her and her parents down to the station to start sorting stuff out.”

“Yes, well when we arrive, we’re under a witness protection scheme so we’ll arrive with a police escort but very low profile. Any idea why they were in the Safari Park?”

“Nothing yet. We’ll start the investigation down at the station.”

“It’ll have to be Birmingham central station. He’s part of a much bigger rape-gang and kidnapping ring. I’ll give you the superintendent’s number for Birmingham. Call him.”

Olivia had never seen Bridie being so authoritative and positive. She glanced knowingly towards Angela while Erica just glared tearfully at the scene outside the restaurant.

“Eventually, after the arrest was completed and the coast was clear, Bridie the girls and their armed escort quietly slipped away to rendezvous at Birmingham central police station.

ooo000ooo