Bab’s New Year’s resolution. 44 © Copyright Beverly Guinevere Taff.

List of Characters.

Lola Smith Bab’s adopted trans daughter.
Callista Denton (Callie). Transgendered Duchess of Denton.
Margaret Denton (Maggie). Callie’s wife.
Molly Denton Callie’s grandmother
Ellie Denton Callie’s mother.
Bab’s Barbara Smith. Lola’s adoptive ‘Nana’
Olivia Smith Bab’s adopted daughter.
Angela Smith Bab’s newly adopted daughter
Erica Bab’s foster daughter.
Sergeant Bridie Davies Lady Police detective protecting the girls.
Sergeant Brian Davies. Bridie’s twin brother.
Inspector John, Heading up the anti-rape-gang operation in Birmingham.
Gareth Jenkins, Police office trained in firearms and protection.
Belinda Harrington Bab’s university girlfriend.
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 Aaron and Shirley’s oldest son.
Jessica Talbot Aaron & Shirley’s middle daughter.
Bianca Talbot Aaron & Shirley’s youngest daughter.

Chapter 44

The inspector’s patrol car sped on along the motorway to eventually arrive at an anonymous layby hidden down a narrow winding country lane. Such a strange manoeuvre caused the young law graduate to wonder what was afoot and she looked back to see another patrol car following at a considerable distance.

“Is that car shepherding us?” She asked Inspector John.

“It is. It’s preventing any other car from following us or noting our vehicle exchange which is – right here.” He explained as he turned into the layby.

“We’ll be using this unmarked car from here on in; to shake off any tail.”

“Is it really that bad?” Sonia asked.

“We can never be certain. You have no idea how big this case or who we have under suspicion. There are some very desperate and powerful political figures involved. I’ll tell you now; these girls have opened up a huge can of worms that spreads from Mexico and the USA, throughout Britain, Northern Europe and on into the Middle East. There might even be Russian and Chinese connections but if there is, it will have to follow on from these cases. Frankly, after this case is done, I need a rest. As for the girls, well-!”

He simply wagged his head with resignation before continuing.

“I’m taking a six month sabbatical if they’ll let me.”

Both Sonia and her young paralegal assistant fell silent as Inspector John pulled up alongside the ‘civilian car’. As she stepped out of the rear seat the young lawyer paused and listened. Inspector John nodded.

“Yes. We’ve even got a chopper sniffing around to check for anything suspicious.”

“Bloody hell! Heavy stuff,” the girl muttered to herself.

“You’d better believe it young lady. What’s your name by the way?”

“Veronica; Veronica Ball.”

“She’s my niece,” Sonia explained. “My brother’s daughter.”

“Keeping it all in the family then.” Inspector John observed.

“As we have done for six generations. The firm started in the eighteen fifties.” Sonia finished.

The car finally arrived at the little car park at the top of Canal Lane and Inspector John declared.

“Best if we walked I think. The rain has made the lane treacherous. I can hear the brook crashing over the gully further down. You’ll see what I mean.”

“Good job I’ve still got my boots,” Veronica remarked.

“I bloody didn’t!” Sonia cursed.

“It’s okay, there’s some wellingtons in the boot (trunk). We’re ready for all occasions,”

Inspector John grinned as he took out a pair of size eight, lady’s boots.

Veronica smirked as he produced the footwear.

“Good God! You’re not some sort of closet transvestite are you inspector?”

“They’re Sergeant Bridie’s. She was here the other day.” The inspector replied without any mirth before adding. “And in this case, I wouldn’t make light of any LGBT issues, I’ll explain on the way back.”

Sonia stared at the muddy lane as she donned the essential wellingtons.

“Why would a woman of seventy nine choose to live down there?” She asked the inspector.

“Wait and see. Have you never been to Canal cottage?”

“No. Bab’s always came to the office.”

Even as they started down the lane, the heavens opened again but at least they were prepared. When they had picked their way down to the notorious flooding hairpin Inspector John paused to look over the little parapet and pointed into the deep gully, a drop of ten feet and then a slide of some one hundred feet down the muddy bank..

“D’ you see that tree with the fork and the broken branch.”

Sonia nodded as Veronica peered from under her anorak hood.

“Well that’s where Bab's found Lola after she had been thrown down there like a rag doll by her rapist. She was all ‘gaffer-taped- up inside black plastic waste-bags. In Ice and snow at three or four o’clock on New-year’s eve; Bab’s climbed down there in the mud and ice while the stream was almost as bad as this and literally dragged and pushed the poor kid up to the road and then down to her cottage. The kid almost died. The rest is history, come on, now you’ll see something to lighten your hearts.”

After cautiously crossing the furious spate of water that had overflowed the hairpin, the three of them made it down to the canal tow path and finally arrived at the cottage.

They wasted no time in admiring what view there was through the deluge, for the wind had sprung up with the rain. Sonia and Veronica dashed into the cottage to be met by a young black girl who was as surprised to see them as they her.

“Who are you?” Demanded Sonia as she shook the rain from her ruined hair.

“Who are you?” The young girl boldly demanded back.

By then Inspector John had arrived with the police guard who had been checking the narrow-boat’s moorings tied up behind the cottage. He immediately recognised Bianca and broke the tension.

“Hello Bianca, watchoo-doing out here in this awful weather?”

“I came to feed the cats, now I’m waiting for this squall to pass over.”

“The family are on the boat I presume.”

Mum and my sister are. Dad and my brother have gone to a football match in Bristol.”

Inspector John made the introductions then explained to Bianca.

“We have to search the house. Can I ask you to stay in the kitchen with the police guard please.”

The guard nodded affirmation and co-opted Bianca to make a pot of tea while the trio went to the spench under the stairs. It took several minutes to uncover the hidden panel and they eventually recovered the packages. Four were large envelopes obviously containing papers while the two smaller ones obviously contained small, hard rough things.

“Jewellery me-thinks.” Inspector John observed as he felt the smaller packages before handing them to Sonia.

Sonia nodded then placed them in a polythene bag she had taken from the kitchen.

ooo000ooo

With the collection completed, they settled around the kitchen table to share the tea and biscuits until the rain-storm had passed. Eventually the clouds cleared and the two lawyers took the opportunity to enjoy the scenery.

“It’s beautiful down here, just look at the afternoon sunlight glittering on the estuary.” Sonia enthused.

“And look at those trees starting already to show their Autumn colours.. It’s fantastic!” Veronica added.

Bianca grinned as Carbon the black cat leapt up onto her lap.

“You should see the painting of that scene that Olivia painted for Bab’s. It’s in Bab’s study in the new extension.”

“Does Olivia paint then?” Veronica asked.

“Boy! Can she paint!” Inspector John interjected. “I’ll show you the pictures.”

With the tea and biscuits finished, the inspector took the lawyers to the study. On entering, Veronica fell silent as she noted four pictures all of the identical scene of the estuary looking west towards the evening sun.

“Oh they’re good! The estuary through the seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter; and you say Olivia painted these?”

Bianca nodded as she stood by the window with Carbon draped around her shoulders like a fur stole. Then she added.

“Ollie also painted the panels on our boat. They won the exhibition at Gloucester docks. I’ll have to go now, it’s stopped raining.”

They stood watching as Bianca skipped away along the towpath then Veronica turned to Olivia.

“Nice kid; very polite.”

Inspector John nodded as he tapped his watch.

“Yes, they have a narrow-boat in the marina and they’re down there a lot. They virtually live on the boat during summer. Bab’s pretty much reared Aaron and Shirley. They're another of her success stories. Aaron's a surgeon and Shirley is a university lecturer. Come on, time’s getting on if we’re to get back to Bab’s before nightfall.”

After checking the location with the police guard, the trio returned to the hospital and Bab’s bed side. There Veronica and Olivia agreed to secure the documents and jewellery in the office safe until Bab’s was ready to be discharged.
On the Monday, Lola reluctantly bid farewell to her Nan and left to have her surgery.

Later that same week, Olivia, Angela and Erica flew to Amsterdam to attend the third trial surrounding the rape and kidnap activities of the gang.

Having learned their lessons surrounding the publicity and sensationalism attached to the previous cases in Britain, the Dutch police clamped down really hard on security. Even so the hysteria surrounding the identity of several of the defendants soon attracted intense political interest from news agencies all around the planet.
The three girls found themselves in virtual ‘lock-down’ as they were ferried to and from the Dutch court in a military convoy of armoured cars. It was to be November before the hearings were completed and the girls returned to the UK.

ooo000ooo

After Lola had offered her tearful farewell to Bab’s, she travelled alone across southern England alone to attend the hospital where she was to have her gender-reassignment-surgery. (GRS).

The ward sister was slightly surprised to find a young single nineteen-year-old girl arrive without any friends or family to support her through the forthcoming ordeal. It was only after checking through the girl’s back-ground notes that she learned that the young student Lola Smith was one of the kids from care who had been tangled up with the notorious rape-gang trials that had shaken England to it’s very core.

As she filled in the forms and details for Lola, she double checked the facts.

“Have you got no family or support system?”

“I did have my adoptive Nan, but the was shot by the gang. She’s in hospital right now recovering from surgery. They’re not sure if she’ll walk again.”

“And there’s nobody else?”

“Normally, there would have been my step-sisters who were also adopted by my Nan, but they’re in Holland attending yet another court-case.”

“So you’re totally on your own?”

“Well, I’ve got a girl-friend but she doesn’t have her own car yet, and I’ve got a friend in Yorkshire but that’s a long way from here. I can’t see her driving all the way down to Brighton.”

The sister wagged her head as she completed the forms and started taking Lola’s stats.

“D’ you know, I admire you girl. You’re very brave to do all this on your own without any support.”

“Needs must,” Lola shrugged resignedly. “The rape gang destroyed my arrangements so here I am. I’ll survive.”

“How are you travelling home?”

“Dunno’ yet. Cross that bridge when I get to it.”

The sister shook her head slowly and sympathetically.

“Well. I’ll give you a sedative tonight and that will kill your hunger pangs. No food now until after surgery tomorrow, and even then, no solids for three days.”

“Uugh!” Lola half smiled as she cracked a weak joke. “The things we trans girls have to give up just to stay sane.”

“But it’ll be worth it in the end dear. You’ve got the internet and television and your phone so you’ll not be out of touch. So get undressed, put on these surgical stockings then onto the bed and don’t cross your legs, that encourages DVTs.”

Lola did as advised then settled down for the afternoon. Later, the anaesthetist came to check her over and finally her surgeon.

By late evening, Lola was ‘zonked’ out with sedatives. Before dawn, she was reluctantly dragged from her slumber and wheeled down to theatre.

ooo000ooo