Babs’ New Year’s Resolution 65 ©Beverly Taff Feb 2021

List of Characters.

Lola Smith Bab’s adopted trans daughter.
Callista Denton (Callie). Transgendered Duke of Denton. (M to F)
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. (Excellent Artist.)
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.
Gareth Jenkins, Police office trained in firearms and protection.
Belinda Harrington Lola’s university girlfriend.
Aaron Talbot Surgical registrar – married to –
Shirley Talbot Lecturer at Local university.
Mickey Talbot Aaron and Shirley’s oldest son.
Jessica Talbot Aaron & Shirley’s middle daughter.
Bianca Talbot Aaron & Shirley’s youngest daughter.
Henry Denton Callie’s only son.
Charlotte Denton Callie’s only daughter.
Beverly Callie’s maternal great aunt (Ellie’s paternal aunt)
Wendy Smith Beverly’s Operations Manager for Hull
Louisa Wendy’s Daughter
Griselda & Mia Wendy’s younger twin daughters.
Susan Harvey Prosecution counsel advocating for Erica in court.

Chapter 65.

Susan hurried to the interview room where she found Erica sipping coffee with Susan’s ‘junior’.

“You’d best finish those coffees girls; we’re going back in.”

“Ooh! I’d best have a wee first.” Erica replied as she stepped eagerly towards the door.

As they entered the lady’s loos, Susan cautioned her again.

“This won’t be easy Erica. I’ve had a brief preview of the material they’re going to present. Are you really up for this?”

“No choice have I? I want to see Shula avenged as well as the others.”

“How long were you together?”

“Shula and me, all the way from Amsterdam to Siirt in Turkey. The other two joined us in Istanbul.”

“Did they describe to you how they arrived in Istanbul?”

“No, they only spoke Spanish. They turned up one night and we were four together until that afternoon in Siirt.”

After completing their functions, they returned to the court-room and the moment Erica was put up to stand ready in the witness box, the judges appeared. They had been waiting for them.

‘I must be a really important witness’ Erica thought, ‘I’d better give them everything I can remember.’

As the judges entered, Erica - already standing,- bowed her head ever so slightly as the rest of the court stood up. The lady judge could hardly hide her smile.

‘The kid’s learning’, she told herself as she took her seat at the centre of the bench.

“You may proceed counsel”.

Susan proceeded to question Erica.

“Now Miss Smith, on the basis of the new evidence that you caused to be brought to light on Wednesday, I am forced to ask some very important questions. Are you agreeable to this?”

“Yes Miss.” Erica replied almost in a nervous whisper.

“Can you speak up please Miss Smith. I’m afraid the whole court has to hear your answers.” The senior Judge requested.

“I said Yes Miss, I’ll answer the questions!”

“Very good young lady. Please proceed.”

Susan resumed her questioning.

“Now Erica, apart from the murder of the girl you witnessed in the ‘snuff-movie’ you saw being prepared, did you see any other people being murdered.”

“Yes Miss.”

“Can you tell the court where and when?”

“Yes Miss, it was in the back garden of the Pink house in Siirt, by the mosque.”

“For the record, I’m showing the court a picture of the house. Erica, is this the house you are referring to?”

“Yes.”

“Is this the tree in the back garden where you saw the girls being dumped.”

“Yes. – After I saw her being murdered.”

“We’re coming to that Erica. Take your time please.”

Erica took a long slow breath as she gripped the rail to make sure she didn’t collapse. Susan noticed this and softened her demeanour.

“What events did you see in that garden.”

“It was evening, the mosque was calling to prayer and it was drowning out the sound of the girls crying in the back of the van.”

“Could you see plainly, was it light enough.”

“Yes, the sun was about to set but it was still light enough to see.”

“Carry on.”

“We were taken through the pink house and made to stand by a van in the garden by the tree. Joaquina and Conchita started to scream then there was a strangulated cry and the screaming stopped. I was standing on the driver’s side of the van with Shula so I did not see them actually being killed but when they took Shula and me to the rear of the van, Conchita and Joaquina were lying dead inside the van with tourniquets around their necks. Next they grabbed Shula then dragged her into the van, put a tourniquet around her neck and strangled her right in front of me.

She tried to choke out the word goodbye to me and then she was dead. I think her neck was broken because it looked like a funny angle when they left her inside the van.”

“Then what happened?”

“I just closed my eyes and waited for the rope. – But it didn’t come. The van’s engine started and it went forward to reveal a trench under the van. When I opened my eyes they were just tipping Shula, Joaquina and Conchita into the trench. I was still expecting to be killed and dumped with them.”

“Can you remember what clothes the girls were wearing?”

Erica gasped with anger and some confusion.

‘Why did they need to know about their fucking clothes?’ She wondered to herself.
‘They already had the bloody bodies!’

She nearly swore out aloud before realising that this would be further proof to confirm her testimony Bighting her lip, she paused to calm down before continuing. Both Susan and the judges could see how stressed Erica was becoming so they allowed her time to compose herself before she answered.

“We were all wearing leggings, I can’t remember much else. I think Jo was wearing a white top, Conchita a pink tee-shirt and Shula was wearing my cardigan. Her top had blood stains on it because earlier, in the house, somebody must have punched her nose. There was still crusted blood on her lips and jaw before they strangled her. That’s all I can remember. Oh, I was still wearing my tee that had been under my cardigan.”

“Thank you Miss Smith, that evidence is important. The court is going to show a piece of Video that was discovered on another member of the gang when the pink house was raided last night. It was confiscated off him when he was arrested still at that same pink house last night in Turkey. The police have been trying to identify the victims. Can you please look at the video and tell us what you know?”

At this juncture the judge interrupted.

“Miss Smith, I have to warn you that the contents of this video are extremely distressing. If at any time you want to stop, don’t hesitate to say.”

Through clenched teeth, Erica replied.

“I’ll try your honour. I’ll try.”

The video screen came to life and all heads turned as a garden appeared. A trench, about a metre deep was shown beside a fig tree and about a dozen gang members were standing around it. Next, a van appeared entering through some double gates and it parked astride the trench. The side door was opened and three girls, Joaquina, Shula and Conchita were dragged out crying loudly. The amplified prayer call from the mosque was drowning out their pleas for mercy but very quickly, Joaquina and Conchita were strangled as Shula was forced to watch. The two dead girls were flung in the back of the van.

Then the passenger door was opened and a hand-cuffed Erica was seen to be dragged from the front seat and stood in front of Shula. Both girls were screaming and struggling by this time but they were helpless in the hands of the gang. Before the court room audience had time to take stock, Shula was strangled right in front of Erica and the sound track clearly recorded Shula’s half strangled ‘goodbye’.

The scene was exactly as Erica had described it and the court watched in stunned silence as the van pulled forward and the three bodies were unceremoniously pushed out of the van into the trench. Erica was seen to be thrown into the back of the van and it left the garden while some of the gang remained to cover the trench.

When it finished the silence endured and it was a full second or so before anybody realised that Erica had slipped from her chair and collapsed silently to the floor of the witness box. It was noticed first by the end judge who was looking past Erica to see the screen. His call to the usher quickly caused all heads to pivot and Susan, being nearest the witness box, sprang up the step.

“She’s collapsed your honour!!”

Pandemonium ensued as the doctor (already to hand because of the anticipated risks,) rushed to help Susan attend to Erica. Three of the police officers were also quick to lift Erica out of the witness box and lay her on Susan’s hastily cleared table. There the doctor was quickly able to establish that the witness had simply fainted through stress.

The senior judge replied through gritted teeth.

“Thank you doctor. Frankly, I’m not surprised. We anticipated something like this, - court adjourned! Everybody must be ready to return at two o’clock if Miss Smith is fit to continue.”

ooo000ooo

It was three o’clock before the doctor was satisfied that Erica was fit to continue despite Erica loudly arguing as soon as she came around that she was ready to carry on. To avoid inviting any potential arguments about judicial favouritism Erica had been moved and treated by the doctor in a private interview room where only Susan, the doctor and Babs’ were allowed to be present. This time, an angry, determined Erica was ready and standing in the witness box when the judges returned. The judge studied Erica briefly then spoke to Susan.

“Is your witness quite ready counsel? She appears somewhat stressed.”

“I'm ready your honour!” Erica replied with her anger distinctly evident in her voice.

"Indeed she is your honour." Susan added just to make it clear to the court.

The judge nodded acknowledgement and glanced again directly at Erica as she recognised the fixed expression of steel-eyed determination.

“I think the events surrounding the murders in Siirt have been proven beyond any doubt so shall we progress to the next question as to how and why Miss Smith ended up in Iran.”

Having taken the judges’ que, Susan commenced the next inquisition.

“Right Erica, can you describe what happened and how you entered Iran?”

“The next morning a white car with what seemed like Iranian or Arabic registration plates, arrived at the back of the house and parked right by the back door.”

“Then what?”

“I saw it arrive from the window of my room then they came into my room and injected me with some sort of knock-out drug. I woke up in Iran a day later very bruised and very sore.”

“So there’s nothing much you can tell.”

“When I came to, they seemed to be arguing furiously with a group of people who were armed to the teeth. I struggled to sit up then I kicked the inside of the boot (trunk) and the Iranian who seemed to be the boss immediately opened the boot of the car.”

“Go on.” Susan encouraged.

“Well, he spoke English and wanted money. I had none so he went back to my kidnappers and they started arguing again in Turkish, or Iranian, or even Kurdish, I don’t know which. By this time I was sitting up in the boot of the car because the lid was left up. After more arguments the shooting started and the Iranians shot my kidnappers. They came over to my car again and demanded to know who I was. I had no option but to tell them, I was handcuffed and helpless.”

“He then explained in English that they were Kurdish rebels fighting for Kurdish independence. I got the impression they considered me an embarrassment then they started rooting through the car. They found what looked like a huge pile of money in a bag that I had been using as a pillow.”

“Do you know what the money was for?”

“No Idea. Something to do with trafficking or gun-running or I don’t know what. The Kurds were very pleased to discover it.”

“What happened after that.”

“They took me to a hideout and I was kept there for several days, about a week I think.”

“Did they harm you?”

“No. There were some Kurdish girls who were also fighting and one of those also spoke English, she was a medical student who had been fighting against the Iraqis. Her family were all dead from some Gas Attack.”

“What else did she tell you?”

“She explained that they were using Iran as a safe Base while they fought against Isis and some other insurgents.”

“So you’re saying you ended up in a war zone.”

“I didn't think so at first but it became evident very soon. They called the area Kurdistan but it was Iran. They were more concerned with fighting Turkey and Iraq. She told me they had little quarrel with Iran. It was very complicated. I didn’t understand it all.”

“So what happened that enabled you to return to Turkey.”

“For a couple of weeks I earned my food by cleaning the camp and being generally useful. The medical student warned the men that I probably had diseases and they steered clear of me. My proven history of being trafficked was enough to keep the men away.

Then one night a column of trucks arrived and I heard some English voices. At first, I thought they were mercenaries working with the Kurds but later I thought they might be those SAS people. Anyway, they’d just had a very successful mission and the Kurds were really happy and because they were English the gratitude spread to me. Later, a couple of Americans who were also special forces arrived and they operated the logistical supply line that enabled the Kurds to fight Isis. They were going back to Turkey to reconnect with their contacts in the Turkish military. Also, one of the English soldiers was going back with them while the others were returning to Iraq.”

“Go on. What happened then?”

“They took me in their four-by-four with a Kurdish driver who knew the area and during the night they crossed the border off-road back into Turkey. The Kurdish driver left us after the border and one of the Americans drove us back to a place caller Mersin. It’s a port on the Mediterranean coast, There, they dropped me and the English soldier off at the British consulate and the British soldier vouched for me. He must have been SAS or something because the consul treated him deferentially. After a lot of checking, two English police arrived a week later with the Turkish police and I was returned to England.”

“Is that all Erica?”

“No that’s just it. They just returned me to a different London children’s home and before I knew it. I was back in the gang’s clutches.”

“How on earth did that happen?”

“You tell me how to feed a Crack Habit without going illegal. By the time the authorities had tried organising a rehab place for me I was back in the bloody web.”

“At this juncture, the judge interrupted.”

“Thank you Miss Smith. You have been a brave and very helpful witness but you are obviously getting very stressed again. It’s obvious that the care system has utterly failed you so I think that’s enough for today. Court is adjourned.”

She banged her gavel and Erica sagged with relief; though her ordeal was by no means over.

ooo000ooo