Babs’ New Year’s Resolution 93.

© Beverly Taff.

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. Lesbian black artist
Angela Smith Bab’s adopted daughter Olivia’s lover
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.
Han’s The policeman’s son Erica fancies
Uncle Phillip CIA Agent.
Emily Jackson. Texan girl Kidnapped to Holland & Turkey
Sandra Jackson Sister to Emily kidnapped in Texas as a hostage.
Eddie Emily’s Tandem surfing partner.

Chapter 93.

To say that Emily had put herself in the ‘dog-house’ would be putting it mildly. The other girls virtually shunned her and it was only the more forgiving compassionate treatment by Bab’s that kept Emily sane. For over a month the other girls virtually ignored her and she was grounded not only by Bab’s, but also by the police. She was virtually under house arrest and even banned from going to school while being compelled to attend a separate location to continue private schooling alone. She was left in no doubt about the seriousness of her transgressions.

Then, inevitably the day arrived when her now ex-tandem partner Eddie phoned her.

Emily’s phone now had a tap embedded by the police. Emily knew about it but she was just relieved to have a phone; any sort of phone. Eddie had by now been made aware of the danger to Emily but while he could no longer take her tandeming the bores up the Severn, he was still very enamoured of Emily’s beauty.

“Hello.” Emily replied as she recognised her caller.

“Hello babes.” Eddie pressed. “There were two guys asking about you at the riverbank meeting this afternoon. They said they were from a production company in the USA and they wanted to get more footage of you and me tandeming next months’ bore.”

“Did you get their names or the name of the company?” Emily asked as per the instructions from the police.

“They said they were Bob and Sanchez. They didn’t mention the company,” Eddie explained, “but they seemed really keen.”

“I’ll get back to you.” Emily replied. “It depends on how safe the police think I am.”

“Well, they said they’ll be at next week’s meeting. If the police are still looking that’s the time to detain them for questioning.”

“I’ll tell them tomorrow,” Emily stonewalled. “Can you describe them?”

Eddie gave two good descriptions before chatting about the delights of surfing and other more intimate business. Emily ached to meet up with him again but it had been made abundantly obvious that open contact and surfing was a blatant invitation to be attacked by the gang and probably shot at. After closing her phone she immediately visited Sergeant Bridie who was sharing coffee in the kitchen with Bab’s.

“I suppose you recorded all that.”

“Recorded what?”

“Eddie’s phone call.”

“Gloucester police station will have it. I’ll call them and discuss what we can do.”

Emily felt slightly peeved that the police were monitoring her most intimate chats but she was also relieved that they were obviously taking the danger seriously and acting upon it. Bridie called the station and put her phone on speaker. It was the best way to keep Emily’s trust and co-operation. Even though it was Emily’s own fault that had led to her lockdown, the girl still felt she was being unfairly treated. Openness was one of the best ways to keep the headstrong young teenager on board. Emily and Bab’s listened as Bridie spoke at length to the Gloucester team. Eventually, the bones of a plan emerged.

“Bait! Are you serious? You do know Emily’s right beside me!”

“Yes, we know the strategy. It’s the only way we can get a lever on the gang and bring them out. Ask her if she’s prepared to help us.”

Bridie turned to Emily and raised an inquisitive eyebrow as she shrugged and passed her phone to Emily.

“Well? You heard all that. What do you feel?”

Emily hesitated uncertainly before asking the police officer in Gloucester.

“Will this involve Eddie? You know; shooting and stuff?”

“Hopefully not.”

“I don’t want Eddie being hurt. He was the innocent in all this. We’d have to meet them when the club meets for the next big bore. There’ll be a crowd of witnesses to dissuade them from violence.”

“You know what this gang are like Emily. They don’t care about witnesses. The hitmen are often desperate victims of the gang as well. They might even owe the gang a favour. You know yourself what they’re like.
‘Either you shoot this person or we’ll force your sister into prostitution.’
Look what they tried with your sister Sarah.”

Emily sagged with despondency for she truly knew what the gang were like. Reluctantly, she agreed even though it would place Eddie in danger. Now she had to speak to Eddie with the police.

That same evening, Eddie entered Gloucestershire police headquarters where Emily and Bridie were waiting. There a plan was formulated and for the first time, Eddie got a real insight into the dangers facing Emily.

“Are you serious!?” He gasped. “South American drug cartels, prostitution and all that?”

“Yes.”

“This is all true then? You were a prostitute.”

“No-o!” Emily screeched. I was kidnapped and trafficked. They made me do it!”

“Have you got AIDS?” He greyed nervously.

“NO. I haven’t got fucking AIDS!”

She turned to the police case handler.

“I can’t be doing this. He really thinks I did it voluntarily! Like some scumbag whore!””

She glared at Eddie with tears of rage.

“Fuck you! You cunt! I’ll do this on my own. Who wants some fair-weather, snowflake friends? Just arrange a meeting with them and I’ll sort it without you!”

He stared at his seemingly, ‘soon-to-be ex-girlfriend’ through uncomprehending eyes. Seeing nothing but condemnation and betrayal in her tears, he slowly began to sense what this incredibly beautiful girl was all about. Determination driven by terror and rage. Truly, he did not want to lose her, and it was not all about the tandem surfing.

He gazed uncertainly at the floor as he searched for the courage to join her on what was obviously a dangerous road.

Eventually, somewhere, amidst the tiled patterns on the interview room floor he found it. He looked up at her and nodded; uncertainly at first, but then more vigorously as his resolve hardened.

“Okay. Okay! I’ll do it but it better hadn’t go wrong. I don’t want you getting shot; or anybody else for that matter.”

Emily’s demeanour slowly brightened as her own resolve stiffened. Having a partner to share the dangers and face them, gave a huge fillip to her determination. She turned to see Bridie’s reaction and the almost imperceptible smile and nod from the sergeant, served to calm the tensions in the pit of Emily’s belly. Sergeant Bridie also sensed the mood change so she seized the opportunity to start planning immediately.

‘Strike while the iron’s hot.’ Thought Bridie.

ooo000ooo

When Bridie and Inspector John commenced building the plan they were elated to realise that In Eddie, they had one of the best sources of information for tides and bores on the river Severn. As a senior member and secretary of the tandem surfing branch of the Severn-Bore Surfing club; nobody knew the tides, bores and river reaches better than Eddie.

As dusk fell that evening, a basic plan had been hammered out and many of the logistical factors had been resolved. Inspector John took the group out to a remote country inn where a supper had been organised.

“Posh ‘ere innit?” Emily whispered to Eddie.

Eddie grinned as Bridie turned with surprise.

“Keep that accent up, and nobody will ever realise you’re a Texan.” Eddie opined.

“He’s right girl,” Bridie affirmed. If you want to stay on the down-low kid; that would be a perfect strategy. Who’s been giving you lessons?”

“Whoo j ‘uh fink?” Emily riposted.

“Oh! Those three, Olivia, Angela and Erica. Well they’re doing a perfect job kid. Keep it up.”

“It’s nor ‘ard. When yer ‘ear it every day.”

On this note, the meal passed harmoniously but at the end, Eddie naturally asked Emily where she lived. Before Emily could reply, Bridie leapt in to block Emily out..

“You don’t need to know that Eddie. If ever you need to see Emily, you only have to phone her and we’ll deliver her to you. The less people who know where Emily lives, the better.”

Eddie frowned somewhat peevishly but Emily quickly affirmed Bridie’s words.

“She’s right darling. I’m living in a safe house for my and everybody else’s protection. This trafficking gang is bloody dangerous.”

As the unmarked police car departed, Eddie stood alone in the car park watching Emily disappear down the road. Finally he climbed into his van and returned home deep in thought.

Back at Canal cottage Bridie explained the situation to Bab’s and the girls. They had every right to know and eventually their mood towards Emily moderated when they realised the police had a workable plan to remove the danger. They were concerned however when they realised that Emily was being exposed as bait to trap the traffickers.

Eventually the vernal equinox arrived and the second highest tides of the year were approaching. Emily had long familiarised herself with the dates and arranged to stay at Eddie’s flat while the police trap was set. Eddie first started surfing the smaller bores just to lay the groundwork and test to see if he recognised the men who had previously approached him last Autumn about Emily.

Eventually he recognised them as he was clambering out of the river and peeling off his wetsuit in the pub carpark. Eddie had been pleased with the bore that morning, there was promise of a storm approaching and from Experience Eddie knew that s strong Westerly wind pushed the tide even higher. It was quite likely that the March nineteenth bore would be higher than the March twentieth bore highest predicted tide because of the storm on March nineteenth. He casually informed the men whom he now knew to be gang members.

That afternoon, he explained to the police.

“The best bore looks like mid-morning on the nineteenth. The storm is due to arrive on the nineteenth and it’s going to push a much larger tide. Most of the surfers will be planning for the highest predicted tide on the twentieth but I’ve told the gang I’ll be out on the river on the nineteenth as well as the twentieth.”

“Did they ask about Emily?”

“Yeah. They even showed me some filming equipment and their jet-ski on the trailer. They had all the appearances of a professional film crew.”

“Good. Did you get the Van’s description?”

Eddie showed them the pictures of the van and trailer he had surreptitiously taken as the gang had left. It had all the information that Bridie and the firearms team needed.

“Do you think they suspected you?”

“I don’t know,” Eddie admitted, “I think I made a good impression as a desperate, unemployed surfer bum looking to make some money as a performer in their film.”

“Good lad!” Bridie encouraged him.

“Oh. I of course told them exactly where I would be starting and where I would be meeting Emily. I explained how we met before the bore and carefully arranged ourselves on my big board before we caught the wave.”

“Did you show them the location?”

“No. I just described it and explained that you had to cross the field by the bend to catch the best and highest break. There’s a sand bar where the wave accelerates over the shallows then slows down and steepens in the deeper water on the opposite bank. I paddle out to the shallows to get myself all set up.

Then Emily swims out from the other shore as we hear the bore approaching. It makes quite a roar as it rushes over the bank. As my board speeds up she catches it at an angle in waist-deep water and quickly flips herself aboard. That’s why I like her as a tandem partner. She’s agile and acrobatic because of her dance lessons; what’s more she’s graceful.

I explained all this in detail to the gang, now I’ll take you guys to the location so you’ll have the advantage of knowing the setup. If anybody asks, they all know me and you can pretend to be water authority bailiffs checking the banks.

By the way, my mate Jack at the club has agreed to bring our jet-ski so you can have back up on the river itself. I explained to the gang that we have the jet-ski for Emily’s safety if she does miss my board and is caught by the bore.

Tandemers often fall off the board or the wave, especially learners, so we have the jet-ski handy and they can rescue the girl. Often they then overtake the wave and the tandem girl can have a second try at a suitable stoke further upriver. Jack will be standing by as is normal with the jet-ski. Especially at this location because the wave gets quite high.

With the storm on Friday we should get a good one or even two metre wave on Emily’s bank. She knows what she’s doing though and gets in the deep water in plenty of time. We’ve become a good team.

“Well we have to leave that to you. Our plan is to catch the bastards as they are preparing to snatch her. Preferably before she gets into the river.

Later that afternoon, Eddie, Emily and the police had a dummy run on a much smaller evening bore. The plan seemed to work and the police selected the best locations to post their armed marksmen.

The plan was set.

ooo000ooo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Onzlvw2PxdI