Bab’s New Year’s Resolution 36 ©

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.

Chapter 36.

As the unmarked police car picked its way down the winding lane to Canal Cottage, Lola was mildly surprised to see that Olivia and Angela were walking back along the canal towpath towards the cottage. They were only a hundred yards from the house but Lola was mildly surprised to see that the girls were openly walking alone despite the known threats from the rape gang.

‘They’ve been to see Aaron and Shirley’ I suppose, she mused as the police car pulled up alongside them.

“Hi Ollie, hi Angie. Where’s Erica?”

“Hi Lola, Hi Callie. Erica’s helping Bab’s cook a cake and some fairy cakes for afternoon tea. They set to baking the moment you phoned. Are your staying over tonight?” Olivia asked Callie.

“No sorry girls. I’m back to Yorkshire tonight, - business to sort tomorrow.”

“Ah thass’a pity.” Angie remarked. “Busy, busy is it?”

“Summat’ like that. I’ve come down mainly to meet this amazing old woman who adopts kids in her eighty’s; and then a bit of business in Cheltenham.”

“She’s in the kitchen, like I said; baking a cake.”

The car reached the cottage even as Ollie and Angie trotted up to open the little garden gate. Bab’s heard the commotion outside and checked on the cameras to ensure it was Ollie and Angie, she was doubly pleased to see Lola with another, older girl emerging from a police car. She presumed it to be the Duchess that Lola had met in Leeds. Having confirmed their identities, Bridie opened the door and invited the four females and Gareth, the police car driver.

“Did you have a good flight down?” Bridie asked Lola.

“Did I ever. We flew below the two thousand foot air traffic control altitude something-or-other and we just followed our noses coming south using landmarks and stuff. If we saw anything interesting we just moseyed over and had a look. It was fantastic. Sometimes we had to avoid airports or city centres but otherwise we just flew as and where our fancy took us. It was brill!”

“Not fair!” Erica protested as she emerged from the kitchen sucking cake mix off her fingers. “I’d love to fly in a private helicopter.”

“Your turn could come; and sooner than you think girl,” Callie declared as she shook hands with Bab’s but avoided Erica’s sticky fingers.

“Not just yet though,” Bridie advised as she explained. “After all these court cases are sorted here and in Europe; then hopefully you’ll all be free to go up with Callie. It’s too much of a security risk just now. Be patient Erica darling, there’s better times just around the corner.”

When they settled around the kitchen table, Bab’s asked Callie.

“Are you in any position to help these girls with their cases.”

“I might be able to.” Callie replied whilst being careful not to reveal the depth and extent of her cyber activities. “I will have to check some stuff when I get back to Denton Hall tonight.”

“Bloody hell!” Lola exclaimed. “You get about a bit eh! Nature trail in Denton forest this morning, then an air tour of middle England this afternoon, then returning to Yorkshire tonight. What time will you get home?”

“Oh about nine-ish if I leave here about seven. I’ll be flying direct though it’ll be dark by then so no sight-seeing. We’ll have some time for more chat until then.”

“It makes me realise just how small our country is.” Erica sighed as she sneakily took the last cake off the cake plate.”

“Hey girl. You’re gonna’ have to make another batch of those.” Olivia protested. “We were hoping to give Callie a dozen or so to take back to Yorkshire as a thank-you present.”

“Already in the oven.” Erica grinned. “They’ll be ready long before seven.”

“Well I’ll have to leave here about six-ish. I’m stopping by in Cheltenham before I go to the airport. People to see, things to do.”.

“In a police car?” Angela squeaked as curiosity overtook her. “Where do you get off having such special treatment?”

Callie covered that question easily.

“I’m a duchess, sometimes it’s nice to pull rank, but in fact it’s important business and it might affect your security. That’s all I’m prepared to say.”

“So you are something to do with security!” Olivia gasped. “The SAS lieutenant said something to that effect while we were clattering back in the Chinook.”

“Yes. I sometimes get involved in security work and stuff. That’s partly what I was doing with the police in Leeds while you were attending Abdul’s identity parade.”

“Are you anything to do with the investigation of the gangs then?” Bab’s asked bluntly.

Callie nodded openly.
“Yes. I’m involved in other aspects of their activities but often their people trafficking gets tangled up with what I normally investigate.”

“Like terrorism and arms smuggling?” Erica pressed.

“Amongst other stuff, yes. When I learned that some other victims of Abdul’s activities were coming up to Leeds I made it my business to be around when you visited the cop-shop. Lola’s issues simply proved to be a useful opener to break any ice.”

“So why the intense interest in us then?” Bab’s asked suspiciously and ever aware of the dangers to her girls.

“Abdul sexually assaulted me whilst I was in Cambridge.” Callie continued. “After that I was always looking over my shoulder throughout my years at college. That bastard damaged me; psychologically that is and it took me years to get over the assault. A girl doesn’t forget or forgive that sort of stuff. The more I can do to stop bastards like him and get them put away, the happier I am.”

“Amen to that!” Bridie remarked as she made a point of looking at her watch.

“Time enough yet.” Callie remarked as she noted Bridie’s hint. “As soon as Erica’s cakes are done, we’ll go.”

“Another ten minutes,” Erica declared as she checked through the oven window.

ooo000ooo

As a treat, Bridie took the girls with Callie to GCHQ and then on to Gloucester airport where the girls stood enviously watching Callie climb easily into her helicopter and disappear rapidly towards Yorkshire.

Instead of returning to the cottage that Sunday evening, they returned to the hotel ready to re-commence the trial on the Monday. During the journey they quizzed Sergeant Bridie about Callie’s activities.

“You know as much as I do girls.” Bridie confessed. “Even the chief constable in Yorkshire confessed that he didn’t know much. Lola, you probably know more than I do. You’ve at least been up to her place. Did you learn much?”

“Only that she’s got cameras everywhere, even in the woods. Her wife Maggie is a zoologist and she’s into pine martens. The camera’s double up to study their wild pine martens whilst also protecting her family.”

“What are pine martens?” Erica wondered.

“They’re like giant weasels They live in the trees and sometimes eat grey squirrels, at least the ones in Denton forest appear to. There are no grey squirrels in Denton woods, just red ones and they’re very pretty as well.”

“Like pest control?” Angela observed.

“Summat like that,” Lola agreed.

Thus the conversation in the car touched on many things and the journey passed quickly.
Once again they arrived at a different hotel as the police moved the girls around for their own protection. The following morning, the case resumed and Erica once more found herself in the witness box dealing with brutally painful reminders of her ordeal.

The defence counsels for the gang members proved to be brutal and cruel in their endeavours to prove that Erica was simply a wayward, underaged prostitute who fell into bad company through her own amorality and greed. Time and again reference was made to her having been put into care through her own activities and immoral behaviour.

The problem was that on the face of it, this appeared to be true. Erica’s childhood had been a catastrophic catalogue of bad parenting followed by failed placements in assorted care homes where the main objective was to maximise profits for the owners of the children’s home. This coupled with poor supervision and even worse provision of support services had quickly precipitated Erica into wanton disregard for authority or her own safety. She had become a perfect target for the grooming gangs who sucked the girls down into a nadir of rape, drugs and prostitution.

Once targeted, her descent was almost instantaneous and of course, no effort was made by the care authorities to locate, recover or treat such cases. They were simply written off and forgotten about by police, care agencies and virtually all elements of government responsible for child protection.

Erica’s case had proven to be a perfect storm of abuse, neglect and disinterest by just about all the agencies of care. What made it worse was that often, the care agencies and police often knew of each girl’s situation and still did nothing to prevent it because of political correctness protecting ethnic minorities for fear of being accused of racism.

At times it seemed that Erica was the girl on trial and not the rape gang members. The vicious attacks and innuendoes were steadily eating away at what little confidence she had. After several days of these attacks Erica was beginning to fail in the witness box and as she sometimes got her facts confused. Several times she broke down in tears as the defence counsels attacked her mistake and made it appear as if she was lying.

Then, out of the blue, the prosecuting counsel received a huge file of undiscovered documents concerning Erica’s disappearance. When these confidential police and child services files were opened it exposed ‘chapter-and-verse’ a ghastly litany of failures, prejudices and worst of all, clear collusion between the government agencies, social services, the police and powerful members of the rape gangs.

Specific events in identifiable locations, were documented with dates, times and audio-visual evidence showing high-ranking politicians clearly raping and abusing Erica and other children in the UK, Holland, Germany and Turkey. Erica was clearly identifiable and there was even one clip of her being drugged by a woman injecting the girl with a needle. In nearly every instance where facts were presented the evidence proved that Erica had not been lying but simply got her dates or locations confused.

As this appalling evidence became apparent, the ensuing hue and cry led the judge to suspend the trial whilst he called both counsels to his chambers.

ooo000ooo

“This evidence was not presented in the original bundles.”

“No my lord,” the leading prosecution counsel conceded, “It simply appeared on my and my colleague’s computers on Tuesday morning, just before I was preparing to present the summing up for the prosecution.”

“I can clearly see where the files came from and I am bound to allow them as evidence. Indeed! How can I not? But, I have to ask, why these files were not presented in the original bundles.”

Both barristers looked at each other and shrugged respectfully as the lead prosecution barrister admitted.

“We have no idea how they appeared on our computers your lordship; they just did.”

“As they did on mine later this same morning and I must tell you now gentlemen, I also have no idea who sent them but they certainly look genuine. Once again, I’m going to have to suspend the trial while all of us try to locate the source. Who ever supplied these document knows a hell of a lot about these rape gangs. It is incumbent upon us to a check if the files are genuine and to locate the supplier of the files. Whoever it is; is a prime witness.”

The judge, concluded with no small degree of annoyance, that he would have to suspend the trial for a second time.

“I’m going to suspend the hearings yet again and speak to the witness Miss Erica in my chambers.

Go and tell her I need to speak to her immediately but don’t distress her. She’s quite obviously gone through more than enough already”

Having suspended the case until the Thursday, the judge disrobed and was just pouring himself some tea when a very nervous and tearful Erica knocked timidly on his door. The judge’s secretary answered the door and invited her in with a kindly smile as the judge stood to greet the terrified girl.

“Come in young lady, I wish to speak to you privately so neither counsel will be here. My secretary is here to act as your chaperone for I can tell that you are terrified by the treatment you’ve received at the hands of the defence counsel. Now, firstly I am going to reassure you that you are NOT the one on trial here.”

Erica just stood there nervously nodding while wondering what had actually happened. She had never heard of a judge interviewing a witness privately before. The judge asked gently.

“Have you any idea who might have sent these documents or where the originals might lie.”

“No si-; sorry your honour. None at all.”

“Now, as you know, I’ve suspended the case until next Thursday so that gives you and me a chance to look at these documents and see if you can shed any light at all. As you can see, these are photocopies of the originals and I for one would like to know where some of these originals might be. Whoever had access to the originals must be some sort of whistle blower because these pages are dynamite. Have you any idea as to who that whistle-blower might be?”

Erica wagged her head nervously for she truly had no idea. The secretary offered her a tray of tea and Erica’s trembling hands betrayed her fear. The older lady gently steadied Erica’s hands by resting her own on Erica’s arm.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of darling. His lordship is establishing that you are totally ignorant of these papers.”

The secretary’s motherly touch finally broke the dam and a flood of tears burst forth as Erica slumped into the large sofa. The woman sat beside her and squeezed her shoulders while helping to wipe away the tears. The judge looked askance as Erica’s cheap mascara and make-up was smeared across the cheeks. However he ignored the girl’s dishevelment and invited her to study the screen on his desk.

“We’ll just slowly go through the pages and if you see anything, any names or instances that ring a bell; just tell me. I need this to decide whether to stop the trial and reconvene a new trial.”

“Oh no! Please your honour! I couldn’t go through all that again. Pleease your honour, not another trial!”

“Exactly Erica.”

It was the first time he had ever addressed her by her name and it demonstrated that the interview was an informal friendly process.

“If I can establish the validity and pertinence of these documents, I can allow both counsels time to re-present their cases and continue with this trial. Shall we look at these documents now.?”

Erica nodded vigorously while pursing her lips tightly shut. The judge noted her conflicting body language and noted Erica’s inner torments as her wish for the truth to be exposed, conflicted with the revelation that her abuses and experiences; but above all her previously wild lifestyle would be further exposed to the court – and the whole world. Eventually Erica expressed her fears.

“I don’t want to look at the video stuff you honour. I’ve been reminded enough and I’ve just got nothing left, no privacy, no self-respect, no self-worth; nothing!”

The judge nodded thoughtfully as he made a mental note for the new video evidence to be shown in camera. The new images were infinitely more degrading than the earlier evidence and those first images had been bad enough. It was quite obvious that this new evidence had been suppressed by somebody powerful in the UK. It was not only rape gangs, religious entities, criminals and terrorists who dealt in paedophilia.

More importantly, the person or persons who had accessed these files was or were obviously deeply hidden and very, very clever! For them to have found the files and revealed them at such a critical moment was an exquisitely cunning act. The judge wanted to meet that person or persons if only to say thankyou for exposing the crimes.

ooo000ooo