Bab’s New Year’s Resolution 28.

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.

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
Sandra Her parents also own another Narrowboat in Gloucester.
Jackie Sandra’s friend (a bit headstrong and ‘adventurous’)
Julie Third member of the threesome.
Jason. (Black) 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 girls.
Angela (Angie), Olivia’s trafficked, drug-addicted friend.
Sergeant Davis, (Bridie) female police bodyguard for Angela.
Sergeant Davies. (Brian) Bridie’s twin brother.
Inspector John, Heading up the anti-rape-gang operation in Birmingham.
Erica. Another vitally important witness/victim. Very attractive.
Gareth Jenkins, police office trained in firearms and witness protection.
Belinda Harrington. Lola’s new girlfriend in college.

Bab’s New Year’s Resolution28.

As he arrived on the scene, Inspector John approached the commander of the ARU (Armed Response Unit.)
“Where are they now?”
They are either behind the silver Toyota with the bullet hole in the windscreen, or they’ve slid back through the garden gate of house number thirty two and they’re lying low behind the wall.
“Can they get out of the garden?”
“Only if they escape through the house. Trouble is that the front door is open and the problem is that brick built shed. The neighbour on this side says it’s for the old lady’s disability scooter and it blocks a clear view of the front door.”
“We’ve got men around the back obviously?”
“Two men. One’s in the back garden covering the kitchen door the other is in the lane covering the back bedroom windows. We don’t know if either of the gunmen is inside the house.
“So no escape then.”
“No.” The commander reassured him. “The problem is that big bastard who shot our traffic patrol officer has got a heavy calibre weapon. It’s already punched a hole through the brickwork of the house behind us.”
“Jeeze! Are you saying some sort of rifle?”
“Exactly. It’s not an automatic thank god, but it packs a hefty punch.”
“Can we match it?”

“There’s a couple of guys coming from Hereford with something suitable.”

“Damn! That’s at least an hour away.”

“Eh, no. They’re on a chopper. Fifteen to twenty minutes at most.”

“That’ll be the soldier-boys I suppose, we don’t have anything of that calibre.”

As he finished explaining there was a deep dull roar and another brick disintegrated not more than a yard from the commander’s head. Inspector John almost wet himself as he realised that if any officer exposed himself, the gun-man could pick him off through the brick walls. The only certain defence was the ancient stone built garden wall across the street. Getting that close would expose him to the second gunman with the hand weapon

With that another officer approached.

“We’ve got the whole street evacuated except for the house with the shed. We cannot ascertain if the old lady has gone out shopping or if she’s trapped in the house.

“Shit. We’ll just stay put for now unless he goes crazy with that cannon. How the hell can they get hold of a weapon like that?” The commander wondered.

“These guys are heavy mobsters.” Inspector John explained. “Mexican drug cartels, ISIS terrorists, you name it. They’re all into some sort of sex trafficking and guns are no object.”

“So what started this off?” The ARU commander asked.

“See that van over there with the media logo,” Inspector John explained.

“Yes.”

“It is one of our spy vans. We deployed it when we got the call from the girl. She’s one of our three our prime witnesses in the van along with our observation team. If we try to move it now, it might attract their attention.”
“I see,” the commander nodded, “and a bullet from that rifle could punch a huge hole right through the van and hit somebody. They’re panicked now and they shoot at anything that moves.”

The police decided to ‘sit it out’. The two children trapped in the gunmen’s field of fire were okay provided they stayed put. They were invisible to the gangsters and protected by the solid front garden stone wall of the old Victorian houses on that side of the street. Within the described time the ‘thwock – thwock – thwock of a Giant Chinook helicopter began to make itself audible as it approached low and landed on the school playing field. Within minutes the police were joined by a special forces squadron and they more or less handed over the operational control to the soldiers.

The lieutenant in command checked out the facts while his squadron spread out and encircled the house. From rear bedroom window of the house, the gangsters fired off a round at the departing chinook but it missed. The lieutenant turned thoughtfully towards the sound.

“That sounds like a fifty calibre. Were they thinking of a sniper attack?”

“Possibly,” Inspector John replied. “It tears bricks apart like tissue paper. All we can do is hide and wait until he exposes himself.”

The lieutenant nodded and spoke into his radio mike.

“He’s in the upstairs back bedroom, that’s where he got a shot at the chopper. Get one of the lads to tap a couple of heavies through the wall. It’ll give him something to consider. If we can scare him into the front bedroom he’ll be an easier target. We’ve got a good view from across the street.”

“Whatever you do Lieutenant, don’t let him put any bullets into the transit van. Our main witnesses are inside it.”

“Right. That’s easier said than done. He can see the van easily from inside the front bedroom but he’s invisible unless he steps up towards the window. I presume those witnesses are his targets.”

“Yes, but he doesn’t know they are there. As far as he knows, it’s just a van that was working in the street. It’s our spy van and there are six people in it. Three of ours and three kids who were victims of that bastard’s friends. One of the kids is an essential witness.”

The lieutenant’s face darkened as he assimilated the facts.

“Might be a good idea to expose him to the same terror as the kid endured.”

“That’s as maybe, but we’re not sure if the old lady is in the house. The neighbour thinks she might still be out shopping but he’s not sure.”

“They’d have used her as some sort of shield or hostage by now if she was there. It’s my guess she’s down the shops. Have any of the neighbours gone to look for her?”

“Yes, two of my officers have escorted a couple of the residents to the shops but they haven’t found her yet.”

“Well, if she’s in the house and she’s disabled she’s probably downstairs. Do any of the neighbours know her living habits; you know, sleeping downstairs and stuff.”

“The man in that house seems to know the most about her, I’ll ask him.”

“Wait a minute inspector.” The lieutenant cautioned him as he turned to the corporal accompanying him. “Turn your fifty onto the upper bedroom window and if he shows himself, shoot to miss but to frighten him.”

“Yes boss.”

“I presume you’d like this slime-ball alive if possible Inspector.”

“I thought you guys never took prisoners; shoot to kill and all that.”

“That’s if there’s any real danger. There’s only two here and your certain of that!”

“Two gunmen; yes.”

“The lieutenant spoke into his mike again.”

“McTavish, Callahan. To me ASAP small calibre point two -twos. Bit of tickling to do.”

“Yes boss.”

With a couple of brief hand signals the soldiers had positioned themselves to cover every aspect and awaited events. After a few minutes Inspector John got a call.

“The old lady’s been located in the café at Morrisons. We believe there’s nobody else in the house. Just the two gunmen.”

“Good. Corporal we’ll put a fifty through the window. We can see he’s not there so he must be hiding behind the wall. Take the silencer off so the sound will scare him. Use a tracer as well, just to add to the effect.”

The corporal shared a grin with his companions as they lined up their lighter weapons for the inevitable terrified reaction. The Lieutenant explained to the inspector.

“Even if he’s a hardened combat veteran, a tracer round exploding against the back wall will unsettle him. He’s bound to respond one way or the other.” Get ready men.”

Inspector John’s ears rang as the unsilenced fifty calibre put the tracer round through the window and burst against the back bedroom wall. The gunman responded by leaping to the window and firing off several wild fifty-calibre shots in all directions before lurching back with a scream.

“Got ‘im! Upper left arm. That’ll make him think.” McTavish grinned.

“Good shooting trooper,” the lieutenant congratulated him as he turned to the officer with the bull-horn. “Tell him to put down his weapons or we’ll shoot to kill.”

“We don’t want him dead Lieutenant,” Inspector John repeated. “We want information from him.”

“He doesn’t know that.” The lieutenant reassured the inspector as he spoke again to his men. “Jones, Ellis, prepare to go in as we fire a couple more tracers into the bedroom.”

Inspector John saw two dark shapes sneak up to the garden wall then dash into the front door as the corporal fired off two more carefully timed tracer rounds into the bedroom window thus giving the men covering fire. He turned to speak to the Lieutenant but the officer had disappeared.

“Where’s he gone?” He asked the corporal with the heavy rifle.

“They’ve caught the other gunman with the pistol behind the house. The lieutenant’s gone to sort it while I cover the front. Just sit tight inspector.”

Inspector John knew better than to question the corporal as the seasoned soldier instructed McTavish and Callahan to slip around the parked cars and collect the two terrified children behind the garden wall. As they slipped away there was a loud thump from the front bedroom and the corporal paused as he listened into his headphone.

“Stun grenade?” Inspector John queried.”

The corporal nodded.

“Yes, they’ve got him.” Ellis put a round in his leg as Jones threw the stun grenade. The bastard’s still too dizzy to respond.”

“That’ll teach the bastard.” Inspector John sagged with relief as his sergeant tapped him on the shoulder.

“In the van sir. When that bastard fired off those random rounds, one of them hit the van.”

Inspector John’s face greyed with concern as the sergeant put his radio to broadcast for the police team and the corporal to hear.

“There’s a nasty piece of bullet in the white girl’s derriere and the com’s operator has got steel splinters in his face and neck. Two ambulances have been called.”

“Which hospital?” Inspector John checked.

“Gloucester General.”

“Well Inspector, That’s my boss on our radio.. We’re finished here,” The corporal declared as he broke down his weapon and boxed it up “Hope your witnesses stay safe until court. Those bastards seem pretty determined.”

ooo000ooo