Bab’s New Year’s Resolution 32

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
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.
Maxwell Barker Boy with camera-phone who posted Erica’s picture on Facebook

Bab’s New Year’s Resolution Chapter 32.

The judge, who had reserved the second trial to his court because of the multiple connections to the first trial, granted the girls and several other plaintiffs a fortnight’s respite from their ordeals. To avoid any publicity somehow trickling down to the location of Canal cottage, Bab’s and Inspector John organised a vacation. Nobody was living at the cottage save for the ‘builders’ who were renovating the building when some press came asking questions about the place.

“No sir,” was the only response the press reporter got from the builders.

“It belongs to a family as far as I know, but they’re vacationing abroad for the summer while they’re having the house extended.”

“Oh I don’t know sir, you’d have to ask the architects that, I’m just the site foreman.

“Their office is in Bristol I believe. No, my boss would know that but he’s on a short vacation as well, at present. I can show you the plans but that’s all we’ve got to carry on with. I handle the materials supply The Owners; no I can’t help you there, they haven’t been around since April. As I said, extended holiday I believe. I think they said America. I think the father works over there sometimes.”

The press-man got little joy or help from the ‘builder’ despite the foreman appearing helpful and courteous. However, the police were alerted to the fact that the cottage may have been compromised and steps were taken to keep Bab’s and the girls away from the cottage until the second trial was commenced and they could once again be ensconced in the hotel. After returning from the holiday they were booked straight into the secure hotel again.

The second trial commenced on the following Monday and Once again, Erica was sworn in to testify. She spent a gruelling three days giving as much evidence as she could remember and also confirming much evidence that the various European police forces had painstakingly gathered.

“Now Miss Erica, have you ever seen this man?” The prosecuting barrister asked.
The barrister handed Erica several photographs then passed around copies to the jury.. Erica studied the pictures then frowned.

“No, not to speak to but I recognise his face from some pictures on my second phone. The one that got cracked and I had to transfer the simm card to my old first phone from when I was first sent to the home.”

The barrister started uncertainly as he grasped the portent of Erica’s answer.

“What! Are you saying you’ve got another phone!”

Erica paled with nervousness before nodding.

“Yes, I’ve had three altogether.

“Yes, but the second one got smashed. The only thing I recovered was the Simm card but it doesn’t show things very clearly. I tried it in my first phone then I shoved that old phone into my bag. It’s been there ever since I never thought about the old Simm card, to tell the truth I’d forgotten all about it. The pictures on my present phone were so hurtful and made me so angry that I forgot about the old Simm.”

The Barrister immediately approached the judge and had hurried conference. He then turned to Erica.

“Have you still got that Simm Card and your old first phone?”

“Probably.” Erica hesitated as she realised where the questioning was going.

“And where would it be young lady?”

“Probably with all my old junk. The stuff I brought from the unit after my trauma.”

“And where would that junk be now?”

Erica turned nervously to the judge.

“Should I answer that sir?”

The judge did a double take. Erica – the prime witness, had never actually addressed the judge once in the first trial. All she had done was answer questions put by the counsels. That evidence alone had been enough to secure the convictions. The judge glanced kindly over his glasses.

“Firstly young lady, you must address me as ‘your honour’ but that’s a simple mistake. Now why do you not want to produce this uuhm Simm Card.”

Erica hesitated.

“Well first your ho – your honour it’s got some early pictures of me in the home before I was taken and secondly the Simm Card is uuuhm, were I used to live before this new safe house thing. I’d rather not say where the old house was.”

Street-wise to the last, Erica was savvy enough to avoid all reference or implication to Canal Cottage in the present tense.

As the judge recognised the girl’s distress he invited both counsels to approach the Bench.

“Do you understand what the girl is trying to say gentlemen?”

“Yes your honour.” The prosecuting counsel advised. “I believe she knows where the Simm is but she does not want to reveal that location to the court because it will compromise her future safety. Might I invite Inspector John’s opinion?”

The judge turned to the defence counsel.

“Have you any objections to suspending proceedings until this other Simm card is produced?”

“If it confirms the facts your honour, then by all means let’s find this Simm card.”

The judge motioned to Erica to approach the bench and she almost slinked guiltily forward.

“Now young lady. You have been very remiss in failing to produce this card but I am prepared to accept that it was a genuine oversight. Do you definitely know where it is and can you produce it.”

“Your honour, I don’t want to reveal my safe house but I can produce it if nobody knows I’m going there. If Inspector John and Sergeant Bridie are prepared to take me to the place I can get it.”

“Very well young lady. Go back to the witness box while I discuss this with the police inspector.”

Erica returned to the witness box and played nervously with her hair as she watched the judge, the barristers and the police officers hammer out a safe way to get Erica to the safe house. Eventually there were nods of agreement and the judge adjourned the case until the following Monday. The court usher intoned –

“All Rise,” and the judge glanced towards Erica before leaving.

Inspector John reassured Erica that she was not in any serious trouble but they had to move quickly.

“I want you out of this town before anybody has realised you’ve gone. Quickly now.”

“Why don’t we use the soldier’s helicopter?” Erica wondered.

“Because everybody and his dog would know where you’ve gone. You could not announce it more loudly than by landing a bloody chopper.”

“Oh! Of course! Stupid me. Who’s coming with us?”

“Nobody, just You me and Sergeant Bridie. I presume you were alluding to Bab’s place with all that innuendo and hyperbola.”

Erica nodded as she was led to a none-descript van and quickly smuggled away.

In the Van, Inspector John made things quite clear.

“Right. You’d better not be messing with us Erica. Does this Memory Card exist?”

“Yes. I referred to it as a Simm card to throw any watchers off.”

“And it’s down at Canal cottage?”

“Yes. Why would I lie?”

“Why were you so reluctant to tell us of this earlier?”

“There’s some pictures. Some other pictures.”

“And?” Bridie pressed sympathetically as Inspector john recognised the need for a woman’s touch.

“They’re from in the children’s home, before I was kidnapped. I and several other kids are naked.in them.”

“Are Olivia or Angela in them?”

“No, it was after the pictures were taken that I ran away.”

“Who took the pictures?”

Jason and Tyson.

Inspector John exchanged looks with Bridie as he sighed.

“It just get’s worse. How old where you then Erica?” Bridie pressed.

“Twelve, going on for thirteen. In one set of the pictures, Tyson is fucking me and Jason took the pictures. Then it was the other way around.”

“And all this is on the old phone memory-card as well as after you were kidnapped?”

Erica nodded and sagged despondently into the seat.

“I just don’t want the people in the court to see all the stuff. I heard one of the barristers say something about an ‘unreliable witness’ during the last case. If they see this stuff then I’m stuffed and the whole case might be stuffed. What will the judge think?”

Bridie reached around and gave Erica a reassuring hug.

“You’re the victim here Erica, you’re not on trial.”

“Yeah but on my camera I’m laughing and giggling when they fucked me. I was high on coke! To be honest, I only remember bits of it but when I opened my camera the next morning, well, I was frightened.”

“Why didn’t you delete it?”

“Jason and Tyson had it on their phones as well. I think they only deleted it when the ‘old bill’ came knocking. By that time my first phone was broken and I was already a gonner – you know – kidnapped; a prossie and a junkie. They already had me up in Nottingham by then, or maybe Amsterdam. I’m still not sure of the exact dates.”

I’d forgotten all about it until they started asking me about that guy in the photograph. He’s some sort of Arabian big-wig isn’t he?”

“He’s one of King Saud’s many grandsons. The king’s got hundreds of grandsons and great grandsons. But they all have sinecures in the KSA. You know, jobs for life, or at least until there’s a revolution or something.”

“Is he powerful, you know lots of heavies and things?”

“It’s always difficult to tell, things are very secretive in Saudi.” Bridie added before asking.

“You are quite certain you know where this memory card is?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

Bridie gave Erica another reassuring hug as she smiled.

“Good! If the evidence is there, then you’re in the clear. And as to the sex videos, you were a minor so that won’t do anything to you.”

With that Bridie replied to the police radio and confirmed their position to the police at the cottage by using a coded message. Erica relaxed as she listened and concluded that no discernible information had been exchanged. Only somebody who knew the coded numbers would have the remotest idea of what had been said.

When they reached the car-park there were no cars at the top of the lane and Erica relaxed when they arrived at the cottage to be met by a ‘decorator’ in his white ‘brace and bib’ overalls.

“They’ve finished the building then, just the painting is it?” Erica observed.

“And the kitchen units to finish.” The ‘decorator’ replied.

The police accompanied Erica to her bedroom and she un-locked the door. Showing full respect to what was left of Erica’s dignity, only Bridie entered the bedroom and watched as the girl went straight to tattered, denim, girly back-pack that was stuffed behind some black polythene bags of clothes at the bottom of her wardrobe.

Bridie’s chest filled up as she watched the kid remove a few cheap but obviously treasured items, the last reminders of whatever time she had experienced before her kidnap. A small broken doll, a pink kitten purse with a few coins in it, a half used lip-stick, an unused tampon and a crumpled photograph of some woman Bridie presumed to be Erica’s mother.

Next, Erica dug out a small broken phone that she immediately disassembled to extract the memory card. She handed it to Bridie who recognised it as a very early mobile camera phone. Finally, Erica pulled out a dog-eared, tightly folded envelope and when Bridie opened it, she found a barely legible birth certificate.

With a lump in her throat that almost stopped her breathing, Bridie wrapped her arms around the kid’s narrow skinny shoulders.

“We’ll get this sorted darling, I promise you.”
She felt the girl give a shrug even while still in her arms.

“What the fuck? I’m past caring!” Erica mumbled as she slowly extricated herself from Bridie’s embrace.

oo000ooo