Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. >The Girl at the Bus Stop by alan14 Copyright(C) 2021 by alan14 Chapter 10 -I think I -(TM)ll make Jenny the pasta I was going to make last night, - Poppy said as she set about preparing dinner, -but I -(TM)ll use chicken instead of the tofu I bought, or maybe I -(TM)ll use the tofu and almond milk. Yeah, let -(TM)s do it, see if she notices it -(TM)s all vegan. - -I -(TM)m sure we -(TM)ll like whatever you make. - -If she doesn -(TM)t like it I -(TM)m not going to put any effort into trying to get you two together, you can only date girls who like my cooking. - -I -(TM)m not sure I -(TM)m happy with you trying to fix us up... - -Come on, it -(TM)ll be fun, you said it yourself, she -(TM)s pretty, and it definitely sounded like she was flirting with you. - -Just don -(TM)t do anything to upset her. - -Oh no, I won -(TM)t push her, just a bit of flirty behaviour, then I -(TM)ll send her in your direction. Anyway, is white wine vegan? - -I can -(TM)t see how it wouldn -(TM)t be. - -Pretty sure I read somewhere they use fish when they -(TM)re making it, which sounds beyond bizarre. - Poppy said, looking puzzled. -Nita drinks wine. - -Oh yeah, I need some to make the marinade for the tofu, do we have a bottle open, save wasting fresh. - I found a half empty bottle in the wine fridge and put it next to her ingredients on the work top, -do you need a hand? - -I just need a quick cuddle, then you can go watch telly or something and leave me to do the cooking. - I went upstairs to check my emails, Lois had sent my final draft back with a couple of suggested edits, I checked them and they made total sense, so I marked them as ok and sent it back, then on a whim I forwarded the book to Katie, with a cover note asking her not to let anyone else read it. I could make the file scramble itself after 14 days to stop her passing it on, but she -(TM)ll be living here soon, so what -(TM)s the point in doing that? I checked the time and shut my iMac down, popped into the bathroom to tidy my hair and spray on a bit of CK Everyone. -You smell nice, - Poppy said as I walked behind her to pull a bag of coffee beans from the freezer. -Don -(TM)t I usually smell nice? - -Well, you don -(TM)t smell bad normally, but you smell extra nice today, are you making a special effort for PC Jenny? - -I don -(TM)t know what you -(TM)re talking about... - -You are, and you -(TM)ve put a bit of gel in your hair to keep it neat, hahaha, you do fancy her don -(TM)t you... - -Well, yes, she is pretty, and she -(TM)s close to my age, but I didn -(TM)t want to upset you. - -Upset me, here -(TM)s me saying I -(TM)m going to fix you up with PC Jenny and you telling me not to, when all along that -(TM)s what you want me to do, is this your way of playing hard to get? - -It -(TM)s just I -(TM)d rather not complicate things more than they already are. - -Listen Alex, you -(TM)re the one who explained to me that it -(TM)s possible to love more than one person at once, and I -(TM)m not for a minute expecting you to move Jenny into the house, especially as she -(TM)s a cop, and their lives are full on, but if she -(TM)s up for a bit of fun in her downtime, then I -(TM)m just suggesting that maybe you can be there to provide it, while I have my fun with Katie. - -Do you know something Poppy, and don -(TM)t take this as any comment about you, this is entirely me, but in the last week I -(TM)ve doubled my so-called -~body count -(TM), prior to you I -(TM)d slept with three women, Tammy, who I was with for almost 5 years, a girl at University called Jessica, I was with her for my whole time at Uni, we separated after graduation because she got accepted to do a Masters in Sydney and I didn -(TM)t want to move to Australia, and then I had a short fling with a woman called Demmy after Tammy, we met at a book launch party, Helen tried to fix us up but it was just a rebound thing and it was a disaster. - -So you -(TM)ve not been with anyone since Demmy, and that was what, five years ago? - -Yep, I was never one to sleep around you see, and all that changed when I met you. - -Are you upset, have I, I don -(TM)t know, have I messed up your life? - -Good god no, you -(TM)ve not messed up my life, I -(TM)m happier now than I -(TM)ve been in years, all I -(TM)m saying is that my sex life has never been as exciting as it -(TM)s been these last few weeks, and I -(TM)m happy as I am, you don -(TM)t need to find me a partner for the times you want to be with someone else. - -Should I not try to encourage PC Jenny then? - -Ahh, I didn -(TM)t say that, but if it -(TM)s clearly not going to work for us, don -(TM)t worry, and don -(TM)t dash out to find someone else. - -Ok dad, err, what -(TM)s the sitch with PC Jenny again? She knows about us right, so I can call you Alex, or is it dad. Shit, I -(TM)m getting myself confused now! - -She knows, she guessed, so call me Alex, in fact, just call me Alex anyway, a lot of kids use their parents -(TM) first names these days. - Any further discussion was halted by the gate buzzer, -she -(TM)s early Alex, that means she -(TM)s keen. - -Are you sure? - -I -(TM)m a girl remember, I know these things, if she wasn -(TM)t sure she -(TM)d still be at the end of the block making her mind up. Go let her in while I put the pasta bake in the oven. - I used my phone to swipe the gate open as I walked to the door, thinking calm thoughts, because my heart was racing, Poppy was spot on, I really did like PC Jenny. As I stood in the doorway I held my hand out to shake Jenny -(TM)s, she pulled me into a hug, and as I got over my surprise at the greeting Jenny whispered in my ear -your neighbours have been watching me, I hope I didn -(TM)t cause problems coming round in full uniform the other night. - As I led her inside I laughed, -don -(TM)t worry about them, we hate all our neighbours, don -(TM)t we Poppy. - -Oh god yes, they all ignored me when I was waiting in the pissing rain at the bus stop, they all walked past me and it was only Alex who stopped and told me buses don -(TM)t come down this road anymore. Anyway, welcome to our home Jenny, - Poppy said as she hugged Jenny, -in better circumstances than your last visit. - -Well, up to a point, I -(TM)ve been looking forward to coming for dinner, but I do have some questions for later, and some photos I want you to look at. - -I -(TM)ve just put the food in the oven, so we -(TM)ve got half an hour, is that long enough? - -I -(TM)d say so. - -Come through to the kitchen, would you like coffee, or maybe some wine? - -It -(TM)s Sunday, and I -(TM)m not due in work until noon tomorrow, so I guess I can have some wine, thank you Poppy. - As Poppy poured wine Jenny sat across from me at the kitchen table and pulled a folder from her bag. Poppy sat beside me and took a sip of her wine, -ahh, am I ok drinking wine, I -(TM)m not 18. - -Shit Poppy, - Jenny laughed, -I -(TM)m not in uniform today, you can do whatever you like. - -Thanks, sometimes I get nervous about the weirdest things. - -Ok, before we start, a couple of hours ago I tracked down your friend Jeremy, - she must have seen Poppy go pale, because again she reassured her this was all unofficial, -look Poppy, I -(TM)m just gathering evidence so I can start an investigation, once I have evidence we can do all this properly, in the meantime everything I hear is off the record, anyway, I spoke to Jeremy as several other people pointed me in his direction, he told me someone else asked the same questions the other day, I -(TM)m assuming that -(TM)s you, because he gave me no names. Anyway, he told me nothing new, he did ask me to tell you that Evie is awake, she -(TM)s told them what she was on and who gave it to her, I -(TM)m assuming that means something, he also told me to tell you to consider the matter closed, does that mean anything? - Poppy dabbed her eyes with her napkin, -she -(TM)s awake, we saved her Alex, if we hadn -(TM)t got to the shop too early so we went for a wander we wouldn -(TM)t have found her, and she -(TM)d be dead. - -Maybe you are an angel, Poppy. - -Don -(TM)t be silly Alex, I -(TM)m no angel, but something led me down that alley. Anyway, - she looked at Jenny, -thanks for that, Evie is a girl I shared a squat with, I say girl, she -(TM)s more your age, we found her this morning and she -(TM)d OD -(TM)d on something, Jeremy had some of his colleagues take her to a shelter where they have doctors, it was quicker and simpler than taking her to hospital. - -And less paperwork, anyway, I heard none of that, so it -(TM)s not my concern. I -(TM)ve got some photos to show you, they -(TM)re just faces, nothing distressing, I -(TM)ve taken them from the missing persons files, could you see if you recognise anyone. - -I -(TM)ll try, but if I know people I -(TM)ll probably only know street names. - Jenny slipped a small stack of photos out of the folder, she laid them out in a row, nine in all. -These are the ones who matched your description of Gemma, I -(TM)ve a couple of thousand more back in the office. - -Fuck, - Poppy said under her breath, -that many? How many more are like me, on the streets but never reported missing. - -Weren -(TM)t you reported missing? That -(TM)ll be why we didn -(TM)t know about you, you won -(TM)t have been flagged with your mother when we searched her file, I -(TM)m so sorry Poppy. - -It -(TM)s ok, Oh god Alex, we were going to see her today and we got sidetracked, can we go Tuesday afternoon, I -(TM)ve got a study period again. - -Of course we can, I -(TM)ll get a car booked. - Poppy looked at the photos, -are these all alive, I mean, these weren -(TM)t taken in the morgue or anything. - -These are all photos sent by parents of their missing daughters. - -Thanks, it would be a bit creepy otherwise. - She picked up each photo in turn, she spent a full minute looking at each one, gathering every detail she could before putting it to one side. As she looked at the seventh photo her eyes lit up, she put that to one side without even examining it properly, she spent time on eight and nine, then she looked up at Jenny. -This one, - showing her the seventh photo, -is Belle, she was my best friend on the streets, I know nothing about her other than she -(TM)s lovely and has no place living rough in squats. - -Her real name is Amelia Dean, she -(TM)s 14, almost 15, and was reported missing by her uncle last year. She ran away after her parents died in a car crash. She lived in York. - Poppy was silent for a while, just looking at Belle -(TM)s photo, eventually she looked at me, -see, that -(TM)s why we never ask, there -(TM)s never a nice reason why someone is on the streets. - She looked at Jenny, -can I keep this, please? - -Of course you can, does she mean a lot to you? - -She does, I kept her safe. - -Do you know where she is now, so I can tell her uncle? - -Sorry, we lost track of each other after the squat we lived in was demolished. - Poppy turned back to the other photos, she spread them out across the table, she turned number one over, -I -(TM)m sorry, I kind of recognise this girl, but I don -(TM)t know her name or where I saw her. - Number two and three were also turned over, -never seen these two at all. - Number four she pushed towards Jenny, -this girl is called Moon, or at least that -(TM)s what she -(TM)s called on the streets, she -(TM)s living with about 20 other concubines in a squat run by a guy called Dhanesh off Blackstock Road in Highbury, Jeremy can tell you exactly where it is, tell him Poppy says it -(TM)s the Jainian guy, he -(TM)ll know who you mean. I was so creeped out by that setup, but I didn -(TM)t realise any of his harem were so young. - Number five and six were also turned over, she picked up number eight and looked at it again before passing it to Jenny, -this is Gemma, I -(TM)m sure of it. - She touched number nine, -this is Carmen, she was stabbed to death by a client one night because she wouldn -(TM)t do him for free, I feel a bit conflicted because I didn -(TM)t like her at all, we voted to keep her out of our squat, but she didn -(TM)t deserve to die like that. Are these all girls around Gemma -(TM)s age, because I thought Carmen was older. - -Yes, these are all girls between 14 and 15-years-old. - -Shit, this is horrible. - -This is a great help, now we know who Gemma is, we can tell her parents. - -I was thinking about that, what -(TM)s worse, having her missing, but always being able to hope she -(TM)ll come back, or knowing she -(TM)s dead, and died in a really appalling way. - -Until we find her body we can -(TM)t tell her parents anything, and this may be one of those occasions when we neglect to tell them the cause of death. - -So what will you do now? - Poppy asked. -We have some hair samples on file, so now we -(TM)ll run them through the DNA database to see if she matches any bodies we -(TM)ve found. Then we can tell her parents. - -Can I come into your office and look at more photos? I -(TM)d really like to help in any way I can. - -Of course, you need to come in to sign your statement, we can let you look through the photo archive then. - Poppy looked at me, -can we do that tomorrow after school, I really need to feel useful right now, because I -(TM)m a little helpless on the Evie front, so this will help me feel like I -(TM)m doing something productive. - -Of course, will you be available around 4 o -(TM)clock tomorrow? - -I can make myself available. - -Great, this will probably upset me greatly, but I really have to do this. - Just then the oven timer pinged. -That -(TM)s tea nearly ready, make yourself useful by setting the table in the dining room, - Poppy said to me, -while I pop the garlic breads in the oven to warm up. - Ten minutes later Poppy brought a serving dish into the dining room, followed by a plate of sliced garlic bread. As she dished it out, Jenny first, followed by my plate, then her own, she told Jenny, -I know you said you would eat anything, I was going to make this for my aunties yesterday, Nita, Alex -(TM)s sister -(TM)s girlfriend, is vegan, so I planned this menu, then we had a bit of a crisis with my friend Katie, so I didn -(TM)t have time to cook, so we went to this amazing Nepalese place near Barclays... - -Oh, I know that place, is it good. - -It -(TM)s great, I had no idea what to order, so I told the waiter to bring me anything he liked, I got this yak cheese pizza and some mutton dumplings, it was great. - -Amazing, I live in a flat at the other end of that road, I -(TM)ll try it out one night. - -Cool, if you don -(TM)t want to eat alone... - Poppy said as she poured more wine. -If this tastes as good as it smells I think I -(TM)ll save my money and let you feed me, - Jenny laughed as she took a bite of the garlic bread. -So, anyway, - Poppy said, -the food is completely vegan, I was going to use chicken, but I thought I -(TM)d leave the chicken for later and use the same recipe I was using for Nita and Helen. - -This is really good, - Jenny said, -so, it -(TM)s tofu and mushrooms, but what -(TM)s the sauce? - -It -(TM)s wine and almond milk, and some mustard powder to thicken it, there -(TM)s some debate about the wine being vegan, but we -(TM)re ignoring that because Nita drinks this wine. - -I love it, thank you, it -(TM)s nice to have a meal cooked for me. - -Don -(TM)t you have a boyfriend to cook for you? - -Nope, nor a girlfriend, it -(TM)s just me, my plants and my cuddly penguins. - -Awww, that -(TM)s sad, you -(TM)re so pretty. - -Thank you Poppy, but it -(TM)s hard holding down a relationship when you work as many hours as we do, and sometimes the things we see, and read about, when you come home and vent, it kind of makes potential boyfriends and girlfriends run away, my penguins are good listeners, and they don -(TM)t judge. - Poppy and Jenny both had a second helping of the pasta while I warmed up an apple pie for dessert. As I was cutting the pie Poppy brought the plates through and rinsed them before stacking them in the dishwasher. She stopped and wrapped her arm around my waist before going back to the dining room, -she likes you, I can tell, - she whispered before giving me a quick kiss on the cheek, -this cologne is nice by the way, you should wear it more often, not too masculine. - I took the hot apple pie into the dining room with a tub of rich Madagascan Vanilla ice cream, this was very well received. Afterwards we moved to the lounge, Poppy put some quiet music on and we sat on the big sofa with Jenny in the middle, she didn -(TM)t appear to be anything but pleased with this arrangement. -You know when you find a runaway, - Poppy started, -what if she doesn -(TM)t want to go home? - -Well, if she -(TM)s over 16 then we can -(TM)t force her to return home, she -(TM)s free to live on the streets, we -(TM)ll refer her to social services, offer guidance, but we can -(TM)t take her home if she doesn -(TM)t want to go. The same with boys obviously. - -Urghh, Social Services are useless, they wanted to take me back home, I had to climb out of the toilet window to escape from them, no fucking way was I going back to that hell hole. - -In most cases the children are safe to go home, teenage emotions run sky high, and the smallest disagreements often escalate and lead to children running away. Yes, there are cases like yours when going home would be a potential death sentence, and we have to balance everything and sometimes we have to make very tough decisions about what to do with a child. In Gemma -(TM)s case, everything I -(TM)ve read about her family suggests she would have been safe going home, but we never know what happens in private. - -Exactly, - Poppy cried, -nobody at my school knew what was going on at home, I turned up every day, I never had bruises that showed and I always had an excuse if they did show in PE or whatever. Even when my mum was away, sometimes she -(TM)d go with a guy and not come back for two or three days, I went to school, and I could cook for myself, or make a sandwich, or just manage with the school breakfast club and dinner. - -I assume Gemma never mentioned home... - -Never, nobody talks about home. The first rule of runaway club is never talk about why you ran away. - -I guess life is shit enough without bringing other people down with depressing stories of home. - -Exactly, now if I was to tell you about where you could find a load of girls, but also at the same time a load of paedophiles, what would be your priority in that situation? - -Personally, I -(TM)d be arresting the men, but I -(TM)d also want to speak to the girls. - -It -(TM)s an either / or situation Jenny, I -(TM)m only going to tell you about this place if you promise to let every girl escape out the back door. - -So this isn -(TM)t some hypothetical situation? - -Nope, this is real, a place near Leicester Square, a porno cinema where they show kiddie porn once a month, we -(TM)d sometimes go in and get the men off, they couldn -(TM)t touch us, but we -(TM)d get paid to wank them off. They liked us because we have small hands, especially Belle, her hands are tiny, so they make the mens -(TM) cocks look bigger. - -You -(TM)re not in any of the films are you? - Jenny asked. -Fuck no, I never did anything with the lights on. - -So, where is this place? - -I need you to promise, the girls have to be allowed to escape, none of them want to go home, and they definitely don -(TM)t want to go to prison. - -I can -(TM)t promise that, I -(TM)m just a Constable, it would be an Inspector who makes that decision. - -When I come round tomorrow to look at photos, can I speak to an Inspector, surely arresting a load of paedos would be a feather in their cap and worth letting a load of girls escape. - -Ok, I -(TM)ll ask when I go on duty tomorrow. - -Thank you. - -The girl whose photo you kept, is that the Belle you just mentioned? - -Yes, she was my best friend, almost a sister in many ways. - -You said before you don -(TM)t know where she is, that -(TM)s not true is it. - -Well, it -(TM)s not a lie, I don -(TM)t know exactly where she is, but I know the general area. I -(TM)m not going to tell you though, because while I don -(TM)t know why she ran away, I know she definitely doesn -(TM)t want to go home. She doesn -(TM)t belong in that life, she -(TM)s so fragile, so beautiful, I offered to get her enough money to go home, but she wouldn -(TM)t, something about home terrified her so much she was willing to sleep on the streets to stay away from there. - -Ok, I won -(TM)t ask you anything more about Belle. - -Thank you. - We sat in silence for a moment, listening to the music, then suddenly Poppy jumped up and grabbed the iPad. -Do you know something Jenny, Alex has never seen a stripper, how is that even possible? I -(TM)m going to fix that right now. - She changed up the music to something sexy and 70 -(TM)s then jumped onto the coffee table and started swaying to the music, moving around, squatting down, giving us a view of her backside, then down her top, she was really giving us a show. Jenny snuggled up and put her arm around me, -is she like this all the time? - -Only when she -(TM)s horny, which is most of the time if I -(TM)m honest. - -Ok, well I -(TM)ll just sit back and enjoy the show. - Poppy slowly unfastened the three buttons on her polo shirt, bending over when she -(TM)d finished, giving Jenny the full benefit of her cleavage, -she -(TM)s got nice boobs hasn -(TM)t she, - Jenny whispered, I could only nod in agreement, my throat dry. As she lifted the shirt over her head she spun around, casting the shirt across the room before she kicked off each of her Vans trainers. Now in just her bra, skirt and knee-high socks she hopped off the table and straddled Jenny, who rather than protest put her hands on Poppy -(TM)s bottom and they kissed. The kiss turned very passionate very quickly, with Jenny soon unhooking Poppy -(TM)s bra, Poppy pulled back a little to throw the bra across the room with her shirt and shoes, Jenny cupped Poppy -(TM)s right breast and started to lick and nibble her nipple. -Oh man, that -(TM)s so nice, - Poppy gasped, -watch and learn Alex, I -(TM)m loving this. - Jenny worked both breasts in turn, whilst Poppy worked her pussy against Jenny thigh, until the inevitable happened. -Oh fuck, I -(TM)m cumming, oh shit Jenny, I -(TM)m sorry. - -Ahh, never mind, they can go in the wash when I get home. - Jenny lifted Poppy off her lap and onto mine, -my turn now, - she said as she hopped onto the table. -Ohhh, PC Jenny is going to strip for us, - Poppy said as she slid onto the seat beside me, snuggling up, her breast pushed against my arm. Jenny picked up the iPad and changed the music to Donna Summer -(TM)s I Feel Love, then she started to dance, and she was good, grinding away to the music, spinning, crouching, diving, she unfastened enough buttons on her blouse to show us a deep cleavage. -Oh god, she -(TM)s so good, - Poppy said, in awe of Jenny as she danced for us. Jenny removed her blouse and unhooked her bra, Poppy -(TM)s mouth dropped open as she saw the size of Jenny -(TM)s breasts, they were big and full, bigger than Helen -(TM)s even, but they were pretty firm, riding high on her chest instead of drooping. As she kicked off her shoes Jenny unfastened her pants and let them drop, showing us a pair of sexy, if slightly damp, pink lace knickers. Feeling overdressed Poppy ripped off her skirt and panties before joining Jenny on the table, they danced together, kissing, playing with each other -(TM)s breasts and bum. Poppy got on her knees, putting her mouth between Jenny -(TM)s legs, Jenny let out a deep groan as Poppy started licking over her panties, -oh shit, that -(TM)s so nice, it -(TM)s been a while since a girl did this to me. - As Poppy pulled back for air Jenny ripped off her panties and tossed them to the floor, then she pulled Poppy back, driving her face into her sopping pussy. If this is what strip shows are like, I seriously missed out when I was younger. -Oh shit Poppy, just a little more, oh god, oh god, I -(TM)m cumming, oh wow girl, that -(TM)s amazing. - Poppy pulled back and licked her lips, Jenny slid down to her knees and they kissed passionately, Jenny cupping Poppy -(TM)s ass cheeks as Poppy wrapped her arms around Jenny -(TM)s back. It seemed an age, but could have only been minutes before they pulled apart, both gasping for air. As they calmed down Poppy looked at Jenny, -err, I didn -(TM)t mean for this to happen, I always seem to get out of control. - -It -(TM)s ok Poppy, that was so much fun. - -Ahh, you see it should have been Alex here, not me. I -(TM)ve got a two week sex ban, because I -(TM)m still healing down below from my rapes, and like I said, I keep getting out of control, and so I -(TM)ve not been able to heal, so Auntie Nita has banned me from sex for two weeks, and I was kind of hoping you -(TM)d be able to help me out, well not help me out so much as help Alex. - -Ahh, well, I -(TM)ve no ethical objection to that, I -(TM)m kind of more into girls than boys really, but if you can -(TM)t have him I -(TM)ll definitely give Alex a try. - -Amazing, we -(TM)ve been looking forward to this, come on Alex, upstairs. - So with a beauty on each arm we retired to the bedroom, where between them they removed all my clothing in record time, Poppy knelt before me and took my cock in her mouth, making me hard in seconds. -Ok, - she said to Jenny, -your turn. - -Are you fucking kidding me, you just took that balls deep in your throat without dying? - -Yep, don -(TM)t feel you have to though, because it is a bit of a monster. - -And you fuck this, every night? - -Well, not every night, and not at all for the next couple of weeks. - -Ahh well, nothing ventured et cetera... - Jenny jumped onto the bed and Poppy pushed me after her. -How do you want him, - Poppy asked. -I -(TM)d better get on top at first, - Jenny replied, as she straddled me, I got a great view of her amazing tits just then. -If you don -(TM)t mind me asking, how big are your boobs, - Poppy asked, -and how do you fit them under your body armour? - -I -(TM)m a 34G, - she said, -oh fuck, you -(TM)re so big Alex, I have to wear a very tight bra and a small man -(TM)s size body armour, shit, this is too much, not even my biggest dildo is this big, oh my, can you give me a hand Poppy. - Jenny lifted herself up a little and Poppy put her mouth to Jenny -(TM)s pussy, working her clit hard so she loosened up more. Jenny grabbed Poppy -(TM)s hair, pulling her into her pussy as she came again. -Oh shit, you -(TM)re so good, - Jenny gasped as she came down from her orgasm, -I think I -(TM)ll be ok now. - Poppy held my cock, stroking it a few times to keep me hard as Jenny got ready, she lowered herself down carefully until my cock head was pressed against her pussy lips. Poppy leant in close, one hand still holding my cock steady, she flicked her tongue a couple of times against Jenny -(TM)s clit and that did the trick, she dropped a few inches and my cock was in her tight pussy. -Oh! My! God! I -(TM)m so full, this feels amazing. - I moved ever so slightly, forcing my cock a little further inside and Jenny shuddered, -shit Poppy, this is absolutely the best cock I -(TM)ve ever had. - After a few minutes of short strokes as Jenny got used to me I was all the way in, she fell forwards and wrapped her arms around me, her big breasts pressed against my chest, her lips to mine as we kissed for the first time. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Poppy behind us, she was kissing Jenny -(TM)s bum hole, -whatever you -(TM)re doing Poppy, it -(TM)s so nice, carry on. - I was pumping into Jenny, long, slow strokes as she moved her hips around, her lips locked to mine, kissing me in a manner similar to Poppy, lips pressed hard, tongue playing across mine. Suddenly she pulled back, -was that a tongue in my arse? - -Yes, sorry, was that wrong? - Poppy cried. -Good god no, do it again. - -Can I use a finger? - Poppy asked. -Use whatever will fit... - Poppy sucked a couple of fingers before sliding one, then the other into Jenny -(TM)s bottom, -oh wow, that -(TM)s nice Poppy. - As she slowly finger fucked Jenny -(TM)s bum, Poppy reached around with her left hand and started working Jenny -(TM)s clit, and that did the trick, Jenny exploded, she kissed me harder as her orgasm ripped through her whole body, the extra pressure as her pussy locked brought on mine, and I came hard, slamming into Jenny with enough force to rattle our teeth. -Fuck, that -(TM)s the best sex I -(TM)ve had in years... - Jenny said as we calmed down afterwards, -I think you passed the audition. - -So you -(TM)ll help me out by fucking Alex while I can -(TM)t, - Poppy said, she was lying on one side of Jenny, a hand slowly massaging Jenny -(TM)s clit, I was on the other, with Jenny slowly playing with my cock. -Oh yes, and after you -(TM)re better, I -(TM)d still like to join you, but my job is mental, at the moment I -(TM)m working noon until 9pm, but rarely finish before midnight, and I -(TM)m usually so stressed after work I can -(TM)t sleep for hours. - -You have days off though. - -Oh yes, I get Sundays, sometimes Mondays as well. - -What about this, - I suggested, -sometimes, when you want to, come here after work, it doesn -(TM)t matter what time it is, grab some food and come to bed, even if it -(TM)s just for a cuddle to relieve the stress of the day. - -That sounds amazing, I -(TM)d like that. - Later, Jenny looked at the time, -oh gosh, it -(TM)s nearly midnight, I really have to go home. - -Why? - Poppy asked, -it -(TM)s nice and comfy here, you can stay all night, then rush home in the morning to get ready for work. - -Is that ok for you both? - -It -(TM)s fine by me, - I said. We slept, Jenny lying on her side, a hand cupping my cock, Poppy lay behind Jenny, her hand holding one of Jenny -(TM)s boobs. In the morning Poppy rose first and proceeded to entertain us with her exercises, -it -(TM)s ok, you can make out while I exercise, I don -(TM)t mind. - -I simply couldn -(TM)t, - Jenny sighed, -I -(TM)m not used to that much action, I -(TM)m aching down there. - -I know that feeling, he -(TM)s so big and powerful isn -(TM)t he, - Poppy replied, -anyway, when I -(TM)m done with my stretches, scoot up the bed, I -(TM)ll kiss your aches away while Alex massages my back. - -Now that sounds like a plan. - Over breakfast, while I cooked pancakes Jenny spoke about her past. -I need to tell you all something, - Jenny said, -it -(TM)s only fair if you -(TM)re allowing me into your life that you know what you -(TM)re letting yourself in for. - -Ok, I -(TM)m pretty fucked up, so not sure why you can be worried about anything. - -Ahh, my story is mild compared to yours, but I sometimes get PTSD flashbacks, so I just wanted to warn you. - -Go ahead, we -(TM)re all ears and never, ever judge anyone, - I said as I popped a stack of pancakes and a bottle of maple syrup on the table. -OK, here goes. When I was a little younger than you I had a girlfriend, we were madly in love as only 14 year old girls can be, we had our lives planned, we -(TM)d be married and live together with cats, puppies, the works. -Molly, my girlfriend decided it was time to let her parents know she -(TM)s gay, so she told her mum one night when I was over after school, her mum was so supportive, it was lovely. Emboldened by her mum -(TM)s reaction she told her dad when he got back from work. -It was awful Poppy, he went berserk, he picked her up and shook her, he threw her across the lounge and chased me out of the house, I was terrified, I thought he -(TM)d kill her. -Molly phoned me later, her mum had taken her to hospital, she had a broken rib, a broken arm, bruises all over her face and body, her dad was arrested but they let the fucker go. Molly phoned me again later that night, terrified he was going to attack her again, so we made a plan. -I packed a bag with clothes and food, I emptied my money box and stole some money from my mum -(TM)s housekeeping pot. Later, once my mum and dad had gone to bed, I climbed out of my bedroom window and ran across town to Molly -(TM)s house. I helped her out of her bedroom and we ran away. -We got an overnight coach down to London much like Gemma and Belle probably did, and we arrived at Victoria Coach Station on a bright summer -(TM)s morning. We were in London, we had a couple of hundred pounds, some clothes and some chocolate biscuits, what could possibly go wrong? - Jenny helped herself to some pancakes, poured syrup over them and took a few mouthfuls before she continued. -Mmm, very nice, I needed that. So, where was I, yep, we -(TM)re in London, two young, pretty girls, all on their own, what could possibly go wrong? -What went wrong is we were followed out of the coach station by two guys. We didn -(TM)t know where we were, neither of us had been to London before, we just wandered around until I saw a sign that pointed to Buckingham Palace, so we headed in that direction. -I eventually realised we were being followed, I pulled Molly close and we started to run, but Molly -(TM)s arm was in a cast, she wasn -(TM)t steady on her feet and one of the guys grabbed her and the other got me, they pulled us down a side street. -Molly was much prettier than me, and with her cast she was more vulnerable, the guy holding her ripped her pants down, and whilst the other guy held me with a hand over my mouth to stop me screaming, the first guy raped Molly, then they swapped places, the second guy raped her, then they punched us both hard enough to knock us out. - -Oh my god! - Poppy said, -that -(TM)s awful. - -The guys didn -(TM)t touch me, I guess they either preferred Molly because she was prettier with a nicer figure, or they liked how she was vulnerable with her broken arm, whatever, I was just knocked out cold, not raped, the only good outcome from that day, -Once I was able to move without feeling like I wanted to vomit I staggered over to Molly. Luckily I -(TM)d kept hold of my backpack, so I helped Molly out of her ripped jeans, I used some wet wipes to clean her up, she was bleeding out of her bum, I packed a clean pair of knickers with tissue and helped her put on clean pants, I decided it was best if we went home, I hoped my mum would let Molly stay for a while. -I booked two tickets on the first available coach, but it wasn -(TM)t for hours. I went to McDonalds to buy us both a cup of tea, while I was waiting in the queue I heard a commotion outside... - Jenny -(TM)s voice had started to break up, she stopped talking and took a sip of her coffee. -Molly had, - Jenny stopped talking again, she was crying now, Poppy hugged her, waiting for the tears to stop. -She -(TM)d climbed up to the roof somehow, and jumped off. I was so upset myself from the attack I -(TM)d not fully understood how horrible it must have been for Molly, I just wanted to go home, I didn -(TM)t consider how traumatised she must be, running away from an appalling assault from her own father, then as soon as we arrive in London she -(TM)s attacked and raped, she just wanted out of this life as quickly as possible. - Poppy held Jenny for a full five minutes as she cried, I handed her a stack of tissues, and once Jenny pulled away she grabbed a pile and blew her nose hard. -Thank you Poppy, I -(TM)ve not told anyone that story since I told my school counsellor, and that -(TM)s about 15 years ago, I -(TM)ve not even told my employer, and I really should. - -Is this why you joined the police, why you -(TM)re so interested in helping us runways? - -Yes, yes it is. - -What happened to Molly -(TM)s dad? - -For the assault on Molly? Nothing, her mum tried and tried to get charges brought against him, but nothing came of it, she divorced him and left the area. He -(TM)s dead now, and although I shouldn -(TM)t say this, I hope he died horribly. His house burnt down with him in it, the fire brigade says it started in the kitchen, looks like he came home from the pub, he started to cook some bacon and sausages in a frying pan, he fell asleep and the pan caught fire. - We were quiet for a while as we processed what Jenny told us, then Poppy looked down at her school blazer, -whoops, I -(TM)d better give this a wipe down before school. - Jenny looked up, -oh, I -(TM)m so sorry... - -No worries, this is payback as I did much the same to Alex the other week, well, I -(TM)ve done it a couple of times if I -(TM)m honest, there -(TM)s been a few tears the last few weeks. - Chapter 11 Jenny went to the bathroom and washed her face, she returned as Poppy and I were putting our coats on. -Alex doesn -(TM)t normally walk me to school, - Poppy explained, -I -(TM)m a big girl now, and it -(TM)s only a few minutes away, but Katie is moving in, so she -(TM)s bringing some stuff to school, Alex will collect it and bring it home. - -You can walk with us if you like, - I suggested, -unless you have to dash off home. - -I -(TM)d like that, - Jenny replied, -a nice walk in the park will clear my head. - A few minutes later we were waiting by the school entrance, soon Katie appeared round the corner with two small suitcases, she put them down and gave Poppy a hug. -Hello Mr Harrison, - Katie said as she gave me a quick hug, -I don -(TM)t know how to thank you for your kindness. - -You can start by calling me Alex. - -Sorry, still a bit weird calling an adult by their first name, oh hello, - Katie said as she realised Jenny was with us. -Oh yeah, this is PC Jenny, - Poppy said, introducing Jenny. Jenny put her hand out, -just Jenny when I -(TM)m off duty, I -(TM)m Alex -(TM)s, err, girlfriend I guess. - -Amazing, so nice to meet you, I -(TM)m Katie, Poppy -(TM)s, err, girlfriend I guess, and I -(TM)m moving in because my parents are going on tour for a couple of years. - -Where are they going? - -All over, mum -(TM)s a pianist and she -(TM)s got a job on one of those massive cruise ships, if I -(TM)d not been able to move in with Poppy I -(TM)d have had to move to a boarding school, a nightmare in GCSE year. - Poppy kissed Jenny, -got to go now, I -(TM)ll see you at the police station later, we can talk more about Molly if you like, - she said. -It -(TM)s ok honey, there -(TM)s not really anything more to discuss. - -Feelings, we need to talk about loss, and your feelings for Molly, you need to get it off your chest. I -(TM)m a good listener, and so is Alex. - -Thank you, let -(TM)s talk about that after I finish work. - Once Poppy and Katie had gone through the gates I picked up the two cases and we took a walk through the park, stopping for a coffee. Kelly brought our drinks out, she stopped suddenly as she got to the table, -oh, hey Jenny, we don -(TM)t normally see you this early in the morning. - -Hey Kelly, I -(TM)ve been with Alex, I stopped over. - -Oh right, where -(TM)s the other girl Alex, you -(TM)ve not dumped her so soon. - -Ahh, that -(TM)s a long story, she was never my girlfriend, we were just kidding, Poppy is my foster daughter. - -Oh, really, I wondered why she was wearing the school uniform. - -Yeah, she was homeless, so I -(TM)ve taken her in, my good deed for the year. - -Right, I guess it -(TM)s all change in your house, after being empty for so long, to having a daughter and a girlfriend. - -Oh it is, so much better with a few extra people filling it up, Poppy -(TM)s friend is moving in at the weekend, so that -(TM)ll be all the bedrooms filled. - Just then Helen walked over, -I just called round and you were out, so I guessed you -(TM)d be here, and you have a friend. - -Can you fetch a coffee and a cheese and ham toastie for Helen please. - -No problem, - Kelly replied. -Hey Helen, how -(TM)s it going? - I asked. -I was coming over to start on Katie -(TM)s room, and you just completely failed to mention your friend. - -That -(TM)s because I want to annoy you, Helen meet Jenny, Jenny meet Helen, my sister. - -Oh, you -(TM)re PC Jenny, Poppy mentioned you, she -(TM)s right, you are pretty. Tell me everything. - -Before I tell you everything, are you Helen Taylor? You were in Celebrity Big Brother. - -I am. - -So while we -(TM)re complimenting each other, I -(TM)ve got to say you are so much more beautiful in real life, I love your work, I may have stolen some of your posters from the walls of the locker room in the station. - -Interesting, Alex, is there a reason you only seem to attract gay girls? - -Not a clue, but I -(TM)m definitely not complaining. - For the next ten minutes I may as well have not been there as Jenny and Helen talked about me, about Poppy, and about sex in general. Helen -(TM)s phone rang and she stepped away to take the call, Jenny leant close and whispered so no-one else heard her, -am I to assume you -(TM)ve also slept with your sister? - -Ahh, well, you know how Poppy got a little out of control last night with you, well the same happened last week, she was kissing Helen because she wanted to see what it was like to kiss a girl, they got carried away and ended up having full sex on my sofa, and then Helen decided to bring me into the scene. - -Oh wow, the thought of Poppy and Helen together is just too wild. - -So you -(TM)re not disgusted by the incest thing? - -You -(TM)re adults, why should that bother me, look Alex, with regards to sex, my opinion is if everyone involved is ok with what -(TM)s going on it -(TM)s absolutely none of anyone else -(TM)s business. - -So at this point I -(TM)ll also mention I had sex with Helen -(TM)s girlfriend. - -Helen -(TM)s gay? - -Yep. - -Oh shit, I am so glad it was my job to come round to question Poppy about her mum, my life has improved a million percent since Thursday. - -That -(TM)s pretty much how I felt the morning after I found Poppy at the bus stop. - Helen returned as her toastie arrived, she took a bite before speaking again, -oh wow, that -(TM)s nice, thanks Alex. Anyway, that -(TM)s the agency, I -(TM)ve got a job on Thursday. I -(TM)m to decorate a car launch with my considerable assets. It -(TM)ll be fun standing in a car park in November wearing just a bikini, I reckon they -(TM)ll be using my nipples as a coat rack. Anyway that means we -(TM)ve got a busy few days decorating a bedroom and building that new walk-in dressing room. - -My neighbour is a builder, he -(TM)s out of work at the moment, I can send him your way if you like, - Jenny said as she finished her drink, -I have to go now, I want to do some more research on Gemma, we may have some of her DNA in the missing person file, I -(TM)ll see if it matches any bodies that have turned up this year. - -Poppy would be so pleased if any of the info she -(TM)s given you helps clear up a case. - -So will I. Anyway, thank you so much, I -(TM)ve not had such great sex in years, probably ever, I will definitely be coming back for more. - She kissed me hard on the lips for a long time before we broke off, then she moved round to Helen and went to shake her hand but Helen stood and pulled Jenny into a hug, then they kissed. -Ohhh, that was a nice surprise, - Jenny said, blushing slightly. -I -(TM)ve just made a rule that I have to at least try to make out with all Alex -(TM)s girlfriends, especially since Alex enjoyed the comforts on offer from my girlfriend ... whoops, I shouldn -(TM)t have said that... - -No worries, Alex has already owned up after I guessed he -(TM)d slept with you. - -How did you guess? - -I -(TM)m the police, remember, we spot little details like that, body language, reading between the lines. - -Ahh, and you -(TM)re still his friend, knowing what we -(TM)ve been up to? - -Yep, and I -(TM)m even more keen to spend time with your family unit, like I said, the sex last night was mind blowing, especially with Poppy joining in, make sure you tell Nita that Poppy made sure nothing entered either hole last night, it seems she drafted me in as her replacement. - -Oh god, that -(TM)s Poppy all over, - Helen laughed. -And now I really do have to go, I -(TM)ll speak to Ernie and send him your way, he -(TM)s a good worker, he built my kitchen units, and he won -(TM)t charge you much. - -That -(TM)ll be great Jenny, thanks. - -See you around four then, unless Poppy decides she doesn -(TM)t want to look at more photos. - -She really wants to help you, so I -(TM)m certain she won -(TM)t back down. - -Great, see you around 4 o -(TM)clock. - After Jenny had disappeared from sight Helen turned back to the table and picked up her coffee, -she -(TM)s super nice. - -I know, I didn -(TM)t realise how much we -(TM)d clicked last week until I met her again on Friday morning to pass on some information from Poppy, then as is only to be expected, Poppy forced my hand by inviting her for dinner last night. - -I -(TM)ve heard dating police officers is a real pain. - -I know, she explained that, along with a bit of trauma from her teens that has adversely affected relationships in the past. - -Oh shit, bad? - -Yeah, very bad, but I think it -(TM)s something Poppy can help her with. - -What happened? - -I shouldn -(TM)t tell you really, but maybe it -(TM)s something you can help with when you put your psychology head on. - I told Helen the story Jenny told us over breakfast, her face fell as the tale unfolded. -Oh fuck, that -(TM)s awful, losing your first love like that is an absolute tragedy, and to couple that with the guilt she must feel for not realising how traumatised Molly was. My god Alex, she needs help if she -(TM)s not been through any kind of counselling. Can I speak to her some time. - -If she -(TM)ll let you, of course. - Helen finished her coffee and we walked back to my house, just as I was opening the gate a small van pulled up, the driver leaned over to wind the passenger window down -here, are you Alex? - -Yes, I am. I -(TM)m assuming Jenny sent you down here. - -That -(TM)s right, she said you -(TM)ve a couple of jobs for me. - I let the gate open fully so Ernie could pull his van onto the drive. -Come inside Ernie and we -(TM)ll show you what we -(TM)re doing, - I said as I pushed the button to close the gate while Helen unlocked the door. -Thank you, I -(TM)m between jobs right now, so this will really help me out. - -My pleasure, - I said as we stepped inside. I made Ernie a mug of tea and we went upstairs to show him what we wanted to do over the next couple of days, then he told us what he could do, which was about 10 times better than I could ever have done on my own. -Ok, we need to empty the bedroom so we can get it painted, getting rid of the grey will brighten the whole room up, the second hand shop at the end of the road has a really nice dressing table and matching stool, it -(TM)s a little tatty, but we could paint it white and it -(TM)ll look great. - We moved to the box room. -I can get some boards and we can box off part of the room, put rails part way up the wall, drawers at the bottom and cupboards above. Then here we can put up a big mirror, with lights, your girls will be able to step back, look at themselves full length, pose, take photos or whatever, then we -(TM)ve still got room for a dressing table here along this wall. - -That -(TM)s amazing, and you can do all this in the next three days. - -With a bit of help with labour, of course we can. - -We -(TM)re both happy to help, - Helen said, -I have some lovely off-white furniture paint at home, it -(TM)s white with a very slight hint of pink, I bought it to paint our wardrobes but Nita vetoed it, we could use that for the dressing table. - -Do you live locally? If we start with that colour we can choose the rest of the colours for the room based on that. - -I -(TM)m half a mile down the road, I can run and get that paint while you and Alex go in the other direction to the second hand shop. - So that was the morning sorted, Ernie got his tools and tape measures and planned out the dressing room while Helen and I decanted everything from the third bedroom into the fourth bedroom, and what wouldn -(TM)t fit stayed in the hallway. Ernie had brought up stacks of plastic sheeting, so I covered the floor with sheets before Helen and I started to sand down the paintwork. We -(TM)d decided the wallpaper could stay, but we -(TM)d paint it with a colour in the same palette as Helen -(TM)s furniture paint. We -(TM)d sanded down almost all the paintwork by the time Ernie had drawn up a design for the dressing room storage. It looked great. -If I can get the drawing and measurements down to the builders merchants before lunchtime I reckon they -(TM)ll be able to get everything cut to order and delivered by tomorrow afternoon, then we -(TM)ll have all day Wednesday to build and paint it. - -That -(TM)s amazing Ernie. We -(TM)ve nearly got everything sanded down in the bedroom, so we can crack on with painting in there after lunch. - I finished off the sanding while Helen wiped everything down with a damp cloth to get rid of the dust. After a fresh cup of tea Helen went home to grab the paint for the dressing table, and Ernie and I climbed into his van and we went o buy the dressing table and order the wood, I wanted real wood, but Ernie said it would be better to get MDF, as it -(TM)ll be easier to work with and paint, so we went with his recommendation. The builders -(TM) merchant promised to have everything ready and delivered by noon tomorrow, which was fantastic news. Helen sent me the details of the paint, so we used their paint matching guide to buy a couple of complementary shades for the wood and walls, then we chose a couple of similar, but different shades for the dressing room. The dressing table was great, it was in decent condition, a few scratches, a couple of rings from hot drinks being put on it, and a small burn that looked like the previous owner dropped a cigarette, nothing that couldn -(TM)t be easily fixed. Next door we found a big mirror and some wall lights. We also found a long strip of LED lights that flashed and changed colour. I simply had to buy them to run along the top of the new wardrobes. After lunch I spent the afternoon sanding the dressing table down in the kitchen whilst Helen painted the walls in the bedroom and Ernie painted the walls in the dressing room, we stopped work just before four when I needed to pick collect Poppy from school, Helen kindly offered to come with us, in case any of the photos we were about to see distressed Poppy. I offered to pay Ernie as he left, but he said he -(TM)d wait until we were happy with the job on Wednesday, always good to find an honest builder like that, although one that -(TM)s not too honest to take cash in hand. At the school gates I gave Katie her suitcases back so she could fill them again tomorrow, she gave Poppy a quick kiss then ran off to get her train. -Hey Helen, - Poppy said. -Hey Poppy, how was school? - -It was ok, I -(TM)ve been given extra maths lessons at lunchtime, - Poppy said as we set off walking to the police station, -the teacher says this will help me fill the gaps in my knowledge. What have you been doing today, you look a bit sweaty. - -I -(TM)ve been doing nothing rude, we -(TM)re decorating Katie -(TM)s bedroom and building a dressing room. - -Oh that sounds like a lot of work. - -I met Alex -(TM)s new lady this morning. - -Oh wow, isn -(TM)t she gorgeous, and so sexy, and really sweet, if she ends up being my mum I -(TM)ll be so happy. - -I think she -(TM)ll be happy too, - Helen replied, -she was full of compliments about you. - -I -(TM)m going to try to help her identify some girls from photos. - -Yes, Alex said, I thought I -(TM)d come in case you get upset. - Poppy grabbed Helen -(TM)s hand, -that is so nice of you, when I looked at photos last night there was one of Belle, and it upset me because I don -(TM)t know where she is anymore, I can chat with her by text message, but I can -(TM)t see her. - -I -(TM)m sure you -(TM)ll meet her again soon. - -I hope so. - At the police station I approached the desk sergeant and asked for PC Jenny Wilde, we were told she was in a meeting, so we waited in the tired looking waiting area. Poppy was brave and got a coffee from the vending machine, Helen and I decided not to investigate the delights on offer from the other machines. -Mmm, I -(TM)ve had much worse, - she said after trying her drink. -I -(TM)ll take your word for it. - I replied. Eventually the desk sergeant called us forward and asked us all to sign in the visitors register, we were just finishing up as Jenny arrived and showed us through to a small meeting room. -Hang on here a sec, I -(TM)ll bring you a laptop and some forms. The information you -(TM)ve already given me has persuaded my boss to open an investigation into Gemma -(TM)s disappearance, so anything you can tell me now can be tagged onto that investigation. - -Do you have any half decent coffee around here? - I asked. -You -(TM)re kidding, right? This is a police station, we only have bad coffee, why do you think I met you in Costa last week. - -Ahh ok, I guess I -(TM)d better get a few cans from the vending machines. - When I came back with cans of Dr Pepper Jenny was showing Poppy how to use the laptop to view photographs, each image had a code at the bottom, if she recognised any of the girls she was to write the code, a name, be it her real name or street name and any other details onto one of the forms. -This file has the names and any details we -(TM)ve gathered so far for each person, please don -(TM)t look at this file unless you know the person in the photo, I wouldn -(TM)t want to influence you and potentially prompt false memories. - -I understand, are these like yesterday, all the photos are from when the girls were alive. - -I can -(TM)t guarantee 100%, these are all from the missing persons database, most of the photos will be the ones we were given by family. They -(TM)re all girls who we think came to London, and they should be around your age, from early teen to early 20 -(TM)s. -Ok, I suppose I -(TM)d better get started then. - -I -(TM)ve got some work to do at my desk, - Jenny said softly, -it -(TM)s just over there by the window. Oh, and by the way, as of now I -(TM)m no longer PC Jenny, I -(TM)m DC Jenny, that -(TM)s what my meeting was about. - -Oh wow! - Poppy cried, -you -(TM)re a detective now? - -Yes I am, I -(TM)m going to be working with a special runaways taskforce, it -(TM)s what I -(TM)ve been working towards since I started. - -I -(TM)m so happy for you, it means they respect your drive to help us girls. - Jenny left the room and Poppy settled in front of the laptop, she looked at each photo carefully, Helen showed her how to zoom in for a closer look. The first ten were unknown to Poppy, but she recognised number 11. -This is Meghan, she lived with Gemma and another girl called, mmm, River I think. - Poppy wrote the photo code and the name Meghan onto the form, along with the comments about her living with Gemma and River, she added an approximate location for their squat. Helen opened the file and ran her finger down the page until she found the line for this photo, -she -(TM)s really called Meghan, Meghan Tate, she was reported missing by her family in April this year, she -(TM)s 15, from Manchester. When did you last see her Poppy? - -Oh gosh, probably around the time I saw Gemma when we were having a picnic watching cricket in the park, I think it would be June. No, wait, I saw her again later than that, let me think, - Poppy closed her eyes, concentrating hard, -it was September, had to be, because we were seeing kids in school uniform, but they all looked fresh and clean, it wasn -(TM)t cold enough for October. I was with Flower and Belle, we saw Meghan, and Gemma, yes they were both there, so Gemma was still alive in September! We chatted about a new squat they -(TM)d found in Camden, near the market at Camden Lock, write that down Alex please. Yes, Gemma looked pretty, she had a dress on and looked happy, what did she tell me, oh shit yes, it was that day, oh god, that -(TM)s the day she died, she told me about a party and asked me if I wanted to go, Flower and Belle said they didn -(TM)t want to and went home. Oh god, let me remember, this is horrible, hold my hand please Helen. - Helen crouched down and held Poppy -(TM)s hands while I slipped out to get Jenny. -We went to the party, me, Gemma and Meghan, it was in an old house in Swiss Cottage, near the station, there were lots of men there I didn -(TM)t know, I felt ok, we had some cider, Gemma and Meghan smoked some drugs but I wasn -(TM)t going down that road again, so I stuck to the cider, I remember it was the dark fruits Strongbow, I liked it. Gemma picked up these two guys and they started making out, Meghan went into the next room and came back with Kenzie. My heart sank, did she take us there on purpose? -I tried to hide but he saw me, he started ranting about me letting him down, I -(TM)ve no idea what he was on about, and that -(TM)s when he grabbed Gemma from the two guys and that -(TM)s when he raped and killed her, right in front of everyone, like he was teaching all the girls, especially me, a lesson. -I remember I threw up on this guy who -(TM)d been trying it on with me, it was all purple from the cider, he went mental, I ran out of the house and got as far away as I could before I stopped, crying my eyes out until a police lady found me. -I should have told her what I -(TM)d seen, but I was so frightened, I just told her I -(TM)d been chased by some boys and could she get me back to Forest Hill. She took me back to the police station and I waited around for half an hour until someone was heading out in that direction and they gave me a lift back to where I was staying with Flower, Belle and a couple of other girls, this was after Max -(TM)s squat was gone. - Jenny touched Poppy -(TM)s cheek tenderly, she opened her eyes and smiled weakly, -I hope you -(TM)re not mad I didn -(TM)t tell the police lady the truth. - -Right now I -(TM)m just glad you -(TM)re alive, so I won -(TM)t judge. Do you have any idea where the house was? Maybe we could get some kind of clues. - -I could maybe retrace my steps from the station if you have a map. - Jenny opened the web browser on the laptop and brought up Google Maps. Poppy was amazed, having never used a computer properly before, Jenny brought up the Swiss Cottage area then switched it to the satellite view and showed Poppy how to scroll around the map. -It was this street, I -(TM)m sure, - she said, -I remember the postbox on the corner. - -Ok, - Jenny said, reaching for the mouse and switching to the street view, -I -(TM)ll move around now, see if you can spot the house. - -Fuck, - Poppy said quietly, -this is fantastic, how did they get photos of all these houses like this. - -I think they had people driving round with cameras on the car roof, - Jenny replied. -So clever, oh, go back a bit, that one, I -(TM)m sure, yes, the front door was boarded up like that, the garden all overgrown, we got in through the patio doors at the back. - -Fantastic, - she took out her mobile and dialed, -I need someone to check an address... - she said before leaving the room. -Am I helping? - Poppy asked. -You certainly are, - Helen replied. -I -(TM)m glad, because right now I just feel depressed, - she said before turning back to the computer, -ahh, how do I get back to the photos? - Helen showed Poppy how to switch between applications, then she got back to scrolling through the photos, it was a while before she recognised anyone else, this time it was a slim, blonde girl, maybe late teens, -oh, this is Jewel! Remember Alex, we met her in the doorway off Wardour Street. - As Poppy wrote down her memories of Jewel on a form Helen found her details in the file. -She -(TM)s Jeanette Wilson, 21 years old, reported missing three years ago from Margate. - -Seriously, she -(TM)s 21? - I asked. -Well, that photo is a few years old, she -(TM)ll be like 17 or 18 there, - Helen said. -That -(TM)s not what I meant, when we saw her I -(TM)d say she was in her 40 -(TM)s and looking rough for that age. - -She -(TM)s been smoking meth, - Poppy said quietly, -it seriously fucks you up, I -(TM)m so glad I never touched that shit, the heroin was bad enough to kick. - Poppy seemed to be weighing up whether to include details of Jewel -(TM)s usual sleeping locations, then wrote down the two places she knew before clicking over to the next photo. Again, it was a while before Poppy recognised anyone, then she stopped dead. -Do you have the details for this photo? - she asked Helen, her voice quiet, flat with no inflection. -That -(TM)s a boy, I thought Jenny had just given you girls? - Helen replied. -Yep, that -(TM)s what she said, anyway, do you have his details? - Helen turned the page in the file and ran her finger down the list, -David Kemp, he -(TM)s 20, from Merton, reported missing by his family two years ago. - -I need to phone Jeremy and I definitely don -(TM)t want Jenny to hear, so if you see her coming go stop her. - Poppy pulled out her phone and dialed, -hey Jeremy, I -(TM)ve got to be quick, so no questions, take this down. The guy who caused the most damage to me the other week, he was so rough when he fucked me, his real name is David Kemp, from Merton I don -(TM)t know his street name, tall, according to his file he -(TM)s 6 -(TM) 2 -, slim, white, brown hair, blue eyes, - Poppy paused, -yeah, I -(TM)m reading from some notes from his missing persons file in the police station, don -(TM)t ask me why I -(TM)m here I don -(TM)t have time to explain, yeah, treat him the same as the other guys, gotta go now. - Poppy turned back to the laptop and was about to flip to the next photo when Jenny came in to see how she was getting on. -I thought I was just looking at girls, this boy is in the photos and I don -(TM)t really know many boys on the streets, at least I don -(TM)t know any nice ones. - -Ahh, sorry, I didn -(TM)t realise he was in there, we -(TM)re looking for him for something else, he -(TM)s definitely not a nice boy. - Another 20 minutes later we were finished, Poppy had recognised six girls in total, noting everything she could remember onto the forms. We said goodbye to Jenny, she didn -(TM)t know if she -(TM)d be able to pop round later, I told her to message me if she was coming and gave her the gate code. As we left the police station Poppy pulled me to a stop, -I feel bad lying to Jenny, should I tell her I recognised that boy? - -Probably not a good idea after what you told Jeremy, - I replied. -Arghh, yes, oh, I know. - She pulled out her phone and dialed again, she spoke to Jeremy as we walked, -hey, sorry about before, it -(TM)s a long story, but we -(TM)ve got a new friend, she -(TM)s a detective, she wants to help runaways like me, and so I -(TM)ve been giving her street names for some of the girls I recognised in the missing person files and I stumbled on a photo of that guy David, the police are interested in him, not a nice guy at all, so here -(TM)s an idea, after your people have finished, leave him somewhere he -(TM)ll be found, is that ok? Great, just be careful, I don -(TM)t want anyone to get into trouble. - -Do I want to know what that -(TM)s all about? - Helen asked. -Probably not, - I replied. -Ok, I won -(TM)t ask. - Helen said, -hey, it -(TM)s too late to cook anything for dinner, how about we get pizza, my treat. - -I love pizza, that -(TM)s a great idea, - Poppy said brightly, -I -(TM)m still not happy about lying to Jenny, but that guy was almost as bad as Kenzie, and I -(TM)m sure he -(TM)ll just step up now Kenzie -(TM)s gone and treat the girls just as badly, if not worse. - We had dinner at Pizza Express. Poppy being Poppy helped herself to whatever we couldn -(TM)t eat, so she had dough balls, her own American Hot pizza, some of Helen -(TM)s Fiorentina and some of my Sloppy Guiseppe, along with ice cream and a chocolate brownie. -Wooo, I -(TM)m stuffed, - Poppy said as we walked home, -are you coming in Helen? - -I -(TM)d love to, but I -(TM)ve got to get home, Nita will be wondering where I -(TM)ve got to. I -(TM)ll see you tomorrow Alex, we can crack on with the decorating. - -About that, I -(TM)ve just remembered we -(TM)re going to the hospice to see Nikki tomorrow afternoon, will you be ok keeping an eye on Ernie. - -No problem at all, it -(TM)s Nita -(TM)s afternoon off tomorrow, she can give me a hand. - -Thanks, I really appreciate your help with this, with everything really. - -It -(TM)s my pleasure, really. Poppy is just the sweetest kid, and from what I saw of Katie, she -(TM)s wonderful too. You -(TM)re going to have a lot of fun together. - Just then Poppy -(TM)s phone rang, she pulled it out of her coat pocket, -it -(TM)s Jeremy, - she said before answering, she listened for a few moments, -yeah, I -(TM)ll let her know, thanks Jeremy. - She tapped the gate code in and we followed her into the house, -sorry, didn -(TM)t want to say anything outside, nosey neighbours, you know. Anyway, the weird thing is, David -(TM)s already dead, Jeremy -(TM)s guys knew where he was living, they found him upstairs, same deal as before, badly beaten and stabbed, they also found a dead girl, she had a broken neck. He thinks they -(TM)ve been dead a few days. - -Shit, what -(TM)s going on Poppy? - Helen asked. -I -(TM)ve no idea, someone is going round killing everyone involved in my kidnap and I have no idea who it can be. - -You -(TM)re sure it -(TM)s not this Jeremy person? - -Definitely, this is the second time he -(TM)s found someone who -(TM)d been killed long before I named them. - She took out her phone and dialed Jenny, taking deep, calming breaths while she waited for her to answer. -Hey Jenny, it -(TM)s Poppy, so sorry to disturb you, but I -(TM)ve been thinking about David Kemp. I didn -(TM)t recognise his photo, but I -(TM)ve remembered his name. He lived above a betting shop in Camden, on the high street near Burger King. I remember a few of the girls told me to steer well clear of him, and for once I listened to them. - She listened for a while then put her phone down, -that -(TM)s twice I -(TM)ve lied to Jenny tonight, I don -(TM)t like it, but what else can I do? - -Honestly, right now I think we need to stick with the lie, because more than anything we need to protect Jeremy, - I replied. -I know, but it hurts to lie to her. The only silver lining is I can -(TM)t think of anyone else who was involved, there were a couple more guys over the days, but I don -(TM)t know who they were. - -So once the air has cleared, maybe we can come clean, - I suggested. -I guess, yes, that should work, oh I don -(TM)t know, I -(TM)m all in a pickle and I -(TM)m going to bed, to sleep. - As Poppy climbed the stairs I walked Helen to the door, -she -(TM)s going to need a cuddle, - she said. -I know, I -(TM)m pretty pooped after all the work today, so I -(TM)ll go up and join her. - -Just a cuddle, or I -(TM)ll tell Nita. - -Just a cuddle, I promise. - I turned off all the lights downstairs and locked up before joining Poppy in the bedroom, she was undressed and having a quick wash, she looked so sad and conflicted I felt like crying for her. As she saw me in the doorway she ran to me and jumped into my arms, -you won -(TM)t let anything happen to me, will you, I -(TM)m safe here, that -(TM)s all I need to know right now. - -You -(TM)re safe here, - I told her, -I will never let anything bad happen to you, and I don -(TM)t think you did anything wrong withholding the truth from Jenny, right now we need to protect you, not just your body, but your mental health, as well as being safe, you need to feel safe. - -I do daddy, can we cuddle for a bit? - -We can cuddle for as long as you like, but first I need to do your massage. - I grabbed the bottle of lavender massage oil Nita had recommended and poured a little into my palm, rubbing my hands together to warm the oil as Poppy lay down on the bed. Starting with her lower back I rubbed the oil in firmly, massaging the tension out of her muscles, I could see her visibly relaxing as I worked the lavender oil in. I moved down, rubbing the oil into her lovely peachy buttocks and the tops of her thighs. She began to squirm under my hands, and I could see her pussy becoming moist. Slowly I moved my hands between her legs, I reached her pussy and very gently slid a finger between her lips, careful not to slide my finger inside, I moved my finger to and fro, touching her clit with each stroke. -Oh daddy, I wish we could fuck... - -So do I, but we really don -(TM)t want to hurt you. - -No, I don -(TM)t want to get Auntie Nita mad, she was so disappointed in us yesterday, and I felt sad that we -(TM)d let her down. - -Quite apart from upsetting Nita, I want you to get better. - -Mmm, this feels nice, all my life I don -(TM)t think I -(TM)ve ever felt this, I don -(TM)t know, just, nice I think, like there -(TM)s nothing wrong, I feel safe, I feel happy, and absolutely no part of my body is hurt or sore, oooohh whatever that was, do it again, mmm, that -(TM)s so nice, mmmm I like this. - A moment later Poppy came, she locked her legs together, trapping my arm and she ground herself against my fingers. -Ooohhh, that was just what I needed. - And at that exact moment the doorbell rang. -Who -(TM)s calling at this time? - Poppy asked, nervous it was more police. I reached for my phone and pulled up the doorbell camera, and it was police, or more precisely, DC Jenny Wilde, on her own so it wasn -(TM)t official business this time. -Ha, - I laughed, shaking my head as I went to let her in, I -(TM)d given her the gate code but no key. -Hey Alex, is that for me? - Jenny asked as I hugged her. -Is what for you? - I asked, genuinely puzzled. -That boner in your pants... - -Ahhh, I -(TM)ve just been giving Poppy her evening massage. - -Must be a good massage if it has that reaction. - -The TrustPilot reviews are fairly positive, - I answered as Poppy joined us at the bottom of the stairs. -Are you working at the moment? - Poppy asked. -No, I -(TM)ve finished my shift, and as of tomorrow I -(TM)m working slightly more sensible hours, I -(TM)ll be working 10 until 6, but the chances of me finishing at 6pm are slim. - -Ok, so if I own up to telling you a couple if untruths, you won -(TM)t arrest me? - -Why, what haven -(TM)t you told me? - -Can we talk in the kitchen? - -As much as I -(TM)m enjoying the view, can you put some clothes on please. - -Ahh yes, sorry, I -(TM)ll be back in a sec. - In the kitchen I started to make Jenny a plate of scrambled eggs. -What -(TM)s Poppy going to tell me? Is it something serious? - -I -(TM)ll leave her to tell you, but she -(TM)s been feeling terrible all evening over a couple of things she -(TM)s not told you, and you have every right to feel annoyed about it, but please try to be kind to her. - -I -(TM)m not sure I could be angry with her, she -(TM)s helped me so much. - Poppy came down wearing one of my t-shirts, she started to make some coffee in silence, not speaking until Jenny had her scrambled eggs on toast and a coffee. -Ok, so I -(TM)ve been feeling horrible since I left the police station and I really don -(TM)t know where to start, so if you don -(TM)t mind I -(TM)ll let you finish your eggs while I decide what order to tell you everything. - -Before you tell me anything, have you personally done anything illegal? - -No, definitely not, well, not since Alex found me. Some friends, who I will not name under any circumstances have though, so my bargaining chip in all this is the porno cinema. - -Ok, I -(TM)m willing to ignore some details if the greater good wins out, and whilst I eat my eggs I would like someone to remove all telephones from the room, so that nothing is recorded even inadvertently. You don -(TM)t have an Alexa or anything? - -Nope, - I answered. -Great, and what a fantastic start to my CID career, ignoring my boyfriend -(TM)s daughter withholding evidence. - Poppy looked downhearted as I carried mine and Jenny -(TM)s phones into the lounge. As I took Jenny -(TM)s empty plate away Poppy started, -you might want to take some notes. - -Not right now, but once you -(TM)ve told me everything I may ask you some questions, which you can choose not to answer. - -Ok, so this all starts when I was kidnapped and raped by possibly 10 people, maybe more. The ringleaders were Kenzie and Parker, both of whom are now dead. This is where it gets confusing. I told a trusted friend the names of the people I could remember, this friend passed these names onto some other people, and they passed the names to other people. Soon we find that one of the people I named, Xander, turned up dead that morning, before I -(TM)d told a single person his name. - -This is the man who was beaten and stabbed the same way as your mother? - -Yes, and Kenzie. The thing is, Kenzie was not killed by the same person who killed Xander and nearly killed mum. - -Ok, so you -(TM)re saying the person who told the people who told the people is responsible for Kenzie? - -Yes, and Parker, and a couple of other people you -(TM)ll never find. - -So this sounds like two different people are taking revenge on your behalf. - -Yes, and I -(TM)ve no idea who the other person is, honestly, not a single clue. So me not telling you about Kenzie was my first lie. The second is David Kemp, he raped me viciously for a couple of days, he caused most of the horrible damage to my back and lady parts, and I was worried you -(TM)d deliberately put his photo into the laptop. - -Oh god no, I -(TM)d never do that, we -(TM)ve been looking for him for a while in relation to drugs offences and sexual assault. - -Thank you, that makes me feel a bit better, so I gave his name to my friend, and my friend -(TM)s friends found him, he -(TM)s been dead a few days, you -(TM)ll find him at the address I gave you. - -Ahh, so this is another bit of work from the mystery person. - -It does look like it, you -(TM)ll find a second body, the way it went down according to my friend is Kemp killed a working girl then the mystery person killed Kemp. - -Where did you put my phone Alex? - -It -(TM)s in the lounge. - -Come with me, both of you, but don -(TM)t say a word. - Jenny grabbed her phone and dialed, -Hey, DC Wilde here, that address I gave you, send forensics, my source suggests there will be at least one body at the location. - Jenny listened for a while, -fine, and how are we doing with the address in Swiss Cottage? - She listened some more, -ahh, so the house is ready for demolition, we can -(TM)t get anyone in to search? Ok, that -(TM)s interesting, can we get a warrant? Great, thanks, I -(TM)ll see you tomorrow. - Jenny put her phone back on the coffee table and we returned to the kitchen. -Right, consider this an official warning Poppy, if you withhold evidence about an investigation again, we may have to take action. - Poppy looked squarely at her lap, -I -(TM)m so, so sorry. - -No matter, because it definitely looks like there are two different killers, so technically you have not hampered an investigation, and it looks like you have given us a lot of help. - -Really, - Poppy said brightly, wiping her eyes with the hem of the t-shirt. -Yes, you -(TM)ve given us the location of the remains of a person of interest, we now know we can link several crimes together, and it looks like there may be at least one burial in the garden of that house in Swiss Cottage. - -What? - Poppy cried, -how do you know? - -We -(TM)ve had a drone fly over with some sensitive equipment and it -(TM)s located at least one pit in the garden, so we -(TM)re applying for a warrant to dig up the garden, I -(TM)ve got to head over there first thing tomorrow. - -Ahh, so that may be Gemma. - -Maybe. - -Ok, get your notepad, I -(TM)ll tell you everything you need to know. - Poppy spent an hour telling Jenny everything she knew, Jenny made lots of notes, when she -(TM)d finished Jenny asked -so you -(TM)re not going to tell me the name of your friends. - -Absolutely not, but I will tell you about the porno cinema. It -(TM)s a private members club off Leicester Square, most of the time it -(TM)s legit, or as legit as these places ever get, lots of girls there are here illegally and are basically sex slaves. On the first Friday of every month though, they show child porn in the cinema room, and they pay young girls to go in and wank the men off, or blow them. They don -(TM)t sleep with us, because these are very rich men, and they won -(TM)t lower themselves to sleeping with rough sleepers. That -(TM)s the only reason we let Belle go, because we tried to keep her well away from trouble, but she has such small hands, so even the smallest penis looks big in her hands. - -Do you have a name for the club? - When Poppy told Jenny the name I gasped, -I know that place, I -(TM)ve never been, but some of my author friends are members. - -Just because a few members get up to sleezy shit on a Friday doesn -(TM)t mean all members know what -(TM)s going on. I -(TM)m willing to bet most of the staff don -(TM)t know what -(TM)s happening. We were sneaked in via a back entrance, the only room most girls ever saw was that one. - -Can you tell me where that back door is? - Jenny asked. -If you find that fancy map thing again I -(TM)ll show you. - I brought my laptop down from the office and opened Google Maps, I found Leicester Square, Poppy touched the screen, I zoomed in and switched to street view. -So, this is the front of the club, - Poppy said, pointing at a red brick building with a porticoed entrance between a couple of Chinese restaurants and a steakhouse. I moved the view to the back of the block, -there, - Poppy cried, -next to that skip, we -(TM)d go in that door, there -(TM)s a couple of fire exits, see those metal stairs, those lead to a fire escape from the upper floors, it -(TM)s mostly bedrooms upstairs with a couple of offices, the cinema room is through that door and up a little slope, but still on the ground floor, if you know what I mean. - -Yes, I know, and thank you so much for this. If it -(TM)s the first Friday of the month we -(TM)ve got a couple of weeks to plan. - -Remember, the girls go free, or at least if you take them, they -(TM)re released without charge. All the Chinese and Malaysian girls are illegals, so they will run screaming as soon as you go in. - -Understood. - A little while later we lay together, having a group cuddle, I was in the middle, Jenny behind me, Poppy in front, this felt so nice, relaxing after all the tension of the last couple of hours. -Can I ask you something, Poppy, - Jenny said. -Yes, anything, and I -(TM)m never going to lie to you ever again. - -That -(TM)s only because I -(TM)m never going to ask for your friend -(TM)s name. Anyway, this friend, do they know about the porno cinema? - -Oh gosh no, we -(TM)d never tell him. Basically he -(TM)s a very religious man who loves the girls on the street like they were his own daughters, unlike a lot of so called charity workers he never tried it on with the girls, if we were lying there naked in the street the first thing he -(TM)d do is take off his coat and wrap us up safe and warm, even if it was freezing cold and raining he -(TM)d spare his coat to save a street girl. -If we told him about the cinema he -(TM)d go mental, he -(TM)d probably lock the doors and burn it down with everyone inside, we could never tell him. - -Why did you go there, considering what films they were showing? - -Honestly? The money, they paid us a couple of hundred, we were never touched, it was an ok if slightly weird evening -(TM)s work. - -But what about the films? - -We tried not to think about them, we definitely didn -(TM)t watch them. Some of the girls on screen were around our age anyway. Sometimes we -(TM)d have to shut our eyes and try not to listen, because ... no I can -(TM)t think about it, sorry. It -(TM)s just we needed the money, and, arghh I know it -(TM)s awful and that -(TM)s why I -(TM)ve told you about it rather than telling him, because you can hopefully arrest the men and it -(TM)ll be a big feather in your cap. - -Thank you Poppy, I -(TM)m making you uncomfortable, I -(TM)ll leave it now. - -It -(TM)s ok I guess, it was just one of those things we did because we had to, and if it wasn -(TM)t our gang of girls they -(TM)d find some more, and maybe those girls wouldn -(TM)t be as tough as most of us were. Can I come round and cuddle you please Jenny. - -Of course you can. - -You -(TM)re not mad at me? - -I -(TM)m a little annoyed, but I understand why you did it, I -(TM)m not mad though. - -Thank you, - Poppy said as she snuggled in behind Jenny, an arm across her, cupping one of Jenny -(TM)s breasts. -I like boobs, - Poppy said later as she was drifting off to sleep, -and you have the best boobs. - Chapter 12 After her usual morning routine of exercises and a massage Poppy dashed downstairs to make breakfast. -Thank you for not getting upset last night, - I said as Jenny dressed, -she was so conflicted when we got home, I almost cried for her because she looked so sad. - -I probably would have been angry if she didn -(TM)t look so genuinely distraught. Oh, and by the way, I think I know who her friend is, don -(TM)t tell her I know, she -(TM)ll worry. Just rest assured I will not tell anyone. If he messes up and gets into trouble I won -(TM)t be able to protect him, but I will not reveal what I know. A massive conflict of interest I know, but I -(TM)m just going to treat Poppy and Jeremy as confidential informants. - I breathed a sigh of relief, -thank you, that -(TM)s a massive weight off my mind. - -He sounds like a saint, have you met him? - -Yes I have, a very intense man, deeply religious with a pretty Old Testament attitude to justice and vengeance. He saved Poppy -(TM)s life, twice that she remembers, but I suspect it -(TM)s more than that, there -(TM)s still a lot of gaps in her memory. I -(TM)ll give you an example of their work. On Sunday we were on Wardour Street, looking to buy a piano, like you do, but we were too early, the shop didn -(TM)t open until noon. -So Poppy starts wandering, looking for her friends, and she finds one, Evie, she -(TM)s lying on wet cardboard, wrapped in a sleeping bag and she -(TM)s clearly dying. Poppy jumps down to help her, she hugs her and demands I phone Jeremy, not an ambulance, Jeremy. -He sends two guys, they come running up the back alley a few minutes later, far quicker than an ambulance, they pick Evie up and take her to a shelter, where they -(TM)re currently treating her. Based on a snatched conversation Poppy had with the men, they -(TM)d just come back from disposing of the bodies of two of the men who attacked Poppy in a way no-one will ever find them. - Jenny thought for a while as she brushed her long, blonde hair, she wrapped it into a bun pinning it in place with a couple of hairclips. -This is very interesting, - she said once she -(TM)d finished her hair, -we -(TM)ve been hearing a lot about a semi-mythical figure who looks after the street girls, we thought it was simply the ramblings of drug addicts, maybe it -(TM)s actually true. Ahh well, this is our secret. - Downstairs Poppy was making pancakes, and annoyingly they looked better than my pancakes. -Mmm, these are lovely, - Jenny said as she tucked into her pancake, washing it down with hot coffee. -I was wondering, seeing as this is the second morning I -(TM)ve had to dress in yesterday -(TM)s underwear, would it be imposing if I brought a few things with me the next time I stop over? - -Not at all, - Poppy said, before looking to me for confirmation. -No problem, bring whatever you like. - -Quite apart from the cuddles and stuff, it -(TM)s just nice to have someone to talk to in the morning, - Jenny said. I thought about this, -it is isn -(TM)t it, I -(TM)ve lived on my own for five years, Helen used to stop over sometimes, in her own room, - I added quickly, -but otherwise, this big house was mostly empty, and I -(TM)m now realising what I missed all those years, someone to talk to. - -I -(TM)m not moving in or anything, just not wanting to slut walk home every morning. - -It -(TM)s fine, honestly, - I said, -we -(TM)re in the middle of preparing for Katie -(TM)s arrival, hence the work going on up in the other rooms upstairs, -once she -(TM)s settled in we -(TM)ll be ready for the next step forwards. - -Why was a guy as nice as you living alone for so long. - -That -(TM)s a story for another time, -(TM) -(TM) I said as I checked my watch, -have you got everything ready for school Poppy? - -Yes dad, I -(TM)m all ready. - We met Katie at the school gates again, -hi Alex, - she said as I took the cases off her, -~and hello again PC Jenny. - -She -(TM)s a detective now, - Poppy told her, -so she -(TM)s DC Jenny. - -Or even just Jenny, - she laughed. -I -(TM)ll see you at one o -(TM)clock, - I called out as Poppy dashed through the gates as the registration bell sounded. -Yes, see you at one dad, - she shouted back, turning to blow me a kiss. -Will you be ok with all three of us? - Jenny asked, as she picked up one of the cases and we walked hand in hand back to the house. -Poppy has been such a joy to spend time with, yes it -(TM)s been stressful at times, and I -(TM)m still not certain we -(TM)ve uncovered all the horrors of her past, but with Helen -(TM)s help it -(TM)s been mostly painless. Poppy absolutely adores Helen, to her Helen is the absolute embodiment of the perfect female, beautiful, sassy and clever; you are a very close second. - -Considering I feel much the same about Helen, I -(TM)ll take that compliment. - After she -(TM)d dropped Katie -(TM)s bag at my front door Jenny hugged me tight, -you -(TM)re a good man Alex, after what Poppy -(TM)s been through it would be natural for her to avoid males, but she loves you with all her heart. - -And I love her with all my heart. - -Is there any room in there for me? - -There is plenty of room in my heart for you. - -Thank you, now unfortunately I have to go home so I can get ready for work, it -(TM)s going to be a long day today, so I don -(TM)t think I -(TM)ll come round tonight, maybe tomorrow though. - -You -(TM)re welcome to come round whenever you like, at some point I -(TM)ll get you a key cut, so you don -(TM)t need to ring the bell. - -That would be nice, and I -(TM)ll invite you round to mine when I get round to tidying the place up a bit. - -Poppy -(TM)s good at cleaning, she -(TM)d be glad to help you out there. - -Amazing, I may take you up on that offer. Anyway, gotta go now, I hope everything goes OK with Poppy -(TM)s mum today. - -So do I, we were supposed to go on Sunday but got side-tracked by finding Evie, I hope we -(TM)ve not left it too long. - Jenny hugged me again, -I -(TM)m glad I found you Alex, - she said quickly before running off down the road to get changed for work. Helen arrived just as I was opening the door, she picked up one of Katie -(TM)s bags and carried it inside. -I see Jenny stayed the night again, - she said with a smile, -is it serious? - -Maybe, Poppy likes her a lot, and when Jenny turned up after she -(TM)d finished her shift she told her everything, she couldn -(TM)t hold the truth from her any more. - -How did Jenny take it, knowing Poppy had lied to her? - -She was upset, but not angry, she understands why Poppy kept the truth back, they ended the night with a cuddle. - I put a fresh pot of coffee on while we waited for Ernie, who had phoned us from a furniture shop and sent me a photo of a dressing table set. Helen liked it so he was waiting for the store to open to buy one. While the coffee brewed I remembered I -(TM)d promised Poppy I -(TM)d get a Porsche for the next trip to the hospice, so I phoned a couple of hire centres until I found one that had a 911 available, it was going to cost me £300 plus a £3k security deposit, but she was worth it. -Did you just hire a Porsche? - Helen asked when she came back into the kitchen. -Yep. - -Where are we going? - -You -(TM)re going nowhere, this is for Poppy, to cheer her up on the way to and from the hospice. - -Do you have to take it back straight afterwards? - -Well, no, I -(TM)ve got it until tomorrow lunchtime. - -Great, you can take me and Nita out for a spin afterwards while Poppy does her homework. - I was about to disagree then I had a thought, -I -(TM)ve never left Poppy in the house alone, I don -(TM)t think she -(TM)s been on her own for any length of time since she came into my life. This may well be the time to do it. Let me have a think. If she doesn -(TM)t want to be alone we can all go out. - A few moments later the gate buzzer sounded and we went to help Ernie with the dressing table. As we lifted it out we found it looked a lot nicer than the photo taken through the shop window suggested. It was French style, lots of curves and ornate embellishments, painted white and artfully distressed. -I got a stool and mirror as well, - Ernie said, -I -(TM)ll bring them in. - With the new furniture in the house, and a mug of tea made for Ernie we resumed the decorating upstairs. Ernie got a call just after 10am to tell him the wardrobe components were on their way. The van arrived 15 minutes later, we carried everything inside and placed it all in the hallway, a big jumble of wood of many different shapes and sizes, like a 3D jigsaw. While I signed for the delivery and gave the drivers a tip, Ernie started sorting it all into sections, which Helen carried upstairs. Ernie had already started to assemble the frame for the wall unit when I took refreshments upstairs. Helen was holding a piece of wood upright as he screwed it to the wall, between the noise of his drill Ernie told me how to put the drawers together. As someone who -(TM)d built more than a few pieces of Ikea furniture, I was ready to be mightily frustrated by the drawer assembly process, but I was pleasantly surprised, the fittings supplied were better quality than those found in Ikea boxes, and the drawers slotted together easily. Everything was drilled in the right place, so the screws drove into the pre-drilled holes cleanly. By the time I had to leave to collect the car I -(TM)d got all 8 drawers built and piled neatly against the wall. -Will you be ok, - I asked Helen at the door as I left. -Not a problem, Nita will be here soon, and Ernie hasn -(TM)t a clue who I am, at least he -(TM)s not asked me any awkward questions yet. - -Excellent, let me know if you have to order any extra paint or anything. - -Stop worrying Alex, go get your car so you can take Poppy to see her mum, that -(TM)s what -(TM)s important right now. - She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and pretty much pushed me out of the door. The hire centre was too far away to walk, so I -(TM)d booked an Uber, the car was waiting outside, I jumped in and the driver whisked me the 4 miles to the sports car rental centre. I was initially disappointed the 911 I -(TM)d been given wasn -(TM)t the white one from their website, but after I -(TM)d walked round it a couple of times I decided the deep metallic blue was a good colour. It -(TM)s a few years since I -(TM)d driven a Porsche, and it took me a little while to get used to the floor mounted pedals and flappy-paddle gear-shift, so with 30 minutes to spare I decided to take a slightly circuitous route to Poppy -(TM)s school so I wouldn -(TM)t embarrass myself in front of her friends if I stalled the powerful car at the school gate. This 911 was much more powerful than the Boxster, which was the only previous Porsche I -(TM)d driven, so I was very careful as I drove through the estate and onto the A3 where I floored it for a short while until I hit traffic, then I eased up again as I exited the A3 onto the surface streets and into Wimbledon from the south. I remembered Poppy had missed lunch on our last visit, so I stopped at a bakery and bought her a chicken salad sandwich and a cake, to be eaten outside the car. I didn -(TM)t want to have a deep cleaning charge taken out of my security deposit. I pulled to a smooth stop at the school gates just as I heard the bells ring for the end of the lunch break, Poppy was standing with Katie and they both stared open mouthed as they realised it was me in the Porsche. -Shit, I thought you were kidding when you said you -(TM)d get a Porsche, - Poppy said as she opened the door, waving goodbye to Katie as she dashed off to her class, -will we be back in time to give Katie a ride? - -We can try, but you never know with the traffic. - -Is it as fast as it looks? - -It certainly is, although I haven -(TM)t had much chance to test it out properly yet. - The traffic was heavy on the way to the M25, but once on the motorway it was blissfully clear, so I moved straight over to the outside lane and floored it for a minute or two, pushing us both into our seats. -Fucking hell, - Poppy laughed, -that -(TM)s amazing, how fast were you going? - -Fast enough to get me arrested if I -(TM)m not careful. - -Jeremy phoned me earlier, I was in a lesson so I only saw it at breaktime, I phoned him back, I was worried what he -(TM)d say, but it was really good news, Evie is awake and doing ok. She -(TM)s not as strong as I am, so they can -(TM)t just lock her in a room and make her go cold turkey like they did with me, fuck, that was horrible, but it worked. - -What are they going to do for her? - -The charity that runs St Barnabas has a drug treatment centre, so it -(TM)s lucky Jeremy -(TM)s guys took her there, they -(TM)re fully licenced to dispense heroin in small quantities, they -(TM)ll wean her off it and onto methadone for a while, then see if they can get her off that, it -(TM)s a slow and quite painful process for all involved apparently. I hope she pulls through, she -(TM)s such a wonderful woman, it broke my heart to see her like that on Sunday. - I reached across and gave her hand a quick squeeze, -you saved her life, you should be very proud of your actions that day. - -I shouted at you, I shouldn -(TM)t have done that. - -You were right to do so, it was an emergency and I was being slow. - I let go of Poppy -(TM)s hand as I pulled off the M25 at junction 29 and took the A127 towards the hospice. As I reversed the car into a parking bay I caught sight of the food I -(TM)d bought Poppy on the back seat, I passed it to her once I -(TM)d turned the engine off. -I got you something to eat, I remembered you had no lunch last week. - -Aww thanks dad, that -(TM)s so thoughtful, and yes, I -(TM)ve had no lunch again. - We clambered out of the car and Poppy sat on a bench as she ate her sandwich, -this is so nice, - she said between mouthfuls, -loads of mayo, just how I like it. - -I thought lashings of mayo would usefully counter the healthy salad. - Poppy balled up the food bag and tossed it in the bin before taking my hand as we walked into the hospice. There was a different receptionist today, so I was prepared to go through the rigmarole of explaining who we were once more, but luckily our details had been entered during our previous visit, so we were allowed to go straight down to Nikki -(TM)s room. As we entered the room Nikki frowned slightly before her face turned to a smile, it clearly took her a little while to remember who we were. If Poppy noticed this slight hesitation she didn -(TM)t let it show, she dashed to her mum -(TM)s side, pulling up a chair to sit as close as she could to the bed. I stood behind Poppy, not wishing to crowd them. Nikki was sitting up in bed today, but she didn -(TM)t look at all well, her bruises were no better, she looked like she was in her 80 -(TM)s, but I knew from news stories I -(TM)d read online that she was only 30, exactly halfway between Helen and I in age. After a few moments of whispered conversation Poppy asked her mum if she remembered me. -Yes, he -(TM)s your friend Alex. - -He saved my life mum, he -(TM)s so nice. Do you see that blue car in the car park? - It took Nikki a long time to move herself so she could look out of the window, -yes, - she said slowly, -I can see a blue car, what is it? - -It -(TM)s Alex -(TM)s Porsche, isn -(TM)t it nice. - I didn -(TM)t even consider telling Nikki it was only mine for 24 hours, Poppy was obviously trying to let her mum know she was safe and secure with me. -Oh, very flash, I had a boyfriend once who had a Mercedes, - she said dreamily, -his name was Parker, strange name, I wonder what happened to him? - Poppy looked up at me, horrified. Suddenly another piece of the jigsaw had fallen in place, it was Parker who -(TM)d taken them to the zoo that day. -Mum, when did you last see Parker? - -Ohhh, I don -(TM)t know, it was a while ago. - Poppy pulled her phone out of her coat pocket, she opened her photo gallery and scrolled until she found a picture of her back, she zoomed in so her bare buttocks were out of the frame and showed it to her mum. -See these bruises mum, he did a lot of these, when I was first on the streets he basically held me captive in his squat and got me hooked on heroin, he was one of the gang of cunts who kidnapped me and gangraped me for three days. When did you last see Parker? - I -(TM)d not heard her use that word before, she must be so angry right now. I put my hand gently on her shoulder and Poppy settled back into the chair and relaxed a little. I looked across to the bed and Nikki was crying, -I -(TM)m so sorry Melanie, he was always a bastard, but I was hooked, no matter how hard I tried I could never get away from him completely, he never told me he -(TM)d found you, I bet he got a perverse joy out of not telling either of us he was fucking us both. - -Anyway, he can -(TM)t hurt anyone else, I -(TM)ve seen to it that his reign of terror is over, - Poppy said, -my friends have had him disposed of like the trash he is. - Nikki was quiet for a while, staring out of the window for a few minutes before she slowly turned back to Poppy, -he -(TM)s dead? - she asked eventually. -Yes, along with everyone else who -(TM)s been fucking and beating me these last few years. - -Who killed them? - -Some were killed by friends of the man who sent those flowers, he always looked out for me, and the gang rape was the final straw. Some were already dead before he could get to them, and this is the real mystery, because the injuries were exactly the same as yours, so we think it -(TM)s the same person who attacked you. - -Why me? - -Well, I can only assume they -(TM)re getting rid of everyone who hurt me, and at the end of the day it -(TM)s your fault I was on the fucking streets in the first place. - -Mmm I guess I can -(TM)t argue with that. - -Mum, what did you tell the police about the man who attacked you? - -I -(TM)ve not told them anything, when I was first in hospital I was too unwell to talk, and since I -(TM)ve been here they -(TM)ve not been back at all. - -Can you tell me anything? - -There -(TM)s not really much I can tell you about her... - -Her? - I asked, -it was a woman who attacked you? - -Yes, I didn -(TM)t see her face or anything, but I heard her voice, and as she pulled me close to stab me I distinctly felt breasts against my back. - -And the police haven -(TM)t been told this? - Poppy asked. -No, they haven -(TM)t. - Poppy turned to me, -we need to tell Jenny, this is probably important. - I pulled out my phone and dialed, it went to voicemail so I left a message while Poppy asked Nikki some more questions about her attacker. -I really don -(TM)t know much more, she was probably the same height as me, she was strong, her voice was calm, I don -(TM)t remember what she said at all, I was so scared I pee -(TM)d myself, she smacked me on the side of the head for that and I don -(TM)t remember anything else until I woke in hospital. - -What did her voice sound like? Did she sound like anyone off TV or the radio? - -She sounded like that woman who plays Bubbles in Absolutely Fabulous, I don -(TM)t know her name, skinny blonde woman. - -Oh my god! Alex, I know who it is, shit, shit shit I need to speak to Jeremy as soon as we leave. - Poppy turned back to Nikki, she had a mix of excitement and worry on her face as she spoke to her mother, -I -(TM)m so sorry, we have to go, you -(TM)ve been a great help mum, I think I know who attacked you, I -(TM)m going to tell my friends, one is a police lady, she may come to see you if that -(TM)s OK. - -If I -(TM)m still around, there -(TM)s not much time left honey. - Poppy kissed Nikki -(TM)s forehead then she dashed out of the room, she pulled out her phone and dialed as she walked quickly down the corridor. -Hey Jeremy, it -(TM)s me, Poppy ... Listen, I know who the other person is, the one who attacked mum. - She listened for a while before she turned to me, -Jeremy says there -(TM)s three police vans and dozens of officers tearing David Kemp -(TM)s flat apart, he also says there -(TM)s police in Swiss Cottage, if you -(TM)re trying to phone Jenny she -(TM)ll be at one of those two places, gosh this is exciting, all these police working on information I -(TM)ve given. - She turned back to her phone, -sorry Jeremy, just updating Alex, anyway, like I was saying, I -(TM)m just at the hospice and I asked mum the question the police should have asked but haven -(TM)t so far, namely, who hurt you? - She listened some more and turned back to me, -I -(TM)m not sure how he knows, but DC Jenny is in Swiss Cottage, maybe we could drive over there and speak to her. - -Yeah, sorry, just updating Alex again, how do you know who DC Jenny is? Ahh, I see, is she as good as she sounds? Ahh great, because Alex is kind of dating her, we like her, - she turned to me quickly, -Jeremy says DC Jenny is one of the good guys, - she turned back to the phone, -back to the point of the call, I -(TM)m pretty sure it -(TM)s Max who attacked mum and did the other stuff. - She listened for a long time, dropping the odd comment from her conversation with Nikki, then she cut the call, saying, -thanks Jeremy, I -(TM)m sure you -(TM)ll do the right thing, but I need to tell Jenny as well, we need to get closure for mum ... Yes, I love Max dearly, but she hurt mum and I -(TM)m not happy about it. I might not actually like mum but I didn -(TM)t want anyone to hurt her, yeah ok, I -(TM)ll speak to you later. - Poppy ran over and hugged me tightly, she looked up into my eyes, -Jeremy wanted to sort Max out, but I -(TM)ve told him not to, I want Jenny to deal with her. - -That -(TM)s the right thing to do, I guess we -(TM)ll need Jeremy -(TM)s help to track Max down, I hope he doesn -(TM)t try to hide her. - -I think I trust Jeremy to do the right thing. - -So, you want to go to Swiss Cottage? - I asked. -Yes, she -(TM)ll be too busy to answer her phone, but I -(TM)m sure she could spare us a minute if we turn up at the site. - -If we can get past the TV vans, - I sighed as I clambered into the Porsche, -and I suspect this isn -(TM)t the car for driving around the residential streets around there, all those sleeping policemen will play havoc with the suspension. - -We could go home then get the tube. - -No, that will take too long, can you remember the address from the map last night so I can find it on the sat nav? - Poppy told me and I typed it onto the screen, when we zoomed in we agreed it was the same place, so I started the engine and set off towards the A113 then onto the M11. The drive was OK until we hit the streets around the house. Poppy was nervous, she chatted about random stuff, Katie -(TM)s hair, Evie, Belle, Flower, even the Maths homework she needs to do tonight. No mention of Max, though. I ended up driving past the road we needed as it was crowded with police vans and a couple of TV crews, Poppy found a space two streets away, and I carefully reversed the Porsche into a gap between a very rusty 2CV and a battered transit sitting on bricks. A nice area, clearly. I locked the car and said a quick prayer that it would be there when we returned. Poppy held my hand as we walked back to the police cordon. On the street corner someone called out from the other side of the road, Poppy looked up and called back, -hey Chance, how -(TM)s it going? -, she pulled me over the road to join her friend. -Hey Poppy, I wasn -(TM)t sure it was you, but the guy matches the description Jeremy gave us. - -This is Alex, - Poppy said, -and Alex, this is Chance, once of Jeremy -(TM)s men. What are you doing here? - -One of our guys lives on the next street, we knew this was one of Kenzie -(TM)s party squats, and have been watching it closely, when all the police arrived at 6am Johnny phoned Jeremy and he sent three of us to keep an eye out for him. Zack is over the other side, and Jessica is upstairs in a squat right opposite the house. - -Wow, proper Secret Squirrel work going on, - Poppy said, obviously impressed, -so, I need to see DC Jenny Wilde, is she still here? - -Yeah, she -(TM)s still around, they -(TM)re digging two pits in the back garden according to Jessica, but they -(TM)ve covered them with big tents so we can -(TM)t see what -(TM)s happening. - -Two tents, that suggests two graves, I wonder who -(TM)s in the second, I kind of hope it -(TM)s Meghan, it -(TM)s her fault Gemma got killed. - She shook her head, -sorry, that -(TM)s wrong of me, I -(TM)m trying to be a better person. Anyway, do you have any idea how we can get to see Jenny without fighting our way through the police guards? - -I had a think about this when Jeremy phoned to say you were coming, pop down that alley, 8th gate on your left, it -(TM)s open, go through, watch out the yard is full of shit, there -(TM)s a lot of broken glass, knock on the back door, I -(TM)ll let Jessica know, she -(TM)ll let you in. The CID operations trailer is basically in the front garden, you -(TM)re on your own from there. - -Cool, thanks Chance. - Poppy walked ahead, picking her way through the litter-strewn back alley, -ewwww, - she cried as she stepped over a dead bird. The 8th gate was hanging open, she pushed it with her foot then very carefully made her way across a yard that looked like someone had emptied a bin wagon over the back wall. It was horrendous, and I assume intended to stop anyone but the most determined making their way into the house. The back door creaked open as we arrived, -are you Poppy? - a voice asked. -Yes, and my friend Alex, Chance sent us round. - -Come in, take three steps forward then go to your right. - Poppy took three steps forward, then stepped to the right, -does that go a long way down? - she asked. -Far enough to break your legs, - Jessica answered. -Careful Alex, - Poppy said as walked through the door. As my eyes adjusted to the dimness inside I saw a couple of missing floorboards not far into the room, I headed off to the right and followed Poppy and Jessica down a hallway towards the front door. -Ok, - Jessica started, -this is where the plan may end, because I -(TM)m not sure if this door opens, I only got here this morning when Jeremy put the call out, it -(TM)s a miracle I didn -(TM)t end up in that cellar, and I -(TM)ve not risked trying the door. The police outside think this house is empty. - Poppy tried the handle, -it turns, but the door isn -(TM)t moving. - I tried it and got the same result, -you pull the handle, - I said to Poppy, -I -(TM)ll stick my hand through the letter box and pull the door that way. - With a lot of effort and swearing, especially on my part, as the letterbox flap was digging in my hand, we eventually got the door open, and amazingly nobody outside had noticed. I -(TM)d expected a crowd of angry coppers to descend on us the moment the door swung open. Poppy turned to Jessica, with the door open, and the late afternoon light shining into the hallway, we could now see her, she was tall, slim and quite pretty, -thanks for letting us come through this way, I think we may have broken your door, it probably won -(TM)t close again. - -No worries sweetie, this place was only a lookout to see what -(TM)s happening, but the tents have blocked any view, I was just waiting for Jeremy to send me home. I guess now you -(TM)ve arrived I -(TM)ll leave. Good to meet you Poppy, I -(TM)ve heard so many great stories about you, you -(TM)re like Wonder Woman or something for a lot of the girls out there, especially after what you did for Evie. - -I -(TM)m still not sure about all this hero shit I -(TM)m hearing, but I am trying to help now I -(TM)m in a better position. I -(TM)m working on setting up a little charity to help the girls out. - -Oh really, is there anything I can do to help? - -Oh, that would be lovely, speak to Jeremy, he -(TM)s helping me out on this, obviously, if there -(TM)s anyone who -(TM)s a superhero here, it -(TM)s him. - The girls hugged, then Jessica carefully walked up the stairs to get her things. We stepped through the broken front door just as it parted company with the top hinge and fell, making a hell of a racket and waking the police in the operations van. Two officers stepped out of the back of the van, -who are you? - the lead officer demanded, -we thought this house was empty. - -Ahh, it is empty, - Poppy said with a smile, -we just took a shortcut through the house, I need a quick word with DC Jenny Wilde then I -(TM)ll be out of your hair. - -I -(TM)m sorry, this is a crime scene, you need to leave. - -I know it -(TM)s a crime scene, silly, I -(TM)m the one who told you where to find it. Now if I could just have one minute of DC Wilde -(TM)s time I -(TM)d be ever so grateful, and so will she. - -I -(TM)m afraid I can -(TM)t allow that... - Just then Jenny came across the street, as she was about to enter the van she saw us, -Poppy, what are you doing here? - -I -(TM)ve just been to see my mum, I was surprised nobody has questioned her about her attacker. - -What do you mean? - Jenny asked as she walked towards us. -She -(TM)s not been questioned, first she was too ill, but now she -(TM)s quite lucid, so I asked her the question the police should have asked, what does she remember about the attack, and from what she told me I -(TM)m certain I know who did it. - -Come inside the van, both of you, I don -(TM)t want any of the press overhearing this. - We followed her into the back of the van, which was a bit of a squeeze, so a couple of constables had to leave. -I -(TM)m sorry I couldn -(TM)t take your call Alex, it -(TM)s been a busy day, were you going to tell me what Poppy -(TM)s going to say? - -Half of it, I was going to tell you the attacker is female, Poppy worked out the rest after I -(TM)d left the message. - -Female, interesting. - -More than that, I know exactly who she is. - -Are you sure? - -Positive, mum said she sounded like Bubbles from Absolutely Fabulous, and I only know one person who sounds like Bubbles, and that -(TM)s Max. - -Max! The woman who ran your squat, are you sure? - -Yep, Max always hated how men would abuse me, but she knew if it wasn -(TM)t me it would be some of the other girls, and they weren -(TM)t as tough as me, I -(TM)ve been abused since I was little, I know how to take a beating. Max taught us self defence, she knew how to fight, most of the street gangs knew not to mess with us as a group, they -(TM)d lose. - -But why did she attack your mum and kill those other people? - -Max loved us all, but from what I -(TM)m hearing now, I think she loved me most. I -(TM)m hearing so often how people thought I was some kind of hero, I don -(TM)t understand it. Anyway, my thinking is that like everyone else, she thought I was dead, I guess that -(TM)s because I was kidnapped by some bad fuckers then disappeared. So I think she snapped. - -I can understand her attacking the men I guess, - Jenny said, -but why your mum? - -Because she knew I hated mum, hated her for the abuse I got from her and her boyfriends, from her pimps, and because it -(TM)s her fault I was on the streets in the first place. She -(TM)s key to all this shit. Like you said, Parker and Kenzie were her pimp and dealer, all the time those bastards were raping and beating me over the last three years she was still buying drugs from them and fucking them, she claims she didn -(TM)t know they were abusing me, I -(TM)m not sure I believe it. - -Ok, I guess this makes sense, do you know where Max is living? - -The last I heard she was in a squat in Camden, Jeremy will know where to find her. You -(TM)re a smart woman, I -(TM)m willing to bet you -(TM)ve joined the dots and know he -(TM)s heavily involved in this. He knows who you are and he approves of your work. So if I put you together do you think you can come to an agreement about how to handle this mess I -(TM)ve inadvertently caused. - -Well, for a start I -(TM)m not sure how you can possibly think any of this is your fault, you -(TM)re the victim. Secondly, yes, I -(TM)ve guessed Jeremy is key to what -(TM)s been going on, what -(TM)s the best way to contact him? - -Ahh, that -(TM)s easy, he -(TM)s had three people watching this street since you arrived this morning, he -(TM)s also got people over in Camden watching your guys work in David Kemp -(TM)s flat. If you walk with me to the end of the street I -(TM)ll introduce you to Chance, he -(TM)ll put you in touch with Jeremy. - -Ok, assume we can work together on this, how do you want it to end? - Jenny asked, which was a very fair question. -I want to be left alone to live my life, I want Jeremy to be left alone and carry on his good work, Max I -(TM)m conflicted about, I love her, but she hurt my mum, I -(TM)m even conflicted about mum, she was horrible to me, but she -(TM)s my blood, we -(TM)ve no idea who my dad is, so Nikki is all I -(TM)ve got. - -If we arrest Max she may tell everyone who you are, and who Jeremy is. - -I know, I could live with that, I -(TM)ve done nothing wrong, well, nothing serious, but I -(TM)m not sure about Jeremy, he -(TM)s got this entire secret squirrel network, maybe he could disappear and someone else slips into that role, like Dick Grayson taking over from Bruce Wayne as Batman. - -Mmm, no idea what you -(TM)re talking about, - Jenny said, -shall we go and find your secret squirrel? - Jenny walked ahead of us up to the cordon and the officer on duty let us through, then Poppy walked ahead up to the end of the road, where she whistled then whispered, -Chance it -(TM)s me, need a word. - As if by magic Chance appeared, he must have been in the shadows behind the derelict phonebox, -hey Poppy, hey DC Jenny, what can I do for you? - -DC Jenny needs to see Jeremy so we can fix a little problem between us, can you sort that out? - -I can ask, but to be honest, he -(TM)ll listen to you more than me. - -Possibly, but I need to get home to do my homework. - -Fair enough, I -(TM)ll phone him. I guess you want him to meet you here. - -That would be good, - Jenny replied, -there -(TM)s a lot of work to be done, I -(TM)ll be here all night I reckon. - -Cool, leave it with me, I -(TM)ll get back to you via Poppy if that -(TM)s ok. - -Shit, if I -(TM)m going to be involved I may as well call him myself, - Poppy said, -I -(TM)ve got a shit ton of homework and here I am being Jeremy -(TM)s PA. - She pulled out her phone and dialed, -hey Jeremy, listen, is there any chance you can get down here and have a head-to-head with Jenny regarding Max? Amazing, thanks. Look, I suspect for legal reasons Jenny will not want you to meet her in the police van, so can you bring a vehicle or something? Oh, that -(TM)s a coincidence, we -(TM)re parked next to that van, I -(TM)ll tell her. - She put the phone back in her pocket and turned to Jenny, a smile on her face, -it seems Alex is parked right next to Jeremy -(TM)s Swiss Cottage operations centre, two streets down there -(TM)s a transit van on bricks, he -(TM)ll be there in 30 minutes, Chance will come and get you. - -Ok, so you -(TM)re going to just leave me with Jeremy? - Jenny said. -Seriously, I have so much homework, I -(TM)m supposed to be studying this afternoon, and anyway, I think you -(TM)ll both talk more freely if I -(TM)m not around. - -Shit Poppy, it -(TM)s supposed to be us adults who think about stuff like that. - -Well, in some lighting I look quite grown up, - Poppy replied with a smile. -You do, just so I get this straight, whatever we decide to do about Max, you -(TM)re ok with it? - -It -(TM)s more important that you -(TM)re ok with it, because I -(TM)ve already gone down quite a dark road these last few weeks. Obviously I -(TM)d rather it doesn -(TM)t get any darker, and I -(TM)d kind of like Max to live through this, but I realise there -(TM)s more to this story than me and my feelings. - Jenny wrapped her arms around Poppy and gave her a solid hug for a few moments. She looked at me over Poppy -(TM)s shoulder, -I can -(TM)t hug you in public Alex, so I -(TM)m giving Poppy a double long hug, I hope you don -(TM)t mind. - -Not a problem, - I laughed. Eventually they parted, Jenny turned to Chance, -before you ask, no you don -(TM)t get a hug either, - she said with a smile, -when Jeremy arrives speak to the officer on the cordon, tell him my visitor is waiting, you can walk me round to the van. I -(TM)ll phone you when I -(TM)m done Poppy, let you know what we -(TM)ve decided. None of this, absolutely nothing, get -(TM)s spoken about outside this group, ok? - -Absolutely, - Chance said, -we do not need any publicity. - -Great, and before I go, there -(TM)s two bodies in the garden Poppy, you don -(TM)t remember what Gemma was wearing at all? - -Shit, now you -(TM)re asking, she had like this light green dress with white spots, what did she have on her feet, probably her black doc marten boots, it -(TM)s all she ever wore even though they didn -(TM)t really suit her. -The other girl, Meghan, she was wearing a black t-shirt and a tartan skirt and black Vans, I have a feeling she -(TM)s the second body. - -Thanks, I can neither confirm nor deny the two bodies are dressed like that. Ok, I need to get back, it -(TM)s going to be so late tonight it -(TM)s not fair to call round when I finish. I -(TM)ll see you tomorrow. - Poppy held my hand tightly as we walked back to the car, -what will happen to Max? - she asked me. -I don -(TM)t know, Jenny is going to have a tough decision to make, she has to balance the law with protecting some people who are doing more to help street girls than anyone else. It may be possible that Jenny can make a deal between Max and Jeremy that lets Max disappear, they -(TM)ll have a number of unsolved homicides, but none of them are people the general public are bothered about, so maybe this will all just disappear. - -I hope so, and I hope Gemma -(TM)s parents can get some closure soon. - I checked my watch, it was almost 4 o -(TM)clock, -give Katie a call, tell her to wait at the house, we -(TM)ll drive her home. - Rush hour across London is never fun, by the time we made it back, a little after 5pm, Katie was upstairs helping Nita move furniture back into her new bedroom whilst Helen was finishing painting the new wardrobes, Ernie had left about half an hour before. -Hey Poppy, I love my room, it -(TM)s fantastic that you all thought to make things special for me, I bet they -(TM)ll not even hoover Ashley -(TM)s room in the boarding school before he moves in. - -It -(TM)s no trouble, well, literally no trouble at all for me, it -(TM)s everyone else that -(TM)s done the work. - -Anyway, I -(TM)d better get you back to your parents. I -(TM)m not sure how much fun the backseat is in a 911, do you want to risk squeezing in the back Poppy, or are you happy staying here with Helen and Nita. - -As much as I love you Katie, I really need to get this homework done. - -And that -(TM)s what I love so much about you Poppy, you really want to do well in school - They kissed quickly before Katie grabbed her coat and school bag, -I -(TM)ll see you first thing tomorrow. - I picked up the two empty cases as we left the house, they slotted onto the back seat perfectly, -god knows how an adult human is supposed to use these seats, - I grumbled, -I should have got the Panamera. - -Oh wow, I love this car Alex, - Katie gushed as she lowered herself into the Porsche, -why did you get such a posh car? - -I wanted to make Poppy -(TM)s trip to see her mum special. - -Is her mum really poorly, she -(TM)s not spoken much about her. - -Mmm - I mumbled as I pushed the start button and the flat 6 engine roared into life behind our heads. -Fuck, that -(TM)s noisy, - Katie cried, before apologising for her language. -No worries about that, it -(TM)s pretty much what Poppy said. - I thought about what to tell Katie as I wound my way around the streets until we hit the A24. -Poppy -(TM)s relationship with her mother is complicated, I -(TM)m not sure what she -(TM)s told you about the past few years, a lot happened to her, not much of it was nice, and both her and Nikki were mixed up with some fairly bad people. A couple of weeks back Nikki was stabbed and beaten by someone who is attacking and killing many of the people who kidnapped and raped Poppy, we think this is someone Poppy knew who has gone a bit rogue, they think Poppy is dead, so they -(TM)re killing everyone who hurt her, including Nikki. - -Ahh, so Nikki is in a hospice, I guess that means she -(TM)s dying. - -Yes, she -(TM)s taken a lot of drugs, and she -(TM)s been treated very badly by some of her customers... - -She was a prostitute? - -Yes, and a prostitute in a very bad area, so cheap and badly treated. - -Poppy was for a bit as well, wasn -(TM)t she. - -In a way, yes. Not that she necessarily wanted to be, more a situation forced on her by circumstances. - -I don -(TM)t think badly of Poppy for what she did though, I think she -(TM)s an amazing person. She -(TM)s really clever you know, she might not know all the technicalities of maths, because she -(TM)s missed so much school, but once she -(TM)s shown the stuff she -(TM)s missed she grasps it really quick, the same in science and English. - -I -(TM)ve never met anybody quite like her, all the street girls love her, but she doesn -(TM)t realise it, she -(TM)s so modest. - -She really is, and she -(TM)s so sexy, and her figure is amazing. I know a lot of the girls at school are so jealous, I bet if we were a mixed school they -(TM)d be tearing her eyes out because they were scared she -(TM)d steal their boyfriends. I just laugh at them because I -(TM)m the one she picked. - -Can I change the subject please. - -Oh sorry, I shouldn -(TM)t be talking about Poppy like this in front of her dad, are you her dad, is that how you are now? - -I have absolutely no idea what I am to Poppy from one minute to the next, through Poppy I -(TM)ve met Jenny, and officially she -(TM)s my girlfriend now, we -(TM)ll work around Poppy, whatever she wants, we -(TM)ll just go along with it. It wasn -(TM)t bothering me talking about her, I wanted to ask about your brother... - -Oh Ashley, what do you want to know? - she asked brightly. -Well, I understand he -(TM)s going to be boarding at school, but what -(TM)s he going to be doing during the holidays? - -Oh, yes, he -(TM)s going to be staying with our Auntie over in Windsor. - -Are you invited? - -Oh no, definitely not, Auntie and I do not get along. - -Ahh, ok. - -If you need me out of the way at Christmas I -(TM)m sure I could cope for a bit. - -Oh gosh, that -(TM)s not why I was asking, I was just checking if I needed to find room for Ashley. - -Ahh, ok, sorry, I guess my brain went into panic thinking you were wanting to get rid of me already. - -Definitely not, you -(TM)ve seen how big my house is, for the last five years it -(TM)s been mostly me, it -(TM)s great having extra bodies in there. - -You see my Auntie hates me because my uncle keeps trying it on with me, and somehow that -(TM)s my fault even though I keep telling him to fuck off. I sometimes wish I could tell her I -(TM)m gay, but she -(TM)s as bad as mum in that area, so if I told her that she -(TM)d be on the phone to mum in an instant. - -I see, if you -(TM)d like for Ashley to come over at all in the holidays then I -(TM)m totally happy with it. - -That -(TM)s great, thank you. - -And if you want someone to have a word with your aunt and uncle about anything, just let Helen know, she enjoys stuff like that. - -Oh yes, she was so good talking to mum, and I can -(TM)t thank her enough for that. - I turned into Katie -(TM)s street and parked up close to their house. -Err, just before we go in, I told mum I wanted to help decorate my room, she doesn -(TM)t know anything about Poppy and the police, just so you know. - -Thank you. - -And we -(TM)re agreed that for the purposes of mum -(TM)s visit tomorrow that -(TM)s my room, it -(TM)s not mine and Poppy -(TM)s room, she uses the room on the right with the mirrored wardrobes and green wallpaper. - -That -(TM)s correct. - -Oh gosh Alex, you really are the coolest person, this whole situation is so amazing to me, moving out of this house, with mum -(TM)s hypocrisy over relationships, into your house where everything is so relaxed, surrounded by such cool people. I think I -(TM)m going to thrive. - -I think you both will, Poppy needs someone her own age around, someone who can better understand how she -(TM)s feeling. She always seems happy, but sometimes I see her frowning and I know there -(TM)s something going on in her head that she doesn -(TM)t want me to know about. - -If she -(TM)s got any worries I -(TM)ll definitely try to help her. - -Thank you, Katie. - We climbed out of the car and I reached for Katie -(TM)s bags. -Is there anything else that needs to go, I may as well take it with me now. - -There are some books and things, we could put them all in a box. - -I -(TM)m so glad you kids have all your music on your phones, when I was 18 I had about a thousand CDs I needed to lug from home to university. - -I -(TM)ve seen CDs, I think mum has got some, dad -(TM)s got some vinyl records, I have no idea how they work. - Katie pushed the door bell, and once again I wondered why her parents hadn -(TM)t given her a door key. Then I remembered I needed to get Jenny a set of keys, I -(TM)ll get two sets cut tomorrow. The door opened and Vicky looked very sternly at Katie until she saw me, then she gave a weak, and very false smile. -Ahh, Mr Harrison, you -(TM)ve brought Katie home, thank you. - -She very kindly offered to help decorate her new bedroom. I decided to bring her home so she wasn -(TM)t travelling on the underground in the late evening. - -Thank you, that -(TM)s very kind. - -Alex is going to take the last of my things back with him, - Katie said as she pretty much forced her way past her mum, who was still holding onto the door. -Very well, leave some clothes here, you need something to wear at the weekend. - -Well duh! - Katie replied as she started up the stairs, -Come on Alex, we -(TM)ll sort the last of the stuff I don -(TM)t need to wear on Saturday into a box. - I followed Katie up two flights of stairs to her bedroom in the attic, it was a good sized room. I had a quick look around the walls and saw a couple of posters of Helen stuck to her wardrobe. -Helen will be pleased you -(TM)ve got those, can I take a quick photo? - -Of course, mum never comes all the way up here or I wouldn -(TM)t be able to have them up. Did you smell her breath? She -(TM)s been drinking already, I -(TM)d be concerned if I didn -(TM)t detest her so much. - I wasn -(TM)t sure if it was ok to hug Katie, so I kept a couple of steps away from her and let her blow off some steam while she grabbed books off her shelves and table. She opened a few drawers and rifled through them, dropping some underwear and jewellery into the box, all the while telling me stuff I didn -(TM)t need to know about her mum and her affairs, and her awful attitude to LGBTQ+. -And to cap it all, she -(TM)s a fucking racist, you should see how she treats our cleaner. God, I hate her, if I could I -(TM)d move in tonight. - -Mmm, you can as far as I -(TM)m concerned, we only suggested waiting until the weekend so you could say goodbye to your parents properly. - Katie jumped across the room and hugged me, -I need a plan, - she said quickly, -let me think while you take that box to the car. - I carried the box down the two flights of stairs wondering how Vicky would react to Katie moving out tonight. As I got to the door I heard footsteps behind me, -quick, - Katie said, -let -(TM)s just go, I -(TM)ll phone mum from your house. - -Are you sure that -(TM)s wise? - -Definitely not, but what -(TM)s she going to do, kick me out. - Katie dashed past me and out to the car, she had a suitcase in each hand. The box just fit into the front boot and I slotted both cases onto the back seats. Katie knelt on her seat and kissed me quickly before she sat down and buckled her seatbelt. -I really hope you don -(TM)t get into trouble for kidnapping me, - she said. -Got to agree with you there, - I replied as I pulled away from the kerb. I phoned Helen on the hands free phone as I pulled onto the A219, -hey Helen, are you still at mine? - -Yeah, was just about to shoot off and get something to eat? - -Great, don -(TM)t go anywhere, I -(TM)ll take you all out for a meal to thank you for your work. - -You sure? - -Absolutely, you pick. And don -(TM)t tell Poppy, but we need a table for five. - -Ahh, do you have a runaway in the car? - -I do. - -Do you know what you -(TM)re doing? - -Not even slightly, but I have a very kind and helpful sister. - -It -(TM)s a bloody good job you do. I -(TM)ll book a table at the Lebonese place. - -Great, we -(TM)ll be home in about five minutes. - I turned to Katie, -how long will it take for anyone to know you -(TM)re gone? - -Honestly? - -Yes, that -(TM)s our only rule, in our family we -(TM)re honest with each other. - -There -(TM)s a chance they won -(TM)t notice until tomorrow, I often go up to my room straight from school and don -(TM)t come back down until breakfast. - -Ok, so it -(TM)s unlikely they -(TM)ll find out any time soon, what we -(TM)ll do is I -(TM)ll phone Vicky, and this is where we -(TM)re not honest, I -(TM)ll tell her you just showed up because Poppy messaged you saying she was having trouble with her homework. I -(TM)ll tell Vicky that you -(TM)re absolutely fine staying over, and really, now you -(TM)re here you may as well stay. I -(TM)ll leave her the option to come visit tomorrow to check you -(TM)re OK. - -Oh man, you -(TM)re a lifesaver, I just wouldn -(TM)t know what to say to her. - -So it doesn -(TM)t just look like you -(TM)ve come home with me, I -(TM)ll leave it an hour or so before calling, hopefully she won -(TM)t notice before then. - -It -(TM)s unlikely, she never comes to my room, Ashley is at some after-school club at school, dad will be working in his office downstairs and mum will be practicing piano while drunk, it will be fine. - I used my phone to roll the gate back and drove the Porsche very carefully onto the drive, amazingly the car is wider than Ernie -(TM)s van, the mirrors almost touched the gateposts. After I -(TM)d extracted Katie -(TM)s stuff and locked the car I opened the door and welcomed Katie into her new home, then told her to wait in the kitchen whilst I fetched Poppy. Helen was hugging her as I climbed the stairs.