Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2019 10:04:42 +0100 From: Reickard Masters Subject: Caleb 29 This work is copyright protected © 2018. You may not copy or reproduce it in anyway whatsoever without the express permission of the owner. Please don't forget that Nifty needs some encouragement to keep going. Click on the "Donate" button and follow the directions. Thanks Caleb Chapter 29 For Caleb the hour he had to wait for Jerry and Sheila to get back home seemed like the longest hour of his life; as far as he could remember. When they got home, Jerry had to help Sheila go to the loo. Sheila immediately picked up that there was something bothering Caleb and asked him what the problem was as Jerry guided her chair towards the bathroom. "I got the box open. ..." Caleb began. "Only two days! That's fantastic, well done." Jerry interrupted him. "But we've got a big problem." Caleb said. "What's that?" Sheila asked. "It's what I found inside the box." Caleb said, "But you're going to have to see it first." "I couldn't hear anything moving about inside the box when I shook it." Jerry said. "No, it's well padded." Caleb explained. "I'll go and get things ready. When you're done here, come to the lounge." Caleb left the two older teens while he moved his laptop through to the lounge along with the two flash drives and the open box. When Sheila and Jerry joined him in the lounge Caleb explained about the two flash drives and connected the one labelled "nat 1" to the laptop. When it opened up the other two could see the list of folders with their dates. Caleb passed the laptop to Jerry and suggested he open the folder with the earliest date first; then go to the most recent date next. "So, let's see what is in this folder that is supposed to be from ten years ago." Jerry said as he double clicked on it. The folder opened to a series of over a hundred files. As they looked Jerry and Sheila couldn't believe what they were seeing. "Now go to the one that's from about six months ago." Caleb interrupted their viewing. Jerry obeyed and as they began looking at that one Jerry suddenly stopped. "I've seen this girl somewhere." He said as they gazed at a picture which could only be described as child porn. "Look at the other drive now." Caleb said. Jerry closed the first drive down and ejected it before replacing it in the USB port with the second drive. Again, there was a load of folders with dates on them. Jerry went to the oldest one first and clicked on that to open it. They were met with a smaller number of files but each one of these was a mpeg file. Jerry clicked on the first one and saw the same little girl from the earlier folder on the first flash drive. They watched and listened to that short video clip for only a few seconds before Jerry closed it down and moved to the most recent folder which now had video of the girl he recognised. Only in this video she was being sexually assaulted by two adult men and all that could be heard was her pleading: "No daddy! Please no more!" Again, they only watched it for a short time before Jerry closed it down. "That's awful!" Sheila said. "Do you think you know her Jerry?" "That's the bitch from my year, Natasha. You know the girl that Graeme's been talking to." Caleb said. "Fuck, yeah, that's right." Jerry agreed. "I think this explains why she's been such a bitch. How can you have that happening to you and not have something go inside you? But what are we going to do about it?" Caleb asked. "Well, we'll have to hand this over to the police." Jerry said. "We'll have to tell them how we got it which might put us in a lot of trouble." Caleb pointed out. "We can't not hand it over. I'll talk to my dad about it today and see what he says. If you like I'll say I was the only one going into the factory and take whatever comes from that." Jerry said. "No! You're not taking the rap for all of us. The others might not be willing, but I'm standing with you on this one." Caleb said. "You'll have to talk to your mum then. She must know before we go to the police, but I can't see that we have any other choice." Jerry said. "I agree. I know how I felt when dad said he was going to show me off to his friends. This poor girl is suffering far more and it must be stopped." Sheila said. "I'll be here when you talk to mum." "Listen, I think I need to talk to the others. I'm not going to tell them who's on the flash drives but I'll tell them a bit and warn them that I'm going to the police with it, and that their names might be linked with the trespassing." Jerry said. "How much of this have you looked at?" "Not much more than you. I just couldn't stand it. She's been abused like that since she was about three or four." Caleb answered. "Now that we've settled the problem as far as we can go at this stage, tell me how you opened that fucking box." Jerry demanded. Caleb teased them a bit by going through what he had done including showing them the squared paper. Then he got the magnets out and showed them the `map' on the lid and how the magnets worked to slide the bolts. "That's very clever little brother. Good researching too. That internet is good for some things then." Sheila said. "Shit, that is very clever. Well done. But I think I need to get home and talk to dad. This is really worrying me now, and I'd like his advice. Don't make copies of those drives. You could end up in jail because I'm sure that stuff is totally illegal." Jerry said. He took at least half an hour to say good bye to Sheila but then set off home. Caleb and Sheila chatted about the discovery for a bit but then Caleb went to the kitchen to begin preparing their meal. He knew his mum would be home in time to make it, but he also knew she would be tired and would appreciate not having to do it. With a casserole bubbling away in the oven, Caleb and Sheila sat together on the sofa watching the tele while they waited for their mother to get home. Caleb was a bit nervous because he felt that he had let his mother down by going with the gang and somehow this betrayed her trust in him. Sheila tried to comfort him by declaring that Judy would understand and when Caleb explained how he first got involved she would not think he had let her down. This didn't help Caleb that much though. When Judy got home, they let her relax for a bit and then Caleb told her of the problem and explained how it had all come about including using the old factory building to sort the two girls out. He ended his talk by apologising for disappointing his mother and letting her down. "Firstly, young man, you haven't disappointed me or let me down. I can't say that I'm totally pleased with what you got up to, but I can see that on the whole it has been to try and make things better. And now I'm proud that you are willing to stand with Jerry and the others and take what might be coming to you, rather than keeping quiet about those pictures and clips. And no, I don't want to see them. But I think I need to talk to Jerry's parents for us to work on a plan of action. I just want you to know that I love you and will stand by you and support you whatever way I can." Judy told him. "Thanks mum, you're the best." Caleb responded. "Hey what about me?" Sheila teased, trying to ease the tension. "You're the best too. Mum is the best mum in the world and you're the best sister in the world." Caleb, quickly got himself out of a female made fix. "With that answer I think you should consider going into politics." Judy suggested. "Now what time will that dinner I can smell, be ready? I'm quite hungry but also need to have a shower and would like to have that before we eat." "It's just a stew and it's probably ready now, but it can carry on cooking until you're ready, mum." Caleb told her. "Good, I'll go for a shower then and after that we can eat." Judy said getting up from her chair. Fortunately, she had not got into the shower when the phone rang and so she waited knowing that a call was likely. The caller was Daphne and Caleb called his mother to the phone to take it. Daphne arranged to visit the next day and bring a scanner with her to take copies of the paperwork she needed. Judy thanked her and put the phone back in its cradle. As she turned the phone rang again so she answered it. This time it was Jerry asking to speak to Caleb. "Hi, have you had a chance to talk to your mum yet?" Jerry asked. "Yeah, it went well. Have you spoken to your dad yet?" Caleb asked. "It also went well. Dad wants to talk to your mum though." Jerry said. "Okay, call your dad and I'll call mum." Caleb said and then turned to see that Judy was still in the lounge. "Mum. Jerry's dad wants to talk to you." He held out the receiver to her. He then stood on tenterhooks listening to a one-sided conversation that consisted mostly of monosyllabic comments like, `yes' and `I see'. Finally, Judy said something more, "One moment and I'll ask him." She turned to Caleb, "Jerry is insisting on claiming to be the only one who had gone into the factory site. What do you say to that?" "No way! Mum, remember you said we are together and we've got to where we are because we have stayed and worked together. Jerry is part of us now too and we do this together." Caleb said in a raised voice. "Ahh, Colin, I don't know if you could hear that, but Caleb is absolutely refusing to let Jerry carry the can by himself." Judy said, she listened for a bit more and then said, "Okay, thank you, I also have not seen what's on those drives, but from what I've been told I think we need to do something as soon as possible.... good ... yes, that'll give me time to shower and we can eat our tea and be ready by then. Thank you again." Judy hung up and turned to look at her two children. "Colin thinks we must take this to the police today and I agree. He is going to come around here in about an hour's time and pick us up to go to the police station. So, while I'm showering, Caleb can you help Sheila get ready and then get the food on the table, please. We'll have a quick meal and be ready for them." Sheila said, "I need to pee first please." "Okay, Caleb can help you with that while I get my things ready." Judy responded. Some mad bustling about then ensued for about half an hour followed by the three of them sitting down to eat. They didn't have time to clean up after the meal and left it for when they got home. Fortunately, the Cobbs had a people carrier that had enough room behind the third row of seats to take Sheila's wheelchair in its folded state. Caleb and Jerry sat in the back row which allowed room to get Sheila and Judy on the middle seats with Carol playing piggy in the middle between them. Colin and Amelia took up the front seats As they were travelling, Colin said, "After I talked with you, I contacted my solicitor and he will meet us there. This is not really his sort of thing but he will advise and then suggest another lawyer if he thinks we need one." "Oh dear, I hadn't thought about that. We don't really have a solicitor." Judy said, rather embarrassed. "Don't worry about that. I'm sure we'll only need one for all of us. It is after all only one case." Colin said. The talk of having a solicitor did nothing to help calm Jerry and Caleb who got more nervous the closer they got to the police station. Colin pulled up and they began to get out of the car. While they were helping Sheila into her wheelchair, a man in a three-piece suit walked up and said, "Brought the extended family have you, Mr. Cobb?" Colin introduced the rest of the car's occupants to Ezra Rabinowitz QC who suggested they take a little time to talk before going into the station. He guided them across the street to a small café where they could be reasonably private. Over coffees and cool drinks Ezra gleaned as much information as he could from them, including a list of the names of the other boys who had been into the factory. "I don't think there will be any charges brought, but the police might want to fingerprint you all to eliminate you from any prints they might have got in there. The worst they can do is bring a charge of trespassing which for minors would probably amount to a telling off by the court. But I don't think it will come to that. Not with you bringing in these two drives the day you found them." "What should we do about Natasha? I think she has a right to know that we have seen some of it and so know about her suffering." Caleb asked. "That's a difficult one. Yes, you can argue that she has a right to know. But will knowing that some of her peers know what has been happening to her, help her, or make it worse for her? That is a question I can't answer. You say that one of your friends has befriended her and is getting somewhere with her. Maybe you can befriend her also and only once she knows that you are genuine in your friendship can you let her know; with the assurance that her secret is safe with you. You will have to wait a bit and see what happens first as far as these two flash drives are concerned. For now, we don't know enough about Natasha to be able to answer that question in the way that is best for her." Ezra said. "Now if all the drinks are finished and unless there are any more questions, I suggest we go over to the police and get this thing moving." Ezra stood up and picked up the bill. As they were passing the counter. he handed the bill and one of his business cards over to the cashier who he greeted by name and asked that the bill be put on his account. "This is a favourite conference room of mine." He explained as they left the café. As they entered the police station building, they saw a counter with a constable behind it and then some desks with people working at them behind the constable. The constable was talking with a person who seemed to be looking for directions or some information. When the constable looked up and saw Ezra there, he stopped talking to the person and said, "Good evening, Mr. Rabinowitz, I'll be with you shortly." He then resumed talking to the person making enquiries. It was evident that Ezra was well known to the policemen behind the counter because at the mention of his name by the constable all the others lifted their heads and smiled. "I'll help Mr. Rabinowitz, PC Meyers." Inspector Gavin Clarke said. "Good evening sir, how can we be of assistance?" "Good evening Inspector, thank you. My young friends here have made a discovery but it is something of a sensitive nature that must be kept private at this point. Can we perhaps avail ourselves of an interview room please?" Ezra asked. "Normally I'd tell someone that we decide what needs to be kept private, but as I know you would not ask if there was any doubt, I'll go with your opinion. Give me a few minutes and I'll find out what's available." The Inspector said and turned away. "Oh, and you're going to need access to a computer that can take flash drives." Ezra called out as the Inspector moved towards a door behind the desk he had been sitting at. A few moments later he returned and guided the group around the counter and down a passage to a room that was set up with chairs and a table. "This is one of our larger suites." Inspector Clarke said as he ushered the two families in. Once they were all seated, he asked, "Before we begin, can I get anyone something to drink?" "A glass of water would be nice," Jerry said as he felt his mouth was quite dry; despite having just had a cool drink in the café across the road. "Nice and easy, anyone want anything else?" Inspector Clarke asked and received a round of refusals. He then left the room to return a short time later with a tray with several glasses on it and a large jug of water. "I thought some might get thirsty as we proceed." He explained while pouring the water for Jerry. "I think it best if I give you the background to this as has been explained to me and then we can try and answer any of your questions." Ezra Rabinowitz suggested. "Before we begin, I think this session should be recorded and I'll just take notes of things I might want to clarify later. Could I ask that when you talk, you face towards the microphone and say your name before anything else, please." The inspector said. Ezra then told Clarke the background story to the finding of the two flash drives explaining that the only ones in the group who had seen some of what is on them were Sheila, Jerry and Caleb. Ezra finished up by saying that Jerry and Caleb felt so strongly that this matter had to be handed over to the police, they insisted on doing so; despite the fact that it could put them at risk. "I think that this should be remembered if there are any repercussions to come from what they have revealed tonight." Ezra concluded his discourse. "Firstly, I want to thank you for clearing up another matter for me. I am one of those charged with finding who has been going into the factory and you have just given that to me on a plate. I'd like to talk to you both a bit more about that after we have finished talking about this far more serious situation. Secondly, I believe I can assure you that there is not likely to be any charges made against you boys as there has been no malicious damage done and the buildings are going to be demolished anyway." Inspector Clarke told them. He was happy to see both Caleb and Jerry show relief and begin to relax a bit. He could tell they had been worried over that and admired that despite their fear, they had still chosen to do the right thing. The interview continued for quite a while during which time Inspector Clarke and Ezra had a quick look at some of the files on the two flash drives. The rest of the people present chose not to look. When Inspector Clarke ejected the second drive and closed the laptop he had brought in, he said, "This is going to have to go higher than my level. You may be asked to attend another interview, although, I doubt we will need anything more from you. I suggest you go home and we will be in touch if needed. As I said earlier, I would like to talk to you some more about the factories, but I think that can wait and I'll be in touch with you sometime during the week about that." "Factories? We only went in the one building and that had already had the hole in the fence and boarding pulled loose." Jerry said. "I see. More reason for me to talk to you again then. But please do not worry, I think the worst you could expect is a telling off by one of us." Inspector Clarke said and then stopped the recorder. "I purposely made sure that was recorded with this other situation so that we could use that as bargaining power for leniency should that be needed." He explained and Ezra smiled. As they were leaving the station Ezra shook Inspector Clarke's hand. "Thank you, Gavin, keep me posted when you talk to your seniors. Good bye." This was the first indication that both Ezra Rabinowitz and Gavin Clarke had given that they were better known to each other than on a strictly professional level. "I'll do that Ezra. Good bye. And good bye to the rest of you, thank you for bringing this to our attention so promptly." Inspector Clarke said.