Asia
Johnny was walking along the platform of the Channel tunnel station. He'd soon be abroad and then he could find Tee.
He'd previously been listening in on a call to the police station.
When the officers who'd delivered the news about Frank were leaving, one of them received a call on the landline.
Johnny had picked up another phone and listened in.
Cathy had said a bit more, about 'the pretty ones', that she'd sent abroad. She revealed which countries she sent them to.
Two in Rwanda, one in South Africa, one in Spain, Carmen and another girl in Greece, two in Turkey, Faith and another girl in China, two in Cuba, Tee and another two girls in China.
He'd then used Mike's credit card to order Japan tickets from an airport in Paris. He knew that it had been years since he'd seen Mike's credit card number, and this was illegal anyway, but he seemed to remember the number.
Maybe that meant he should look for Tee.
He stepped on the train as it came in the station.
In Greece, Carmen was with Nikolas in the front reception. Tourist season was beginning and lots of people from all over the world were signing in.
Nikolas was playing the good manager, welcoming each of them in different languages, picking them up from a guidebook, in French, German, Chinese and English.
And Carmen played the pretty young wife, in a little white dress, a small bit of lipstick, her hair done in a twisted plait and white heels. She looked older than her age, maybe it was the point.
Yes, age of consent in Greece was fourteen, but marriage was eighteen. How Nikolas had managed to get that through, she didn't know.
Not that they'd done anything.
If any of the guests asked, the employees – some knew, some didn't – told them, 'his little Spanish bride'.
Carmen just really didn't do much. When Nikolas took her to the main building, she just sat at the bar, reading or drinking what looked like an alcoholic drink but was really pomegranate and lemon.
Now Nikolas had brought one of his business partners, who owned a hotel in Cyprus.
"He has also brought his wife along," he told her as the black car came up, "and she's not much older than you."
A man and a woman came out of the car. The man was around Nikolas' age, maybe older, and wore a black suit unbuttoned, so that his shirt showed. The woman was only about five feet, very skinny, with long red wavy hair and freckles.
The woman pulled a red suitcase behind her on wheels, clacking on the tiled floor.
The man came up to Nikolas, shaking hands and talking happily in Greek. Nikolas then turned to Carmen, "This is Andreas. He has worked with me for over fifteen years. He can't speak English. And this is his bride Becky."
Becky put her hand out and shook Carmen's. She then asked something in Greek. Carmen raised an eyebrow. Becky tilted her head and then asked something in Spanish. Andreas leaned down to her and whispered something in Greek.
Becky then laughed slightly and asked in English, "How are you?"
Her accent sounded an odd mixture of Scottish and Greek.
"Fine." Carmen answered quietly.
Then Nikolas asked, "Why don't you ladies go to the employee lounge while we get lunch, huh?"
In the employee lounge (with red sofas, Greek magazines and a couple of trivia books), Carmen asked Becky, "How old are you?"
"Nearly seventeen."
Carmen's eyes widened. "I thought you were twenty."
Becky shrugged. "Partly the point. How old are you?"
"Fifteen."
Becky looked surprised. "Well, I guess it's…where we come from."
Carmen asked, "Were you taken too?"
Becky nodded. "Aberdeen. I was sixteen and almost ready to go. I wasn't looking forward to it. A job in some dead-end shop."
I was taken eleven months ago. Those three had just arrived. They called themselves Louise Robinson and Pat Taylor then. They were with us just under a month, so I guess they arrived a year ago.
There were eleven of us. Me, Chloe, 12, Callum, 12, Charlotte, 13, Rhys, 11, Molly, 11, Jessica, 9, Bradley, 8, Oscar, 7, Amelie, 6, and Megan, 6. I miss them.
We had some food at the table and before I knew it, I was in the minibus in France. They took me and Charlotte to a separate room and they dyed my hair black and straightened it, though it came out now. They cut Charlotte's hair to a pixie and dyed it blonde. I can tell she didn't like it. We had Callum, Molly, Jessica and Bradley with us on the bus. They were all crying,.
We stopped off on the train in Germany and Italy and Molly and Bradley were sold. I hope they're alive.
They told us that Charlotte and I were worth everything and men wanted to marry us. They were selling Charlotte in Thailand but I don't know what happened to her.
Becky found it hard to stop crying but she managed.
"I just…miss them so much but I know that – Andreas is quite a good man and he hasn't hurt me – and I just hope the others will – be found."
Then she picked up a newspaper and looked at the headline. Carmen asked, "What is it?"
"They caught the guys who took us six weeks ago, I remember that bit. But it says here that three children have been found."
Carmen looked over. "That's my care home!" she cried.
Becky read it.
"It says that three boys from your care home were found. Three teens. Do you know who they could be?"
Carmen thought. "Frank was seventeen, he had cerebral palsy, Tyler, I guess is not in his teens yet, but he could be close or they could group them together, and Bailey's fourteen."
Becky read on. "It says that 'a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy have been recovered alive'."
Carmen froze. "And the third?"
"It says he was found dead. They can't say the cause."
Carmen leaned back. Becky put the newspaper down and put her arm round the younger girl. "I know it's hard, but everything will be fine."
Carmen then said, through tears, "I knew Frank for five years. I grew up with him. He was great. How could he…just die?"
Becky reassured her, "Listen, we won't have to go through that abuse."
The girls didn't take in that Becky was really suffering. She'd been brainwashed, believing that because Andreas hadn't killed her, she should be grateful to him.
And now Carmen was suffering too.
Johnny was now on the flight to Japan. He knew that Tee was in Japan, he just didn't know where. He might even be on the wrong island.
Cathy had given few clues to the police, purposing allowing time for the crimes to be covered up.
She was a sort of psychopath, Johnny thought. Not even allowing hope for the carers and loved ones of the victims by refusing to reveal exact names and addresses.
But he knew even if he had to sleep on the streets of Japan, he would find Tee.
Cathy was grinning non-stop. When every officer came in, she'd just act like a child; playing with her hair, making pouty faces and licking a lollipop. In fact, that was used as a photo for several newspapers. 'KIDNAPPER WITH THE MIND OF A CHILD: IS CATHY WILSON REALLY SANE?'
And underneath was in one paper, a picture of her aged fifteen, just before she ran away, a sulky 2000s teenager, with a cell phone in her hand and her hair in a ponytail with a scrunchie.
The most disgusting teenager in Britain, they called her, placing her alongside some other evil British women, from cases as far back as Mike's childhood.
Mike put the paper down as he looked. It was the weekend and all the children had gone in their rooms. With the exception of Harry and Floss coming down to watch a DVD, it was quiet.
He just sighed, looking through. How could he make this better for everyone?
Johnny had arrived in Japan that evening. As people rushed round the airport, he kept noticing pictures on the walls and at check-ins. Pictures of Faith, Tee and other girls thought to be in Asia. In fact, a few tourists in groups were looking at them and pointing to the pictures, particularly Tee, who looked really young and pretty, whereas Faith's picture was of her frowning.
When he got to the streets, he realised he had absolutely no idea what to do.
One option was to find the British Embassy, but they'd send him back. He just had to try to find Tee. He knew that somebody rich might have brought her, it was very likely.
But he'd landed in Tokyo and she could be anywhere.
Johnny had never felt so alone.
Tee missed him as well.
But she needed a way to live this life. She couldn't use the computer, she couldn't understand the Japanese instructions there. She was separated by language from everyone else here, though Kaede had made sure the servants who talked to her knew English, or at least enough to follow instructions.
She now just wore kimonos or when some visitors had come round, business suits. Kaede had introduced her as his 'young wife' to everyone and Tee had learnt to be formal.
Her hair was still black and short, her body thin from stress, as she felt she couldn't eat, and her eyes red from tears every night, but she had to keep telling herself she had to keep going.
To spend her days at home, she had been taught a few things by some of the servants. One of the women, the one who'd taken her to the hotel, was trying to teach her the 'tea ceremony', though Tee found it old-fashioned and sexist.
"It is not sexist," the woman kept telling her, "it is a Japanese custom. Remember, tea is drunk first by the host, then the guests. As his wife, you will drink after him, but before the guests."
Tee then asked a question that had been on her mind all the time she'd been in Japan. "But surely fourteen is too young to be a wife in Japan."
Then the woman frowned. "I was afraid you may say that. He lied on the marriage application."
Tee's eyes grew wide.
"He was expecting an older girl. And he didn't sign his name properly, so technically, you are not married. But if you want, when you are old enough, he wants a small ceremony away from Tokyo."
Tee murmured something, then went on with the ceremony.
That night, Kaede had invited some friends round and was talking about a business meeting. Tee felt nervous – aside from some meals by herself in her room, this would be the first time she'd had a meal with anyone in ages.
The visitors were two men and a woman, all in their forties and in business wear. Tee heard them downstairs in the lounge as she put her kimono on, a purple one with a red sash, and did her hair up. Then she walked across to the dining room.
The table, the chabudai, was floor level and Tee remembered she had to sit with her legs to one side.
As the guests came in with Kaede, he gestured his arm to Tee, and introduced her in Japanese. Then all three of them nodded their heads at her.
When they'd sat down, Kaede announced to them something in Japanese, which they asked questions about and then talked quickly. Then Kaede told Tee, "I have good news. There is a shipping offer in a few days. We are delivering goods to the US. We haven't been able to do that before. So we can now afford a lot more things!"
Tee was slightly taken aback. "Really?"
"Yes. We go tomorrow to Cape Shirepa on Hokkaido island. I make the shipping deals there and then we can get everything sorted."
Tee nodded, though she really didn't know how she should feel.
Of course, she knew that she should feel happy for someone she liked to get a good offer.
Liked. Not loved.
The only man in her life was Johnny and that was until she decided to ever go out with anyone.
She knew it was hard to move on with her life, but she really didn't want to do this and live here. She wanted to be with Johnny. Just Johnny.
When the guests had left and the food was cleared away, Kaede asked Tee, "Do you want to know what I've been thinking?"
"What?"
"Well, I understand the people who took you are now in jail but if I get a good offer, I could hire some people…and they could go to Britain. And get Johnny for you, if that's what makes you happy."
Tee was too shocked to say anything.
It was illegal, and she didn't want Johnny to go through the fear she had when with Mr Kelly and Ms Wilson, but if she had to stay here, it would be the next best thing to going.
"Are you certain?" she asked. Kaede nodded. "In Asia, it is not unheard of for extended family to live with the husband and wife."
Tee just didn't know how to answer.
"Johnny could be with me…" she slowly spoke to herself.
And after that, she was truly brainwashed.
A/N: Do you like it? Well, I just want to know because I haven't got many reviews. Thanks!
