Indigo Hazard 93
Chapter Ten
Mistreated and Forgotten
Summary: A distraught mother deals with her daughters kidnapping while a girl chases after a man wanted by the police. Neil/Grace.
Pairings: Neil/Grace.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Bill or its characters all original characters are my own.
A/N: Like usual I'm disappointed with the lack of reviews but thank you for reading. I apologise in advance for any errors.
The team of uniformed officers along with Stevie and Callum were now on their way to Ridgeway Road to search the warehouse.
"What do we know about this warehouse?" asked one of the uniformed officers from the back of the van.
"The warehouse is owned by Roberto Constantine, the recent history on the Sat Nav in the Audi has revealed that he travels there quite frequently," started Stevie.
"The warehouse was converted into an office five years ago and it is suspected of being a brothel with reports of numerous cars coming to and from the property on a daily basis, particularly at night," added Callum from the driver's seat of the van.
"So you think this might be where the girls are being held?" asked Mel.
"Yes we do," replied Stevie.
The remainder of the drive over to the converted warehouse on Ridgeway Road was filled with the usual banter amongst the officers of Sun Hill.
The main door to the warehouse burst open followed by the sound of standard issue Metropolitan Police boots on the ground. The officers walked down a short corridor that opened out into a darkly lit spacious open area with solid wood doors leading off into other rooms on the left and right walls.
"Police don't move!"
The three men who were sitting on the sofas in the room promptly stood up. They attempted to flee through the rear fire exit that was down the next corridor but were unsuccessful in their feeble attempt as they were swiftly apprehended by several officers.
The remainder of the officers continued to search the warehouse. Callum headed down the rear corridor. This corridor was shorter than the entrance corridor with just to doors branching off. One was the fire exit and the other, at the end of the corridor, was locked. The locked door was no match for the large build of Callum stone as he burst through it.
The four girls on the other side of the door jumped at the loud crack as the door was hurtled open and hit the wall. Acting upon instinct the girls huddled together, further into the far corner. "You're safe now." Callum turned out of the door way so he was looking back down the corridor. "Mel could you come down here!"
Callum stood aside as the short PC made her way down the corridor. Mel cautiously walked through the door and over to the girls. "It's okay, we're going to get you out of here." The girls nodded nervously. "Are there any other girls here?" One of the girls nodded in reply. "Okay, are they in the rooms out there?" Mel motioned to the direction she had come from. The same girl nodded again. "Let's get you out of here."
Mel helped the girls up and led them out of the room.
"Roberto Constantine, you've flown under our radar for far too long. How long has your underage prostitution ring been happening for?" questioned Neil.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I just rent out that warehouse. I don't know what happens there nor do I have anything to do with it."
"I didn't say anything about a warehouse but seeing as you mentioned it, why don't we talk about it. There's no official record of you renting out the warehouse, I'm inclined to believe the file so care to explain that."
"It isn't an official deal, no paper work, just something to help out a friend."
"Would this friend be Eden Murphy by any chance?"
"Yes you're correct, myself and Eden go way back he needed a place to rent out that was cheap and I could only oblige."
"Is there any way you could prove this deal you have going on?"
"My client has already answered that Detective Inspector."
"I'm now showing the suspect GL-9, one a photo of Eden Murphy entering your property on Addison Drive with this young woman who we found in the warehouse on Ridgeway Road and the other shows Murphy leaving an hour later without the young woman. Care to explain why you're left with the girl if you're not running the underage prostitution?"
"No comment."
"She looks what seventeen, what do you say Mickey?"
"Yeah she looks about seventeen."
"No comment."
Banksy pulled up outside of Murphy's house, he and Grace climbed out of the car. The two detectives walked up to the door of the dilapidated house. Grace removed the keys from the evidence bag. They had been sent to search Murphy's house after he had been taken into police custody.
Finding the correct key Grace inserted it into the lock and turned it clockwise. Grace turned the handle and the hinges creaked as the door opened to reveal the dark and bleak interior. The pair cautiously entered the property, not knowing what they would find.
"I'll take a look upstairs," said Grace who then walked further into the house in the direction of the stairs.
Grace placed her foot down on the first step of the carpet covered hardwood staircase. The creak of several stairs resonated upwards as she made her accent. With one final creak of the stairs Grace took in her surroundings as her feet landed on the landing.
Three doors stood two meters before her. The open one revealed the bathroom but the other two required Grace to open them. Taking the several steps towards the closest door she reached out for the doorhandle and turned it. The door wouldn't budge and there was movement on the other side. Grace looked down and saw the key that sat in the lock. She turned the key and tried to open the door again and was successful. The door swung open on its hinges and on the other side, huddled up against the wall, was Murphy's latest victim.
"It's okay, I'm a police officer," Grace pulled her warrant card out of her pocket. The frightened teenager looked at the ID and relaxed slightly. "Can you tell me your name?"
"Jen," she replied weakly.
"Jen have you been hurt at all?" The girl shook her head. "Okay, we're going to take you to the hospital anyway to have you checked over."
"We have evidence that proves your involvement in the underage prostitution ring run by Roberto Constantine. Our evidence proves that you have lured eight girls and taken seven of them," stated Terry.
"No comment."
"These girls were taken from their families and raped by numerous men on a daily basis. You were the one who put them in this situation, what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Smithy.
Murphy's eyes glanced down at the photos of the teenage girls that sat on the table that separated him from the two officers on the other side. "I don't know any of these girls."
"How about Jen Carr, she was found in your house?"
"She came to me I didn't take her," Murphy casually sat back in the chair and crossed his arms across his chest.
"She was found, by our colleagues, locked up in one of the upstairs bedrooms, she could barely talk because she was that scared. This leads me to believe that you kidnapped her," continued Terry.
"I admit I did meet up with her but she came with me willingly but I don't admit to taking the other girls."
"I'm now showing the suspect CE-2, photographs of the suspect and the victims," Terry laid the photos out on the table.
"You see this is where you and me don't agree," started Smithy. "These photographs here work against you they show that you took these girls against their will. From where you picked them up to your house to where you dropped them off, not once did they look like they were willingly going with you," anger began to seep its way into Smithy's voice but he quickly reigned it in.
"If I admit to taking the girls will they go easier on me?"
Both officers sat silently for several moments before Terry replied. "That's not up to us, it's all up to the CPS."
Murphy thought over his options and chose to cooperate with the two officers. "I did it because I needed the money. Mr Constantine offered me a thousand quid for every girl I brought to him. He told me to find the girls online. I only did what he told me to do."
The hospital staff had decided that it would be better if the girls stayed together at the hospital so they had put the girls in a sectioned off part of one of the wards.
"I'm sorry detective but I can't let you talk to most of the girls, they're in too fragile a state," said one of the nurses.
"Most of? Who can we talk to?"
"Her name's Penelope, her injuries suggest that she spent the least time there and she's the only one who has talked to us. I'll take you to her."
"Thank you." Stevie followed the nurse over to one of the beds in the sectioned off part of the ward.
"Penelope, this is Stevie Moss, she's a detective and she's here to talk to you."
"Okay," Penelope's voice was quiet and timid.
The nurse left the female detective with Penelope and went back to her duties.
"Penelope, I'm going to ask you a few questions, answer them as best as you can and if you can't that's okay," Penelope nodded in reply as Stevie sat down in the chair next to the bed.
"What do you remember from before you were taken to the place where we found you?"
"This man...he...I can't remember," the young girl rubbed her face with her hands.
"That's okay, how about I talk and you listen and add in when you can."
Penelope nodded, "Okay."
"You meet this girl online, someone who you can really relate to."
"Casey."
"Then the two of you started talking and eventually agreed to meet," Penelope nodded. "Which is when you find out that Casey isn't a teenage girl and you're now alone with this man, probably in a semi-secluded public place?"
"The northern side of Memorial Park."
"This man convinced you to go with him back to his place."
"He said th-that Casey was at him. I don't know why I agreed," Penelope was beginning to open up to Stevie more.
"He took you to his house, what happened while you were there?"
"He locked me in a room upstairs and he...only gave me food every couple of days. I was so hungry."
"How long were you locked up in that room for?"
"I think it was a week before he took me to this other man who took me to that...place."
"Can you describe the other man?"
"He's older and I think he's Italian."
"That's good. This next question might me hard for you to answer," Stevie paused for a moment. "Where you forced to do anything that you didn't want to while you were being held?"
"There where men, I don't know how many I lost count...we were told to please them...do whatever they wanted," tears pricked at Penelope's eyes. "The men they...they always wanted sex a-and they were always so rough...it hurt so much." The unshed tears fell from the young girl's eyes and sobs shook her small frame.
Stevie stayed next to the bed until Penelope calmed down. "I'm going to leave my card here with my number on it, if you need someone to talk to I'll be there. We're going to tell your parents that you're safe, okay?"
"Okay."
Neil Manson sat across from Joe Frederick and his lawyer in the interview room.
"Before you start questioning my client I would like for it to be noted that my client is going against my advice and cooperating with the police."
"In what capacity are you employed by Roberto Constantine?"
"I am Mr Constantine's personal body guard. My job entails that protect my boss against attacks from his enemies and complete any task to which I am assigned."
"Is that what you actually do or is that what you've been told to tell us?"
"Yes it is. However, if I wanted to keep my job I had to be involved in Mr Constantine's more illegal activities."
"Illegal activities such as the prostitution of underage girls?"
"I was involved but I never hurt those girls, I only transported them to where I was told to. I would never hurt a girl, I have a daughter myself."
"So you're admitting your involvement in these activities?"
"Yes I am."
"And Constantine is the person running the underage brothel in the warehouse at Number 206 Ridgeway Road?"
"Yes he is."
Meanwhile in the soft interview room Grace was talking to Jen Carr, the girl found at Murphy's place.
"Jen, how did you meet Eden Murphy, the man whose house we found you in?"
"I met him online and I thought he was this girl, Casey."
"Was there any indication, while talking to them online, that the person that you were talking to wasn't who they said they were?"
"No, none at all which is why I believed them."
"Where did you agree to meet?"
"It was a secluded part of the Jasmine Allen, I was on my way to school. When I saw who it was that I had agreed to meet with I tried to leave but he stopped me. I was forced into his car and he took be back to his place."
"How long had you been there before we showed up?"
"I think it was about four days."
Mickey and Neil were back in the interview room interrogating Constantine.
"I just finished interviewing your body guard Joe Frederick and guess what he told us," started Neil.
"No comment."
"He confessed that you were running the underage prostitution. You told us that you weren't."
"No comment."
"We have Frederick's confession, the photographs linking you to the victims and statements from two of the victims," added Mickey.
"No comment."
"I think we have all the evidence we need," concluded Neil.
Grace knocked on the front door of the Reid residence. After several moments she was greeted by Julie.
"Grace, it's nice to see you."
"May I come in?"
"Of course," replied Julie as she stepped aside to let the detective in.
Julie led Grace into the living room where the two women both took a seat.
"Have you found Kensie?"
"Yes we have and she's safe."
"Oh thank God," tears of joy sprung into Julie's eyes. "Where is she? When can I see her?"
"All I can tell you is that she's safe, I'm sorry Julie I can't tell you where she is," replied Grace solemnly.
"W-Wha...Why not?"
"Kensie has asked that we not tell you where she is."
Julie's demeanour completely changed, "I would like it if you left now."
"Okay, if you still need to talk..."
"Just go."
Grace stood up from the couch and made her way back to the front door and out to the car.
The case was finally over and Grace couldn't help but feel guilty over not telling Julie Reid that her daughter didn't want to return home. However, those thoughts soon left her mind as her mobile phone rang and Neil's name flashed up on the screen. "Hey."
"Hey, now I believe the others are going to the pub after shift, so diner tonight at that nice restaurant near your place?"
"Sounds good."
A/N: This isn't exactly how I wanted the final chapter to turn out but it's probably as good as I'm going to get it. Thank you to everyone who has read this story and an even bigger thank you to those of you who took the time out to review :)