Scene Twenty-Five
The horrible assault on Trisha on Friday night had a solitary positive side-effect as it temporarily focussed Nikki and Helen's minds on something different than their own troubles. The rest of the last weekend before the trial crawled along at an agonizingly funereal pace and, once again, they were struggling again. Monday at work was almost a relief to be doing something positive. However, it was one of those curious chances of fate that took Helen back to meet Claire in the run up to her trial. Claire wanted to run over the facts of the case to make quite sure for George that there wasn't any tiny but important detail that the opposing barrister could hang round her neck with. In any case, Claire liked Helen's company.
"The more times I tell the story of my life, the more I'm beginning to feel that I must have disclosed an official secret," Helen confessed as she ran over her story for what felt like the umpteenth time. Even after Nikki had desperately fended off Helen's compulsive desire for self immolation, the smaller woman was still liable to wobble off course.
"Helen, I've known you for a long time now. You're the most law-abiding human being that I've ever known. You would never dream of doing anything that is remotely immoral," answered Nikki tenderly, laying her hand on her lover's arm, her brown eyes brimming over.
"I've recently learnt that what is legal isn't necessarily moral and what is moral isn't necessarily legal," Helen retorted with a cynical laugh. That surface impression betrayed to Claire how deeply worried Helen was and how profound her idealism was.
"We must have faith in the rightness of our position and in those who are backing you," Claire insisted gently. It was what she truly believed.
"I know I'm in the big time now," Helen mused in reflective tones. "At one time, I lived my life without any thought outside my career, whoever I was with and wanting to do some good in the world. Somehow, I've got involved in big political battles. These are dangerous times, I never knew how dangerous. I never ever thought that I was some kind of Joan of Arc figure."
"As far as I remember, Joan of Arc was an ordinary peasant girl who had religious visions and did pretty well for herself as a military leader before being betrayed to her death," Claire said in sober tones to try and settle Helen." If we all stick together, we're in with a chance."
A desultory conversation followed until Helen broke off the conversation to go to the downstairs toilet and, as she turned the corner, she had one glance and that was enough. She instantly took in the look of the woman, same over-casual looking blond bob, same mask like look on her face. Only her eyes gave her away as Helen picked up that flash of annoyance. Gill promptly hurried forward and headed straight for Jim Patterson's room. Helen scented danger and a slow burning anger grew inside her.
"Claire, what the hell is that woman doing seeing your best buddy, Jim Patterson?"Helen demanded, her eyes glowing with anger." You heard me talk about that conniving schemer who worked for Trisha and fleeced her out of a lot of money before getting sacked. She can't be buying a house, surely."
Claire's mouth hung open. A nervous, worrying Helen had gone out of her office door and an angry fighter had come back in. While Claire was infinitely glad that Helen had regained her nerve, her lips set tight, scenting trouble. She trusted Helen's instinct and knew that hard questions needed to be asked.
*******
Claire got her chance sooner than she thought. A sudden practice meeting was announced for the next day. Claire met this interruption in her work with equanimity, as her preparatory work for Helen's trial was as ready as it ever would be. Right at the end as the exchange of cases was discussed, Claire took Jim Patterson aside as she deduced that the man was holding back on this one case. The others in the practice had filtered out of the room so it was just the two of them.
"By the way, Jim. A little bird told me that there's one fresh case that you're dealing with?"
"I thought you might ask," Jim said, grinning all over his face. "It's a nice juicy unfair dismissal case and it's all mine. This poor woman worked at some dyke club and the club owner came onto her and sacked her, as she didn't want to know. She's just brought in the contract of employment and it's a watertight case. There is a clear breach of the contract. I know you like poaching high profile cases, Claire Walker but this is one you can't have."
"I don't think I'd take it on even if I were offered it," Claire replied in sober, controlled tones, letting the man's gloating manner wash over her. Inwardly, she was raging at this woman's duplicity." The club concerned is called 'Chix', isn't it?"
"So what if it is?" Jim Patterson demanded aggressively, pushing his face into Claire's personal space. This smart, upstart bitch knew too much for his liking.
"Jim, My client and best friend is Helen Stewart. She goes to Chix regularly and knows the owners well. Apparently, this woman wormed her way into the confidence of the club owners and fleeced the club accounts. When she became suspicious, she showed Helen the accounts who went through them with a fine toothcomb. Helen found out that she'd been robbing the company blind over a period of months. There was a systematic trail of double billing and forged cheques. That explained why she was sacked. Trisha Williams has a partner called Sally Anne Howe whose relationship is as rock solid as Helen's is with Nikki. If I were you, I'd have that employment contract forensically tested. If she's forged Trisha's signature once, she could do it again. If you take on the case, Trisha is bound to counter sue. The case could hit the headlines- for all the wrong reasons."
Jim Patterson's face was a picture. His face turned many colours as he reflected on how he had been conned. It didn't make him feel any fonder of women as a species but his powerful instinct for self preservation was ready to overlook the most hardened prejudice.
"I'll drop it, then. Might as well tip off some of the other firms around. They might not been so lucky as us who have a hotline to the truth."
"You decided right…….look, here, Jim, I know and you know that there has been a long standing ego war between the two of us. You have suspicions that I'm using this firm as a springboard to set up on my own, right?"
"The thought had crossed my mind plus the fact that solo stars aren't liked round here," the man said through ground teeth. At last all his antagonisms were all coming out in one splurge.
"Don't you think that if I wanted to leave, I would have done before now?" Claire asked sharply.
For the first time in her life, Jim Patterson looked Claire directly in the eye. The threatening atmosphere that had been generated out of nowhere started to dissipate as the man started to look beyond his own ego.
"You do what you do, Claire. Just don't gloat about it, that's all. Just as well we're not taking the case , I've got work to do," muttered Jim Patterson in a strained tone of voice before stalking out, red-faced.
This throwaway exchange was Claire's first intimation that she had reached a tentative accommodation with this egotistical man and the suspicion that, deep down, her youthful intelligence had made the man insecure. Sighing patiently, she went on her way. She had a lot to do.
**********
On Wednesday morning, a letter plopped its way through the letter box of Gill's front door as she woke up from the previous night working in a nameless bar alongside a motley collection of barstaff. It was the place which foreign students worked at while they were passing through. The wages were poor and Gill had long since used up the last of the funds she'd siphoned off from that lesbian club. She had expensive tastes and knew that her credit card debts were steadily mounting. This was how she had conceived her plan to milk the club for more money. All the hard work that Trisha had put into getting the club off the ground with Nikki and then Sally Anne meant nothing to her. What it meant to have an identity that went against the grain of society or, indeed, any nobler disinterested motives, meant nothing to her. All that mattered was herself and whatever she could grab out of life to get her what she wanted.
She opened the letter and stared it with unseeing eyes. Finally, she swore loudly and threw it to the floor. She suspected straightaway that bloody Trisha's best mate had spiked her guns. She raved with impotent rage. She knew that bloody Helen Stewart was going to get tried under the Official Secrets Act but was impotent to have any influence. She was tempted to go to the court hearing but decided against it, as she knew very well that all the other lesbians would be bound to be there and they would know too much about her.
She was on her own as much as she had always been throughout her life. It was the life she had chosen for herself. Meanwhile, the draft letter that was to have been sent to Trisha Williams was deleted from the computer and the slim file suitably disposed of.
********
The tension swirling around Helen and Nikki on Wednesday night was palpable however much they tried to say the right thing as they settled down on their cozy sofa. The winter's gales howled round their flat and rain beat steadily against their window. It seemed a suitably Gothic setting that matched their emotions. For all their efforts and strong will to be positive, both women knew too much not to realize a guilty verdict would potentially land Helen with a jail sentence. For all the kindliness of the judge that would try the case, they knew enough to realize how circumscribed judges could be. This evening was no more special in the settled life of the two women or rather what would be settled if the court case weren't hanging over them. Their comments fell on the dead air and the lowering gloom swallowed them up. All their hopes, fears and mental concentration were focused on the next day, Thursday January 24h 2002 and nothing existed beyond it.
"We'll do our best, the same way we've always handled problems," Nikki said with forced positivism.
"The problem is that this time it might not be enough. Still, I've been in the witness stand before and I managed to put up enough of a fight against Brian Cantwell."
"Hey, that's more like it. It will be all right on the night."
"It has to be," was Helen's bleak rejoinder. Both women were acutely aware that fighting for your own freedom was different from fighting for someone else's. It was the story of their lives.
"We've been living together for over a year now, babes. So much has happened in so short a time."
"I wouldn't miss anything for the world," Helen answered, trying to be nice.
Just then, there was a sharp rap on the door and a flicker of annoyance showed up on Helen's face. They both wanted to be shut in to face their hopes and fears alone.
As soon as Helen answered the door, a wave of good cheer washed in through the space. Her blinking eyes took in those whom were nearest and dearest to them all. Her dazed senses couldn't take in what she was seeing.
"You surely don't think we'd let you face your night before the trial on your own?" Karen said with a broad grin on her face. She stood in front of the other women who flanked her on either side and her hair was still tucked up in her regulation nurse's style.
"It was all Karen's idea. She organized us all and swore us to secrecy," Alice explained
"We've shut up the club tonight. It would be unlikely that anyone would or should be celebrating," Trisha chipped in, the sleeve of her winter coat fitting tightly over the bandage over her arm.
"Which means that we are all yours if you want us," Sally added.
"I'll be there in spirit but I'm on call tomorrow," Beth contributed, her fingers entwined in Karen's.
"I've come over tonight while George is plugging away on last minute preparations, and I've got cover tomorrow," Alice finally concluded.
Helen's lips curved into a warm smile of gratitude as she realized how much she and Nikki both needed them. She wasn't afraid to admit it, nor was Nikki whose sharp ears had caught the drift and who let herself be embraced by Karen's warm generous nature. No woman was an island, Helen thought, as she hugged Alice and she should not even try to be. It went against her nature and Nikki's.
As a result of this comfort, Helen turned up at court on the dot while Nikki took her place in a waiting room to sweat it out till she took the stand. Her nerves were tightly controlled as she took her place in the dock and prepared herself for whatever was to happen. The familiar rustling sensation told her that battle was about to commence.