CHAPTER 35
About two months before the trial was set in London, the British Government made a formal request to the Brazilian Government for the extradition of Ferreira, Maria and Skinny Pete. Naturally, once the press heard about that and why they wanted them extradited, eager reporters from all over the British Isles dug up dozens of stories from the past involving the abduction of children in the hope of connecting them to Ferreira. However, when the UK Government, and those of many other countries, requested the extradition of several other gang members, about three weeks ago, the matter became global news!
As soon as Nathan turned into the road where the court was, he drove straight past it as, just before they'd all piled into the limousine, back at the house, Cate had called to advise that there was a large crowd of reporters waiting for them outside courthouse! Cate had overheard them discussing Nigel, who they thought was a very handsome young man who'd look great plastered all over the front pages! The reason for this was that in one of the newspapers, the previous day, they'd released the names and photographs of several kidnap victims connected with this case, including Nigel's!
Those eager journalists and photographers were, obviously, hoping to get exclusive interviews with people involved in the trial, but getting one from Nigel, the star witness, would be worth a lot of money! However, Cate had immediately realised that being stopped by the press would totally freak him out and prevent him from focusing on the actual trial.
Although Nigel had been aware of the stories in the press, Nancy and everyone else had advised him not to read them. However, it became apparent, when Mrs Jackson found a couple of newspapers in his room, that he'd not totally taken their advice and that it was reading stories about Ferreira that had caused his nightmare to be so powerful the night before the trial!
Immediately Cate had arrived at the courthouse on the morning of the trial, she'd gone inside and met with Steven, who was a young court clerk who'd been given the job of looking after Nigel and Nancy. Directly after that she'd made the call to Nathan to explain about the press and to advise him that about 200 yards from the court there was an underground car park where they could safely wait for her and Nancy.
Having glanced in the direction of the courthouse, as Nathan passed by, he'd indicated with a couple of waves that Cate and Nancy should follow them to the car park.
Sydney and Preston got out of the car first, followed by Nigel who was totally bewildered by the spectacle he'd seen outside the court. Grabbing hold of Nigel's arm Cate led him and everyone else out to the street and straight through a back entrance to the court which Steven had shown her when he'd seen the hordes of reporters.
Once they were all inside the building Steven greeted them and took them to where they were required to sit before the trial began. Sydney, Preston and Cate, unfortunately, had to go to the main courtroom, while Nigel and Nancy had to stay in a private room, right behind it, which was kept solely for the use of vulnerable witnesses.
Upon entering the room, which was wood panelled from floor to ceiling, Nigel felt quite shaky as he was asked to sit in front of a screen with a camera on top pointing directly at him. A chair was then placed next to him for Nancy, who was doing her best to keep him calm.
Having noticed how worried Nigel was, Steven brought in a couple of jugs of water and several glasses, realising that the young man might lose his voice if he couldn't keep his nerves under control and that water would help with that.
Nigel and Nancy both took an instant liking to Steven, as they sensed he was a kind and caring young man. Of course, it was his job to look after vulnerable witnesses like Nigel but Steven, obviously, enjoyed it and went far beyond just providing water and a few calming words. He carefully explained how the day would probably proceed for Nigel as one of the main witnesses, ensuring that he didn't say anything that might cause Nigel to worry unduly. Then, realising that the case could drag on for quite some time, he put some chocolate and boiled sweets on a plate, laid out a chessboard and then placed them on a round table along with some magazines and a deck of cards.
Having noticed that Nigel seemed more relaxed, Steven walked to the door and stood there for a few seconds to ensure that neither of them had any questions or concerns. Of course, he knew he couldn't be absolutely certain about what would happen in court, but he hoped he'd prepared them for most things "don't either of you hesitate to ask if there's anything else you need, you only have to pop your head around the door….I'll be sitting right outside watching the trial on a monitor" Steven said, opening the door and leaving.
Once they were alone Nancy gave Nigel an affectionate smile and pushed the hair off his face "you know you can do this Nigel; just remember what I told you about taking deep breaths through your nose…..it should help you clear your head and keep you calm. Look…I know you'll probably feel angry when you're questioned, but you really have to try hard to keep your temper….the jury won't be sympathetic if you swear, or shout and Ferreira's lawyers will use it against you."
Nigel nodded, took a few sips of water and looked into his counsellor's eyes "Nancy I'm going to make sure those beasts never get the chance to do what they did to me or all those other victims again….I have to, to make sure Timmy and Charlie feel safe! Nana, Sydney and Preston all think I can do it, so I….I'm...sure I can now too….I…I know I'll probably get upset when they ask about…. well…. you know… but…but I'll still say what has to be said!"
Nancy kissed the top of his head "that's the spirit Nigel….you get the beasts!"
Just then the screen suddenly came to life and Nigel watched as a large man, wearing a black gown and curly wig, walked towards a huge and rather ornate chair. Looking very stern, the man, who was obviously the judge, stood behind the chair, held onto it and looked around the courtroom, like he was trying to spot something. Nigel tried to stay focused, when suddenly a very powerful voice shouted "silence in court! Judge Cornelius Smythe presiding!" It was then, as the courtroom fell silent, that he realised there was no going back now! Breathing as he'd been told, he watched the Judge sit down and then he heard the same voice again, although this time a lot quieter "you may be seated." Everyone sat down and looked at the court clerk, who was holding up a sheet of paper and looked very grumpy.
Nigel listened with baited breath as the clerk read out the charges against the thugs and almost wished he could see the faces of Skinny Pete, Niklas Ferreira and the brute's horrible sister Maria, believing they'd all be look quite dejected. The shocking thing was that there were more charges being brought against Skinny Pete; who was being charged under his real name, Peter Bage, than anyone else. He was accused of more than a dozen rapes and four murders, as well as causing actual bodily harm to countless children. What was even more shocking was that some of these crimes had been committed well before he joined Ferreira's gang, some 20 years ago!
The three of them were able to be charged in a British court because they'd all, in fact, been born here, albeit to Portuguese families. Manuel and Jon, along with several other gang members, were born in Brazil and, therefore, had to be tried there. They'd actually already been sent to prison after Derek Lloyd testified against them, some three weeks earlier; which was one of the reasons he'd stayed behind in Rio. He'd also given evidence in the trials of many other members of Ferreira's gang and had been successful in having 90% of them prosecuted and imprisoned.
It took at least fifteen minutes for the court clerk to read out all of the charges, and then, to Nigel's disgust, they all pleaded not guilty! This caused absolute mayhem in the courtroom, particularly amongst the parents of children who'd been abducted, killed or raped.
"Silence! Silence in court!" the clerk shouted angrily, looking directly at the horrified and furious families of the victims. Gradually, after a few threats from the judge, the room went quiet and the trial began.
As was normal at the beginning of a trial such as this, all of the witnesses were sent out of the room until they were individually required to testify. At that point, Nigel's screen went blank, as he was also not permitted to see what was happening until, of course, he was called as a witness.
Remembering that Sydney, Preston and Cate knew Nigel, Steven decided to go and meet them outside the courtroom and bring them in to see him as, having witnessed the uproar caused by the plea, Steven believed it would be quite some time before any of them would be testifying and that Nigel would be glad to see them.
Nigel, of course, was not only pleased to see them because he needed their moral support, but also because he wanted someone to vent his anger with about the plea of innocence!
"Nige, Sweetie, try to calm down" Sydney said, giving him a reassuring hug the moment she walked in "I warned you they'd probably do that….but I guess nothing will stop you feeling frustrated and angry…look we all feel the same….and obviously so do those people in the courtroom."
"I know Syd….I know I shouldn't get so angry….it's just that…..well…. I'm just dreading the case dragging on and on…Oh God!" Nigel said, looking up at the ceiling as he ran his fingers through his hair "it just feels like this bloody nightmare will never end!"
"It'll end Nigel….of course it will" Cate said, putting her arms around Nigel and Sydney "they'll definitely be found guilt! They don't stand a chance against the lawyers you have….OK Ferreira has some clever ones too, but they're as crooked as him….they won't win….I promise!"
Nigel smiled at Cate "are you speaking from actual experience?" he asked, leaning against Sydney's shoulder.
"Yes…I am…in fact one of Skinny Pete's lawyers has already been arrested! He tried to bribe, Perry Grace, one of your barristers!" Cate said, laughing a little.
"What!?" Nigel said, looking quite shocked.
"Yes…Perry was actually offered £100,000 to destroy some of our evidence! Thankfully, though, he's as honest as they come and although the money would have come in very handy in six months' time, when Perry retires, it's always been more important to him to see that justice is done and he tipped off the police!" Cate said, hoping Nigel realised just how good his lawyers actually were!
Nigel smiled "Um….well that…that's good Cate" he said, realising the Interpol Agent seemed very on top of everything!
Once Nigel had calmed down a little, the five of them sat down and chatted, although it was hard to keep off the subject of the trial. After about half an hour though, Steven came in hoping to see a more settled group of people "hey guys, I thought you might like something to eat and drink…I always bring these chocolate cookies in for the children I take care of when they give evidence in court….but I see no reason why you shouldn't have some too, especially you, Nigel…I have some fruit juice as well, or I can bring in some coffee or tea" Steven said, handing around the cookies. Bearing in mind it was quite a hot day, they were all very glad to have fruit juice, rather than a hot drink and most of them actually had two glasses.
"Do you know what's happening in the court?" Preston asked, as Steven collected the glasses.
"Well at this moment your barrister is presenting the evidence against the accused and when he's finished, which in a case of this size could take quite a while, the defence will be heard.
Nigel looked quite worried "judging by what you've already heard….have you any idea how long the case might go on for Steven?" he asked, putting down his juice.
"Well in my estimation, I'd say two weeks; even though it's obvious they're guilty. You see those lawyers who that Ferreira chap has employed will keep finding excuses as to why their clients couldn't have done this, that and the other, but the brutes won't get away with it, there's too much evidence against them. They just have to do that really to help limit their sentences" Steven said as he smiled at Nigel.
"You've seen that a lot I suppose" Nigel said, hoping Steven was right about the evidence.
"Well yes, I'm actually a trainee lawyer, this is just something I do to earn extra money; they don't pay trainees much; I have to wait a few years before I earn the big bucks! I particularly wanted to be here for this trial though, because I've done a lot of work with your barristers, that's why I'm so totally convinced they're all as guilty as hell. Perry showed me that photo of you when you were a little boy….you know the one with that purple faced woman and those thugs in the background…..they're going down, don't worry!" Steven said, looking quite determined.
"What picture!?" Nigel squeaked; feeling a little shocked and confused.
"The one your brother snapped with those beasts in the background spying on you" Steven said, looking at Nigel as if he'll remember in a minute.
"W…what!?" Nigel said, looking around at everyone.
Sydney moved back over and took his hand "Sweetie I…I found it in Alice's photo album… when we were, you know…. together that day …it was my idea not to tell you…it would have freaked you out unnecessarily."
Nigel just looked stunned for a moment "Oh….Oh my God! That must mean that…that….Pres…Preston and I were actually being followed by them when we were children!?" Nigel shouted, looking at his brother "is that how they knew we were in the car at the supermarket Pres!? Be…..Because they were stalking us!?"
"I…I'm afraid that has to be it Podge.…but please don't dwell on it, you need to concentrate on the trial…none of us wanted you to know about that photo until it was brought out in court" Preston said, hoping his brother wouldn't get too upset either about the picture itself, or the fact he'd not been told of its existence.
Nigel looked at Preston and then at Steven who was, obviously, mortified that he'd mistakenly revealed something that might make Nigel stress out! "I'm so sorry Nigel, I had no idea you didn't know about it…truly I didn't…it really is a great find though" Steven said, hoping nobody would get angry with him.
"Is….is it really good enough…..you know….to be absolutely positive it was them?" Nigel asked, suddenly realising the possible significance of the find if the photo was clear.
Sydney smiled "Yes! Yes it is! As Steven said, it's a great find…..I recognised them immediately and so will the Judge! Of course, when Preston took the photo, he'd no idea the three of them were even there, and even if he did, he couldn't possibly have known they were planning to kidnap you! It's just such a pity you didn't see the photo soon after you'd escaped their clutches; they'd have been locked up years ago!"
Nigel thought about it for a couple of seconds and then looked at Preston again. However, before he could say what he was thinking, Preston spoke up "Oh Podge, I wish I'd shown it to you back then! I guess I didn't because I thought you'd not be interested….I only took a couple of you…..the rest were of ducks and geese…you were frightened of them when you were little….remember?"
Nigel smiled and shook his head "you'd no reason to show me them, Pres and anyway…..I doubt the police would've taken much notice of me even if I'd pointed them out.…I was only six….besides I didn't want to think about those thugs when I got home….so their images probably wouldn't have registered with me…. I was far too messed up."
Preston put his arm over Nigel's shoulders "I know, I know Podge" he said, as he gave his younger brother a sad smile.
Noticing Sydney seemed a little worried, Nigel turned to her and looked into her eyes "you were right Syd…..you were all right not telling me anything about it….it gives me the creeps even now! But…but that's really positive proof they were around when I was kidnapped; they can't possibly deny it! I recognised them immediately in Brazil…..just as you did in that photo! It's got to be obvious to the jury they were the ones who kidnapped me….and all those other children!...It's got to be!"
Preston looked quite relieved and replied "it will be Podge…it will…..now try to relax a bit, it might be a while until any of us are called to testify."
Still feeling very awkward Steven couldn't keep quiet any longer "I'm really so sorry I caused you all such bother….I had no idea you didn't know about it Nigel….really I didn't!"
"It's OK Steven; don't worry about it…. It's going to help matters in court" Nigel said, realising how embarrassed Steven was, having felt like that so many times himself "could you um….show me where the loo is please? I've drunk a lot of juice."
"Oh sure…..I'll have to go with you though, as you're a 'special needs witness'….it's a little walk there I'm afraid" Steven said, leading Nigel along a narrow passageway which turned into a wide corridor with several doors on each side; one leading to the courtroom where the trial was taking place "the toilet is the fourth door on the left."
Having walked there rather quickly, Nigel used the urinal, washed his face and hands and came out again feeling a little more refreshed and ready to face the trial "thanks Steven…..sorry to put you to so much trouble."
"Hey no problem….better get back though" Steven replied, as he began to lead the way back to room behind the court.
Feeling quite positive as they headed up the wide corridor, they were both taken by surprise when the courtroom door suddenly burst open right in front of them! Recovering from that fairly quickly, Nigel looked up and was shocked and horrified to see that, stood right in front of him, with a guard on either side and a vicious look on his face, was Skinny Pete!
The prisoner was, thankfully, wearing handcuffs and was unsuccessfully trying to yank himself free from the guards, when he spotted Nigel looking up at him with his mouth agape! "What are you looking at kid!? You think you can get one over on me and Niklas… well you can't….this is just a temporary set-back…we'll be out of here soon and you and your family better not be any place we can find you!" Bage yelled, tying even harder to get free.
Nigel almost stopped breathing, but before Steven could grab his arm and pull him away, Bage managed to spit and snarl at him viciously as he was being dragged by the guards into the room opposite the court.
Realising how shocked Nigel must be, Steven took hold of his arm "come on Nigel, he can't hurt you now….they must be taking him to the other cells; the ones under the court are rather full this week….are you alright!?"
Nigel couldn't speak and was hyperventilating by the time he reached the back room where Sydney immediately leapt forward and caught hold of him "what is it Nige!?...…what's wrong!?" she asked, as she helped him sit down.
Everyone gathered around him and Steven, realising Nigel was too upset and breathless to respond, quickly explained what happened. Suddenly noticing how pale Nigel was becoming Steven looked down at Sydney who'd sat down next to Nigel "oh my goodness…he looks awful!….I'll get George; he's the court's first aid officer" Steven said, before rushing off to find him.
Sydney put her arm around Nigel and patted his back whilst Preston crouched in front of him to try and help. Cate, unfortunately, had no choice but to stand and watch them although, naturally, she was very concerned.
Although it seemed like an eternity, it was actually less than three minutes before Steven returned with an elderly man who made Nigel breathe into a brown paper bag. That was, of course, something that was proven to help someone who's hyperventilating and to everyone's relief, Nigel was soon breathing evenly again, although he still looked quite sick.
"It was that be….beast Skinny Pete! He was out there!" Nigel squeaked.
"Yes we know Sweetie….Steven told us…. but it's OK now…. he's locked in a cell; he can't get in here!" Sydney said, giving Nigel another reassuring hug.
"I'm so sorry that happened guys….if I'd have been sitting at my screen instead of talking, I'd have known that Bage was about to be taken from the courtroom …actually, now I come to mention it….I better be getting back there now before I miss something else important!" Steven said, as he walked towards the door "they'll be calling one of you to testify soon I would think!"
However, half an hour later, much to everyone's surprise Steven came back in with a court official by his side "do any of you know a guy named Derek Lloyd?" he asked, looking around the room.
"Well yes….we all do" Cate replied, feeling quite hopeful "he was supposed to fly to the UK yesterday to be in court today…..is he here or just on the phone?"
"He's in the lobby…..shall I bring him through?" Steven asked, looking at Cate.
"If you don't mind….yes please" Cate said to Steven, but immediately turned around to Preston "thank goodness he made it!"
"Yes! Exactly! He'll be an excellent witness Cate" Preston said, feeling a twinge of jealousy as he knew Nigel thought of Derek as a big brother; although, obviously, he was glad he'd turned up anyway "I wonder why he's so late."
"I haven't had time to call him to find out Preston.…I expect he has a good reason though because he was dying to see Nigel….I've been keeping him updated on his progress you see" Cate said, watching Nigel leaning against Sydney's shoulder.
Back in the lobby Steven explained to Derek, very basically, what had happened it court, so far; although, of course, Derek was fully aware of court procedures "that's similar to what I've been through in Rio…those thugs don't stand a chance with the British legal system!" Derek said, as they walked towards the vulnerable witness's room.
Upon entering there everyone, except Nigel, gathered around Derek and Cate immediately wanted to know why he was so late "the damn flight from Brazil was delayed for seven hours; this was the best I could do….seems I just made it by what that guy in the hall told me" Derek said, as he walked over to Sydney and gave her a brotherly hug; realising that he should behave more appropriately towards her now that Sydney and Nigel were a couple.
Turning away from Sydney and walking across the room he saw Nigel sitting there looking rather unhappy "Hey buddy…how're you doing? You look a little pale Kiddo" Derek said, tousling Nigel's hair, playfully.
"I…I'm fine….actually… better for seeing your ugly face!" Nigel replied, as he stood up, shook his 'brother's' hand and then almost immediately hugged him "Preston's been fantastic Derek….I couldn't have wished for a better brother!"
"Hey I'm glad to hear that bud" Derek said, looking at Preston and realising that his young friend was telling him that because he used to constantly complain to him about Preston's lack of brotherly feelings. Of course, having spoken to Preston so many times while they were in Brazil, Derek actually knew that the older Bailey had always loved Nigel and that circumstances had, sadly, driven them apart. Although Derek believed he'd always think of Nigel as a younger brother, it was obvious now that he'd have to take a step back and let Preston be the brother to Nigel that he'd always wanted to be.
"So how are you Preston?" Derek asked, walking towards him and immediately shaking his hand.
"I'm well, a little on edge about the trial, of course….oh um…this is Nancy, Nigel's therapist" Preston said, putting his arm around Nancy's shoulders and moving her forward a little "Nancy this is Derek Lloyd."
"Nice to meet you Derek….Preston and Nigel have told me so much about you.…you've certainly led an interesting life….oh but I understand that you suffered a terrible family tragedy when you were a boy….look if you ever feel the need to speak to a therapist about that, or anything else, I have a cousin in New York who I think could help you" Nancy said, hoping it was obvious she was talking about what happened to David, Derek's real younger brother.
"Well thank you Nancy….I'll bear that in mind…how's Nigel doing today? He looks a bit pale, even for him" Derek said, looking over at Nigel who was sat with Sydney again. Nancy explained very quietly, so that Nigel couldn't hear, what happened earlier when Steven had taken him to the loo.
"God no wonder he looks so sick!" Derek said, hoping Nigel would be alright by the time he had to testify.
"He's stronger than he looks Derek, as you know… but he needs all the moral support he can get…the court are letting me stay with him throughout the trial but having you all here is really important and very helpful" Nancy said, smiling at the agent and walking over to Nigel and Sydney.
Realising how awful it must have been for Nigel to have come face to face with the thug who defiled him, Derek tried hard not to show his anger, although inside he was livid that such a thing should have happened to a vulnerable witness in the courthouse!
"Hey kiddo" Derek said in a raised voice to Nigel "don't you worry about a thing….those thugs, especially that Pete bastard, are going down, I guarantee it!"
Nigel smiled at his friend and realised someone must have told him what happened earlier "Yes Derek…they will…with your help!"
Noticing that Derek was likely to get into a long and involved conversation with Nigel, now that he'd spoken to Sydney, Preston and Nancy, Cate tapped her agent on the shoulder "Um…can I talk to you for a minute Derek?.….I need to get a bit more information about what happened at the Brazilian trials…there could be something you know that will be helpful here, even though we pretty much have an ironclad case" Cate said, sitting down next to Derek.
Having gotten a little more information from him, Cate was surprised to suddenly be called to testify, believing that Nigel would have been called before anyone else.
So I suppose only two people are still liking this story….Thank you Beatrix and Alex for taking the trouble to review.
In the next chapter the trial will continue.