Part Nineteen
For the rest of the morning, Victoria steadily ploughed her way through the stack of hard copies she'd
collected earlier. It was amazing, but half the names on her list of prostitutes came up in one way or another.
Most of them had been in court before for either soliciting or other crimes such as shop lifting or possession
of drugs with intent to supply. Then Victoria came across the story from a few months ago of a girl named
Chloe Hill. She had previously been a classroom assistant in the local primary school. Being a mum of two
children, she'd got herself in to debt with a loan company and had begun to work the streets to make up the
payments. She'd been picked up for soliciting and was inevitably sacked by the school she worked for.
Victoria put down the paper she was reading and turned to look for either Cassie or Alex, both of whom had
researched the story because this had come from the financial section of the paper. The story wasn't
centered on the prostitution angle but on how easy it was for working single parents to get in to debt.
"Does anyone know where Cassie or Alex are?" Victoria asked of the room at large.
"They're both off chasing their dodgy antiques dealer," Called Jasmine. Victoria picked up the story and
walked upstairs to where the editors' offices were. Knocking on Yvonne's door, she poked her head in.
Yvonne was on the phone, arguing with someone, but she smiled at Victoria, gesturing her to come in.
Victoria took the vacant chair and waited for Yvonne to finish her phone call. When she finally slammed the
phone down, Yvonne turned to Victoria with a rueful smile.
"Why do all bastard lawyers have to be so bloody cautious all the time?"
"I suppose it comes with the job," Said Victoria.
"So, what can I do for you?" Victoria held up the story.
"I was going to ask either Cassie or Alex but they're both out."
"Yeah, that antiques dealer they're following up should produce something good." Yvonne took the paper
and read for a moment.
"Nikki and I are doing a story about a load of prostitutes who were in court on Monday. We're going to be
looking at why they get in to it in the first place. I came across that when I was searching the archives this
morning."
"Oh yeah, I remember this one now. We didn't really concentrate on the prostitution but we looked at the
financial situation most single parents are in some of the time. That was sad about Chloe. She had a decent
job and two really nice kids but she borrowed because she couldn't afford the costs of childcare. She ended
up on the streets because the loan company sent someone round to give her a few frighteners. But that
could never be proved and once the school heard she was working as a tart they kicked her out anyway."
"Well, she was in court again yesterday and me and Nikki and maybe Denny are going to see her again this
afternoon. Apart from the fact that her case is a current one, she's a perfect example of why women end up
working for the likes of Jim Fenner."
"Absolutely," Said Yvonne. "I bet she's still opening her legs for cash for those bastards she borrowed
money off in the first place. She was a really nice kid when I met her in May," Victoria held up a hand.
"You saw her? But I thought only reporters did that." Yvonne smiled.
"They do usually, but both Cassie and Alex were out on another job at the time and I like to keep my hand in
now and again." Victoria picked up the paper and scanned it for the author of the Chloe Hill article. Sure
enough it said Yvonne Atkins. Victoria grinned.
"I don't know why I didn't notice it before."
"Being an editor's all well and good," Replied Yvonne. "But there's nothing quite like doing all the research
and then writing the thing up yourself. I miss it sometimes. I suppose I miss the people contact as well.
You get to meet a lot of fascinating people in this job, and not one of them is the same as the next."
As Victoria went downstairs, she thought about this. She loved the work that took her out of the office.
She wouldn't swap it for anything else in the world. Usually she met somebody different nearly every day.
There weren't many jobs in which you got to see the whole of society in it's each and every habitat. Nikki
spied her returning to the main office and called her over.
"How's it going?"
"We've got a trend," Said Victoria in delight. "Over three quarters of the women we're going to see either
today or tomorrow are single mothers. A large proportion of them used to have perfectly respectable jobs
until they got cautioned for soliciting. There's also someone who's been written about before," She held up
the paper she was carrying. "Chloe Hill. I've just been talking to Yvonne about her because that story came
from finance, not from crime. It seems that this Chloe Hill ended up on the streets because she couldn't
make the repayments on a loan and I'll bet my entire bank account that that's the same situation for most of
the women who were in court on Monday."
"Jesus!" Said Nikki smiling widely. "You've done well this morning." She glanced at her watch. "It's almost
lunchtime and I've just got a couple more phone calls to make. Go and see if you can book Denny for this
afternoon, but if not her then one of the others, then go and have something to eat. I'd like to set out about
one. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, sure. What should I do with all these?" Victoria eyed the pile of back issues on her desk.
"Have you photocopied the stuff you want?"
"No, I've not had time." Nikki picked up the phone on her desk. Putting it down again in a very short time
she said,
"Babs says she'll do it for you while we're out this afternoon. You'll find the office she shares with Zandra at
the end of the corridor upstairs. She said if you take them up there now, she'll do it as soon as possible."
Gathering the fairly enormous stack together Victoria went back upstairs, along the corridor passed the four
offices of the editors and in to a room full of filing cabinets, photocopiers and computers.
"Are you sure you don't mind doing this?" Victoria asked Barbara Hunt, the secretary who worked for
Yvonne and sometimes Mike.
"Not at all. Have you marked the articles you want done?"
"Yeah, with paper clips. I owe you one for this." Barbara smiled and Victoria left to go and look for Denny.
She found Denny in the photographers' room, sorting rolls of film in to boxes.
"Denny, are you free this afternoon?"
"I think so," Said Denny looking in the large diary where they each had to write down what jobs they did.
"Yeah. We're going to see Rachel Hicks aren't we?"
"Her and numerous others. Nikki says we're leaving at one o'clock and you'd probably better bring some
extra film. It's mostly single mums who've been done for prostitution so we'll probably be getting pictures of
all the kids, but I'm not really sure."
"Okay, that's fine. I just hope Rachel Hicks doesn't freak out if she sees me. I mean, she knows I was
friendly with Shell, innit."
For the rest of the morning, Victoria steadily ploughed her way through the stack of hard copies she'd
collected earlier. It was amazing, but half the names on her list of prostitutes came up in one way or another.
Most of them had been in court before for either soliciting or other crimes such as shop lifting or possession
of drugs with intent to supply. Then Victoria came across the story from a few months ago of a girl named
Chloe Hill. She had previously been a classroom assistant in the local primary school. Being a mum of two
children, she'd got herself in to debt with a loan company and had begun to work the streets to make up the
payments. She'd been picked up for soliciting and was inevitably sacked by the school she worked for.
Victoria put down the paper she was reading and turned to look for either Cassie or Alex, both of whom had
researched the story because this had come from the financial section of the paper. The story wasn't
centered on the prostitution angle but on how easy it was for working single parents to get in to debt.
"Does anyone know where Cassie or Alex are?" Victoria asked of the room at large.
"They're both off chasing their dodgy antiques dealer," Called Jasmine. Victoria picked up the story and
walked upstairs to where the editors' offices were. Knocking on Yvonne's door, she poked her head in.
Yvonne was on the phone, arguing with someone, but she smiled at Victoria, gesturing her to come in.
Victoria took the vacant chair and waited for Yvonne to finish her phone call. When she finally slammed the
phone down, Yvonne turned to Victoria with a rueful smile.
"Why do all bastard lawyers have to be so bloody cautious all the time?"
"I suppose it comes with the job," Said Victoria.
"So, what can I do for you?" Victoria held up the story.
"I was going to ask either Cassie or Alex but they're both out."
"Yeah, that antiques dealer they're following up should produce something good." Yvonne took the paper
and read for a moment.
"Nikki and I are doing a story about a load of prostitutes who were in court on Monday. We're going to be
looking at why they get in to it in the first place. I came across that when I was searching the archives this
morning."
"Oh yeah, I remember this one now. We didn't really concentrate on the prostitution but we looked at the
financial situation most single parents are in some of the time. That was sad about Chloe. She had a decent
job and two really nice kids but she borrowed because she couldn't afford the costs of childcare. She ended
up on the streets because the loan company sent someone round to give her a few frighteners. But that
could never be proved and once the school heard she was working as a tart they kicked her out anyway."
"Well, she was in court again yesterday and me and Nikki and maybe Denny are going to see her again this
afternoon. Apart from the fact that her case is a current one, she's a perfect example of why women end up
working for the likes of Jim Fenner."
"Absolutely," Said Yvonne. "I bet she's still opening her legs for cash for those bastards she borrowed
money off in the first place. She was a really nice kid when I met her in May," Victoria held up a hand.
"You saw her? But I thought only reporters did that." Yvonne smiled.
"They do usually, but both Cassie and Alex were out on another job at the time and I like to keep my hand in
now and again." Victoria picked up the paper and scanned it for the author of the Chloe Hill article. Sure
enough it said Yvonne Atkins. Victoria grinned.
"I don't know why I didn't notice it before."
"Being an editor's all well and good," Replied Yvonne. "But there's nothing quite like doing all the research
and then writing the thing up yourself. I miss it sometimes. I suppose I miss the people contact as well.
You get to meet a lot of fascinating people in this job, and not one of them is the same as the next."
As Victoria went downstairs, she thought about this. She loved the work that took her out of the office.
She wouldn't swap it for anything else in the world. Usually she met somebody different nearly every day.
There weren't many jobs in which you got to see the whole of society in it's each and every habitat. Nikki
spied her returning to the main office and called her over.
"How's it going?"
"We've got a trend," Said Victoria in delight. "Over three quarters of the women we're going to see either
today or tomorrow are single mothers. A large proportion of them used to have perfectly respectable jobs
until they got cautioned for soliciting. There's also someone who's been written about before," She held up
the paper she was carrying. "Chloe Hill. I've just been talking to Yvonne about her because that story came
from finance, not from crime. It seems that this Chloe Hill ended up on the streets because she couldn't
make the repayments on a loan and I'll bet my entire bank account that that's the same situation for most of
the women who were in court on Monday."
"Jesus!" Said Nikki smiling widely. "You've done well this morning." She glanced at her watch. "It's almost
lunchtime and I've just got a couple more phone calls to make. Go and see if you can book Denny for this
afternoon, but if not her then one of the others, then go and have something to eat. I'd like to set out about
one. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, sure. What should I do with all these?" Victoria eyed the pile of back issues on her desk.
"Have you photocopied the stuff you want?"
"No, I've not had time." Nikki picked up the phone on her desk. Putting it down again in a very short time
she said,
"Babs says she'll do it for you while we're out this afternoon. You'll find the office she shares with Zandra at
the end of the corridor upstairs. She said if you take them up there now, she'll do it as soon as possible."
Gathering the fairly enormous stack together Victoria went back upstairs, along the corridor passed the four
offices of the editors and in to a room full of filing cabinets, photocopiers and computers.
"Are you sure you don't mind doing this?" Victoria asked Barbara Hunt, the secretary who worked for
Yvonne and sometimes Mike.
"Not at all. Have you marked the articles you want done?"
"Yeah, with paper clips. I owe you one for this." Barbara smiled and Victoria left to go and look for Denny.
She found Denny in the photographers' room, sorting rolls of film in to boxes.
"Denny, are you free this afternoon?"
"I think so," Said Denny looking in the large diary where they each had to write down what jobs they did.
"Yeah. We're going to see Rachel Hicks aren't we?"
"Her and numerous others. Nikki says we're leaving at one o'clock and you'd probably better bring some
extra film. It's mostly single mums who've been done for prostitution so we'll probably be getting pictures of
all the kids, but I'm not really sure."
"Okay, that's fine. I just hope Rachel Hicks doesn't freak out if she sees me. I mean, she knows I was
friendly with Shell, innit."