Sally Anne mused on a curious unfathomable part of herself that made the commitment to sue the Metropolitan Police seem surprisingly possible. How was it that letting Trisha in on her deepest fears moulded together with the payoff of her therapy so that she could do better than she anticipated? Somehow, it was borne in on her that she wasn't reenacting the past when she felt so powerless. At the back of her mind was the picture of the judges on their picket line and how human they seemed and not some censorious authority figures. She didn't dwell overlong on her lingering feeling of fear but almost talked herself into determining on the action and finally believed herself.
"The choice of barrister is obvious. Jo Mills is the barrister for us. She cares," pronounced Trisha with confidence as Sally reached for the phone and booked up an appointment.
Immediately, both women were reassured by Jo Mills' natural warmth of manner. They had never seen her close up, only this distant figure in the downstairs arena of the court battle while they were confined to the circle seat. She shook each woman by the hand and kindly gestured to them to take a seat.
"If my memory serves me right, you were both at the Nikki Wade's re-appeal."
"That's right," Sally eagerly pronounced and, their spirits emboldened, both women eagerly gave Jo a run down of what had happened to Sally Anne
"I'm not sure that I'm necessarily the best barrister for what you want of me."
"Oh, but why?" Trisha jumped in." We were so impressed by your performance at Nikki's appeal. We hadn't even considered anyone else to represent Sally."
Jo was incredibly touched by their faith in her but that objective reasoning part of her mind had expanded her initial niggling doubts to full-scale reservations.
"Let me explain. I have specialized in criminal law for years and Nikki Wade's case was right up my street. Give me a case where the accused is unjustly accused of a criminal charge, then I am in my element. This case of yours is different. What you are asking for is a twin track approach, one of which is reinstatement in your old job which I have my doubts as to its advisability, both personally and practicality. I'm not sure you'd really want to be working amongst your one-time colleagues who either kept quiet or actively betrayed you. The other tack is to sue the Metropolitan for its failure of its duty of care and to force them for the highest possible settlement. It might sound strange to you but I haven't got the bargaining mind or that degree of ruthlessness, just how far to push to cut the best possible deal. I'm sorry but I haven't got those qualities and civil cases really aren't my forte, both in experience and the procedures."
The light went out in Sally and Trisha's face as Jo slipped them the bad news. Their spirits were about to drop into a bottomless pit until Trisha saw a slight smile on Jo's lips.
"However, I could introduce you to a friend of mine, George Channing. She would fit the bill admirably."
The words hung in the air as Jo did a double take on how she'd described George. The word came out without thinking. It really did describe their relationship now.
"So what's this George Channing like? I'm not being funny but is a guy the best person to represent a rape case?" questioned Trisha.
"You're right about reinstatement, Jo. I couldn't even begin to think of working along those………" shuddered Sally, as she started to conjure up images of her one time colleagues and memories of their threatening voices down the phone started to haunt her. Trisha slipped her hand in Sally's and stroked it gently to comfort her.
"George short for Georgia," corrected Jo, smilingly." She is a major specialist in civil cases. She is a very interesting woman. She was once the partner of the present Home Secretary and handled a lot of compensation cases where her clients were major employers ……"
"Jesus. She sounds like the last barrister we need," exclaimed Trisha in disgusted tones.
"Since she separated from him, she has undergone a real change of heart. She has cut loose from Haughton's political cronies and all the hangers on. I happen to know that she has recently made the acquaintance of Kay Scarpetta, the Chief Medical Examiner for the state of Virginia. I have come across her in recent trials and I know she has changed. She has the unique advantage of knowing how your opponents will think and she has that degree of ruthlessness that I haven't got. More than that, I feel sure that she wants to atone for what she has done in the past, though she will never admit it. I have this gut feeling that the best poacher is the ex gamekeeper or the best gamekeeper, the ex poacher whichever way you care to look at who is who."
"What is she like, Jo? Try and paint a portrait for us. That will help."
Jo leaned back in her chair and a faraway look in her eyes
"She has this very aristocratic manner. She gives off this impression of being very hard and unfeeling but underneath, she has real heart. She just doesn't like to show it, that's all. She and her ex husband, John Deed have a daughter who is at Sussex University and George gets more worried for her safety than she likes to let on. You need to judge her by what she does, not so much by what she says."
Both women fell silent, musing on the picture that Jo conjured up. The more they considered it, the more Jo's recommendation appeared attractive. It was an off the wall idea that in reality might pay off best. There was one thought that crossed Trisha's mind and, though personal, slipped out of her mouth before she could contain herself as she blindly sought the truth.
"How do you come to know George? Is your connection with her just professional? You seem to go out of your way to recommend her."
A slightly quirky smile spread across Jo's features. She opted to be totally candid about the matter and trust to the truth.
"Perhaps I ought to explain something. I was the final nail in the coffin of George and John's marriage. For years, we have heartily disliked each other. We have had something of a rapprochement and, surprisingly, we have become friends. On the face of it, I am the last person to recommend her but despite past history, that is what I'm doing."
"In which case, we'll trust what you say as we've trusted you before," Sally pronounced firmly at which point, Jo offered them the phone to contact George.
Both women scrutinized George as they sat in an easy chair opposite her and explained their case to her. George's long fair hair fell smoothly round her shoulders while her alert blue eyes took in everything. Her mouth was immaculately painted with lipstick and looked amused and cynical. Trisha noted with interest that George could have remained behind her desk and exercised power position on her but chose the chair. She guessed that this was what Jo meant by judging George's actions rather than her words.
"I think I can see why Jo steered you in my direction. She will have told you about my past experience in defending the 'wealth creators' from parting with more than a derisory amount of money for their transgressions. However, I've since learnt that a change in lifestyle is as good as a feast and I must admit that this case appeals to me personally. From what you have said, I don't think that you really want to be reinstated in the police force. Would anyone who has been bitten by a snake volunteer to enter a nest of vipers?"
Both women were impressed how rapidly George had grasped the essentials of the case.
"That's what we thought," Sally ruefully admitted." It does sound like a no hoper to me."
"You know that, I know that, but the Metropolitan police don't know that," grinned George with a conspiratorial expression on her face." Let's face it, a job in the police force may have its dangers but it is as safe as houses and relatively well paid. I assume that your record is that of a dedicated, serious minded policewoman, is it not?"
"Yeah," Sally mused," I did believe in it at one time."
"Our main line of attack is to sue the Metropolitan Police for mental distress, forcing you to resign under duress and covering up the violation of rape that was committed against you by a fellow colleague. There is an alternative of negligence on all counts. We then use the card of reinstatement to push them to the limit in terms of compensation. You ought to consider that they are perhaps as much as afraid of you as you are of them."
Both women were dumfounded. George's precision of manner blew them away. These thoughts had never crossed their minds.
"You ought to understand that basically I am not a very nice person, Sally. When I go to battle, I mean to win it, hands down," George drawled, a wicked smile on her face on her face.
"I know what the Metropolitan Police are like. They are very hard and will band together to protect their own. I thought I was part of the crowd. I learned differently," Sally replied, her voice choked with emotion. Trisha saw that flicker of concern in George's eyes before it blew away like a shadow on a sunlit lake.
"We don't want someone who will just play by the laws of cricket. I suspect that the other side will play dirty. We need someone who is resourceful who can beat them at their own game."
'I think we understand each other, Trisha." George smiled more freely, sensing this very astute woman who accompanied Sally Anne. In turn, that artificial edge and façade which George had adopted melted away.
"Do you know anything about the Nikki Wade case?" questioned Trisha out of interest.
"I know much more than that fearful ex of mine, Neil Haughton suspects. I have very good hearing and a retentive mind and I know just how much chicanery went on in the background. Besides," and here George let drop the confident aristocratic edge in her voice, "I had the interesting experience of rowing with Nikki right after the hearing. She won."
"Hey, Nikki never told us that one," breathed Sally, her eyes wide open with wonderment while Trisha smiled affectionately at her friend. Knowing Nikki and seeing this formidable woman, it must have been a battle royal.
"You know her?" George asked softly.
"Yeah, " Trisha proclaimed proudly and dreamily." I lived with her for nine years. Sally's my current partner. We're all friends now including Helen, her present partner"
"I guessed," smiled George kindly, impressed by this example of sisterhood, something that wasn't part of her experience. Something in her warmed to these two women in the same way that Nikki's personality had struck a chord with her.
" Anyway, I made some extremely tactless and foolish remarks about prisons and Nikki corrected me. She told me that women needed protecting from animals like Gossard. She was right. It was that which set me to rethink my life."
Trisha and Sally Anne saw George's naked sensitivity before them. This was the real woman before them. She inspired confidence in them that George was the ideal barrister for the case. Jo's instincts were perfectly correct. The pause in the conversation was laden with a welter of positive emotions.
"Anyway, enough of my 'intimate confessions'," George snapped back to normality, wearing her best aristocratic accent like a suit of armour, apparently scornful of her softness." From what I've heard so far today, I consider that we have the makings of a case and I am positively eager to be unleashed on the case. I need to go away and consider the whole thing carefully and be sure of where I stand."
"We definitely want you to handle it."
"Right, I need to reserve myself a good solicitor, someone bright and resourceful. I've heard very good words about Claire Walker, who helped with Nikki's appeals. She's the solicitor for me."
"That may be difficult. We both know her and we've heard that the other senior solicitors are jealous of her success and are trying to sideline her."
"What I want, I get," George proclaimed smugly with steely determination before alternating back and forth in a softer vein that was uniquely George." Anyway, thanks for the warning. Leave the arrangements up to me and I'll remain in touch. You may be sure of that. I regularly leave men late for dates as that is my prerogative as a woman, but I don't let people down, not these days."
Trisha and Sally shook hands fervently with this remarkable woman. Both of them were sure they had a powerful ally.
*****
Claire had to hand it to Jim Patterson when he came up to give her the message that George had relayed to her in advance.
"You might be surprised but another controversial case might be coming your way, Claire."
"Oh, what kind of case is it," asked Claire politely with her best blank face.
"Some kind of female hysteric who's suing the police force for negligence because of being raped. From the sound of it, she's got a martyr complex or got a compensation complex," Jim Patterson said in his best bored dismissive tones." Between you and me, she hasn't a hope in hell but I know that you like these difficulties so I thought, what the hell, I shouldn't stand in your way."
"That's very generous of you, Jim," she said, her face mentally screwing up at telling this bullshit.
"Think nothing of it. Rather you than me, anyway."
"I'll do my best, Jim. That's all you can do after all."
"I'm glad you see it this way,' Jim Patterson said with false heartiness, gritting his teeth at the memory of the conversation with the very frightening female barrister who took no prisoners.