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Revelations; A Helen and Nikki Fan Fic
Topic Started: Oct 2 2011, 09:28 PM (7,364 Views)
ali baba
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G2 landing
I am enjoying following this story and glad to see an update is on the way. :clap
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Carissa
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Two new chapters with my beta as I write this note. Thanks for your kinds words everyone.
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getter
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:popcorn

good to hear there will be some more of this story soon :)

Thank you Carissa! :)
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shutter dragon
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Down the Block
superb loving it. Kare and Yvonne super yummy. please continue
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Carissa
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Hi All,

I want to thank you all for your patience and also offer a SUPER thanks to my beta Julie for all of her hard work. She’s in the process of making Chapter 18 more readable as I post this.

Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Carissa

CHAPTER 17

Yvonne and Nikki tearfully reconnected over the phone and laughed over the fact that both of them had become narcs.

“Who’d have thought that bad girl Yvonne Atkins would end up working with the coppers,” laughed Nikki.

“And who’d have thought Helen Stewart’s worst nightmare would end up being the one sleeping next to her when she had new ones?” retorted Yvonne.

“It almost didn’t end up that way Yvonne,” said Nikki quietly.

“Last I heard you two weren’t even speaking. I can’t wait to hear the details of your reunion and catch up on the rest of your life. I’ve missed you Nik.”

Tearfully Nikki responded: “And me you.”

Changing the mood Yvonne said: “If the two Julies could see us now they’d go even more batty than they already are.”

“Is that even possible? How are the charming kooks by the way?”

“As crazy and sweet as ever.”

They spent a few more minutes catching up and talking about the next day.

“God, it’s great hearing your voice Yvonne. I think we’re free for brunch, but I need to confirm with Helen.” She paused, choosing her words carefully. “There was some bad blood at the end between her and Karen. She may not want to join me.”

“Nik, I know for a fact that Karen regrets that. Try to get Helen to come. I think it would do both of them a world of good if they could talk to each other.”

“Speaking of Betts, what’s with you staying at her place?”

“My helping her with the Larkhall piece of this investigation is what got me out of the joint. She really is a pretty good egg. I meant it before, try to convince Helen to come tomorrow.”

You sound like you know what happened between them?”

“I do Nik, and I know it’s one of the greatest regrets in Karen’s life.”

“It sound like there’s more to the story..?” inquired the restaurant owner.

“There is, but it’s not my story to tell. Please try to bring Helen. We are all working on the same investigation after all.”

“Ok, for you I’ll try. I’ll use the investigation card if I have to.”

“Thanks Nik. You were always my best mate.”

“And you mine” said Nikki warmly. “I’ll call back later to confirm.”

They exchanged contact information before ending the call.

*****

The next day, Nikki and Helen arrived for brunch. It hadn’t taken as much convincing on Nikki’s part as she had expected to persuade Helen to accompany her. Given the wonderful meal Yvonne provided, Helen was glad she had come.

Yvonne’s cooking skills rivaled those of a professional chef. The two different homemade quiches, fresh fruit with a tangy lemon drizzle and the scratch-baked tarts she served were all melt-in-the mouth delectable.

“Yvonne your talents were wasted on crime, you should have focused directly on sin. This is the most sinfully good meal I’ve had in I don’t know how long. And I’m in the business,” Nikki praised.

“If you’re not careful Yvonne I may have to trick you into full-time cooking duties in exchange for room and board,” chuckled Karen.

“I’ll gladly cook, but you should be charging the City of London Police for the room and board. You could use it for a vacation when this whole mess is resolved.”

“Mm that’s an idea,” said Karen contemplatively. Karen turned to Helen and asked cheekily: “What do you think Helen, what would you charge to have Yvonne under foot once again?”

Helen nearly spit her mimosa out as she tried to suppress her laughter. She swallowed, and then smiled at Yvonne. “Karen, they couldn’t pay me enough.” Gesturing to Nikki next to her, “I already have my hands full with this one.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Having both of them at the same time was a bitch wasn’t it?”

Nikki waved her hands indignantly: “Hey, we’re still sitting here…”
Everyone broke into laughter.

“Better here than Larkhall,” interjected Yvonne as she raised her glass for a toast.

“Here here,” they replied in unison and clinked their glasses together for good measure.

*****

At the end of the meal Yvonne stood up and began collecting plates. “Why don’t Nik and I clean up and you two go into the living room to catch up?”

Karen looked grateful and Helen was a bit skeptical at the clearly pre-orchestrated ‘catching up’ session. But she went along with it and followed Karen into the living room.

When they were seated, Helen cut right to the chase. “Well this seems a tad pre-planned. What’s on your mind Karen?”

Surprised at Helen’s bluntness and a little thrown off her game by being called on the situation, Karen hesitated for a moment taking a sip from the mimosas they had carried with them from the dining area. “No stay for the guilty huh.”

Puzzled, Helen replied, “What?”

Karen closed her eyes taking a steadying breath before blurting out, “Jim Fenner raped me.”
Helen was momentarily stunned. When she was finally able to speak she said sincerely, “Karen! Am so sorry.”

“Helen you have no reason to be sorry. You warned me. And I didn’t listen. It was my own damn fault.”

“Karen it is never the woman’s fault. You know better than that. Did you turn him in?”

“Fenner said I couldn’t prove it; and he was right. Even my own boyfriend at the time said I had asked for it,” she added bitterly.

“Karen, that’s awful. I hope you dumped the bastard.”

“No it was more like he dumped me actually. But I know in retrospect that I am better off.”

“Jesus Karen. Of all the things I could have expected you to say that wasn’t one of them.”

“Helen, I’m sorry I’m bringing all of this back for you. But I do want you to know how profoundly sorry I am for not believing you. I should have.”

“Yes, you should have,” said Helen, her accent thickening with anger.

“Well I paid dearly for not listening to you. And I want you to know that on a personal level I am really sorry – not because he attacked me, but because I SHOULD have listened to you. You had no reason for making something like that up but I was too blinded by my own feelings to acknowledge the truth.”

“Karen, you were manipulated, just like every other woman he managed to abuse in that place. So I take it you’re still working with him since you’re at Larkhall?”

Karen pursed her lips, struggling to contain her emotions. “I don’t really have much choice do I?”

“You could find another job.”

“But then he’d win.”

“How do you get up and face that animal every morning?”

“Helen, I can’t say it’s easy, but at least I know what he’s capable of and I can keep a better eye on him than the rest of them would. We both know that the women aren’t safe as long as he’s working there.”

“Karen, I wish I could help you at this point, but since you didn’t act on my report, he had time to weave a compelling story of his own that prevents me from doing anything to him.”

“It figures. I’m genuinely sorry Helen.”

“I guess it’s just water under the bridge at this point for both of us then. Karen I accept your apology. I’m just sorry for both our sake’s and for the women of Larkhall that you had to make it.”

“Me too, Helen. Me too.”

*****

The week following brunch Yvonne moved her investigation to the neighborhood where Chix was located.

By all outward signs it was an upscale area with good restaurants, nice clubs and some trendy boutiques. Many of the buildings had business establishments on the ground floor and flats above.
Yvonne’s guess was that if the drug business was being run out of this area it most likely was being run out of one of the businesses where people could easily come and go unsuspected. If it were being run out of a flat either the tenants coming and going with the merchandise, or the traffic of people coming and going would draw suspicion.

Yvonne needed to find herself a cover that would allow her to be in the neighborhood on a more regular basis than a mere stakeout would. Her guess was that the back doors as well as the front doors of whatever establishment was involved were being used to conduct the drug operation. If in fact the operation was even being run out of this neighborhood.

Since matching heroin had been found at Chix she figured the neighborhood was a good a place as any to start; and she wanted to protect her friend Nikki.

Her first idea for a cover was to pose as a homeless woman. That would allow her to wander the streets and alleyways where deliveries were made to the businesses. Unfortunately, or fortunately for the residents and shop owners, there were no homeless people loitering in the area, so that she would stick out instead of blending in as she wanted to.

Her next two ideas would give her a reason to be there during the day, but not the night, and would have to be arranged by Zandra. Her preference of the two options was meter maid, but she was concerned that it could lead to an unnecessary altercation that would draw attention to her. Street sweeping wasn’t something she was eager to do, but it would be good cover for a few days and allow her to monitor the front and back of buildings. The problem was that she would need to modify her current disguise so she could return later on if she needed to.

*****

As she was zipping up her coveralls two mornings later Karen asked, “Yvonne, are you really sure you want to do this? My guess is that it’s a rather disgusting job.”

Matter-of-factly the former inmate replied, “And cleaning the latrines or the back of the mess hall at Larkhall wasn’t?”

Seeing reality Karen conceded, “Well, when you put it that way… but that’s behind you. You couldn’t find another way to do this?”

“Karen, this was my idea. Larkhall won’t be behind me until I finish the job I agreed to do.”

“I know, I just hate seeing you have to do this”

“Hey how much worse can this be than being a nurse? How many bed pans did you change or asses did you wipe during that career Nurse Betts?”

“Touché,” laughed Karen “Too many. Alright Yvonne, you win. I won’t say anything else. Good luck today, I hope you really clean up,” she concluded, tongue firmly in cheek.

*****

The former inmate’s first morning sweeping streets was rather boring. Dressed in a gray hat with the brim low over her face, protective goggles, rubber gloves and boots she looked every bit the part.

Very early on there was the hustle and bustle of people leaving their flats heading for work. It seemed that most walked or took public transportation of some kind, but she did notice several using private automobiles as well.

There was a lull between the time the masses headed to their jobs and the time the shopkeepers and other business owners arrived to prepare their establishments for opening. Some of the merchants arrived just a few minutes before their scheduled time of opening, and she noticed some of the restaurant owners and their staff s arriving many hours before, she assumed so they could prepare the food they would be cooking.

There was no doubt that it was the restaurants, bars and clubs that received the most deliveries during the day. Yvonne noted messenger services, parcel delivery companies, the postman, linen trucks, beer wagons, wine and liquor vendors and an endless array of food delivery companies coming and going throughout the morning and early afternoon. And then of course there were the inevitable private rubbish collectors who tipped their hats to her as they drove through. If tracking how stuff got into Larkhall had been hard, this she feared would be impossible.

Around three she decided to knock off for the day and bring her surreptitiously taken notes home to study further. When she arrived back at Karen’s she stripped in front of the washer, turned it on hot and went directly to the shower before preparing a very late lunch.

When Karen returned home a few hours later Yvonne was so deep in thought she didn’t hear the door.
When Karen greeted her with a soft “hey,” Yvonne jumped out of her chair knocking it over.

Realizing Yvonne’s overreaction was a hangover from years of having to watch her back 24/7 while incarcerated, Karen apologized. “Yvonne I’m so sorry. I thought you heard me come in. I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m really sorry.” She walked to the other side of the table and rubbed her friend’s back to help her calm down and regulate her breathing. “Honey take a deep breath, it’s ok you’re safe. It’s ok. You’re good. You’re safe. Another deep breath…”

Yvonne felt extremely embarrassed at having reacted the way she had. She never would have reacted like that at Larkhall or even before that. What was wrong with her? Her heart was pounding a million miles a minute and she had tears streaming down her face. Tears! She was Yvonne fucking Atkins for Christ sake!

Karen kept rubbing calming circles over Yvonne’s back helping her breathing slowly return to a somewhat normal level. She reached over and took a napkin from the table and attempted to wipe the tears from Yvonne’s face.

The inmate took the napkin from her and completed the task on her own. “Karen I’m sorry, let me pick up the chair.”

“Fuck the chair. Let’s you and I go sit on the couch. Red or white?”

Remembering the question from her first evening at Karen’s she smiled and answered, “Red please.”
“Ok, you go sit down and I’ll get the wine.”

On her way to the kitchen Karen righted the chair and mentally chastised herself for scaring Yvonne. She of all people should know better than to surprise an inmate—or a recent ex-inmate. What was she thinking?

When Karen arrived with a freshly-opened bottle and two glasses Yvonne started to apologize again and Karen cut her off. “No. That was completely my fault. I screwed up big time. I know better!”

“Karen, you just said ‘hey.’"

“No Yvonne that’s not what happened.” Seeing Yvonne’s confused expression she continued: “I walked up to a person who has spent the last few years having to be on high alert for their safety, even in their sleep, and I surprised them. It was stupid and insensitive and I’m sorry.”

Having calmed down Yvonne realized the truth in what Karen was saying, but also that her friend was once again being too hard on herself. “Did you scare me on purpose?”

“No of course not! How could you think that?”

Smiling Yvonne responded, “I don’t. So why are you acting like that’s what happened?”

“Yvonne, I should have thought…”

“Karen, you are in your own home. You shouldn’t have to think about anything but relaxing after a long day. And the only reason you were able to scare me is that you’ve made me feel so comfortable and safe here since the day I arrived, that I unconsciously drop the street guard the second I close the door. Is the chair alright?”

“The chair? You’re asking about the chair?”

“Yeah. I kind of like sitting on it and I’d hate to have broken it.”

Karen stared at Yvonne in disbelief. “I don’t know if you are really ok, or if you’re just trying to change the subject?”

Sipping her wine she replied: “I actually think I’m ok. That’s probably kind of screwed up in itself; but I really feel ok. And I’m also aware that this is going to happen again, and that’s just a new reality of my life. We both need to accept that fact or neither of us is going to be able to relax around here.”

Believing her friend’s words to be the truth the wing governor reluctantly responded, “You’re right.”

*****

That evening both women prepared dinner together sharing the events of their respective days. Yvonne believed it would take a few more days to get the rhythm of the daytime comings and goings of the neighborhood, though she wasn’t quite sure how she’d be able to do the same with the night time activities. Her instincts told her that anything going on at night would be in the alleyways and she was afraid that an evening street sweeper in the alleys would certainly look suspicious.

“Well Yvonne, you’re a woman of many diverse talents. How about street sweeper by day and street walker by night?”

When Yvonne didn’t laugh Karen became concerned that her joke had been taken the wrong way.
“Yvonne, I didn’t mean to imply… ,” said Karen hastily.

Before Karen could finish Yvonne cut her off. “Karen, that’s a brilliant idea! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself.”

“You didn’t think of it yourself because it’s a horrible idea; I was just kidding.”

“No really, think about it. Being a hooker would allow me to go everywhere at night; inside the restaurants, bars and clubs and in the alleyways.”

“Yvonne, it’s too dangerous and your disguise wouldn’t work.”

“Why wouldn’t it work?”

“Because it’s ugly,” stated the wing governor.

“Karen, I’m looking to walk the streets, not actually pick up Johns.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot,” said Karen sheepishly. Both women broke up laughing.

*****

The rest of Yvonne’s week as a street sweeper did provide her with a wealth of information. She collected license numbers from cars and trucks and asked Zandra Placket to get her a list of names associated with them as well as the owners of real estate and businesses in the neighborhood.

She also asked Zandra to run the names of the vendors she saw painted on trucks and delivery vehicles through a database to see what information that turned up. What was going to be more difficult was determining the backgrounds of the people who were employed in the area. Help in these types of service establishments tended to come and go and even payroll tax records would be dated by the time they were filed.

Yvonne had a hunch that there was something going on in that area—she just needed one solid lead to work with.

That brought a disguised she and Karen to Chix for a drink early Saturday afternoon, while things were still quiet. Nikki and Trish were setting up the main bar when they arrived so they parked themselves on stools there.

Not recognizing either of them, Trish walked over and asked them what they were having. Karen replied that she’d have a glass of white wine and Yvonne, pointing to Nikki bent over a cooler filling it with bottles of beer said, “I’ll have a piece of that.”

Karen nearly fell off of her stool in schock.

“So you two are not together, I take it.” Trish smoothly responded without missing a beat.

“No, just friends,” replied Yvonne.”

“Well I hate to disappoint you, but that one’s taken. Much to my dismay as well,” responded the club owner.

It was at that point that Nikki finished up what she had been doing and glanced over to the other end of the bar and burst out laughing.

Trish, who knew Nikki couldn’t have heard their conversation from the far end of the bar, was puzzled. Looking at her former lover, “Care to let me in on the joke?”

Wiping the moisture from the cold beer bottles off of her hands onto the back of her pants, she walked to the far end of the bar. “Trish, let me introduce you to a few acquaintances of mine.

Gesturing to Yvonne first: Trish this is my good friend Yvonne Atkins, and my other former Wing Governor, Karen Betts. In the ugliest disguises I’ve ever seen.”

Shocked, Trish responded to Nikki, “Ok, what in hell are they doing here and what is it with Wing Governors and inmates in that prison hooking up?”

At the last comment Nikki, Yvonne and Karen all burst into uncontrolled laughter.

Finally, Nikki extracted Trish from her misery at being the butt of a joke she knew nothing about. “Trish, Karen and Yvonne are also working on the drug investigation. They are the two others I told you about.”

Dawn breaking over Marblehead, Trish finally realized what was going on, “Oh, and you two stopped by during off hours to check-in with us?”

Karen was the first to respond extending her hand. “Exactly. Hi Trish, I’m Karen Betts.”

Mirroring her friend’s actions Yvonne extended her hand: “Trish it’s nice to finally meet you. I heard a lot about you from Nikki.”

Realizing what Yvonne must have heard Trish replied “Oh, shit.”

Reassuringly Yvonne replied: “It’s all water under the bridge. You and Nikki are good now, which means I am too.”

A visibly relieved Trish replied: Thanks. So what brings you two here today?”

Yvonne was the first to answer. “As you guessed, we wanted to touch base with you folks. I’ve been hanging out in the neighborhood for the last week or so pretending to be a street sweeper so that I could get a feel for the place during the day. My next foray will be as an old and ugly hooker who hopefully gets no sex business, but sniffs out some monkey business.”

“An old, ugly, unlucky hooker. That’s almost as bad as a fate as being back in Larkhall!” Quipped Nikki.

“Pretty damn close. God knows I’ll probably freeze my ass off doing it as well.”

TBC
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Carissa
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CHAPTER 18

Yvonne’s planned stint as an ‘old ugly hooker,’ concerned Karen. She knew the streets of the city were a different place at night than they were during the day. Realizing Yvonne was probably much more aware of that than anyone else she knew provided little comfort.

Despite the circumstances they were dealing with, Karen felt happy for the first time in a long time. Although she spent a few weeks trying to deny to herself that Yvonne’s presence in her life and her home was the reason for that happiness, eventually she stopped fighting the facts.

Karen couldn’t remember one time in her adult life where she had a friend she trusted completely or whose company she enjoyed more. The fact that said friend was a recently-released convict was either pathetic or ironic—she hadn’t figured out which yet. But regardless of what the answer ended up being, she was grateful for the friendship.

She was, however, finding herself more anxious than usual. Usually the anxiety came when Yvonne was out ‘working’ at night. That anxiety was normal she supposed, given how dangerous the situation could become at any time.

The other anxiety happened when she pictured the time when this whole mess would be wrapped up and the perpetrators would be off the streets and out of her prison. That was the anxiety she couldn’t understand and it was beginning to confound her. Her job finally being safe shouldn’t create anxiety; in fact her feelings should be just the opposite.

She began to wonder if she was missing something subliminally that was affecting her emotions. Was there more going on in the prison than she was consciously aware of? None of her internal warning bells had rung in quite a while and usually that was a good thing. There hadn’t been another overdose or heroin incident since the investigation began.

She was so used to living on the edge for the last few years; that perhaps she was just waiting for the other shoe to fall. It was natural she guessed. She wasn’t prone to introspection and the fact that she had been doing more of it lately might be the reason. Perhaps she was just more in tuned to herself than in the past and was more likely to notice things.

*****

While Karen was home pondering things, Yvonne was having great success as the most undesirable prostitute to ever grace the streets of London. Since she was no competition to the other working girls, some of them were even friendly to her during their down time. Her hooker name of ‘Trixie’ was so cliche’ that the other girls laughed when they heard it.

What she observed on the streets was that there was a healthy economy for illicit sex and some of the girls did various types of drugs.

She learned there were two very active areas in the city for female prostitutes and some of the girls split their time between both, depending on how busy the evening was in a particular place. The male prostitutes hung out in a separate area of the city.

She was very cautious in her activities. Since it was obvious to the other women that she wasn’t making much money turning tricks, she needed a back-up story for how she was making a living. She didn’t want to use the daytime waitress story because it would be dangerous if one of the girls decided to stop in during the day to say hi, and catch her lying.

That option out of the question, she told the other ‘girls’ she cleaned flats for the posh set during the day. It was credible for someone with her lack of skills and impossible to check up on.

She got her first break on the case three weeks into her hooking stint when one of the girls mentioned that a few weeks before a customer had tried to pay her in heroin and got very pissy when she refused to accept it. He said the other girls had no problem with it, why should she? She finally got her money and got as far away from him as she could. She said she had seen him around subsequently but was avoiding him like the plague.

When Yvonne subtly asked what he looked like so she could avoid him as well, the description she received was rather generic, tall, and thin with dark hair and a moustache. When Yvonne asked how often he was around, her friend said once or twice a week – often on the weekends.

*****

Yvonne had taken to sneaking into the back of Chix before they opened to spend time with Nikki and Trish while they set up. It was unlikely that either the man with the moustache or the prostitutes were using the drugs at Chix so the three of them figured that the man was either dealing in the neighborhood, or the prostitutes were reselling what he was using to paying them. Either way they figured they had their first lead.

Yvonne realized that her best chance of making this lead truly valuable was being around when the man showed up in the neighborhood again. That would give her an opportunity to follow him. She would need to stick by her hooker friend so that she could point him out under the guise of Yvonne wanting to avoid him as well.

She and Nikki resumed their friendship as if no time had passed. Yvonne was also developing a friendship with Trish. She could see why the two of them had been together for so long and why they were able to resume their business partnership when Nikki got out. They just seemed to click. They had a rhythm when the worked and seemed to complement one another well.

Both of them had been relentlessly kidding Yvonne about her chance to ‘turn’ another Wing Governor, until Nikki realized that Yvonne was a little sensitive regarding the matter. She made note that she would have to schedule lunch with her friend in the next few days.

At Karen’s insistence, Yvonne would check in with her with a text message every hour to assure her friend that things were ok.

One evening Yvonne received a reply to her 10pm text. Karen said she was on her way to the store to grab some juice for breakfast and asked if Yvonne needed anything from the grocery. Yvonne texted back that she had left a short list near the wine rack that she was going to fill tomorrow if Karen wanted to wait. Karen replied that she’d just pick everything up that night.

When Yvonne got home at 1.30 that morning, Karen’s car was not in the drive. The house was lit up, but Karen was nowhere to be found.

Yvonne called Karen’s mobile phone and when she had no luck reaching her she tried Karen’s office at Larkhall to the same effect. After a half hour of having Karen’s cell go directly to voice mail, Yvonne called the guard house at Larkhall and disguised her voice to find out if Ms Betts had been by that evening. When the answer was no, Yvonne started getting very nervous.

This had never happened before, she and Karen always let the other know where they were going and when they would be back. It was four hours ago that Karen had texted that she was going to the grocery.

Yvonne began pacing in the living room. She knew the store closed at 11pm and couldn’t, or rather could, imagine what might have happened to Karen. The more she pictured the possibilities the more scared and upset she became. She knew it was late but she had no choice, she had to call Zandra Placket.

Just as she picked her phone up again, she heard a key in the door.

*****

Karen was startled when she opened the door and found Yvonne standing just feet away. “Christ Yvonne, you scared the shit out of me!”

Yvonne released the tension that had been building within her for the past hour and shouted back in the same tone. “Where the hell have you been?”

Having been through an ordeal and not liking Yvonne’s tone in the least bit she angrily retorted: “I’m an adult. I can come and go as I please. And I certainly don’t have to answer to YOU!”

The last part of Karen’s statement really hit Yvonne. With defeat in her voice she quietly replied, “No you’re right. You don’t.” She then turned and headed for her room.

When she realized how harsh she had sounded, Karen called to Yvonne, “Wait a minute.”

Yvonne stopped, but didn’t turn around.

“’Vonne, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it must have sounded. I’ve just had a hellacious few hours with a flat tire, a flat spare and an annoying tow truck driver. I was already on edge when I walked in and you startled me at the wrong time.”

Yvonne turned around. “Karen you scared me. I was afraid something happened to you.”

“Yvonne, how the hell did you ever survive being married to Charlie?”

“Because I was never in love with him like I am with you.” The second the words slipped out Yvonne wanted to call them back. Judging from the shocked look on Karen’s face, she figured Karen wanted them called back as well. Not knowing what else to do, Yvonne turned and headed for her room again.

Karen was shocked by Yvonne’s declaration. She was speechless – until Yvonne turned to leave the room. Then in her best wing governor voice she shouted: “Freeze Atkins. Now!”

With visceral instinct, Yvonne stopped dead in her tracks. She had crossed a line and now she was going to pay for it.

Still standing where she was Karen spoke in a soft voice. “Yvonne, you don’t get to drop a bomb like that and then run away.”

Not wanting Karen to see the tears that streamed down her cheeks, Yvonne stayed in place and replied carefully: “I didn’t mean to throw a bomb.”

Karen walked over to Yvonne. Gently she turned her around so that they were facing each other.

“From the look on your face, I’d say it took both of us by surprise.” Placing her fingers under Yvonne’s chin so that they were looking eye-to-eye, she asked: “Did you mean it?”

“Does it matter?” Yvonne asked quietly.

“Of course it matters.”

A panicked Yvonne pleaded: “Karen, I know I’ve crossed a line here. Please don’t let this ruin our friendship. You’re the most important person in my life.”

Karen gently wiped the tears from her friend’s cheeks. “You’re the most important person in my life too. You’ve just really surprised me here; blown me away in fact. Yvonne, in a few weeks, when this is all over, you can have almost any man or woman in this city or any other city for that matter. You’re beautiful, smart, funny, rich, and you may fight the image, but I know first-hand how kind you are. You don’t need a multiple loser like me. You deserve so much more than someone on a civil servant’s salary who can’t treat you the way you deserve.”

“Is this your version of the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech?”

“Christ no! Yvonne, you deserve so much better. You’re just selling yourself short because of what you’ve been through the last few years.”

Reading between the lines, Yvonne realized that the issue was indeed Karen. And the main issue wasn’t sexual preference, or even Yvonne; it was how Karen felt about Karen.

“Karen can we sit down and talk for a few minutes?”

“Sure,”said Karen, taking Yvonne’s hand she led her to the couch. “Red or white?”

“White would be nice.”

Karen guided Yvonne to sit down and went to the kitchen to get the wine. When she returned with the freshly-opened bottle and two glasses Yvonne asked: “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Always let me pick the color of the wine we drink?”

“I don’t.”

“Yes you do. I have selected the wine that we have had every time since I got here,” Yvonne responded gently.

“Really, I had no idea,” said Karen, surprised.

“It just occurred to me as well.”

“I guess I’m a better host than I thought.”

“Karen, you are more than a wonderful host. But you always put others first. A few minutes ago when you were telling me I could do better I thought you were just trying to be kind while blowing me off. Now, I’m not sure.”

“Yvonne, I’m serious, you can do better! And you deserve better.” Lightening the mood she continued: “I meant it. When you’re not dressed as an ugly hooker, you’re beautiful, fun, generous and loyal. Anyone would be lucky to have you.”

Confronting the elephant in the room head on: “Then why not you?”

Leaning forward, Karen put her head in her hands. Softly she whispered, “I don’t know.”

Yvonne sat silently sipping her wine. After a few minutes of silence Karen looked up at her and asked, “Why me?”

“For the first time in my life I know what being in love, I mean really being in love, feels like; and you’re the one. I guess the saying is true, we can’t help who we fall in love with.”

“Yvonne, I do know that I’ve never been happier in my life than I’ve been since you moved in here.”

“Really?” It was Yvonne’s turn to be surprised by a revelation.”

“Really. I just don’t know what it means - other than I don’t want to lose you from my life.”

“Karen, I don’t want to lose you either. The question is what the hell do we do about it?”

“I have absolutely no idea.”

TBC

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thebadbunch
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this was a really a emotional and sweet chapter I enjoyed the emotions between Yvonne and Karen I hope they get to h :dazzler ave a happy ending too.
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taptap
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I just can't see Karen and Yvonne nothing more than good friends... Yvonne was WAY into men to ever cross over, IMO.
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Carissa
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Hi TapTap,
Thanks for reading. Regarding Yvonne, time will tell.
c
:doinnails
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getter
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Oh, what a day! :)
*starts reading the new updates.

Thank you, Carissa! :) :friends2
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getter
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Oh, boy! By the way I like the way Karen and Yvonne are going now. Thank you, Carissa! :)

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getter
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Posted Image







no update yet.


Ok, I come back later Posted Image
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Carissa
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Working on next chapters. Thanks for your patience.
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Carissa
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Sorry for the extended delay. I'd like to thank my wonderful beta Julie for all of her great help. Any errors or omissions or stupidity is mine and mine alone. :)


CHAPTER 19
The following Sunday there was another brunch at Karen’s. This time the diners included Karen, Yvonne, Nikki, Helen, Trish and Zandra Plackett.

The purpose of the luncheon was to bounce ideas around about how to find the man with the moustache, and what they should do once they found him. Finding out what he looked like was the first of many steps that would be needed to resolve the situation.

Yvonne started by outlining her plan. “I am going to continue doing what I’ve been doing and when my street sister Darla spots the guy, I’m going to follow him under the guise that he looks familiar and I want to know if he’s who I think he is.”

Karen’s brow creased in concern. “Yvonne you need to be careful, this guy could be dangerous.”

Yvonne conceded the point: “Zandra, I need someone to cover my back while I’m following this creep; how best would you recommend I do that?”

“I can put a small tracking chip in your bra or a shoe, but that would only be really helpful if you were separated from your phone which already has one. It helps us narrow down a neighborhood, not pinpoint a location. Hopefully you’ll be able to text Helen and I your whereabouts as you’re following him. I would also recommend you set your phone to delete the texts as they are sent in case someone finds it. There’s an app for that I will send to you.”

Yvonne smiled: “Sounds like a plan.”

Zandra continued, “I’ll also give you a small low-light camera to carry with you so that if possible you are able to get a photograph of him. It too will have a tracking chip in it. My suggestion would be to hide the camera somewhere so you aren’t caught carrying it. You or one of our people can go back and pick it up later.”

Helen interjected, “I like many of the safety aspects of this, but I’m still concerned about Yvonne getting caught following this guy. I can send a backup team out to relieve her as soon as I get her initial text. That will minimize her chance of being caught. But it’s not foolproof.”

Step two they figured would be having Zandra join the street-walking contingent waiting for the man to reappear in the neighborhood. She would have a Scotland Yard backup team stationed nearby to ensure her safety.
The plan was that Zandra would approach the man saying she had been told that he had been offering to pay the other girls in heroin. She would claim to be a petty drug dealer who supplied some of the girls and their johns. She would offer to pay him to hook her up with his supplier, anticipating that instead he would offer to retail to her at a discount himself, so he could get a piece of the new action. Either way would work for the police, because they would be able to better determine the man’s position in the organization based on his reply. To add credibility, she would negotiate hard with him for better pricing than he was offering and would need a small sample—that she was willing to pay for—to assure what she was buying was up to standards. She would not be wearing a wire and would have a several plastic bags of pills on her person in case he got suspicious. It would be Yvonne’s job to text the backup team so that they could follow him when he left.

Zandra explained further: “This operation is far too sophisticated to be run by just one person. I’m more interested in where he leads us. He may or may not be a big fish in the organization, but he most certainly isn’t the only one swimming around. Getting him won’t necessarily tell us how the drugs are getting into Larkhall—the odds of him ratting out his business partners is rather slim given how ruthless these folks tend to be toward snitches. We need to see where he leads us.”

“You’re dead right on the snitch thing, pardon the pun,” quipped Yvonne.

“Zandra I assume you’ll need three teams from me for a 24-hour tail?” confirmed Helen.

“Two could do it, but since we don’t know how long the assignment could last three would be ideal. The issue will be if he leads us to someone else we need to tail simultaneously. This could really drain your manpower,” noted Zandra.
“If it becomes a problem we’ll hire private and bill you for it.” Helen replied matter-of-factly.

*****

The next few weeks yielded only one close call with the man with the moustache. Yvonne’s ‘friend’, Darla, saw him the night Yvonne went home early with a headache. Yvonne then proceeded to spend the next few days kicking herself for her lapse.

Sitting home one Monday evening shortly after the near miss, Karen and Yvonne were having dinner as Karen tried to convince Yvonne that she’d get another shot at the guy.

Karen gestured to her friend with her fork, “Yvonne, you can’t keep kicking yourself for missing the guy. You’ve been out there five or six nights a week for several months, this first time just wasn’t meant to be.”

“Karen, what if it’s never meant to be?”

Concerned she replied, “When did you start thinking like that?”

“Don’t listen to me, I’m just frustrated.”

Karen reached over and put her hand on Yvonne’s. “You have more right than anyone to be discouraged by how tedious this investigation has become. But you also have to remember, that you have done everything you can to move it forward. My guess is that these problems didn’t develop overnight, and we’re not going to get them solved overnight either. Why don’t you take a few days off and recharge?”

Yvonne replied more sharply than she intended. “Karen, you’ve seen what happens when I just take half a night off.”

She regretted her sharp tone instantly, but before she could say anything else Karen turned their hands which were still together on the table and intertwined their fingers. Softly she asked, “Hey you, what’s really up?”

Shaking her head Yvonne said quietly, “I don’t know. I guess I’m just out of sorts these days.”

“Being in love really sucks sometimes doesn’t it?”

Yvonne was surprised by Karen’s forthrightness on the subject. Neither had mentioned the issue since the night of Yvonne’s revelation.

Seeing the shock on Yvonne’s face Karen continued. “Just because I haven’t said anything about it, doesn’t mean that I have been able to get it - or you - out of my mind.”

A somewhat relieved Yvonne questioned, “Really?”

“Really.”

Yvonne dared to ask, “And what’s been on your mind?”

“You of all people know, that my love life has a track record from hell. My relationships have been one train wreck after another. With Ross’s father at least, I have the excuse that we were just both too young. But young and stupid only takes me so far. I’ve made a lot of bad choices.”

“If it matters any from what I see, those are the only bad choices you’ve made,” said Yvonne firmly.

“You managed to get an education and had two impressive careers while raising a child on your own.” Tongue planted firmly in cheek she concluded, “Other than befriending a gang moll in prison, you seem to have most areas of your life together, she quipped.

Smiling at her friend’s comment, Karen continued, “It appears befriending the gang moll was one of my better choices.”

“Ok, that’s just plain sad, laughed Yvonne. “You know you and I are alike in a lot of ways. We’re our own worst critics and have put up with crap we didn’t deserve from our partners. And we’re both fully capable of taking care of ourselves but we still measured our self-worth based on how the men in our lives viewed us.”

“You’re right. What the fuck is up with that?”

“I think you’ve ended up with all of those losers because you think you deserved them.”

“Yvonne, I’m not that twisted.”

“No Karen, hear me out. I really have thought a lot about this.”

“Am I going to need another glass of wine for this?”

“Hell it couldn’t hurt. I’ll go get another bottle and put these plates into the dishwasher.”

“I’ll help.”

“No you go sit. You cooked, I’ll clean. It will only take a few minutes anyway. Why don’t you go through the mail and I’ll meet you in the living room.”

*****

Several minutes later Yvonne and Karen were sitting side-by-side on the couch, holding glasses, with their bare feet propped on the coffee table next to an open bottle of wine. Karen was the first to speak.

“So, Doctor Atkins, you’ve spent some time analyzing my love life?”

“I have indeed.”

“And your verdict is that I deserved all those jerks?”

“No Ms Betts. What I said was that YOU THINK you deserved those jerks. I don’t think you deserved them at all.”

A somewhat confused Karen responded, “Ok.”

Turning toward her friend and tucking her legs under herself on the couch Yvonne continued, “Do you remember your response after my slip the other night?”

“That you could have anybody you wanted?”

“That, and I quote, ‘you don’t need a multiple loser like me.’ You then proceeded to tell me that I could do so much better than you.”

“Yvonne it’s true!”

“For one, I don’t believe that for a minute and I never will. And two, don’t you think your believing that you don’t deserve to be happy with even an ex-convict gang-moll says something about your self-esteem. If you really believe that deep down; no wonder you’ve made so many bad choices!”

The simple truth of Yvonne’s statement couldn’t be denied. Karen didn’t respond. She just laid her head on the back of the couch and closed her eyes.
Sensing that the other woman needed time, Yvonne remained quiet.

After some time had passed, Yvonne finally spoke again, “Can I ask what you’re thinking?”

Karen rolled her head to the side and looked at Yvonne. “I was wondering where the hell you were when I was 20 and began making all of those dumbass decisions.”
Yvonne laughed, “Making one huge one of my own unfortunately.”

“Maybe I’m just another bad decision of yours.”

“Karen, you weren’t a decision. I don’t even know when my feelings started changing from platonic to romantic. All I know is that when you’re not here I miss you and that when you bent over to pull that big pot out of the cabinet when you were making dinner tonight and gave me that nice view of your cleavage I had to leave the room.”

Surprised, “That’s why you went out for a walk in the dark?”

“That’s why I went for a walk in the cold without any jacket.”

Karen blushed.

“God, you’re adorable when you’re self-conscious.”

Karen blushed even more.

*****

The following night Yvonne decided against Karen’s suggesting of taking some time off. She wanted to move forward and get the investigation over with. She felt that as long as she had this issue hanging over her, and Karen for that matter, she wouldn’t be able to truly move on with her life.

She also missed her children. She had spoken with them a few times since they had left, and while they were productively moving on with their lives she was beginning to feel stuck.

Yvonne had had a lot of time to think during the past many weeks and she was really stumped about what she should do with her life now. She knew that being a lady of leisure was out of the question, after her time at Larkhall. Even now with a serious project to work on, she was finding herself bored during the down times when she was alone.

Once the case was resolved she realized she would have more freedom to alleviate the boredom; but Yvonne also knew that shopping and spa treatments weren’t going to fill the bill like they had in the past.

And then there was the issue of Karen. Other than her children, she had never had such strong feelings for another person. She had enjoyed a one-time lesbian fling in prison, but there weren’t any real emotions involved. It was just sex and comfort. It had initially shocked her that she could have a sexual response toward another woman, but she had just written it off as having had enough of men and, being a sexual creature by nature, choosing any port in a storm. Now she wasn’t so sure—there were times when all she could think of was what a naked Karen would feel like in her arms.

Yvonne was in deep now and she desperately hoped that Karen’s feelings would reach the same level and keep her from drowning.

How had she gotten herself in so much trouble only being out of prison for a few months?

*****

Tuesday was a rather quiet night on the streets compared to Wednesday through Saturday and Yvonne used this lack of activity to her benefit by getting to know the area better. When she arrived at her usual corner, Darla was nowhere to be found so the former inmate decided to investigate behind the businesses in the neighborhood. She was curious as to what doorways were in use during the evening hours when normal business deliveries didn’t take place.

For the most part it appeared that the back doors to the restaurants and clubs were being used by employees to come out and grab a smoke during their breaks. By the time of night that she was in the neighborhood most of the shops had closed for the day and the flats above the businesses had fire escapes and didn’t appear to have full entryways from the back.

Her tour did show her how easy it would be for one of those employees to move drugs from one restaurant or club to another via the rear door. She decided to ask Nikki if their club had cameras that pointed toward the rear door.
When she returned to her corner, Darla hadn’t yet showed up, giving Yvonne time to ponder her conversation with Karen the night before.

She was relieved that Karen didn’t appear to be dismissing her feelings and she saw the fact that Karen blushed when she had told her reaction to copping a peak at her cleavage a hopeful sign. She wondered what she should do next.
Given that Karen had so many creeps in her past who didn’t treat her well, Yvonne figured that her best chance would be through old fashioned wooing. Unfortunately, her options were somewhat constrained by the fact that she couldn’t go out in the London area without wearing a disguise and when the two of them were out together they both had to wear disguises. That meant the wining and dining would have to take place at home.
The more she thought about her idea the more excited she became. Karen deserved to be treated like a queen, and Yvonne would be the one to do so Operation Queen Karen would begin in the morning.
As Yvonne finalized her plan, Darla arrived and another uneventful night began.

TBC--sooner this time I promise
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Carissa
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CHAPTER 20

A week later they finally had a break in the case. Yvonne and Darla were chatting near the end of the evening when Darla saw the man with the moustache emerge from a nearby restaurant. Yvonne told Darla that he looked familiar and she wanted to see if he was who she thought he was.

Yvonne carefully followed the man to a lower quality establishment up the street. He was walking with his head down and his hands in his pockets. Yvonne wasn’t close enough to get a peek at his face when he walked under a street light, but managed to catch a glimpse of him as he ducked down an alleyway. Stepping up her pace so she wouldn’t lose him, she then came to a dead stop to make sure he wasn’t still in the alley before she entered.

When she reached the far end of the alley she had to slow down again to make sure she wasn’t seen as she entered the back street. Breathing heavily from her quick pace and nerves, Yvonne looked around the corner, spotted a trash dumpster a few feet to her left and ducked behind it for better cover. The man was about twenty feet away banging on a door in the back of the building. When the door opened a light above it turned on and Yvonne could see and hear her suspect as he spoke to another man on the opposite side of the doorway.

“Do you have my money?”

The voice sent a cold shiver up Yvonne’s spine. Then a hand with an envelope was shoved out of the building and when the man with the moustache turned toward the overhead light to count it Yvonne nearly fainted at the sight.

*****

Yvonne didn’t know how she was going to break the news to Karen. When she got home Karen was dozing on the couch as she often did while waiting for Yvonne to come home. As she entered the room, Karen woke up and groggily asked how the night had gone.

Stalling for time, Yvonne told Karen that she’d learned something new, but wanted to take a shower before they sat down to talk about it. Karen agreed.
Yvonne was more shaken by what she discovered than she realized. She had a chill that even the hot shower couldn’t dissipate. She was very worried about how Karen was going to respond to her discovery.

When the hot water of the shower began to turn tepid, she realized that she couldn’t delay the moment of truth any longer. She exited the shower, and towel-dried and brushed her hair before pulling on a pair of jeans and a jumper and met Karen in the living room.

Karen was concerned about how pale Yvonne looked. “Yvonne, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I wish that was all it was.”

“What’d you find out?”

Yvonne responded, “Red or White?”

“Yvonne, your evasiveness is making me nervous.”

“Karen, I’m little shaken.” Carrying two glasses and a bottle to the couch she cryptically continued, “I can’t believe I missed it.”

Taking a glass of wine from her roommate Karen asked, “What are you talking about?”

Yvonne took a deep breath to fortify herself before she continued: “Karen, the man with the moustache is the one we are looking for. I saw him collecting money tonight.”

“Yvonne that’s wonderful,” said Karen excitedly.

The look on Yvonne’s face told Karen there was more to the story.

“What’s the catch?”

Yvonne knew she had to share the information, but was afraid of how it would affect her friend. Finally she summoned her courage and just spoke plainly, “Karen, it’s Fenner.”

Karen was momentarily stunned. When she finally spoke she said, “You must be mistaken.”

Yvonne reached over and took Karen’s hands in her own. “Honey, you know me better than that.”

A visibly shaken Karen quietly asked the obvious, “He’s been doing it right under our noses?”

“Apparently,” was Yvonne’s equally subdued reply. “I would know that misogynistic bastard’s voice anywhere. Combine that with his ugly puss and there’s no doubt, even with that cheesy moustache.”

Karen jumped up and began pacing the room. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! Right under my goddamned nose! Serena Marks is dead because I’m a fucking idiot.”

Yvonne got up and wrapped her arms around Karen from the back to stop her nervous movement. “Hey, stop that. Serena is dead because SHE made a lot of mistakes in her life, ended up in prison and while she was there SHE chose to make another one by shooting herself up. That’s ALL on her. NONE of that is on you.”

“If I hadn’t let the drugs get on the wing, she wouldn’t have been able to shoot herself up.”

Karen tried to pull away from Yvonne, but Yvonne tightened her hold. Leaning close to Karen’s ear she whispered, “Fenner killed Serena.”

“Fenner killed Serena because I didn’t stop him,” sobbed Karen. She continued to struggle and finally yelled at Yvonne, “Let go of me.”

Yvonne put her head on Karen’s shoulder. “Karen I’m not letting go until you stop blaming yourself for Fenner's actions - AGAIN!”

Yvonne’s statement knocked the wind out of Karen and she stopped struggling. Yvonne waited a moment before saying, “Karen, you weren’t responsible then and you’re not responsible now. This is him and not you. Please stop owning bad things that aren’t yours.”

Karen started to cry again, “She was so young. I was supposed to protect her.”

“Karen you did all you could. There are a bunch of us working on this case and it’s taken this long to find him. There’s only so much any one person can do.”

“Yvonne protecting the women in my care is my responsibility. I know what an evil bastard Fenner is and it never even occurred to me to look at him. I failed Serena,” she said tearfully.

“Karen, I know what a bastard he is as well as you do and I didn’t think to look at him either. Are you saying that this is my fault as well?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why is it your fault? Serena was my friend and I didn’t even know she was using. That makes me a pretty shitty friend.”

Karen starts getting angry, “Yvonne, STOP IT!”

Yvonne released her hold on Karen and walked around to face her. “Karen don’t you get it? I can’t stop it. Standing here listening to the woman I’m in love with chastising herself for a death that wasn’t her fault is painful to watch. If this is your fault, then it’s mine as well. We both knew Fenner was a scummy prick and we both had responsibilities to Serena. We BOTH did what we could. By blaming yourself you are letting that asshole off the hook. I’m not willing to do that. If Serena’s death is on your hands it’s on mine as well and I absolutely refuse to take blame for ANY of Jim Fenner’s deeds. Are you asking me to?” she challenged.

Karen fell silent as the logic of what her friend was saying finally sank in. Eventually, she spoke, “Jesus Yvonne, why does every awful, dark and twisted road lead back to Fenner?”

“Because my friend, he’s an awful, dark and twisted mother-fucking sociopath. I’m not even sure we can blame his parents for that; but I do know one thing for sure. Neither of us is responsible for what’s happened here. We can, however, be the ones who finally stop him.”

Through gritted teeth she continued, “Karen I promise you, he’s not getting away this time. I am going to personally see that he’s strung up by the balls for hurting you, killing Serena and every other evil act he has ever even contemplated. You can take that to the bank.”

*****

Eleven o’clock the following morning found Yvonne, Karen, Helen, Nikki, Trisha and Zandra Plackett drinking coffee and tea and eating scones around Karen’s dining room table as Yvonne shared with the group what she had learned the previous night. Karen used her consulting excuse and stayed away from Larkhall for the day to participate in the meeting. That and the fact that at the moment she didn’t trust herself around her crooked officer would keep her away from the office the entire day.

When the news was revealed, it was Nikki’s turn to get up and pace about the room. “Friggin’ Fenner!” Repeatedly running her fingers through her cropped hair, as she paced she continued with her-expletive laced tirade, “I can’t fucking believe what this bastard gets away with.”

“Nikki, if we continue to work together, and play this by the book; we can assure that he doesn’t get away with this.” Reassured Zandra.

Trish interjected, “Nik, do you think one of our people is in on this?”

“I don’t want to believe that, but we can’t discount it given the syringes we’ve found.”

“Would it be ok if I ran background checks on all of your employees?” Helen inquired.

“I’m ok with it if Nikki is,” responded Trish.

“I’ll bring the information home with me tonight honey,” was Nikki’s quick reply.

Zandra looked up from the pad she was taking notes on and stated, “If we do find someone at Chix who is involved, I’d like to try to use them to set Fenner up. From what you folks have said about him, there’s no doubt that he knows who owns the place and my bet is that his twisted ego would take great satisfaction in having a person inside over there.”

“I’m sure you’re right Zandra. He might have even targeted Chix as a distribution point just to screw with Nikki. I would bet that he’s hoping there will eventually be some incident that jeopardizes the club’s license,” reasoned an increasingly agitated Helen.

“Shit. That hadn’t even occurred to me,” sighed a dejected Nikki.

“It would have in a few minutes,” consoled Helen.

Nikki walked back and rejoined the others sitting at the table. “So what’s the plan?” She asked.

Zandra put her pen down as she began speaking, “Well, for one, Yvonne’s street walking days are over. We can’t afford the chance that he recognizes her. That and we don’t know if he’s working with someone else from Larkhall who could also recognize her.”

“I can’t believe my ugly hooker days are over. Just like that. In the prime of my career.” quipped Yvonne.

When the women’s laughter died down, Zandra continued, “I know it must seem like a devastating professional set back; but Yvonne, I’m sure you can find something else with equal prestige. After all look how fast you moved from street sweeper to street walker. My dear, you have such potential!”

When the second burst of laughter died down, Zandra got serious. “I think that we need to get professionals involved on the street from here forward. I don’t want to see anyone getting hurt. Fenner can’t be doing this alone. He has to have a supplier and until we know who that is, we don’t know how big this is. Nikki and Trish, would you be willing to have one of Helen’s officers pose as an employee at Chix?”

The club owners looked at each other and nodded in unison.

“What type of employee would have the most freedom of movement and interaction with the others?”

“We could bring someone on as a floating waitress fill-in bartender. That way they’d be able to mingle among the patrons and have reasons to go out back and downstairs to empty trash and get supplies,” answered Trish.

“Sounds good to me” agreed Nikki.

“Ok that takes care of the Chix angle. I’m also thinking that we should plant another person at the club that Yvonne saw Fenner at the other night.”
Karen asked, “Yvonne, do you know which establishment it was?”

“I’m pretty sure I do, but we should take a run by there this afternoon while Fenner is at work just to confirm from the front that it’s the place I think it is.”

“It’s back to our disguises I guess,” answers Karen.

“Helen, do you have an officer who could pass as a waitress or bartender starting tonight or tomorrow night at Chix?”

“Make sure she’s hot,” implored Trish.

“Things been a little dry lately Trisha?” teased Nikki.

Tongue planted in cheek her ex-partner replied, “You could say that; literally.”

Helen smiled and shook her head at the interaction between Nikki and Trish, “Ok, one hot waitress-bartender to go by tomorrow night at the latest. I’ll get to work on it when I get back to the office.”

“Can you also find me a replacement hooker, Helen?” queried Zandra.

“Sure. I’m sure we have at least one professional fake hooker in vice,” Helen chuckled.

*****

After everyone left, Karen decided to use part of the afternoon for grocery shopping. She was surprised by the extensive list Yvonne gave her, but figured now that Yvonne was off of the streets she’d have more time on her hands to spend in the kitchen.

That night she and Yvonne watched a movie before retiring to bed relatively early. Both were rather tired from the late emotional night before.
Around 2 am Yvonne was awoken suddenly; by what she didn’t know. The longer she lived at Karen’s, the better her sleep had become and it wasn’t until finally getting some good quality sleep that she realized how bone-weary she had become in Larkhall; having to be alert even in sleep wasn’t productive rest she decided.
When she heard a noise coming from Karen’s room she realized what must have woken her.

As she continued to listen it appeared that Karen was under duress. She quickly climbed out of bed and walked down the hall. The door was closed so she knocked, but there was no response.

She heard the noise again; either Karen was having sex with someone or she was having a nightmare! Assuming it was the latter, she tried knocking loudly one more time and when there was still no reply she let herself into the room leaving the door ajar so that there was illumination from the hallway.

When her eyes became adjusted to the subdued light, she was heartbroken to see Karen tossing and turning with tears rolling down her cheeks as her barely coherent words begged someone or something to stop, over and over again.

Knowing from her Larkhall days how tricky it was to wake someone up from a traumatic nightmare, Yvonne approached Karen’s bed cautiously. Positioning herself near the head of the bed so she wouldn’t be accidentally struck, she reached down and gently shook Karen’s shoulder as she said, “Karen, it’s ok. Wake up. It’s just a nightmare.”

Two subsequent similar attempts made no difference. So she shook harder and spoke louder the next time; also to no avail. It actually seemed as though touching her friend was making the nightmare worse. She decided that she needed to turn on the bedside lamp, and this time shouted at Karen to wake up.

This seemed to have an effect on her friend. The tossing and turning subsided as did the incoherent speech.

Yvonne tried again to speak to Karen. “Karen love, I need you to wake up. You’ve been having a nightmare.”

Gradually Karen opened her eyes and saw Yvonne standing next to her at the head of the bed. Groggily she asked, “Yvonne what are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

“Sweetie, you were having a nightmare.”

Karen plopped back on the pillow. Oh shit; they’re back again.”

Surprised Yvonne inquired, “This is an ongoing problem?”

“It was. I thought I was done with them.”

Sitting on the side of the bed Yvonne asked, “Wanna talk about it?”

Karen didn’t answer immediately. Eventually she conceded rubbing her eyes wearily, “Not particularly, but I probably should.”

Yvonne waited in patient silence; her eyes never leaving Karen’s tear-stained face. Finally Karen spoke, so quietly that Yvonne had to strain to hear the words. “I started having the nightmares after Fenner raped me.”

Yvonne held her temper and her tongue, and simply nodded, encouraging her friend to continue.

“For a long time, they came once or twice a night. Then as time passed they finally became less frequent. I don’t think I’ve had one since the week before you moved in.”

“Do you think our finding out Fenner was behind the Larkhall drugs brought them back?”

“No doubt. This one was so much worse though. He had handcuffed me to the door of your cell and was raping YOU in front of me. I couldn’t help you.” She started sobbing again.

“Yvonne reached over and took Karen in her arms. “It’s ok sweetheart, Fenner’s never going to touch either one of us again. Zandra and Helen will see to that.”
“I’ve seen him get away with far too much to believe it until I see him led out of court in leg shackles.”
“I understand. But you do realize that we’re all going to be ok, don’t you?”

“Yvonne, after this last nightmare, I’m not sure I can go back to Larkhall. What am I going to do?”

“Is it because you don’t trust yourself around him or because you’re afraid of him?”

“Both.”

Yvonne pondered the situation for a moment then spoke “Perhaps Helen could provide you a protective person who could pose under the guise of shadowing you for a news story or doing an internship for a local University? They might even be able to get something on Fenner from the inside.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Karen, have you thought about seeing a professional about the nightmares? You never got any counseling after the rape, maybe it would help you.” encouraged Yvonne gently.

“I thought about it when they first started, but I was so ashamed. My own boyfriend believed I had asked for it and hadn’t been raped at all.”

“Karen he was an ass. Please don’t let his being such a jerk stop you from getting counseling that could help you.”

“I know you’re right. I couldn’t bear these to becoming a regular occurrence again. It got to the point before where I wasn’t even able to fall asleep at night. I’ll have to find a therapist to talk to. Perhaps between therapy and this investigation putting Fenner behind bars of his own, I can put him and all of this behind me for good.”

“That’s my girl.” Yvonne stood to leave.

In a tremulous voice Karen asked, “Yvonne?”

Realizing that her friend might be a little nervous about falling back to sleep after such a bad nightmare, Yvonne replied softly, “Do you want me to stay until you fall back to sleep?”

Hesitantly Karen replied, “Could you just stay? I don’t want it to come back.”

Yvonne knew that it took Karen a lot to ask this of her and she was touched. Lightening the mood she replied, “Sure; you don’t snore or anything, do you?”

“Not that I know of.”

Karen slid over and Yvonne climbed into the bed. Karen turned on her side facing away and Yvonne hesitated then put her arm gently over the other woman’s middle. “Is that better?” she asked softly.

A relieved Karen answered, “Yes.”

They were both sound asleep within minutes.

TBC
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