Brigit Pt. 04: Christmas Debt

Who had contact with Bronwen who was not local? They soon made the connection to Deirdre and Raymond Johnson. With that information getting our address was easy. For several days a couple of local men had been watching our house with binoculars from a distance. They had seen Anna before and after her makeover. They knew, so Justin's family knew. All they were waiting for was Justin himself to be out on bail.

The watchers had overestimated their own abilities. Although we had not seen them, they were from the estates and didn't understand the countryside. As they watched, they were watched too. Their connection to Justin's family was known.

+++

In the morning I drove Anna to the county police headquarters. We met my solicitor in the car park. I, Anna and my solicitor were taken into a small conference room set up for a recorded interview. My solicitor had already agreed with the police that Anna would not be charged with any offence in exchange for the information she would give.

And give she did, chapter and verse, street names, real names, addresses, alternate addresses, land line and mobile numbers, hundreds of text messages from her mobile's memory...

We had to break for lunch at one o'clock. We resumed at two. We finished, eventually, at half past four but they would need Anna to testify in court when Justin and his associates were tried.

The police told us that the scientific evidence about Justin's link to the drugs found in the storage depot might be available within the next 48 hours. If it was, and it proved that Justin had handled those drugs he would be re-arrested and this time he would not be bailed. Anna's information would need to be evaluated and a massive simultaneous police raid at dozens of addresses would happen. That raid might be possible in a couple of days but would need a senior policeman's authority.

But Justin had been released on bail. He was still required to observe the bail conditions and the injunction issued that said he must stay away from Anna. Whether he would keep the conditions? None of us believed that he would.

Anna was worried that we had left Deirdre on her own. What if Justin came? I reassured her. Biddie was at a birthday party and Deirdre was hosting a committee meeting about domestic abuse. If Justin came he would be met by a dozen angry women who had begun to see just how much damage Justin had done to their community.

We arrived back home just after Biddie had been brought back from the birthday party. Anna went straight into childminder mode, taking Biddie into the kitchen to hear Biddie's excited account of the party. The committee meeting took Biddie's arrival as the signal to end their discussions. They had finished the scheduled agenda half an hour ago and had been enjoying a general moan about their men folk. That didn't stop all of them from giving me a hug and kiss. Deirdre was amused. Many of those at the meeting had good reason to hate men but apparently I was acceptable.

When they had gone I told Deirdre that Justin was out on bail. We had expected it. We had hoped that he would have been remanded in custody. We thought he didn't know that Anna was with us so our concerns weren't immediate.

After our evening meal we were sitting in the living room talking about what had happened at police headquarters and Deirdre's committee meeting. I had switched the CCTV to our largish TV screen. About nine o'clock I saw movement outside. I enlarged the feed from that camera.

"Here he comes," I said. "Anna, please go up to Biddie. She might be woken up. Deirdre? Ring the police. Tell them..."

"What are you going to do, Raymond?" Deirdre asked as she picked up the phone.

"Confront him, of course. See you."

I opened the front door and went outside, shutting it behind me. The security lights came on as I stepped beyond the porch. Justin was blinded temporarily. He waved the sledgehammer he was carrying.

"I've come for that bitch Anna!" he shouted.

"You've got to get past me," I retorted.

He rushed at me. I swivelled, ducking under the hammer. I hit him in the solar plexus as he passed. As he turned I floored him with a leg sweep. He dropped the hammer as he fell. As he tried to get up I hit his raised arm. He rolled, pushed himself upright and rushed at me again. He ran straight into my raised fist, breaking his nose. He tried to grab me. A chop from my right hand broke one of his arms. He tried to hit me with the other arm. I broke that too.

A group of men came up the drive. They didn't look as if they were threatening me. Their hands were spread wide.

"Thank you, Mr Johnson," the man in the leads said. "We'll take over from here. Come on Justin. You've some questions to answer..."

Two of the men grabbed Justin by his broken arms. They started to drag him away. Behind them a set of floodlights switched on.

A police inspector walked forwards.

"Gentlemen, you don't want to be on charges of assault, do you? Mr Johnson was defending his wife and family so self-defence applies. I know you mean well, but leave it to the police this time, please?"

In the floodlights I had recognised that the group of men were from the travellers' site where Lonny had died. Their leader gave a signal to the men holding Justin. They dropped him to the ground. He screamed in pain.

"All yours, inspector," their leader said. "He might prefer a cell to what we might have done to him. But he'll need medical attention first. Mr Johnson gave him the first instalment of what he deserves."

The travellers melted away into the darkness. The police inspector read Justin his rights before he was put on a stretcher and carried away. A policeman put Justin's sledge hammer into an evidence bag.

"Thank you, Mr Johnson," the inspector said. He looked past me. "And thank you Mrs Johnson and Anna. Justin was the last of our arrests this evening. We have thirty persons of interest in custody facing an interesting collection of charges."

He turned to walk away. He stopped by his car. He reached inside and produced a large and heavy carrier bag.

"I forgot," he said walking back to us and stopping in front of Anna. "Before Justin was released on bail today he gave a statement about the money we found. He said and wrote, and his statement was witnessed, that the money wasn't his, but yours, Anna. I think he wanted to make sure that it wasn't claimed as the proceeds of crime, and perhaps he could persuade you to give it back later. But there will be no later. Justin is going to jail for a very long time. Here you are."

He gave the bag of money to Anna.

"Thank you," she said.

"My pleasure." The inspector walked back to his car and drove away.

+++

Of course it took months before Justin and his drug dealing associates were tried, convicted and jailed. Justin received thirty-five years with a recommendation that he should not be considered for release for twenty. He was convicted of being a regional drug supplier and for two cases of murder of rival drug dealers. As a minor aside he had to pay for the damage to Anna's former flat.

I wish I could say that the estates were clear of drug-dealing and gangs. They're not but they are less of a threat now Justin and his group are gone.

Christmas is coming again. The spectre of debt still haunts many of the people on the estates. We have helped but debt will still be a problem for years. There is more hope now. Perhaps that's all we could achieve.

Anna's former boyfriend Darren supported her throughout Justin's trial. The death of his friend was enough for him to decide to change from motorcycle racing to being a motorcycle mechanic with his own shop. We hope they will marry before next Christmas. Darren loves Anna for the person she is. So do we. So does Biddie, our little Brigit.

As for the Goddess Brigit? After Christmas I think she has something else for us to sort out for her. Worshipping Brigit gives me more and more tasks.

Deirdre had been startled by what I had done to Justin. Why not? I had been a Captain in the Royal Marine Commandos in my youth. Breaking Justin's arms had been simple. And I enjoyed doing it. It was some repayment for the debt he owed Anna.

The End