[Sunday Evening]
The Chief Constable was looking very awkward and uneasy. Assembled in front of her were eight officers, all clad in black and looking eager to get the job done.

Dido had just finished briefing the team about the property and, in particular, the cellar. That in itself was unusual. To have a ‘civilian’ basically running the operation was the main cause of that unease, but even she had to agree that, because Dido knew the lay of the land both inside and outside the house, she should be the best person to brief the team. So far, Dido had handled the briefing as if it were something that she did every day of the week. That impressed her. She didn’t know that she’d been coached by John on how to do a raid briefing before she became a student. It was part of getting her to understand how a raid was organised. That training came back to her when it was decided that she should be the one to brief the team on the raid. Her firsthand knowledge of the important parts of the house was the key to the success of this operation.

Dido’s level of confidence in the success of the operation had gone down well with the team despite her being a civilian. That was mostly down to her detailed description of the area around the house and where the stairs and cellar were located in relation to the front door.

There were just two items left on the briefing list to complete. These were down to the Chief Constable.

“Thank you, Ms Pleasance. Are there any further questions?”

One of the officers, who was wearing Sergeant’s stripes, put his hand up.

“Yes, Sergeant Mitchell?” said the Chief.

“Where are we going… You know, to serve this warrant?”

“I will reveal that in a minute. I hope that the information you have just received makes the need for this level of secrecy. Any leak could mean… well, if we want to maximise our chances of rescuing the prisoners alive, then we have to keep this operation secret. That’s why we have met here rather than at Police HQ.”

They were in a conference room of a motel at a service area on the A1 north of Stevenage. This was some fifteen miles from the target location and well away from Police HQ. None of those present had travelled in marked police cars. The orders of the Chief Constable had been very clear: keep it all low-key and quiet. Two of those present were firearms officers. If there was a need to deploy weapons, then the chief constable would be on hand to issue the order. Otherwise, they would be held in reserve.

Many eyes had been raised when they found out that it was the Chief herself who was acting as SIO for this operation. That alone told everyone that screwups would mean the end of their career prospects in the force. Plus, it told them that the target was also a person of influence.

“As there are no more questions, I need to collect your phones.”

There were some strange looks among the officers.

“As I indicated, secrecy and surprise are paramount to the success of the operation. You all know how much data modern phones send out about your location. All it needs is one of our phones to be tracked, and we could have a TV crew parked outside before we know it or worse, the whole thing is being live-streamed on multiple social media platforms.”

To demonstrate just how serious it was, the chief herself was first to turn off the phone and put it into an evidence bag with her name on the outside. That was then placed into a steel lockbox similar to the ones used to transport firearms in Police Cars.

There was no more dissent amongst the team. They understood the need to remain anonymous to anyone outside those involved in the raid.

“Please switch off your phones and place them and any smartwatches in this box. I will seal it and carry it in my vehicle. The metal container will act as a signal blocker. Once we have served the warrant and had the occupants of the house safely removed to another location, I will return them. Understood?”

None of those present raised any questions, so she continued.

“Good. The last item before we leave is for me to give you the location of the target house. As I said earlier, we will travel in pairs of vehicles, leaving here at five-minute intervals and rendezvous half a mile from the target location. We will be met there by an associate of Ms Pleasance. Together, they will lead us to the house on foot and up to the front door of the property as outlined by Ms Pleasance.”

Then she opened a folder that was on the desk in front of her and took out several sheets of paper.

“Here is the rendezvous location and where we can park up. Sergeant Foster, you are to take your car with the firearms to the marked location and wait until we join you. As the briefing notes say, we don’t anticipate the need for firearms, but you are to remain at the rendezvous point unless called for. Once we make the arrests and have them on their way to HQ, I will issue a stand-down order.”

She handed out the sheets to the team and gave them a couple of minutes to memorise the map.

“Right, gentlemen, it is six minutes past midnight. Let’s get going. I want to be serving the warrant before 02:00. The first team should leave now.”

[01:40 at the edge of the property to be raided]

“All is quiet,” said a voice from the darkness.

A figure dressed all in black appeared, holding a heavily shaded torch. It was the Chief Constable herself. Dido, also wearing black, joined her a few seconds later. A third person who was not introduced also appeared out of the darkness.

“Is everyone here?” asked the Chief.

Sgt Samuels said,
“Ma’am, we are all present. What next?”

“Ms Pleasance, this is your bit of the show. Please go ahead.”

“Those on the team for entering the property will follow my friend here. No cutting of corners. Keep a two-metre gap between the person ahead of you. Silence is golden,” said Dido.

The mysterious third man disappeared into the shadows, and the team followed him as instructed. Bringing up the rear was Dido and a distinctly uncomfortable Chief Constable. No one said a word. For that, the Chief was thankful. She was already mentally preparing her press release explaining why it was deemed necessary that a Chief Constable lead a raid on a house and the execution of a search warrant.

John had explained to Dido that a search warrant was not strictly needed as there was more than enough evidence to at least arrest Fox and his son, but… Fox’s reputation for getting evidence thrown out on technicalities was well-known to Police Officers across the country. A search warrant would give them the legal right to make a silent entry to the property. Dido was ok with the element of surprise. Dido would have liked to have been in his bedroom and given him a kick in his sensitive parts, but she would just have to wait for her time in court to nail him. Tonight was all about arrest and rescue.

Nine minutes later, the team assembled in front of the heavy oak door. So far, the move had been made in silence, with only the faint noise of the traffic on the A505 that was over a mile away as a sign that the team was not in the middle of nowhere.

Dido stepped forward, and just as she had done before, she quickly picked the lock. This time, it took her only thirty seconds. She eased the door open and walked inside. None of the officers followed her at that point. Their orders were to wait until the door to the cellar was opened.

Their mysterious guide retreated to where he and his friends had been observing the property for the previous four and a half weeks. As he did so, he allowed himself to have a small smile. With any luck, this would be the last night of their operation. When he reached the safety of his bivouac, he switched on a phone jammer. His orders were to do everything possible to make the police operation a success and then melt into the darkness. Jamming all mobile phones within half a mile was, while very illegal, just part of the work that his team had done to make the official operation a success. None of the Police Team knew about the jammer. This was, as his employer for the operation had said, ‘just to be sure that the suspect can’t tip anyone else off during the arrest’.

He and his colleagues had been very frustrated at not being authorised to storm the house and rescue the ‘two damsels in distress’. When their employer had explained that they should move only if there were signs that the girls were being moved, they redoubled their efforts to keep a vigilant watch on the property 24/7.

During a break at their safe house, one of the team members had come up with the idea of jamming phones. It took only a few days, and they had the jammer. There had been no time to test it, but… now was as good a time as any.

Inside the house, Dido crouched down and, using a very dim light, twirled the dial of the combination lock on the cellar door. Her heart was racing. If the combination had been changed, the operation could be in jeopardy. She’d have to go through the whole process of cracking the four-digit lock once more. Time was not on her side.

As she rotated the dial to 25, a small but defined click told her that the lock was open. She stood up and waved the light towards the front door. This was the signal that the team had been waiting for. All of the team, apart from one of the two Sergeants, a Constable and the Chief Constable, crept up the stairs.

Dido noticed how silently the team moved. She was impressed. Once they had all disappeared upstairs, the three remaining police officers, led by Dido, headed down the steps and into the cellar. It was in total darkness. Dido knew where the light switch was. She found it in the dark, but the plan called for her to wait until they received a signal that the suspect had been apprehended.

The signal wasn’t long coming. Two very unhappy men were in custody. Dido could hear a commotion coming from upstairs. She switched on the lights.

There in front of them were the three cells. Two young women were occupying two of the three. The cell doors were shut and probably locked. The Chief Constable joined the team at the door to the cellar. Despite seeing the photos that Dido had taken of the cellar, seeing it for real was a shock. Her loathing of Fox went to another level at the sight of the two victims.

She directed the team to stand back in the shadows while she and Dido talked to the hostages.

The chief nodded to her two sergeants. One moved forward and found the keys to the cells, just where Dido had said they would be.

The two officers moved to the cell doors and, as quietly as possible, opened them. Two very scared girls woke up. They both cowered in the back of their cells. Seeing people dressed all in black must have been an even worse experience than they were used to.

The Chief Constable went into one cell. Dido, the other. The plan was for the two women to spend some time calming the girls before they were transported to a secure site in Central London where they could get some much-needed medical attention.

Dido took off her balaclava and approached the girl in the left-hand cell.

“Shhhhhh,” she said quietly.
“We are here to take you to safety.”

“Nooooooo…” cried the girl.
“It is not time. He said, one more week.”

To Dido, this meant a lot.
“He has been arrested. We are the Police.”

“Fuck off,” said the girl.
“I was fucked by two of your lot last week. They were evil. My bum is still sore…”

“I’m not going to hurt you. I was held here just like you by ‘Him’. I got lucky and escaped.”

“Fuck you.”

“No, lady. No one is going to fuck me in the front, if you know what I mean?”

Dido’s revelation shocked the girl.
“Are you for real?”

“Yes. I am for real.”

The girl didn’t say anything but responded with a small nod of her head.

A few seconds later, she said,
“Debs, they seem to be real cops. At least they aren’t men.”

Dido wasn’t going to argue. Getting them safe and secure was the prime goal of this part of the operation.

For the Chief Constable, this was the sort of raw policing that she missed, but there was no going back to those days, she had the whole force to think about after this operation was over.

Just then, one of the officers assigned to the arrest of Fox gently knocked on the cellar door. The chief looked up and saw who it was. The officer was the Inspector who had led the team to arrest Fox.

“I won’t be long,” she said to the girls quietly before leaving the cell and talking to the officer.

Her face turned white when she heard what he had to say in her ear.
“Call the firearms officers in to take control of the weapon. When they have it bagged and tagged, they are to personally take it into evidence and, importantly, get it processed for prints without delay. I want everything timestamped and in the evidence log. Understood?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

The chief returned to the girls.

“Why did you leave us?” asked one of them.

“I’m the chief constable and their boss. I am responsible for everyone’s safety, including yours.”

“Thank you,” said the girl.

She and Dido spent almost an hour talking gently to the two girls. They moved them into the unused cell so that there would be minimal DNA contamination. Gradually, they relaxed and began to converse with the two ‘women in black’.

Finally, the Chief said,
“Are you ready to leave when the transport arrives?”

The older one, who was clearly the leader of the two, replied,
“We don’t have any shoes. He said it was to stop us from wandering off. That happened last week. Before that, we were forced to wear high heels all day and night, but I think that our feet had outgrown the old shoes because they were very painful to wear.”

“Don’t worry,” said Dido.
“We have something for you to wear.”

Dido pulled out two white ‘Crime Scene’ suits from her backpack.
“There will be other people wearing these, so you won’t look out of place.”

The original plan was for the SOCO team to arrive before the girls were taken from the site, but it looked like that was not going to happen.

Slowly, the two girls put the suits on. Despite them being the smallest size available, they were far too long in the leg and arm. Dido had come prepared with pre-cut lengths of string. She tied up the legs and sleeves so that they could walk without being in danger of tripping over. They had also come prepared with some flight slippers, thanks to the Chief Constable’s husband.

“Ready?” asked the Chief.

They both gave nods of their heads.

The chief spoke into her radio for several seconds.

“Our transport will be here in ten minutes.”

“Where are you taking us?” asked the older girl.

“Somewhere where ‘he’ can’t get to you. Keeping you safe is what matters to us,” said Dido.

The Chief Constable added her support.
“Listen to her, girls. This young lady is the real deal. She survived being here and has helped us arrest both him and his son. From now on, he is history.”

The body language of the two girls, broadcast loud and clear, was that they were not entirely convinced. What was clear to both Dido and the Chief was that the two had developed a strong bond while they had been together.

Dido took the Chief aside and said,
“Do you think that there will be any DNA from those two cops that they talked about?”

She smiled at Dido.
“That is just what I was thinking. There is no harm in asking.”

“They won’t know what DNA is,” said Dido.

The chief nodded her head.
“I’ll leave it to you to ask. In a way that they can relate to…”

Dido grinned.
“Thanks, Chief.”

Dido looked at the two girls. They were holding each other very close.

“Girls, I know that this might be hard for you to answer, but these cops who were here… did they leave anything behind? Did you use anything to clean up the mess?”

The younger one cowered back at the mention of the police, but the older one pointed at a wastebasket that was at the rear of the cell that she’d occupied.

The Chief Constable stood up and addressed the young constable who was standing guard outside the room containing all the Operation Chesil evidence. He was looking distinctly uncomfortable. Seeing this crime scene had made him physically sick. He had managed not to throw up, but only just.

“Sergeant, Constable, I want the two of you to take that wastebasket in its entirety into evidence and make sure it is handled properly. Get it into an evidence bag and tagged before it leaves here. We have to maintain the chain of custody. I want two officers with it at all times until it is handed over to forensics, so we need someone to watch this area. Constable, please get Sergeant Michaels to come down here.”

The constable disappeared up the stairs. He returned a minute later with the Sergeant.

“Sergeant Michaels,” said the Chief.
“I want you to stand guard down here until the SOCO Teams arrive. It might be some time, but this part of the crime scene could be the key to obtaining convictions.”

“Yes, Ma’am. Understood.”

“Good. Ms Pleasance and I will be escorting these two ladies to a place of safety as soon as their transport arrives. I don’t need to stress the importance of the evidence here. If the evidence goes missing or it gets contaminated, I will make it my life’s work to drum you out of the force. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Ma’am. Very clear,” replied Sgt Michaels.

She then addressed the uniformed officers.

“When you are relieved by SOCO or get the evidence safely logged and processed, I want you to go home and take the day off. I expect to see you in my office at 09:00 on Tuesday, ready to dictate your report on the operation. Until then, you are to speak to no one, even those here tonight, about the operation. Do you understand this?”

“Yes, Ma’am. It is all clear.”

“Good.”

Those in the cellar waited for the signal that the transport was here. Despite knowing that the place would never again be used for sodomy, the place gave Dido the heebie-jeebies. It had been years since she’d escaped, but the place still affected her. It had been different when she and Trish had broken in. Dido reasoned that it must be talking to the victims that had triggered her emotions and memories of her years of abuse by Fox and friends.

She mentally went through the steps that her shrink had given her to ward off a potential PTSD attack. As she did so, her body began to relax, and the tension in her neck subsided. She was ready for the next phase of the operation to begin.

A signal was received telling the Chief that their transport had arrived. Dido and the chief then guided the two girls out of the cellar and across the lawn to where a car was waiting. Trish and Chrissy were there to take over. Dido had previously briefed the two girls that one of those taking them to safety was also like them and that the other was a young female police officer who was fully briefed on what ordeals they had gone through.

Neither of the two victims wanted to be left with two new women, but when they were told that those women would stay with them for the rest of the day, they relaxed.

John Proudfoot drove the four away into the night just before 05:30. For the Chief and Dido, their day was not yet done. His BMW was accompanied by three other BMWs from the traffic division of the Hertfordshire force. One car carried firearms officers. The convoy would ‘Blue Light’ their journey into London. No one was taking chances with these victims.

The initial operation at the house for the team wound down a couple of hours later. A team of officers would stay on site until the SOCO teams arrived just after dawn.

The chief and Dido were driven away from the scene in her official car. The adrenaline high that Dido had been on ended before they returned to the hotel where the operation had been launched. She was fast asleep. The Chief looked at this strange woman. While she felt sad for what she had been through, she admired Dido as a person. She would have Dido on her CID team any day of the week. The sheer level of professionalism that she had shown was way more than she would have expected from a victim of the men. Her determination to put them away for a long, long time impressed her. That was all down to the hours of work that John Proudfoot had put in with Dido in the early days, but the chief didn’t know about that. All she saw was a young woman who had been kept prisoner, doing her hardest to make sure that her abuser would never see the outside of a jail cell again, and that made her someone special in her eyes.

The Chief instructed her driver to take Dido to wherever she wanted to go. Dido’s statement could wait a day or so. For the time being, Dido’s part in the Police and CPS case against Fox was over. The keywords were ‘For the time being’. The formalities of making official statements and then the rigours of the trial were yet to come for Dido. The Chief knew how much of a bastard Fox could be to witnesses. She wasn’t sure if Dido could survive a full broadside from Fox in court. The Chief didn’t know about her being a student at the university where Fox taught. She didn’t need to know that at this stage.

Dido called Trish when she arrived at John’s home. The two victims had been checked over by women doctors. The older one was now fast asleep in a private room. Chrissy was sitting with the younger of the two victims, and Trish was going to return after a natural break.

After their hellos, Dido listened to Trish.

“I expected as much. Those two children will need to be watched over carefully until Fox has been charged and remanded. The Chief Constable hinted that a safe house had been prepared by the NCA somewhere outside London,” said Dido.

“Thanks, Trish,” said Dido as she ended the call.

John had waited patiently for the call to end.
“Trish says that they will be needed until the evening and that there are six armed officers on the ward,” said Dido.

“That is to be expected given the history of the accused. Now, Dido, off to bed with you, and that is an order. You did well, girl. The Chief herself texted me praising your professionalism.”

Dido smiled at John. It had gone as well as she could have expected.

An exhausted but satisfied Dido went to bed just as people were rising for a new day and looking forward to Christmas. The only present Dido wanted was to see Fox and his son remanded without bail to Belmarsh pending their trial.

It had been a day to remember for Dido, John, Chrissy and Trish, but none of them were celebrating. There was a lot more work to do before Fox would see the inside of a Court at the Old Bailey for the last time.