Tom let go of Bannister’s head. Only then did he see that the wig had been disturbed by his rushing at Bannister, and only as he lifted the flannel from her face did he see that it was Charlotte and not Louise who lay soaked in blood. When Tom checked to see if Charlotte was all right, he found to his horror that his daughter was dead.
He left the house and recovered his horse and went to find Alice. She would know what to do.
“You have to believe me when I say I didn’t know it was Charlotte he was raping,” said Tom. “I thought the bastard was getting back at Louise for her television programme. Had I known it was Charlotte, I would have done the same but I would have slit his throat from ear to ear.”
He still has nightmares as he recalls Bannister’s words to him, which he had not understood at the time. He has no remorse about killing Bannister. Alice is his strong supporter and visits him in the psychological unit each week. He has been a model patient and will soon be released back to his home.
CHAPTER 98.
Nigel and Louise stayed in Wahanui while loose ends were tidied up, moving into Nigel’s house that overlooked the bay. They wanted desperately to leave their old lives behind them and start afresh overseas but they felt obliged to wait until the police had everything they needed to sort out what charges would be laid. Alexander was returned to Louise permanently. Alexander was delighted. He has a puppy which he is calling Toss and would meet his other grandparents when they got to Wales. He could hardly wait for his little sister to arrive, because to Kezia’s delight, Louise was pregnant.
Nigel published a statement in the Wahanui Times in which he said he had asked the Fraud Squad to look at the plans he had originally approved and the plans that were eventually used. He was interviewed on the business programme of Radio New Zealand. He was wary about telling too much or giving a dishonest impression.
“Mr Jones, it seems strange to those outside of the building industry that plans and specifications can be changed without anyone’s knowledge. How did this all happen?”
“Quite simply. Indian or Chinese draughtsmen are geniuses at fraudulently copying or even creating documents to order. They also have access to some of the world’s best forgers of signatures. However, I have always added a mark to the back of all of my approvals. Look. See the hat, like Indiana Jones wears?”
“Mr Jones is showing me a plan, not the ones that are in police hands but a set from his own copies of another project. I see drawing of the hat, Mr Jones. It is like the hat worn by Indiana Jones, very small, on the reverse side. Surely someone would have noticed a mark like that?” asked the interviewer.
“No. Nobody has ever commented. There is something else, a second layer of security that I have shared only with an officer of the Fraud Squad. I expect that when the report comes out there will be resignations from the Wahanui Council,” said Nigel. “Councillors and the Mayor are claiming that they held the originals but that is not the case.”
The Fraud Squad made its arrests before announcing the results of its enquiry. The Council papers were fake replacements. The hero of the Deluge, Charles Cameron, fell on his sword immediately, resigning from Office and apologizing for doing what he had mistakenly thought was the right thing for Wahanui. The remaining Councillors resigned with immediate effect. Seven stood for re-election.
In the ensuing by-election, Stan Rivers was elected mayor. He promptly appointed the next highest polling candidate, Annette Grieve, as Deputy Mayor. Both knew they had a huge task ahead of them. No other previous Councillor was successful so the new mayor and Deputy Mayor had a big job on their hands.
The first really tough decision was to ask the new Council to accept Mr Xi Wei’s offer to clean up the landslip and find another company to manage the rebuilding of the mall and the remaining houses that had been damaged. Mr Xi emigrated to Wanaka in New Zealand. He bought a half share in Copperfield Building and Copperfield Construction and continued the business with a new manager. When Frank came out of prison he would be a wealthy man who would not need the money he had secreted in the Swiss bank account..
Jon Sargeson wrote a best-selling book about the Deluge and followed it with a scholarly account of the causes and effects of Global Warming on an island nation. He remained in Wahanui and produced several titles based on the history of the area.
The Minister of Housing ordered an investigation into the practices of the building industry. Frank was among those taken in for questioning. He fronted up, pleading guilty to knowingly aiding and abetting a crime of fraud. He said that the building world was so tough that everyone had to cut corners to stay alive. Frank’s early guilty plea saw him sentenced to serve two years in prison.
On charges of the manslaughter of those being called The Deluge Victims Frank pleaded Not Guilty. He argued that The Deluge was an Act of God. He maintained that while he had cut corners and used cheaper materials, he had nonetheless built with integrity and testing would show that his work was more than adequate to withstand a fifty year occurrence. His stance was vindicated, much to the horror of the victims’ families. He was convicted and discharged.
With regard to the Mollisons’ attempt to kill Louise, Frank pleaded not guilty. He said that he accepted the Crown’s case that he had conspired to steal Nigel Jones’s papers, and to kill his wife, but he had a change of heart and rescued Louise. He had no part in the murder of Goran Moravec, a claim with which the police agreed. For conspiring to commit a crime, namely the murder of his wife, he was sentenced to fourteen years to be served concurrently, with a non-parole period of ten years.
Stuart Larcombe was found in Tonga under an assumed name. He came to the attention of the police in Tonga when he was charged with unlawful sexual intercourse while his victim was stupefied. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced but was almost immediately extradited to Australia where he was wanted for a similar offence. His penalty was six years, a light sentence because of his remorse and his cooperation. While serving his time he had to undergo counselling for sexual deviation but he was not put on the sex offenders list, in effect saving him from a life sentence of supervision and denunciation.
While in Wahanui, Larcombe had gained New Zealand citizenship. The New Zealand Government asked for him to serve his time in New Zealand in order to face charges initiated by Calling Out Monsters. The Australian Government were only too pleased to co-operate. As well as Louise’s case, COM had found several others which resulted in a sentence of fourteen years in prison with no parole.
He was put on the New Zealand list of persons convicted of sex crimes.
The Mollison Brothers are serving out their time. George is taking courses that could eventually lead to studies in law. He is particularly interested in prison reform. He has plenty of time to reach his goal and is currently sitting his first year NCEA examinations.
His brother Moss put the gymnasium into management for the duration. It has been franchised and when the brothers are released they will be comparatively wealthy men. Not surprisingly, they settled well to the routines and demands of prison. They are undergoing counselling as a result of the Court finding that they lacked common humanity.
Calling Out Monsters is going from strength to strength under its full time manager Mary McMillan. It is a registered charity that is well supported. It now deals with all aspects of violence towards both women and children, with some male clients. Mary had always wanted to be a teacher. She now organises classes in anger management and marriage guidance as well as running Calling Out Monsters. Susan plans more documentary programmes for television.
Bernard and Jayne have a son. When Jaye’s maternity leave finishes Bernard will stay at home so Jayne can continue her career, at least until the next baby comes along. Bernard loves his work with the Detective Branch and will be sad when Inspector Chadwick takes his retirement.
Kezia Copperfield finished her first year courses in criminology and health sciences. Kezia looked young and fresh and full of energy, as if she did not have a ca
re in the world. She was in love with Joseph, the young refugee from Syria who had fallen in love with Kezia and New Zealand, in that order. Joseph was studying veterinary science and had three more years of study. Both were seriously committed to each other. With the retreat of terrorist forces from is city, Youssef plans to go back to Syria to see if he can find any trace of his parents and brother. He would also like to meet his aunt, if she was still alive, to thank he for sending him to New Zealand.
Kezia had changed in the two years since Frank walked out and Bannister had blackmailed her. She had lost her naivety and her puppy fat to change from being a school girl to a young woman who was aware that her good looks attracted attention. She was slim and quite tall, with dark curly hair and bright blue eyes. Her smile was cheerful, making people smile back at her as they passed.
It took two years but Nigel and Louise did manage to get to Europe. Kezia offered to help her pack up Nigel’s house and to put all of their things into storage. Jayne called in to say goodbye. She was amazed at the change in Kezia, now a competent and beautiful woman with the world at her feet. Jayne asked Kezia to stay in touch with her and Kezia said she would.
Louise fell in love with Wales. She fitted straight into the Jones family although they tease her about her accent, her ‘EKSENT’ she calls it. Nigel is drawing up plans to convert into a family home a chapel they have bought. The couple returns to New Zealand each year to catch up with Youssef and Kezia. In Wales, Louise has started a group aimed at helping young people who suffer as she did, victims whose voices have little credibility. She is finding the work fascinating and only wishes she can save others from the anguish she suffered.
THANK YOU
Thank you for reading my book. It dealt with a difficult topic that is usually hidden away. I know some of my followers will not like the book at all but hopefully there are some who will be empowered by it. As I said at the beginning if you have had part of your youth stolen from you find a local organisation like Calling Out Monsters. It is never too late.
As always, comments are appreciated: [email protected]
Until the next time;
Robert.
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Did you love The Stalking of Louise Copperfield? Then you should read The Fern Valley Conspiracy by Robert W Fisk!
Richard West is sent to save a rural Area School from closure and to find what happened to the school's Principal. He meets with resentment and obstruction as farmers and foresters join togethr to hide an inconvenient truth. To further complicate matters, there is a gulf between the Maori people and the dominant pakeha, or Europeans.His enquiries cast doubt on the death of a forester and lead to solving the mystery of the theft of cultural treasures.
Also by Robert W Fisk
Richard West
You Talk, You Die
Passport to Power
The Fern Valley Conspiracy
Farm Kill
Entrenched Beliefs
The Pregnant Virgin
Standalone
The Stalking of Louise Copperfield
About the Author
Robert teaches English Language at university. He has taught in primary and secondary schools and has been a principal of both. He has been a school counsellor and an Education Officer. Robert holds a PhD from the University of Otago. At various times he has been a postman, a rural delivery driver, a bus driver, a forestry worker, and a real estate salesperson. He travels widely, always seeking characters and plots for his writng career.
Read more at Robert W Fisk’s site.
About the Publisher
Foxburr Publishing is the independent publisher of books by Robert W Fisk. You can contact Foxburr Publishing be sending an email to [email protected]
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