Chapter 12

Laura hesitated.

Not far from where she stood, there was a large poster of her as the previous year’s ‘Miss Queensland Police’ – the twenty-eight-year brunette wore the traditional short-sleeved ‘Summer’ uniform dress. Constable Laura Nicholson had no idea where her new policewoman’s ‘Summer’ uniform for she had not seen either the pale-blue ‘safari’ jacket or dark-blue skirt since ‘Operation Neptune’...?

Laura Anne Nicholson uttered a sigh.

It was late. Long after midnight on a Sunday morning in late Spring.

And still a humid thirty-five degrees Celsius.

‘The Dungeon’ was no longer the domain of the ‘Slut Squad’ at Fortitude Valley.

Not that anybody had learnt of what had happened.

Certainly, the policewomen weren’t going to say anything.

Nor were either ‘Mistress Jedda’ or her prostitutes.

Senior Sergeant Yvonne Webster had received notification that it was to be repurposed, but for what, she had no idea...?

Nobody did...?

Along with Senior Constable Kelly Blakemore, Constable Sonya Gallagher had made some discreet enquiries through ‘contacts’ at Police Headquarters, but neither had been able to find out what was happening...?

But what worried Laura was that her former stepmother knew something. But what...?

Samantha ‘The Cunt’ Thompson however, was not saying what it was.

And neither was her long-term girlfriend, the ‘disgraced’ former Senior Constable Cheryl Anne Blake.

Even though Senior Sergeant Yvonne Webster was now sharing their bed on a regular basis as well, both had refused to tell the ‘Officer in Charge’ of the Fortitude Valley ‘Women Police’ Section what they knew.

Though a concern in itself, ‘The Dungeon’ was not what worried Laura now.

Detective Constable Lorelle Saunders had been suspended.

And thus, the unwelcome scrutiny on the Fortitude Valley ‘Women Police’ Section had all but disappeared – Lorelle Anne Saunders had been another of the former Chief Commissioner Ray Whitrod’s favoured policewomen, but the first female detective in the Queensland Police had fallen foul of Chief Commissioner Terry Lewis. The former ‘sergeant’ from the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps, was in serious trouble.

And so was her boyfriend, ‘Acting’ Inspector Allan Lobegeiger.

Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen and his Minister of Police, Russ Hinze, had given Chief Commissioner Terry Lewis and his corrupt ‘Rat Pack’ a free hand to do what they wanted – Constable Laura Nicholson knew instinctively, that she would be next. A protégé of Ray Whitrod, she could no longer count on his support...

Senior Sergeant Yvonne Webster had left for the night.

And so had both ‘Probationary’ Constable Veronica Cartwright and ‘Trainee’ Constable Candice Peterson after working at a large ‘Protest March’ in Brisbane for most of the day - ‘Trainee’ Constable Amanda Johnstone and Senior Constable Kelly Blakemore were ostensibly on Leave, but they were now both thought to be pregnant.

‘Mistress Jedda’ it was said, was to blame. And neither policewoman could care less.

They were besotted with the half-caste hermaphrodite ‘Pimp’ and would do anything for ‘Mistress Jedda’ now.

Yet, that was not what Constable Laura Nicholson was thinking about as she stood on her own in the doorway.

Behind her, ‘Trainee’ Constable Rhonda Kellaway and Constable Sonya Gallagher were doing paperwork.

The police radio crackled – there was a speaker on the nearby wall.

The former ‘Miss Queensland Police’ ignored the stuttered message.

Toying with the collar of her uniform dress, she teased at the metal ‘Queensland Police’ collar badge with her fingertips and uttered yet another muffled sigh.

The crisp pale-blue fabric of her uniform dress caressed at her skin.

Beneath the dress, Laura wore a white bikini – she had planned to go swimming after work with her two colleagues, but circumstances had supervened. They’d arrested several ‘Shoplifters’ and uncovered a complicated web of ethnic-related thefts from several Fortitude Valley boutiques. They’d been sorting through everything for hours.

Turning, Laura glanced across at Rhonda and Sonya.

She leant back comfortably against the wall and smiled to herself.

There was little she could do about Chief Commissioner Terry Lewis now.

But then, she thought of ‘The Dungeon’ once again - she muttered an obscenity under her breath.

Rhonda and Sonya were both in the new policewomen’s ‘Summer’ uniform – their short-sleeved ‘Summer’ uniform ‘safari jackets’ unbuttoned as they worked away. And, they both wore a white bikini underneath their uniforms as well, for the Fortitude Valley ‘Women Police’ held a key to the council swimming pool for their after-hours use.