Chapter 3

Some five minutes later, they were both standing at the front of their car.

Susie had never been to the ‘Halfway House’ before – ‘Probationary’ Constable Kelly O’Rourke had...

“So then...?” wondered Susie aloud,

Here goes nothing I suppose, Kelly – looks quiet enough now though?” Susie observed, taking Kelly by the hand. The fresh-faced twenty-two year old nodded. She’d read the report from the previous night. Sergeant Tess Gallagher too, had spoken to her...

“Well,” she warned Susie, “You’re about to meet some of the ‘local wildlife’ this morning?”

“Interesting...?” responded Susie – she now took Kelly by the arm, slowly tracing the ‘Victoria Police’ patch on the young policewoman’s sleeve with her finger as she stared at the front door of the house,

“Some of them anyway, Susie...” Kelly added.

As it was still early, she wasn’t surprised that nobody seemed awake in the ‘Halfway House’...

“I really don’t think,” Kelly then conceded, “That there’s really much in this, you know, Susie?”

“N-No...?” queried Susie – Kelly shook her head slowly,

“They pretty much keep to themselves, most of the time?”

“Well, they’re certainly keeping themselves to themselves, this morning, aren’t they now, Kelly...?”

Kelly appreciated the irony. Susie did not.

Only three says earlier, ‘Charlotte the Harlot’ Johnstone had been arrested for Possession at the ‘Halfway House’ by the local Criminal Investigation Branch –Susie had no idea that their kinky ‘Remand Prisoner’ had been living there as she stared intently at the front door in thought,

“This is the notorious Sunbury ‘Halfway House’...” cautioned Kelly – it had been christened ‘The Pussycat Club’ by Senior Constable Maggie Doyle earlier in the year.

Nevertheless, it was still popular with the local Policewomen for a rather unique reason,

“Along with ‘The Paragon’ Café,” the young blonde now explained,” This is where that policewoman’s uniform of your’s, can get you all the ‘pussy’ you want here in Sunbury, you see, Constable Raynor?”

Susie hesitated. She opened her mouth to speak,

“For the most part, this is where they place prostitutes fresh out of ‘Fairlie’ Prison...” Kelly explained in a surprisingly matter-of-fact tone...

“Rebecca used to live here. And, this is where ‘Charlotte the Harlot’ was arrested the other day too?”

“ ... understand, Susie?”

“Y-Yes...” answered Susie,

“Maggie and Tess were going to tell you before, I suspect – Charlotte sort of thwarted their plans?”

Susie nodded.

Maggie had been about to tell Susie – Sergeant Tess Gallagher had intended on saying something to the ‘trainee’ too. But, their ‘Remand Prisoner had distracted them both,

“It’s our little secret, Susie?”” whispered Kelly,

“You’ve still got to be wary around the local ‘Social Worker’ though – just remember that?” she warned,

“She’s a friend of ‘The Black Widow’...”

Susie raised an eyebrow,

“She don’t like policewomen either, it seems, if you know what I mean, Constable Raynor?”

That was surprisingly ironic, for the ‘Social Worker’ and ‘Acting’ Inspector Monica Draper it was rumoured, shared a bed,

“Not that it will be a problem this morning though?” Kelly assured her girlfriend.

Susie nodded. She ushered Kelly towards the front door of the ‘Halfway House’...

“Doesn’t appear that anybody is awake, Kelly?” she observed in a whisper – Kelly shrugged,

“As far as I know, there’s only one resident here at the moment, Susie...” Kelly replied.

‘Charlotte the Harlot’ was languishing in the ‘Female Cells’ whilst Rebecca ‘Becky’ Campbell was now serving eighteen months in ‘Fairlie’ Women’s Prison for Cocaine Possession,

“And,” suggested Kelly finally, “I suspect, she was probably out last night until quite late, S-Susie?”

Maggie had handed Kelly a printout on ‘Mistress Jedda’ – born Kelli-Anne Saunderson, she’d been a ‘Pimp’ and ‘Stripper’ back in Melbourne before serving almost a year for Prostitution,

“S-So...?” asked Susie,

“It’s par for the course, you see” replied Kelly, “That ‘Mistress Jedda’ is allowed out late at night?”

“Doesn’t she work at ‘The Paragon’...?” enquired Susie – she knew the name from somewhere,

Kelly nodded. ‘Mistress Jedda’ was another of Samantha Richardson’s waitresses at ‘The Paragon’ Café. That meant that the former ‘Pimp and ‘Stripper’ also enjoyed certain liberties on Parole...

“She has carte blanche...” conceded Kelly – Samantha Richardson had come to something of an arrangement with Senior Sergeant ‘Wild Bill’ O’Donoghue, Sergeant Tess Gallagher and even ‘Acting’ Inspector Monica Draper, when it came to ‘The Paragon’ and her waitresses.

Kelly knew it. And so did both Maggie and Tess.

Joanna and ‘Dash’ too.

But, it was something that Susie had yet to fully comprehend,

“Lady Caroline Clarkson huh...?”

Kelly nodded.

All the policewomen knew the local aristocrat – she controlled ‘The Paragon’ Café and the Sunbury ‘Halfway House’ as the Lady Mayoress of Sunbury.

Lady Caroline Clarkson had for some time, regarded Sergeant Tess Gallagher, Senior Constable Maggie Doyle, Constable Joanna Parrish and ‘‘Probationary’ Constable Deirdre ‘Dash’ McKinley as her own personal harem. As far as she was concerned, the local female ‘Pigs’ were little more than her concubines.

But, she now had her eye on ‘The Black Widow’ too – that she made obvious in recent days.

And, she had taken a particular interest in both ‘Probationary’ Kelly O’Rourke and the newly-arrived ‘Trainee’ Constable Susie Raynor as well...

“You learn quick...” Kelly whispered.

If anything, Susie was attentive – she had quickly realised just what Lady Caroline Clarkson was doing, even if she still didn’t quite understand,

“So, what are we really doing here, this morning, Kelly?” she asked – Kelly opened the front door,