Started at the Bus Stop Chapter 53
They enjoyed their time in town. They bumped into Dan and Nicky, and the four chose a film to go and watch. They had a good time together before separating to go their respective ways.
After their evening meal Percy and William sat in the lounge having a chat with Grace. The television was on, but no one was paying much attention to it. However, when the news came on William and Percy stopped talking and began to pay closer attention. The Home Office story was still being talked about, but there was nothing that the two hadn't heard earlier. After talking about it and agreeing that it did sound a lot like their own story, Grace said she would ring the solicitor on Monday to find out if he had anything to say about it.
On Sunday evening, after William had gone home, Percy and Grace were again in the lounge watching the television, having just finished their meal.
"Mum, I've noticed you're not spending as much time in your study as you used to. Has something happened at work?" Percy asked.
"Yes and no. With the change that came over Elliot and how that affected us, I realised that I was using my study as a place of retreat. I saw that I had missed out on most of your growing years by not sharing quality time with you. I was talking with Mavis a while back, and I realized that she knew you better than I did. I talked to my manager and told him that I couldn't do as much research as I had been, as I needed time for my family as well. We talked for a bit, and that was when he first learned how much research I was doing out of working hours. He was rather upset. He felt that he had failed me by not making sure I was getting a better work/life balance. Because of that talk I've had my workload cut and been given a raise. I know we don't have your father's income anymore, but there are a couple of insurance policies that will soon be paid out. Even if we don't get a penny of what Mr. Bridgewater thinks we should, you'll still be able to go to university without having to get loans or a part time job. We will be quite comfortable, and I get to spend more time with you as well."
"That's great. I've been enjoying these times we've had together. I think I've got to know you a bit better as a result."
"I know I've got to know you a lot better, and I'm really enjoying our chats too. I also enjoy it when William is with us, so please don't think you have to exclude him ever. He is a good man, and I think you two make a lovely couple. I can see you both love each other. That is something I think I lost with your father."
"I don't think I really knew Dad. I mean, I can't remember him ever doing anything with us as a family until I got with William and he helped us to have that meal and go to a movie with all my new friends. But then he changed with what was worrying him and I don't think I could ever understand him like that."
"Even though he's gone now, try to find it in your heart to forgive him for his wrongs. It's not going to affect him, but it will make a difference for you. That will also make a difference in my life."
"I don't hate him. I despise what he did, but I don't hate him. I think somewhere inside me there is still some love for him. I think my head is in conflict with my heart over Dad. I do need to get the two parts of me in harmony."
"Well, I know maths is your strongest subject and you want to do something with maths in your career. But I think you might also do well to spend a bit of time on philosophy. You have an outlook on things that is more mature than your years."
"Do you really think that?" Percy asked.
"I don't think it; I know it. I'm guessing that all those years when you didn't have anyone you could call a true friend, you had a lot of time to think, and that gave you the ability to think things through and come up with lessons for your own life."
"Now who's philosophising? Or should that be fantasizing?" Percy asked with a huge grin on his face.
"You may be more man than boy, but I'm still your mother, so I'll not be putting up with any cheek, young man," Grace said with a grin. She was glad that Percy felt confident enough to enter into a little banter with his mother. However, he would have seen a different mother if she thought he was being rude and sassing her.
After their time together, it was with a lightness of heart and deep love for each other that the two of them went up to their own rooms for the night. They both enjoyed a good night's restful sleep and awoke in the morning ready for work and school.
When Grace arrived home from work, she told Percy what she had learned from John Bridgewater. In an effort to help build his case he had used a friend, who had a friend in the right place, to pass on some of the facts of the case. This led to word coming back to him that the Home Office were launching an investigation. He didn't want to risk the Home Office trying to hush it up, so through another friend of a friend he had leaked the information to the media. He leaked it so it would make the early news in an attempt to keep the pressure off Grace and Percy; he was hoping it would not headline in the later news reports, which would be seen by many more people. He told Grace that this might just hurry things up; the Home Office would want it cleared up and out of the news as quickly as possible. In answer to Grace's question he assured her that while not strictly correct, he had not broken any laws to get what he had wanted done.
When Grace had finished passing on the news to Percy, he said he felt he should phone Adam to thank him again for getting a solicitor involved.
"Why don't you invite them to come and have dinner with us tomorrow evening? That will give Mavis time to prepare a menu. It will also give both of us the opportunity to show our gratitude." Grace suggested.
"Okay. Thank you. I'll see if they can make it. They won't be able to stay late; they'll need to get Clive back by his bed time or he won't get enough sleep," Percy said and went off to his room to phone.
After a fairly lengthy conversation with William during which Percy passed on all that he had learnt from his mother, he asked William to let him talk to Adam. He had already told William of the invitation to dinner and didn't need to explain what he wanted to talk to Adam about. Adam happily accepted the invitation and arranged for them to arrive at about six thirty the next evening.
Mavis, as usual, provided a three-course meal that delighted everyone's tastes. She enjoyed being invited to join them at the table. She glowed with the praise offered by Adam and clearly enjoyed the comments from the under-twenties at the table. After the meal Percy took the others upstairs, and Grace told Adam what she knew of the situation and thanked him for getting lawyers involved. She also explained how Percy had wanted to phone to thank him, but she had thought a meal would give them both the opportunity to thank him. Adam, of course, said that no thanks were needed, and he was glad he was able to help.
"That night when they just dumped Percy on the road and didn't even check that he could get into the house made my blood boil. I'm so glad that he felt he could come to us for help. He looked so forlorn and lost when William brought him into the lounge. When I saw that, I realised what I had known for some time but not put into words. I love your son as much as I love my children. What I would do for them is the same as what I would do for Percy. Believe me, he just needs to ask for help and I will do what I can. I actually felt like someone had punched me in the stomach when Percy told us what he had been through. It took me a while to get to sleep, I was so angry over it. I'm not sure what I would have done if my solicitor had told me he wasn't interested, but I would have done something. Maybe gone to the media. I don't know."
"Thank you, Adam. Words just don't seem to be enough. We are forever indebted to you. I didn't know what had happened to Percy; he was taken away before I got a chance to see him or talk to him. That was nearly the catalyst that would have got me telling those goons anything they wanted to hear. But I'm sure it would have got me no further than my refusal to lie did."
Grace and Adam chatted for a while longer, mostly about the four teens upstairs and the laughs they gave them. Then Adam said he needed to get Clive home for his bed time. After thanking Grace for the meal he used his mobile to call William and tell him to come down and bring the others with him.
John's thinking was correct. Less than a week after he had submitted to the courts an intent to proceed with a civil case on behalf of the Nisbett's, the Home Office contacted him and offered an out of court settlement. Although the offer was higher than what he had told Grace and Percy he thought it might be, it was still a lot lower than what he estimated they could get if the case went to trial. John also advised Grace and Percy that accepting an offer would give the Home Office an opportunity to hush the whole thing up. Someone would certainly lose their job, but whether Home Office staff would suffer any other repercussions was questionable. On the other hand, going to court would force the Home Office to put some house cleaning into practice and make it visible to the public. The fact that they had offered a settlement indicated that they knew they were unlikely to win in court. John also told them that the senior partners of the law firm had said that he had the whole firm at his disposal to take the case as far as he could, meaning he had access to experienced and learned brains for advice. He also had a team of investigators and researchers to build as much evidence as they could before it went to trial.
The informal chat amongst the legal profession soon had news of this case being quietly shared from office to office. Within days there were offers of help and advice arriving on John Bridgewater's desk. It was apparent that quite a number of lawyers had had a brush with the Home Office and were keen to see them taken down a peg or two. When the case eventually came to trial the Home Office's legal team were overwhelmed with a mountain of evidence clearly showing that they had ignored the rules of detention and interrogation for years. The fact that the Home Office had launched their own investigation served only to incriminate the department further. The government ordered a public inquiry into the whole affair.
At the trial John asked both Percy and Grace to testify. The evidence he brought out through the questioning, combined with the proof of the doctored recordings, was enough that the defence team treated both of them with kid gloves. They knew when they were beat. However, John's suggestion of the possibility of huge compensation payments proved a bit optimistic. The judge did award the maximum he was allowed to grant, with a warning to the defence that if they appealed it to a higher court the payment would most certainly be bigger. Grace and Percy each left the court half a million pounds richer than when they entered. This was nearly ten times what they had been offered by the Home Office.
The Home Office's own investigation found evidence that certain members of the department had been instrumental in informing the people who had been blackmailing Elliot that he still had secrets that he had not revealed when they interrogated him. This was most certainly the catalyst to his murder. In the end there were several criminal trials; five members of the department received prison sentences ranging from eight to fifteen years. How those people would survive prison was anybody's guess.
After much thought William decided that seeking his father's advice might be a good thing. He arranged for Percy to spend the night, and he made it clear to Juliet and Clive that he and Percy needed to talk to Adam privately. As it was summer, they went out into the back garden to talk, sitting at the same table where William had come out to Adam some months previously.
"I think I should begin, because I'm the one who started it all," Percy began. He went on to tell Adam what he felt he needed to do and expressed his concern about how Clive and Juliet would take it.
"Before you give an answer to Percy, Dad, I just want to say that I intend to continue with Clive and Juliet. We were experimenting before Percy, and he just fitted in with what we were doing. But I've thought about it a lot, and I feel that I do need to cut back with them until I can give myself solely to Percy. Sorry, Percy. I should have told you that last bit before, but I've only really just come to that conclusion."
"Percy, I'm glad you've come to that decision. I'm sure Juliet will understand, and she may even be expecting it. Clive, on the other hand, is going to be upset, but I'm sure that the way you've found to talk to him will help. You do seem to be able to explain things at his level of understanding. I do ask that you let me know when you are going to speak to him, so that I can be at home for it," Adam said.
"Thank you. I think I would like to talk to him tomorrow. I've been thinking of how to approach it, and I have it pretty much already worked out in my head," Percy said.
"Tomorrow would be good. I'm not working at all this weekend, so do go ahead. William, you know that I'm not really keen on any of you having this sort of activity. I will be glad when you bring it to an end. I can understand that doing it at the same time as Percy would be too much for Clive to cope with. But try not to drag it out too long. Give Clive a chance to see that Percy still loves and cares for him without the sex and then let it happen. I would suggest that you don't talk about it ending, you just drift away from it until it no longer is at the forefront of all your minds," Adam said.
"Thank you, Adam. I do appreciate that you've been quite cool with us about all this, and I'm glad we are moving more into a situation that will make you happier. You've done so much for Mum and me, and no matter what happens in the future between William and me, I will always be grateful for the way you've stood by me and helped us," Percy said.
"Yeah, thank you, Dad. You helping Percy and Grace has been good for me too. I couldn't have helped them the way you have. And I'm grateful for that. But more than that, I love you, Dad, and always will."
"I've been glad to be able to help. I love both of you and will always try to help you when you need it. I'm really pleased that you came to talk to me tonight. It lets me know that you trust me and trust my advice. Whether you'll always follow it may be another matter, but I'm willing to listen whenever you want to talk. I can't promise to have all the answers, but I'll do my best for you both," Adam said. "Now I think it's best we get back inside and make sure Clive is getting his bath in, or the rest of us will be waiting till long past our bedtimes to get washed up."
"I think it would be best for me to talk to Clive on my own tomorrow. After I talk to him I'll talk to Juliet. If he needs any comforting, you guys can help while I'm talking to Juliet," Percy suggested.
"Okay, I'll give you the time to do that. If I hear Clive sounding too distressed, I'll come in before you've finished," Adam said.
"Thank you. I'll let you know when I'm about to start so you can be nearby," Percy promised.
The three of them went back inside to find that Juliet had managed to get Clive off for his bath already. Even with waiting for water to heat, they would all be able to get washed up before they went to bed.