Rollo's Oak

Chapter 1

Tuesday 15th July 2008

‘Where are the keys?’ thought Ann Baker panicking as she searched her bag, ‘oh there they are,’ she found them, removed a bunch of keys out of the pocket, and selected the two marked front door. As instructed, Ann used the Chubb key first and the Yale key second. The door released and, taking a deep breath, she stepped in to an empty room. ‘This is lovely,’ she thought as she looked around, ‘I do hope we can all settle down here.’ Ann should have been used to this by now, as the family had moved several times before. However, this time it would be different. This time it was more like an escape, an escape from the trauma of the last five months to, hopefully, a more peaceful life.

Ann walked from room to room planning in her mind where she wanted the removal men to place the furniture and boxes when they arrived. She was not used to doing this on her own, but her husband Gavin had to go on an emergency recovery of an articulated lorry and had not returned yet. While it was inconvenient Ann did understand; when you have your own business you cannot let big customers down because they are the backbone of your business. She knew that he would be here as soon as he possibly could, he had been so concerned about leaving her to manage this move, but James would be a great help. Ann had just made her way to the kitchen when her son came in carrying bags of essential supplies for times such as these: tea, coffee, sugar etc. They had learnt long ago that the best way for a move to go smoothly was to keep the removal men well fed and watered.

‘Toiletries next then?’ asked James.

‘Yes that’s right. Please place the box in the downstairs loo then put out a towel and a loo roll. Just make it presentable, they won’t be here for twenty minutes or so.’

She watched James go out to his car and could not help but notice a spring in his step, a spring that had not been there for as long as she could remember. If anyone in her little trio was really looking forward to this move, it was James. He would be nearer to some of his friends, a few of them he had known from school and had stood by him in the difficult times. He was very keen for this move; recent events had shattered James’s life completely. Izzy was the younger twin by ten minutes, but they were not identical in any way, shape, or form.

Ann made her way upstairs to check the bedrooms. Their room had an en suite, which was quite a luxury for them as they had not had one before. James’s room was the largest of the remaining three bedrooms. The second one was to be a storeroom for the time being and then eventually they planned it to be their guest room.

James called to Ann up the stairs, ‘I’ve done that Mum, shall I put the kettle on?’

‘Yes please, love,’ she replied.

Having made her way past the family bathroom to the small box room at the end of the landing she tentatively opened the door to look in. This was to be Izzy’s room. Not that it was ever likely she would use it, but it was a place where Ann could store her things before deciding what to do with them. She had not been able to part with anything so far, silly she knew, but what could she do? Ann could feel the emotion welling up inside her once again. She had to tell herself that there was no time for tears now as it would not do any good, and she quietly closed the door.

Ann took a pencil and Post It pad out of her pocket and wrote on the first slip, ‘Izzy’s Room’, and then removing it from the pad she stuck it to the door. She kissed the tips of her fingers and gently pushed it down making sure it was firmly fixed. Quickly she put Post Its on every internal door in the house. Ann knew that it would make it easier for the removal men to know where to place the boxes, and in which rooms they were to be. She had clearly marked the boxes to make things easier.

She went downstairs to join James for a cup of tea. They had just sat down for a few minutes and had barely taken a mouthful when they heard the removal van pull up.

Ann turned to James and said, ‘You direct the traffic and check they put the furniture and boxes in the right rooms. I’ll take care of the refreshments, and let’s see if we can get them out of here before Dad gets back.’ Ann could see that James really liked the feeling of being in control and he went off like a man on a mission ready, leaping over the flowerbeds as he went.

Washing up the cups, Ann looked out of the back window that panned out over the garden. It was so similar to the garden of their first home; the house that they lived in when Izzy and James were small. The sun was shining and the garden was full of summer flowers, and in her mind’s eye she could still see the twins as toddlers playing in the plastic paddling pool splashing and laughing. She could hear their shrieks of laughter and delight as Gavin gently splashed them with water using his hands or the watering can.

Ann soon snapped back to reality at the thumping and grunting of the removal men and the sound of James giving out his orders. She started to prepare the refreshments that she knew would be required soon, and made herself get going, ‘mugs’ she thought ‘would be best and a plate of biscuits’. She was sure they would be most appreciated.

Ann called out, ‘Who’s for tea?’

Four voices in unison said, ‘Yes please, Mrs Baker.’

‘Please call me Ann, Mrs Baker makes me feel too old.’ They all laughed.

After a couple of hours the removal men had left and at last the house was theirs. The men had earned themselves an extra gratuity for putting the beds together and removing all the empty cartons and boxes. Just as they were leaving, Gavin arrived as if receiving a mystic cue that the strangers in their home had gone, the heavy lifting was done and it was now safe for him to enter. To give him his due, he was covered in engine oil and still in his overalls; he had been on a round trip of over 210 miles.

As Gavin walked in, he said, ‘I need a shower, is that OK?’ It never ceased to amaze Ann how men expect everything to be working when they come home.

‘Yes love, everything you need is there,’ she replied.

While he was having his shower, James and Ann made the beds and then decided to call it a day. Before they were finished there was just one more thing she needed to do. Searching through the boxes still in the lounge she found the one marked ‘fragile’. Ann opened it, removed the package that was on top and unwrapped the tissue paper around it. The family picture, in a silver frame, showed all four of them together taken in happier days. Ann placed it in the centre of the mantelpiece over the fireplace.

A fresh, clean Gavin came downstairs. ‘Put the kettle on, mate,’ he said to James as he walked around nodding and giving his seal of approval to all he saw. ‘Everything looks smashing I do believe we’ll all settle down well here,’ he said.

James walked in with three mugs of tea on a tray, and they all flopped down together on the settee. After some general chitchat, about how things had gone with the removal and the lorry’s recovery there was a pause.

Looking at James and Ann in turn, Gavin said, ‘I had a call today from a man called Ben Midler. He said he was from the South London Criminal Inquiries Office, and that it’s his job to prepare documents for a public inquiry that routinely follows the completion of some murder trials. He wants to make an appointment to come to see us, preferably all together. He has the Police and Court reports and he’ll be interviewing social workers and other professionals who’ve been involved with Izzy. The inquiry has to be seen to be independent. Unfortunately, as Izzy has now been sectioned under the Mental Health Act any statement that she may have made can’t be used as part of the inquiry. He ended up by saying that he knew we’d just moved house, and understood why we felt it necessary, but he’d like us to telephone him with a suitable time to start the interview process during the next two weeks. He told me that he’d put his card in the post today and would be grateful if we would phone him as soon as possible.’

Gavin looked at both of them, his expression of sadness saying it all. They had moved to get away from this nightmare, and thought it would all be over at the end of the trial. It had been weeks since they had heard from anybody to do with the media. This was to be their healing time and to start building a new life for themselves, away from the sight and false sympathy of neighbours, far enough away from the snide comments that James and Ann had to endure, from so-called friends and acquaintances. Gavin and Ann looked across at James and any buoyancy that they had seen during the day had drained away. He just sat there gazing at his entwined hands, angst embedded in his face.

All of a sudden Gavin jumped up and, with his usual bravado, said, ‘Come on troops we’ve got to do this, we’ve no choice. Let’s look at the positives. This is a chance to put our side of the story, on our terms, and the truth as we know it. Izzy may have committed that horrendous act, there’s no disputing that, but there are many other guilty parties out there, people who could’ve helped. People who could have, and should have, helped Izzy. But they were more worried about their budgets, statistics, labels and the sheer inconvenience of it all. It’ll be our chance to tell her story. Come on chin up both of you, let’s go out for dinner. You can’t fight a battle on an empty stomach.’ Ann walked over and gave Gavin a big hug, and with one arm around each other and the other arm outstretched, they beckoned to James to join them.

They had a very tasty dinner at a local Harvester. Gavin’s jokes were coming thick and fast. He had always fancied himself as a comedian and did it so well, causing several people in the restaurant to join in with their laughter.

Chapter 2

The next few days passed quite quickly. James, into a five-year apprenticeship training to be a mechanic, was so happy that he could work alongside Gavin at the garage. It was something that he had wanted to do since he was a very young boy. The garage was getting busier all the time, and most days the yard was so full of vehicles it was a wonder that they ever got home at all. James had his own car, his pride and joy, safely tucked away in the garage; the rest of the family were not even allowed to touch it.

Ann had devised a plan that when they return home from work, they have to change out of their greasy clothes in the utility room and shower in the downstairs cloakroom, facilities that they had not enjoyed in their last home. Ann had busied herself unpacking and disposing of the empty boxes and cartons. Their new home also had the blessing that they shared much of the previous owner’s taste in décor. Furthermore, Ann’s predecessor had kept the house immaculately clean as well, just as she would like to do. It made the move so much easier and Ann was very grateful.

Gavin telephoned Ben Midler the day after they had moved and made an appointment for the coming Thursday. Much to Ann’s surprise Gavin had suggested that the family go to Mr Midler’s office for the forthcoming interviews. He did not want them taking place in their home, it was Gavin’s attempt at preserving their new start. They all had to accept the past, but he did not want them to relive it in their new home. Gavin also added that James should only take part if he wished to and that there would be no pressure on him to attend. Ben Midler accepted these terms and told Gavin that he had a comfortable interview room in mind and would see that it was available for the times that they were to attend.

Ann had placed the boxes containing Izzy’s possessions into the box room, including the ones from her flat that the landlord had put out for them, but she had not yet been able to bring herself to unpack them. Give it time, she told herself, give it time, there’s no hurry so there’s no need to do it yet, it’s not as if it’s going anywhere.

The family attended Mr Midler’s offices at the allotted time of 3pm, and a receptionist showed them into a room, that could only be described as comfortable. The walls were decorated in a gold embossed wallpaper on which hung several brightly coloured prints. Five winged armchairs encircled a marble-topped coffee table and there were tea-making facilities in one corner. Discreetly placed on a panelled desk in the other corner was an electrical device, which looked like a Sky recorder box. Gavin whispered to James and Ann that it was a digital recording box. After making them tea, the receptionist left the room. Within a few minutes the door opened and a very tall man with a genial smile entered the room.

He came in with an outstretched hand and said, ‘Hi, I’m Ben Midler,’ and introductions were made. His warm friendly manner put them all at ease. ‘First I’m going to tell you how the inquiry will run. There are several options that I’m able to choose from and I’ve decided that my team and I will make enquiries of all the people involved in the life of Izzy Baker. I’ll then write a synopsis of what everyone has said. Two weeks before the hearing date, each individual unit will receive a copy of the report. If there’s any dispute with my conclusions, it’ll be up to the recipients to inform me. On the day of the hearing, which will be open to the public, I’ll present a report of my conclusions based on what people have said, and any recommendations that I feel are necessary. There’ll be twenty-eight days for any objections to be raised. After that, a copy will be kept at the central Criminal Court and a copy will be available on the Internet. Also, copies of any recommendations that I make will be sent to the relevant persons.’

He told them that he would switch the machine on and put a disc into it. Whenever they saw a green and yellow light lit up on the front of the machine, they would know that it was recording. He went on to explain that he would always indicate to them when the machine was on. He felt it important that they should know when what they were saying was being recorded, and when they were talking freely. Finally, he stressed that they should take things at their own pace and envisaged it would take three or four sessions, but they were free to stop at any time.

Mr Midler went over to the machine, switched it on, inserted a disc, and immediately a yellow light came on. He then sat down with the family. Ann noticed that he had a remote control in his hand. He spent the next five minutes asking how the move went; afterwards he said if they were ready, they would begin. Mr Midler told them that he would introduce himself, and then they could introduce themselves one at a time. He took the remote control, pressed the top, pointed to the machine and the green light came on. Ben Midler gave the date and time, introduced himself giving his full job title, and indicated to them to follow suit.

He then said, ‘This is an inquiry into the history of Izzy Baker, date of birth 6th June 1989, now a patient at Arlington Maximum Security Hospital. If it’s acceptable to all parties present, from here on I shall use Christian names. I feel it would be easier if at first I tell you what we do know. Are we all agreed?’

‘Yes,’ they replied.

‘Ann and Gavin, I understand you were married in 1986. At that time, Ann, you were a hairdresser, and Gavin, you were a diesel mechanic for a transport company. You started off in your own flat and within three years you purchased your own small terraced house. You had been married for three years before the twins were born. Is that correct?’ Ben said and they all agreed.

‘Tell me about yourselves. Would you like to start, Ann?’

‘Not a lot to say about me. I had a very happy childhood, I’m the elder sibling, my sister Bethany and I have always been close, there were only the two of us. I had a normal education in local schools and did OK in the exams. My mum and dad are very close to us all and we spend a lot of our time together.’

‘How about you, Gavin?’ Ben said.

Gavin looked down at his hands, ‘Do I have to do this?’ Ann stretched across, took his hands and gave them a squeeze. ‘My birth mother was born in 1944, which made her just right to be a 1960’s wild child; she was into free love, free living and LSD tripping. She spent most of her life with a travelling commune and was into things like the solstice, Druidism and a touch of witchcraft, proper Children of the Corn stuff. She had me in 1965 and I was travelling with her till I was about four years old. Then, out of the blue, the commune was raided by the police and social services, and all the children up to the age of ten were taken into care. Apparently there had been allegations of child abuse, rituals and all that kind of thing. If that was so I’d never seen any signs of it or had anything done to me. After two years of living with foster families, it was decided that there were no grounds to keep us all in care and most of the children were returned home. But my mum had disappeared. I stayed with the foster family and we moved here quite locally when I was about twelve. I enjoyed school, was very happy in my foster home and loved the family who treated me like their own.’

‘Wow,’ said Ben, ‘I wasn’t expecting that. I hope it wasn’t too distressing for you. Can I ask, did you ever see your mother again?’

Ann looked across at Gavin, ‘Shall I tell the rest?’ He smiled at Ann and nodded his head.

‘On our wedding day, just as we were leaving the church and having photos taken, Gavin saw his mum standing by a tree. He didn’t recognise her at first, but she walked over to speak to me and just introduced herself as if she’d known me all my life, Hi I’m Elisa Baker, Gavin’s mum. All the guests stood there looking aghast. It wasn’t what she said, just the way she was dressed. If you can imagine a modern day Goth that’s how she looked except her clothes were all white. Around her neck was a large ruby pendant and on her wedding finger a huge ruby ring. As eccentric as she looked, when she touched my hand I felt a kind of warm feeling and an aura around me.’

She turned to Gavin and whispered in his ear, ‘Gavin, tell Ben what she said.’

Ben could see that this was hard for him.

Gavin looked up, ‘She told me she was sorry for leaving me like that, she thought I would be better off where I was. Just as she finished, the photographer was becoming impatient and wanted to do the group pictures and she joined in with the other guests. I couldn’t believe it, when the photos were over, I turned around to find her again but she’d gone. It was like a bad dream. If others hadn’t seen her I’d have wondered if I’d imagined it all, but when the photos were developed there she was smiling in the pictures, looking very pleased with herself.’

‘Was that the last time that you saw her?’ Ben asked.

Ann answered, ‘No, we’ve seen her on two other occasions.’

Ben looked at Ann, ‘You carry on.’

‘The next time we saw her was about two years later, we were trying for a family without a lot of success. Nothing was wrong it just hadn’t happened yet. It was a Saturday morning and we were having a bit of a lie in, when there was a knock on the front door. I went down to see who it was, opened the door and there she was just standing there. I was so shocked to see her, I didn’t think she knew where we lived, she looked so strange because I could have sworn that she was wearing the same clothes that she had on at the wedding, but these were in navy blue.

‘His mum said, I’m just passing and I thought I’d pop in, aren’t you going to ask me in? With that she walked past me and went into the kitchen. Go and get dressed, she said to me, and get that son of mine up as well. I’ll make us some tea. I found that I did what she said. When we both came down, there was a pot of tea on the table with cups and saucers all laid out.

‘Then she said, Right you two sit down, we need to talk, as she poured the tea. She still had that same pendant around her neck and the same ring on her finger. As she placed the tea in front of us, she said, "Just as I was going to bed the other night I had the feeling that there was something not quite right with you two. As I haven’t done very much for you in the past, I thought I’d call in and see if I could help. Looking around and seeing no signs of infants’ paraphernalia I guess that’s the problem, and frankly I’m not surprised. When you live like I do out in the wild, at one with the spirits and