Free Call & Response by J. J. Salkeld

internet’s bloody full of them, mate. And I’ve done nothing wrong. I know my rights.’
    ‘I’m sure you do. But I think that Ashley Weekes was underage when those pictures were taken.’
    ‘No way, man.’
    ‘But I thought you didn’t take them?’
    ‘I didn’t.’
    ‘Then how do you know how old she was? Look, there’s one easy way to settle this. You give us your laptop now, and we have a look on the hard drive.’
    ‘I’m not giving you my fucking computer. No way, man. That’s personal, that is.’
    ‘Up to you. The alternative is that I phone for a van, and have you taken down to the station. Then we get a Warrant and uplift not just your computer but every single one in this house. Who knows what we might find then, eh?’
    ‘You can’t do that.’
    ‘Is that a no, then, Mr. Afridi?’
    ‘Why me? You’re just picking on me. And who’s this, your bitch?’
     
    Pepper smiled, showed her Warrant Card, and introduced herself. Afridi nodded, and turned back to Copeland.
    ‘So you’re actually her bitch then? You just do what you’re told, is that it? Just like it’s always been.’
    ‘I’m just doing my job, that’s all. DS Wilson is my boss. I don’t know quite what point you’re trying to make here, Mr. Afridi, but we really don’t have the time.’
    ‘You wouldn’t get a real Muslim man doing your job.’
    ‘I wouldn’t know about that, and I don’t believe that you would either. All I want to know is this. Are you willing to hand over your laptop, or not? And I should warn you that if you interfere with it before handing it over then we will know, we will recover the data, and we will come straight back and arrest you for attempting to pervert the course of justice. So come on, Mr. Afridi. Make your decision. We don’t have all day.’
    ‘And you’re saying that having the pictures, that’s not a crime?’
    ‘So long as you were both consenting adults, that’s right.’
    ‘Even if there were other girls?’
    ‘Like I say, so long as everyone was a consenting adult.’
    ‘All right, wait here.’
    ‘Don’t be long, Mr. Afridi. If you are then I’ll arrest you when you come back. And if you don’t come back, well, let’s not even go there. Because that would be a very, very bad decision on your part.’
     
    Five minutes later Copeland had written out a receipt, the laptop was bagged and tagged, and Pepper was pulling away from the kerb.
    ‘You know we wouldn’t have got a Warrant, don’t you?’ she said.
    ‘Really, boss? Still, he volunteered it, didn’t he? That’s the main thing. Nothing to hide, he said. So let’s see, shall we?’
    ‘You didn’t like the bloke, did you?’
    ‘Not much. Not much at all. He’s my age, but he’s hanging around with teenage girls, and then posting pictures of them online, without their permission. He’s a shitbag, and that’s all there is to it.’
    ‘And a hypocrite with it.’
    ‘Aren’t we all? That bit doesn’t bother me, to tell you the truth. I just want to know how old that kid was when those pictures were taken.’
    ‘Too young’ said Pepper. ‘However old she was, it was too still far too young. And you did notice that he as good as admitted that it’s him in the photos, and not just with Ashley?’
    ‘Don’t worry, I noticed. Like I say, a right little shit-bag.’
     
     
    Pepper was still thinking about Ashley Barnes as she drove home after work. It was marginally better than thinking about her dad. Ben ran to her as soon as she opened the door, hugged her and said that Adam was making them all spaghetti for tea. She popped her head round the kitchen door, said a quick ‘hello’, and headed upstairs to change. She felt tired, dirty and a bit down. She often felt like that, so it was no huge surprise. But she’d still have to ask Adam about his school, and listen to his endless tales of staff room tantrums. Sometimes she wanted to point out just how trivial it all was, and to man up and just