MELODY HAZARD & THE DUCK’S EGG DIAMOND MYSTERY
By
Brian Sands
Chapter Sixteen: Jasmine Does A Deal
Header: Melody lies bound in her nightdress. From the episode of Colombo, ‘No time to Die,’ MOVTV
Footer: Melody is seized by Karl and chloroformed. From the film, ‘The Collector,’ Van’s Vidcap Vault.
Melody lay on her side scarcely able to move. This was ensured by the multiple layers of transparent post office packaging tape that bound her. It trussed her neatly in separate windings from ankles to shoulders. But she was not gagged. She was thankful for that small concession but she guessed that it would not last.
She glanced upwards at the clock on the bedside table. Two weary hours had passed since her abduction. For the time being she was moderately comfortable, but Melody felt vulnerable in the flimsy silk nightdress and matching white satin dressing gown she wore over it.
She was unable to do much except to roll with difficulty from one side to the other to relieve the pressure on her arms - and to relieve tedium. She had no idea that being tied up could result in boredom. Her experiences at the hands of Karl and Molly Fusil had been terror-filled hours packed with frantic useless struggling. Her present capture was different in a number of ways. She went over again in her mind how it had happened. As usual, she had been totally unprepared.
*
Melody’s suitcase stood by the door of her bedroom ready packed. Her overnight bathroom toiletries were almost ready to go into the shoulder bag that hung on a peg behind the door. The new hideaway had been established. She had talked about it with Mia on the phone earlier that day. She and the dark-haired beauty were to meet in the city, to be whisked away in an unmarked police vehicle. It was Melody’s idea to use a taxi from Tilly’s house so that if any of the gang were watching they would suppose that she was operating on her own initiative, not under police surveillance. It might make them careless.
But that was for tomorrow. Until then, Melody freshened up in the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and was about to climb into bed. She wore a white ankle length silk nightgown and a matching satin dressing gown. She was about to slip out of the latter when a soft rustling made her turn in sudden alarm.
Johnny Montague stood nonchalantly against the lintel of the door, his hands deep in the pockets of a greatcoat. He whistled tunelessly while Melody stood frozen with fear. No word was spoken for half a minute, a long time for the young woman, who knew for a certainty that she was about to become an abduction victim once again.
‘H-How’d you get in?’
‘A ground floor window,’ Johnny answered casually. ‘It’s surprising how easily people forget simple precautions.’
‘W-What are you going to do with me?’ she asked unnecessarily.
With a bored grin, the gangster withdrew one hand from his overcoat pocket and held up a large dispenser of transparent tape, the sort used in post offices for packaging. The stuff was at least two inches wide. Them, with a curt nod, Johnny Montague advanced on her. For an instant, Melody hesitated, then she turned her back and reluctantly offered her arms behind her. It was no use struggling. Johnny was a short man, but solidly built, and there were probably other gang members nearby. She did not wish to be bound by Karl’s rough hands, or by the cruel knots that Molly Fusil favoured. And Johnny Montague had dealt gently with her when she was a prisoner in Sir Murgatroyd’s country mansion.
All the same, Melody gasped as she felt her hands gripped firmly and drawn back to back. Johnny taped her wrists together methodically, winding the sticky stuff around them six times. The wide tape was snug and felt absolutely unbreakable. But it was applied with care so that it did not interfere too much with her circulation. Melody threw a glance at her captor from over her shoulder, her long hair floating across her face with the movement. Johnny Montague stood silently, so she turned and faced him. With an effort, she put on a brave face. ‘I’ve told you before, I don’t know where that dratted diamond is. If that’s what you’re looking for. You have to believe me.’
Johnny nodded sagely. There was another pause before he spoke. ‘I guessed as much. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. And I’ve sussed it out.’
‘Then why ...?’
‘... am I taking the risk of kidnapping you again? I’ll explain later. The important thing is to get you out of here with a minimum of fuss. So ...’ Johnny tore off a strip of tape from the dispenser, tossed the roll onto the bed, and raised the tape, holding each end by the thumb and forefinger of each hand. ‘Purse your lips. I can make it more uncomfortable if you force me to.’
Melody complied. She raised her head and looked her abductor straight in the face as the wide and very sticky tape was pressed and smoothed over her lips and mouth. The ends of the tape extended to her cheeks. Johnny’s fingers worked on it for a long time before he was satisfied that Melody’s lips were tightly sealed together. The young woman’s heart was assailed by the now familiar feeling of helplessness. Even if the tape was less tight, she could not work it free in front of her kidnapper. That would be asking to be gagged again, and tighter. She was comfortable, so long as she did not try to work her lips apart. And breathing through her nose was not difficult.
‘Now,’ Johnny Montague continued, ‘you have two choices, Melody Hazard. Either you walk out quietly, or go packaged the same way as the lovely Mia Chantal the last time you were both taken.’ He nodded towards the suitcase against the wall. Melody’s heart went cold. She shook her head vehemently. ‘I hoped you would see it that way.’ Johnny walked to the door and took down Melody’s fur lined jacket. With a gallant though ironic flourish, he draped the garment over Melody’s shoulders and fastened it at her throat. ‘This will hide the fact that your arms are bound, if anyone’s in the street.’
Melody nodded in helpless agreement. She knew this man was less cruel than Karl and Molly. She wondered whether she had to thank Johnny Montague for the small kindnesses received during her earlier captures. She could not decide whether the gentle hands that freed her eyes in the restraining helmet, or the encouraging touches, were those of Johnny Montague or Hudson. Maybe both men, she thought.
Johnny Montague seated Melody at the dresser chair and slipped her strap shoes onto her feet, buckling them with a tenderness that surprised her. Taking the suitcase in one hand, he then escorted Melody out of the room and down the stairs to the front door. The young woman’s light overnight bag was slung over his shoulder. He had not forgotten to dump her toothbrush and other things from the bathroom into it.
At the door, Melody was seated again, this time in a hallway chair. The kidnapper knelt at her feet and tied her ankles together with a piece of cord, allowing about a foot of rope between them. ‘I’ll be back,’ he remarked laconically. And with a wink he was gone.
Melody waited for Johnny Montague to return. It was obvious that he was stowing away the suitcase. It was also obvious that she could not get far with her ankles tethered. She did not like the idea of falling with her arms bound behind her, so she sat still. The effect of having her wrists taped back to back was to draw her elbows up towards her shoulder blades, which made her sit very straight with her full breasts raised prominently. It also stretched her shoulders painfully.
In a short time the man returned and softly took her by an elbow. Without freeing her ankles, he escorted Melody from the house to a small hire car that stood parked in the street parallel to the curb. Melody had to take short steps, as though she was wearing a narrow ankle length skirt. There was no sign of activity in the street. All the neighbours at that time of the evening were either away from their houses or in their rooms focussed on the television or eating their meals.
Johnny opened the door on the passengers’ side and settled Melody into the seat. Then, walking quickly to the drivers’ side, he climbed in and fastened the seat belt over Melody’s body. It was an across-the-shoulder belt and he tightened it severely so that the young woman was held firmly in place. Next he reached down and lowered the back of the seat until Melody lay flat below the window. A heavy blanket was thrown over her. It covered her face and reached to her ankles, and Melody turned her head to one side in order to breathe more easily. Already the heavy cloth felt stifling over her head and face. She did not struggle, although the pain in her arms and shoulders brought tears to her eyes. She did not like the thought that she might be trussed up and locked in the trunk or on the floor of the car if she became troublesome. She could not guess whether Johnny Montague would carry out a more violent kidnapping but she did not want to risk it.
The journey was uneventful but it was very long. When at last the car drew to a stop, Melody felt disoriented, in a daze brought on by the vehicle’s movement and the hot smothering blanket over her face. When the blanket was removed and she was helped out of the car, Melody saw that they were in the warehouse district again. She could not recognise any of their surroundings, however, and for all the knowledge the dark looming building held for her she might as well have been blindfolded. Johnny Montague had probably the same idea, and for that reason had not occluded her more than he felt necessary.
She was led to the back of the building, the padlock on a narrow door was unlocked, and they ascended long narrow steps separated by a landing. Johnny Montague flicked on a torch, lighting a section of passageway, and they walked for a long distance, perhaps to the furthest end of the building. Stopping at a heavy wooden door, Johnny stooped and inserted a key in the padlock that held it. The door opened with difficulty. It had obviously not been used recently. This meant that the building had probably not been visited for a very long time.
Melody was led into the room. She blinked as he eyes accustomed themselves to the sudden light of a strong naked globe swinging near the ceiling. The windows of the room had not only been boarded up. A heavy black cloth of some kind had also been nailed over them so that no chink of light could escape. The room was furnished simply. In one corner stood a military issue cot. An old mattress with a blanket thrown over itlay on the floor in the opposite corner. Two heavy wooden chairs with straight b acks stood at a small deal table. There was no sound from outside, not even the distant honk of a car’s horn or any other sound of traffic. Melody recognised it as a perfect place in which to hold her. It was so isolated that she guessed her cries would not be heard if she was able to get rid of her gag.
Melody turned and faced her abductor. Without a word, Johnny Montague indicated one of the chairs. She obeyed, expecting to be bound into the chair. But Johnny Montague hunkered down on his knees in front of her and began with great care to strip the single piece of very sticky transparent tape from the young woman’s mouth. It came away slowly and with a minimum of pain. Melody took a deep breath as her lips came free.
‘You should be okay,’ Johnny said quietly. ‘It had to be done, as a precaution. I don’t need to tell you not to scream. No one will hear you in this place anyway.’
‘I- I won’t scream. Thank you for taking off the gag.’
‘Would you like a drink?’
‘Yes, please.’
Johnny Montague rose and walked to a door. Melody heard the sound of running water and guessed that the adjoining room was either a kitchen or a bathroom. The man returned and held a glass of tap water to her lips. The glass was meticulously clean, so clean that it sparkled in the glow of the ceiling light. Melody drank slowly and appreciatively.
‘Thank you.’
‘Part of the service.’
‘Where are we? Am I allowed to know that?
‘I don’t see why not. It would be very difficult for you to find this place again, once you’re released. And, yes, I do plan to free you. But only after we’ve completed certain business negotiations. But to answer your question ...’ Johnny straddled the other chair facing Melody, his arms crossed over the chair’s back. ‘This is my little getaway. None of our happy gang know about it. It’s where I come when I’ve had a gut full of Karl and Molly. It’s been a long time, this time around.’
‘What is this place?’
‘It’s more than a warehouse. This part we’re in now used to be the night watchman’s apartment. He was my friend, and I inherited it after he died. There’s a kitchen.’ Johnny inclined his head vaguely in the direction of the room he had just been in. ‘And, on the other side, if you notice, is an en suite bathroom. Compact with mod cons.’
‘May I use the bathroom?’
‘Sure. I’ll cut the tape from your wrists, but you’ll have to be taped again later.’
When her wrists were free, Melody hugged her arms around her body then rubbed circulation back into her numbed fingers. ‘Thank you, Johnny. My arms were hurting like crazy. You’re a gentleman.’
Johnny Montague smiled sadly in response to Melody’s compliment. ‘Another time and place, Melody Hazard, and we might have become good friends.’
Without answering, Melody walked to the bathroom. When she returned, Johnny indicated the chair in which she had been sitting. But he made no move to bind her. Instead, he sat with his chin resting on his crossed arms, looking at her thoughtfully.
‘You said earlier that you didn’t believe I had the Duck’s Egg diamond,’ said Melody. ‘What did you mean by that?’
‘I meant simply that I believe your story. You’re a strong woman, but you would have broken when Karl threatened to work on you with that electrical device. You would have told us then, if you knew. Karl went too far. That’s why I stopped him. Those two sadists, Molly Fusil and Karl, get pleasure from kidnapping beautiful women like you and your friend Mia Chantal. That’s almost the sole object of their game. They get such a kick out of abducting young women and selling them to Sir Herbert Murgatroyd that the money seems the least of their worries, whereas with me it’s the direct opposite. I don’t get a high from kidnapping women like you. Sure, there’s satisfaction in trussing you up. The feel of your skin and limbs as the rope or tape goes around them. That’s a big sexual turn-on for men, and women. No. Melody. What interests me is making deposits into my retirement fund. And that’s where you come in.’
‘But you said that you’re satisfied I don’t know about the diamond.’
‘Yeah. But somehow you’re a key. I haven’t sussed out exactly how. But that little butterfly Jasmine Morris is in it somewhere. She and her two mates, those English buffoons.’
‘Brentford and Orly? Are they interested in the diamond too?’ asked Melody feigning ignorance.
‘Of course they are. They tricked us when the Morris girl pretended to be their prisoner. I got wise when they drove off and left me at the beach house, with you too.’
‘That was kind of clever of them,’ admitted Melody. ‘But since then they’ve disappeared.’
‘I thought as much. The three of them are no doubt together. Which gives me an edge. I know how to contact Jasmine Morris. They gave us their mobile phone number.’
‘What do you intend to do?’
‘Get in touch with the girl of course. Those con artists won’t be far away, but I’m sure the girl’s greedy enough to want a cut of the diamond without sharing it. Yeah. I’ll get to work on that now.’ Johnny rose to his feet. ‘But first I have an unpleasant task to perform.’ He picked up the roll of transparent tape. ‘Stand up and turn around.’
Melody obeyed, turning her back to him and extending her arms behind her. ‘Please don’t tape my wrists back to back like you did before. It really hurt.’
‘Okay. But it will have to be more secure.’
Johnny Montague crossed Melody’s wrists in the conventional fashion and bound them together with half a dozen neat turns of tape. He then helped Melody lie on the mattress against the wall and directed her to cross her ankles. As with her hands, six layers of tape wrapped them firmly. Stroking his chin, the man hunkered back on his haunches and looked speculatively at Melody.
Melody looked up expectantly. Johnny Montague took up the roll of transparent tape again. Squatting next to Melody, he placed his hand under her back and propped her up so that she was sitting. ‘Gotta do this,’ he explained apologetically. ‘Can’t leave you free to move about the room. If it’s any consolation I’ll try to make you as comfortable as possible. You won’t be able to move a lot. But you won’t be in pain.’
‘Thanks,’ replied Melody, a touch of irony in her voice. Johnny merely cocked an eye and grimaced faintly.
Melody’s arms were neatly secured to her body by several windings of tape that passed just below her breasts and pinned her arms above the elbows. These were followed by more windings above her breasts, pinning her upper arms tight to her back, and similar wrappings around her waist. Those layers crossed her forearms above her taped wrists. Each set of windings was separate from the others. Each set of windings was at least turned six times around her body. The sum result was that Melody’s arms could not move at all. It was as though they were part of her body. The same procedure was followed for Melody’s legs, fastening them below her knees, above her knees and around her thighs. She was glad that she was wearing the long silk nightdress and satin dressing gown. No part of the tape was in direct contact with her skin aside from her bound wrists. She tested her bonds. There was no movement, only a straining of flesh and muscle bulging slightly against the layers of tape.
‘I’m not interested in your comfort, just so long you’re not in pain,’ Johnny remarked. Melody shook her head dumbly and wondered what was coming next. Her gag most likely. Johnny Montague was weighing the roll of tape in his hand thoughtfully, his brow furrowed as he looked at Melody. ‘I don’t want to gag you until the last minute before I leave. Will you stay quiet while I’m planning things in the next room?’
‘I thought you said this place was sound proof.’
‘Not sound proof, just so far isolated that nobody will probably hear you if you did yell. I can’t risk you being heard, when I leave. So,’ Johnny shrugged, ‘no hard feelings.’
Melody did not answer at first. The she shrugged too. ‘I can’t do anything to stop you.’
‘You’re okay for the next hour. I suggest you take it easy.’
‘Thank you.’
This time Melody meant it. Being held a prisoner like this was not her idea of a relaxing night. But it was preferable to being trussed up and her mouth packed and gagged by Molly Fusil or Karl. Count your blessings, she told herself. This man’s genuine and is only holding you for practical reasons. And he said later he’d set me free.
Johnny Montague exited for the bedroom on the other side of the bathroom. Melody remembered seeing a door there. The young woman lay back with a sigh and tried to arrange herself as comfortably as her bound circumstances allowed. She closed her eyes and tried to nap. But it was difficult to relax. The constrictions at her wrists and ankles and around her body reminded Melody continually of her true helplessness. Being taped meant that there were no knots she could tease loose. But perhaps she could find something sharp or rough to abrade them on, after Johnny Montague had gone. She lifted her head with difficulty and looked about the room. There must be something she could use. But nothing caught her eyes. She lay down again, turned her head to one side, and fought back the tears that threatened.
An hour to the minute, Johnny Montague returned to the room where Melody lay. Our heroine had managed to fall asleep and the sound of the door opening startled her to wakefulness. Melody spoke quickly as soon as Johnny Montague entered. ‘Please don’t use that stuff on my mouth. It really hurts when it’s pulled off. Surely there must be another way of keeping me quiet. You used handkerchiefs once before.’
‘Yeah. But I don’t want you to choke on anything while I’m out.’
There was silence as the gangster paced the room in deep thought, his hands thrust into his pockets in what Melody was beginning to identify as a mannerism characteristic of the man. Then with a quick movement Johnny disappeared into the bathroom. He re-emerged a moment later with a roll of medical gauze bandage in his hand.
‘This is an experiment. I want you to cooperate. I know by now that you’re not the sort who gets hysterical easily.’ Melody nodded. ‘Raise your face, tilt you head back a little. That’s good. Hold it there.’
With consummate care, one might almost say artistry, Johnny Montague wound a broad strip of gauze bandage across Melody’s lips and mouth and over her cheeks, fastening a secure knot at the back of her neck to one side close to her left ear. Then, taking up the roll of tape, he plastered a strip neatly over her mouth and continued to wind it around the back of her neck over her hair and over her mouth again. This he did about three more times before cutting the tape and sealing the end just below an ear. Melody’s face and mouth were wrapped, like a Christmas parcel she thought, but with the single layer of gauze between the sticky side of the tape and her skin. Because the tape was wound multiple times around her face, and because it was rigid, it imprisoned her jaws firmly. Melody found she could open her mouth a little, but not very far. Some of the tape, just over her chin and below her nose, adhered to her skin and prevented her from opening her mouth wider.
‘I think that will muffle any cries you care to make. It should be more comfortable than what you’ve experienced before. Go ahead. Try to call for help.’
‘Mmmf.’ Melody obliged, and found that the new gag muffled her cries so that she was sure they could not be heard from the other side of the door. The gag felt something like the one she had worn when she and Mia were prepared for shipment in the wooden chests, except that Johnny Montague did not appear interested in either wrapping her face additionally in duct tape or with a silk scarf. And, although she had to breathe through her nose, Melody did not have to endure cloth packing in her mouth. She nodded to Johnny and tried to communicate with her eyes that she felt okay. The man understood and, as he lowered Melody to the mattress, he gently stroked a wisp of hair from her eyes. His fingers lingered a moment on Melody’s temple before he arranged her on her side, slipping a pillow under her head.
In a final touch, Johnny Montague up a long piece of rope, looped it under Melody’s body, and fastened it around her just below her breasts. He then passed the ends of the rope under the mattress, knotting them at one side of the bed. The rope tie was loose enough to enable Melody to roll from one side to the other. But she could not get onto the floor to explore the room, even if she was capable of the effort against the closely wound layers of tape that held her.
‘I’ll do my best not to be too long away,’ the man said. ‘In the meantime, try to relax. It’s nearly sunrise and you haven’t had much sleep. Try to be patient. If my plan comes off, you’ll be free by the end of the day.’
Johnny turned and left. There was the scrape and click of the padlock, then silence. Melody heard only faintly the sounds of Johnny Montague’s footfalls receding in the distance. Taking his advice, she snuggled down on the blanket and prepared to wait out the hours before Johnny’s return.
*
It was in fact many hours before Johnny Montague returned. Throughout the morning, Melody heard no outside sounds, only the creaking of the beams and metal of the old warehouse. Although Johnny Montague was right and she was not in pain, Melody grew increasingly more uncomfortable. The layers of tape holding her in their sticky embrace allowed very little movement. Her legs were locked tightly together, and her arms were fixed hard against her body. The lack of ventilation in the small room added to her discomfort. The silk nightdress clung wetly to her skin within the sheath of warm air trapped between it and the satin dressing gown. Those fine natural fabrics that kept Melody warm on chilly nights were not so practical now. Sweat beaded her brow and neck and ran down her side. The combination of gauze and duct tape muffling her face made her feel more hot and breathless. She made several serious attempts to call for help, but all that came out was a muffled throaty squeal.
When Melody became aware of footfalls at a distance, she also recognised the sharp clack of high heels. Johnny must have persuaded the Morris girl to come. Or ... It can’t be Molly? Oh no ... Melody strained desperately at her bonds but without effect. A chain jangled. A key turned in the padlock. The door opened. And two figures entered. Melody groaned in relief when she saw that they were Johnny Montague and Jasmine Morris.
Jasmine was not bound but she was obviously apprehensive about the sinister bulge in Johnny’s overcoat pocket and had not come willingly. She wore a flowered dress with a very short skirt and a deep low neckline. Her blonde hair was piled high and her neck and shoulders were protected by a white wrap of ersatz fur. When she saw Melody, Jasmine’s hand went to her mouth and her face registered profound shock.
‘Be warned, Miss Morris. This will be your fate if you don’t cooperate,’ Johnny Montague growled in his best tough-guy accent. It did not deceive Melody, who by now knew that the man had a softer nature. But it had its effect on Jasmine. The girl took a step back and stifled an exclamation. And when she turned to Johnny Montague she was trembling.
‘I - I’ll do my best to cooperate. What do you want to know?’
Montague laughed in disbelief. ‘What do I want ...? Why, the bloody diamond of course, you little fool.’
I - I don’t know ...’
‘Don’t give me that! You’re in it up to your pretty neck ... Look,’ he said after a pause, ‘I don’t mind sharing the proceeds after its been through a fence. I know you know about it. And I also know that you haven’t a hope of selling it without the contacts I know. So what do you know? Wanna do a deal?’
Jasmine frowned pensively. ‘I guess I could at that. But what about her?’ With her foot she indicated Melody lying helpless on the bed.
‘She’s part of it,’ replied Johnny shortly. ‘Don’t try to deny it.’
‘Well ...’ Jasmine looked at Melody doubtfully. ‘I suppose it’s all right. But not in here. Can we go some place where I can have a drink?’
‘Now you’re talking! There’s a bar not far from here. Won’t be many customers right now. Come on, and no tricks.’
As she was about to leave, Jasmine looked down at Melody. A slow smirk of satisfaction played around her pouting lips and her eyes narrowed and looked at Melody in such a hard way that it sent a shiver down the older woman’s back. But Jasmine’s face was composed when she turned to face Johnny Montague, and walked trippingly out the door ahead of the pistol he appeared to be holding in his pocket.
Melody had another half hour of waiting before Johnny Montague returned, this time without Jasmine. But Johnny was actually rubbing his hands. ‘At last we’re getting somewhere! So, okay ...’ He squatted down beside Melody. ‘Would you like relief from that?’ Melody nodded energetically.
‘Sorry I was so long. Had to stake out the hotel with that girl. Her two friends were probably wondering what happened to her.’
As he spoke, Johnny Montague was cutting the multiple layered tape from Melody’s body, taking great care not to damage her satin gown. Soon Melody was bound only at wrists and ankles. She shook her head to indicate that she wanted the gag removed. Without a word, Johnny cut the tape and the underlying gauze at her jaw line and gently peeled it away from her face. Then he cut her wrist and ankle bonds and began to help Melody to her feet.
‘Oh my god. That kept me quiet like you wanted. But it made me feverish. Please may I use the bathroom? You can tie me up afterwards.’
‘Sure thing. But there won’t be any more tying up. Can you stand?’
‘I- I think so.’
Melody proved that she could stand and walked unsteadily to the bathroom.
When she re-emerged, Johnny Montague was waiting patiently. ‘I won’t tape you again. I didn’t intend for you to be trussed up so long. It had to be done.’
‘Why?’
‘To make an impression on that silly woman. I didn’t want to rough her up. So I decided the best way to put the wind up her was to show you tightly bound. It worked.’
‘Don’t be too sure, Johnny. She gave me such a look before she left! That little minx is hard-bitten, believe me.’
‘Thanks for the advice.’ Johnny Montague inclined his head. ‘But she says she knows where you’ve hidden the diamond, and in a little while she’ll tell me more.’
‘You don’t surely believe her?’
‘Of course not. I’m convinced that you’re ignorant of its whereabouts. But Jasmine Morris’s confidence leads me to think that she knows about it. Not you. Though I think you’re a pawn in it somehow. That’s what I hope to get out of her. In the meantime we’re in business,’
‘What part do you suggest I play?’
‘I’ll give you an address. We’ll meet there with Miss Morris. She says you’re to come.’ He handed her a sheet of notepaper.
‘Wait a minute, this is the address of the jewellery store where the diamond was stolen.’
‘Exactly. Jasmine Morris wants to re-enact that little scene. She says there’s a clue in it somewhere. She was being evasive. She’s gone to her hotel room to change into the clothes she was wearing that day, and says you’re to do the same.’
‘A costume party? Now that’s getting ridiculous!’
‘I know, but humour her. There’s a lot at stake, and it won’t do any harm.’
Melody rubbed her wrists which were still stinging from the removal of the tape.
‘Sorry about that.’
‘Don’t worry, Johnny. It’s great to be free again.’
‘I’m a man of my word.’
‘I know.’ Now I know, Melody said to herself. I wasn’t very certain about it for awhile.
*
Jasmine Morris’s plan to recreate the scene of the robbery was strange indeed, and Melody racked her brains over it as Johnny Montague chauffeured her back through town to Tilly’s house. Johnny cruised cautiously down the street. Melody reminded herself that he was a criminal after all. It was sometimes difficult to believe. But she felt glad when she saw that the man was watching her protectively until she had closed the door between herself and the front yard. There were enough ornamental tropical shrubs to conceal a waiting abductor, especially now that the sun was getting low.
I’ve been bound and held prisoner for a night and a day. Mia and the others will be wondering what on earth has happened to me.
It took three phone calls before she contacted Mia Chantal. Brod and Miles deVille were out somewhere on the case, meeting a financier. That was all Mia knew. The dark-eyed beauty’s relief was tangible over the phone, and when Melody told her about Jasmine’s plan she gasped in disbelief.
‘Don’t go, Melody. It’s a trap if ever there was one. Wait for Miles and Brod to get back. We’ll have police protection then.’
‘We?’
‘You don’t expect I’ll let you face the danger on your own? I’ll meet you outside the coffee shop across the road from the jeweller’s.’
Melody acquiesced. She was relieved to have her fearless friend along. Where are those men when they’re needed?
As she showered and changed, Melody tried to remember what she had been wearing on the day of the robbery. The weather was cold and wet then, almost like now. That’s it. She was wearing one of her heavy woollen skirts and a blouse. Maybe the old red silk one. And Tilly had loaned her a stupid trench coat. But it did keep the rain off, and the weather outside was lowering. Melody rebelled against following Jasmine’s whim to the letter, however. Anyway the nights were still warm though storms could erupt as winter approached. Melody chose to wear a blue silk blouse, teaming it with a light green skirt that came just below her knees. As a concession to the approaching bad weather, she knotted the autumnal silk scarf at her throat. And as a concession to Jasmine, she resurrected the old trench coat from the depths of her wardrobe.
‘That’s as far as it goes, Jasmine. I hope you have a good excuse for wasting our time on this charade. Now where is that taxi?’
Not wishing to waste time, Melody slipped out of the house, closed and locked the door, and walked down the paved pathway towards the front gate. She paused by the edge of the path where the green foliage was thickest to consult her watch. She heard too late the rustling in the bushes behind her.
As Melody raised her head, a scream starting in her throat, a large hand clamped tightly over her face. At the same time a powerful arm wrapped across her body. It pinned her hands close to her chest just as she started to raise them. She threw her body against her attacker but it had no effect. The effort weakened her instead because she could not draw breath. The hand covered both her mouth and her nose and she was slowly asphyxiating.
Melody’s legs grew weak. She felt herself lowered to the ground and the hand came away from her mouth. Then, as she took a long shuddering inhalation, a damp pad was pressed over her face covering her mouth and nose. The sickly sweet fumes of the chloroform were drawn into her lungs. She tried to fight against it but the stifling sensation only made her breathe in more deeply. As she slipped into a whirling darkness, Melody thought she heard a distant ‘Hoo hoo. Gotcha.’ Then she knew no more.
