Melody Hazard and the Duck's Egg Diamond Mystery

Footer: Mia’s wrists being bound by Jasmine (or cuffed by Molly, take your pick). From Streets of San Francisco, ‘Flags of Terror,’ Adrienne La Russa, Philly’s site.

Mia phoned for a taxi as soon as Melody rang off. But the taxi was late in a traffic jam and when she arrived at the block it felt as though too much time had passed. The young woman almost ran to the Tiffany Plus jewellers but there was no sign of activity there as the area gradually cleared of late afternoon shoppers and those who served them. Soon the street was almost deserted.

Feeling uncomfortable in her exposed position at the portal of the building opposite the jewellers, Mia hugged the collar of her overcoat to her neck. She had thrown it on at short notice because of the coming storm. She wore what she had chosen earlier that afternoon in the sultry air: light green slacks and a matching patterned figure-hugging shirt with large collars, open to the third button. The overcoat became necessary as the air grew colder.

Acting on instinct, the young woman backed deeper into the shadows cast by the doorway. She was just in time. A light click-clack of high heels sounded along the pavement, and the figure of Jasmine Morris appeared walking quickly on the opposite side of the street. She wore what appeared to be a flower-patterned dress. It was hard to tell because a white fur, or something looking very like a fur, was wrapped about her neck and shoulders.

Jasmine paused and looked furtively back up the street. There was no one in sight. With a quick movement she disappeared into the doorway of the jewellers. Mia’s impulse was to follow the scheming little woman. But she played it safe, waiting a minute or two to be sure that no other persons were in sight. It was entirely possible that Jasmine was being followed. No one appeared however and, taking her courage in her hand, Mia stepped off the curb and walked quickly to the entrance to the jewellers.

So far so good. The lobby was deserted. Lights above the lift revealed Jasmine’s progress from the lobby to the first floor where the shop was located. Mia did not take the adjacent lift. Still playing safe, she mounted the stairs of the fire escape and made her way carefully to the next floor. The door from the stair well opened onto an empty corridor. Had Jasmine entered the store already?

*

It took a long time for Melody to come to. When her head had cleared sufficiently for her to guess what had happened, she almost wished that she had remained unconscious. She was sitting slumped in an enclosed space of some sort. Her back rested against something hard and metallic and her knees were drawn up towards her chest. When she raised her head it came against another hard surface. At first Melody was puzzled, but a movement that threw her to one side solved the issue.

I must be in the trunk of a car, maybe the Merc again. And I’m bound, gagged, and blindfolded. I hope it doesn’t get any worse than this. But Melody knew otherwise. This was only the beginning. Past experience told her that it was going to become much worse.

*

Mia stepped lightly into the corridor. She had two closed doors from which to choose. When she put her ear to the first door a faint sound filtering through from inside told her that Jasmine was probably there. What could the scheming little girl be up to? Mia considered her options carefully. If she tried to open the door she might interrupt Jasmine at a point where she was about to incriminate herself. On the other hand, if she waited outside she would have no idea what Jasmine was doing. Trying to reconstruct the robbery? That’s what Melody said. It sounded far-fetched.

Making her decision, Mia turned the handle. The door was unlocked. It opened with the barest click and swung soundlessly into the room. Mia stepped through. She was in the main room lined with display cases and a counter that was also a display case near the side wall. The layout was as she had seen it in the papers, and described by Brod in the briefing session he gave her and Miles. No one else was in the room but the far door at the other end was open a crack and she could make out the movement of shadows within.

Making no sound over the rich carpet, Mia walked to the inner door and stood there hesitantly. Taking a deep breath, she looked in. This room, clearly an inner office, was empty too. But another door on the other side of the room stood ajar and she could hear sounds coming more clearly from the room that it opened on to. Mia stepped across the office, knowing that she was crossing an invisible line beyond which it would be more difficult to escape if she had to run from someone either ahead of her or at her back. You’re taking a risk, Mia my girl, she said to herself as she reached the inner door.

A flight of wooden steps led downwards into what must be a basement. With great caution Mia descended a step at a time, testing each step in case it should creak and give her away. The floor was strewn with lumber, old packing cases, some of them unopened, others lying with broken boards. Bolts of cloth lay stacked in one corner of the large cellar, rolls of carpet against a wall opposite. They were probably stock for adjoining businesses, and Mia saw a large double door at one end heavily padlocked that would lead into the cellar of an adjoining store. A diminutive figure stood bent over one of the packing cases. It was Jasmine and she seemed to be rifling through the box’s contents. Old clothes littered the floor around her feet where she had carelessly thrown them in her search, Mia speculated, for the missing diamond. Jasmine was obviously having no luck, as her exasperated grunts showed.

‘Wherever it is, it’s not likely to be there,’ said Mia aloud.

Jasmine whirled. The look of guilty consternation on her baby-doll face was ludicrous but a little sinister too in the harsh neon light from the ceiling. ‘It - it was worth a try,’ she said defensively. Jasmine cast a glance up the steps. ‘Where’s Melody? I suppose she told you about this.’

‘About your scatterbrained plan to reconstruct the crime? I don’t remember anything about this cellar in the reports.’

‘No, well, I thought I’d take a look while I was waiting.’

‘You think the diamond’s likely to be hidden in a place like this?’

Jasmine’s face became more evasive at Mia’s question. I’m somehow close to the truth, thought Mia. Maybe I can get her flustered enough to blurt out something.

‘Are you reconstructing more than just the robbery that happened above us?’ Mia asked, pressing the advantage. ‘Is this where you managed to hide the diamond?’

‘N- no. It’s just ... ’ Jasmine became still and Mia realised she was looking at something past her shoulder behind her. Mia whirled. Halfway up the steps stood Molly Fusil, a small snub-nosed pistol held steadily in her hand.

*

There was no way that Melody could get comfortable. Her wrists were tightly bound together behind her back with rough cord in a simple but very effective single-direction tie. Her arms too were roped together at the elbows, and more cord wrapped her body closely above and below her breasts and at her waist. A loop of the body cords was crossed between her breasts, pinching them through the thin silk of her shirt. Her legs were just as firmly bound, at the ankles and below and above her knees with separate pieces of cord. One of the knots pressed into the side of her leg just below a knee, causing a slow throbbing ache. There was no mistaking the identity of her captor. It was a classic Karl/Snedley tie-up. She simply could not move her arms.

Melody shook her head from side to side to test the blindfold. It was too tight to rub off against the interior of the car’s trunk. The slickness of the band told her that it was silk, probably her own scarf. She could feel that it no longer wrapped her neck. Her ridiculous but warm overcoat had been removed, and she felt doubly helpless and vulnerable in the light skirt. It had been rucked to her upper thighs to complete the binding of her legs and all she wore beneath the hose were skimpy satin-finished panties. The interior of the trunk was cold, adding to her discomfort.

The gag was a simple affair, a thick cloth bound tightly between Melody’s jaws. There was no packing and she was able to explore its texture with her tongue. It too seemed to be silk, a man’s cravat perhaps. It was thick enough to fill the front of her mouth and was tied so tightly that she could not shift it. It had a faint oily taste that set her teeth on edge. There was no chance of working the gag over her chin. Instead, it held her mouth partly open and this, together with the after-effects of the chloroform, had already made her palate and throat dry. When she felt the vehicle stop for a moment, probably at traffic lights, Melody attempted to cry out in the hope that someone in the street would hear her. But all she could make was a faint croaking sound that seemed to be locked within her head.

Melody’s head ached from the chloroform and the stuffy confines of the trunk. She slipped wearily onto her side and lay still. Her legs remained drawn up towards her knees because of the narrowness of the trunk. I’m obviously not in the Merc this time, she thought dully. What had she learnt already from hours of being the gang’s bound and gagged prisoner? She tried to remember some of Mia’s advice. Lie still. Relax. Don’t exhaust yourself by struggling. If the bonds are escape-proof all you can do is wait for someone to untie you, or to wait out the right moment for getting free. Melody thought that if she was alone in a room it might be possible to find something on which she could cut or fray her cords. But that strategy depended on so many factors. She had been too securely bound in the past to have any illusions about getting free if her captors were determined to hold her. The relatively gentle rocking of the car was almost soothing as it carried Melody to her fate. But the cords and the gag were agony.

*

Mia glanced back at Jasmine and did not like the look in the pert young woman’s eyes. She turned to face Molly Fusil again but it was Jasmine who spoke first.

‘I told you they’d both come,’ said Jasmine triumphantly. She was addressing Molly, a fact that sent a shiver of apprehension along Mia’s spine. ‘The other one, Melody, can’t be far away.’

‘Yes dear, you were quite right.’ Molly descended the stairway a couple of steps then sat lightly on one step. The pistol trained on Mia remained rock steady. ‘You’ve done a good job, and you’ll be well rewarded.’

‘I looked and looked but I couldn’t find anything.’

‘I know. A nuisance isn’t it?’ Molly’s irony was lost on Jasmine but not on Mia who was listening intently to the exchange between the two women who were now her captors. ‘I’m sure we’ll find out presently when Miss Hazard comes to join her friend.’

‘What will we do with her now?’

‘She mustn’t be able to warn Miss Hazard. Appropriate name don’t you think, under the circs? And we don’t have time to put her in the van.’ Molly cast her eyes around the cellar. ‘Jasmine dear, take those rusty pinking shears on the floor there and cut some strips of cloth from one of those bolts of silk. I’m sure those scissors are sharp enough to do the job. You,’ Molly added in an aside to Mia, ‘just stay quiet. Don’t move. Don’t speak. There’s nothing to say.’

Mia nodded and stood where she was. Her heart was pounding and her mouth felt dry. Her knees also felt weak and she hoped she was not going to pass out. I don’t want to betray any sign of weakness to this bitch, she thought grimly. But she was afraid, as much for Melody who would be walking into the trap as for herself already in it.

Jasmine was cutting a long strip of grey patterned silk, fine flimsy stuff of the sort used as lining in expensive skirts and dresses. Molly interrupted her in her task. ‘That will do to begin with, Jasmine darling. I want you to tie Miss Chantal’s hands behind her back. You won’t give us any trouble will you?’ she added menacingly to Mia who quickly shook her head.

Jasmine leapt to her new task with enthusiasm. Mia’s arms were roughly pulled behind her. It was hard to believe that Jasmine had that sort of strength and ruthlessness. The young blonde began to wind the thin strip of silk dressmaking material about Mia’s wrists. ‘Do a couple of turns then make a knot,’ Molly ordered. ‘Tighten it. Good. Now double it and pull it as tight as you can.’ Jasmine looked up at the older woman questioningly when she had completed that step. Molly nodded approvingly. ‘Use up the rest of the cloth the same way, only wind it around her wrists above the ties already made. Make another double knot, and remember to pull it very tight. Mia winced with pain as Jasmine followed Molly’s instructions to the letter. Her heart was thumping harder and beads of sweat broke out on her forehead. She tested the bonds reflexively. Her fingers could reach nothing. She knew that silken knots were impossible to pick open once they were tied really tight, as they felt now. And Jasmine had left no ends hanging for Mia’s fingers to explore at a later time.

‘Excellent,’ purred Molly. Jasmine’s face glowed with the compliment. ‘Cut another piece. Miss Chantal, do make yourself comfortable.’ She indicated a dust-covered stool that was one of several lining the side of the wall where Mia was standing. When Jasmine turned to them, another long strip of silk in her hands, Molly nodded towards Mia. ‘Her ankles. Around and around will do. Ahh, you know how to make a cinch. Very good! You have hidden talents.’ She sure does thought Mia as her ankles were bound and cinched together tightly.

Molly descended the rest of the steps, slipping the small automatic into her bag as she came. She stood over Mia, her hands on her hips, and looked at her with a twisted smirk on a face that would otherwise have been very beautiful.

‘What do you plan to do?’ asked Mia.

‘What else but to bait the trap with you my dear. As I told you once before, your great weakness is your loyalty to each other. Or did I say it to your friend Melody Hazard? It doesn’t matter. If I have one of you I can know with certainty that I’ll have the other shortly. Cute isn’t it?’

‘Very.’

Mia looked up the steps. The door at the top was closed. She guessed that it was too thick to allow sounds to escape from the cellar. Molly followed her gaze. ‘Yes, Mia Chantal, we’re going to leave you in the dark in this place and wait for your friend upstairs. And, as usual, there’s nothing you can do about it.

‘I know!’ cried Jasmine excitedly. ‘Let’s gag her too. Just to make sure.’

‘Don’t you just love the enthusiasm of the young?’ observed Molly as Jasmine scampered to the bolt of silk and cut a wide strip from it.

‘Oh very,’ Mia answered uneasily. ‘Just what I wanted ... Look,’ she added quickly as Jasmine walked towards them, ‘This place is sound proof. There’s really no need to ...’

‘Oh but we must let Jasmine have her little fun. Go ahead my dear. Secure it tight.’

Mia raised her head and sat straight and still as Jasmine tied a strip of heavy silk over the lower part of her face. The girl had shown proficiency at binding her hand and foot but she was less confident at applying the gag. The double folded bandage covered not only Mia’s mouth but her nose also. It was snug but Mia felt sure that she could slip the gag with a little effort. For the time being it would muffle any attempts to call for help from down in the cellar and was more than effective for Mia’s liking.

‘Hmm. Not bad,’ was Molly’s verdict. ‘I could suggest improvements. However ...’

Mia looked apprehensively at the older woman. What new torment was Molly fermenting in that twisted mind? But again it was Jasmine who came up with an idea.

‘Why don’t we roll her up in one of those carpets? I saw that on TV once.’

‘My, you are excelling yourself tonight. What a good idea.’

Between them Molly and Jasmine lifted a large carpet roll from the stack against the far wall and spread it out on the stone flags of the cellar. Molly took Mia under the shoulders while Jasmine carried her legs and they laid their captive along one side of the carpet. Mia began to struggle but Molly tut-tutted warningly and pushed her down onto her back.

‘Nothing you can do my dear. It will be a trifle claustrophobic but not for long. Just long enough for us to snare your friend. Then we’ll take you both for that proverbial ride.’

Ignoring Mia’s faint protests, Molly and Jasmine rolled her over and over in the carpet until she was wrapped tightly within all its layers. Mia’s frightened cries became faint whimperings to the ears of the two women at whose feet she lay.

‘Will she be able to breathe?’ asked Jasmine with a worried frown.

‘She’s a big girl. She can handle it.’

The two women took down several more rolls of carpet, lifted the roll containing Mia and lowered it in their place, then stacked them back on top.

‘That will hold her. She’ll feel like she’s encased in concrete. And she’s out of our way. We’ll pick her up later. Come on. Let’s see how good your act is with Melody Hazard.’

Molly Fusil and Jasmine Morris left the cellar without a backward glance to where Mia lay in stifling misery.

*

Melody Hazard was feeling only marginally better than Mia. She too was enclosed but there was a little more freedom of movement in the trunk of the car. She followed her own advice and lay still in her bonds, conserving energy. However, not moving was a limited option for easing the pain from the cords that trussed her. They were tied so tight that her body felt like one huge ache. Her mouth was now quite dry from the gag, and thirst plagued her. The air, stale from the breathing of her body through her lungs and the pores of her skin, made Melody sleepy and swooning. When at last the vehicle drew to a stop, she was barely conscious.

The beautiful captive scarcely noticed when the door of the trunk was opened. She was propped up with her back to the corner of the enclosure and, though she did not register it, Karl stood for some minutes gloating over his prisoner in silence. He drooled in appreciation of Melody’s body, soaking in every curve of legs, thighs and breasts, all constricted by the cords that made the flesh bulge slightly on either side of each tie.

With a grunt Karl shook himself out of his pleasant fugue, gathered Melody in his arms and hoisted her over his shoulder. She hung there like a rag doll. As he walked towards the abandoned house Melody’s head and hair swayed loosely. She was being taken to another derelict place in a derelict suburb not far from where she and the other two women were held before.

Inside one of the cold empty rooms, Karl laid Melody on to her side on a foul smelling mattress and bound her ankles to her wrists in a loose hogtie. As an afterthought he threw an old blanket over his captive. He then walked through the darkened building to the kitchen at the back - it overlooked a vacant block with more warehouses in the near distance - and settled down at the rickety table. He fished a mobile phone from his pocket and began to punch out numbers. Melody lay motionless. She was still unconscious from the combined effects of the chloroform and the ride in the car’s trunk. But she was beginning to grow a little warmer under the blanket.

*

Unlike Melody, Mia was fully conscious during the process of her binding, gagging and final immurement inside the large carpet. At first she struggled in panic but it was impossible to move. Her arms were so tightly wedged between her body and the layers of carpet so wrapped around her that there was no hope of reaching the knots that bound her wrists. Mummified like this there’s no chance I’d get free even if my hands weren’t bound, Mia thought bitterly. There was a little movement for her feet because they took up less space in the carpet than her body. But her arms and shoulders were held fast.

Mia fought against the horror of claustrophobia. She raised her head to get her face away from the dusty carpet fibres that pressed against her, and found to her surprise that she could see a glimmer of light above, at the end of the tunnel. She had been wrapped in such a way that her head was close to one end of the carpet. She discovered something else. The gag that covered her nose as well as her mouth had become a filter. It protected her from inhaling the dust and grime. Though it made breathing difficult, it saved her from the worse fate of choking. Mia slipped towards unconsciousness.

*

‘No sign of her yet,’ observed Molly Fusil drily. ‘You’re sure this is the time you arranged?’

‘Yes. Of course. She took the bait with no trouble.’ Jasmine Morris consulted her watch. ‘Maybe the traffic ...’

‘Hardly likely. But it gives us time to get ready. Let’s see ... Yes. Sit down here please.’

‘What are you planning?’ asked Jasmine uneasily as she sat in the office chair.

‘A little case of double deception,’ explained Molly easily. ‘Arms behind you, around the chair. That’s right.’

Quickly a pair of handcuffs were clicked into place, holding Jasmine’s wrists behind her before she had time to react.

‘Wh- what are you ... mmmph.’ Jasmine’s alarmed question was cut short as Molly swiftly stuffed a piece of the silk cloth from the cellar into her mouth.

‘A little of your own handiwork I think,’ said Molly coolly. ‘There, not too tight I trust? Helpful of you to have cut these extra lengths.’ Molly bound a second piece of cloth around Jasmine’s mouth. She was not really expecting an answer from her new prisoner, who could now only gurgle faintly. As Jasmine started kicking wildly, Molly knelt and expertly tied her ankles together with another strip of silk, passing one end around the central leg of the swivel chair and pulling it hard so that Jasmine’s legs were drawn back under the seat. This left the young woman in a very uncomfortable position. Jasmine’s arms were drawn back straight behind the chair while at the same time her buttocks were almost off the seat. Worse was the lack of dignity produced by this position. The girl’s floral patterned silk dress quickly became bunched up around her thighs to allow a long glimpse of very revealing black silk panties.

‘Well well,’ said Molly, ‘Now there’s a pretty sight. Karl will be pleased.’ Jasmine grunted and began struggling furiously, throwing her body from side to side. ‘And it will give Melody Hazard quite a surprise when she comes looking for her friend the delectable Mia Chantal.’ Jasmine squealed and looked up pleadingly into Molly Fusil’s cold eyes. The Spanish beauty bent and checked the tightness of Jasmine’s gag one last time, then she moved towards the door. ‘Enjoy yourself my dear. I have a call to make.’ With that mocking remark, Molly left the room, closing the office door behind her. A squeal of rage from behind the gag mixed not unnaturally with fear followed her exit.

*

Mia fought for each breath from within the roll of carpet that held her pinned and utterly helpless. She was lying on her side and the pressure of the rolls that had been stacked one upon the other over the one in which she lay held her shoulders tightly wedged. She was glad that she was not lying either face down or face up, because the weight would surely but slowly have crushed the breath out of her.

The glimmer of light at the exit of the tube within which she lay had ended with the switching out of the cellar neon and Mia was now encased in an almost inky blackness. But her face was within maybe twelve inches of the opening. She found herself breathing deeply through the double layers of the fine material of her gag with her mouth wide open. The fact that the cloth was tied over the bridge of her nose allowed her jaws some freedom and helped to create an air pocket. There was enough air but only just. Some of the silk across her lips had become wet from her saliva, and this threatened to create an air-tight layer. Mia did not fight against the crushing blackness around her. She was so tightly enveloped that she could not move anyway, and to strain against it was not only useless but also dangerously exhausting.

Mia consoled herself with the thought that Molly would return for her once she had secured Melody. She would still be a prisoner, with her friend, but the immediate claustrophobic state she was now in would be over. She tried a couple of experimental calls for help. The thin silk had very little muffling effect but the several heavy layers of carpet did a very thorough job. Mia knew that her sounds would scarcely be heard by someone inside the cellar, not to mention anyone in the room above.

She had another very unsettling thought. What if there was trouble and Molly did not return, either out of malice or because she was prevented from doing so? There would be a security officer patrolling soon now that the stores were closed, maybe two of them since the robbery. And they would probably make a point of checking out the Tiffany Plus jewellers. But it was unlikely that they would go down to the cellar, and even if they did they would probably not hear her cries for help. The thought of lying for hours, maybe days, trapped like a butterfly in amber made Mia go cold. Sweat broke out on her brow and she became conscious of her heart beating wildly. Please oh please don’t let that happen!

So it came as an almost delirious sense of relief when Mia felt the carpet rolls pinning her from above shift and, a few moments later, the intolerable weight disappeared. She experienced a sort of vertigo as her carpet slid to the floor. It did not fall in the correct direction to unroll her however. Mia was lying on her back. She blinked. There was a patch of light above that was suddenly blocked by shadow. Someone was looking in at her. It was Molly Fusil.

‘Enjoying a little siesta dear? I have one further task before attending to you, to secure dear little Jasmine, then I’ll be back. Don’t go away.’

Cliches yet, thought Mia ruefully. But she’s right of course.

*

‘Wakey wakey.’ Melody was jerked roughly from her exhausted sleep. She was hauled into a sitting position with her back against the frame of the bed head. She was still bound and hogtied. The thick silk cloth that remained embedded between her jaws was soaked with drool beyond the corners of her mouth, the moisture seeping through the material by capillary action. Karl did not touch the cords that bound her so painfully. But he did unfasten her gag and held a dirty coffee cup to her lips. ‘Drink. You won’t be getting more for a long time.’ The cup contained water and Melody drank gratefully, closing her eyes against the grimy container and the more than grimy hand that held it.

When she had taken several mouthfuls, Karl took the cup from her and wiped her lips with an old dishcloth. He then plunged his hand into the pocket of his jacket and produced a handful of cotton cloth, pieces torn from a bed sheet. He bunched the cloth into a wad and raised it to Melody’s lips. ‘Open!’ Melody obeyed. She was still dazed. She retched as the thick wad was packed into her mouth. Karl took up the length of silk that had been used to gag her and tied a knot in the middle. He then bound it again very tightly between her aching jaws. The knot pressed the wad deeper into her mouth and made it impossible to eject. A spasm of pain shot through Melody as the silk cut into the corners of her mouth, as it had been tied before but with the unwelcome addition of packing.

Melody was picked up and carried. She lost her senses only to regain consciousness briefly as she was lowered onto the floor of the car. Then the shock of capture and her long confinement in the bonds sent Melody into another exhausted sleep. It was just as well, because Karl’s journey to the other side of town was a long one.

*

It was deathly quiet in the cellar. Molly had left the light on and the harsh glare of the neon made it possible for Mia to glimpse through her cocoon the wooden steps and their metal railing. Aside from that, her only relief was the lack of additional pressure from other carpet rolls. The tight wrapping of the carpet where Mia lay was bad enough. She felt faint and her eyes stung from the dust that gradually transferred itself to her face. She was thankful for the covering over her nose. This must be the first time a heroine felt grateful for being gagged, she thought. At least events were unfolding. She no longer felt in danger of bei ng abandoned to a suffocating fate.

A sound penetrated the cellar from the rooms upstairs and Mia became suddenly alert. A security alarm bleated momentarily and then was deactivated. There were thumping noises and what must have been loud voices, but they did not penetrate far through the thick door to the basement. Security guards? Surely that was someone trailing a night stick along a wall, an ex-prison warder? The light was on. Would it be visible through the foot of the door? Mia thought she remembered that the door had a rubber seal. Was rescue only a few yards away in the upper room?

Mia tried to call, helf helphh, but the scarf over her face and the thick layers of carpet made her cries faint to her own ears. After a minute all was silent again. The security officers had made their inspection and, as far as they knew, all was well. Where had Molly and Jasmine gone? Probably watching from a nearby car on the street. Would Molly have the courage to return for her victim? Of course she would. Mia knew that whatever Molly Fusil was she was no coward.

Mia was right. The woman returned within ten minutes. Molly chuckled as she stood back and observed the prisoner who had just been unrolled from the carpet. Mia now sat propped against the wall of the cellar. Her hair was dishevelled. A heavy lock fell across her face obscuring one eye. Her form-hugging shirt and light jeans were streaked with dust and grit from the carpet. Her other visible eye watched Molly in fascinated terror. A smudge of carpet dirt streaked her right temple. Molly laughed again as Mia’s body strained noticeably against the thin strips of silk cloth bound that had just been added at the elbows and across her breasts.

‘I guess some would call it close shave,’ Molly observed, ‘I was busy securing that stuck-up little bitch in our new van when the security patrol turned up. A minute earlier and things might have become troublesome. I wouldn’t shoot them unless I really had to.’ She looked with narrowed eyes at Mia. ‘You’re a lot of trouble. But I have plans for you. You won’t be in my way any more.’ Mia did not like the sound of that.

Molly squatted on the floor in front of Mia and pulled the gag from her face. The length of silk fell loosely around the young woman’s neck. But Mia could not speak. Her mouth was parched and she could see that Molly had no water. She let her head fall back and watched as Molly cut more strips of cloth from the bolt of silk that Jasmine had attacked earlier.

‘Have to take a little trouble over this. More trouble,’ said Molly as she again knelt beside Mia. The woman held a roll of silk and without another word began stuffing it into Mia’s mouth. Mia gave a token, futile resistance. When all the cloth was in place, the piece that had been used to gag her before was unfastened from around her neck. Molly tied a knot in the middle of it, and a second knot over the first. It was then pressed firmly into Mia’s mouth and the long ends of silk were drawn to the back of her neck. Molly jerked the first knot tight, eliciting a faint grunt from Mia, and doubled the knot into a final tie. She then took another length of silk and bandaged it over Mia’s lower face, below her nose, so that it compacted her mouth around the gag.

‘That will guarantee silence during our short walk outside,’ said Molly with satisfaction. Remember, my dear, any attempt to break away will probably result in injury. Do you understand?’ Mia nodded. ‘Good. Now get to your feet.’

Molly had been cutting through the strips of silk that bound Mia’s ankles and legs. Mia was hauled to her feet and, half fainting, walked unsteadily up the steps and into the store supported by Molly. The two roomsand their furniture were a blur to Mia’s eyes as Molly propelled her out the door and down the fire escape into the street. A small van stood close by the curb. Molly opened the door and hustled Mia inside. No-one in the emptying street saw this stage of the abduction.

Once inside, Mia made out the interior of the van by the glow from a street lamp. An army style cot had been set up on the floor. On it lay the figure of Jasmine. Or that was who it seemed. It was hard to tell because the girl was covered to her chin by a heavy blanket and her face was masked by a gag and blindfold made from the same dressmaking silk that gagged Mia so efficiently.

Another army cot stood empty next to the one in which Jasmine lay. Molly pushed Mia down onto it and arranged her on her back. Heavy leather straps were buckled very tightly at Mia’s ankles, her thighs and waist, and across her chest above her breasts. A long piece of silk was then wound twice around Mia’s head over her eyes, shutting out the light. Mia’s arms were crushed painfully beneath her and she shook her head and moaned.

‘You’d better get used to it,’ Molly hissed softly. ‘Where you’re going I have a nice selection of racks and restraints. And I’m letting Karl have his little fun. Giving them leisure pleasure is a way of keeping good help.’

*

‘Upsy-daisy.’ Melody was jerked rudely back to consciousness as Karl stood her up on her bound feet. In a smooth strong movement Karl slung her over his shoulder where she hung limply, the breath driven out of her body. She was dimly aware of movement as Karl walked, and the swaying motion of her own head that hung somewhere halfway down the man’s back. There came the heavy tread of feet on boards, a door creaked open and slammed shut behind them, more brittle wooden flooring and another door. Then Melody was dumped unceremoniously onto a sofa and left curled on her side. From somewhere far away she could hear Karl’s voice. He was speaking to someone in the passage outside but there was no other voice in reply. He must be using a mobile phone. Probably contacting Molly Fusil to boast about his latest conquest. Melody sank into another exhausted slumber.

*

‘Karl, where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you the last ten minutes but the recorded message kept telling me ‘service temporarily unavailable?’

‘I’s tryin t’ phone you. Guess what? I’se caught one of our li’l birds.’

‘Not Melody Hazard?"

‘Yeah. Her.’

‘You might have told me. I was waiting at the store to intercept her. And there was a narrow avoidance with a couple of security guards. It could have interfered badly with my plans.’

‘The phones ...’

‘All right. I’ve got the picture. We’ll have to synchronise our calls better in the future. Anyway I have the other two. Jasmine set it up and I pulled a neat double-cross. Her two English chums will be without their mascot again. Where are you now?’

‘At the new dockyard place.’

‘Excellent. I’ll bring the others in the van and we’ll prepare them for their penultimate journey.’

‘Yeah. It’ll be nearly their las’ ride too.’

‘Any news from Johnny?’ 

‘Nope. But he’ll call. I lef’ a message on his cell phone tellin him lotsa money. He’ll come. Hudson too. I’ll tell him there’s a car to drive.’

‘Good. If Johnny calls, say we’re going to the beach. He’ll understand.’

*

The van stopped. Mia heard the door open. She lay still and listened intently. There was movement about her and she identified Molly’s tuneless humming. Next there came the sound of straps being unbuckled and an impatient hush-hush from Molly as Jasmine began squealing hysterically through her gag. Then the van floor tilted slightly and righted itself. We’re being unloaded. I won’t be sorry to have these straps off. Mia’s arms were numb and her body ached all over. The gag was driving her mad and she was desperate for water. When her turn came, she cooperated as much as she could with her arms so tightly bound. Her ankles and legs were freed and she stepped out of the van and walked unsteadily, taking the direction guided by Molly’s hand on her arm.

They entered what was evidently another cold draughty derelict house, if the sounds of the creaking floorboards were any guide. Mia was turned, pushed gently back, and commanded to sit. She found that she was on what seemed to be a sofa, and she sensed that she was not alone. One of her arms was against a cushioned side but her other arm was pressed against that of someone else. Her neighbour lightly rubbed against Mia’s shoulder in an attempt at reassurance. It had to be Melody. So they’ve caught all three of us again, thought Mia. And each time it’s harder to escape. They’re getting more practice. And they’re learning that it’s best to keep us bound tight all the time. But I’m wearing that belt so there’s hope yet.

‘Here we are again.’ It was Molly’s voice. ‘Three blind mice.’

‘See how they don’ run,’ chimed in Karl’s voice, ending with a cackle.

‘We’ll let them see, for the time being.’

Mia’s blindfold was removed and she blinked as she grew accustomed to the light. Melody and Jasmine were sitting on the sofa next to her. Jasmine’s eyes were red from crying and she was shivering in terror. Melody over her gag looked weary beyond belief, but there was a glint of defiance in her eyes and when their eyes locked Mia felt a surge of hope and energy wash through her. When the times get tough it’s good to have tough friends, thought Mia.

‘Not much to say for yourselves have you/" Molly taunted. ‘Which is just as well because you are not required to speak for the next six hours.’ Turning to Karl, she said, ‘We’ll prepare them. Get your trinkets out. But first we’ll allow a few necessary creature comforts. For our comfort,’ she said turning to the three captives, ‘Not yours. It would be a nuisance for Hudson to wipe the pee out of the car.’

It went like clockwork as Molly intended. One by one the women were freed of their bonds and led out to the bathroom under Molly’s watchful eyes. The first was Jasmine, then when she was escorted back it was Melody’s turn. Mia watched as Karl fastened Jasmine’s wrists behind her with a pair of handcuffs. They seemed to be padded with leather and were held together by only two links. They gave very little room for movement. Mia’s heart sank. Handcuffs were unbreakable. They had no knots that could be worked. And the blade hidden in her belt lining would be useless. Unless it could pick the lock. That was a possibility she would not forget.

Karl was securing a sort of leather body harness onto Jasmine under Mia’s incredulous eyes when Melody was led back into the room. As she stepped out with Molly on her heels, Mia saw Jasmine’s arms being strapped immobile against her body. They’re using retail bondage accessories, thought Mia. She had experienced them as an experiment when playing with Miles - that seemed ages ago in a distant past - but had proved not as much fun as old-fashioned rope and cloth. But reality is not nice at all, Mia thought as she washed and used the bathroom facilities, and she was not looking forward to being trussed like a chicken. She took as long as she dared.

The first thing Mia saw when she re-entered the room was Melody’s strained face. A rubber ball gag was fixed deep in the young woman’s mouth behind her teeth. It was mounted on a very narrow leather strap that drew the corners of Melody’s mouth back before it widened to a broad cheek strap buckled tight at the back of her neck under her auburn hair. It did not look very large, but Melody could not open or close her mouth properly. It must be very uncomfortable thought Mia.

Jasmine’s face was hidden by a broad half mask of leather and from the faint gurgling that was all the girl could make, Mia guessed that there was some sort of packing to stop sound. Maybe a tongue of leather or rubber or a sponge attached to the mask, or perhaps separate packing like the cloth they had to bear earlier. Karl’s giving us variation, thought Mia when she saw that Melody’s arms were welded to her body by separate broad leather straps. Each strap passed around Melody’s chest, another below her breasts, and a third around her waist holding her cuffed wrists.

Now it was her turn. As in a dream Mia felt her own wrists fastened behind her in another set of padded leather cuffs. Karl’s hands were uncomfortably familiar, in all senses of the word, as, crooning softly in her ear, the lanky psychopath wound broad bands of duct tape around Mia’s body, pinning her arms in the process. The windings covered comparable curves and terrain that the straps on Melody covered and soon Mia was as trussed and helpless as the other two women. Mia was glad that she wore a long sleeved shirt. Otherwise it would be torture when the time came to remove the tape.

‘What will my gag be?’ asked Mia defiantly. ‘I’m sure you’ll be inventive.’

Karl dribbled and winked at her salaciously. ‘This li’l beauty.’ He held up a nondescript piece of black rubber. ‘Open up, li’l baby.’ With a shrug, Mia obeyed.

The gag was a shaped piece of rubber that resembled a baby’s dummy. A thick wedge was pushed into her mouth behind her teeth. She was told to bite down on the narrow part between the wedge and a wide half mask that covered her lips and mouth and part of her cheeks. A very sticky piece of medical adhesive tape was then strapped across the mask and Mia’s mouth, adhering to her cheeks almost to each ear. It held the rubber mouth-piece in place. Mia’s face and head were then neatly wrapped around and around in three layers of duct tape. She found that she could not budge the rubber gag, no matter how hard she tried, and the part inside filled the front of her mouth. The only sound she could make was a faint ‘glg.’

‘Karl, stay here, wait for Johnny and Hudson. Keep phoning till you make contact. Tell them to move fast. Then phone me. I’ll tell you the address and you come, at the double.’

‘Hokey, but ...’ Karl looked longingly at Mia.

‘You’ll have your fun, don’t worry.’

The three captives were blindfolded with custom-made leather shapes and walked one by one to the waiting vehicle. They sat huddled together on the back seat, their bodies trussed so tightly that they could scarcely breathe. Their ankles were strapped together, denying further movement. Mia knew that she was sitting next to Melody again. She could smell the scent of her friend’s body and sweat. It was not unpleasant. But their arms were so tightly bound that it was impossible to hold hands for mutual support because that would have meant turning back to back, a move that would soon be noticed by Molly who was at the wheel.

The ride was long and exhausting. Mia and Melody dozed. Jasmine, straining and glugging all the time, had no rest. The two older women accepted their helplessness, knowing that an opportunity might present itself in time, and conserving their energy as best they might. They could not possibly be kept bound and gagged this way all the time. Could they?

The Mercedes drew to a stop, jerking Mia and Melody to full wakefulness.

‘I’m taking off your blindfolds,’ said Molly, ‘I want you to see this place of no escape, and no return.’

Molly smiled at the reactions of her captives. ‘Welcome to the Casa Medroso.’

They were parked at the entrance to a large property. A gravel driveway extended ahead, ending at a wide parking square in front of a looming three storied building. It was lit wanly by moonlight that peered intermittently from behind gathering storm clouds. In the grounds to one side stood what appeared to be a gazebo. Melody’s reaction was to think that they were victims in a B-grade Gothic movie or horror story. Jasmine squeaked and fainted.

Mia was wide-eyed and bemused. I know this place, she thought distractedly. I’ve been here before!