CHAPTER 3
Starr Bell lowered the big loop of rope over Copper Ryder’s bare shoulders and let it drop to just below her equally bare breasts. When she pulled on the free end the loop tightened around the girl’s torso. Copper gave a little grunt as the rope pinched her naked skin, but, seated on the couch with her wrists bound behind her back and her legs tied at the knees and ankles, there was little she could do to stop her captor. Starr began wrapping the cord around Copper’s body. There was enough to go around several times.
“It was a nice try, kid,” Starr mock consoled her as she worked. “You knew that somethin’ was up, but I was onto you right away. Ya gotta get up pretty early to put one over on Starr Bell.”
She tied a knot in the middle of Copper’s back. There were several feet of rope left, so Starr ran the end between Copper’s right arm and her side, around the body loop a couple times, out the front, up over her shoulder and behind her neck. Reversing the process on the other side firmly anchored the body loops. She tied off the end, then stepped back to admire her handiwork.
“There. That ought to keep you nice and snug.”
Copper tugged at the ropes and glared up at Starr.
“You really enjoyed tying me up like this, didn’t you?”
Starr leaned over and put her hands on her knees so she was eye to eye with Copper.
“Yeah,” she said with a smile. “But the part I liked best was having you strip to your panties before I started tying you.”
She reached both hands out and took Copper’s nipples between her thumbs and index fingers. Copper froze.
“That way, ya know who’s in charge, right?”
Copper was holding her breath, wide-eyed. She slowly nodded. Starr let go, straightened up and laughed.
“You’re a smarted kid than I thought.”
“I’m no kid,” Copper said sullenly. “I’m twenty-one and I can take care of myself.”
“Oh, yeah,” mocked Starr. “That’s why you’re the one who’s tied up with your boobs hangin’ out.”
“Well, you just wait ‘til my Uncle Sky catches up to you,” Copper warned. “He’s out there with the Sheriff’s men and the State Police, and when they get you, you’ll be sorry.”
Starr laughed again.
“Your Uncle Sky, huh? I’ll just bet he’s a…”
She stopped and looked thoughtfully at the bound girl.
“Sky,” she mused. “And the name on the mailbox was Ryder. I’ve heard that name from a couple of the gals in the pen. Sky Ryder was the guy who helped put ‘em away. Your uncle’s a pretty tough customer.”
Copper was exultant.
“You’d better untie me now and give up while you can!” she urged Starr.
Starr shook her head.
“Ya don’t get it, do ya, kid? Your uncle won’t try anything while I’ve got you. It’s beautiful.”
Copper’s triumph was instantly deflated. She knew that the outlaw was right. Starr wagged a finger at her in playful warning.
“Now you just stay there and be a very good girl. I’m going to get a friend.”
When she was sure that the convict was well down the paved path to the road, Copper burst into a frenzy of struggling, desperately seeking some slack in her bonds. There was none. She cast her eyes around the room, looking for something sharp she could use to cut the ropes. But there was nothing.
Copper groaned. She had to have help. Where was Sky?
Then her eyes fell on the radio set across the room. Could she get a call to Sky?
“At least she didn’t gag me,” Copper said to herself. “If I can hop over there, maybe I can raise someone.”
The only problem was that at the radio she would be unable to watch Starr, either through the screen door on one side of the room or through the windows on the other. Her captor might return and surprise her in mid-call.
“How much worse could things be?” she asked herself. “I’m tied hand and foot and nearly naked as it is now.”
The unpleasant memory of Starr holding both her nipples made Copper hesitate for a moment. But finally she decided.
“I’ve got to try something!” she thought desperately.
“Calling Flying Coronet. Calling Flying Coronet. This is Hummingbird. Do you read me, Copper? Over.”
Copper was so startled by the unexpected sound of Sky’s voice coming from the radio that she froze. Had Starr heard it too? She scooted over enough to look through the screen door. She saw the front of Summer’s car, but not Starr. She hadn’t heard.
The call was repeated. Copper writhed and wriggled in a furious attempt to stand up. She nearly made it, only to fall back onto the couch. Before she could try again, she heard the sound of Starr’s boots on the walk. There would not be enough time now.
“Hummingbird to Sheriff’s cars 1 and 4. Switch to alternate frequency. Over.”
The voice of the female deputy came on.
“Car 4 to Hummingbird. Roger that. Will stand by. Car 4, out.”
Sheriff Winchell also acknowledged the call. What was Sky up to?
In any case, Copper knew that there was no immediate help for her. She writhed her hands behind her as the steps on the walk drew closer.
Sky had been puzzled when his second call to the ranch had gone unanswered. The first failure to raise Copper, which had been when she had gone out to meet the car, had not worried him, since she might have been in the bathroom or tending to some small chore outside. But the second one was troubling. He wondered if his niece had been forced to flee from the ranch house and join his foreman and the hands in the north pasture. If she had and left the radio on, the escapee might be in the house able to hear the radio traffic between the various searchers. There was no sense in tipping off their positions and plans.
He switched his radio to the prearranged alternate frequency, doubting that the woman convict would know enough about the radio to find their calls, even if she tried.
From the last reported positions, he knew that Deputy Cole was the closest one to the Flying Coronet. He put in a call to her.
“Car 4, this is Hummingbird. Car 4, this is Hummingbird. Do you read me, Amy? Over”
Deputy Cole had pulled off the road to change her radio. She took up the handset.
“You’re loud and clear, Sky. What’s up? Over.”
“I don’t know yet. How far are you from the north end of my ranch, Amy? Over.”
“About fifteen miles. Is there any trouble? Over.”
“I’m not sure, but Copper’s not answering the radio. I told her if there was any sign of trouble she should go to the north pasture. Fred Merrill, my foreman, and a couple of my men are out there. Could you see if she’s with them? Over.”
“Sure thing, Sky. But don’t worry. She’s probably just in the powder room. Over.”
“I hope you’re right. Thanks, Amy. Hummingbird, out.”
“Car 4, out.”
Amy Cole shook her head as she hung up the radio mike. Sky Ryder was quite a guy most of the time, but he could be an old mother hen when it came to his niece.
She started her car again, and pulled back onto the road.
When all the blanket wrappings had been removed, a very flushed and sweating Summer Smith stood unsteadily before Copper. Starr tried to help her to the couch, but the poor woman half collapsed next to the girl.
“What have you done to her?” Copper cried indignantly.
Starr moved behind the sofa and began loosening Summer’s gag tie.
“Take it easy, Kid. I didn’t do anything to her. I’ll get her some water and she’ll be good as new when she cools off.”
When the outlaw went to the kitchen, Copper scooted herself over next to Summer, who laid her head on the younger woman’s shoulder. Copper’s jealousy and irritation were forgotten in her concern for her obviously distressed neighbor.
“Are you all right, Summer?” she asked. “Did she hurt you?”
Summer lifted her head and shook it weakly.
“She’s telling you the truth, Copper,” she gasped. “She tied me up and gagged me, and wrapped me up in the back of the car, but that’s all. I’ll be all right.”
She looked earnestly at the bound girl.
“I’m just sorry she got you, too.”
Copper smiled at her.
“Don’t worry. Sky’ll get us out of this.”
Starr returned with the glass of water Copper had left on the counter.
“Well, aren’t you two a cozy couple?” she jeered. “Just like a couple o’ pals at a slumber party. I can see were gonna have a lot of fun here.”
She held the glass to Summer’s lips and tilted it so that the bound woman could drink. Copper watched her sullenly.
“You must be a real sadist, tying and gagging an innocent woman and letting her roast in those blankets like that,” challenged Copper.
“Now how can you say a thing like that?” Starr replied in mock reproach. “Here I take that nasty gag out of her mouth, give her water, and I just tie up you two instead of shooting you, and you call me names.”
Summer finished drinking. She looked healthier already.
“There! Isn’t that better?” asked Starr. She regarded her two prisoners with a wicked smile, then shook her head.
“No!” she declared. “It just won’t do. You two don’t match.”
She looked around the room. Next to the radio was Sky’s desk. Starr went to it and began searching through the drawers. Copper and Summer looked uneasily at one another.
“Aha! Just what I was looking for!” announced Starr.
She held up a pair of scissors.
“What’re you going to do?” demanded Copper.
Starr made a face at the two.
“Don’t get dramatic, Kid. I’m gonna help your pal cool off some more. Any bra that has to support as much as those beauties of hers must be awfully hot.”
She crossed to Summer, deftly slid the scissors under the shoulder straps of Summer’s bra, and snipped through them. She then reached behind the rancher, undid the hooks, and slowly pulled one end of it. The garment slid off, though the hooks caught on some of the ropes around Summer’s body before it was completely off. Starr had to bend over her to dislodge it.
“That’s better now!” she declared. “You’re a couple of real nudie cuties now. And those ropes look so good on you!”
“Just you wait!” warned a glowering Copper. “You’ll be sorry for this.”
“Cool off, Kid,” the outlaw said dismissively. “If you two cooperate, being tied up is the worst that’s gonna happen to you.”
Starr looked down the hallway, then picked up their discarded clothes.
“So start cooperating right now by being nice and quiet while a take a look around. There may be some stuff here I can use.”
She headed down the hallway. The prisoners heard a door open and close at the far end of the hall. Again, Copper began struggling energetically, grunting with effort as she tugged at her bonds. With a resigned look, Summer watched her younger friend.
“You might as well save your strength, Copper,” she advised. “I tried to get loose for an hour or so and didn’t have any luck, even though I was pretty slippery with sweat. She’s good with rope.”
Copper continued twisting and pulling.
“Even if I knew it was hopeless, I won’t give her the satisfaction of letting her think she’s got us,” the girl said through clenched teeth. “I’ll spit in her eye first.”
Summer looked earnestly at her.
“Don’t provoke her,” she pleaded. “We’re nearly naked and tied up and she’s got a nasty disposition and a gun. It’s not going to do any good.”
Copper stopped struggling. She knew that Summer was right.
Down the hall a door opened and closed. They heard footfalls crossing the hall, then another door opened and closed.
“We can’t just sit here like this and do nothing!” protested Copper.
“We’ll have to wait for our chance,” said Summer. “Is there anything we can use to cut these ropes?”
Copper shook her head.
“Sky has a knife somewhere in his room and there are some in the kitchen. But she’s probably in Sky’s room now, and we’d never make it to the kitchen like this without her hearing us.”
Summer looked around the room. She nodded toward the radio, and dropped her voice to a whisper.
“What about the radio?”
“Sky tried to call in a while she was bringing you in from the car,” Copper whispered back, watching the hall to be sure they were not overheard. “I tried to get over there but couldn’t. When there was no answer, he had the Sheriff switch to another frequency. He may suspect there’s trouble here.”
“Then we’ll have to hope he comes, and take any opportunity we can to help him, even if we can’t get free.”
A door opened again down the hall and there came the sound of approaching footsteps. Starr appeared at the hallway arch. She held several of Sky’s new white dress handkerchiefs and a roll of wide adhesive tape.
“Nice place ya got here, Kid,” she said breezily. “Lotsa helpful stuff. I hope you two had a nice chat while I was gone, ‘cause now we gotta make a couple o’ changes.”
Summer and Copper exchanged an uneasy look.
“What do you mean?” demanded Copper.
Starr was wadding one of the handkerchiefs into a ball.
“Well, suppose somebody stopped by t’ borrow a cup o’ sugar, or just to have a friendly talk. All those ropes and bare tits would be kinda hard t’ explain. So I gotta get you two outta sight and make sure you stay real quiet. I think you two know what that means.”
She smirked at them for a moment then brought her work to the coffee table in front of the couch. One handkerchief she unfolded completely and dropped the balled one in the center of it. Two opposite corners were folded over to trap the wad in the middle of what was now a long band. Starr took the ends of the band and held it up.
“Now who’s going to be first?”
“You’re not going to put that thing in my mouth!” Copper thundered impotently.
“Ah! We have a volunteer,” Starr said sarcastically.
Copper clamped her jaw shut as Starr stepped over to her.
“Now is that any way to behave?” said the outlaw, sticking out her lower lip in a mock pout.
Copper glared at her.
“Come on, play nice with Starr,” she cooed in a high voice.
Reaching out with both hands, she again took Copper’s nipples between her thumbs and forefingers. Her voice became pure Betty Boop.
“Or Starr will have to play very rough with you.”
Copper’s glare was replaced by wide-eyed alarm. Reluctantly, the girl opened her mouth and allowed Starr to pack the wadding inside. Obeying a gentle push from the criminal, Copper turned her head so Starr could tie the ends of the cloth band behind her neck.
“You’re a smart kid for doing that the easy way,” Starr said as she worked. “Saved a lot of wear and tear on all of us, especially you.”
She tore three six to eight inch strips of tape from the roll and pressed them over the lower part of Copper’s face, sealing the gag inside her mouth.
“Oh, how pretty!” Starr’s delighted little squeal suggested approval of a special girlfriend’s new hairstyle. “Now we’ll try the same thing on your friend Summer. I’m sure that she won’t give me any backtalk about it.”
Summer looked unhappily up at Starr as she again rolled one handkerchief inside another. When the gag was ready, Starr held it up to Summer’s mouth. The rancher said nothing, but resignedly opened her mouth. The wad was stuffed in and taped over with care.
“That ought to keep the gossip down a bit,” Starr noted with another smirk, as she admired her work.
The two bound women exchanged a silent, worried look as their captor gloated. She reached down and took Summer by an elbow.
“Come on, Sweetie. We’ve got places to go.”
Helped by Starr, Summer struggled to her feet. The convict pointed toward the hallway.
“Let’s go.”
Summer looked in the direction of the point, then back at Starr. She grunted something into the gag packing, obviously though not clearly the single word “How?”
“Hop like a bunny.”
With Starr holding her by one arm, the helpless woman began hopping in the indicated direction. When they reached the arch, Starr stopped her and turned to Copper.
“Now don’t go away, Honey. I’ll be back for you real soon.”
Copper heard them continue down the hall. A door opened and closed.
“She took Summer into Sky’s room,” thought Copper, as she desperately worked at her wrist bonds. “What’s she got in mind for us in there?”