by

Brian Sands

Big Shamus, Little Shamus, Morgan Fairchild

Chapter One The Price of Eavesdropping

“That should hold you!”

Lisette tested her bonds and decided that indeed they would hold her. It was a basic crossover tie that trapped her wrists in a single horizontal twist followed by a vertical loop, ending with a cinch in between, so that, when the doubled knot was secured with a gesture of finality on the part of her captor, her wrists were ground together so tightly that she could not turn them. Her fingers fluttered uselessly. Being unable to twist or turn her hands inside the short piece of sash cord meant that the knot sitting up above between her wrists was totally unreachable. The technique utilised the limited means to perfection.

Lisette Ruisseau had experienced being tied up on several occasions since becoming an investigator into criminal activities. These new villains were highly proficient … and intelligent. Nimbleness of finger and mind in an adversary had a double-edged import. Inexperienced amateurs tying up a woman private detective could be extremely dangerous. In their panic they could make the ropes too tight and cause permanent harm to their victim. They were liable to make mistakes, though, that might offer ways of getting free. On the other hand, professionals would make sure they did not hurt their captive unduly, but they would make absolutely certain that she would not be able to escape without outside assistance. They were two extremes of a very mixed continuum. Somewhere along that continuum lay the types who were even more dangerous: the obsessive kidnappers, the sadists who were out for the thrill (and eventual kill) of their women victims. Lisette decided that so far all the evidence pointed towards her capture by specialised, professional criminals who knew what they were doing and were doing it well, with a minimum of effort, and with a certain grace that gave her some confidence that she would be respected and not hurt in the long run, just very helpless while she was their guest.

In her turn, the young woman behaved professionally. She did not struggle or panic. Lisette showed no sign of hysteria, only mild chagrin at having been caught so easily. She should have guessed that there was a second man and that he might have been arriving half a minute late, coming up behind her. So much for eavesdropping outside hotel doors! There was nothing she could do when a huge hand cupped over her mouth and her arms were pinned to her sides in the embrace of the bear-like man, so she remained calm and stood quietly and, as a result, was conducted the rest of the way into the hotel room and settled into one of the chairs without being roughed up. Lisette was a small, slender woman, feisty but more or less easily overpowered when the man or woman was larger and stronger. In a small space, her self-defence knowledge meant very little.

The chair in which she was sitting was one of the small, round backed sort, with a soft tapestry seat, that is sometimes found grouped with its companions around coffee tables at one end of a hotel suite. Her arms were pulled around the sides, the edge of the curve pressing against her armpits. Her bound hands, crossed because of the angle of her arms, hung at the back of the chair. Another even shorter piece of cord was being twisted about her trim ankles: two quick turns and a single cinch, and they were held fast. She planted her bound feet side by side on the floor and looked up at the two men. During the whole operation of the capture and securing of the interloper, scarcely a word had been spoken.

There was even less need to speak when the taller and thinner man upended Lisette’s small clasp bag onto the table and discovered among her lipstick and compact the neat sheaf of business cards that described her occupation and gave the address, phone number, fax number and email address of her office. The two men withdrew to a far corner of the room and conferred in a huddle of soft voices, every so often casting an appraising glance in Lisette’s direction. Lisette gave then nicknames, the better to help identify them later: Big Bear and Stringy.

Having come to a decision about something, they turned and approached the bound girl. Big Bear walked on past and left the room. His tall companion Stringy stood looking down at Lisette, a smile of admiration playing about his mouth.

“You’re quite a woman, going on what I’ve heard in the papers. It’s a pleasure to meet you … How did you know what we were up to? That’s the big question.’

Lisette raised her chin defiantly. “I won’t tell you,” she said in a soft but unfaltering voice.

“No, I don’t suppose you would, and we are not in the business of extracting information from anybody through torture. That goes double for a woman of your calibre.” The man shrugged. “We are working out our next move, which includes what to do with you.’

“I hope you’ll make the decision carefully,’ rejoined Lisette.

“It won’t be a problem,” the man muttered almost absent-mindedly. “Just keeping you out of the way, so that you can’t interfere. The young woman we’re going to abduct will be as safe in our hands as are you.”

Lisette thought there could be a double meaning in that remark but she did not speak. Experience told her that it was not always wise to talk back too much to one’s captors. Instead, she nodded assent and, with a worried frown, fixed the man’s eyes with her own.

“You have interrupted us in our plans merely by being discovered trying to listen in on us,” the man continued. “Therefore we have no option but to take you as well … In the meantime …”

He picked up a table napkin from the breakfast tray, still neatly folded and unused. He shook it out. It was a large square that the man then re-folded into a triangle and rolled up from the apex to the long base to form a thick ribbon of fine linen. Giving the centre of the napkin a single twist, he walked towards Lisette. Moving behind the young woman, he brought the band over her head and pressed the narrowed centre against her mouth.

Lisette parted her lips to receive the gag. Any struggling was futile and would only bring more discomfort that it was worth. The ends were brought around behind and Lisette’s hair was pushed to one side with care. A single knot was tied at the back of her ear. This was then tightened until the thick, lightly starched linen was deep between her jaws. Lisette was glad that, as well as being clean, the gag was soft, good quality linen found in only the best hotels. An overhand knot was then tied upon the first and made firm. The gag was simple but effective, another measure of the man’s professionalism. Intelligible speech was impossible and any cry for help that Lisette might attempt would be a meaningless grunt that, she guessed, would not penetrate beyond the heavy door to the corridor outside. Lisette did not experiment. If, by so doing, she proved that she could make sufficient noise, she knew that the gag would be made tighter.

The man grunted in satisfaction. But he was not finished. Taking up another napkin, he folded it similarly to the first, but left a wider band that covered Lisette’s eyes and, when tied firmly at the back of her head, over her hair this time, robbed her of sight. This napkin was creased, but did not appear to have many food stains. Its use had made it softer than the one gagging Lisette, and it clung firmly over her eyes, pressing her eyelids shut. Not even a chink of light crept in from under the blindfold.

Lisette’s wrist and ankle bonds were checked and tightened, her fingers squeezed reassuringly.

“I repeat, we have no desire to harm you, or the woman we will abduct. We pride ourselves on our fair dealings … with our hostages as well as with the employers who want those hostages. You might be interested to know that our charges never leave our hands. From the beginning of the kidnap to its end when money has been exchanged, they are held by us. They are kept bound, certainly, sometimes gagged and blindfolded as you are now, but it is a point of honour among us that you are returned safely to your loved ones. I hope you approve of that philosophy.”

“Mm mmph!” Lisette grunted her agreement strenuously. She would choose a villain with ethical convictions any day.

“We leave you, but we shall return in a short time. You will try to struggle free from your bonds. It is only natural. It will be a good test of our skill. I think that we will find you still here when we return.”

“Mmmph,” Lisette returned noncommittally.

Lisette had a lot of time to replay in her mind what had gone wrong as she sat alone in the silent room. Word had leaked out in the underworld that the daughter of a wealthy London visitor, Lord MacCronigal, was likely to be kidnapped and held for ransom. It was not unusual. The press was filled with stories from time to time of plots to abduct various celebrity women or their daughters. It was often attractive women who were targeted. Such a plan came to the attention of DORFIS, the Department of Reconnaisance, Field Intelligence and Surveillance, and its Head Sir Clive Devereau and his Secretary Oscar Holme. Among the personnel who were alerted to the threat were Lisette Ruisseau aka Rivers, her lover Donald Caisson (the “hard case”), and their faithful valet Roger (pron. “Rogèrrr”) Iggotson aka Le Rôdeur, The Prowler.

It was relatively easy for Lisette to locate the hotel where the eccentric Scot and his lovely daughter were staying. Lisette sat on “stake out” in the hotel foyer, during which she noticed certain activities of two of the male guests, comings and goings with no apparent importance when taken separately, but of growing interest as they became more frequent. Their timing appeared to coincide with the movements of the Scot and his daughter. When she saw a large traveling trunk being wheeled in on a trolley, Lisette had a creepy feeling. She knew about trunks like that, had experienced far too close an acquaintance with one, and she was immediately suspicious.

On impulse she followed the hotel doorman as he wheeled the trunk through, and was standing a discreet distance down the corridor when he delivered it to the room where the two suspects were staying. The man pocketed his tip and departed. Taking her for a hotel guest, he gave Lisette a cheery salute as he passed. When the corridor was empty, the young woman walked to the door and paused, ostensibly to straighten her shoe, hoping that she might overhear something from inside, for the door was a little ajar, a snatch of conversation perhaps that might offer a clue about their purpose. It was then that she was seized and frog-marched into the room, and everything went wrong.

Dull sounds from the corridor outside broke Lisette from her reverie. The clunk of a bucket and other noises suggested that the hotel cleaning staff were at work. She listened attentively as the distant sounds came closer. Her captors had taken the precaution of hanging the “Please do not disturb” sign on the outer doorknob so it was unlikely that a maid would happen upon her and bring rescue. But it was an opportunity to call for help. The gag was not as efficient as some she had experienced. There was no mouth packing, for instance, and her lips were not as impeded as they would have been if sealed with tape.

Lisette determined to yell as loudly as possible as soon as she was satisfied that the cleaners were just outside the door. She took several deep breaths and readied herself. The nearness of succour was emphasised by a clatter as a tray of some sort fell, striking another metal object, perhaps the bucket, followed by a thump as someone blundered into the door itself. She waited until the commotion had died down then screamed for all she was worth, but all that came out was a muffled croak. She had been sitting for almost an hour with the gag between her teeth, long enough for her mouth to dry out and her jaws and the muscles of her face to become cramped. Lisette discovered with dismay that her attempt to call for help was not only blotted up by the thick cloth impeding her mouth but that the effort to move her jaws was painful. It was preferable to sit quietly and allow the ache to settle down to a bearable level. She listened miserably as the sounds of the clumsy cleaners and their muttered speech died away down the corridor.

One of her captors returned an hour later. When the blindfold was removed, she saw that it was Stringy, the lean clean-shaven man. He checked her bonds briefly, then untied the gag and let it fall across her shoulders. He looked at his watch and began pacing the floor. Lisette licked dry lips and attempted to speak. When her coughing subsided, the man remarked, “Told you, you wouldn’t get away … Would you like some water?”

“Yes please.”

“Only a little. We keep your mouth dry and you won’t yell loudly enough for anyone to hear. Or would you prefer to remain gagged?”

“No … no thank you. I expect you’ll put it back on me, but I’m grateful to be free of it for as long as possible.”

He nodded approvingly. “Wise girl.”

He allowed Lisette several sparing sips of water.

About fifteen minutes later, the door opened and Big Bear entered. As before, the two men retired to the far end of the room and spoke in muted tones for several minutes. When they finished and rose to their feet, Big Bear left as silently as he had done before. Stringy went to Lisette and began to untie the ropes that held her in the chair. There seemed to be a mutual agreement between the two men that Stringy’s duty was to handle their captive. He did not touch her wrist bonds, which were as secure as ever. Lisette remained neatly bound hand and foot.

Once the young woman was free of the chair, Stringy looped the spare ropes over one of his shoulders before picking her up and carrying her across the room and into the bedroom where he deposited Lisette gently upon the coverlet. She raised her head and saw the large trunk standing in a corner, still mounted on the trolley. Stringy saw where she was looking and felt the tension in her body.

“We’ll use that to get you to our van unnoticed. We’re taking you with us, remember?”

“But you brought it in before you caught me!”

“Yes. The original plan was to use it here, for the heiress, but your interference has changed our plans. We’ll snatch her somewhere else. It’s too dangerous in this hotel. There may be others watching, your colleagues ...”

Lisette bit her lip. She had not told Don where she was going because the DORFIS surveillance roster did not include him at present. He was engaged on a different case.

“I’ll walk quietly, go with you with no fuss …” she began in a ploy that might improve her chances of rescue as well as of staying out of that trunk.

“I’m sure you would, but that’s not the point. No one is to see you leave the hotel, especially in our company. Don’t worry. Once we’re in the van, we’ll take you out, I promise.”

“I hope so,” replied Lisette, a faint tremor in her voice. “I’m not keen on tight spaces.”

“That reminds me,” continued Stringy as he took the coil of rope from his shoulders. “I have to make you more secure for the ride. Too bad.”