Industrial Espionage
by "Charles Spencer"
Part One: Capture
A thin pencil of light split the musty, pitch-black room as the shadowy figure moved gently around the room to the desk. The only sounds were the whisper of clothing and muted rasp of held breath. The black figure reached the desk and switched on the brass desk light. A pool of yellow light flooded the burnished leather surface. Gloved hands felt carefully down the drawers trying each in turn. All were locked. A cloth roll appeared from a side pocket and unraveled on the desk. The hands picked two thin probes and went to work on the third drawer down.
Three twists and a click; a satisfied breath floated around the room as the figure slowly opened the drawer fearful of squeaks. There were none as the desk was well used and custom built. A large reproduction “partners” desk in ornate carved mahogany but with all the modern trappings of secure locks and power sockets for computers, phones and the other paraphernalia of modern business life.
Black leather gloves rustled through the files in the drawer. Suddenly they stopped and a whispered “yes” dropped into the gloom. The hands brought a manila file up and laid it open on the desk. Reaching into the side pocket of the black raincoat retrieved a small camera and brought it up to the glinting eyes showing in the black silk balaclava. Flash; click; turn page.
Zap..., daylight appeared as the main lights came on and the chandelier in the middle of the ornate ceiling threw its brilliance off the heavy wallpaper. Head comes up and body starts to move sideways towards the heavy velvet curtains over the windows.
“Stand absolutely still; I will shoot. Put your hands up and keep them there.” Standing in the doorway was an elderly man, tall, slightly running to fat from the good life, but well able to control the action due to the wicked blue/grey pistol, complete with silencer, held firm in his right hand. It pointed directly at the burglar’s stomach.
“Mellors, come in here and find out what we are dealing with please.” As the figure raised both hands slowly and waited, with anticipation; ready for any action to get away, another man slipped sideways into the room and moved purposely towards the desk.
The burglar moved slightly to put the Mellors in the line of fire.
“Don’t.....Move.” A small jerk of the gun emphasized the point and the figure stood. Mellors came up behind. Mellors was an altogether different figure to his boss. Dressed in white T shirt, jeans and bare-foot through being woke up, he was young and very muscular. Not at all the normal butler, the figure mused inwardly. Damn, a bodyguard and good with it judging by the way he moved up beside without once getting in the line of fire or allowing any attacking moves.
“Try for weapons first I think, Mellors. Do keep those hands up and keep very still ” The burglar was wearing a black raincoat, tightly belted, with a navy blue silk scarf as a cravat, black leather gloves and the balaclava. Mellors came up behind and started patting from the shoulders down to the ankles very professionally. All the way down the back. Then he turned the burglar round and started patting down the front. As his large hands came to chest height he stopped and felt again, harder.
“ Well lookee here, Guv, a bird. A real 24-karat lovely. “ Mellors regressed to his native cockney in surprise.
“ What do you mean, take that silly mask off and let’s have a look”
Mellors hands gripped the edge of the balaclava and peeled it back off the face and head.
“Phew” he whistled as the light flooded onto a pretty face farmed by gorgeous brunette hair, which the girl tossed free to fall down her shoulders. “Not at all what I expected, Guv. Let me finish for weapons” His hands continued their search, slower now and with more physical pressure.
“I can report she is clean of any weapons, my Lord.” he reported at last in his best butler’s voice, calm and equilibrium restored.
“Go downstairs and fetch some rope then; no, fetch my holdall from under the stairs. This could be a long night.” ordered the house’s owner.
“Certainly my Lord.”
“Now my dear,” he addressed the girl directly “I think you should tell us your name. We will have to have a talk you know and I would prefer to know to whom I am addressing my questions.” The girl went to move around the desk. The gun came quickly up.
“No keep perfectly still and do keep those hands up. I would so hate to make a hole in, what I suspect is a lovely body; but I will if you move. I think you ought to remove your raincoat first. It covers your figure and who knows what you may be concealing.”
“No way, I am not wearing anything underneath; I am not concealing anything believe me.”
“Not my problem I am afraid and I don’t believe you.”
She waited and thought about this. The expression on his face didn’t waver and she suspected he was serious. She had only worn a leotard as the summer night was so humid and still quite hot. Oh well it might give her an edge if his concentration wavered. She went to lower both hands, grateful for the release and already planning her leap sideways then behind the large armchair.
“Whoa, One hand only please. I am certain you can manage it if you try hard.” he pressed the point of the gun forward to emphasis his point. She moved her left hand down and pulled the scarf free so it fluttered to the desk then her hand went to the first button. Twisting the buttons slowly, she opened the coat hoping to move his eyes away from her to her slow striptease. He was alive to her idea though and just smiled, his gaze never leaving her eyes. She shrugged out of the coat and felt it fall off her hips to the ground. Then she stepped out of it. She was left in her black Lycra leotard over her satin bra and thong set. She knew she looked good but he did not seem to be wavering in his attention at all. Her left hand went back up in the air. She had realised she was in serious trouble here. Lord See was good and she had known he was ruthless anyway.
Just as she tried to think of another way out Mellors returned with a Nike sports holdall with coils of rope bulging from it’s open top.
“Hey, why don’t you just ring the Police. I don’t want to cause any more trouble. I will talk to them with my Solicitor. I shall sue you for assault if you or your gorilla does anything to me. Now let me sit down while you ring.” Her voice was now alarmed. All her training since her first experience in police Training School years back all stressed staying in control of the situation. She was losing control rapidly.
“Mellors, tie her wrists to keep her from attacking both of us.” Lord See smirked at the thought, “ Dear lady, please put your hands behind you and hold your wrists together.”
“No...No way. I will not allow you to tie me up. I am not going to attack you; you have a gun for God’s sake. I will just sit here and wait for the Police. You have my word I will not move.” She went to sit down in the armchair when the gun exuded a “phut” and she felt a bullet shoot past her left ear and bury itself in the wall.
“Oh dear, now look what you have made me do, I have put a hole in my nice curtains; do what I say. NOW.”
Reluctantly, slowly, both hands came down and went behind her. She felt Mellors’ rough hands grasp her wrists and pull them together palm to palm. Then she felt the rough pressure of rope being wound around her wrists. Twice, thrice, four times it went in double thickness then she felt his fingers pass the ends between her arms and fingers up and down to cinch it tight. He finished by knotting the ends in the middle of her wrists above her hands. Experimentally she tried to flex her arms but they were held fast.
“ Oh come on this is ridiculous; I am not going anywhere and there are two of you with a gun,” she said “let me sit down and then ring for the police.”
“Who says I intend ring the police” came the chilling answer. Her heart missed a beat.
“What.... are you going to do with me,” she stuttered with the fear rising inside her. Everything she had read and heard about Lord See had stressed he was ruthless with few scruples and the money/power to flout the law. She whimpered as she felt rope about her upper arms above her elbows as these were drawn together until her arms met. This was painful and so unnecessary. More rope went around her chest twice above and below her breasts to hold her arms to her back.
“Now my dear, you were going to tell us your name, I believe. We will get the whole story out of you so why not make it easier and start off.” She realised she might as well humour him a bit to try and regain the advantage.
“My name is Janey Davis, I work for the Fanny Hall detective Agency so you can see I have some friends who will miss me very soon and they will ring the police. Fanny knows where I am and will soon become alarmed if I don’t reappear soon.”
Lord See hissed through his teeth." Fanny Hall, eh. That woman is beginning to irritate me terribly. I think we have to consider this carefully Mellors. Put her in that seat” he gestured to an upright high back seat beside the desk “ and let me secure her so we can make plans.”
She felt Mellors strong fingers dig into her shoulders as she was roughly manhandled to the chair and pushed down. A loop of rope flashed before her then settled around her upper chest above her breasts; ahhh, it was pulled tight and looped again and again. Three times Lord See wound it round before pulling any spare slack out and knotting it firmly behind the chair back. The same thing occurred with another rope below her breasts, but this is pushed firmly up to raise her globes up in their bra. It made her breasts stand out and firm. A final rope went very tightly across her nipples so splitting her breasts in two. Lord See then moved down her body with a further rope around her waist. She was locked to the back of the chair with her arms pressed against the chair back.
He came back in front so she could watch him as he picked up a short length and wound it twice about her ankles then cinched it between; there was no movement. Followed by further ropes about her lower thighs and upper knees. She was now becoming very worried as she realised she was fixed to this seat and would not get free without help.
“Hey this is going too far. Let ME GO. I was not going anywhere. LET ME GO. “ He smiled at her as he finished wrapping a rope over her thighs and under the chair seat. Kneeling he looked at her long and hard.
“Good very good, You are correct my dear you are not going anywhere. Oh one more thing.” He picked up another short rope and pulled her ankles back to the centre runner of the chair legs tying them tight to it. Now she could not kick and her legs were off the ground so she couldn’t stamp or gain any purchase to move the chair.
“Now I want to know what you are doing here and why does Fanny Hall want to harass me so much.”
Janey stared into space. She was in a pickle; did she keep quiet, as she had promised Fanny when she joined. Never to tell anyone outside the firm what she was doing, or did she tell him a modified story to placate him so he would let her go.
“ No I will not tell you anything. I can’t. Let me go this is so unfair.” she chose the wrong course of action.
He looked at Mellors and nodded. Mellors picked up her scarf and tied two overhand knots in the middle so there was a large wad of tight silk and went behind her.
“Open wide” she heard his mild voice as the silk flashed before her eyes, settled over her mouth and was pulled firmly in. She gulped, gasped and wretched as he continued to pull it back then tied it tightly behind her neck under her hair. She tried to complain loudly but all that came out were a few indistinct murmurs and she realised with horror no sound she made would escape the room. Already the ball of silk was making her drool out of her gaping mouth and it ran down her chin and dropped into her bra. She was frightened now; this was not going to plan.
“As you don’t wish to cooperate, Janey Davis, I am going back to bed as it’s 2.30 in the morning. I will talk to you again in the morning after breakfast. Hopefully, you will have reconsidered your position by then. Blindfold her, Mellors and make that gag better. I don’t want my sleep disturbed again and it will help her thought process.” Janey felt Mellors reach over her head and unwrapped the end of a roll of tape bandage. He pressed the end to her cheek and unravelled it slowly pulling hard over her mouth. Five times he went round covering her hair as well before he moved up above her nose. Three times he went round before the whole of her head apart from her nose was covered by white tape. She was left in darkness and tight muffled silence. This was now very frightening as she tried to move around in her chair. She found she couldn’t even wiggle as she heard the light switch click and the door close. After some time her mind started to play games. All the pressure from the ropes and the enforced dark made her dream vividly and she kept awake feebly trying to get free.