Industrial Espionage
by "Charles Spencer"
Part Three: To the Rescue
Janey ceased her struggles and tried to move her head to trace the direction of the noise as the doorbell echoed. She had been allowed a cursory use of the bathroom then taken at gun point to the Dining Room at the front. She was by now only wearing her knickers as Lord Peter went to town with his ropes. She felt ropes everywhere, no one rope pulled too much but every one kept her in a tight package. Arms behind her back tied at wrists and elbows. He had even managed to make her elbows meet which she found extremely painful as it pulled her shoulders back. More rope crisscrossed her chest locking her arms to her body. Three turns around her waist held a rope diving between her legs driving the satin deep within her, through her wrist bonds and back to be knotted at her belly. Her wrists were locked to her bottom and the slightest movement brought instant pain.
Her legs were locked together by loops of cinched white rope at ankles knees and thighs. She had been laid on her front whilst he had hogtied her pulling her legs up to her wrists and connecting them to her elbow ropes. Her body was drawn in a tight bow. He had then pulled her to her knees whilst he gagged and blindfolded her. A large cloth had been forced into her mouth followed by the sticky tape wound around her head. He had pulled it so tight her face had started to move sideways so he twisted the tape behind and reversed the flow. By the time he had finished her face was invisible, covered by white tape with only her nose poking free. Finally, they had manhandled her under the table and roped her to the solid upright of the table leg. Being a Georgian table the leg was both solid and large whilst the whole table weighed so much she could never move it. Unfortunately, it was not quite high enough so her head was bent forward against the tabletop.
Again she heard the doorbell and tried to scream. A nasal whining noise came out so muffled she doubted it could be heard five feet away. She tried to jerk herself free; she had to make her presence known to the visitor. Tears started to flow, as she found no freedom and heard Mellors measured footsteps down the hall tiles.
“Good Morning Officer, Can I help.”
“Good morning Sir,” Janey’s heart leapt, it was Melanie, her partner and Fanny’s other operative. They had come to rescue her; Oh bliss she would soon be free, free to watch the police charge the slimy Lord with all his crimes. “ I have to ask if you had an intruder last night. We have had other reports and are asking all householders in this row.”
“No officer. We heard nothing and no-one got in here. As your station is aware Lord See has a very efficient alarm system connected direct to your control room”
“I am aware of that Sir but if you would care to look at this you will see our concern.”
The young Police Officer backed down the path and pointed upwards. Mellors followed warily. She was pointing to the Alarm siren housing.
“You will see that goo oozing out Sir. They do that to fill the box up with foam to stop any noise. Are you sure you didn’t hear anything or found anything missing this morning.”
“No Officer, really we know nobody entered last night. Perhaps they were disturbed and will come back tonight. I will get the alarm company round to sort that out immediately. I am sorry we cannot help you in your search.”
“Very well, Sir, but do please ring this number, a special incident room number, should you remember anything.” She turned and walked slowly down the path to the street. As Mellors waited by the front door. Incident Room my foot he thought, straight to Fanny Hall’s desk I have no doubt. He did not believe for one minute she was real if only because no Police car was parked in the street and no other officer’s were around.
Melanie almost skipped down the street; I have found her she silently yelled to herself. She had been trying to look past that big “butler” all the time they were talking and had just seen on a hook at the back a sleek black raincoat just like Fanny provided for her employees for their “missions”. As there were no others visible she assumed it did not belong to the occupants. She now had to watch the house to find out for certain so she could call up the cavalry. First she had to get out of sight to phone the good news to Fanny.
“Who was it Mellors ?”
“A friend of our guest my Lord.”
“Are you certain, describe her.”
“I am certain my Lord. She wasn’t real Police. She was tall, say 5ft 8ins, well built, works out I shouldn’t wonder, red hair, very pretty. I don’t think she will give up that easily though” Under the table Janey collapsed into her bonds. He had described Melanie to a tee and he had got rid of her. Escape was out of the question and rescue was not coming.
“I think we can let our guest down now, move her to the back and leave her by the French doors so she can get some sun. Then I want you out the back smartish, assuming you’re right she will try to investigate and the front is too open. Keep out of sight but stop her reporting anything back. Bring her in here quietly. I am going to ring the Sheik; I think we will have three major presents for him. ” Both Lord See and Mellors started laughing. Janey soon felt hands loosing the ropes holding her up, then she was dragged across the carpet to the other end of the long room and left in her painful hogtie as the sun warmed her back. She kept moving her head, all she could really move, to keep her nose clear of fibres from the carpet which seemed to invade whenever she took a breath.
“Fanny, it’s me Melanie. I have just called at his Lordship’s as you wanted. Janey is there I am certain. They must be holding her prisoner in one of the rooms. I saw her raincoat.”...... “ Yes Ok, I will go round the back to try and see in, I agree they are unlikely to leave her in the front. I will call in every hour as agreed.”
Mellors meanwhile had crept out into the hedge at the back below the 8ft wall bounding the property. He knelt down patiently. He knew from past checks where the easiest place to climb the wall was, using the large oak tree whose branches fell over the road. He heard and saw movement in the tree and froze, as the young girl was silhouette on top of the wall for a moment before jumping down onto the grass. She eased herself forward to peer through the bushes bringing up a small pair of field glasses from her pocket. Quickly she scanned the windows “Nothing” she muttered, “ Janey where are you. Try and show yourself.”
Mellors shrank back further round the wall and pulled his radio out. “My Lord,” he whispered, “ she can’t see her friend. Let’s make it easier for her. May I suggest on top of the billiard table is a good position.” He heard and acknowledgement and crept back to keep an eye on his prey.
Lord See quickly undid Janey’s hog tie and leg ropes then sat her up. He pulled her unresisting legs into the ‘Lotus Position’ of ankle to opposite knee and roped them there. A longer rope from the middle of her shins around her neck and back kept her sitting upright as he then lifted her onto the billiard table. Mellors heard the hiss of satisfaction from the girl in the bushes as she suddenly caught sight of her colleague in the window. Quickly she raised her mobile phone up and punched a digit. It went through quickly.
“Fanny, I can see her. She’s inside but they have got her tied up. I am going in to rescue her. It seems very quiet inside...... No I must go now. I don’t feel we can wait for you to get the Police. The might hide her away. I will get her out. See you in half an hour. Out” She started to creep forward through the bushes trying not to make any sound or show movement. Mellors smiled at her efforts as she moved towards him. She came within six feet before she noticed his smiling face and, more importantly, the blue-black pistol barrel pointing at her.
“Whoa, who are you, put that down...... You’ve got Janey in there, I want to leave with her or I’ll call the Police.”
“ I don’t think so luv. You’ll do exactly what I say and keep very, very quiet at the same time. If you’ll forgive the cliché... it’s stick’em up time so get your hands right up where I can see them, and start moving down this path to the house.” Melanie slowly raised her hands, feebly, to shoulder level; she thought this was a joke.
“No I want them right up straight; interlocked behind your head and don’t let them drop.” She complied and stumbling miserably down the flagstone path edging the lawn towards the backdoor. Looking around she spied an area she could move into where she would be overlooked by the houses next door; a long shot but worth trying. She edged onto the grass. Mellors scowled as he anticipated her thoughts. He grabbed her shoulder hard and pulled her back into the shade of the bushes. She stumbled in her 3-inch heels. Why oh why did Fanny insist on high heels for this work. Why couldn’t she wear trainers as she did at home? She remembered the “chewing out” Fanny had given her when she wore her trainers one day to the office. Never again she decided she liked the job, she needed the money and the excitement.
Some minutes later she found herself pushed into the large dining room to face Lord See who was standing next to a wriggling figure sitting on the billiard table at the far end. The figure was wriggling as he was playing with her nipples, tweaking, rubbing and pulling the hard points. He had removed her blindfold so Janey was able to look sorrowfully at Melanie from her helpless position. There goes escape she muttered into her gag; what can Fanny do now. It came out as ‘MMmphmpphh, Mphhhph, MMMMphhppm’.
“Ah there you are my dear. Decided being a policewoman was boring, eh. Much more fun climbing over walls and creeping through bushes. You should try not to get captured though. Now we start to have fun.”
He reached beside him into a sports bag and drew out some lengths of white cotton rope. “ You may put your hands down now and remove the raincoat. Is that company uniform? What fun. I want you in your knickers quick.” His voice hardened as she stared at him in disbelief. No way she thought, she did not strip for any dirty old man. Suddenly she felt Mellors’ rough hands reach over her shoulder and start to undo the top button. She swatted his hand away but kept on herself. The coat tumbled to the ground leaving her police uniform showing.
“And that please. I want it all of so I know you have no weapons or blades”
Tears started to flow as she suddenly realised this was serious and she was in dead trouble. Private investigation had always seemed romantic and fun but now she had found it’s serious side. Trembling she removed her clothes to stand in her black Lycra knickers, her hands up. “Good, very good now place your hands behind your back, wrist crossed.”
Within minutes she was sitting on the table next to Janey in the same position. Wrists roped tightly behind followed by her elbows. Ropes around her shoulders connected all the others together holding her arms welded to her back. More ropes around her chest above and below her breasts held everything firm. She very quickly realised there was far more rope than was strictly necessary to keep her from moving but by then it was too late to protest. A crotch rope had been added firmly keeping her wrists anchored to her bottom as she had been directed to sit lotus fashion on the table. More ropes around her legs joined them together and she was fixed.
He was finishing now by stuffing a large cotton cloth in her mouth followed by some very sticky tape around her head numerous times to seal it in. He stood back and pressed his hands firmly over the tape smoothing it down and sealing the edges.
“Glad to see I haven’t lost my touch over the years Mellors. Eh what. Still one of the best around.”
“Indeed my Lord. Quite sufficient and I cannot see any way they will be able to free each other. Shall I just move them to opposite ends of the table to separate them more my Lord, just to make sure.”
“Excellent idea. Do that then how about some tea. All this exercise is quite exhausting. I cannot see the infamous Ms Hall arriving for some hours yet. Keep that phone on however just in case she rings.”
Lord See patted Melanie on the cheek as he walked out of the room, whistling tunelessly. Mellors followed him out after lifting her to the far end of the table. She looked at Janey, only some eight feet away but it could have been miles for all the good it would do them in their conditions.