Sky and the Woman With A Past

Fiction by Frank Knebel

Chapter Four

Janie Stanley was positively wide-eyed.

"Golly, Copper! I can hardly believe that you and Julie and Mrs. Harvey walked in on a robbery at Tuthill's. You went from the library into a real-life adventure!"

Yvonne Cramer was equally excited.

"It must have been pretty scary! I mean, with them pointing guns at you and everything!"

"Yeah," added Janie. "And then to be all tied up and gagged by them, too. Weren't you afraid what happen to you, being completely helpless like that?"

Copper, trying to look very cool and calm, took a few books from the stack of returns and scanned their spines. She put the nonfiction volumes on one cart and the fiction on another so they could be reshelved.

"Well, I'll admit that having guns pointed at you is a pretty unnerving experience," she admitted. "Even though it's all part of a day's work for Sky and Julie and me."

"And you've been tied up before too, haven't you?" Janie asked eagerly.

"And gagged!" added Yvonne. "Weren't you just terrified?"

"It was a very dangerous situation," said Copper. "We couldn't know for sure what they intended to do next, so it was very important for us to stay calm and in control. Being bound and gagged can be pretty uncomfortable, even though most of us know what it's like from those games of cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians that all kids play."

"Oh, we know!" Janie said quickly.

Yvonne nodded emphatically. The two girls glanced at one another and blushed.

"How did you stay so calm?" asked Yvonne.

Eileen Harvey interrupted them by walking into their little group and placing a few more returned books on the cart.

"That's easy, Yvonne," she said. "We didn't."

The two girls looked at her in confusion.

"But, Copper said---," Janie began.

"Well, I can't speak for Copper or the others, but I was pretty near panic myself," the librarian continued. "Though, since I'm older, I didn't get the same attention that Copper or Julie or Susan got from a couple of them."

Yvonne and Janie were open mouthed in amazement and horror. Janie managed to stammer:

"You d-d-don't mean that they tried to----"

Eileen shook her head. Her expression was good-humored.

"All they wanted was money."

Janie and Yvonne seemed disappointed.

"And I want to make sure," Eileen continued "that we get all the returns checked in and back on the shelves by five o'clock. So let's get to it."

Campbell looked at the bills March had just counted for him.

"This is what you guys call a great score?" he asked sarcastically. "Some big haul here! We're sure on easy street now!"

Burton recounted the money March had given to him, folded the bills and slid them into the right front pocket of his trousers. He resumed his seat on the foot of one of the motel beds and took a sip of his drink. His manner was calm.

"Shut up, kid," he said. "Maybe it's not a fortune, but we're a lot better off now than we were yesterday."

The gang members were relaxing in March's motel room. Several bottles of liquor, two buckets of ice cubes and plastic cups sat on the low dresser. A shapely, good-looking young blonde was pouring Scotch for herself. Another blonde, taller, older, somewhat hard-looking but still attractive, sat on the bed beside March, a drink in one hand, a cigarette in the other.

"Yeah," the older blonde said. "I'm sure we'd all be a lot better off with you in charge, Jim. In jail you don't have to worry about eating or a place to sleep, and you don't have to worry about anything if you're dead."

The younger blonde turned from her pouring.

"Take it easy, Genie," she said. "Jimmy didn't mean anything by it. Being out here in the desert has gotten on everybody's nerves. We'll all feel better when we get back to L. A."

She finished pouring and took her drink back to her place beside Campbell on the other bed. She sat down very close to him and nuzzled his neck.

"Right, Jimmy?"

When she raised her chin, Campbell looked into her eyes and kissed her.

"Anything you say, Lee Anne," he said. "Anything you say, baby."

She giggled and kissed him again.

Burton was sitting on the same bed as Campbell and Lee Anne. He looked in turn at March, opposite him, and Denny, who was in one of the chairs near the door. Remembering Campbell's interest in the young blonde during the robbery, Burton raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Denny chuckled and shook his head.

"Is that the way you see it, John?" Denny asked. "Is this our stake to get back to L. A.?"

March, looking uncertain, loosened his necktie.

"Yeah, I think so," he said, his voice made a bit softer by indecision. "Unless anybody's got any better ideas of any scores we can make in this God-forsaken town."

Campbell sat up, Lee Anne still clinging to him. He pointed at the clerkish man sitting next to Denny.

"Hey, Alban, didn't you say there was a mine somewhere out here and a lumber mill too? They gotta pay their people. There must be some payrolls we could knock over."

Denny snorted. His usual expression of amused tolerance was gone.

"Knock it off, Campbell. Six strangers come to town and robberies break out all over. You think that the Sheriff won't be able to figure out what's going on?"

"He won't figure it out with you and me and Alban staying at that other place across town and March and Burton and Coates staying here."

"Alban says that the sheriff here is pretty smart," Denny replied. "We won't fool him for very long."

March looked at Alban, the clerkish man, for verification.

"Staying here and trying to pull a number of small jobs is out of the question," Alban said quietly. "Besides having to deal with the sheriff, there's a rancher named Sky Ryder, who lives close by. Not only is he a special deputy, but he has an airplane. I'm afraid that we couldn't fool them for long, and we'd find it pretty hard to hide from them."

"So you say we should get back to L. A.?" Burton asked March. He sounded hopeful.

Before March could respond, Alban cleared his throat.

"As difficult to believe as it is, there is one possibility of a very profitable opportunity in this town."

The other gang members stared at him.

"You're outta your mind!" said Campbell with a sneer. "There isn't anything in this town worth twenty bucks!"

Alban smiled wanly and drew a folded sheet of colored paper from the inside pocket of his suitcoat.

"These flyers were posted all over town," he said calmly. "You've probably all seen them but paid no attention."

He methodically unfolded the paper and passed it to Denny, who read it slowly then looked up at Alban

"You can't be serious," he said, passing the paper on to March.

March looked at the flyer. The printed sheet read:

ATTENTION KERMIT READERS

The Kermit Public Library is pleased to announce that this weekend there will be a special display of two newly discovered Zane Gray manuscripts and first edition copies of Mark Twain's Roughing It and Bret Harte's Luck of the Roaring Camp.

These works will be on display in the foyer of the library building between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. from Monday through Friday.

There is no admission charge. Contributions will be gratefully accepted.

March took a long time looking at the sheet. From the movement of his eyes, Denny could tell that the leader had read the flyer twice. When he was done he passed the flyer to Genie. She read it with a blank expression and passed it to Coates. He barely looked at it before passing it over to Burton.

March looked closely at Alban.

"What good does this do for us? Are we going to wait outside and take those contributions from the good citizens before they see the books?"

"Do you have any idea of the value of those first editions and the unpublished manuscripts?" Alban said. "They'd be worth thousands to a collector."

Denny shook his head again.

"But anybody who had them could never let it get out," he said. "They'd be too hot for him to sell or show to anyone else."

Alban looked directly at March,

"I know a guy in California who'd be interested in these. He'd pay plenty for them."

"What Denny said about them being too hot makes sense," said March. "What could he do with them?"

Alban swung his gaze slowly about the room, making eye contact with everyone in turn.

"He's the kind of rich guy who just likes to own things," he said. "Even if he can't show them to anyone, having them in his safe and being able to look at them would somehow make him feel bigger. Or he might try to get richer by selling them back to the company that's insuring them."

He looked at Denny.

"And now it seems that we have an inside connection to make it easier to get our hands on them."

"You mean Eileen?" Denny said with some alarm. "What makes you think she'd do anything to help us?"

"You're her beloved husband," Alban said with mild sarcasm. "I'm sure that you can persuade her. And if love can't persuade her, there are other ways."

"What do you mean by that?" Denny asked sharply.

"I mean," Alban said smoothly, "that the good citizens of this town might be shocked to find out that their trusted librarian had criminal associations in her past. And the authorities both here and in California would be interested too."

Denny half rose from his seat to go for Alban. March took a step to head him off.

"Take it easy, Bill," he said. He looked around the room, taking stock of the others. "This all depends on being sure there's a buyer for the goods and then all of us being okay with doing the job."

He looked at Burton. The sturdy man shrugged.

"I'm okay as long as we're sure of the dough."

Campbell was still reading the flyer.

"If there's big money in it, I'm in for sure!" he said eagerly.

Lee Anne said nothing, but she held tighter to the sleeve of Campbell's coat.

Coates' simple face looked up at March.

"Anything you say, boss."

March looked at Genie.

"I don't know about using Eileen," she said, glancing at Denny. "I never liked or trusted that broad."

"Don't worry about that yet," said March. "Today's Thursday and the goods probably won't arrive until Monday. That'll give Alban plenty of time to check on a price from his man, and for us to make a plan and get Eileen in on the deal."

"And just how are we going to do that?" asked Denny.

Genie looked at him with a poisonous smile.

"I say we just bring her out here and ask nicely," she said.

Eileen Harvey yawned and closed her book. She laid it on the nightstand beside the bed and glanced at the clock. It was nearly eleven. After making sure the alarm was set, she tossed the covers off her legs so she could swing her feet to the floor. That made it easier to tear down the pile of pillows she had made into a backrest for sitting up to read. When the pillows were in place and she was about to swing her feet back into bed, she stopped.

"One last bathroom trip and a drink of water before I get all comfy," she said to herself.

She rose and padded over the carpet to the hallway. The bathroom was the first door to her right. She hit the light switch and proceeded to her business.

"What's going on in there?" Campbell snapped when he saw a rectangle of light appear on the wall of the garage.

There were four people in the car sitting at the curb just down the street from Eileen's home. In the front seat were Alban, at the wheel, and Burton, in the passenger seat. Campbell and Eugenia Willis sat in the back. Campbell had been biting his nails. Genie was smoking a cigarette.

"Don't get nervous," Alban said coolly. "She's just gone into another room, probably the bathroom." He turned to look into Campbell's face. "It's the same thing that everybody else does before going to sleep."

Genie chuckled.

"At least most women do," she said.

"Once the lights are all out," Alban continued, "we'll give her about an hour before we make our move. I hope you all know what to do."

"Yeah, we know," said Burton. He turned to Genie. "But if that librarian is Denny's wife, I don't see why we need all that rope."

Genie picked up a coil of gleaming white clothesline from several lying on the seat beside her and examined it thoughtfully. The corners of her mouth rose slightly.

"I just want to be sure that she's cooperative," she said as she fingered the cord. "I hope that first hour of sleep is nice and peaceful for her."

Campbell picked up a roll of wide adhesive tape. He chuckled.

Eileen stood at the bathroom sink and yawned again. She turned on the tap and held a plastic tumbler under it. When it was half full, she turned off the water and took a sip.

"Let some water out, take some more in," she said to herself. "Just like the people in your life, except sometimes the people you've let out come back in."

She looked at herself in the mirror over the sink. For reasons she did not understand, she had put on one of her favorite nightgowns, a long but low-cut, light blue satin number. Usually it made her feel sensual and desirable, qualities she had felt too little over the past few years. During that time there had been a few men who drifted in and out of her life. Some of them had been better than others, and none of them had caused her any pain or emotional scars. Most had been quite pleasant, in fact. But there was no man at present. The possibility that Bill might be in town was the reason she had chosen the nightgown.

In the mirror she watched herself take another sip of water. One of the thin straps of the gown slipped over the point of her shoulder. She slid it back into place.

"He's probably not with them," she thought. "Even if he is, he'll never see me, like this or any other way."

She pushed the strap of her nightgown off her shoulder again, took one last sip of water, then emptied the tumbler into the sink and turned off the light. She returned to the bedroom and slipped into bed. She reached for the on/off switch of the lamp but stopped. She opened the drawer of the nightstand and drew out three small books with identical covers. The top two she laid on the night table. The third, she opened and flipped through the top pages. The pages of the last three quarters of the book had the centers cut out to form a secret storage compartment. She took out the bracelet. The diamonds winked at her as the she turned them in the light, and the engraved logo of Van Dorf and Kohl Jewelers was plainly visible in the silver near the clasp.

"And if Bill is in town, would he be more interested in seeing me… or you?" she asked.

She gazed at the bracelet for a few more seconds, then dropped it back in its hiding place. She put the book back, placed the other two on top of it and closed the drawer. With a sigh, she turned off the light.

It seemed to Eileen that she had barely closed her eyes when she heard the soft sounds around her, then the click of the switch of her reading lamp. When she opened her eyes she saw that the light was on and someone was in the room. She started to rise and opened her mouth to scream. Before she could cry out, one of the intruders clapped a hand over her mouth and grabbed her by the left wrist. From the other side of the bed, someone else seized her right arm.

"Relax, Eileen," a woman's voice whispered. "It's just an old friend."

Her eyes wide with alarm, Eileen looked around the room. A slender man of medium height was holding her right wrist, while a tall blond woman held her left wrist in one hand while keeping the other firmly over Eileen's mouth. She briefly struggled in their grasp. A brawny man standing just behind the woman stepped forward to help hold her down. Seeing that resistance was futile, Eileen stopped wriggling.

"That's a good girl, Eileen," cooed the blonde. "Now I'm going to take my hand away from your mouth so we can have a little talk. Nothing will happen as long as you don't start screaming. In that case…"

She glanced at the slender man across the bed. While continuing to hold Eileen's right wrist, he slipped his own right hand into the side pocket of his suit jacket and drew out a leather covered sap. He grinned and fingered it affectionately.

Eileen looked into all three faces in turn. She nodded. The blonde removed her hand from Eileen's mouth.

"You always were a pretty smart cookie, Eileen," said the blonde. "Just keep being smart and you won't get hurt."

Eileen took a deep breath.

"It's been a long time, Genie," she said. "When I heard Tiny's 'okey-dokey' the other day, I thought March might be behind the holdup. I didn't expect to see you though."

She glanced at Campbell and Burton.

"These two must be new."

Campbell leaned over.

"Pleased to meet you again, Eileen. I've heard a lot about you. Most of it's real good, too."

The right shoulder strap of Eileen's nightgown had slipped down to the point of her shoulder. Campbell used the sap to push it down to her upper arm. He then traced the strap to the neckline and on to her right breast. He stroked the sap over her nipple a couple times.

"You're even better in the flesh," he murmured.

Eileen tried to twist away from him, but he held her tighter and laughed. Burton, who had been holding Eileen's feet released her and stood up, looking at Genie. The blonde was smiling, evidently enjoying watching Eileen struggle with the leering Campbell. After a few moments she broke in.

"That's enough, Campbell. We've got work to do." She threw back the bedclothes and looked from Campbell to Burton. "Get her up."

Campbell gave Burton the wrist he had been holding. When Eileen swung her legs out of bed, Burton and Genie pulled her to her feet and held her as Campbell circled back to them.

"What's going on?" demanded Eileen. "What do you want?"

"Just a little chat with you," Genie said smoothly. "But not here. We're taking you with us to meet the rest of the gang. Some of us are real bookworms, you know. We're going to ask you about taking out some books."

Campbell advanced toward Eileen, a three foot long piece of rope in hands.

"What's the rope for?" asked Eileen, her voice rising.

"Don't worry, baby," said the smirking Campbell. "We just want to be sure you're comfortable for the ride."

"Comfortable and cooperative," added Genie. She nodded to Burton. "Okay, let's get her hands behind her back."

The two turned Eileen away from Campbell and forced her arms down so that her hands were together in the small of her back. Campbell looped her wrists with the rope.

"You don't need to do this, you know, Genie," said Eileen. "I'm not likely to try anything against three of you."

"You sure won't when we get through with you," hissed Campbell. "This is only the beginning."

He circled her wrists four or five times, tied the ends then fashioned a seize over the ropes and between her hands to take any slack from the loops. Eileen straightened up and gasped as Campbell secured the cinching loop with a firm knot. He noticed the bounce of Eileen's breasts as she leaned back. He extended a hand toward Burton to ask for more rope. The sturdy man handed him a long, doubled length. Campbell reached around her with the middle of the rope, pulled the lark's head behind her and fed the free ends through it. He pulled the loop snug then ran the doubled rope twice around her again, making six strands just under her bust and above her elbows. He tied the ends at the lark's head, then ran the free ends twice around her arms just above her elbows. When he tied these loops off, her arms were forced a bit closer together. She grunted.

"You must think I'm Wonder Woman," Eileen gasped.

It was Genie's turn to smirk.

"Things like this happen to Wonder Woman all the time, sweetie."

"And she always gets away, doesn't she?" said Eileen with defiance.

Genie's smirk remained.

"But you won't." She looked at the men. "Tie her some more. Fix her up really good."

Campbell took another long rope. He circled Eileen's body and arms around her belly and lower forearms several times. There was enough left to fashion another cinch between her arms and back, pinning her arms against her body and her bound hands against her derriere. Eileen wriggled experimentally and minimally.

"Are you satisfied?" she said with heat. "I can barely move a muscle."

"We're almost done. Just have a seat on the bed."

As Eileen turned and sat, Genie handed another length of rope to both men.

"Tie her legs," she snapped. "Make it fast."

Burton knelt and began tying Eileen's ankles side by side. Campbell pulled the bottom hem of her nightgown halfway up her thighs so he could bind her legs above the knees. After making a couple loops around her legs, he paused to stroke the outside, then the inside of her thigh.

"Yes, sir," he said softly and admiringly. "For a gal of forty, these are prime goods."

As he stroked the inside of her thigh, he pushed her nightgown even higher.

"Haven't you seen enough, sonny?" Eileen asked.

Burton and Genie both chuckled. Campbell looked at Eileen with some surprise. When he finished with the leg bindings, he pulled the nightgown down with an exaggeratedly elegant gesture.

"So sorry, milady," he said with a grin. "I'm sure we regret any inconvenience."

"Don't let her fool you," said Genie. "The guys had to tie her up as part of the biggest job we ever pulled and she took it fine. They even practiced on her before. She doesn't mind."

Eileen looked away. Genie stepped over in front of her, took Eileen's chin in her hand and forced her to look up.

"You aren't even going to mind the gag, are you sweetie?" she asked sweetly. She turned to Campbell and snapped: "All right. Gag her. And do a good job."

"My pleasure," said Campbell. "Stand up, baby."

After he and Burton helped Eileen to her feet, Campbell took a wad of white cloth from his pocket and held it to Eileen's mouth. Before she could protest, he jammed it between her lips and pushed it in her mouth. Eileen squealed in alarm but could do nothing to stop him. Burton handed Campbell a strip of the same cloth which he used to secure the gag wad.

"This should keep you nice and quiet, baby," he said as he tied the ends at the back of her neck. "But just to be sure…"

He took the roll of adhesive tape from his pocket and tore a six-inch strip from it. He motioned to Burton to tear some more while he pressed the first tape over Eileen's mouth. Burton continued to peel strips from the roll and hand them to Campbell who used them to seal the gag. Genie stopped Burton after the fifth piece of tape.

"Now some for her eyes," said Genie. "Use some cloth first though."

Campbell took another strip of white fabric from his jacket pocket and stretched it between his hands so Eileen could see it. He grinned at her.

"Here you go, baby," he said. "You wanted it nice and dark to sleep. Now you get your wish."

Eileen glared at him and grunted a protest into the cloth and tape. Campbell pulled the cloth band around her head over her eyes. After checking to see it was in place, he knotted it securely behind her head. Burton tore several pieces of tape from the shrinking roll and Campbell taped over the blindfold as he had done with the gag.

The now sightless Eileen wavered on her feet. Burton took her by the upper right arm to steady her.

"Do you really think she's so dangerous that we need all this?" Burton asked.

"I think she looks real cute this way," said Campbell. "Besides, we don't want her to see where we're going or get anyone's attention. Let's see how good we did."

He reached around her left side from behind, took her left breast in his hand and caressed it. Eileen shook her head and mewed into the gag as she wriggled in the men's grasp. After a few seconds, Campbell squeezed her breast roughly. Her cry was well muffled by the gag.

Campbell looked at Genie. She nodded.

"Good job, Jimmy." She paused to glance disapprovingly at him. "At least on this. Now get something to wrap her in."

She held Eileen while Burton and Campbell took the extra quilt from the foot of the bed. They unfolded it and laid it out on the bed's surface. Burton took Eileen's bound feet; Campbell grabbed her near the shoulders. They lifted her onto the bed and wrapped her from head to foot, the quilt being long enough to cover her completely.

"All right," said Genie. "Let's get her to the car."

The two men carried Eileen from the room. Genie switched off the lights and followed them out.

Next

Copyright © 2011 by Frank Knebel