Sky and the Starlets

Fiction by Frank Knebel

Chapter 9

Sky Ryder checked his wristwatch.
        "The coach should be just starting for town," he said to Julie.
        His lovely, dark-haired wife craned her neck to look to the right front of the plane.
        "Where are the outlaws going to meet the coach?" she asked.
        Sky also leaned forward to look at the ground to the right. He pointed.
        "There's the old MacGregor place. It was just west of here that the gang stopped the stage in the 1889 holdup. We should be able to see all the action if we head northwest."
        Julie twisted around to look back over her right shoulder toward Kermit.
        "People are gathering at the edge of town to watch the chase. What happened in the actual robbery?"
        Sky pointed again.
        "The Garver gang stopped the stage on the road a couple miles from the MacGregor ranch. They were just going to rob the coach until they found out there was no moneybox and almost no mail on board. When they saw Nellie Simms and the other schoolteachers inside, they decided to kidnap the four of them and hold them for ransom from the town. They put the driver off, tied up the women and drove away toward their hideout. But someone out this way had seen the gang earlier that morning and alerted the sheriff. He and a posse headed this way ran right into them. They started a running gunfight, the outlaw driving the stage was hit and it became a runaway. John Wesley Kermit was the deputy who caught the stage and got the horses under control just before they reached Red Gorge.  He later married Nellie Simms, became mayor of Kermit and eventually had the town renamed after him.  
"Fred and the posse will becoming from town." He looked back to the left. "Ken and the boys playing the outlaws must be up that way a few miles. Shall we have a look?"
        Julie smiled eagerly.
        "Let's do. It's such a great view from up here. And what a story!"
        Sky smiled.
        "Well, that's how they tell the tale. What really happened probably isn't so melodramatic. Things like that happen only in the movies."

*     *     *     *     *

        "Everybody ready?" asked the big man in the front seat.
        He turned to the men in the back. Both were checking or loading their pistols. The younger one was tall, slender and rather good-looking. He pushed ineffectually against a shock of unruly dark hair that fell over his forehead.
        "Ready for what, I'd like t'know?" he asked irritably. The inflections were unmistakably Southern, but his was not a hayseed's drawl. "Drive up an' start shootin', but be sure you don't hit nothin'. What kind of job is this?"
        "What do you care, Betts?" asked the stocky, gray-haired man next to him. He snapped the cylinder of his revolver closed, then broke open a second gun. "All the fun of crime with none of the risks. Just relax."
        "There's no such thing as no risks, Sanders," Betts said with heat. "Whaddaya think those deputies are gonna do when we start shootin'? Whistle 'Dixie'?"
        "If they're smart deputies they're gonna keep their heads down," said the big man. "Just make sure that all your guns are loaded."
        He turned to face forward again. Though his body was not especially heavy, his face was pudgy enough to make it appear that that he had no cheekbones. His nose and eyes seemed small for such a large man, giving him a rather featureless appearance aside from the irritated furrow of his eyebrows and the permanent snarl on the right side of his mouth.
        "How's it look, Burke?" he asked the driver without turning his head.
        The driver was a little gnome of a man with the pointed face of a Leprechaun, short legs, a barrel chest and long arms. Even sitting behind the wheel he looked bow-legged. He shifted his right foot off the accelerator and the big sedan began to slow. They could see several cars, one of them a police car with rotating beacon on the roof, parked on the roadside ahead. A few people stood near the cars watching ten men with horses. One or two of the men were starting to mount. The driver looked into the rearview mirror. Another sedan was behind them.
        "Piece o' cake, Mr. Archer," he said.
        Archer, the big man, pulled one pistol out of his right-hand jacket pocket and took another from the seat on his left. He raised the dark scarf around his neck over his lower face.
        "Remember," warned Archer. "Except for the deputies' tires, don't aim too close. In fact, don't aim at all."

*     *     *     *     *

        "All right, boys," called Ken Moore. "Let's go do some outlawin'!"
        He put his foot into the stirrup, but before he could pull himself up, there was a squeal of brakes on the road behind them as two cars stopped. As the surprised spectators, outlaws and deputies turned to look, the right hand doors of the lead car flew open. A big masked man put one foot out the front door and raised a pistol. Another armed man jumped from the rear seat, took cover behind the open back door and began shooting. The men on the driver's side leaned over and fired though the open windows. The spectators dropped to the ground, and several of the women began screaming as well. The outlaws abandoned their attempts to mount and ran for cover or hunkered behind their terrified horses. The two deputies took cover behind their car. Bullets kicked up dirt and bounced off rocks all around them.
         Ben Norris drew his pistol.
        "What is it, Al?" he shouted to MacKeever.
        A bullet thudded into the top of the car. Another broke a window.
        "Beats me, Ben. But we'd better get some help! Give me some cover!"
        Norris raised his head enough to see over the hood and looked for a target. MacKeever managed to open the passenger door and grab the radio handset. To add to the pandemonium, some of the outlaws were firing their blank cartridges at the intruders.

*     *     *     *     *

        "Car Two to Car One! Sheriff, this is Car Two. We need help! Over!"
        "Sheriff!" yelled Deputy Barnes. "Sounds like somebody's shooting at Al and Ben!"
        Barnes handed the handset to Winchell. They could just hear MacKeever's voice over the roar of gunfire.
        "Sounds like the Battle of the Bulge!" said Winchell.  He waved to Deputies Cooley and Harrison. "Let's go, boys. Al and Ben need our help!"
        "What about us, Sheriff?" asked Lew Hansen as Cooley and Harrison ran to their car.
        Winchell shook his head.
        "That Jeep's too slow to keep up with us on the road. You and Tom stay here. I need you two and Fred to keep things under control here. I'll call you if I need you."
        The two patrol cars roared away. Mayor Holmes, Norman Barrett and Burt Metford trotted to Hansen's side.
        "What is it, Deputy?" asked Holmes. "What's happened?"
        Hansen shook his head.
        "I have no idea, Mr. Mayor," he said. "But there's somebody out there shooting."
        "Is there any news about the stagecoach, Lew?" asked Metford.
        Hansen shook his head again.
        "I didn't hear any. But right now whoever it is, is more concerned with the outlaw gang."

*     *     *     *     *

        "We heard everything, Winch," Sky Ryder said into his radio microphone. "We're on our way. Hummingbird out."
        Sky pushed the Cessna 310's throttles forward. The increased roar of the two 240-horsepower Continental engines alarmed Julie, who saw the airspeed indicator top two hundred twenty miles per hour. She looked ahead.
        "There, Sky!" She pointed.
        "It looks like the shooting's coming from those two cars." He pushed the yoke forward to descend. "Hang on!"

*     *     *     *     *

        The four men in the second car took up the shooting as Archer and his team reloaded. Their firing was so fast that Archer's men were only able to reload one revolver each, but as the shooting from the second car slackened, Archer straightened up and began again. The others joined him until their ammunition ran out.
        "Get us out of here, Burke!" yelled Archer.
        The men dived into the car. Burke gunned the engine, pulled on the gearshift lever and, with a loud squealing of tires, made a fast U-turn. The second car followed closely.
        "Easiest hundred you ever made," said Archer.
        "I don't know about that!" protested Betts. "There were a dozen guys shootin' back at us!"
        The stocky, gray-haired man snorted.
        "Weren't you payin' attention, Betts? Their guns were loaded with blanks! They could shoot at you all day and not hurt a fly!" He threw back his head and laughed heartily.
        "Go ahead and laugh, Sanders. But those deputies weren't shootin' blanks."
        "Relax, kid," said Archer. "The deputies didn't get off two shots apiece. They were too busy keepin' their heads down, like I said they'd be."
        "Hey, Archer," said Burke. "We got company. A plane's comin'."
        Burke had seen the approaching Cessna 310 in the rearview mirror. He now pointed to the left rear. The others looked.
        "Step on it, Burke," ordered Archer. "Everybody else load up just in case."

*     *     *     *     *

        "Well, this certainly is a cozy little spot," said Arlene as she looked around the cabin. "Just like home if you're Davy Crockett."
        The hunting cabin was rustic, though far from crude. It was an all-wooden, single-story structure with all the essentials needed to survive harsh weather. The wooden floor of the main room was almost entirely covered with a plain, thick rug. An iron stove and rough-hewn table with chairs sat at one end of the main room, and a homemade sofa and two easy chairs stood before the stone fireplace at the other. As Gloria and Baynes brought Copper and Amy inside, Arlene crossed the main room and drew aside the curtains that covered two doorways on the wall opposite the front of the cabin. These doorways led to two small bedrooms, both containing a small pot-bellied stove and a wooden bed covered with a bare mattress. After taking a quick look around, Arlene sauntered back to the two captives.
        "Yeah, ladies. Like I said, all the comforts of home. This is just the place for you."
        Both bound women looked uneasily around the cabin. They remained bound, hands behind their backs and arms lashed to their sides and backs several sets of loops, and gagged with wads of cloth held in their mouths by wide cloth bands tied between their jaws. Amy's arms were further secured by several turns of rope just below her elbows. Both were also naked above the waist. Amy wore only her uniform trousers and shoes, Copper her jeans and boots. Arlene put a hand on her chin and regarded the prisoners for a long moment, then walked a slow circle around the two, pausing once or twice to tug a rope or seize. Her inspection of their bonds complete, she stood in front of them again for a minute. Stepping forward, she reached out with both hands and began caressing Amy's breasts with her right hand and Copper's with her left.
        "With all this superb equipment, it's hard to believe that you two aren't the movie stars. Yessir. There are definitely a lot of cute gals in this town."
        Amy mewed indignantly into her gag and tried to pull away from Arlene's fingers. The blonde laughed unpleasantly.
        "What's the matter, Deputy?" she asked. "Shy? About a great pair like yours? Well, there's one sure way to make you less self-conscious about your boobs. Bring us those chairs, Baynes."
        Baynes took two chairs from the table by the stove and placed them behind Amy and Copper. Arlene pushed Amy roughly into one. Gloria tapped Copper on the shoulder as a sign that she should sit. Arlene dropped to one knee and began untying Amy's shoelaces.
        "Take off Blondie's boots, Gloria."
        Gloria took a hesitant step around Copper. Like the other gang members Gloria was hooded so her facial expressions could not be read, but Amy and Copper could sense indecisiveness from her jerky movements and the way she turning to Arlene for encouragement or approval. Finally she knelt in front of Copper and removed the girl's boots and socks. Amy was now barefoot as well. Arlene stood again.
        "All right, ladies," Arlene announced. "On your feet."
        Amy and Copper exchanged a glance. Amy gave a slight nod and stood up. Copper followed her lead.
        "Now we get to the good stuff," Arlene said gleefully.
        She bent slightly and reached for Amy's belt. As she unbuckled it she looked at Gloria.
        "Go ahead, Gloria."
        Gloria hesitated. Her head swung from Arlene to Amy to Copper and back to Arlene, then she leaned over and unfastened Copper's belt. She looked back to Arlene as though seeking more direction, but Arlene was busy pulling Amy's loosened trousers from her hips. She let go and the pants fell around Amy's feet. But Arlene was not finished. She took hold of both sides of the elastic waistband of the helpless deputy's panties and tugged them down as well. Amy gave a little involuntary gagged shriek as they dropped to the floor. She looked up in horror to see Jones come through the front door carrying the pack of rope.
        Though the captive could not see his face, there was an obvious grin in the man's voice as he said:
        "Well-l-l-l-l, well-l-l-l-l. It looks like I got here just in time!"

*     *     *     *     *

        "I can't believe it," said Deputy Al MacKeever, shaking his head as he finished his check of all the spectators and outlaws. "All that lead flyin' around and not a soul or anything hit!"
        "That's not quite right, Al," said Deputy Ben Norris. He led his veteran partner to the rear of their patrol car and pointed. "It looks like they could shoot pretty well at some things."
        MacKeever stared. The rear tires of the car were flat, both punctured by several bullets.
        "I'll be!" MacKeever muttered softly. He pushed his hat back off his forehead and shook his head wonderingly. He turned to Ken Moore. "And what did you fellas think you were doing with that shooting? All you had were blanks!"
        Moore shrugged.
        "If blanks are all you have, that's what you shoot," he said.
        The patrol car's radio was still working.
        "Hummingbird to Sheriff's Car Two. Come in, Car Two. Over."
        MacKeever picked up the handset.
        "This is Car Two, Sky. We read you. Over."
        "We're headed back to you, Al. We can land on the road if you need us to take your wounded to town. How many are there? Over."
        "Nary a one, Sky. Damnedest thing I've ever seen. Nobody and nothin' hit except the tires of our car. The Sheriff's coming from the south and Harry and Andy from the north so we should be all right. Any idea where those guys went? Over."
        "We followed them for a few minutes, and they took a couple shots at us. We thought you might be in more need of our help so we came back. If you're all right, we'll try to pick up their trail again. Over."
        A new voice joined the conversation.
        "This is the Sheriff, Sky. We'll take care of Al and Ben. See if you can help Harry and Andy head off those hombres. Over."
        "Roger, Winch," Sky answered. "There are two cars of them, so it could be as many as eight men. I hope Harry and Andy can take four each. Over."
        "No problem, Sky," said Harry Tyler. "Just lead us to 'em. Over."
        "Don't try to be a hero there, Harry," said Winchell. "I'll see if the State Police can help us by putting some men on road to Las Vegas to head them off if they go that way. Over."
        "All right, Winch," said Sky. "We'll see what we can. Hummingbird out."

*     *     *     *     *

        "This'll be easy and fun, Gloria," said Arlene, as she put the ends of an eight-foot piece of rope together in her right hand and found the fold at the center with her left. "Just do what I do."
        Arlene put both the ends and the lark's-head in her right hand and reached around the left side of Amy's waist so she could grab them behind the prisoner with her left hand. She brought the lark's-head around Amy's right side, centered it just below the bound woman's navel, and fed the free ends through the loop. Pulling the slack rope through tightened the double rope line around her prisoner like a belt. Amy grunted softly as Arlene gave the rope an extra tug. Arlene chuckled softly under her hood at the sound.
        "Know where this one's goin', Deputy?" She looked over to check on Gloria. "How're you doin' over there, Gloria?"
        Gloria was just tightening the belt around Copper's waist.
        "I think I've got it," she said. "What now?"
        "This."
        Arlene motioned Baynes, standing behind the two captives, to move forward. When he was two feet from Amy's back, Arlene stopped him. She then bent down and passed the free ends between Amy's legs. She grabbed the ends with her other hand and waggled them.
        "Hold these," she ordered.
        "I'd be glad t'do that!" said Jones reaching out a hand before Baynes could take them.
        Arlene straightened up and put out a hand to stop Jones.
        "I think this is a job for Baynes," she said.
         Baynes took the ropes. Arlene circled behind Amy and took them from him.
        "Help Gloria do the same," she told him.
        When Baynes moved behind Copper to do the same for Gloria, Arlene pulled the line tight through Amy's crotch, ran the ends around the rope belt in the middle of Amy's back and tied off the ends on the seize of her wrist bonds. She patted Amy on the butt.
        "There you go, honey," she said. "That ought to make struggling with the ropes feel real good." She turned to Jones. "Get us some more rope for their legs, Jonesey."
        Jones dug into the pack as Arlene circled back in front of the prisoners.
        "When you gotta job t'do, Arlene," he said, "yuh shore do it right!"
        "Stick around, Jonesey. I'm not done yet." She pressed Amy's shoulder. "Sit down, Deputy."
        Amy sat, emitting an audible gagged mew when the crotchrope tightened. Copper did the same when Gloria had her sit.
        "You must not have done such a good job with your line through the privates, Gloria," Arlene scolded good-humoredly. "Mine yelped a lot louder."
        "Are we going to tie their legs now?" Gloria asked as she lowered herself to one knee and picked up one of the ropes Jones had tossed to her.
        "Above and below the knees and their ankles, too," replied Arlene. "Baynes, see if you can find something we can use to blindfold them. This hood's getting pretty hot."
        "I got just the thing fer yuh, Baynes ol' buddy," said Jones.
        He handed a couple long pieces of cloth to the huskier man. Immediately, Baynes began folding them into bands.
        "And you're sure that you hid the horses well, Jonesey?" asked Arlene as she looped ropes above Amy's knees.
        "Nobody'll ever spot 'em," said Jones.

*     *     *     *     *

        "I can't imagine how people traveled across the country in these!" exclaimed Joan O'Connor as the four women resettled themselves after the coach hit another sizable bump in the road. "After a full day in here, you'd be bruises from head to foot!"
        Next to her Diana Malloy rubbed a tender spot on her posterior.
        "Why do you think the women wore bustles and all these petticoats?" she said. "It was for padding!"
        They all laughed only to be interrupted when the coach wheels hit a rut sufficiently deep to send them all flying almost to the ceiling.
        "That Nellie Simms must've been a pretty tough customer," gasped Deputy Sue Kendall. "I'm glad that Summer's playing her, because I'm ready to start whining!"
        The others laughed again.
        "Since Joan's the guest of honor and Kermit's foremost actress, she should be playing Nellie Simms," said Summer.
        "Oh, no," protested Joan with a wag of her finger. "I read the flyer from the Historical Society. Nellie was a brunette, so one of you" --- she pointed at Summer and Sue--- "has to be Nellie."
         "But Fred's playing the Sheriff today," mused Sue. "And the Sheriff isn't the one who saved the coach and ended up marrying Nellie. Who's playing John Wesley Kermit?"
        None of the women knew for sure, though they went over the subject for several minutes. There was little else to do or see on this part of the trip. The stretch of the old stagecoach road they were currently on ran along the base of steep rocky hills and cliffs, and the stone faces of those heights were all that could be seen out of the right-hand windows at the moment. The arid land to their left was less than scenic. A little way ahead, the hills and cliffs angled off farther to the west-southwest while the road continued straight south. Not far from the end of the hills, a loop of the highway came within a couple hundred yards of the stage road. The 'outlaw gang' of Kermit re-enactors would be there lying in wait.  
         The coach hit another gaping rut.
        "Well, if I live to reach town," said Joan as she straightened her bonnet, "I'm likely to marry the first man I see."

*     *     *     *     *

        Dugan peered at the approaching coach.
        "Get ready, Jackson."
        Jackson raised himself to one knee, untied the end of the strip of canvas from the stake that had held it, and grasped it firmly. He looked at the little tarp he held suspended on the hillside overlooking the trail. It held a load of sand and small stones.
        "This thing's getting' heavy," he gasped. "I hope they won't be too long!"
        "Come on, Jackson. Suck it up," urged Jarvis.
        "You come over and suck some of this up!" the little man replied.
        Dugan turned to Jackson and nodded.
        "Let it go."
        Jackson let go of the end. The now loosened tarp released its load down the steep wall of rock. A cloud of dust rose as the debris slid down the slope onto the stage road. Jarvis turned to Patricia.
        "Just like clockwork," he said with a grin.
        "And no thanks to you," she replied, slipping the hood over her head.

*     *     *     *     *

        "Whoa!" hollered Joe Bailey as he pulled hard on the reins. "Whoa, there!"
        The carriage jolted to a stop. Summer and Sue, on the rear bench facing forward, were thrown into the laps of Joan and Diana opposite them. It took a moment or two for them to right themselves again. Summer stuck her head out of the window on the left-hand door.
        "What's happened Joe?" she called.
        They heard him jump down from the driver's box. The other women joined Summer at the coach's left-side windows to look out.
        "Looks like a slide up ahead," he answered, taking out his pistol. "But it may be somethin' fishy. I'll take a look."
        Summer grabbed the door handle. Sue drew her revolver.
        "Sue and I'll come with you." She looked at Joan and Diana. "You two stay here."
        The three advanced to find several large rocks lying in the middle of the road. Dust hung in the air, clearly indicating the path of the slide.
        "What a time for a rockslide!" said Summer.
        Joe eyed the scene suspiciously.
        "I don't like it," he said. He pointed to a little recess in the rock wall. "I'd say somebody rolled them big rocks into the road from over there. You can see where they was restin'."
        It was true. There were indentations and outlines that indicated several sizable rocks had been there recently.
        "All that dust must mean there was a slide here just now," said Sue.
        Joe nodded.
        "But somebody mighta started it to get us t'stop. And they might be waitin' for us right in here---"
        He took a few quick strides toward the niche and pointed his revolver at one side. Before he could react, a powerfully built man wearing a hood stepped from the other side and struck him on the head with a pistol butt. As Joe crumpled to the ground, Sue stepped forward and raised her weapon. Before she could speak or act, a short man in an identical hood appeared behind her and poked a pistol into her back.
        "Drop it, lady," he said.
        Sue looked around. A hooded woman in dark slacks and a light tan shirt joined the smaller man. As Sue let her pistol drop she saw a tall, well-built man emerge from the recess and pick up Joe's gun from where it had fallen.
        "Well, done everybody," said the woman. She went back to the stagecoach door and swung it open. "Surprise, ladies. Everybody out."
        Joan and Diana climbed down and stood outside the coach with their hands raised. The men prodded Summer and Sue back to join them.
        "What is this?" asked Diana.
        "Just a little unscheduled stop for all of you," said the woman. "The whole town seems to think that the original robbery in 1889 was quite a story. Well, we're going to add a little extra drama to today's re-enactment."
        "I know that voice," said Summer. "You're the gang from the Armory."
        "Very good, Mrs. Merrill. It's nice to meet old friends again, isn't it?"
        "I know you, too," said Joan. "You usually dress a little fancier when you kidnap us. What happened?"
        The woman spread her hands and looked down at herself.
        "Ah, yes. This ensemble isn't exactly my style, is it? Still, one must dress for the conditions."
        "And what will be our condition today?" Summer asked dryly.
        "We'll get to that just a bit later. Just now we have more important things to do. Jackson."
        The short man drew a length of rope from his coat pocket and stepped forward.
        "Any volunteers?" he asked. There were none. He pointed to Joan. "Let's start with you, beautiful. Put your hands behind your back. You know how this goes."
        Joan turned and put her hands palm-to-palm.
        "Yes. Unfortunately, we've done this before."

*     *     *     *     *

        Arlene finished the last knot on Amy's ankle bonds. She looked over at Gloria, still working on Copper's ankle ropes, then up at Baynes who stood behind Amy with the cloth band stretched between his hands.
        "Okay, Baynes. Do her."
        Baynes nodded. He put the cloth around Amy's head, leaned over her shoulder to make sure her eyes were covered then tied the blindfold ends just above the gag tie at the back of the deputy's neck. He took a second banded cloth and repeated the action on Copper.
        "All set," he told Arlene.
        "Thank God!" she said, ripping the hood from her head. Her face was flushed and sweating, though not nearly as much as Baynes' or Jones'. She pushed some wet hair from her forehead and temples and fanned herself with the hood for a moment. Gloria and Jones took off their hoods as well. Jones was grinning as he looked from one shapely, naked captive to the other. Gloria appeared, as usual, on the edge of panic.  
        "Hot damn, Arlene!" Jones burst out. "I never seen anythin' look quite as good as them!"
        "Just your types, Jonesey," drawled Arlene. " Completely helpless and unable to speak. That's the kind of woman you're best with."
        Jones was so besotted with lust that he barely noticed the insult.
        "Go ahead and say whatcha want. As long's I get my turn with 'em."
        "Right now I want you to go keep watch outside while we finish up with these two. That guy Ryder might be out there in his plane somewhere. I want to know if he is."
        Jones licked his chops. He reached out and patted Amy on the butt.
        "Now don't you go anywhere, darlin'. It won't be long."
        He was so busy ogling Amy and Copper that he failed to look where he was going and walked into the doorframe on the first attempt to leave. Gloria bit her lip as she watched him go.
        "Are you really going to let Jones at them, Arlene?" she asked fretfully.
        Arlene waved dismissively.
        "Not a chance," she said. "But the promise'll keep him in line." She turned to Baynes. "Just to be safe, we'll put one of them in each bedroom. Start with Ryder's niece."
        Baynes nodded. He bent over, put his shoulder in Copper's midsection, wrapped his arms around her legs and straightened up. She mewed in alarm as her carried her into one of the bedrooms and set her on her feet next to the bed. He pressed her shoulder to make her sit.
        "Now lift her feet up, too," ordered Arlene.
    Baynes took Copper's bound feet in one hand and swung her around so he could bend her knees and place her feet in front of her. Arlene took another length of rope and ran it from the backs of Copper's bound knees around her back near the shoulder blades. When she pulled the loop tight, the girl was forced to press her thighs almost against her breasts. Copper moaned into the gag. Arlene made several more turns then created a seize between Copper's chest and knees and started tying off the rope ends.
        "Take the Deputy into the other bedroom," Arlene said to Baynes. "We'll do her up the same way."
        "Right."
        Baynes returned to the main room and picked up Amy as he had Copper. When he put Amy down beside the bed, she shook her head and tried to say something through the gag.
        "Huh?" he grunted softly, taking a quick look to make sure Arlene had not noticed.
        Amy tried again, but her words were unintelligible. She shifted her shoulders and shook her head. Baynes looked at her bonds. She seemed to be trying to move her bound elbows. He put his lips to her ear.
        "Is it your elbows?" he whispered.   
        She nodded vigorously. With another glance at the doorway, Baynes quickly untied the knot at the seize loops and removed the ropes. Amy sighed gratefully. He had her sit on the bed then swung her legs up onto the mattress.
        When he returned to the other bedroom Arlene was just finishing. Copper was now lying on her side. Arlene had added a rope connecting Copper's bound wrists to her bound ankles. The poor girl's legs were now forced to her chest by one line while her ankles were pulled back under her. The line went directly between her buttocks, right over the crotchrope.
        "We can't leave her like this," protested Gloria. "Her legs'll cramp up real bad in this position. She could even suffocate."
        "Gloria's right," said Baynes.
        Arlene raised an eyebrow at them.
        "Well, we're not going to leave them like this all alone." She looked at Gloria. "You're going to stay and watch to make sure they're okay. If you need to loosen some ropes, you can go ahead. But not too many ropes." She looked down as Copper squirmed helplessly. "And being tied like this for a while will let them know what we'll do if they aren't real good girls."
        "Now let's go fix up the Deputy."

*     *     *     *     *

        "Open up, dearie," said Patricia to Sue Kendall as she held up a wadded cloth. The brunette deputy opened slightly. "Come on, sweetie. Wider than that."
        She reached around with her other hand and pinched Sue's nostrils closed. When Sue's mouth flew open to get a breath, Patricia released her nose and forced the cloth wad between her teeth. Sue moaned and struggled, but it was too late. Patricia slipped a banded cloth between Sue's jaws to hold the gag and tied the ends behind her head.
        Summer, Diana and Joan, all with their hands bound behind their backs and similarly gagged watched with wide eyes.
        "There," said Patricia as if she had just finished a demonstration of flower arranging or cooking. "That wasn't so bad, was it? Let's see how the boys are doing."
        She looked to the front of the coach. Dugan and Jarvis were removing the last of the big rocks. Jackson was coming toward her to report.
        "Are we ready?" she asked.
        "About one more minute," he replied.
        "How's the driver?"
        Jackson smiled wryly.
        "That's one tough old bird. He's moved a couple of times and he's even starting to mumble in his sleep."
        She nodded.
        "Let's get the women into the coach."
        Jackson opened the door with an exaggeratedly chivalrous gesture and extended a hand toward the four bound prisoners.
        "Ladies, your carriage awaits. Please allow me to assist you."
        One by one the bound women stepped up to the coach and were helped inside. Jackson climbed inside and closed the door. Patricia looked to the driver's box. Jarvis was sitting on the seat. She waved to him. He waved in return and started the horses.

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