The Housewife’s Choice

I really had no idea what was happening – I had finished work at lunchtime at the lawyer’s office I work in, stopped at Tesco’s to pick up some groceries, and had driven home. I left the groceries in the boot, walked into the kitchen – and then this large hand grabbed me, clamping itself over my mouth as I was pulled back against someone.

This voice – deep, calming, reassuring – just kept saying over and over again not to struggle or fight him, and just to do as he said. He walked me into the dining room of my house, and made me sit on a stool, before he removed his hand. I opened my mouth to ask who he was, when a knotted strip of an old sheet was pushed into my mouth and tied around my head.

All the time he kept talking to me, as I kicked my leather booted feet up and down. I was wearing a white blouse and short black skirt, with a black plastic belt around my waist and knee length black boots. Nothing fancy, just normal office wear.

Anyway, the knot of cloth pushed my tongue down, and I mumbled as he pulled my wrists behind my back and started to tie them together. I knew it was a he now – not just by the depth of his voice, but the hairy arms between the bottom of his gloves and the cuffs of his denim jacket.

“Wharyutyngmup,” I said as he then tied some rope around my waist, fixing my wrists against my back, before I felt and saw the bands that he tied around me arms, above and below my chest, pinning them to me as it forced my chest out and made the top buttons of my blouse strain.

“You interrupted me while I was robbing your house,” he said as he pulled the ropes tighter, “so I must stop you from stopping me.” He then walked round and I got a good look at him – six foot two, strong, in denim, with a black stocking pulled over his face.

“Hi,” he said as he looked at me, and then wrapped white rope around my ankles, the leather squeaking as he pulled it tight and the cords rubbed against them, “Sorry about this.”

“UIrsreee,” I said as he passed the rope between my legs, locking my ankles together like a pair of cuffs, and then tied them together above my knees, passing that rope between my legs as well. By this time I was getting really scared, as he looked at me and then left the room.

So when I heard doors opening and closing in the kitchen, I was surprised – it sounded as if he was putting things away rather than taking them!

“There,” he said as he came in, holding my white scarf, “I put away your shopping for you. It was the least I could do.”

He then pulled the scarf tightly over my mouth, trapping my hair under it as he knotted the ends together at the base of my neck, and then – then he turned on the television, letting me catch my soap operas while eh emptied my jewellery case upstairs!

Eventually, he came down, wished me a good day, and left me there until my husband came home. I did not know whether to laugh or cry by that point...

Helen Carter’s tale seemed strange to the police at first, but then more reports came from around the country of a tall, well built man with stoking mask, who spoke well, bound the victim securely, and then did some sort of work in the house. He tended to strike in the early afternoon, when the woman of the house was alone – a description that earned him the nickname of the Housewife’s Choice eventually.

Jo Simmonds was another victim. A shop worker, she was about to go to a late shift at her employer’s when he struck...

I was all ready to get on my bike – me leather boots had my jeans tucked in, and my biker jacket was fastened up tight – when he grabbed me in the hallway. I later found out he had got in by the kitchen door – but that wasn’t my main concern. My big worry was the big hand clamped over my nose and mouth, as he dragged me back into the living room.

“Don’t worry or scream – I just need you to sit still for a while,” he whispered as he dragged me back to the table, pulled out a chair and made me sit in it. The next thing I knew, he had taken my arms around the back of the chair, and I felt rope rubbing against my skin as he tied my wrists together, then fixed them to the back of the chair.

“Wh... What are you doing,” I finally said as he started to tie some rope around my arms, fixing them to the chair back by winding it around the top and sides as well as my arms.

“Making you comfortable," he said as he walked round and knelt in front of me, binding my ankles with more rope. I remember the top of this head – eh looked as if he had a bald patch under the stocking over his head.

Why that struck me, I have no idea – perhaps it was because of the way my leather boots were squeaking as he tied them together, and then tied them to the front legs of the chair. He stood up, walked behind me and then wrapped some rope around my chest and the chair back, forcing me into an upright position. The rope went around the two of the four spans in the chair back, holding me firmly in place as it forced my zipped up jacket over my chest.

“Llllook,” I finally said, “IF you want money, there’s some in my purse, and my jewels are upstairs. Just please, dontmmgggmmmm.”

My speech was cut off as he stuffed cloth in my mouth, and then pulled a rolled up cloth between my lips, muffling my complaints as e did so. I felt it tighten around my cheeks, pulling the corners of my mouth back, and then – he left me as I heard him go upstairs.

When he came back a few minutes later, I glared at him, but I also saw he had a portable DVD player with him. I thought he was going to steal that as well, but instead he set it up where I could see it, and put on a Lords of Anarchy DVD for me to watch, while he searched the downstairs rooms.

I was still watching it when my housemate got home and freed me. I was scared, but I had to admit- I enjoyed the show.

What was it that motivated this intruder to do something for the women he robbed? To try and find out, we visited one of the earliest known victims, Jane Tucker...

I’d come home early from the office – something my boss had said had really hurt me, and I was in a real state when I walked in.

That was nothing compared to the shock of seeing this man standing there, in a black set of clothes, and with a stocking pulled over his head. “Oh,” he said quietly, “I thought the house would be empty all day. I’m sorry, but I‘ll have to make sure you can’t raise the alarm.”

He took me by the arm, still stunned, and walked me to the corner, where I had a folding chair I used for the computer sometimes. “Why don’t you unfold it and sit down,” he said as he took a roll of black tape from his pocket.

“OH god – are you going to tie me up,” I said quietly, as he made me sit down and took my hands behind my back. I was wearing a light blue blouse and a short black skirt, and for a moment I thought he was thinking of stripping me.

But no – he taped my hands together behind my back, then wound the tape around my body, above and below my chest.

As he did this, we got talking, and he seemed genuinely interested in what my boss had done. I was so into the tale I didn’t notice as he knelt in front of me, took my shoes off, and taped my legs together, the black tape sticking to my tights as well as my legs. He secured them at the ankles and above my knees, then said he was sorry I had has so much trouble today.

He was apologising to me for the day? He was the one who had me wrapped n bands of black tape like a... like a... I suddenly realised it wasn’t that uncomfortable, even when he tore off a number of strips and slapped them over my mouth, stopping me from talking.

I closed my eyes and put my head to one side as he left the roll of tape on the floor, but then he started to massage my feet and legs – and I’m ashamed to say, it felt really good. He was skilled, and he soon eased out all the tension in my limbs.

Picking up my purse, he leafed through my diary and asked me to point out the contact details for my boss. I showed him them, and then he left me alone, with a big hug and a kiss.

Funny thing – I got to work next day, and my boss had been robbed, left trussed up like a turkey in her bed by a big man with a balding head...

For quite some time, the police thought the Housewife’s choice was attracted only to brunettes. As evidence amassed, it did indeed appear to be the case he targeted women with brown hair of some shade. Even the boss Jane mentioned earlier was a brunette.

Another one who met him when she came home from college was twenty year old Laura Brewster. We asked her for her recollection of that day.

I was at the local Uni, in my final year of my law degree, but I hadn’t felt very well all day, so I skipped my last class and went home – only to run into him in our front room.

He had obviously been there for some time – I could see the open doors and the moved pictures, but before I could raise the alarm, he had one arm around my waist, and the other hand over my mouth, as he dragged me back to the leather couch.

I had on a pair of jeans, a round necked off white top and a pair of brown suede Ugg boots – but my attempts to kick him didn’t work, as he made me lie face down, crossed my wrists behind my back and taped them together with silver duct tape. He then pulled my boots off, taped my ankles together rover the cuffs of my jeans, and told me to sit up.

I got a good look at him – tall, broad shouldered, with the black stocking over his head. He had on a shirt, open at the collar, dark trousers and leather gloves, but right then I was occupied with watching him as he taped my legs together, above and below my knees.

“I’m sorry I have to do this,” he said as he tore the tape off and smoothed it down under my legs, “Is there something I can put on for you to watch while I finish robbing you?”

I was taken aback by this, so I said “Well, I could watch that DVD of Scott Pilgrim...”

Yeah, I know – cheesy, but he put it on for me, and I watched the film start while he taped my arms to my sides, above and below my chest, then taped over my mouth with several strips of the grey tape.

The strange thing is, he could have done anything to me – but he just left me alone, and allowed me to watch the film. In the end, I could not keep my eyes off him – he was tidy, put things back, and even made sure I was all right before he left with our money and valuables.

When my parents got home, Mum screamed and hugged me while Dad got some scissors. If I was being a hundred percent honest, however – I enjoyed been unable to move or speak.

Made the film better too.

One of the nest known tales of the Housewife’s Choice involved a new mother called Lizzie Clark – a friend from work, Rachel Brown, had come to see her and the new baby before they went for a night out – the first Lizzie had been able to plan since the arrival of little Ricky.

The Friend, however, had other ideas...

See these? Black quilted leather, knee high, four inch heel – I love these boots, and for a year I was unable to wear them. While I was carrying Ricky, I had terrible backache if I wore them – and after, it was a while before I could even think of going out.

But this was my big night, and I put the boots on for the first time, over the legs of my new blue jeans – and they felt SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOODDD!

Rachel was dressed for the night out as well – she had on a new short sleeved leather top, tight blue pants and brand new leather boots with a short heel. We were just sitting having a drink when this big bloke with a stocking over his head comes in, points a gun at us, and tells us to keep quiet!

Well, of course I started to scream the place down – until he out the gun to Rachel’s head and told me to stop. Very quiet, very calm, very much ‘do as I tell you’. I didn’t know at the time it was a fake, so I shut up and whimpered instead.

He put a bag on the floor, opened it and took out some rope. Making me sit with my hand son my head, he then pulled Rachel’s hands behind her back and tied them together. I don’t want to sound funny, but t saw the way the white rope looked on her dark skin, and it made me shiver.

He made Rachel sit down and tied he rankles tightly together with more white rope, making her boots squeak as they rubbed, but as he stood up and walked over to me, with rope in his hands, I heard Ricky crying over the baby monitor.

“What does he want,” the masked man said as he looked at me, and I whimpered “He... He must be hungry.”

“Do you bottle feed him?”

I shook my head and whimpered as I feared what he would do. He then knelt down, ted my ankles tightly together, and said “Don’t move an inch” as she left the room. Rachel started to wriggle across to me, but before she got very far he came back with Ricky.

“Here,” he said as he handed me my baby, “feed him.” As I moved my top up and gave Ricky his feed, he walked back and knelt behind Rachel, and started to tie rope around her arms and body, stretching her leather top over her chest. He then tied more rope over one shoulder, under the bottom band between her breasts, and up over the other shoulder making her gasp as he chest was forced out.

“Open wide,” he then said, as he pushed something into Rachel’s mouth and then tied a rolled up red and white polka dot scarf between her teeth. I was surprised at how quiet it made her, as he looked back at me.

I could see what she looked like, so I said “Please – don’t do that to me. It would hurt too much, and...”

“Don’t worry,” he said as he stroked Ricky’s head with his hand, “I won’t do that. Do you have a bassinette or a car seat somewhere?”

I told him to look in the hallway, Rachel grunting as he tried to twist her arms round. He brought back Ricky’s car seat, and once he was full and asleep again strapped him into it.

“Now,” he said as he looked at me, “lie face down and put your hands behind your back.” I did as he asked, looking at Rachel as he crossed and tied my wrists together then bent my legs back and tied them to my wrists with rope.

Finally, he stuck a hankie in my mouth, and tied a rolled up white scarf between my lips to keep that in.

Look at these boots – now when I look at the, I remember the rope around my ankles, the squeak as they rubbed together in my attempts to get free, my feeling as I was left so helpless... So helpless...

Where will this man strike again? Police do not know, but one thing is certain – for many fo those he visits, he is the Housewife’s Choice.

“They’re right – you are gentle and kind.”

As the credits rolled, she looked at the tall, stocking masked man who was winding the duct tape tightly over her tights and legs above her knees. She was wearing a black jumper and a snow leopard print skirt, but her arms were pinned to her sides with bands of tape pulling the jumper over her chest, as well as holding her wrists together behind her back.

“Nice tattoo,” he said as he massaged her covered feet, looking at the design on her right foot.

“Thanks, she said as she looked at band of silver around her ankles, as well as he legs above her knees. “You’ll get my vote for burglar f the year.”

“Flattery – open your mouth please.”

She allowed him to push the cloth into her mouth, before tearing off and smoothing several strips of tape over her mouth. “I’m sure your husband will be home soon,” he said as he left with her jewellery, the woman closing her eyes and wondering how to explain to her husband how this felt...

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