The Search
“A nice simple job you said…”
“I know.”
“In, collect, out, minimum of fuss and job done.”
“I know!”
“But no, the traffic jam means we arrive late for the raid, and we can’t go back without it.”
“I know!!”
“So explain to me why the hell we’re out here in the middle of nowhere searching this house when I could be back home by now.”
“I KNOW!!! If you would stop complaining for a second, we could see if we can go home after this!”
“Why is the boss man so interested in this case anyway?”
“Search me – we’ve just been told to get it.”
The two denim clad women were standing in the front room of the country house, while on the floor in front of them the house owner was lying on her back, stripped to the waist and with her wrists taped together behind her back. Tape was also around her ankles and legs, the grey contrasting with the white of the sweat pants that she was wearing.
It should have been easy. Their boss, Jess Parker, had asked his girls to retrieve a small metal case from a local jeweller, and bring it back to him. The Parker Gang had tried to time their arrival with the store closing time, but because of the biggest traffic jam for a year in the city centre they had arrived only to find the store closed. A forced entry to the rear of the store and a search had found no sign of the case, but had revealed the home addresses of the five members of staff who worked at the shop.
They were now at the home of the manageress, on the reasonable assumption that she would have taken the case home with her. While two of the gang were searching the house, the other two were watching the frightened women whom they had interrupted in the middle of a workout.
“Look,” she said as she looking up at the women, “If you just tell me what it is you’re looking for then maybe I can help you, and we can stop all this trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all for us, but if you don’t shut your mouth it will be plenty of trouble for you,” one of the gang said as they pointed a pistol at the woman.
The other two gang members came in. “We looked everywhere! It’s not here!”
“Then where is it?”
“No idea – I guess we move on to the next person on the list.”
“One thing before we go.”
“We don’t want you warning anyone that we’re going to be visiting them, do we?” she said as she smoothed the tape over the bound woman’s lips. She could only look on, frightened out of her wits and wondering what the hell was going on.
“Come on girls – we’ve a drive ahead of us,” the leader said, and the four left the woman struggling on the floor. Piling into a land rover, they drove into the evening.
“Where to next?”
“The next person lives a couple of miles away – let’s get a move on.”
“Nice of you to invite me over for dinner, Belle”
“Hey, I needed the company with Geoff away on business. After the day we had, I need to talk to someone about it.”
Suzie was sitting down at the dining table, opposite her older sister Belle. She was wearing a white sun dress with slits from the waist down the side, while Belle was wearing a grey patterned dress with spaghetti straps over the shoulders.
“So what happened?”
“Well, there was this case that we found, so we decided that one of us should take it home and look after it in case it got lost. Then….”
The doorbell interrupted their conversation.
“Excuse me,” Suzie said as she stood up and went to the door. Belle took a sip from her glass of white wine, but put it back down again when Suzie was marched into the room by the Parker Gang.
“Not a word”, the lead girl said to Belle, “Just sit down there on the couch, both of you, hands in your laps in and ankles crossed. Now!!”
Belle stood up from the table and joined her sister on the long recliner the leader had indicated.
“Where is it? Where is the case?” she asked Suzie.
“Case? What case? I don’t have any case.”
“The one from your store. We know you have it – where is it?”
“But I haven’t got it. It was…”
“Not another word out of you. You two, search the house from top to bottom.”
Two of the gang headed off, and soon the sound of objects been emptied onto floors drifted down.
“All right, start tying them up,” the leader said to the other girl standing with her.
“What with – the supplies are in the van.”
“Ye gods, what sort of day is this?” the leader cried out. Looking around the room, she noticed the thin sash that was attached to the curtains. Taking a knife, she cut the cord down from the sides and cut each length into two.
“Here,” she said passing the cords to the other girl, “At least get their ankles tied together, then go into the kitchen and see what you can find.”
Within minutes, the two women had their ankles tied tightly together, and while the kitchen was being searched the leader watched over them.
“Are they after what you mentioned earlier?” Belle whispered to Suzie.
“I think so, but I haven’t got it. It went home with…”
“Didn’t I tell you both to be quiet?” The leader said, and grabbing a roll of clear tape that was on the side table she tore two strips off and plastered them over the mouths of the two sisters.
The last gang member returned from the kitchen. “The only thing they’ve got is this,” she said holding up a large roll of cling film.
“We can use that,” the leader said. “I want both of you to sit back to back on the couch, and cross your hands under your breasts.”
The sisters looked at each other, and then moved to do as they were commanded. Handing the other gang member one of the other two pieces of cord, they bound the hands of the two women together so that their hands were crossed under their chest. Then, taking the cling film, the leader tightly wound it around the chests and arms of both women so that they were bound together.
The other two came down as she was finishing. “No sign of the case here either,” they said.
“Damn – you two stay where you are,” the leader said to Suzie and Belle, and the gang left the two sisters bound on the recliner. Belle looked over her shoulder at Suzie, who shot a look back that seemed to say “What now?”
“Right – on to the next address then!”
A mobile phone rang,
“Yeah - oh hi boss. Yes, I know we’re running late – we had to deal with a few problems. We’re working on it now – I’ll let you know when we have found it. Yeah – bye.”
“Is he happy?”
“What do you think – just get us there as quickly as you can.”
“Hannah, I’m telling you, the case was just there. I had no idea what it was.”
Claudette was having a drink with her friend in her flat. She had changed from her work clothes into white top and black shorts, while Hannah was wearing a red v-necked short sleeved top with a white mini skirt. Both were sitting at the table talking when the doorbell went.
“I wonder who that could be at this hour,” Claudette stood up as she was saying this, ran her fingers through her dark hair and went to the door.
Opening the door, she was greeted with a shout of “Where is it?” as the Parker Girls forced their way in and took her by the arms.
“Sh…. – where is what?” she called out, but the gang pushed her into the front room and, to Hannah’s great surprise, pushed her into a chair next to the visitor.
“Not a word out of you, capes,” the gang leader said to Hannah as she pointed her pistol into her face. “Keep quiet and do as you’re told, OK?”
Hannah nodded as one of the gang took a long length of grey rope and used her knife to start to cut it into lengths.
“We’re going to search this place and if we don’t find it there will be real trouble,” the leader said as the girls grabbed the wrists of both women and started to tie them together in their laps.
“Look, if you just tell me what you’re looking for you can have it,” Claudette said as her ankles were bound together and then to her wrists with a length of rope.
“You know what we’re looking for.”
“No, we don’t,” Hannah answered as her ankles were bound and then tied to the legs of the chair with more rope.
“We want the case – where is it?”
By now Claudette had ropes around her lap and the seat of the chair, secured both to her wrists and to the supports at the back. The two girls were then moved in their chairs so that they were back to back, and more rope tied around their chests to hold them together.
“The case? I don’t have it.”
“We’ve been to your boss and your supervisor, and they don’t have it – you’re the next likely candidate, missy.”
“But I don’t have it - ~I gave it to a junior to look after.”
“Which one?”
“Mary, I think, but sh..mmmmm”
A white napkin had been rolled up and tied into her mouth, and Hannah soon had the same in hers, as rope was tied between the chairs to hold them more tightly together.
“Search the place,” the leader said, and the next half hour passed with the two bound and gagged women watching the flat being trashed. Eventually the gang were leaving the flat, frustrated at the lack of success.
“You’d better hope we find that case, or we’ll be back to make sure you two never forget tonight, she shouted as they ran out.
The two women sat and listened, and then Hannah managed to push the gag out of her mouth.
“Do you believe in what she said? About coming back?” she asked Claudette, who looked over he shoulder and nodded her head to show she did believe it.
“So where does this Mary live?”
“At this address – flat 6”
“All right – let’s get a move on before Jess wonders where we are.”
In her flat, Mary was just getting ready for bed. She had bathed, and was sitting at her dressing table brushing her black hair when the phone went.
“Hello?
No everything’s fine – I have it right here nice and safe.
All right – see you Monday then.”
She put the phone down and went to turn the covers down on her bed – only for the door of her room to be broken in and tow armed women in denim mini-skirts to rush her and push her face down on the mattress.
“Where is it?” she was asked, and the frightened girl pointed to towards her wardrobe.
“Get it,” one of the armed girls said, and as the other went over Mary was forced into a kneeling position before a long length of white rope was produced and, placing the gun where t could be seen by both, the intruder started to wrap it around her ankles.
“Have you got it yet?” the intruder called over her shoulder as she tied the knots off and pulled a roll of white tape out of her bag.
“I think so,” the other intruder said as she pulled a metal suitcase out of the wardrobe.
“No, please don’t open that,” Mary cried as the case was opened to reveal – a Catwoman costume and mask.
“It’s my outfit for a party next week – please put it back,” Mary pleaded.
“Your name is Mary isn’t it?”
“Yes”
“And this is flat 6?”
“No, this is flat 9 – the number must have worked loose again. It’s a different Mary who lives there.”
The two intruders looked at each other, then one tore a strip of white tape off and slapped it over Mary’s mouth before forcing her to bend over and pulling her wrists behind her back.
The other slipped out to where the rest of the gang were searching the flat.
“This is taking too long,” the leader said.
“Stop looking – we’re in the wrong flat. Right building, though – she gave us a good tip. Come on.”
In the bedroom, Mary winced as the rope was tied off around her wrists. She was only wearing the white knickers she had put on after her bath, and it was a cold night starting to develop.
“Stay right there,” the intruder said as she pointed the gun at Mary’s back, and then slowly walked out of the room.
In flat 6, Mary had heard some of the noise from the flat down the corridor, but they were a youthful bunch in this building and she had put it down to an over exuberant party. Sat in her yellow robe, she was sipping a glass of wine when her doorbell went.
Upon opening the door, the young woman had no time to react as the members of the Parker Gang stormed into her lobby. Two of the gang held her by the arms while the leader tore a wide strip of white tape off and slapped it over her mouth.
“Just answer me – is this flat 6?”
“mm-hm”
“Is your name Mary?”
“mm-hm”
“Do you work at DeLux?”
“mm-hm”
“Then you don’t mind if we look for a small metal case, do you?”
“Hmmmppph!!”
“So glad you’re agreeable. Get her into the bedroom and make sure she doesn’t disturb us – we’ve got some hunting to do.”
Mary was dragged into her own bedroom, and her wrists quickly bound behind her back with rope. The two girls pulled her top down over her shoulders, and within ten minutes she had rope tied around her chest and arms, and was in the process of being placed into a very strict hogtie.
As she raised her head to see what was happening, Mary was horrified to see the other gang members enter with the small case she had been asked to keep safe that afternoon.
“Here it is, I think,” the leader said. “Let me just open it to make sure.”
She undid the catches, and as she opened the lid a multicoloured hue was reflected back by the light shining in.
“Excellent,” she said as she shut the case again. “Be seeing you.”
The four denim clad women left Mary struggling on the bed, and closed the door behind them.
“Why can’t we stay and play with them?”
“We need this back to the boss sharpish. Once we’re done however…. What would you say to coming back to a couple of them?”
Laughter rang down the corridor as they made their way out, case in hand.