Beauty and
The Best – The Big House
“Hey,” Barbara
said as she came into the kitchen of the flat she shared with her partner,
“good day?”
“Busy one,” Tom
said after he put his mug down, “I was helping a friend do a big delivery to
the manor house.”
“Really? What was it?”
“Furniture
mainly – the mistress of the house was doing a bit of a refit. You ever come across Alice Creed in your
work?”
“No – she the
matriarch of the family?”
“Yeah – used to
be an assistant manager at a local bank and married to the owner of Creed
Department Store.”
“So worth a
bit?”
Tom nodded as
he sipped his hot coffee. “Yeah – we had
to put some drawers into the bedroom, and I saw a few things.” He then looked at Barbara, and said “you’ve
got that look in your eye.”
“Well, we do
need to pay the rent next week – can you take the day after tomorrow off?”
Alice Creed
smiled as she opened the front door of the house. “There you are – come on in, I’ll put the
kettle on.” She stood to one side as her
daughter and her two granddaughters came into the hallway. The sixty-three-year-old had short
grey-blonde hair, and was wearing a round necked peach top with long sleeves, white
pants and white moccasins.
“Coffee would
be wonderful,” Debra Kerr said as Alice closed the door. She was wearing a blue blouse with the
sleeves rolled back to the elbows, white jeans and white shoes, while her older
daughter Angel was wearing a long-sleeved crimson sweatshirt with her jeans and
shoes.
“How are the
studies, Angel dear?”
“Hard – we did
our first stint in the hospital today for our second-year placements,” the nineteen-year-old
said.
“Can I go and
play in the playroom, Gran,” Bobbi Kerr asked.
She was eight years old, and had on a white lace cut top with blue jeans
and blue trainers.
“Of course you
can – on you go,” Alice said as the young girl ran up the stairs, and the other
three headed into the kitchen. “So you
managed to delegate the sales for the day Debra?”
“Yeah – Alex
can manage the jewellers for the day,” Debra said with a smile as she watched her
mother pour coffee into three cups.
“Where’s Dad?”
“In London at a
conference. I hope you don’t mind, but
Mo is coming round with the family as well.”
“Well, the boys
can keep Bobbi company,” Debra said as they made their way into the drawing
room, siting in the comfortable armchairs as Alice heard the knock on the door.
“Excuse me,”
she said as she stood up and walked out, Debra and Angel watching before two
more women walked in. Mo Gallagher was a
former colleague of Debra at the bank, a few years younger, with the same style
of short grey-blonde hair as her friend, and wearing a loose-fitting grey
t-shirt and jeans. Liza Baines was her thirty-nine-year-old
daughter – the vice-principal of the school Bobbi went to, she was wearing a
white t-shirt, a dark knee length skirt and black shoes.
“And where are
the boys Liza?”
“Gone to the
playroom-I take it Bobbi is up there already?”
“She is,” Debra
said with a smile as Alice brought in two more coffees. “Sit down, have some coffee – let’s talk…”
Bobbi turned
her head as the door opened, and saw the three boys standing there, looking at
her. Tom was ten years old, with short
dark brown hair, and wearing an orange t-shirt and checked shorts. His younger brother Dick was eight, and had
on a blue t-shirt and blue checked shorts.
Harry, the oldest brother, was twelve4, and had on a green t-shirt and
multi-coloured checked shorts.
“Hey Bobbi,”
Harry said with a smile on his face, “Ready to play?”
“Well, I am
glad everything is going well,” Liza said as she looked at Angel – and then
they heard the knock on the door.
“I’ll go and
see who it is,” Debra said as she stood up and walked out of the room. As she opened the front door, she smiled and
said “can I help you?”
“I am sure you
can – please, allow us to come in.”
There were two
people in the doorway – a young man and a woman. The man was wearing a black jumper and pants,
the woman a tight-fitting jumper with black leggings and over the knee suede
boots. They both had on black woollen
hats on their heads – and black eye masks covering their eyes, the dark eye
shadow making their eyes seem brighter.
“Thank you,”
the man said as his partner closed the door, the gun in his gloved hand pointed
at Debra, “now, just do as we say, nobody gets hurt, everyone stays safe.” Putting the bag he was holding in his other
and down, he said “What’s your name?”
“Debra…”
“All right
Debra – turn slowly round and put your hands behind your back.”
As she did
this, the masked woman walked to the front room, opening it and saying “Good
morning – please, all of you, remain seated and do not make any sudden moves.”
“What the…”
She looked at
Angel, smiling as she said “I am serious – all we want is your money and
valuables, so everyone remain calm.”
“Where’s my
daughter?”
“I’m here Mum,”
Debra said as Alice saw her come into the room, a tall, muscular, armed and
masked man following her. Her hands were
behind her back, as the man closed the door and said “I take it you are Alice
Creed?”
“Is this a joke
Debra,” Lisa said as she held her cup.
“No, Lisa – I
don’t think this is a joke,” her mother said quietly. “I’m Mo – may we know who you are?”
“My name is
Beauty,” the masked blonde said, “my partner The Best. Seriously, we have no desire to harm anyone,
but we do need to make sure none of you can interfere – where are the rest of
the children?”
“Upstairs,”
Alice said as she looked at Mo. “So you
are real robbers?”
“We are,” the
Best said as he helped Debra to sit next to Angel, and then took more lengths
of rope from the bag he had laid down, handing two to Beauty as she covered the
women. “Please, all of you, hands behind
your back.”
“But why – why
rob us,” Angel said as she watched Best walk behind her grandmother, and take her
hands behind her back before he started to bind her wrists together.
“Because they
want money,” Mo said.
“True – but we
want it because it is the way we manage to survive today. Not out of greed, but purely out of need,”
Best said as he tied the ropes off, and then walked behind Mo, doing the same
to her.
“Seriously?”
“Seriously –
you are?”
“Angel – I’m
her daughter,” she said as she looked at the others. “I’m scared though – why do you have to do
this to us?”
“To make sure
you are all the same,” Beauty said as she put her gun down, and then walked
behind Angel, taking her hands behind her back and lashing her wrists together
with the rope. “But we are not joking –
we regret we have to do this, but we are desperate.”
As she tied the
ropes off, she made sure Lisa had her wrists secured behind her back, before
she looked at Best and said “will you be all right while I fetch the younger
generation?”
“I should be,”
the masked man said with a smile as Beauty took the gun and her bag, and left
the room. Best smiled and said “now ladies
– be vulgar for a moment, and all of you put your feet on the coffee table,
ankles crossed…”
As she got to
the top of the stairs, Beauty heard a young girl laugh out “no – stop it” and
opened the door to see what was going on.
She saw three boys in coloured t-shirts and checked shorts kneeling on
the floor – but when the oldest turned his head, his eyes opened wide as he
said “guys…”
All three
stopped and stood up as she saw a young girl on the floor, her wrists and
ankles loosely tied together with skipping ropes. She looked over at the masked woman, and said
“oh my – a real robber?”
“That’s right –
my name is Beauty. Like it?”
“Yeah – guess
you think this looks funny…”
“Well, they
didn’t exactly do a good job – you can get free, right?”
Bobbi nodded as
she wriggled and freed her hands and feet, sitting up as she said “So how does
a real robber do it?”
“Want me to
show you on the boys?” Beauty looked at
them and said “after all, all of you are going to be tied up and gagged
anyway.”
“We are?” Harry was shaking slightly as he looked round
the room.
“Hey – I
promise it doesn’t hurt – Bobbi, can I show them what I am going to do on you?”
“Okay,” the
young girl said as she stood up and put her hands behind her back, the boys
watching as Beauty took some soft rope from her bag and crossed Bobbi’s wrists
before she tied them firmly together.
“Scared?”
Tom, Dick and
Harry looked at each other before Dick said “No” and put his hands behind his
back. The other two watched as the
masked woman wrapped the rope round their brother’s wrists – and five minutes
later had his wrists secured together.
“Does… Does it hurt?”
Dick shook his
head as Beauty made sure that both Tom and Harry had their wrists secured
together as well, before she said “now, I’m going to take you all down to be
with the others – but I need to make sure you all stay quiet first.”
“How are you
going to do that?”
Beauty smiled
as she took a strip of white cloth from her bag, and said “guess…”
“Hmghhdddd!”
Lisa opened her
eyes wide as Tom, Dick and Harry walked into the room, their hands behind their
backs and white cloths pulling back the corners of their mouths as they looked
at their mother. She also had her ankles
tied together with rope – and a white cloth pulled between her lips, as did
their grandmother.
“Boys – have
you been hurt?”
“Nhhhhgrhrrnn,”
they said as they looked at Mo, Debra nodding as Bobbi came over and sat with
her and her big sister.
“This is the
Best, boys,” Beauty said as she came in, “why don’t you sit on the floor, and
then he will do to your ankles what I did to your wrists.” The boys nodded as they sat down, their eyes
wide as the large, masked man smiled when he knelt down, and started to bind their
ankles together.
“I know it can
be a bit scary, this happening to you,” Alice said as she twisted in the chair
she was sitting in, “but we are all the same, and I promise you, they seem to
be keeping their word about not hurting you.”
“Whatathpphhnhhpsthrs,”
Angel said as she looked at Bobbi.
“Thbhsthdmhhp –
bhtbhtheeshdthm.”
Angel nodded as
she looked at the boys, the scarf between her lips pulling the corners of her
mouth back as she smiled.
“Now then,”
Beauty said as Best stood up, “my friend is going to take Alice round the
house, and then we’ll sort out some supper for all of you. We’re going to be staying for a little while,
so don’t worry – if you need the toilet, grunt and one of us will take you.”
“First,
however,” Best said as he took a white scarf from a bag, and cleave gagged Mo
as she looked at the others.
“Whhlllnffhnlhfthsdhn,”
Harry said as he looked at his brother, and then at his mother.
“Huunhtbhwhrnhn,”
Lisa said as she twisted round.
“Come with me,”
Best said as he helped Alice to stand up and walked her out of the room. “You seem remarkably calm?”
“Mo and I
worked in a bank – it comes with the territory,” Alice replied as they walked
to the office at the rear of the ground floor, “but you strike me as
different. When you say you need the
money to live, you mean it, don’t you?”
Best nodded as
he opened the door and they walked in, before he said “sit in the chair – and tell
me the combination to the safe. You may
as well save on the tidying up.”
“Fair point –
so how bad is it for you?”
Best looked at
her and said “bad – I wonder sometimes if those who live like you understand
just how difficult it is to live out there, wondering if you can afford to
either eat or be warm, or both. If you
did, perhaps the likes of us would not feel they have to do this.”
“Possibly,”
Alice said as she nodded her head, and watched him open the safe using the
combination she had given him. “I do understand
– I remember dealing with people like you in the Eighties and during the
banking crisis. Before your time?”
“A little –
although I do remember the last thing you mentioned,” Best said as he started
to load coins and other things into his bag.
Alice nodded as she said “so, I cannot condone the fact you are holding
us all hostage – but I do understand where you are coming from.”
“Then we can
proceed on the basis,” Best said as he stood up and looked at her. “Now – let’s go through the bedrooms…”
Angel looked at
the younger boys and her sister, before he looked at Beauty and said
“whdhdhths?”
“Why do we do
this?” Angel nodded as Beauty said
“you’re a student, correct?”
“Mhddhhshnnn?”
“So you see
people who are suffering because they cannot afford to eat properly, to warm themselves,
right?”
Angel lowered
her head for a moment, and then nodded as Beauty said “well, we are the same –
we just decided to take a more affirmative approach to the situation. Do you need to go to the toilet?”
Bobbi looked up
and nodded as Beauty untied her ankles, and said “come with me” as she stood up
and escorted her out.
“Hnjhl?”
Angel looked at
her mother as she said “Huuhhlrhttt?”
“yHsmmhhhm –
bhtshrhhtthfhrshrhrthnth.”
Debra nodded as
Lisa looked at her sons, saying “Hwhhruhfhrh?”
“Whrffhhfnmhmh….”
“Thank you,” Mo
said as she rubbed her wrists, Beauty nodding as she place the damp white cloth
in a bag. Best was now watching the
others as she stood with Mo and Alice in the kitchen.
“You’re welcome
– the three of us are going to prepare some food for everyone to eat, before
Best and I make sure you really cannot raise the alarm before we leave.”
“Well, at least
we can eat,” Alice said as she opened the refrigerator door. “We can do some chopped vegetables…”
“Let me do that
– if the two of you are just going to do the rest of the prep.”
“You have our
families tied up and gagged in the front room – we’re not going to do anything
to cause them any harm, just as you won’t.”
“Remember when that
armed gang raided our branch?”
“Yeah,” Alice
said as she put the oven on, Mo taking chips and fish fingers from the freezer
and placing them on the side, “This is nowhere near as frightening, so I should
thank you of that.”
“No problem,”
Beauty said with a smile as she peeled some carrots and then cut them into
strips. “We are staying until after
dark, so we’ll make sure you are all comfortable and entertained.”
“But unable to
move – or talk?”
“And even more
restrained than now,” Mo said as she found some baking sheets.
“Indeed – but
so far, so good as they say.”
Alice shook her
head as she said “you’re barely in your twenties – either of you.”
“True – but the
wisdom of years is yours to share, and mine to hear.”
“And to
follow?”
Beauty shook
her head as she said “so long as it does not involve telling us to stop now, then
yes.”
“Right – has
everyone got everything they might want?”
“Yes Gran,”
Angel said as she looked at Bobbi. Tom, Dick and Harry.
“We’re good,
Mum,” Debra said as she sat with Lisa.
“Even if we
can’t get up and walk off,” Lisa added as she looked down. They had been allowed to walk into the dining
room, but when they sat down Best had made sure each of them had their ankles
tightly secured together again, and then also secured their legs together below
their knees.
“Good – because
Mo and I are going to be like you now,” Alice said as the two older women sat
down, Beauty watching as Best knelt and started to bind their ankles and legs
with rope.
“This is
actually exciting, Mum,” Dick said as he grabbed a fish finger.
“Harry – are
you all right?”
“Yes – I was
scared at first, but it wasn’t so bad,” the oldest brother said, “but we’re
going to be tied up again after we eat?”
“Yes – and more
tightly,” Beauty said with a smile, “so make sure you have as much to eat and drink
as you can.”
Dick smiled as
he said “great – can I be next to Bobbi?”
“Only if Bobbi
says you can be.”
The younger
girl smiled as she said “sure – he looks cute when he can’t move or talk.” Dick blushed as both his brothers elbowed
him, Angel and Debra shaking their heads and smiling.
“Before I
forget,” Best said as he stood up, “and my apologies I did not do this before,
but if all the adults could put their jewellery and watches into this velvet
bag?”
“I can’t take
this ring off,” Alice said quietly.
“Fair enough –
but all other items in here. Your
necklace as well, Angel – no other exceptions.”
As he collected
the items, Beauty said “thank you all for accepting we are here, and what we
are doing.”
“I understand
why – I don’t agree, but I understand why,” Lisa said.
“You’ve
actually not said much all afternoon.”
“I know – I’ve
been thinking about some of the parents at my school, and how lucky my boys
actually are. Bobbi, you’ll bet getting
a lot of questions on Monday.”
The younger
girl nodded as she sipped from her glass, and looked at Dick.
“I think we’re
finished,” Best said as he cleared the plates.
“I think so –
so boys first. All three of you, lean
forward and put your hands behind your backs.”
“Here we go
again,” Tom said as the three of them did as Beauty had asked, feeling the rope
son their wrists as the ropes were used to secure their wrists together. Dick and Harry then watched as Best took a
longer length of rope, and wrapped it round his upper body, forcing his arms
gently against his sides as he felt the bands hugging him.
“Oh wow…”
“Indeed,” Lisa
said quietly as she watched the masked man bind the upper bodies of her two
younger sons in the same way, “you really will not be going anywhere, will
you?”
“I don’t think
you will either Mum,” Tom said quietly as he looked at his brothers.
“Very true,” Mo
said, “so I am glad you are feeling comfortable about what is happening.”
The three boys
nodded as Mo then said “oh my…”
“What, Gran?”
“Put your lips
together Tom.”
Tom did what
Best had asked before he smoothed the white tape down over his mouth, almost sealing
his lips together – and then he did the same to the other two boys, before he
placed the roll of tape on the table.
“Dick?”
“Hmfhhn,” the
young boy said, Bobbi giggling as she saw his lips move under the tape and Best
pulled their chairs back.
“Stand up and
jump into the front room,” he said, taking the boys through as Beauty said
“your turn, Bobbi – hands behind your back please and then I’ll take care of
your sister at the same time.”
“Okay,” the
young girl said, Debra watching as first Bobbi, and then Angel had their wrists
secured behind their backs, and their arms pressed against their sides with the
bands of rope. Angel sighed as the ropes
were pulled tighter round her, as her mother raised an eyebrow.
“We can talk
about it later – privately,” Debra said, Angel nodding before Beauty smoothed
the white tape down over her mouth, and then over Bobbi’s. She helped them both to stand up as Best came
back in, and collected more ropes while the girls were taken to the front room.
“They really do
seem to be coping with it,” Mo said as she looked at the others.
“And we need to
show them we are coping as well,” Debra said as she felt Best take her own
hands behind her back, and the rope rubbing on her wrists as they were forced
together.
“I’ve put the
television on – they’re watching a cartoon, and Beauty will make sure Bobbi is sitting
next to Dick,” Best said as he tied the ropes off, and then took a longer
length of rope round her upper body.
“This is what
Angel sighed, right?”
“I think so,”
Debra said as the ropes formed two bands that framed her chest, “I can see what
she felt. As the ropes were tied off,
she said “look – thank you.”
“You’re
welcome,” Best said as he started to bind Lisa’s arms, and Beauty came back
in. Picking up the roll of tape, she
peeled a length away and held it in her gloved hands, before she said “purse
your lips Debra.”
“Talk to you
all later,” she said before she was tape gagged, Mo and Alice nodding as Lisa
said “I may have to tell the whole school about this, and how to cope with
this.”
“A life lesson
for all?”
“Indeed Mum,”
Lisa said as she looked at Mo – and then felt the tug on her skin as the tape
was pressed down over her mouth. Best
then took Mo’s hands behind her back, and Beauty Alice’s, as they both looked
at their daughters.
“Hllhhmhmhh.”
Debra nodded as
the four adult women were made to shuffle into the front room. Angel was sitting on the couch, Tom and Harry
either side of her, while Bobbi and Dick were sitting on the floor in front of
the couch.
Beauty and Best
helped the four of them to sit down, Mo and Alice in armchairs while Debra and
Lisa sat on a smaller couch, and then allowed them to settle down as Best
looked out of the window.
“All quiet – be
calm, enjoy the show,” he said with a smile as the program continued…
“Hey – anybody
still up?”
Harvey Creed
closed the front door – he could hear the television was on in the front room,
but he could only hear a low mumbling.
Putting his bag down, he walked into the front room as he said “what’s
for sup….”
He stood, staring
at the bound and gagged family as Alice turned her head, and said
“Chhlthephlsssthenchthsfhrh…”
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