Mother and Daughter Moments 13

IvyTheTerrible:

Good afternoon folks – who do we have in the chat room at the moment?

ViTheFirst:

Afternoon Ivy – how are things with you?

IvyTheTerrible:

All Good – hi Eva

LittleEva:

Hello Ivy, Vi – did you read the paper today about the robbery at the stables?

ViTheFirst:

I did – looks like our favourite robber had been busy…

TiedTess:

Er – hello, my names Tess. A friend said I could come here and share my story?

IvyTheTerrible:

Of course you can Tess. Where are you joining us from?”

TiedTess:

Pennsylvania – a friend of mine had also had a visit by this guy, and suggested I came here and talked about it.

LittleEva:

Wow – so he’s visited the US as well? That’s amazing!

ViTheFirst:

He’s been across Europe too – but start at the beginning Tess.

TiedTess:

Well, I live alone with my mom in a town near Pittsburgh, and this happened about six months ago. I mean, the police got our statements, but – well, I never told them everything that happened. Neither of us did.

I don’t have a dad – he left when I was very little, so mom supports both of us by working at a local bank. She loves me though, and spoils me rotten, and she also does a lot of cool stuff with me – shopping, and so on.

IvyTheTerrible:

How old are you Tess?

TiedTess:

Twelve, but I was eleven when this happened. I’m tall for my age, so I stand shoulder high to mom, and we both have long brown hair.

Anyway, this particular day I’d been to the mall with mom, and we’d bought some new clothes and stuff, as well as some new jewellery. I remember mom was wearing a blue denim jacket she loves over a brown v-necked sweater, jeans and a pair of long gold-brown leather boots with flat heels she loves. I had on a red chunky sweater, a short purple and red checked skirt, and brown Doc Marten boots.

ViTheFirst:

Doc M’s? Aren’t they a little uncomfortable?

TiedTess:

No – they were old boots, and I like wearing them. Anyway, we finished our shopping, and made our way home, through the usual traffic. We stopped off at the drive-thru on the way to get some food, got home, put our bags in the front room, and sat down to eat in the kitchen.

And that was when he came in.

IvyTheTerrible:

What did he look like when you first saw him?

TiedTess:

He had on an open necked white shirt, and dark pants, but at the time all I saw was the stocking pulled down over his head, and what looked like a gun in his gloved hand. He was also carrying a brown paper bag, which he put down as he told us very quietly that he was here at mom’s invitation to play a game.

If I said I didn’t believe him, would that upset you?

ViTheFirst:

Nope – Ivy and I believed him the first time, but after the fourth…

TiedTess:

The Fourth?

IvyTheTerrible:

Ignore Vi – so he told you he was there to play a game?

TiedTess:

That’s right – and when I looked at mom, she nodded slowly, so I presumed I was wrong. When I asked him what the game was, he said it was robbers – and that he was going to pretend to rob the place, and keep us out of the way while he did it.

He then looked at us, and sat down, saying we could finish our meal before we could start – which was nice of him. Once we had finished, however, he asked us to take him into the front room, and while mom pulled the drapes over the windows he told me to sit down and take my boots off.

He then let mom take her jacket off, before he went into the brown paper bag which he had carried in, and took out some lengths of cord. He used one of them to tie mom’s wrists behind her back, and then said he was going to make sure I stayed where I was, and take mom round the house, so she could show him where the things were he might pretend to take. Just like the television programs, was what he said.

LittleEva:

So what did he do to you?

TiedTess:

Well, he started by asking mom to show me her hands, and she told me it didn’t hurt, so I let him tie my wrists together behind my back as well. It felt funny, but it didn’t hurt, and then he tied some rope round my arms and tummy to make it more difficult to move them.

IvyTheTerrible:

That sounds like him – what happened next?

TiedTess:

Well, he knelt down and crossed my ankles – I was wearing some black socks under the boots – and tied them tightly together. I could see how he passed the rope between my legs, and made it even more secure. Finally, he did the same thing to my legs below my knees, and then he looked at me, smiling under the stocking as he stroked my hair away.

He told me that he had to make sure I kept quiet, and asked me if I had Asthma or anything like that. Well, I don’t, and mom told me never to lie, so he asked if I was scared, and I said a little. That’s when he said he was going to put something in my mouth to make it more difficult for me to talk, and then something over my lips to keep that in.

He told me I should keep calm, and breath through my nose, but he also said he’d help me to lie down and put on the television, which made me feel a bit happier. So I opened my mouth, and he put a folded hankie in.

It felt funny on my tongue, but I closed my lips over it, and watched as he took a roll of white tape from the bag and tore off a long strip. I could feel it pulling on my skin as he smoothed it over, but he had been right – I couldn’t move my mouth at all with that over it.

Then he helped me to lie down, adjusted my skirt, and turned on Cartoon Network, before he took mom out of the room for a few minutes, carrying the paper bag with him.

LittleEva:

How did it feel, lying there on your own?

TiedTess:

It was scary at first, but I could hear them talking, so I knew mom was all right. I guess I got used to it in the end, if that makes any sense.

ViTheFirst:

It makes perfect sense Tess. How long was it before your mom came back with him?

Tied Tess:

Between fifteen and thirty minutes – when he turned it on, Adventure Time was on, and I watched that cartoon and the next one.

When he came back, mom had more rope tied round her arms, around her shoulders and her tummy, and she had a strip of the white tape over her mouth as well – I could see her lips under it.

He helped her to sit in a special chair we have where the back tips back, and I watched as he tied her ankles tightly together. She still had her boots on, and the rope squeaked as it rubbed over them. He then tied her legs together below her knees, before he pressed the button and let her lie back.

She turned and said something like “wllbfnn” to me as he checked the ropes on me, and then said “Now, you can try to escape or stay as you are, but either me or a friend of mine will be along to get you free if you cannot.”

And that was it – we heard him walk out, and mom started to twist round, but I just lay there, nice and still.

ViTheFirst:

So I guess it was a policeman who came to free you in the end.

TiedTess:

Yeah – our neighbour is a deputy, and it was him who came in an hour or so later and found us. Mom gave me the biggest hugs, kissed me and said I had been a wonderful, brave little girl.

IvyTheTerrible:

And did he take much?

TiedTess:

No – that was the funny thing. Mom told me later he had looked at the stuff she had, and then said he wasn’t going to. This would be just a game.

LittleEva:

Wow – he must really have liked you. That was quite a story.

TiedTess:

Thanks – so all the girls here have met him.

ViTheFirst:

Or her – there’s a female Games Player as well.

TiedTess:

Wow – I wonder if they were the ones I read about in the newspaper. Some girl’s tenth birthday party at a mansion in Atlanta got interrupted by a man and a woman playing robbers with the girl and two of her friends...

********

As I always say, one of the things I enjoy most about what I do is the capacity to be surprised. There have been times, previously described, when I discover the families I visit enjoy playing these games, and I turn that to my advantage, but they usually involve tightening the binding and gag in some way. On one occasion, however, I actually had to loosen the binding – let me explain.

This particular family was headed up by the owner of a specialist art store – not something you would normally expect to attract my attention, but I had seen the pictures of the family in the local press, and the way they dressed as well as the jewellery they wore had caught my eye.

Marcus Holding was in his early forties, as was his wife Jennifer. She had short reddish brown hair, and was, shall we say, fuller of figure than her husband. Her eleven year old daughters, Madeline and Paige, took after their father, slim of figure with long reddish-brown hair. When I was making my plans, I had a picture of them at a local theatre, mother wearing a red silk gown and expensive jewels, the girls in white short sleeved dresses and with pearls around their necks.

Anyway, come the day, and I’m sitting outside their detached house, watching as Daddy drove off to work. I knew they were inside – my observations told me the girls had Gymnastics classes that afternoon, but they tended to stay in until then, and the other car was still parked outside.

I had decided that I would use the beard and balaclava for today, so I put the woollen cap on my head and stepped out, dark glasses covering my eyes as I looked up and down the street and retrieved my rucksack. The gates to the house were open, as I slipped through and made my way around the side of the house, putting on my gloves and pulling the balaclava over my head, glasses and beard, before I looked in the large back garden.

The coast was clear, as I let myself in the back door and into the empty kitchen. Looking round, I felt for the gun in my pocket, and crept along the corridor. I could hear the two girls talking to each other upstairs, so I made a decision to deal with their mother Jennifer first.

Opening the door to the front room, I saw her sitting in a chair, her damp hair rather untidily brushed back over her head. She didn’t even realise I was there, which is just the way I like it – until I put my leather gloved hand over her mouth, and said “Please, don’t scream or struggle – it will be better if you just stop and listen.”

“Hthhlldufnkurr,” she mumbled rather loudly under my hand, but then I showed her my gun, and she nodded and stayed quiet.

“Good – now, this is a robbery,” I said, “but there is no reason to upset your daughters unduly, so I need you to do something for me.”

“Whsttthtt?”

“I want you to tell them, when the time comes, that this is a game that you and their father arranged as a surprise for them, and that they should just play along.”

She nodded slowly, as I said “Good – when I remove my hand, stand quietly up and stand still.”

I took my hand away and stood to her side as she stood. Jennifer was wearing a dress that had an autumn leaf print on black. The dress had a square collar, elbow length sleeves, and black trim on the sleeve cuffs and the knee length skirt. She wore dark hose, and a pair of taupe coloured cowboy boots.

“You… You’re the games player,” she whispered.

“That’s right, so don’t be afraid. I need to make sure you and your daughters can’t raise the alarm, and then I will rob you, but you need to pretend it’s all a game.”

For a moment, I saw a smile flicker over her lips, before she said “all right – what do you need me to do.”

“Where are the girls right now?”

“Upstairs in their room – they won’t come down for a while unless I allow them to.”

“All right then,” I said as I took my rucksack off and opened it, “I think what we’ll do is pretend you disturbed me first, so I had to make sure you could not raise the alarm before I went to find them. Turn round and put your hands behind your back, Jennifer.”

“You promise you will not hurt us?”

“I promise,” I said as I crossed her wrists, and tied them tightly together with soft rope, before I secured them further by passing the rope around her waist. A longer length then went around her arms and chest, forcing them into her sides as her chest was forced slightly out.

“My apologies for the inconvenience,” I said as I tied the ropes off, “I trust it is not too uncomfortable?”

“Actually,” she said as she looked over her shoulder, “it’s surprisingly comfortable. What now?”

“Sit down,” I said as I indicated the couch, “I’ll secure your legs and let you get comfortable.” Jennifer smiled as she sat down, watching as I wrapped the rope around and between her ankles to secure them together, and then her legs below her knees, cinching the band between her legs there as well.

“Would you care to lie down,” I said, and as she lay on her side I put a pillow under her head, and fixed her skirt for her.”

“Now, to invite your daughters to join you,” I said as I took a roll of white micropore tape from my rucksack. “Put your lips together, and I’ll allow you to talk to them when they come down.”

“All right,” Jennifer said, and there was that odd smile again. I could not help the feeling I was missing something as I tore a strip off and smoothed it over her mouth, and then made my way up the stairs.

Before I disturbed them, I went into the master bedroom and searched carefully, selecting a few items and then putting them in my bag. Closing that up, I listened to the girls talking to each other, and then quietly opened the door.

Madeline and Paige were lying next to each other on an exercise mat on the floor of their bedroom, a sleep mask fixed over the eyes of each girl, but that wasn’t what caught my attention. Nor was it the fact they were both wearing a black leotard over white tights.

What caught my eye was that both of them were already tied up – far more tightly and securely than anything I did. Their arms were bent at their elbows, and their wrists tied together between their shoulder blades, hands back to back. There were ropes around their upper body to secure their arms further to their backs, and bands of rope around their ankles, above and below their knees, and their thighs. Their legs were then bent back and their ankles secured to their elbows.

“Mum,” one of them said as they turned their head, but I closed the door and headed down the stairs. Looking at Jennifer, I said “did you tie them like that?”

“Ysss,” she said through the tape as she nodded her head. Well, there was a question I needed to ask, so I removed her gag and said “why?”

“Because they asked me to,” Jennifer said quietly. “It helps them keep flexible for gymnastics and ballet, as well as increasing their endurance. So, all you need to do is gag them, and they’ll be fine.”

“Until the police come, and ask questions,” I whispered. “If they find them like that, they may ask some very awkward questions of you and your husband.”

“Ah,” Jennifer nodded, “I see what you mean.”

“Also, with you tied up like this, you can’t help them if something goes wrong.”

“So what are you going to do?”

I thought for a moment, and then said “I need to make sure you cannot escape or really raise the alarm first. Then I’ll bring them down here to keep you company, but make sure they can’t raise the alarm either. First things first, roll onto your stomach.”

“Why?”

“So I can make sure you really can’t escape,” I said as I picked up the white tape. “If you can tie like that, chances are you know how to escape, so roll over and make a fist with your hands.”

“Damn – I was hoping you wouldn’t notice,” she said as she rolled over and made fist with her hands, before I taped over them and then tied her ankles to her chest ropes, rolling her back onto her side and adjusting her skirt again.

“Now, open your mouth – and then I’ll go and take care of the girls.”

“Mum, is that you,” the girl said again as I walked in.

“No, it’s not your mum,” I said quietly as I removed the sleep masks from their eyes, and they turned their heads, blinking as they looked at me.

“Who are you and where’s mum,” the girl nearest me said. She had her hair pulled back in a pigtail held in place by a blue scrunchie, while the other girl had a green one around her hair.

“Let me ask a question first – are you Madeline or Paige?”

“I’m Madeline, she’s Paige – who are you?”

“Well, I’m the man your parents asked to come and play a game of robbers with you and mummy,” I said as I looked at both of them.

“To play a game of robbers,” Paige said as she wriggled round, “you mean tie us up as if you’re robbing the place.”

“That’s right – your mummy is already playing, but I have a little bit of a problem. You see, she can’t untie you now if you have a problem, and – well, truth be told, it’s dangerous to leave you like this on your own. Also, she wants you to be with her.”

“We have been like this for a while,” Madeline said, “so what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to untie you both, and give you a chance to stretch – and then I’ll re-tie you both in a way that will continue to stretch your muscles, but is a little safer for the game. Sound good?”

“I need the toilet anyway,” Paige said as she wriggled round, “so yeah. Go ahead.”

“Right, lie still,” I said as I released them from the ropes, watching as they stretched out and then Paige went to the toilet.

“Do you need to go as well,” I said as I picked up some of the ropes.

“Yeah – how are you going to secure us,” she said as she looked at me.

“I’ll take care of Paige while you take care of things,” I said as we walked to the bathroom, waiting until the toilet flushed and Paige came out.

“On you go,” I said as Madeline went in, and then I folded Paige’s arms behind her back, tying her wrists to her elbows and then her forearms together.

“Not bad – nice and comfy,” she said as Madeline came out, and I tied her arms in the same way. I then tied their upper arms to their sides with rope above and below their chests, before I said “Let’s go down and see your mum now.”

“Okay,” they said as we walked down to the front room, where Jennifer looked up from her position on the couch and said “Hllgrlss, rdeetpl?” through the band of white tape that held the folded cloth in her mouth.

“Wow, you mean business,” Madeline said as she looked at her mother, “so what are you going to do to us?”

“I want you two to sit back to back, in the lotus position,” I said quietly, and watched as they did so, their legs folded in front of them. I then did the same as I did to their arms – ankles tied to knees, and a band of rope around their lower legs, with two lengths left on the floor.

I then took another length of rope and tied the two girls together around their waists, before tying the loose ends of rope for each girl back to the waist band.

“Now,” I said as I folded two cloths, “open wide. I’m going to put these in your mouths, and then wrap some tape round your heads to keep them in place, so that you cannot call for help or raise the alarm.”

“Tslrrtgrlsjsbrfthruns,” Jennifer said, the girls nodding as they allowed me to push the cloths in, and then wrap the white tape around their heads, keeping their pigtails out of the way as I did so.

I looked at them both, the shape of their lips visible under the tape band, and said “Right – would you like the television on while I pretend to steal your valuables?”

All three nodded as I put on the television, and flipped through the channels – stopping at a gymnastics competition.

“Thsdgd,” Madeline said as I left them to watch, and resumed my search – checking the ropes before I left, and making sure the right people were alerted as soon as practically possible.

********

Janna and I had been in the states for a few days, me doing some business and her enjoying the time off, when we both felt that the two Games Players needed to take a little exercise. I’d already considered a possible target – the person whose office I was visiting was a happily married man with an eleven year old daughter, and I knew from his diary he was going to be out of town the next night.

Anyway, over dinner that night Janna and I talked, and she liked the idea. But you know what they say about the best laid plans…

We parked our hire car a few streets away, and walked down the road, wearing woollen caps on our heads and with the collars of our jackets up. The home Joyce and Carly lived on was a row of large detached houses, and this particular one had the porch light on.

“Ready,” I said quietly to Janna, who nodded as we slipped up the side of the house, and let ourselves into the kitchen, slipping the balaclavas down over our heads as we did so. We could both hear the mum and daughter talking in the front room, and then Joyce saying “go upstairs and get your jacket.”

Looking through the door, we saw eleven year old Carly come out of a room, wearing a black sleeveless party dress that had a lace knee length skirt, and black shoes. Her blonde hair was cut around her neck, and I could see she had a thin Alice band in it.

As she went up, I motioned to Janna that we should go in, and we made our way to the front room. Joyce was in there, wearing a green dress with a white bolero jacket and black wedge shoes. As she turned and saw us, she opened her mouth, but one look at the gun in my hand and she stayed quiet.

“Hello Joyce,” I said, “my friend and I are here to play a game with you and Carly. You’re going to pretend that your husband has arranged a game of robbers, and you’re going to play it with her. Understand?”

“But…”

“Yes,” Janna said.

“But…”

“Mom, who are these people?”

Carly had come back in, and was looking at us as Janna said “your dad asked us to come and play a special game with you, Carly. You look nice – where are you going?”

“School dance,” she said as she blushed.

“Well, you may be a little late – you see, the game is to stop the princess going to the ball, and you are the princess.”

“OH – you mean like hold me for ransom.”

“That’s right,” Janna said as she took her rucksack off her back, “would you like to play?”

“Can we mom?”

Joyce looked at us and slowly nodded as Janna took some soft rope from her back. “We need to make sure you cannot get away, and your mother also needs to be kept in one place, so I want you to put your hands behind your back. I promise, it doesn’t hurt.”

“It’s all right Carly,” her mother said, “the man will do the same to me.” So I took some rope, and we crossed the wrists of mom and daughter behind their backs, tying them tightly together with the rope before taking it round their waists.

“All right,” I said then as I went through to the dining room to fetch a chair, and set it in the centre of the room, “why don’t you take a seat here, Joyce, and while my friend makes sure Carly can’t move your arms I’ll make sure you stay in the chair.”

So while took some rope and tied Joyce’s waist to the chair back, and then her upper body and arms, Janna sat with Carly and tied her arms to her side, around her tummy and then her upper arms. It was just as we tied off the ropes that we heard the front door open and close, and a young voice call out “Where are you Carly?”

Janna put her hand over Carly’s mouth and said “let’s surprise her.”

“Joyce?”

“Invite them in,” I whispered into her ear, so Joyce swallowed and said “we’re in the front room – come on in.”

Another mother and daughter appeared in the doorway, the woman in her early forties, the girl the same age as Carly, and both African American. The mother was wearing a black bolero jacket over a white knee length dress with black stripes, dark hose and black heels, and looked at us through her glasses.

The young girl wore a white knee length dress with one shoulder strap and a black floral print, which had a pink sash around the waist, a white cardigan and black shoes. “what’s going on Carly,” she said as she looked at her friend.

“It’s a game of hostages, Maisie – these masked people were asked by Daddy to come and pretend they had to stop us going to the ball. Want to play?”

“A game?”

“Roberta,” Joyce said as she twisted in the chair, “it’s a game – please, play along.”

“That’s right,” Janna said as she took two more lengths of rope from the bag. “now, both of you, hands behind your backs please.”

As she tied their wrists, I crossed and tied Joyce’s ankles together, the two girls talking all the time, and then secured them to one of the front legs of the chair, before I tied her legs together below her knees. Going back to the dining room, I brought a second chair back in, and as Roberta sat down I watched Janna secure the arms of Maisie to her side, then sit both girls on the couch as she knelt and started to tie their ankles and legs.

“This isn’t a game, is it,” Roberta whispered as I secured her to the chair. “this is a real robbery?”

“OH yes – but for the sake of the girls, keep pretending,” I replied as I secured her legs as well, and then we both stood and looked at them. The girls giggled as they bumped against each other, while the mothers stared at us.

“Now, we need to keep the two princesses and their mothers quiet, so I want you girls to open your mouths as wide as you can,” I said as I looked in my bag. “My friend here is going to put a bit of cloth in your mouths, and then some tape over your lips. Keep calm and play the game, and you’ll both be just fine.”

So Janna put a folded cloth in their mouths, and taped over their lips with white tape, while I did the same to their mothers.

“Now, my friend is going to stay here with you while I make sure I can spirit you all away,” I said as I left the room – and ran into another girl with her mother. She was a little younger than the other two, and wore a sleeveless blue gingham dress with a large white sash tied round her waist, with a big bow at her back. A wide white ribbon was also tied in her brown hair. White tights and silver slippers completed her outfit.

Her mum wore a red v-necked top and dark trousers with black shoes. “What the he…” she said as I put my hand over the girl’s mouth and looked at her mother.

“We have two more people to play the game with Carly and the others,” I called out, and Janna appeared, shaking her head as she looked at them.

“and what are your names,” she eventually said.

“I’m Jane and my daughter is Kelly,” the older woman said, “what’s going on?”

“A game of hostages – Carly and Maisie are already playing, and they’d like you both to play as well. Would you like that?”

“We’ll play,” Jane said, realising what was happening. So fifteen minutes later we had three young girls in party dresses sitting on the couch, their arms tightly bound to their sides, their legs secured, and tape over their mouths, while their three mothers were tied to chairs and gagged in the same way – the only difference was I tied Jane’s ankles separately to the front legs of the chair.

Janna stayed to guard them while I searched the house, and then we told them to wait for the rescuers to find them, before we got out of there as fast as we could. I don’t like dealing with that many players – and I knew Janna wasn’t too happy either – but we did gain some substantial funds that night.

The others trips we made were more – intimate.

********

As you may have gathered from my tales, these days I usually carry a rucksack with material in them to secure and keep nice and quiet the families I take things from. In the early days, that wasn’t the case – and the one that came to mind today was from those early days, when I used to follow those I picked at random.

This was in early summer, and I was walking through the Central Arcade in Newcastle when I saw this mum and daughter coming out of a very upmarket store. Mum stood about six foot tall, with long blonde hair, and was wearing a sleeveless smock style top in beige with a white layer at the bottom, blue jeans and sandals. Her daughter had much longer blonde hair, and wore a white t-shirt and slightly lighter jeans with the same style of sandals. She also had a long blue and white striped scarf tied loosely round her neck.

Well, my interest as they say was piqued, so I followed them as they walked to a very nice suburb of the city called Jesmond, and then along a road that runs beside the town moor before they went into a two storey house.

I took a pair of gloves from my pocket, and slipped them on my hands before I took a stocking from my other pocket and pulled it over my head. The latter I did after walking down the bush lined path to the door, and then knocked three times on the door.

“Just a minute,” I heard the mum say, and then she opened the door, looking at me in surprise before I pushed her back in and clamped my hand over her mouth.

“Shh,” I said quietly as she looked at me, “just stay calm and quiet. I only want your valuables and money, and so long as you do what I say then you’ll be all right. Nod if you understand.”

She slowly nodded as I took my hand away. “What’s your name?”

“Ellie,” she whispered in a Geordie accent.

“And what’s your daughter’s name?”

“Cheryl.”

“All right, Ellie, here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to tell Cheryl that this is a game, and I’m pretending to be a robber. You’re going to tell her as part of the game you need to be tied up and kept quiet, and you want her to play along as well. Understand?”

Yeah, I was a bit less refined back then, come to think of it. But it was effective, as she said “all right – just please don’t hurt us?”

“I won’t – do you have any rope or string in the house?”

“No,” she said, “We have duct tape – the cupboard behind you.”

“All right – call Cheryl out here.”

“Cheryl,” Ellie shouted out, “can you come into the hallway please?”

“Coming mum,” the ten year old said as she came out, and then stopped as she saw me.

“It’s all right, Cheryl – this man is going to help us play a game of robbers. He’s going to make sure we cannot move or talk for a while, but we’ll be together. Will you be all right if we do this?”

“You won’t hurt us will you?”

“No I won’t hurt you,” I said quietly. “Will you please go into the cupboard there Cheryl, and take out the roll of silver tape?”

“All right,” she said as she looked in, and then took out the large roll of duct tape, handing it to me as I smiled at her.

“Thank you Cheryl – now, why don’t we go into the front room, and your mum can pull the curtains closed over the windows.”

“All right,” Cheryl said as we went in, and I watched as Ellie closed the curtains. “Do you get paid to play these games?”

“Oh yes I do,” I said as I looked at Ellie. “Now, why don’t you both turn round, and out your hands behind your back?”

“He’ll do me first,” Ellie said as I ripped the end of the tape free, and secured her wrists together, hands palm to palm, before I wrapped the tape round her waist to keep her hands against her back. I then wrapped some more tape around her stomach, trapping her arms against her side.

“There – do you think you will be all right if I do this to you as well Cheryl,” I said as I looked at her. The young girl nodded and let me tape her wrists and arms in the same way, smiling at her mother as I did so.

“Right then,” I said quietly, “I need to make sure it’s not very easy for you to move now.” Looking round the room, I saw there were two couches, one a three seater and one a two seater.

“Cheryl,” I said as I looked at the girl, “I want you to go and lie down on that smaller couch, and your mum can lie down on the bigger couch. Then I’ll wrap your ankles and legs up in some tape.”

As Cheryl lay down, I started with Ellie, crossing and taping her ankles together, and then her legs below her knees, and finally her thighs. As she wriggled round, I walked over and did the same to Cheryl, before I unwound her scarf and laid it carefully on the coffee table.

“Why did you take my scarf off,” she said as she looked at me.

“I don’t want you hurting yourself,” I said quietly as I stroked her hair away from her head. “Now, I’m going to pretend to rob you, so I need to stop you two from talking or been able to shout for a while. Put your lips together and stay calm.”

Tearing a strip of tape off the roll, I pressed it down over Cheryl’s mouth, followed by a second strip. I used three for her mother, before I said “don’t move” and raided the house, taking what jewellery I could find before I looked in on them.

“Snnebwfmm,” Cheryl said as she looked up at me. I looked at her mother, she nodded as she shuffled back and made enough room for me to lift her daughter over and lay her next to mummy.

“Now don’t move, or you may fall off,” I said as I left them there, and made my way across the moor and back into the city…

********

Ever visited a Build-A-Bear Workshop? They’re in a lot of shopping malls these days, and there have been a few times when passing one of them had led to a very profitable visit. While Janna and I were in the US, there was one of those occasions.

We were in a mall somewhere in Durham, NC, and as we sat in the food court opposite one of those stores we could see a kid’s party going on. One pair of girls in particular caught my eye with their mother. It was obvious they were twins, with long blonde hair just like their mother. One of them was wearing a pink sleeveless dress with a silver Hello Kitty motif on the front and a layered knee length rah-rah style skirt, black-grey sparkling leggings and a silver band with black elastic holding her hair back, as well as a pair of black knee length leather boots with large straps and buckles at the top and ankle.

Her twin sister was wearing a pink fleece over a white and blue tie-dyed dress, the skirt of which covered her knees and the pink leggings with coloured dots, and she had a mirror effect silver band in her hair – as well as the same boots on her feet.

As for their mother, she was wearing a grey cardigan over a v-necked black top and leggings, with knee length leather boots that had a large buckle at the top. They were having a good time, and I doubt I would have done anything more had I not seen the designer bags by her side.

“Interested,” I said to Janna as the girls sat with their friends and sang Happy Birthday.

“Nah - there are a couple of stores I want to visit, but knock yourself out. Got everything you need in the car?”

I nodded, and promised to come back and pick her up later, wiping my chin as I followed the three of them to the car park. By a happy coincidence, and I have only a few of these, they were parked near us, so I was able to follow them to a house sitting off the road in the woods near the town.

I watched as they got out of the car and took their purchases in, and then pulled in behind them in their driveway. The house was fairly isolated, but I still took a good look round before I got out, put my gloves on and retrieved the rucksack from the back of the car, smiling as I walked up the side and pulled the stocking down over my head.

As I made my way into the kitchen, I heard one of the girls saying “let’s take Bonnie and Clyde up the stairs,” and from the doorway I saw the two girls running up the stairs, as their mother walked to the kitchen. I suspect, as was usually the case, the last thing she was expecting was a gloved hand over her mouth and a voice whispering “Just stay calm – I’m not going to hurt you or the girls, just play a little game, all right?”

“Hetthllruuu,” she mumbled under my hand, but then I showed her the gun in my free hand, and she slowly nodded as she stopped trying to pull my hand away.

“That’s better,” I said quietly. “Now, all I want to do is take your valuables – I assure you, I have no intention of harming you or your girls. But we need to keep them calm, so I need you to pretend this is a surprise game you arranged a friend to play with all of you. Do you understand?”

She nodded again as I said “Good – I’m going to take my hand away, and I want you to walk slowly to where your purse is, and hand it to me.”

Removing my hand, I followed her into the front room, where she picked up her brown bag and handed it to me. I looked at her driving licence, and said “all right Gloria – sit down on the chair, with your hands on your head, and don’t move.”

“What are you going to do,” she whispered as I found her cell phone and removed the battery.

“You’re going to say that this is a game of robbery,” I said quietly as I slipped my rucksack off, “and I’m going to pretend to rob the house, so I need to keep all three of you out of the way and quiet. Now, turn round, and slowly put your hands behind your back.”

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Gloria said as I started to tie her wrists together, “you could just lock us in the cellar and rob the house.”

“I could, but this needs to be a realistic game,” I said as I wrapped the rope around and between her arms, “so all three of you are going to be nice and secure and quiet. But if you tell them it’s a game, and play along as well, then it won’t be a traumatic time for them, understand?”

“I think so,” she said as I started to bind her arms to her sides, the rope going above and below her chest, “but does it have to be so tight?”

“Is it uncomfortable,” I said as I cinched the rope under her arms.

“No – it’s snug but not hurting.”

“Then it does the job – now, what are your daughter’s names?”

“Naomi and Karen.”

“Right,” I said as I helped her to stand up, “let’s go and get them to start playing as well, shall we?”

As we walked slowly up the stairs, I could hear the two girls playing and talking to each other. I opened the door and we walked into a large room, with a row of wooden doors against one wall. The two girls were sitting in the middle of the floor, with their new stuffed dogs in their arms.

One of them looked up and stared as Gloria said “It’s all right, girls – I asked this man to come and play a game of robbers with us.”

“But you’ve got ropes around you, mummy,” the one with the pink dress said.

“That’s right, Naomi, but it doesn’t hurt and it’s part of the game, all right? He’s going to make sure all three of us are together, and then pretend to rob the house while we try and get free.”

“That’s right,” I said as I looked at them. “Is that Bonnie and Clyde?”

“Yeah it is,” the other girl said, “and they’ll stop you?”

“Not if I give them something to eat that makes them sleepy,” I said as I stroked both the toys. “See – they’re sleeping already.”

“When they wake up they’ll get you,” she said again.

“Then we need to stop them,” I said as I looked at them, “by tying their front and back paws together. But first I need to make sure you two are just as unable to use your arms as your mum. She’s going to sit on the bed, and I want you two to kneel and put your hands behind your back.”

“It’s all right girls, just do as he says,” Gloria said as she sat down, and I started to bind the wrists and arms of the two girls.

“What’s behind those doors,” I asked as I looked over there while wrapping rope around Naomi’s arms.

“Walk in wardrobes,” Gloria said as I tied the rope off around Naomi’s arms, and then wrapped more around Karen’s arms. Once they were secured, I took four lengths of cord and tied the front and back paws of the two stuffed dogs.

“See – and they can stay with you while I make sure you can’t stop me.”

I stood up then and opened the doors, looking in and smiling as I said “right – why don’t all three of you come in here and sit with your backs against the wall.”

“What are you going to do,” Gloria asked as she walked in and sat down, the girls sitting wither side of her.”

“I’ll secure your legs, make sure you keep quiet, and then pretend to rob your house,” I said as they sat down, and I took more rope from my bag, using it to bind their ankles together side by side. The boots Naomi and Karen were wearing had kitten heels, so after I bound their ankles and took the rope between their legs, I passed it around their feet as well to hold them together. As for mummy, I just made sure they were tightly tied, and then tied the legs of each of them together below their knees.

“Now, I need to make sure you all stay quiet – and I’m also going to make sure you can’t see for a while,” I said as I took three scarves from a drawer, two small black squares and a larger red bandana. “Naomi, open your mouth as wide as you can please.”

“Do me first, then they will know there’s nothing to be frightened off,” Gloria said, so I folded the bandana and pushed in into her mouth, the two girls watching as she closed her lips over it and nodded. I then pushed the smaller squares, folded up, into each of their mouths, and then took a roll of white micropore tape from my bag and wrapped it around their heads, covering their mouths as I did so.

“Okay,” I said as I looked at them, “now for the blindfold.” Taking Naomi’s band from her hair, I covered her eyes with the silver part and then wrapped tape around it to hold it in place, doing the same for Karen.

“Plsnntmmm,” Gloria mumbled as I looked at her.

“Afraid?”

She nodded as the two girls cuddled into her.

“Very well,” I said with a smile as I stood up and went out, Gloria watching as I searched the room and found valuables, and then nodding again as I closed the door before searching the rest of the house.

Sometime later, I picked up Janna.

“Have a good time,” I said after I kissed her.

“yeah – got some new outfits. You?”

“The way to pay for them,” I said as we drove off.

********

Yeah, Steve told me about what he did that afternoon, and it made me think about one of the visits I’d made before we headed over here. I’d picked up a few things about planning from him, and this particular home near me had caught my eye a few weeks ago, when I saw the mum bringing in some very expensive looking items from her car.

I found out she ran a fashion boutique in town, and she lived with her eleven and ten year old daughters – no man about the house, which was a help to someone like me. So I decided to pay them a visit on the Sunday before we flew out. I spent the time learning their names – the mum was Tammy, and her daughters Nikki and Anna.

So I drove round to their house on the Sunday, parking my car a few streets away and walking along the street. I had a black leather biker’s jacket over a roll neck sweater, tight leggings and knee length leather boots, with a small grey rucksack on my back, containing everything I thought I’d need.

I could see the house with the Mercedes parked outside, and smiled as I slipped up the side, stopping to pull the stocking down over my head and tuck it into the neck of my jumper, and then my gloves, before I tried the back door. Saying a silent prayer of thanks that it was open, I slipped in and closed the door silently behind me.

I could hear the television on in a downstairs room, but I wanted to try and find the mother and make sure she understood what was going on before we got going, so I slowly made my way along and looked in. The two girls were sitting watching television, their legs kicking up and down on the couch.

Eleven year old Nikki was wearing a pink and grey striped hoodie, with the hem of a yellow top sticking out from underneath, a blue denim skirt and blue leggings with white polka dots, while her ten year old sister Anna was wearing a green and grey short sleeved smock top which had a pleated buttons trip and a tie belt around her waist. The tartan print top came to just above her knees, and she was wearing a pair of jeans underneath. Both girls were barefoot, with long light brown hair.

I contemplated for a moment whether or not I should start with them, given their mother wasn’t in the room with them, but then I watched Anna say “When is mum’s ‘alone time’ in her bedroom over – I’m getting bored and I want her to come down.”

Nikki looked over at what I presume was a clock and said “about another forty five minutes – I’m sure she’ll make up to us for having to wait.”

Well, now I was intrigued, so I decided to leave them alone, and made my way up the stairs, taking care not to raise the alarm and make any noise. I made my way along the upstairs hallway to where I thought the master bedroom would be, and quietly opened the door to look in.

Mum was there all right – but not asleep or resting as I had expected. Well, she was resting, but – let me just describe her and you make up your own mind.

She had her light blonde hair pulled back, and was wearing a crimson top with elbow length sleeves and a darker red patch on her left shoulder. The legs of her faded blue jeans were tucked into a pair of black leather boots with a short heel – and her ankles were tied tightly together with rope, as were her legs above and below her knees. A band of rope held her arms to her sides, and her hands were behind her back, held together palm to palm with the rope that went from them to her ankles, slackening as she kicked her legs to and fro.

She looked up as I closed the door, and said “hmgddd” through the folded scarf that was tied over her mouth. As I looked at the ropes, I had to admit she’d done a very good job of tying herself up – the question was, why?

“Htthrllrru,” she said as she wriggled round, and I could see she was worried, so I said “calm down, I’m not going to hurt you – although you will hurt yourself if you keep doing that.”

I reached down and untied the scarf, allowing her to gasp and say “Oh god – just rob me, but please don’t let them find me like this!”

“Take a deep breath,” I said, “and tell me why you did this to yourself.”

“You’ll think I’m a weirdo…”

“Hello – stocking mask on and intending to rob you? Why did you do this to yourself?”

“Well – promise you won’t tell anyone?”

I nodded as she said “I’ve always liked being tied up – ever since I was a kid, and my former husband used to do it all the time. But after the divorce, we moved here, and I haven’t really had a chance to make many friends – never mind one who can do this. So I tell the girls to leave me alone for a while, and…” She wriggled round and gave a sad little smile.

“Well, you’re very good at it,” I said quietly, “but why don’t you play with the girls?”

“No – they’ll think their mum’s not right, and they’ve had enough hurt. I don’t think they’ll like it.”

“You’ll never know if you don’t ask,” I said as I looked at her, “but I am going to rob you, and I am going to…”

I stopped for a moment, and then said “I usually ask the mums to say this is a game, to get the kids to play along and make it less scary.” I untied her ankles from her wrists, letting her put her legs down while I untied her wrists, crossed them and re-secured them properly, taking the rope around and between her arms.

“Oh that does feel nice,” she said.

“It’s Tammy, right,” I said as I tied the rope off, and then helped her to sit up, taking some rope around her waist to hold her wrists against her back.

“Yeah – how did you… Never mind, stupid question. What are you going to do?”

“Tie you up properly,” I said as I doubled over the rope I had taken from my bag, “but I want you to tell the girls that this is a secret surprise that a neighbour dreamt up. I agreed to pretend to break in, tie all three of you up and gag you, and then rob you. It’s all a big game, of course, and if you do that they might end up liking it.”

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” Tammy said as I pulled her arms into her sides, wrapping the rope above and below her chest and tying it off behind her back.

“There – how does that feel,” I said as I looked at her.

“Very very nice – I know I could never do this myself, but it does feel good.” She watched as I untied her legs and ankles, and said “I’m going to remove your boots – then you’ll be the same as the girls.”

“Well, I’m wearing tights, but I know what you mean,” she said as I unzipped her boots and slipped them off, then crossed and tied her ankles tightly together. I then secured her legs together below her knees, making sure I cinched it by taking the rope between her legs as well.

“You’re not going to tie my legs above my knees?”

“No – I am going to hogtie you, and trust me you don’t need it. Now, will you play along and see how the girls like it?”

“I will,” Tammy said.

“Good, lie on your stomach, head towards the door.” I waited until she had done that, and then pulled her ankles back, securing them to her chest ropes and then watching as she wriggled round.

“Oh that is good,” she said as I opened the door, and whispered “Call them upstairs, and remember what we agreed.”

She nodded and called out “Nikki? Anna? Can you come up to mummy’s room please?”

“Coming,” I heard them call, and I stood to the side of the door as they came in.

“Hey mum, what’s… Mum, what happened!”

“It’s all right,” Tammy said as she smiled, “This is a very special surprise, I was just waiting for our neighbour to sneak in and start with me.”

“Hi,” I said as I closed the door, and the two girls looked at me, “listen to what your mum’s going to say.”

“Girls,” Tammy said, “this lady said she sometimes does these games with the other families in the area. She pretends to be a robber who ties up the families, stops them speaking, and then lets them try to free each other while she pretends to rob the place. She’s already started with me, and now it’s your turn.”

“Does it hurt mummy,” Anna said as she looked at her.

“No – it’s actually quite nice, but you won’t find out if you don’t try.”

The two girls looked at each other, and I could see they were worried, so I said “let’s take it one stage at a time, girls. Why don’t you stand in front of your mum, and let me tie your wrists together first.”

The girls nodded as I took their hands behind their back, and tied their wrists while their mum explained that I was going to do this to stop them from raising the alarm and keep them in one place.

“It feels funny,” Nikki said as I tied the rope between her wrists, “but it doesn’t hurt. What next?”

I tied the rope around their waists to keep them secure, and then tied the rope around their arms and chest, keeping them tightly in place as they wriggled round.

“See? IT’s not so bad, is it?”

“No, it isn’t,” Anna said. “How does it feel to you mum?”

“Honestly? It feels secure and safe,” she said as I helped the girls to lie down beside her, one on each side, and then secured their ankles and legs before I hogtied them.

“So do you think you can move now,” I said as I stood back, watching the family wriggle round.

“No – and is it meant to be exciting as well? Because I feel all tingly,” Nikki said as she looked at her mother.

“It can be fun as well, if a little scary,” Tammy said quietly as I searched the room, putting jewellery into a bag as they talked to each other. A few minutes later, I stood at the end of the bed and said “Now, this bad old robber has to make sure you cannot raise the alarm. Now, you all need to open your mouths nice and wide, and do what I tell you, okay?”

“Mum?”

“Yes, Nikki?”

“Please can we play this game again soon? Maybe she can come again?”

“Well, I only come once, but you can play with each other,” I said as I took three cloths from my bag and folded them.

“All right, we’ll play this again,” Tammy said, Anna nodding as she opened her mouth and I pushed the folded cloth in, doing the same for the two girls as they closed their lips over the stuffing. I then took from my bag a roll of white medical tape, and wrapped it round their heads, covering their mouths as they tried talking to each other.

“Now, I’m going to look round, so give yourselves ten minutes and start trying to get free,” I said as I looked at them, all three nodding as Tammy said “Fnku” through her gag. I left them alone, helped myself to the cash from Tammy’s purse, and then made my escape, making sure I was well away before they started to try to escape.

I called the police to make sure they were rescued – which is what happened. I know because when Steve showed me the Games Player Board, the two girls had become regulars, describing the games they played with their mum, taking turns as the victim and the robbers.

********

Pepper Holt was a reasonably well known actress, who also happened to be co-owner of one of those insurance companies you hear about on the television in the afternoon. As you can imagine, I had been planning this one for some time, preferably when she was at home and her husband, the other director of the company, was at work.

Anyway, a window of opportunity presented itself, one Saturday when I was watching the house and I saw him drive off – and I knew Pepper and their eight year old daughter were still at home. Making one of those snap decisions I have sometimes come to regret, I got out of the car, grabbed my rucksack and made my way across the road, putting on my gloves as I looked in the downstairs window. There did not appear to be anybody in the room, so I managed to open the front door and slip in, before pulling the stocking down over my head.

There was no sight or sound of anybody downstairs, but when I looked into the kitchen I saw there was a conservatory at the back, and Pepper was sitting there with little Primrose Holt on a swing chair. Primrose was wearing a sleeveless summer dress, a light blue background with a floral print top and a fringed skirt, with a pair of white Jelly sandals – and she also had a large pink cotton scarf tied like a bandana round her neck, the point reaching down to her waist at the front.

As for Pepper, she was wearing a blue two layered sleeveless smock top, the blue lace over a white underbody, held up by white straps over her shoulders. She was also wearing a pair of white pants, and brown sandals, while a purple scarf with coloured stripes hung loosely round her neck.

They were reading a book, so I decided to leave them to that for a few minutes, as I searched downstairs. Pepper’s purse was very full – until I took the notes – and I also found some rings and other jewellery, but I knew the real pickings would be in the safe I found in the study – and for that, I would need to play the game.

So I went back to the kitchen door, and waited until I heard Pepper say “let’s have a drink” and watched her come into the kitchen. I walked in as quickly as I could, hand gagged her from behind, and said “Don’t struggle – I promise you I won’t hurt you or Primrose if you play along with the game I’m going to take you through.”

She nodded as I removed my hand, and said “You’re him aren’t you – the Games Player.”

“That’s right,” I said, “so will you do what I tell you, to make it less scary for your daughter?”

“All right,” she said, “what are you going to do?”

“You’ll see,” I said as I pulled her scarf up and over her mouth, “just nod when I say so, all right?”

As I pulled her scarf tightly over her mouth, she grunted and nodded as I tied it to her head, and then took her by the arm and led her into the conservatory with the drink.

“Hello Primrose,” I said as she looked at me, “Mummy would like you to play a special game with her and me, once you have had your drink.”

“Is that right, mummy,” she said as she looked at Pepper, who nodded and said “Thstrhhtprmrs – jstagmmfrbbrs.”

“All right,” she said as she sipped her drink, “what are you going to do?”

“Well, I am the bad robber who has broken in and wants mummy to open her safe, but she won’t do it – until I find you and tell her to open it while I stop you from stopping her.”

“And when she does?”

“I’m going to make sure you and mummy are really comfortable and close together. Now, are you going to play?”

“All right – what happens now?”

“Well. Mummy is going to watch while I tape your wrists and arms,” I said as I took out a roll of wide black tape, “but I also need to keep you quiet. Which will it be first?”

“QUIET” Primrose said, so I untied the scarf from round her neck, folded it into a band and tied it over her mouth, keeping her long brown hair out of the way. I then crossed her wrists in front of her and taped them tightly together, before I wrapped some tape around her forearms and body to keep them in place.

“All right, mummy,” I said as I held Primrose by the shoulders, “let’s go through to your office, and I want you to open and empty the safe contents into this bag here.”

“Rullrrttmswt,” Pepper said, Primrose nodding as we walked through and she opened the safe up, both of us watching as she loaded her jewellery and other valuables into the bag.

“Is that everything,” I said as she closed the bag, Pepper nodding as Primrose giggled.

“Good – now, let’s go to mummy’s room, and then I’ll show you what we’re going to do.”

“Thssfnmmee,” Primrose giggled under her over the mouth gag as she tried to move her hands, the tape crinkling as she did so.

“Right,” I said as we went in, “I want mummy to sit on the bed, with her legs apart, and then you Primrose get to sit in front of her as she gives you a great big hug.”

“Cmnndrlnn,” Pepper said as she sat with her back against her headboard, and Primrose sat on the mattress in front of her, giggling as her mother wrapped her arms round her – and I wrapped tape around her forearms as they sat across her daughter’s stomach to keep them together. I also wrapped tape around both of them, securing Pepper’s arms above her elbows to her daughter as I held their upper bodies together.

“Elkktthshss,” Primrose said as she cuddled into her mother, before I said “now, I’m going to take the gags down for a few minutes, but keep nice and quiet as you talk, all right?”

They both nodded as I pulled the scarves down, and then straightened the skirt of Primrose’s dress, before I taped her legs together below her knees, and then her ankles side by side.

“We’re really close together, like he promised, aren’t we mummy,” Primrose said as she watched me wrap the black tape around her ankles.

“Yes we are – and in a minute, he’ll tape my ankles together as well,” she said.

“That’s right,” I said as I crossed her ankles, lifting Primrose’s legs up so her heels sat on Pepper’s thighs, and then taped them tightly together, before one more band secured the young girl’s calves to her mother’s thighs.

“Now then,” I said, “I need to make sure you both stay really quiet, so I’m going to ask you both to open your mouths while I use the scarf to stop you talking clearly. See how it works with mummy, Primrose.”

As Pepper opened her mouth wide, I pulled her scarf between her teeth, and watched as she said “wcntlkkrlffnneenw.”

“All right,” Primrose said as I cleave gagged her as well, and looked at both of them.

“Now then,” I said, “I’m going to pretend to go now – so enjoy your time together.”

“Fnksmstrrbbrrr” Primrose said as she wriggled her fingers at me, her mother nodding as I left them to enjoy the afternoon – and get the heck out of there.

********

It’s often in the simplest of things I find the sweetest of pictures. Let me illustrate with a recent tale. I had been looking into this family for some time, he was a moderately successful author, and had a lovely wife and a cute eight year old daughter. The mum was about five ten, with long blonde hair, while her daughter had lighter blonde hair.

The day I had decided to visit, I knew daddy was away on an overnight trip to promote a new book, so I had plenty of time to visit late afternoon, and make sure they were found before it was too late. I was parked outside their nice house when they pulled in from a shopping trip, and saw them get out. Mum was wearing a black leather jacket, jeans and flat shoes, while their little girl was wearing a long duffel coat and black boots.

Anyway, I watched them go into the house, and allowed them some time to get settled, before I got out of the car, collected my bag and walked quickly up to the front door. Putting a gloved hand on the door handle, I smiled as it opened and I slipped quickly inside.

I could hear music playing upstairs, so I took a moment to pull the stocking down over my head, and then walked slowly down the corridor, checking the rooms to make sure they were not in there, and then walked up the staircase. As I was halfway up, I heard a door open, and lay flat, watching as the daughter ran past in a dressing gown and went into a room.

“Not that one then,” I said to myself as I stood up. For this particular visit, I was wearing a black leather jacket and pants, with leather gloves as well, so I made as little noise as possible as I made my way along the corridor, and peeped into another bedroom. The mum was sitting on the bed, her back to the door, as she pulled on a pair of black leather boots and zipped them up the inside of her legs, covering the bottom half of her black leggings.

As she stood up, her maroon dress fell down to her knees, held up by the thin spaghetti straps over her shoulders. She walked over to the full length mirror in her wardrobe and looked at herself through her glasses, before she stopped and stared at the reflection.

The reflection that showed me standing in the doorway, smiling as I watched. “Please,” I said as I came in and closed the door, “don’t scream – remember you have an eight year old girl just down the corridor.”

She put her hands on her head, and said “oh god – please, don’t…”

“No, I’m not going to do that,” I said as I walked towards her, “all I want are your valuables, but I’m afraid you’re going to have to spend some time unable to move or speak. Just stay calm, and we’re going to have a good time.”

“What about Emily…”

I slipped off my rucksack and said “Look, I’m afraid she will be tied up with you, but if you pretend this is a game, it will help her to stay calm. You never know, she might even enjoy it.”

“Enjoy it? She’ll be terrified – I’m terrified…”

“Trust me, and help her to believe it’s a game, and you’ll be just fine.” I looked at her, and said “were you going out?”

“A mother and daughter evening,” she said as the door opened, and eight year old Emily came in. She was wearing an identical dress to her mother, which came over her knees, and a pair of brown leather boots with a floral print on the side.

“Hey mum – who is this?”

She looked at me, and said “this man is a friend from work – I asked him to come and play a special game with us before we go to the party.”

“Oh I like games,” Emily said, “why is he wearing a mask?”

“I’m a very bed man who has come to see what he can find in your home,” I said with a smile, “so I’m afraid you and mummy are going to have to be kept nice and safe in the same place. Don’t worry, it will be fun.”

“Okay – mum, can you do my hair for me?”

“Of course I can,” she said as Emily walked over to her, and put her light blonde hair into two little pigtails on top of her head.

“Okay,” I said quietly, “why don’t you come over here and sit on the side of mummy’s bed, and then put your hands together in front of you.”

As they did so, I took a length of cord from my rucksack, and crossed her mother’s wrists in front of her, Emily watching as I took the rope around and between her wrists. As I tied it off, she said “Will you do that to me as well?”

“That’s right, “I said, “don’t be scared, it won’t hurt.”

Once I had her wrists tied together in front of her, I took another length of rope and tied it round her waist, making sure it kept her wrist in front of her as she smiled at me.

“Right – Mum’s going to lie down on the bed, and I’m going to make sure she can’t move her wrists, and then you get to lie next to her, all right?”

Emily nodded as her mum lay on her back, her head resting on a pillow while I took her bound wrists above her head and tied them to the headboard. As she tried to move, Emily said “you look nice like that mummy?”

“Thanks sweetheart,” she said as Emily lay down next to her and put her head on her mum’s chest, watching as I tied her ankles tightly together, the rope going between her legs, and then tied her legs together below her knees.

“Will you do that to me as well,” she said as she listened to the sound of her mum’s leather boots squeaking while she rubbed her legs together.

“I will – and it’s not uncomfortable is it?”

Her mum shook her head, and smiled – a real, genuine smile as I took some more cord and tied Emily’s ankles tightly together, and then her legs below her knees, folding her skirt up a little to do so before I folded it back down again. I then took one last length of rope, and tied Emily’s ankles to her mother’s knees.

“All right then,” I said as I returned to my bag, “I want you both to close your eyes and pretend that you cannot see.”

“Let’s play this together,” her mum said as they both closed their eyes and talked quietly to each other, the only other sound the squeak of leather as I carefully searched the room and pocketed some very nice items of jewellery.

“Okay,” I said eventually, “the masked man has come to make sure you’re still unable to move, so you can open your eyes now.”

As they did so, they saw I had a wide roll of brown sticking plaster in my hand. “You both need to stay nice and quiet now,” I said with a smile as I removed the mother’s glasses, “while you both stay here. So give me a big smile, and then keep your lips together.”

I tore a long strip off, and smiled at Emily, laughing as she stuck her tongue out and then allowed me to smooth the fabric over her mouth.

“Just relax – someone will be along eventually,” I said quietly as I tore off a second strip.

“Thank you,” her mum said before I gagged her, and she rubbed her cheek on Emily’s head, the two of them watching as I left the room, and searched the rest of the house.

That smile though – it stays in the mind…

Return to the Relative Perils index

Return to the main index