The Games Players – Lord of The Manor

“Lord Harkness, thank you for coming in to give your statement this morning. May we ask how Lady Harkness and the children are?”

“Surprisingly well, all things considered – in a way, I admire them for the way they conducted themselves when they robbed us, but still…”

“Quite – so, according to the initial statement you gave, you and Lady Harkness returned home at about 1.30 that afternoon?”

“That is correct – Edwina and I had to visit our accountants that morning, and as we arrived Mrs Benson, our housekeeper, was preparing to head out.”

“she had been watching the children up to that point?”

“Exactly – anyway, as I said, we had been to the accountants so even though we were not working we both wore business dress. Edwina was waring her grey jacket and skirt, and a white blouse with black leather heels, and I was wearing a dark suit with a shirt and striped tie.

“Mrs Benson said she would be back by four, and there was some food prepared for lunch as she left the manor house. We saw her off, and then I went to check on the children while Edwina went into the kitchen to see what had been left.”

“For the record, Lord Harkness, how many of your grandchildren were at the manor house that day?”

“There were five of them – Elaine, the oldest, is eleven, and Eric is ten. Then there was eight year old Peri, seven year old Bobbi and six year old Pam. I looked in the playroom, and saw Elaine and Eric were watching something on the television while the other three were playing a game on the floor.

Eric looked over and said hello, so I told him we’d both come up and tell them lunch was ready in a few minutes, before I closed the door and made my way back down to the kitchen. I walked in, and…”

“And Lady Harkness was not alone.”

“And, as you say, Lady Harkness was not alone. There were two other people with her – a man and a woman.”

“Can you describe what they were wearing?”

“The man was wearing a denim shirt, jean and trainers, and the woman a brown jumper and leggings with knee length brown boots. They both had on leather gloves - and they both had a stocking or something pulled down over their heads as a disguise.”

“Did they identify themselves?”

“Not at first- but I saw Edwina had a worried look on her face, as the man said not to panic or raise the alarm – and then I saw the guns they were both holding, so I knew this had to be some sort of robbery or kidnapping.”

“You were worried?”

“Obviously – but right then, my primary concern was for Edwina, and then for the children upstirs. I was hoping we could let them do whatever they were going to do without disturbing them. As it turned out, that was not going to be possible?”

“Of course – please, continue Your Lordship.”

“Well, I asked who they were and what they wanted. The woman smiled and said she and her partner were there to rob us – which answered my first question. They then answered my second question, by saying they knew the children were at the house - and they would be playing a game with me and my wife.”

“And that identified them for you?”

“As clear as daylight – I asked them if they were the people known as The Games Players, and they concurred with that assessment. Edwina blanched at that, and pleaded with them not to hurt us or the children – but I told her that as I understood them, so long as we pretended it was a game and got them to play along, we would not be so badly off.

“Edwina looked at them as the masked woman said we were going to see the children, and then we would all come down to the main room. I asked them if they would allow one indulgence – they would be hungry, and some lunch had been left for them. If the ‘bad robbers’ would allow them to eat lunch in there first, then it would be more of a game for them.”

Edwina stared at me, but the man nodded and said that would be a good idea – so she stood up, and with the masked woman they started o carry the plates of sandwiches through. As they did, I asked the man to assure me we would not be left in any real danger and left unharmed. He nodded and agreed that would be the case – so long as everyone played their part.”

“So the lunch was taken to the front room?”

“That’s right – then they made us put our hands in the air, and walked us up to the playroom. I have to say, he children were remarkable calm when we came in, and they saw both of the masked intruders.

Eric asked what was going on, and I looked at Edwina, before Is aid we had hired these two actors to play the parts of robbers, so that we could al play a game of hostages together. He looked at me in strange way, but then Perri, Bobbi and Pam and stood up and said that sounded like a fun idea, so he nodded and Elaine agreed as well. So in mind, the first obstacle was over – they would do what we and thew Players asked them to do.”

“For the record, Lord Harkness, what were the children wearing?”

“Let me see… Elaine was wearing a pink and white striped vest and a denim skirt, and Eric a blue checked shirt with jeans. Perri had on a blue sleeveless blouse with denim shorts, Bobbi a dark pink t-shirt and denim shorts, and Pam a bleu and pink floral blouse under denim bib shorts.”

“Thank you – so the kids all accepted this was a game you and Lady Harkness had arranged?”

“To my great surprise, yes – so the masked woman told all the children to stand up and put their hands in the air, and then to walk in a single line down to the main room. After she followed them, Edwina and I came with the man, and we all went into the front room. The kids looked at the food and drink on the low table, as they were told they could sit down and have some lunch, while the ‘bad man’ made sure their grandparents would not be able to raise the alarm.

“He started with me – taking off a rucksack and pulling out of it a length of rope, and then taking my hands behind my back. I felt him crossing my wrists, and then the rope rubbing on my skin as he bound them tightly together. When he had finished – and he was fast – I could not move my wrists apart. I glanced to the side and watched as he took Edwina’s hands behind her back and started to bind them together with another length of rope.

“That was when I heard Elaine ask if the woman was going to do that to them as well – and she said they were, but it was nothing to be afraid of. Part of the game was making sure we could not stop them, or raise the alarm, and I said it didn’t hurt, Edwina nodding in agreement.”

“So they bound your wrists?”

“Indeed – and then they tied some longer ropes around both of us, so that our arms were held firmly against our sides, and we could only twist round. The kids kept eating their lunch as Edwina and I were helped to sit on the floor, in front of a small two seater couch, and watch as the male Player secured our ankles together, and then our legs below our knees.

“So we were tied up – and we could only watch as they made sure, one by one, the kids were tied up as tightly as we were.”

“So who was first?”

“Eric – he said if we were going to be tied up, then we had to see he was not afraid, so he turned round and put his hands behind his back while the female Player took some rope and tied his wrists tightly together behind his back. The other girls watched as she then wrapped the rope around his stomach so that his arms were then held against his sides, before he sat at one end of the long couch.

“Elaine said she would go next, as she put her carton down and allowed the female Player to bind her wrists behind her back, and then the rope around her arms and stomach as well.”

“what were the other three children doing?”

“They were watching Elaine and Eric as he wriggled round on the couch – and then Elaine was sat next to him, before one by one the other three had their wrists and arms secured, and were helped to sit on the bed.

“So by the time the masked woman had finished, all five of them were sitting side by side, their feet sticking over the edge of the seat. The man then took a lot of lengths of rope and, starting with Eric, made sure their ankles were bound tightly together, as well as their legs below their knees. The female Player told them that they were going to be able to watch a program, so long as they did not make a loud noise or try to call for help while she went to have a look round – and the Male Player sat in a chair to keep an eye on all of us.”

“so he stayed with all of you?”

“That’s right – Edwina and I talked to the kids, made sure they were all right, and that they were not afraid or worried about anything. As it was, there was an Indiana Jones movie playing on the television – and the male Player promised the younger girls before they left, they would put something on for them to watch.

“Quietly.”

“You and Lady Harkness understood what he meant by that?”

“Yes, we did. We knew they ewer going to do something to stop us raising the alarm when they left – we just did not know what at that time.”

“When did you find out?”

“When the female Player came back in. She had in her hand a roll of silver tape, and when she tore a length off she told Eric to put his lips together, and stay calm. One by one she used lengths of the tape to cover the mouths of each of our grandchildren, three strips for each one, so that they looked as if they had silver panels over their chins and below their nose.

“He then gagged Edwina and I, before the film finished. I heard Eric’s muffled groan as a Barbie movie came on, and Elaine’s giggle under the tape as she nudged him.

“The two Players then told them to sit quietly and watch the film, then the game would be over when someone came to free them. They left us there, to watch the film and try not to struggle.”

“How long did you have to wait?”

“Not too long – it was about 3.30 when they left, and Mrs Benson actually got back about an hour later. She was shocked to see us, but she peeled the tape away from our mouths and freed me before she went and called your colleagues. We worked out they had taken a fair amount of our valuables – but we were just so grateful the kids had not been scared the whole time.”

“So something positive came from it?”

“In a strange way, yes.”

“Thank you, Lord Harkness….”

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