The
Games Players – Visiting the Lord
Harkness Manor is set in several acres
of prime countryside in the Chilterns, a veritable seat of local power – and
one the current Lord Harkness lives in with his wife Edwina and a live-in
housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson. They also
regularly had their grandchildren over to stay – four girls and one boy,
ranging in age from six to eleven. Tammy
was spending the weekend with my parents which meant the research I had done
into the family and the residence could be put to very good use that Saturday –
by both myself and Janna.
I decided to wear a denim shirt, jeans
and trainers, while Janna was wearing a brown jumper and leggings with knee
length brown boots. We both drove in our
car to Harkness village, and parked in the main car park before we walked along
the quiet street, each of us carrying a rucksack.
As we approached the Manor House, we
looked all round, and then quickly made our way up the driveway. We only just made it to the side of the house
before a car pulled up, and I looked round the corner to see Lord Harkness step
out. He is a tall, grey-haired
gentleman, wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and a striped tie. He then heled his wife out, who was wearing a
grey jacket and skirt with a white blouse under the jacket.
Looking at my watch, I saw it was 1.30,
so we both made our way to the back of the house, putting on leather gloves as
we did so and then pulling the stockings down over our heads. The kitchen door was open, and as we let
ourselves in we could hear Lord and Lady Harkness talking to their
housekeeper. There were also plates of
sandwiches and drinks on the large wooden table. We both heard the front door open and close,
and then two sets of footsteps – one heading upstairs, and the other towards
the kitchen.
Janna and I stood either side of the
door as Lady Harkness came in – and stopped in her tracks as I said “Good
Morning – please, do not scream or raise the alarm, and no harm will come to
you.”
“Who – who are you?”
“Us?,” Janna said with a smile, “we’re
here to rob you.”
“Oh no – you’re…”
We then heard footsteps coming down, and
I put my finger to my lips as we heard Lord Harkness say “I told them we’d call
them down for lunch in a few…” He
stopped as he saw us, and I said “Good afternoon, Lord Harkness – please, do
not panic or try to raise the alarm…”
“Andrew, please…”
He looked at his wife, and then at us,
noticing the guns we held for the first time.
He stared at us both before he said quietly “Who are you? What do you want?”
“Well,” Janna said as she smiled, “as I
was telling your wife, we are here to rob you.”
“All right,” he said quietly, “take what
you want, we won’t stop you.”
“Ah – I should have been clearer,” Janna
said, “we are also going to have your grandchildren play a game with you – all
of them.”
“Oh,” he said quietly, “so you are the
Games Players?”
“Yes.”
Lady Harkness walked over to her husband
and turned a real look of concern on her face as she said “please – don’t hurt
them or us, we will do whatever you want but leave them alone…”
“Edwina,” her husband said as he looked
at her, “we won’t have a choice. I have
heard of them – so long as we make it a game for the children, they won’t
panic, and we will all get through this.
You promise you will not hurt us?”
“So long as everyone plays,” I said “we
will be fine.”
Janna nodded as she said “so, we will
all go upstairs, tell the children about the game, and then bring you all down
to the main room.”
Lord Harkness nodded as he said “May I
ask one thing of you? I promised them
they could have some lunch – if we take this through to the room first, and
then tell them the ‘bad robbers’ are going to let them eat before they are tied
up, then it will be more of a game for them.
Will you do this for us?”
I nodded and said “that is fair – if you
will help Lady Harkness take the plates in, my dear, we will bring the drinks.”
Janna nodded as she and Lady Harkness
carried the plates between them. Lord
Harkness looked at me, and said “I have your word, we will be left unharmed and
not in any real danger?”
“So long as everyone plays along, you
have my word,” I said as we placed the drinks next to the plates on a low
table. “Now, raise your hands in the
air, and walk up the stairs with us – it’s time to meet the children.”
The four of us walked up the staircase,
and Janna opened the door to a large playroom before we all walked in. There were five children in there – two
watching the television, the other three playing a game on the floor.
I could see it was the two oldest of
their grandchildren watching the television – an eleven-year-old girl and a ten-year-old
boy. The girl was wearing a pink and
white striped vest, and denim shorts, while the boy was wearing a blue checked
shirt with jeans. From our research, I
knew this had to be Elaine and Eric.
Then there were the other three
grandchildren – three girls, an eight-year-old girl wearing a blue sleeveless
blouse with denim shorts, a seven-year-old in a dark pink t-shirt and denim
shorts, and then finally a six-year-old who had a set of denim bib shorts on
over a blue and pink floral blouse.
“What’s going on Grandfather,” the boy
said as they all stared at me and Janna.
Lord Harkness looked at his wife, and then said “Well, these are two
actors that we have hired to play a game with all of you – and us.”
“A game?
What sort of game,” he said.
“A game of Hostages, Eric – Elaine,
Peri, Bobbi, Pam,” his wife said as she looked at each of the children, “we
would like you to play along as well.”
Eric looked at his grandfather, before
the three younger girls stood up, Peri saying “that sounds like fun, Grappy –
we’ll play as well. Elaine, Eric?”
Elaine nodded as she stood up as well,
Janna smiling as she said “Fantastic – all of you, put your hands in the air
like your grandparents, and then walk in single file down to the main room in
front of me.”
We watched as they stood in a line, their
hands in the air as Janna followed them and then I went behind Lord and Lady
Harkness as they went down. As we walked
into the room, Janna said “you can have some lunch while my friend makes sure
your grandparents will not be able to raise the alarm.”
All five of them knelt at the table and
started to eat the sandwiches as I slipped off my rucksack, and took out a
length of rope before crossing Lord Harkness’ wrists behind his back, and
making sure they were tightly secured together.
I then moved across and made sure that Lady Harkness would not be able
to move her hands back round again as well.
I saw Elaine was looking at us, and then
he said “Are you going to do that to us as well?”
“Yes, we are,” Janna said with a smile,
“but it’s not something to be afraid of.
Part of the game of Hostages means we make sure everyone cannot raise
the alarm or stop me and my friend.”
“It’s all right – it doesn’t hurt at
all,” Lord Harkness said as I took out and doubled over a longer length of rope,
then passed it round his body and pulled it tight so that his arms were forced against
his sides. I took it round several times
around his stomach and his upper arms, before securing the ends together behind
his back.
The children continued to have their
lunch as I bound Lady Harkness as well, her jacket opening slightly under the bands
of rope, and then asked them both to sit on the floor in front of a Georgian
short couch. Taking more ropes, I knelt
down and made sure their ankles were as tightly secured as their wrists, and
then their legs held together below their knees, the children watching the whole
time.
Lady Harkness twisted round, and then
said “your grandfather is right – it doesn’t hurt, and you don’t have to be
afraid.”
“So,” Janna said as she opened her own
rucksack, and took out ropes, “which of you wants to be first?”
“I’ll go first,” Eric said as he stood
up and stood with his hands behind his back, “if we are going to be tied up, I
need to show that I’m not afraid.”
“Thank you,” Janna said as she walked
over, the girls watching as she wrapped the shorter length of rope round his
wrists and secured them together. She
then passed the longer length of rope round his arms and stomach, pulling it
tight and then securing the ends after cinching them between his arms and body.
Eric twisted round and smiled as Janna
said “go and sit at one end of that long couch – who is going to be next.”
“I’ll go next,” Elaine said as she stood
up, and allowed Janna to bind her wrists and arms in the same way as her
brother, before she sat next to him on the couch. After that, I watched with Lord and Lady
Harkness as one by one the other girls had their upper bodies secured, and were
helped to sit on the same couch.
“Your turn,” Janna said to me as she
stood with the grandparents, and I took more ropes out of my rucksack, kneeling
in front of Eric and making sure his ankles were secured together, as well as
his legs below his knees. All five
grandchildren were wearing white socks, so their ankles were protected, but a
few minutes later hey all were moving their legs up and down over the edge of
the seat.
“Comfy?”
They nodded as Janna said “good – now, I
am going to have a look round and see what the bad robbers could steal. If you all promise not to shout or raise the
alarm, you can watch something – do you promise to do that?”
All five nodded as she turned the
television on, halfway through Raiders of the Lost Ark. Eric was happy, but the girls less so as I
sat and looked at them.
“Don’t worry,” I said as I watched Janna
walk out. “We can put a film on for you to watch before we leave.
“Quietly.”
“Are you all right? It doesn’t hurt, does it,” Lady Harkness said
as she looked over to the long couch.
“It feels funny,” Pam said, “but nice as
well, as if you’re hugging me Grammy.”
Bobbi and Peri nodded in agreement as
Lord Harkness said “I’m glad you are all having fun.”
“I am now,” Elaine said, “but it feels
funny when I try to move.”
“Try to stay still,” Lady Harkness said
with a smile, “even with your brother next to you.”
“How are you doing, Eric,” I asked as I
looked at him.
“I’ll cope,” he said, but he blushed as
he said that, and then watched the film.
“You know they are going to gag us,”
Lady Harkness whispered to her husband.
He nodded, and said “yes – but I don’t know how…”
Eventually, Janna came back in and
nodded a s stood up – and then she took from her rucksack a large roll of
silver duct tape. Tearing a length free,
she looked at Eric and said “it’s time to make sure you all stay quiet – put
your lips together, Eric.”
He nodded as Janna pressed the strip
down over his mouth, and then two more, before he watched her move down the
couch and use three strips of tape for each of the children to keep them
quiet. The film was coming to an end, as
she passed the roll of tape to me and I knelt next to Lady Harkness.
“Thank you for keeping your word,” she
whispered before I gagged her, and then Lord Harkness, while Janna went over
and started a new film.
“Hghrhttt,” Eric mumbled as a Barbie
movie started, and Elaine nudged against him, giggling under the tape.
“Now,” I said as I looked at them, “just
sit quietly and watch the film. The game
ends when someone comes to your rescue – but until then, remain calm and don’t
struggle or call for help. All right?”
They all nodded as Janna and I picked up
our rucksacks and left the room. She showed
me the jewellery and valuables she had found, as we let ourselves out of the
back door, took off our masks and gloves, and made our way back to the car
park…
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