A Tale of Two Katies
“Oh now look
at this one Katie – I think this would look lovely on your sideboard in the new
flat.”
The young
woman looked over at her boss and shook her head – Katy Harmond
knew a lot about interior design, but very little about her assistant’s
personal taste. The young woman had
worked with Katy for a year now, and had learned a lot, but she had her own
style of dressing, completely different from the grey haired woman who was
walking round the room.
Katy had
short hair, cut in a bob round her face, and was wearing a blue denim jacket
over a yellow rugby shirt, a knee length skirt with a sky pattern on it, green
legging and red ankle socks, with her feet in a pair of red leather booties. By contrast, Katie wore her blonde hair long,
and was wearing a black crushed velvet jacket over a boho
top, with a beige body and long green sleeves, black skinny jeans and patterned
loafers. She also had two strings of
large beads around her neck, in contrast to her employers gold necklace that
sat under her top, and wore large rimmed glasses.
“Well, I
think we have everything we need, Miss Holder,” Katy said as the client came
back in, “I’ll draw up the preliminary sketches and get them back to you in due
course. Until then?”
The two women
shook hands as Katie collected her notepad, and they both left the large
detached house, climbing into the Daimler before they drove off.
“Right,” Katy
said, “back to the office and we can start to pull this together.”
“Yeah Boss,”
Katie said with a sigh. That usually
meant a late night, and her plans changed for about the fiftieth time that
year.
As they
pulled into the driveway of the house, Katie noticed with passing interest the
grey transit van parked in the road outside, before Katy stopped the car and
got out.
“I’ll put the
kettle on,” she said as she opened the front door, “you go through and start
the computer up.”
“On it,”
Katie called out as she put her bag on the table, and then walked into the back
room, turning on the computer as she sat down.
It was only when she looked up that she saw the man standing there, his
finger on his lips as he pointed the very real looking gun at her.
In the
kitchen, Katy was busy putting the coffee maker on and finding mugs. So busy it took her a while to realise that
there was something not quite right. She
looked round the kitchen – everything seemed to be in place, and the breeze
through the crack in the open back door was cooling and refreshing.
“Hang on,”
she suddenly said, “the breeze from the mmmmmgmmmmm.”
The leather
gloved hand over her mouth made her open her eyes wide in surprise and shock,
as a deep, calm voice said “Please, do not shout or scream. It would be most unbecoming of a lady of your
obvious taste, and besides – it would do you no good.”
She caught a
glimpse of the steel blade next to her, and slowly nodded, whimpering as the
voice continued “Now, will you be so good as to do exactly what I say?”
She nodded as
the voice continued “and if I remove my hand, you will remain quiet?”
“Ysss,” she said as she stared ahead, and then the hand was
removed. She slowly turned to see a man
standing there, dressed from head to foot in black. A leather jacket, trousers
and shoes, gloves, and balaclava showing only his eyes and mouth. The most striking thing was his height – he
stood at least six foot seven, even allowing for the shoes.
“Good
afternoon, Katy,” he said as he put the knife on the table, “Allow me to
introduce myself. My name is Mister
Tall.”
“You don’t
so,” Katy replied, and the masked man had the good grace to smile.
“Indeed – and
it is with deep regret that I say my companion and I intend to rob your lovely
home this afternoon. Can I count on your
assurance you will co-operate and do whatever I say?”
“I have
a… You companion? KATIE!”
“I did ask
you not to shout – your assistant is almost certainly with him now. Shall we go and join them?”
“I have a
choice?”
“Regretfully,
no,” Mister Tall said as he took her arm and led her through to the office. She saw Katie sitting in the chair by the
computer, and then turned to see another man dressed in black, this one the
same height as her.
“Mister
Small, may I present Katy, the mistress of this house?”
“Charmed, I’m
sure,” Mister Small said.
“What’s going
on,” Katie said as she looked over.
“A robbery –
just do whatever they say, and I’m assured we will be fine, right?”
“You have my
personal guarantee,” Mister Tall said with a slight bow. “May I ask you to come and sit in this
comfortable looking leather chair, while your employer takes a seat there?”
Katie slowly
stood up and walked over, sitting in the char as Katy took her place in the
computer chair.
“Mister
Small?”
The two women
watched as the smaller of the two intruders put a rucksack on the desk, and
withdrew several lengths of white rope.
He then walked over and knelt behind Katy, guiding her hands behind the
chair back before her crossed her wrists and started to bind them together, the
rope tightening with each pass.
“I regret
that we must secure you here,” Mister Tall said, and Katie thought she could
hear a tinge of genuine regret in there, “but we have to make sure you are
unable to prevent our work or raise the alarm for a while.”
As he spoke,
Mister Small tied her wrists down to the chair support, and then stated to bind
her arms to her sides and her body to the chair, the rope tightening over her
and pulling her denim jacket to the sides as he did so. She squirmed a little, but it was no use,
especially when he passed the rope under her arms to tighten the chest bands
even more.
“A very
fetching necklace,” Mister Small said as he unfastened the clasp and removed it
from Katy’s neck, “I hope you will not mind if we take it as well.”
“We have a
choice,” Katie snapped back, making Mister Tall say “Of course you have a
choice, dear lady – co-operate or not.
All I will say is co-operation would be in your best interests – and infinitely
more comfortable.”
He then put
his gloved hand under her beads and lifted them up.
“I have to admit,
I personally have never quite understood the fascination for big chunky
jewellery, but rather I prefer the finesse and art involved in fine gemwork.”
Katie looked
up at the man and said “You think you are in a position to comment on that to
me?”
“Katie
for goodness sake!”
“If I were
you,” the tall masked man said, “I would listen to your employer, Katy. Mister Small, are we satisfied she is
secure?”
“Quite
satisfied, Mister Tall,” the second man said as he tied Katy’s ankles back
under the chair.
“Very well
then, we can proceed. We need to look at
the contents of your safe, Katy, so please inform your assistant here of the
combination, and then she can open it for us.”
“I’ll do no
such thing!” Katie looked at her boss,
who was watching Mister Small secure her legs below her knees. “How can you let them do this to you?”
“Well, for
one thing he has a gun,” Katy said as she wriggled round, “and for another
thing, it is just money in the end. Your… Our safety is far more important.”
“An
eminently sensible outlook on the situation, Katy.
So, the combination if you please?”
As Katy gave
the code for the safe, Mister Small rolled up a large red scarf and tied a knot
in the middle of the silk band.
“Thank you,
Katy,” Mister Tall said quietly. “Now,
with deep regret, we must ask you to open your mouth and allow Mister Small to
silence you somewhat.”
“As you
wish,” the older woman said as she opened her mouth, and felt the silk knot
push her tongue down while the band was tied tightly round her head.
“Mister
Small, if you will take care of the upstairs rooms, young Katie and I will take
care of the safe. If
you please?”
Katie looked
over at her employer, who nodded and watched as she got off the seat, walked
over and knelt in front of the safe, typing in the code and then opening it.
“Splendid,”
Mister Tall said from behind her as she stood up, “now, kindly put your hands
behind your back.”
“My turn now,
I suppose,” she said, but she did as she was asked, and felt the cords tighten
around her wrists as Mister Tall bound them together behind her back, keeping
the ropes over the cuffs of her top.
“Oh,” she
said quietly as she then felt the rope around her arms and body, pulling them
into her sides under her chest, “do you have to do that as well? I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know – but
we have a professional standard to maintain,” Mister Tall said as he wound the
rope around her arms, above and below her chest, before tying the ropes off at
the centre of her back.
“Forgive us,
Katy,” he then said as he picked u the bag, “but I must make your young
assistant comfortable secure in a different room. I will return shortly.”
Katy nodded
as Mister Tall took Katie by the arm and led her into the front room, sitting
her down on a long couch before he knelt in front of her, crossed her ankles
and started to bind them tightly together as well.
“Dntwrreee,” Katy said as she wriggled in the chair “wrsttrllssfff.”
“So long as
you keep still you are, dear lady,” Mister Tall said as he looked over, “I
would hate to think you would hurt yourself by tipping that chair over.”
Katy suddenly
stopped and watched as Mister Tall bound Katie’s legs together below her knees,
and then went back over to the safe, emptying the contents into his bag.
“All done upstairs,
Mister Tall,” Mister Small said as he came back in.
“Excellent –
if you would kindly help the young lady to stay quiet.”
Katie watched
as the smaller of the two masked men took a black scarf from his bag, rolled it
and tied a knot in the middle of the band, and then walked over to her.
“I don’t have
a choice, do I,” she said as she tried to move.
“Not really
on this one – it will get more comfortable in time, I promise you.”
Nodding, she
opened her mouth and tasted the silk as the knot pressed her tongue down, the
band against her skin as it was tied tightly round her head.
“For your own
safety,” Mister Small then said as he removed the strings of beads from Katie’s
neck, and left them on the table by the computer.
“There now,”
Mister Tall said as he closed the safe door, “I think our business here is
concluded. Our apologies for the
inconvenience ladies, but sometimes it is a necessary evil.” He turned the radio on, the music covering
their muffled speaking
Both women
watched as the two men packed away their remaining gear and picked up their
rucksacks. “The Gentlemen Robbers bid
you adieu – may we never meet again.”
They watched
as the two masked men left, listening to their footsteps receding in the
distance, and then Katie started to try and free herself.
“Cllmdwnnktee,” her employer said, “twntnddnegd. Jstrlx.”
The younger
girl nodded and closed her eyes, hoping someone would come looking for them
soon…
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