Opening Day
Opening for business today
New You – the boutique for the Now You
“it’s almost
time,” Suzie said as she looked at the small crowd of young women who were
waiting on the Kensington High Road outside the store front, “looks like we’re
going to have a busy day.”
“Well we
should do – after all, that preview article in the Times Magazine helped, and
we have the best designers of 1979 selling us goods,” Carol said as she looked
at her two friends. They had graduated
from Fashion School in the last year, and each invested in the store. They had a prime location, next to a branch
of Williams and Glyn bank, and with the help of Fiona MacKenzie, who had been
in the school a couple of years above them, they had the publicity right.
Carol was
wearing a short sleeved white blouse over tight trousers, a thin cream leather
belt round her waist and cream thigh high leather boots up her legs. The boots had a three inch square heel, as
did those that completed the outfits of Suzie and Madeline, but her personal
touch was the white fedora she wore over her long dark hair.
Madeline, the
third partner in the group, had blonde hair cut in a Farrah Fawcett cut, and
wore a brown v-necked sweater, blue jeans and brown leather thigh high boots,
while Suzie had curly chestnut brown hair.
She had on a dark blue velvet blouse, grey corduroy pants with a cloth
striped belt fastened round her waist, and over the knee black leather boots.
“Well –
ready?”
“Let’s do
this,” Madeline said as Carol unlocked and opened the door, smiling as she
called our “Welcome all of you – come along in.
We’re waiting to serve you.”
She smiled as
she stood to one side, the woman walking in as Madeline and Suzie stood behind
the counter...
The store was
kept busy all day, so that the three girls lost count of how many people were
going in and out, using the curtained off changing rooms as they did so. Their focus was on the customers, their
purchases, and enjoying the day.
It was after
six before the last customer was finally escorted out, Suzie closing and
locking the door and moving the door sign to “closed” before she leaned back
and let out a long sigh.
“that – was
ridiculous,” she finally said, “how about I put the kettle on and make some tea
while you cash up?”
“Go on – I
could use that Oooh,” Madeline said with a sigh as Carol opened the till, and
took the bank notes out. Suzie nodded as
she went through the store room at the back, and into a small kitchen
area. Picking up the kettle, she filled
it with water from the tap, before putting it on the larger of the two rings on
the Belling mini-stove and turning it on.
She then took
a brown pottery teapot, and rinsed it out in the sink while the ring slowly
turned red under the kettle. Putting the
teapot to one side, she found three mugs and sniffed the milk in the bottle,
before pouring a little into each of the mugs.
As she did this, a low whistling sound started to come from the kettle
as the water came to the boil.
As the
whistling reached a high pitch, she opened a tin caddy, and then turned off the
ring. Pouring some of the hot water into
the teapot, she rinsed it out and poured the water into the sink, before
scooping several teaspoons of tea leaves into the pot and filling it with more
hot water.
Stirring the
brew, she put the lid in the pot and said “want some digestives with this?”
“If they’re
not too soft,” Carol called back.
Nodding, Suzie put some biscuits onto a plate, and then put the teapot,
mugs and plate onto a tray, as well as a tea strainer.
“There we
go,” she said as she came back in, and placed the tray on the shop
counter. “How did we do today?”
“Absolutely
no complaints,” Madeline said as she picked up the teapot and poured the amber
liquid through the fine mesh of the strainer, the tea leaves collecting as she
filled all three mugs.
“That’s
better,” Carol said as she sipped her mug, while Madeline put a large money bag
into her large shoulder bag. “Just what
we need at the end of a busy day – thanks Carol.”
“So what do
you want to do tonight?”
“Well, we put
this into the night safe,” Madeline said as she patted the side of her bag,
“and then I heard of this great new club near...”
“I’m sorry,”
a female voice said, “but you may need to rethink your plans for tonight.”
All three
looked round to see two women coming out of the changing area, wearing sweaters
and jeans – as well as scarves tied round the lower half of their faces, covering their mouths and noses. They also were wearing thick leather gloves,
and one of them was pointing a sawn off shotgun at the trio.
“What the
hell...”
“By all
means, finish your tea,” the one holding the gun said as she looked at them,
“but if any of you do anything to raise the alarm, you all die. I hope that is perfectly clear?”
“Perfectly
clear,” Carol said quietly, “is this a robbery?”
“Well, yes –
and no,” the first woman said as she put a canvas holdall on the floor. “Don’t worry – your takings are safe. We’re after bigger things – and unfortunately
for you, the way to those bigger things lies through your store. So just do as we tell you, and everything
will be fine.”
The three
women looked at each other, and then nervously sipped their tea as the two
masked women watched.
Eventually,
the armed girl said “right – all three of you, over here, out of sight of the
windows.”
“What are you
going to do to us,” Suzie asked as they walked slowly over.
“We need to
keep you out of the way for a little while, and make sure you can’t disturb
us,” the other woman said, the girls watching as she opened the duffle bag and
drew out several lengths of coarse brown rope.
“so stand in a line, facing the wall, and put your hands behind your
back.”
“Look, you
don’t have to...”
“Don’t
argue,” the armed woman said in a menacing voice to Suzie.
“Just do as
they say,” Clare whispered, the other two nodding as they faced the wall. Suzie bit her lower lip as she felt the
masked woman crossing her wrist, and then the rough cords as her wrists were
pulled tightly together.
“Hey – that
hurts.”
“Deal with
it,” was the only reply as the cords were pulled even more tightly around and
between her arms, and then the ends tied off out of reach of her fingers. She looked over her shoulder as the woman moved
on to Clare, and the cords rubbed against her bare flesh while she secured her
wrists together.
“It’s all
right Madeline,” Claire said as the third girl had her wrists secured, “we’re
all in this together, so remain calm.”
The blonde nodded as they were all turned round, the armed woman saying
“sit down, feet flat on the floor.”
As they
managed to sit on the floor, the three of them watched as their ankles were
secured by more lengths of brown rope, each of them trying not to laugh at the
sound the rope made as it rubbed on their leather boots. Once their ankles were secured, they watched
as yet more rope was used to secure their legs together above their knees,
Suzie hearing not only the sound of leather rubbing on leather, but the squeak
of her corduroy pants as she tried to move her legs.
Finally, the
woman took two lengths of brown rope, and used them to secure Clare to the two
other girls at their arms.
“Good – time
we kept them quiet.”
“Look, we’ll
be quiet, you don’t have to do anything to stop us talking,” Clare said as she
wriggled round.
“You speak as
if you have a choice – you don’t.”
All three
girls watched as she produced from the bag a roll of brown sticking plaster,
and tore off a long strip. Squatting
down, she brushed the hair away from Suzie’s face, before she said “pucker
those lips – time to keep you quiet.”
Suzie scowled
at the masked woman, but she knew she had no choice, as she felt her press the
brown fabric firmly over her mouth, the adhesive tugging at her skin as it
formed to the shape of her jaw.
“Hmggddtrllwrks”
she mumbled as she looked over, watching as first Clare, and then Madeline were
gagged in the same way. She tried moving
her mouth, but the fabric almost seemed to act like the skin it was meant to be
covering, moving with her and preventing almost all noise coming out.
All they
could do was watch as the two men drew the blinds down, and the darkening as
the light outside was replaced with the street lamps.
“Whtdufnkktherdnn,”
Madeline whispered as she tried to move.
“nddeee,”
Clare whispered back, watching as the hands of the wall clock slowly ticked
away...
“All right –
it’s time.”
“Tmfrwwht,” Clare
said as the masked woman took from a shelf three long woollen scarves.
“Time for
this,” she said before her world was plunged into darkness, and she heard the
other two gasp.
As the
scarves were tied over the eyes of the three captives, the woman who had been
carrying the shotgun put it down, and pulled the scarf down to hang loosely
around her neck. She then made her way
to the back of the store, opening the rear door and looking round the yard
before she looked to the wall that separated the store from the back next door.
Coming back
in, she nodded as the first woman opened the front door of the stall. Clare could hear all this, as well as several
sets of heavy footsteps as they passed by – and then silence.
Well, not
complete silence. She could hear in the
distance heavy thuds and quiet talking, as well as what sounded like knives
hitting stone tables. After a while,
however, even that sound tied down, and they were left in a world of darkness
and silence.
So when she
finally managed to shake the scarf down around her head, she looked to one side
and saw Suzie staring straight ahead.
“Hee –
ullrht?”
Suzie turned
her head and nodded as Clare said “sheekeurhhdd – scrrfwllflldn.”
She then
turned and looked at Madeline – but the third girl’s head was down, and she
could hear the gentle sound of her breathing in and out through her nose.
“Whtswrrngwithmdeln?”
“Shssslp –
thffgn.”
Suzie nodded
as she looked round, and saw their bags by the side, the contents of Madeline’s
bag obviously still inside. There was a
cool breeze from the rear of the building, as Suzie started to try and twist
her mouth round.
“Tssnggdd –
wntbj.”
Suzie
eventually nodded her head, before she heard footsteps coming from the back of
the store.
“HSTHRRRR?”
The two women
watched as a figure dressed in black appeared, and said “oh my god!” He then went to the front of the store,
opening it and saying “Two seven to control – I’ve discovered a break-in at
Williams and Glyn – and three women held hostage in the store next door.”
“Hfnnmkkggd,”
Clare said as she realised it was a policeman, Suzie crying as he came over and
peeled the plaster away from her mouth.
“Are you all
right,” he said as Madeline raised her head, and mumbled “whstshhspndd.”
“What has
happened,” Carol said as her own gag was removed.
“Someone
broke through the back wall of the bank.
Did they get in through here?”
“I think so –
two women took us captive, and then let some others walk through...”
“All right –
I’ll find some scissors and get you three released, then you can tell us what
happened...”
“Well, if
nothing else, we got extra publicity for the store,” Suzie said a few weeks
later, as they closed after another busy day.
As she held the door open, the last customer to leave smiled and said
“thank you.”
It was only
as she closed and locked the door she realised she had heard that voice before
– and looking at the other two, she knew they had recognised it as well.
“Was that...”
“I think so –
but she’s gone. We just need to let it
go...”
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