Postby KP Presents » Mon Mar 02, 2015 4:17 am
“Hello,” I said finally as I put the phone down, “it’s you isn’t it?”
“It is,” Rachel said as the three older women looked at us, “but if you’re here...”
“Indeed,” the Geordie said, “but what are you two lassies doing here?”
“Whhrrruu,” Mrs Hewton said as she stared at the new arrivals.
“My apologies, Lady Hewton,” the man said, “if you will bear with me for a few minutes?”
She stopped struggling and nodded as I said, “well, you see, Rachel and I were walking through the park when...”
He listened as we told him about our day, but what I really wanted to tell him was what I had overheard about the Craigs. I was more worried about Cassie and Jenny at that point than us – a very very strange feeling.
Eventually, he nodded and said “Will you please keep an eye on Lady Hewton and the other two women – I think we need to talk to these two girls a little more. Lady Hewton, please accept my apologies – I will be back shortly and will introduce myself then.”
He motioned to Rachel to follow us, as we went into a very large dining room, and he pulled two chairs away for us to sit down on.
“Patty Pickering and Rachel Rigg,” he said after he closed the door, “what is it about you that means we keep running into each other.”
“I don’t know Mister Edwards,” Rachel said, “but I feel a lot safer with you than the other two men.
“So do I,” I said, “but our mums may be getting worried about us, and those men took our mobile phones.”
“Well, I can’t let you call them from here – one of my men has disconnected the phone by now,” Jay Edwards said in an apologetic tone, “and I’m afraid you’re both going to have to stay here as well. I know when we visited with Jenny Craig, I hoped that was the last time, but – well, here we are.”
“Jenny – Mr Edwards, I need to ask a favour.”
“Oh, what?”
“I heard the men who brought us here say they were going to rob the Craigs later tonight – I was going to warn them and the police when you came in, but now... Mister Edwards, can you get a warning to the police? I don’t want them to go through this.”
Jay looked at both of them, and said “how did you hear this?”
“They only tied our wrists and ankles at first – I got free, sneaked out and heard them. Please – can you do something?”
“Amateurs,” Jay said as he shook his head. “Look, I can’t promise anything, Patty, Rachel...”
“Well, will you do something else for us?”
“What’s that?”
“If you really can’t warn them, at least make sure we can’t move – I really want to be unable to move if we have to stay here.”
That was the frustration talking more than anything – I really felt as if I needed a time out, and it had been so long, and I was jealous of Cassie and Suzie, and...
“Me too,” I heard Rachel say, and I looked at her. “I missed it too,” she said as he looked at me, “and I presume the three women here are going to be treated the same way anyway.”
“All right,” Jay said as he made us walk back into the room. “Sit down, and keep quiet,” he said as we went in, seeing the three older women still sitting on the floor, “I need to call for some additional help.”
As he closed the door, I looked at the three women and said “I know you’re scared, but – and this is going to sound really funny – we’ve met their leader before, and you’re safe with him.”
They looked at each other, and then at me, as we sat down next to each other and waited. Eventually, Jay came back in and said “I’m really sorry about that – I need some very special help for these two young ladies. Lady Hewton, allow me to introduce myself – my name is Jay Edwards, and these are some of my associates. I must ask you to remain calm, and not to do anything to raise the alarm. If you and the other ladies agree to keep quiet, we can remove those gags and have a little chat. Do I have your agreement?”
They looked at each other and nodded, as the other masked men gently peeled the tape away from their mouths.
“I’ve heard of you,” Lady Hewton said, “and your reputation. Why are you here?”
“Well, to be honest, we wish your husband to make a rather large withdrawal when he gets back – which is when?”
“He should return at seven tonight,” she said as she looked at us.
“Good – now, I am aware of who you are, and you must be Agatha, the maid, but you,” he said as he looked at the third woman, “are a surprise. Why is your daughter-in-law here, Your Ladyship?”
“I called to visit,” the younger woman said, “My husband is coming home with Mark, and we were going to pick up my children from my mother later.”
“Hmm – then we need to do something first,” Jay said as he looked at her, “where is your mobile phone?”
“In my handbag – over there,” she said as she looked over the room, “why?”
“Show me the number on your contacts,” Jay said as he fetched it, “then tell her you and your husband have been invited to dinner by Lord and Lady Hewton. Can your mother watch the children tonight, and you will collect them tomorrow?”
As he looked at us, he nodded, and I hoped somehow our mums had got a message as well, as the younger woman talked into the handset.
“Good,” Jay said, “now that is settled, I need to tell you we will be staying until your husband comes home, and I regret to say you will need to remain bound until they return – but we will turn the television on, and make sure you are entertained. I also have to say, with regret, we really need to make sure you cannot move. First however, allow us to help you Emma, you Agatha, and you Samantha, to sit on that very comfortable looking couch.”
Rachel and I watched as the two masked men helped them to sit down, while Jay opened a bag. “These two ladies have already proved themselves to be escape artists,” he said with a smile, “so I need to make sure they cannot raise the alarm on their own. Girls, hold your hands out.”
I had to stop myself from grinning as we both held the sponges, and then Jay covered our hands with tape.
“Why – they’re just children,” Lady Hewton said as we watched one of the men start to bind her arms to her side, the rope going above and below their chests.
“It is regretfully necessary,” Jay said as he took some ropes, and then knelt behind us, crossing our tape covered wrists and securing them tightly together, and then tying the rope around our waists, cinching it so that our wrists were held against our backs.
He then tied our arms to our sides around our stomachs, after standing up, and then saw the way the other three women were moving with the ropes above and below their chests.
“Well, you need to be treated the same way as your hosts, young ladies,” Jay said to us, “are you in agreement?”
I couldn’t remember the last time I had the extra bands of rope, especially around my shoulders, and I wanted to show we weren’t getting special attention – just in case the other women thought we were helping Jay.
“All right,” I said quietly, and was surprised to see Rachel nodding in agreement as well.
So Jay took a long length of rope, and passed it around my body, pulling it tight under my chest and then taking the rope around my shoulders and upper body as well. As he pulled it tight, however, I felt – funny. And that feeling just kept getting funnier as he wrapped it round several times more, and then tied it off behind me.
I’d seen for Lady Hewton and the other two women the men had taken the rope under one arm, round the back of their neck and under the other arm. Jay took a shorter length of rope and used that it tighten the two extra bands to my body – and that was when the funny feeling suddenly got much stronger, and as I squirmed round, and the ropes pressed down, it was both funny, and annoying, and irritating, and – I had no idea what else.
I wanted to say something – but unfortunately, the cloth that Jay pushed into my mouth stopped that, and then he tied a knotted strip of towel into my mouth to keep that in place.
“Hmmgddd,” I said as he then took out a roll of the white tape, and wrapped it round my mouth and head, before tying a folded black scarf over my mouth, and then walked me to a smaller couch, which he made me sit down on before he tied my ankles and legs.
“Are you all right, young lady,” Lady Hewton said as she looked at me, and I nodded, staying as still as I could as Jay laid me on my side. My mind went back to the weekend we were all held hostage, and how much Aunt Jennifer had complained about these extra ropes on Cassie and Suzie at the time – and somehow, I realised that I at least now understood why, at least from their viewpoint.
As Jay finished gagging Rachel, she looked at me, her eyes wide enough for me to know she was as confused as I was right now, before he sat her down in a large armchair, bound her ankles and legs and then tucked them under her.
As for me, I was getting bored, so I wriggled a little – and then stopped as those ropes rubbed on me. IT was driving me insane – and as Rachel moved and then looked at me, I knew she was feeling the same.
“Now then,” Jay said as I watched the other three women being just as tightly gagged, “allow me to put the television on – and we will make sure you are given drinks and toilet breaks if needed. Just grunt three times and nod if you need to go. Gentlemen – a word please.”
We all watched as Jay talked to the other three men, and then said “Forgive me, Ladies, Girls – I need to make a little trip, and will return shortly.”
I watched as he left, and the three men stood there, watching all five of us as we stayed as still as possible – except for the wriggling as the television programs came and went, and the ridiculous irritating different feelings running through me...
“Good afternoon Gentlemen,” a woman with a Scottish accent eventually said, “I was told I may be needed?”