A Woman Abducted · Part 1 (1/2)
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Enid was a librarian who lived and worked in the inner western suburbs. Late one wet winter afternoon she was making her way home to the unit in which she lived alone.
This lady was two years short of forty, never married, though there had been occasions where it had seemed likely. She had had affairs, some satisfying, but these had been less frequent of late. She was, she sadly reflected, drifting toward old maid spinsterhood.
In appearance she was a slim athletic woman, slightly more than average height who enjoyed perfect health. A rectangular face, pointed chin, framed by short, straight brown hair. She wore heavy glasses. And today, a work day she was wearing her usual sensible working apparel. Comfortable knee length skirt, blouse, woollen cardigan and flat heeled shoes.
Because it had been a dreary midwinter day, rain most of the time, she was wearing one of the few expensive items she owned. This was a stylish blue trench coat, buttoned to the throat and tightly belted. She carried a leather handbag.
The streets, though wet from the constant drizzle, were well lit. Her small one bedroom unit was in the street parallel to the one she was walking along. She planned to take a short cut.
This was through a straight, level alley about two hundred yards long connecting the two streets. It was well lit at each end and even a few private lights along its length. There were tall high rise business premises on each side. It was considered quite safe and Enid had no qualms about using it.
Along most of one side was a tall, recently constructed high rise building which had no windows at all on the alley frontage. Only a single doorway in the middle of the structure. No one local knew who had built it, there was not even a sign on the street front on the other side. It was thought to be owned by some international organisation.
Not that any of this concerned Enid as she made her way along the alley. She was interested only in getting home to her unit and preparing her simple and solitary meal. After that she’d either watch TV or read.
She saw a car parked opposite the doorway into the new building. This seemed unusual. The place was known to have a large underground car park, accessible from the front. Why bother to park out here? As she got closer she saw it was a big car, grey as far as she could tell in this light and had heavily tinted dark windows.
It was a wide vehicle and there was only about five feet between it and the opposite wall and the door. Enid had to move over to get past.
She was just passing the door, a foot or so on her right when it opened suddenly. Startled, Enid stopped, turned and looked. Inside was a wide, well lit passageway. And that wasn’t all.
Immediately within, only a few feet from the surprised librarian, were two men and a woman. The two males were wearing grey boiler suits and visored caps pulled low down over their faces. They could have been contract cleaners though there was no insignia on their uniforms.
It was the woman that astonished Enid. She was perhaps in her very early fifties or younger, very solidly built, slightly taller than herself, She had a square determined face, short, wavy dark brown hair and looked as if she was used to giving the orders. This lady was wearing a very well tailored business suit. A skirt and jacket of small blue checked material. Sheer stockings and expensive black leather heeled shoes as well. But that wasn't all. She had been bound and gagged.
Several black leather straps had been secured around her upper body. Two underneath her ample bust, another above, two more around her waist. All notched very tightly. Her hands were apparently tied behind her back. Two pieces of surgical tape had been crossed over her lips and her somewhat distended cheeks indicated a gag in her mouth. She looked angry, unhappy and quite helpless.
Enid stared open mouthed at this trio, only about a yard away. The two men looked back. “Who’re you?” asked the nearest.
A strident woman’s voice rang out from the background, “Who’s that? Who’s out there?”
“A woman going past. She’s at the doorway,” answered the man who had spoken.
There was a commotion in the rear. A woman with a stout athletic figure and a firm determined look on her face hurried forward. Like Enid she was wearing a belted raincoat. She took one look at the amazed librarian who had seen them all and ordered, “She’s seen us. Grab her. Bring her inside.”
Enid by now realised something was very wrong here. A crime, kidnapping or abduction was taking place. She turned to flee. But it was already too late.
The two boiler suits acted quickly. One clasped their already bound victim by the upper arms and pulled her to one side. The other, the one who had already spoken, stepped through the doorway, seized the turning librarian around her upper body, clamped a gloved hand over her mouth and pulled her inside the building. The solid woman by now had come to the entrance. She looked quickly up and down the dimly lit alley, noted it was empty, picked up Enid’s fallen handbag then stepped back and closed the door.
All four were now inside the building. No one had seen Enid’s seizure. She was now held firmly by the boiler suited man who continued to stifle any cries she might make. The woman, obviously in charge, faced her. “Well Madam,” she said, “You’re the classic example of an unfortunate person in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Enid squirmed, struggled and mewed but her captor held her firmly. “And it’s also unfortunate, but we'll have to tie you up too.” A brief nod toward the already strap bound and gagged other woman, “Now, we have, if necessary, the means of rendering you unconscious – hospital anaesthetic – but I suggest it will be better for all concerned if you quietly let us do what we have to do without any further resistance.” She paused for a while for her words to sink in. “Nod your head if you agree.”
After some thought Enid nodded her head.
“Very sensible,” smiled the woman, “Now if you’ll just face the wall, we’ll get on with it.” Enid was pushed around facing the side of the passageway. A satchel containing short lengths of white rope was produced and the raincoated woman and one of the men began to tie her up. The other held the strap bound woman.
First they bound her crossed wrists securely behind her back. Next they lashed her upper arms firmly to her torso with several more lengths. The waterproofed fabric of her trench coat rustled and creaked as they did so. Lastly they restricted her forearms with a long piece wound round and round her waist. “Very neatly packaged,” commented the woman, adjusting Enid’s glasses which had become slightly unsettled during this procedure, “And now Madam, we’ll gag that pretty mouth.” They spun her around so that she faced them.
“I’m not going to scream,” Enid at last found her voice,"You don’t have to gag me.”
“Oh yes, but we do.” A prepared wad gag was pushed between her lips and secured by two pieces of surgical tape crossed over her cheeks. Exactly the same as the other woman. Who watched all this in mute silence.
“A pretty little package, neatly wrapped,” smiled the woman, “And now we’ll get them both into the transport and be on our way.”
She opened the door and looked cautiously up and down the alley. All clear. She stepped over to the car parked against the far wall and opened the back door. "I’ll travel in the back with our two passengers. Put the new arrival in first and move her over to the other side.” Enid was placed on the back seat and pushed across to the far door. The woman got in next and seated herself in the middle. Lastly, the strap bound, suited woman was settled in the remaining window seat and the door closed.
“I’ll look after our guests,” the raincoated woman said. She leaned over, locked both rear doors and then did up all three seat belts. “You two get us back to base. And don’t do anything that’ll get us stopped on the way.”
The two boiler suits got into the front, settled themselves and slowly the car moved out of the alley. Its tinted dark windows made it impossible to see that two of the five travellers were bound and gagged.
The vehicle was driven carefully through the darkening streets. It reached a main road and headed westward. Its two bound captives became restive at this and started writhing and mewing through their gags.
“Our passengers are not at ease,” said their seated guardian, “Pass the equipment and I’ll quieten them down.” A wide necked bottle and a large, soft white cloth were passed to the back seat. She saturated this last with the container's contents and held it to the faces of the two unwilling travellers. First Enid, then the stout, business suited lady. It was a very powerful anaesthetic. Both lapsed into unconsciousness. They remained so for the rest of the journey.
Enid awoke about two hours later.
She was lying fully clothed but without her raincoat on a bed in a brightly lit room. This was large, rectangular with a concrete floor and painted plaster walls. At one end was a recessed washbasin and mirror with a curtained shower unit on one side and a wooden door, presumably a toilet, on the other. Furniture consisted of two cot style, metal framed beds in the centre.
Enid sat bolt upright and looked around. The first thing she saw was her fellow prisoner, the older, heavily built woman in the blue checked business suit. She was seated on the other bed a few feet away. This lady looked at her and smiled.
“Hello,” she said in a friendly tone, “I woke up a while back. I thought it best for you to revive in your own time. My name’s Adele.”
“I’m Enid, Enid Henderson.” Her gaze continued to take in their surroundings. She saw her trench coat neatly aligned on a clothes hanger, hanging on a peg in the wall. Her folded glasses were on the bed to the right of the pillow. There was no sign of her handbag.
“Where are we? Where is this place?” Enid wanted to know everything at once, “Who are these people? Why’ve they brought us here?”
“Questions, questions,” Adele was still smiling. “I don’t know myself where we are. Western mountains most likely. These people have places all over the map. As to who they are, well let’s say they’re not ordinary criminals. They’re more than that. International, not national.”
“And why have they brought us here?” She became serious, “In my case – information. And that’s going to be a tussle of wills.” Her face softened, “But as to you my dear. You’re simply here because as Madam – in – charge said earlier this evening, you were in the wrong place at the wrong moment. Apart from that they've no interest in you whatsoever.”
“And there are two questions I might ask you myself. What is your occupation? And is there anyone in your circle who might report the matter when you don’t come home tonight?”
Enid was puzzled at this but answered anyway. “I’m a librarian with the local Council. And I live alone. No one’ll know if I didn’t come home.” She paused and went on, “What’s that got to do with it? I want to know what’ll happen to both of us?
Adele was happy to continue. “Well, as to myself, after they’ve finished with me they’ll have to take me back to my place. I’ll talk them into taking you along too. I should be able to do it. But there’ll have to be some agreement made. They won’t want you talking about where you’ve been or what’s happened to you.”
She became serious, “I remind you, they’re very big people. Quite able to make you disappear as if you’d never existed.”
Enid took this in silence. At the same time she was mystified how this new companion of hers, a bound and kidnapped victim like herself, seemed to be in a position to negotiate with their captors.
Adele then took a lighter note. “But nothing’ll happen tonight. We might as well take advantage of their hospitality,” she looked around the room, “And it’s about time they gave us something to eat.”
And, as if in response to this the door opened. In came an African lady wearing a neat grey uniform and carrying a tray on which were two covered plates, a pot of tea, two cups and cutlery. Even paper napkins. She placed these on a small table at the far end of the room. As she walked out she smiled at the two captives and said “Enjoy your supper ladies.”
The plates contained hot snacks, which they tucked into avidly, seated on two chairs each side of the table. The tray was collected an hour later by the same smiling African. Adele then turned to the shower recess, “I’m going to make use of their bathing facilities,” The wash-basin shelf contained folded towels, toiletries, and soap. On completion she pronounced the water comfortably hot.
Later both captives retired in the two metal framed beds, sleeping in their underwear as they lacked night attire. They slept well.
A Woman Abducted · Part 1 (1/2)
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