Two Girls Vanish · Part 2

Two Girls Vanish · Part 2 (2/2)
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he pair moved them gently but firmly towards the door of the apartment.

A quick look to see the hallway was clear, then they were shepherded towards the rear of the building. Out through the back security door and across the darkened back lawn to the narrow lane at the rear of the complex. Here, in almost complete darkness the abductors and their two captives came to an unmarked grey van. No one had seen them leave the apartment.

By now the two drugged girls were almost completely unconscious. They were lifted into the back of the van were they both passed out and were lowered onto a mattress which had been thoughtfully placed on the floor. Satisfied that they would both be out for many hours, the two captors got into the front of the vehicle and drove off into the night.

The girls awoke about ten hours later.

Though the drug used on them had been very potent they were both clear headed and without any after effects. It was as if they had both had a very sound refreshing night's sleep. It was morning and light enough to see their surroundings.

They found they were both naked, lying under blankets in two narrow tubular steel framed beds on firm, reasonably comfortable mattresses. Their clothes, they noticed were lying folded on a third bed alongside their own. They were in a rectangular room with solid looking plaster walls and a concrete floor with a couple of mats. There was a heavy wooden door opposite the beds and high on the same wall a horizontal window through which they could see bars on the outside. The door looked locked. Across one end of the room was an enclosed shower recess, a wash basin on a shelf and what they took to be a toilet cubicle. The other end had a very small table with a chair either side. The whole room was dry, well ventilated through the outside wall and the single window let in enough light.

They lay for some time taking in their surroundings and talking softly. Naturally they wondered where they were and why had they been brought here? Ransom? That was perhaps possible in Susan's case. Her mother was very wealthy. But Jane's family was not. Yet obviously a great deal of planned effort had gone into their abduction. The girls would have liked some answers.

Then they heard a key rattle in the door and it started to open. Both sat up in their beds, clutching the the blankets to cover their breasts.

The woman from the night before came in. This time she was wearing a faded denim skirt, what looked like a belted waterproof rural workers jacket and on her feet a pair of gumboots. She stood with her back to the door, thrust her hands into the jacket's deep pockets and smiled.

"Good morning ladies," she said pleasantly, "I trust you slept well? We took the liberty of removing your clothes. Sleeping fully dressed would have rumpled them. They're there when you want to dress." She nodded toward the third bed. "You're going to need them over the next few days and you might as well look presentable."

"Where are we? What is this place?" The girls wanted to know their situation.

The woman smiled. "Let's just say you're in an isolated part of the country. This house was once the homestead of a large grazing property. This lower ground floor room was originally a station hand's quarters." She nodded towards the facilities at the end of the room. "Later it became a storeroom in which valuable items were kept. Hence the bars on the window. Now, you might say, it's a guest room for ladies in transit like yourselves to stay awhile. That's all you need to know for the moment." The smile never left her face.

"You'll get your meals brought in as necessary. You can eat them there." She nodded toward the small table and chairs. "There's no reason why you shouldn't be comfortable for the duration of your stay here." And with that she turned and went out the door, locking it behind her. Shortly after she came back with a tray containing two bowls of cereal, toast and a pot of tea with cups which she placed on the table. "Bon appetite," she said as she went out. The pair got up and dressed quickly.

About half an hour later, with breakfast eaten, the girls had visitors once more. Their lady captor again, her male companion of the night before, this time wearing blue jeans and a work shirt and with them a young woman in her mid twenties. This lady, slim and athletic with short fair hair wore a faded tee shirt, jeans and the gum boots which seemed to be necessary in this area. She never spoke a word in the presence of the girls. Both she and the man wore dark sunglasses. He carried a large cardboard carton.

"Well girls," said the woman, who seemed to give the orders, "Hope you enjoyed breakfast. We now have to take some photographs. For the benefit of Susan's mother. But first there's a little theatrical preparation to be done. You two both have to be very effectively bound and gagged. And the more distressed you appear, the better." The girls just gaped at each other.

The trio set to work with the enthusiasm of a film crew. Susan and Jane were made to stand together and thick heavy sashes were taken out of the box. First, their wrists were bound behind their backs, then their arms were lashed three times around their torsos. Both pairs of ankles were tied, as were their legs, above and below the knees. Lastly, large gags were placed in their mouths and knotted at the base of their necks. None of these restrictions were drawn tightly, nor were they particularly uncomfortable, but they looked as if they were. The knots were large and impressive.

Finally, both girls were forced to sit on the concrete floor and cringe against the wall. Their clothing was pulled in disarray, their hair was tousled and rumpled.

Even some dirt, brought in from outside in a small bowl, was rubbed into the parts of their faces, not obscured by the gags. The woman took a small case from the box which contained makeup materials. With these she etched tear stains down their muddied cheeks and even managed to redden their eyes. As a final touch they were both told to huddle together closely and look wide eyed and terrified. The whole tableau would have done credit to a Hollywood team making a brutal gangster film. The girls were bewildered and more annoyed than anything. And then a camera was produced an several pictures taken.

This done, the man left immediately, presumably to get these works of art to Mrs Dubois. The woman and her silent helper lifted the girls to their feet and began to untie them, folding the sashes and putting them back in the box. They were told they could clean themselves up at the washbasin. A comb was provided. Jane, at this point, felt inclined to speak.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She asked, "My family's not wealthy. They don't even live in the city. My father's not a millionaire. He's a tradesman."

The woman looked at her. "We know that. We haven't even approached them. As far as they know, you're still safely back in your apartment. And we've strictly informed Susan's mother not to tell your parents. Not to go any where near them. We're not asking anything of your family."

This astonished Jane. "If you're not trying to get a ransom, then why have you kidnapped me?"

At this moment Susan chimed in. "And what happens if my mother, for whatever reason, isn't able to give you what you want? What happens to us then?" Both girls looked in anguish at their captor.

The woman laughed at their serious faces. "Don't look so mortified. It's not a matter of life or death." She spoke as if to a pair of non comprehending children. "However, both of you understand this. You Jane, were brought along because you were unexpectedly there in the apartment when we abducted Susan. We couldn't leave you behind to give the alarm. Now, we've invested a great deal of time, effort and money getting you both here. And in holding you here. In the unlikely event of Mrs Emmaline Dubois not doing what we ask, we'll have to get a return on our investment. We're not in this business for our health."

The girls stared uncomprehendingly though it was beginning to dawn on them.

She continued. "So as to what could possibly happen to you. There are extremely wealthy men in countries overseas who will pay many thousands, tens of thousands, to have attractive young western women, particularly if they have some skill, like computer knowledge – as their personal property. They're all obscenely rich, well educated, after all, they've been to some of the most expensive schools in the world and some of them are even of a gentlemanly turn of mind. But they like to have skilled, attractive ladies as part of their household, permanently at their beck and call for whatever purpose they like. So," she smiled, "If you were to end up there, you'd be able to ply your trade with some of the most expensive computer equipment on earth. But you'll also be the private possession of whichever wealthy magnate that buys you." Susan and Jane were dumbfounded.

"Of course, in the remote event of that having to be done," the woman went on, "Getting you there would be our task. This property, despite its isolation, has a very good private airstrip. On a designated afternoon a long range transport aircraft would land here. You two would be bound and gagged, strapped to stretchers, sedated if necessary and put on board. Perhaps in company with a couple of other ladies on their way to a new life. The larger the number, the more profitable it is. And that night you'd be off to new horizons overseas."

"To where?" the girls were incredulous.

"That could vary," she said, "The Middle East, the Far East. We've even sent them to Latin America. We prefer not to know too many details of destination. Suffice to say that such ladies end up privately owned by very big money. But," she said knowingly, "I repeat again, that's not likely in your case. We've investigated Susan's mother very thoroughly."

"So," said Jane, ever the practical one, "You make a business of kidnapping women and sending them overseas?"

"That amongst other things. We've all got to make a living darling," came the reply, "I might add that our looking into the Dubois fortune has brought a few disreputable facts to light. Susan's expensive education wasn't entirely paid for with clean money."

The woman and her silent companion were about to go. "And that's all you need to know about the matter. You'll be here for two or three days. We'll get some reading matter in here for you to pass the time. Meanwhile, enjoy yourselves." The two left the room, locking the door behind them.

The girls need not have worried. Susan's mother moved heaven and earth and did what was asked in thirty six hours. She got together an amount that would have been impossible for a working class family but which made little difference to the Dubois fortune. On the third night they were told they would not be going on a long trip overseas but would instead be returning to their former situation. They were both greatly relieved.

The same van they had arrived in was driven to near the door of the room where they had been held. Both were given a sleep inducing injection then bundled into the rear of the vehicle in pitch darkness. Here they passed out on the mattress on which they had travelled before and spent the next hours in deep slumber.

The van was driven, not to their apartment, but to the palatial home of Susan's mother. In the last hour of darkness just before dawn it was quietly parked in the driveway near the front door. A discreet ring on the doorbell was answered by Emmaline Dubois herself, fully dressed and very anxious. After all she had just, with difficulty, paid a huge ransom and very much wanted the return of her daughter. She was a trim, active woman, just short of fifty with short wavy hair, just going grey. She was dressed in a well fitting, pale blue dress. The two who had abducted the pair assured her that Susan would be returned shortly but first it would be necessary to tie her up.

Grudgingly, Mrs Dubois submitted to this. Within fifteen minutes she was sitting, neatly bound and gagged with strips of white sheet on the most comfortable armchair in her lounge room. She noticed, with some surprise, she was not uncomfortable. Some time back, when she had first seen the picture of the two girls in what looked like a horrific state of distressed bondage she had formed a fearful idea of what it was to be tied up. She was quite unaware how posed it had been. She also had the notion that they had spent most of the last two days like that and would have been surprised to learn they had passed the time reading popular potboilers.

With Mrs Dubois secured, the two kidnapped young ladies were carried in and placed on the lounge opposite her. She was assured they would awaken soon and indeed they did. Within an hour the girls had drowsily regained consciousness and were able to release the bound householder. The result was a tearful but happy reunion. Their abductors had long since left the premises.

All three ladies had been strictly admonished not to make any report of what had happened in the last two days, otherwise the girls would disappear again, this time permanently. By common consensus they agreed to do this. Particularly in view of what they had been told during the time of their captivity.

Although, in the months that followed, Jane, ever the practical one, thought about what they had been told. Did they really kidnap and transport young women overseas to be sold to mega-wealthy men? Did that really happen in this country?

She wondered.

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Two Girls Vanish · Part 2 (2/2)
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