by Paul Blades
At least once a day she came back and tortured Maureen, the fat girl. She was a little thinner now. She screamed and pled for mercy as she was beaten. Her tits were crosshatched with lacerations, as was her ass. Herman often watched, then fuck her up the ass standing there, or in the cunt while bent over the stool. He liked to make Maddy clean him off when he was finished.
Peggy Ann seemed to have been forgotten by the pair of cruel kidnappers. That was all right with her.
On the sixth day of Maddy's captivity, they brought another girl down into the 'hole'. She was a tiny blonde thing. Her hair was long and wispy, almost like gossamer. She had a thin but shapely frame, blue eyes and a pretty face. She moaned and whined almost constantly in her cage. Maddy wanted to kick her to get her to shut up, but the bars of the cage prevented her. She felt guilty, but took a small amount of satisfaction when she saw the girl zapped several times. That didn't shut her up though.
On the eighth day, there was a change in routine. It was late in the afternoon, and there had been an ominous lack of activity. No morning blow job, no hosing down. No food. It was always light in the dungeon, but when the trapdoor opened the girls could see whether it was day or night by the quality of the light that filtered in. Maddy didn't know it was the afternoon, only that her last meal had been a long time ago.
When Louise and Herman came down the steps of the ladder, they carried hoods and a bag of soaps and lotions. Peggy Ann was first. Louise dragged her out of the cage and had her kneel in the middle of the room. She took the hose with the soap attachment and shoved it up Peggy Ann's rectum. Peggy Ann was greatly discomforted by this new development, but she remained silent. She felt her stomach distend and a queasy liquidity in her bowels. Louise took the hose away and slapped Peggy Ann's ass. "Okay, out with it, shit for brains," she said caustically. Peggy Ann was directly over the drain and she let loose a gush of brown stained water. Louise repeated the process and Peggy Ann reciprocated. Louise ran the hose over her ass and the floor, washing the wastewater down the rain.
Standing the girl, her hands folded under her neck in an attitude of prayer, Louise hosed her down. She augmented the soapy water by scrubbing her body with an oversized sponge. She scoured the girl thoroughly and washed her hair. For the first time in days, Peggy Ann's long brown hair was washed and brushed. She cried and complained through her gag as the brush ruthlessly detangled her rat's nest. All the while, Herman stood watching. He was enjoying the show.
When Louise was finished, she had Peggy Ann crouch over the drain and pee, wiping her afterward. Herman attached a leash to Peggy Ann's collar and unlocked her wrists, then led her up the ladder. Peggy Ann had a little trouble negotiating the rungs as her legs hadn't gotten much use for almost three weeks, but she was eager to leave the dungeon no matter what fate awaited her upstairs. With Louise pushing her ass from underneath she was able to mount the ladder and disappeared from view.
Louise did the blonde girl next. When she was up the stairs, it was Maddy's turn.
Maddy submitted to the cleansing with trepidation. Although she enjoyed the prospect of being really clean for the first time in a week, she knew that whatever the purpose had been in kidnapping her, she would find out what it was once she had left the 'hole'. She had been blindfolded when brought down and so had no idea what was up there. The fact that the other two girls hadn't been blindfolded when brought up meant their captors didn't care what they saw. Maddy wasn't sure what that meant, but was sure it wasn't good.
When she had peed in the drain, Maddy allowed herself to be guided up the stairs. She reached the top and saw that they were in a tired old barn. Herman held her leash and the wand. She thought momentarily of attempting an escape, but as soon as she breached the top of the stairs and crawled onto the barn floor. Herman attached a set of hobbles on her ankles. She couldn't get far in them.
What Maddy saw as she was pulled to her feet startled her. The blond and brunette were standing in the middle of the barn. Behind each of them was a wooden frame. Each frame had a wooden arm that extended forward from the top. A steel bar was set horizontally to the top, perpendicular to the wooden arm. On each side of the bar were chains that descended to the ends of a wooden yoke. The girls were standing there, their necks and hands locked into the yokes, as if on display. There were black bags over their heads. The skinny blond girl was whimpering as usual.
Maddy was dragged over to the third frame. She didn't want to be displayed. Her hands were free and she tugged on the leash Herman held. The thick limbed, heavyset man had no problem drawing her toward him. Holding the leash with one hand he placed the electric wand between Maddy's legs. He gave her a jolt and she collapsed. If not for the chain which held up her head and neck, Maddy would have fallen to the floor. Choking, she regained her feet as soon as she could. She looked with fear into the smiling man's face. He held the wand poised at her sex. Her gag had been removed when she was cleaned and she was able to croak out a desperate plea. "No, please, I'll behave, please."
"Then cut the shit," Herman snarled. "Get over here!" he commanded.
Maddy allowed Herman to remove her bracelets then place her hands and neck in the yoke. The yoke passed just above her collar and held her head high. Since she was taller than the other girls, Herman adjusted the chains that held up either end of the yoke so Maddy's body was fully extended. Herman stood back and admired her. She was a little taller than him, even barefoot. Herman congratulated himself. She was just what the doctor ordered. He caressed her breast, squeezing the nipple until Maddy grimaced. He laughed.
Herman took a black rubber ball from his pocket. It was slightly smaller than a Spaldeen. "Open your mouth," he commanded. Maddy complied meekly. The ball was pushed in, distending her mouth and effectively silencing her. Pulling a black cloth bag from his pocket he placed it over her head and drew the string.
Maddy was now effectively blinded and gagged. The nakedness of her body, exposed below the yoke, was somehow intensified by the hood covering her head. It was if there were two parts of her – her head and hands, the parts that expressed her humanity and individuality, above the yoke, imprisoned and confined. The other part, the objects of men's lusts, was free below, free to the hands of anyone who cared to touch her.
Maddy felt the man release her ankles from the hobble. Her feet were pulled apart and something attached, first to one ankle then the other. It was a three foot long bar. Her legs were now spread wide, the lips of her sex parted and exposed. Since she had been pulled almost to her full height by the yoke after Herman adjusted it, Maddy felt the pressure of the yoke on her neck as it pressed on her chin. She had to stand on her tip toes to avoid choking. Herman noted her discomfit and slightly adjusted the chains to the yoke. It was better, but Maddy was still extended and stretched out almost as far as she could go. It didn't take long for her to feel the cramps in her feet and calves as she arched her foot to relieve pressure on her neck.
Down in the hole, Maureen awaited her turn at being washed and removed from the dungeon. She was surprised when she saw Louise packing up the sponges and brushes and putting the hose away. Louise looked over at her, a gleam in her eyes. "You're not going anywhere, little piglet. You're staying here so we can have more fun."
Maureen moaned in despair. She tried to plead with the woman to let her go with her friend and the others. Her words came out mumbled and distorted by her gag. Louise paid no mind as she finished cleaning up. She climbed the steps and closed the door. Maureen heard the door slam as if it was a death sentence.
* * *
CHAPTER FIVE
It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. Jake had examined Maddy's apartment without gaining any insights to her whereabouts. One thing he had learned was that it was unlikely Maddy had run off without telling anyone. Her rooms were neat as a pin. Everything was in its place. She had left behind a diary that gave no hint she was embroiled in a secret love affair. There was food in the refrigerator for several days. Mail had accumulated,
but there was nothing there of interest.
Jake sat in the sheriff's conference room and received reports from Tucker and Irving.
"I checked the scene, Jake, and there's nothing there," Irving informed him. "No skid marks, no debris on the shoulder, nothing. I've vacuumed the car and sent it and the mud from the tote bag to Tallahassee. I told them to work on it overnight. We'll have prelims in the morning."
Jake looked over at Tucker. Tucker had gone to see the boyfriend. He had spent a couple hours with him. Although no worse for wear, Tucker did push him to the limits of his tolerance for pain. If he wasn't telling the truth, Tucker would jump off a bridge.
"No dice on the boyfriend," he told Jake. He was a man of few words.
Although he hadn't expected the solution to Maddy's disappearance to roll off a shelf, Jake had hoped for more than this.
"Okay," he said. "I think we can all agree she's been snatched. By whom and what for, we don't know. I'm going to connect with my FBI contact and see if there's anything by way of a suspected serial killer in the area. Jim," he was speaking to Tucker, "I want you to spell Martinez. Tell him that after a dinner break he should come back and the two of you stake out the place. It's a long shot but if it hits, it'll be a home run."
"Yeah, Jake," Tucker replied. He'd been on many jobs with Jake. He was older than Jake, in his early fifties. He was tall, about six foot four, and broad shouldered. His close cropped, grey hair covered an almost block shaped head, his square jaw conveyed his intense sense of purpose, as Harold had discovered.
Jake was small, about five foot seven. His hair was brown, also cut short, but long enough to flow past the tops of his ears and to force him to give a boyish swipe of his hand when it fell across his forehead and into his light gray eyes. He had strong hands, large for his arms, but was not ham-fisted. He was tautly muscled. His posture always suggested the chance he would leap out of his chair and into action. He walked with a gentle grace, cat like. He was an efficient team leader, had killed many times, and usually got whatever he was after, whether a hostage in the jungles of Colombia, a stolen shipment of gold, or, as in this case, a missing beauty.
Bertram had given him a couple of pictures back in New York and he found more in the girl's apartment. Jake had a connoisseur's eye for female flesh, his only true weakness. He had admired the delicious curves of Maddy's body. One of the pictures had been taken in the summer at a lake, and she was wearing a small two piece. Her eyes were delightful, containing a liveliness he was sure would be even more intense in person. There was something haunting about her. He was going to be really pissed if someone had killed her. He put the picture in his herringbone jacket pocket.
Irving looked just as you'd expect a tech nerd to look. He had short curly black hair, stood no more than five foot six, wore a cotton plaid, short sleeved, dress shirt with a pocket in the front that always carried a felt tip pen, but he knew his stuff and had worked with Jake often. He had access to the best labs in the world and seldom missed a thing.
"Ah, Jake" he said, "there was one more thing."
"Yeah?" Jake replied.
"When I took a look at the car, there was nothing wrong with it. It started right up and ran for twenty minutes no problem."
"And?" Jake asked.
"If the car broke down from a malfunction, that would be one thing. The other alternative, assuming this was a snatch, was that the car was forced off the road, but there were no skid marks, if the police reports can be trusted, and no damage to the car."
"Okay," Jake urged his specialist on.
"Well, I have to assume the car was either stopped voluntarily or it broke down. If we're ruling out a runaway scenario, it must have broken down. But it was working fine. So I took a look under the hood. Everything seemed normal until I looked at the gas line. There was a small imprint on the rubber hose, like it had been clamped."
"Clamped?"
"Yeah, clamped. In the glove compartment, there was a receipt from a local garage, the one across from the bar where she worked. She had a tune up last week and the oil changed. No mention of hoses. We should check it out."
"Well, let's say the mechanic tells us he didn't clamp the hose, what does that say to us?" Jake asked.
Irving leaned over in his seat as if to give special emphasis to his words. "If I was going to stop a car without forcing it off of the road, and I had access to the car before hand, I'd rig a little radio signal doohickey that would press a clamp on the gas line. The car can't run without gas."
"That means this is a probably a professional job." Jake observed.
"Correctamundo, Seňor Jake." Irving was always pleased with himself when he pulled gold from lead. "Or a very smart amateur," he added. "My guess would be on the former."
Jake ended the meeting. He would check out the mechanic. He told Irving to design a prototype of what he would need then list the parts. They might get lucky and find something that was esoteric enough they could track it to a few sales locations. Better yet, maybe mail order.
"I'll have it for you in the morning," the tech man promised.
* * * *
The three naked prisoners spent a very uncomfortable couple hours, standing, legs splayed, their heads and arms imprisoned. The bags over their heads made their breath intake stale as the air they breathed out was recirculated. It took a deep breath to get a good charge of oxygen. The lack of substantial oxygen made them groggy.
Louise had removed the bags momentarily so she could apply some eyeliner and makeup to the girl's faces. Each of them wore a coat of bright red lipstick, rouged cheeks and dark lines around their eyes. After the bags were replaced, she rouged their nipples too.
It was about 7:30 that night when a dirty, brown delivery van rolled slowly up the gravel driveway. The truck's headlights bounced jerkily over the house as the truck maneuvered through the potholed pathway. Herman was sitting on the porch, drinking a Stroh's and smoking Camels. The guy was late. He hated that, but the arrival of the van meant a payday. He rose to greet the driver and passenger.
Louise had stayed in the barn to mind the girls. The chances of them slipping their bonds was slim, but it didn't hurt to be careful. They couldn't get far very fast with their legs in the spreader bars, but it would be hard to explain a stiff legged naked girl emerging from the woods and flagging down a car.
The two men stepped out of the van after maneuvering it so the rear was facing the garage. They were dressed like delivery guys, light brown uniforms, little brown baseball caps. The truck said Nationwide Uniforms on it in large gold letters. It carried an address in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
The driver was tall and thin, thirtyish. The other guy was shorter and stockier. He was younger, early twenties. Herman walked up to the men and shook their hands.
"Glad to see ya," he said.
"Sure," the tall one said.
"Can I get you anything, a beer or something?" Herman asked ingratiatingly.
The young guy looked like he was going to say yes when the tall guy said, "Thanks, no. We've got a lot of driving to do tonight. Coffee before we go maybe."
"No problem," Herman answered. "Well, you want to see the goods?" he continued.
"That's what we're here for," the tall one said.
Herman led the men to the barn. He opened the tall, broad door and a slanting ray of light fell outside. The men entered and he closed the door behind them.
The three hooded girls were standing directly under the only light in the place. Louise had covered the windows with sack cloth so the men could expect privacy. You can't be too careful. The tall man took charge. "Let me see the big girl first," he said.
"Sure, help yourself," Herman replied.
The two men approached Maddy. The tall man looked appreciatively over her exposed flesh. "Nice," he said. "Just like the picture." He stepped up and, using both hands, weighed her large, firm, round breasts.
Maddy had heard the door to the barn open and several sets of feet enter. It was
funny how you could hear better when your sight was obscured, especially if it had been for a long time. She heard the complimentary words of the stranger. While she had been immobilized, made up and cleaned up, Maddy had concluded the unimaginable. She was going to be sold to somebody who liked pretty girls, and who would undoubtedly fuck her and use her. The sensation of the man measuring her breasts confirmed her fears.
The tall guy ran his hands down Maddy's legs. From a crouched position, he pulled out a tape measure. He looked up at Herman. "Do you mind?" he asked.
"No, no, go right ahead," Herman answered.
The man took the tape measure and ran it the length of the inside of Maddy's thigh. He seemed to be pleased. He then measured the circumference of her thighs and the broadness of her hips. He ran the tape around her back and measured her bust size. "Thirty-eight," he said to himself.
Rising, he spoke again to Herman. Louise hovered by Herman's side watching the buyer taking stock of the goods. "Let me see her face."
Louise stepped forward and withdrew the hood. Maddy's eyes blinked at the sudden infusion of light. Once adjusted, they widened at the harsh, business like face of the man who was assessing her. "Spit out the ball," he said to her.
Maddy was so frightened she almost peed right there. She saw Herman standing by, the electric wand in his hand. She would obey.
With some difficulty, Maddy pushed the ball out of her mouth with her tongue. It landed on the man's palm, covered with the moisture of her mouth. The man flipped it to Herman nonchalantly.
He pressed wide Maddy's cheeks to examine her teeth. He pushed her head side to side, looking for blemishes. He stared into her eyes, assessing the spirit of the female displayed before him. He could tell a lot about a girl by looking into her eyes, especially a frightened one. He had been at this for some time.
