“Rachel” He roared. His secretary timidly opened the door and said
“Yes Sir?”
“Book me and my car on the first ferry to France in the morning.”
“Yes sir....Shall I book a return date also?”
“No. I'm not sure how long I'll be staying yet.”
She retreated and left him to his planning. His friends the Green's had a place close to Le Havre. It wouldn't take more than two to three hours to drive there. They were away on a world cruise, he had used it many times before when he needed a change of scenery. It's perfect, he thought as he text his friend requesting use of their property. Within minutes Isaac Green rang him back and told him that the place was vacant until mid-November.
“What are you up to you old dog?” Isaac asked
“Just entertaining a young lady.” Kingston replied.
“Better not tell Madame Coutoux to call then.” Isaac sniggered.
“Tell her to keep well away.” Kingston agreed “She might have heart failure. Madame Coutoux was the caretaker but she also doubled as cook and cleaner whenever required.
Isaac laughed, he was well aware of Richard Kingston's sexual deviants, he too had been to a number of parties of a similar nature with him.
“Leave the place as you found it please. I don't want any complaints from you know who.”
Isaac’s wife was totally unaware of his secret fetishes and he liked it that way, she was never invited to Kingston's “special parties” as those in the clique referred to them.
“Thanks, will do.” He hung up. He was beginning to feel like things were going his way again and it felt good.
Isaac rang back again a few moments later. “You're in luck mate Madame Coutoux is away on holidays visiting her family somewhere in Belgium, so you won't be disturbed. The key is in the usual spot. The code for the alarm is 9942. Have fun.”
“Thanks mate.” Kingston said. He hung up things are running smoothly now he thought. Next he had to go and visit his step-daughter he needed to make sure that there wouldn't be any problems there while he was away. He gathered up his briefcase and jacket and headed out the door humming to himself. Rachel his secretary and Steven stared after him. Neither of them daring to utter a word until he had left.
“What the...?” Steven said looking at Rachel
“I know, he's been like that for ages. I never know what to expect.” They were both amazed at the sudden change in his mood.
“Split personality, has to be.” Steven mused. Rachel nodded in agreement, thankful that he was gone and might not be back for the rest of the week with any luck.
Kingston took a taxi back to his apartment and began packing for his trip. He gathered up some things to take with him to his step-daughter's nursing home. He found what he had been looking for and stashed it carefully in his briefcase, first checking that the contents were in order. Sitting back he rang his dealer, he needed more coke. He was on a high now but he knew that by the time he got to France he might need a fix and he didn't want to have to go in search of it over there. Within fifteen minutes he was holding enough little packets of the white powder to last him a week. He carefully placed it in his briefcase, he wasn't too worried about customs finding it. He had never been stopped by them before and he travelled to France regularly. Then it struck him he couldn't take his car, he wouldn't have anywhere to hide Jane. He couldn't very well put a heavily drugged woman into the passenger seat and not expect anyone to notice. Neither could he just lock her in the boot, what if they asked him to open it. He also didn't have her passport. “Shit” He thought, how he was going to get her there unnoticed. I'll have to bring the Land Rover he realised. He had had it specially adapted when he bought it. There was a large storage compartment behind the front seats that he had put in to conceal his special implements. He often hid his specialised bondage equipment there. He had brought them to the continent before undetected. It wasn't that they were illegal, just that if they were discovered by someone from customs, he knew that some sleazy newspaper would pay a small fortune for that information.
“Rachel” He barked down the phone when she answered. “Change the car details, I'm bringing the Land Rover instead. Have Steven bring the paperwork over to me.” He hung up. That will do nicely he thought. There is plenty of room in that compartment for Jane. I'll just have to make sure she is completely out of it. Don't want her to make any noise and alert anyone. Within half an hour Steven had brought the paperwork and left again. Now he was ready. He pottered around his apartment sorting out various bits and pieces, he began to feel like he was being watched. The feeling was so strong, he searched the whole apartment from top to bottom. He had bought a special de-bugging device which he used regularly. He was very paranoid that there might be hidden cameras or listening devices planted. After all he sighed it had been very easy for him to place those tiny cameras in the Westhall's home without being discovered. After scanning the apartment and finding nothing he relaxed. It was the latest equipment and he knew that if there was anything there he would have found it, replacing the machine he tried to relax but the feeling of being watched wouldn't go. He began to fidget and decided that before he worked himself up all over again he should just leave and head for the nursing home. Traffic was chaotic and it took him over two and a half hours to get there. Even in the car he couldn't rid himself of the sensation. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end and he shivered involuntarily.
“Mr Kingston, We weren't expecting to see you today.” A young cheerful nurse on duty at the reception desk greeted him.
“I'm going away for a few days. I couldn't go without seeing her.” Kingston smiled, thinking to himself, if only she knew how true that was. “How is she, any change?”
“Afraid not, just the same. I'm sure your visits are very welcome though.”
Kingston left her and headed down the corridor to his Step-daughter's room.
Chapter thirty three
It wasn't long before Anna floated into Kingston's office. Upon entering his office she had expected to find him still there but there was no sign of him. She went out to look for him hoping that he was nearby, maybe in a meeting but she searched the whole floor room by room and he was nowhere to be found. She decide to go back to his office in the hope that he might return. She went into his secretary's office and sat in the same seat she had sat in earlier, or what could be considered as close to sitting as she could get in her current state. It wasn't long before her patience was rewarded. The telephone rang and Kingston's secretary who had been checking out on line shopping web sites almost jumped out of her skin. Anna could tell by the woman's' manner that it was her boss on the other end. Their conversation was brief and the moment she had put down the phone she returned to her computer. After five minutes she printed something off and sealed it in an envelope. She picked up her phone and spoke to someone. Within a minute Steven had entered the office. Looking expectantly at her he said.
“What's up?”
“Can you drop this around to Mr Kingston's apartment please?” She replied
“Do I have to? Can't you courier it there.” Steven wasn't at all keen to meet his boss.
“Sorry, but he asked for you to do it and he wants it straight away.”
“All right but if I'm not back in an hour notify the police.” He joked
“Ah for Christ’s sake Steven, he's not that bad. Now go before he rings back and gives me an earful.” She handed him twenty pounds and told him to take a taxi.
This was the break Anna had been hoping for as she followed Steven. She hopped into the taxi with him. He was totally oblivious to her presence and was humming along to some tune she couldn't hear, on his iPod. Within fifteen minutes she was in Kingston's apartment watching his every move. She made a mental note of his address and filed it away for future reference. She kept as far away from him as she could, staying at the opposite end of the room. He seemed to get very uneasy when she was too close. She guessed
that he felt like he was being watched. Which wasn't surprising really, he was being watched and his senses seemed to more heightened that the average person. Anna supposed that it was because of his criminal activities that he seemed to be more aware of her presence. She watched as he went from room to room with some sort of anti-spy device and she smiled to herself. She wasn't sure if there was any device in existence that could detect her presence; but she knew for certain that if there was he didn't have one. Finally he seemed ready to leave, he had his briefcase and a small black leather overnight bag. He headed to his car and drove out into the busy London traffic. She had no option but to keep close to him. He seemed more aware of her when she was in close proximity and he looked uneasy. His eyes darted everywhere, searching for an unseen watcher.
It was hours later before he finally stopped the car. Anna noted the name of the private nursing home and wondered who he could be visiting. Perhaps he had an elderly mother here. It wasn't long before she found out. He stopped to have a few words with the nurse at reception, before heading down the corridor and entering a room. It was a typical nursing home room, very similar to the one her grandmother had occupied before she died. It had a bed in the middle of the room and a couple of red-cloth easy chairs for visitors. The walls were painted a neutral magnolia colour and on them were photographs of happy smiling people. Anna guessed that whoever was in the bed had been there for a while. As she got closer to the bed she was surprised by what she saw. A young girl was lying there hooked up to some machines. A drip was slowly releasing liquid into her arm. She was lying there with her eyes open staring vacantly into space. She didn't move or speak. Anna thought she noticed a flicker of recognition in those eyes as Kingston bent forward and kissed her forehead. Then to her surprise she saw him open his briefcase and take out a long box. Inside he removed a syringe and filled it with liquid from a small vial. He injected this liquid into the girl's drip and quickly replaced everything back into his briefcase. All the time he was chatting amiably to her about everything from the weather to a win he'd had on the horses. Anna studied the girl's face and was saddened to see a single tear slip down her cheek.
Shortly after a thin middle-aged nurse came in carrying some towels and clean clothes. She was surprised to see Kingston.
“Mr Kingston, we weren't expecting to see you for another couple of days.” She said as she stopped briefly to converse with him.
“Was just in the neighbourhood and decided to call in. Any change here?” he enquired nodding towards the bed.
“No, poor love. Still the same. Still we have high hopes, sometimes I think I can see a change in her. She seems to perk up a little bit just before your visits, unfortunately it doesn't seem to last.” She said sadly as she bustled around the bed straightening the covers. “You love to see your dad coming don't you love?” she said smiling kindly at the girl. She took the chart from the end of the bed and wrote something on it.
“I love coming, she's all I have since her mother died.” Kingston said sounding very sincere.
Could this evil man have a heart? Anna wondered. Was there someone else in the world he actually cared for besides himself?
“I'll leave you too it.” The nurse said and she bustled out again. Anna went to look at the chart, the girls name was written clearly on it, Katie Kinsella. Strange that she has a different last name she reflected briefly, perhaps he hadn’t been married to her mother. Kingston stayed almost an hour in the nursing home, talking to the silent girl. It was dark outside when he finally returned to the car. He quickly drove away. Finally, Anna thought he must be going to Jane.
He drove for a further hour and pulled up outside a large country house hotel. He entered the hotel and was immediately greeted warmly by the young man behind the reception desk. Kingston was shown into the large dining room, it was fairly quiet with only a few tables occupied and a youngish couple were sitting on high stools at the little bar at one end of the room. The Maître D slid over quickly and showed Kingston to a table and handed him a menu. Kingston barely looked at it before ordering “His usual.” The maître D bowed and just as quickly slithered away again. A pretty young waitress brought him a multi coloured drink in a cocktail glass, and flirted shamelessly with him for a few minutes before scuttling off when the Maître D clicked his fingers at her and scowled. Over two hours passed, Kingston had eaten his meal and downed a further six cocktails without them seeming to have any adverse effects on him. Anna was beginning to wonder if her assumptions were correct. She had thought that he would head straight to wherever he was holding Jane. Now though he looked like a man who was settling in for the evening, in no rush to go anywhere.
Finally hours later he glanced at his watch and summoned the waiter, he signed for his meal and drinks left a hefty tip and headed off again. Anna was totally bored and glad to be on the move again. He drove for almost an hour, before braking sharply in front of some electric gates. He fumbled around for a moment and finding an object pointed it forward and the gates swung open noiselessly. He drove up the drive, parked the car in a large garage which housed two other vehicles. He took out his briefcase and his overnight bag and placed the overnight bag on the passenger seat of the larger vehicle. Still with his briefcase in his hand he headed for a side door, slid the key in the lock once inside he punched a code into the security keypad. He stopped for a moment listening, then seemingly satisfied he continued on down the hall and into his study. He went over to the side-board and filled a glass with brandy and sat down. Anna gazed about her, she took in all the framed photos on the mantelpiece and examined each one in turn. Then she came to one which stopped her in her tracks. It was of him and Jane. Jane looked slightly uncomfortable, while he was beaming from ear to ear with his arm around her shoulder. Looking back to where Kingston was sitting she noticed that he had fallen asleep. She waited patiently hoping that this wasn't it. That he wasn't going to stay here all night. Where is he keeping Jane? She wondered.
Her patience was rewarded at about two-thirty in the morning he stirred himself looking at his watch, he cursed and jumped up from his seat. He pulled a bunch of keys from his pocket and headed out into the hall and up the stairs. At the top he turned right and stopping outside a door, picked one of the keys and unlocked it. He switched on the light and walked in.
“Hello My darling. Did you miss me?” He said. Anna saw a figure in the bed come to life and shrink away from him as he approached. She couldn't believe the sight before her. It took her a moment to recognise the woman huddled in the bed. She was horrific looking, her eyes were hollow, dark circles framed the frightened eyes. Her wrists were shackled together and her thin frail body was chained to the bed. A ghost of her former self was how Anna thought of her as she stared in horror at the poor woman in front of her. She watched as Kingston kissed her lightly on the forehead and poured a glass of water for her. She meanwhile was trying to melt into the wall. She looked very lethargic as though she might be drugged. Finally after a while he coaxed her to drink and she drank greedily. He poured another glass for her and she finished that too.
I should go now Anna thought, I know where she is now. I must find Morley and tell him everything. Jane could be home with her family by morning. It was what Kingston said next that stopped her in her tracks.
“Darling, I've a surprise for you?” Jane looked at him fearfully and said nothing.
“We're going away for a while. I'm taking you away for a holiday. You'll love it, you can get better and we can finally be a family.” He rambled on and on talking to her, reassuring her. Anna knew now that she couldn't go she had to stay with them. When Kingston stopped at where ever he was moving Jane to, then she would find Morley.
“Are you an angel? Will you help me?” The sound of Jane's trembling voice shocked Anna. The poor woman was staring up past Kingston and looking directly at her. She can see me Anna thought in amazement. No one had ever seen her before. Some had been aware of her presence, but not known what it was that they we
re sensing. “I'm going to help you, I'm going to get you out of her soon.” Anna promised, hoping that Jane could hear and understand her. Kingston thinking that she was looking at him and addressing him, took it as a break through and scooped her into his arms crooning softly to her as he kissed her face. Anna watched in disgust as he held Jane’s feeble body against his. Anna wondered where Kingston was going to take Jane. She hadn't overheard the conversation about booking the ferry to France. If she had she would have left immediately. She had a fear of water that would have persuaded her do anything rather than cross the channel. In her spirit state she was terrified of water. It confused and disorientated her to the extent that she blacked out and when she finally returned to her body she couldn’t remember anything.
Kingston freed Jane's wrists and unshackled her from the bed. He undressed her down to her under-wear, Anna could see more clearly her thin emaciated body. He went over to the dressing table and removed some clothes. Jane just lay there shivering waiting for her abductor to return. She didn't even have the strength to sit up properly. Kingston came back with her clothes and dressed her carefully. He left the room briefly and returned with his briefcase. Opening it he took out another syringe and vial and filling the syringe with the contents of it, he proceeded to inject it into Jane. Anna looked on helplessly as Jane struggled feebly against him. Within moments she was unconscious and Kingston wrapped her in a blanket and throwing her over his shoulder he walked downstairs and out into the garage. He propped her up against the side of the vehicle, opened the back door, lifted up a panel in the floor and to Anna's dismay he placed Jane's unconscious body inside and carefully replaced the panel. No one would ever guess that she was in there unless they had prior knowledge of its existence. He closed the door, returned to the house and locked everything up tight again before hopping into the driver’s seat and driving off.
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