The Golden Anklet

by Beverly Hansford

  Ray and Kylie disappeared quickly, but Miles and Gail walked with Jane and Bob to their car.

  ‘Thank you for a lovely evening – and thank you again for letting us stay at Barn Cottage,’ said Jane, as she shook Miles’s hand.

  ‘It’s been a marvellous little holiday – just what we needed,’ said Bob.

  ‘You must come down here again,’ cooed Gail.

  *

  ‘What did you think of the evening?’ asked Jane, as she drove back to the cottage.

  After a few seconds, Bob replied, ‘A bit strained, I thought.’

  ‘That’s how I felt, and I didn’t really like Ray very much.’

  There was no reply from Bob.

  Jane drove on in silence. After a while she noticed that Bob was strangely quiet. After several miles she could stand it no more.

  She tapped Bob on the shoulder. ‘Hey, you’re quiet. Talk to me!’

  Bob stirred. ‘Sorry,’ he mumbled. ‘It’s just that I feel so damn sleepy.’

  ‘You need a strong coffee. I’ll make you one when we get back,’ announced Jane firmly. She grinned to herself. Surely the highlight of her evening was not going to be denied her by a sleepy partner.

  ‘I had two cups of coffee in the restaurant,’ Bob replied, yawning.

  ‘OK. You sit back and have a snooze. But I want you awake and active when we get back.’ She murmured under her breath, ‘I just hope I can find my way in the dark.’

  There was no answer from Bob. His head had dropped back onto the headrest.

  Jane drove slowly and carefully. She hadn’t taken particular notice on the way to the restaurant, because Bob had been giving her directions all the time. Gail, who had driven out of the car park just in front of her, seemed to have disappeared.

  In spite of the slight worry, Jane managed quite well and eventually drew up outside Barn Cottage.

  She gave Bob another tap on the arm. ‘Hey. We’re here.’

  Bob barely stirred.

  Jane was a bit dismayed. She had been looking forward to the last bit of the evening, and now she had a sleepy partner on her hands. It was so unusual for Bob to be like this that she could not be angry. She took her time changing her shoes, in the process making several comments that were apparently ignored by Bob, who only seemed to murmur something at one point.

  Wondering what to do, Jane collected her handbag and keys and slammed the car door, hoping that would wake him. Nothing happened. She gave a little sigh. What should she do now?

  Suddenly an idea came to her. A wet sponge! That was it. That would be sure to do the trick, and there was a large sponge in the bathroom that would be perfect. She walked to the front door of Barn Cottage, making as much noise on the gravel as she could, still hoping that Bob would wake up.

  She unlocked the front door and plunged the room into brightness. Depositing her bag and keys on a convenient chair, she kicked off her offending shoes, went into the bathroom and filled the basin with water. The sponge was dry and it took a couple of minutes to absorb the right amount of water. She grinned to herself. Now for the sleepy Bob, she thought.

  As she emerged from the bathroom carrying the wet sponge, something between a gasp and a scream burst from her lips, and she dropped the sponge in shock. A figure stood in the entrance doorway holding a gun levelled directly at her.

  Chapter 39

  For a few seconds Jane’s voice seemed to be frozen. She stared at the figure in the doorway holding the gun. Time seemed to be standing still.

  After what felt like an eternity she managed to speak. ‘Who are you? What do you want?’

  ‘Don’t try anything silly. Just do as you’re told.’ It was a woman’s voice.

  Jane’s sudden shock was replaced with fear. The gun pointing at her appeared real and menacing. Her brain seemed to be paralysed. Her mouth was dry. ‘Who are you?’ she managed to croak again.

  Her intruder spoke from behind a scarf that covered the lower part of her face. ‘Just do as you’re told and you won’t get hurt. This gun is loaded and I know how to use it. We don’t want any violence, but that’s up to you. It would be best if you didn’t try anything heroic.’

  ‘I have no money.’ Jane was beginning to think she was immersed in an armed robbery.

  ‘We don’t want money.’ The woman moved forward into the room. ‘Go and sit there.’ The order was accompanied by a slight movement of the gun in the direction of a chair.

  For the first time Jane directed movement into her body. She bent down to pick up the sponge, but her attempt was immediately countermanded by her aggressor.

  ‘Leave it. Go and sit down.’

  Jane obeyed. There did not seem to be anything else she could do. She walked over to the chair and sat down on the edge of it. The woman came and sat opposite her, the gun trained on her the whole time.

  Jane found herself almost petrified with fear. What was happening? Everything seemed unreal, as if she were in a dream. But the gun levelled at her was real enough. She suddenly thought of Bob. How long ago had she left him? Five minutes? Ten minutes? Oh, if only he would wake up and come to her aid… Please. Please wake up, she prayed. But nothing happened.

  How long they sat facing each other Jane could not tell. It might have been only a few minutes, but it seemed to be hours. All the time she was conscious of the gun pointing at her.

  At last she found her voice. ‘Why do you have to keep pointing that thing at me?’

  The intruder chuckled. ‘We don’t want anything silly to happen, now, do we?’ was her reply, but the gun moved position to rest on the arm of a chair.

  Jane felt relieved by the action. At least it was no longer pointing directly at her. ‘If you don’t want money, what do you want?’ she asked.

  Again there was a chuckle behind the scarf. ‘We want you.’

  ‘Who is we?’

  ‘You’ll find out.’

  Jane suddenly thought of something, ‘If this is a kidnap, you’ve either got the wrong person or got things wrong. Nobody is going to pay a ransom for me.’

  ‘It’s not a kidnap.’

  ‘Why are we sitting here like this?’ Jane was beginning to feel more forceful in her questions.

  ‘You’ll see.’

  The reply puzzled Jane. What did the woman want with her? She tried to make her out, but her face was almost obscured by the scarf. From her voice she appeared to be a young woman.

  Jane sat consumed with fear. This was something you read about or saw in a film. It didn’t happen to ordinary people; but it was happening to her here and now.

  There was a sudden noise outside. It caused Jane to shift her position. Could it be Bob? Would he grasp the situation quickly enough to help her? The questions raced through her head.

  Her movement caused the woman to react.

  ‘Stay where you are.’

  The harsh instruction was accompanied by the movement of the gun towards Jane.

  Jane sat still. There was no further sound from outside, and the hope of rescue from Bob began to diminish. Fear still gripped her. She tried desperately to think of some way to overcome her assailant. Could she divert her attention long enough to escape? Could she say she needed the bathroom and escape that way? Each time her strategy was blocked by the thought of the gun.

  ‘How long are you going to keep me sitting like this?’ she asked hoarsely.

  ‘You’ll see.’

  ‘But why? What do you want with me?’

  ‘You ask too many questions. Be quiet.’

  Again the tremors of fear swept through Jane’s body. Not only was she being held prisoner, but she also had to be a silent one.

  They sat in silence, for how long Jane never knew. Suddenly there was another sound outside and the next instant a figure appeared at the still-open front door. It was another woman, perhaps a year or two older than Jane. She was dressed casually in a tee-shirt and jeans and unlike her accomplice’s, her face was visible.

  She greeted the fir
st woman. ‘Everything all right, Babs?’

  ‘You took long enough. Everything go OK?’

  ‘Sleeping like a babe. He won’t wake up for hours.’

  The remark puzzled Jane. Who were they talking about? She knew it was pointless asking. Then the attention turned to her.

  ‘How’s this one behaving?’ asked the second woman.

  ‘Asking too many questions. Let’s get on with it.’

  The second woman turned to Jane. ‘Right, you. Get up. We’re going somewhere.’

  Jane tried a new ploy. ‘I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s happening.’

  Her remark produced an immediately reaction from the second woman. Showing signs of annoyance, she addressed Jane.

  ‘Now look, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way. It’s up to you.’

  She opened the lid of a small box she was carrying and showed the contents to Jane. The box contained a hypodermic needle and several phials. She continued. ‘You can either go willingly or I can inject you with this. It’ll put you to sleep in seconds.’

  There was a moment’s silence. Jane could not bear the thought of being made unconscious.

  ‘What’s it to be?’ The tone of the voice was impatient.

  Jane almost panicked. ‘Please don’t inject me. I’ll go with you.’ To demonstrate her compliance she got up from the chair.

  ‘OK. Just do as you’re told and everything’ll be fine.’

  Still consumed with fear, Jane waited. Where were they going to take her?

  The second woman spoke again. ‘Pick up your bag and keys and put on your shoes. Hurry.’ It seemed that she was now taking charge of events.

  Jane obediently carried out the command. With the gun still pointed at her, she appeared to have no option. She walked to the spot where she had abandoned her shoes, and stuffed her feet into them. Almost mechanically she picked up her handbag and keys from the chair where she had deposited them what seemed like hours ago now, although perhaps it was only a matter of minutes.

  ‘Turn out the lights and lock the front door. Then walk towards your car. And don’t try anything silly.’

  Jane followed the instructions. Outside she was again ordered to walk to the car. As she approached it, she noticed that there was no one in the passenger seat. The shock of seeing the empty seat produced an anxious response from her.

  ‘Where’s Bob? Where’s my fiancé? What have you done to him?’ There was panic in her voice.

  ‘Don’t worry about him. He’ll just sleep for a few hours.’

  ‘But where is he?’

  ‘He’s safe.’

  Jane had no time to even consider the answer, as they had arrived at the car.

  ‘Get into the driving seat. Babs, you sit behind her.’

  Jane found herself sitting behind the steering wheel. The woman called Babs got in behind her. The second woman slipped into the passenger seat.

  ‘Now start the engine and start driving. Don’t try anything and remember there’s a gun pointing at your back.’

  ‘Where are you taking me?’ Jane asked, hesitating and shaking now. It was a futile question.

  ‘Never you mind. Just do as you’re told.’

  ‘I told you she asked a lot of questions, Mel,’ said the woman in the back seat.

  ‘She’ll be quiet soon enough.’ The woman called Mel turned to Jane. ‘Get cracking,’ she ordered.

  With a thumping heart Jane started the engine. The BMW sprang into life. Almost in a dream she put the car into gear and they moved off.

  Jane drove slowly through the darkness. The clock on the dashboard indicated that it was approaching one in the morning. It seemed ages since she and Bob had left the restaurant. She had been happy as she drove back to Barn Cottage, humming a tune to keep herself company, a sleeping Bob beside her. Now she was driving again, this time to an unknown destination, with a gun at her back. Somehow she had to try and escape from her captors. But how? They seemed so well organised and in control. Perhaps the car would break down, but she knew that was clutching at straws. Could she fake needing petrol? She knew it was no good. The petrol gauge was showing well over half full. Could she force a collision with another vehicle? It seemed a risky idea, and in any case there was no traffic on the road.

  They drove on in silence except for the occasional direction from Mel. Jane was driving on unfamiliar roads and needed to concentrate. On top of that she had not had the opportunity or the inclination to change her shoes, and she found driving in high heels difficult. How long the journey took she had no idea. She was too concerned with the predicament she was in.

  At last she was directed down a minor road. It was narrow and not very well maintained. The car bounced over several potholes. The road ended abruptly in a flat, stony area overlooking the sea. The water was sparkling in the moonlight.

  Mel pointed. ‘Park over there.’

  Jane brought the car to stop just feet from a dilapidated wooded fence, which appeared to be on the edge of the cliff. She took the scene in with a glance. There seemed to be a gap in the fence, and a path leading down towards the sea. Under normal circumstances the view would have been quite romantic, with the moon shining on a calm sea, but she was acutely aware that this was not a normal situation.

  ‘Stop the engine.’ Babs spoke again from behind her. ‘Now get out of the car.’

  As she issued the instructions, Babs was already opening her own door.

  Slowly Jane complied. She was still shaking, and she had not come up with a way of outwitting her captors.

  Again she asked the question that dominated her thinking: ‘What are you going to do with me?’

  ‘Just shut up.’ The command came from Babs, who was looking anxiously around. ‘Where are they? They should be here by now.’ There was almost panic in her voice.

  ‘They’ll be here,’ remarked Mel quite calmly.

  ‘I want to get this job finished and get out of here,’ Babs snapped angrily.

  So there were more people involved in her abduction. What on earth was it all about? Why would anybody want to kidnap her? Surely they must have got the wrong person. That thought generated another fear. What would happen to her when they found out they had made a mistake? And what had happened to Bob? Was he all right? Was he looking for her? The questions raced through Jane’s brain in a matter of seconds, and all the while fear was seeping into every part of her body. Fear of what was going to happen to her.

  Jane stood motionless by the car. Mel seemed quite calm, but Babs was still looking anxiously around. Suddenly she turned her attention to Jane.

  ‘You. Walk round to the other side of the car.’

  With the gun levelled at her again, Jane had little option other than to comply. Slowly, watched by an impatient Babs, she walked round the front of the car to the front passenger door, which Mel had left wide open.

  ‘Now take your clothes off and be quick about it,’ barked Babs.

  Jane’s reaction was swift. ‘Go to hell.’ For good measure she added, ‘I’ve no intention of doing such a thing.’

  Babs shrugged her shoulders. She seemed quite unconcerned.

  ‘Please yourself. There’ll be a couple of men here shortly and they can do it for you. They’ll enjoy that.’

  As if to give substance to her remark, a large black car drew up a short distance away, and two men emerged. Babs immediately beckoned them silently with her hand.

  Panic overtook Jane. The thought of strangers stripping her clothing off was unthinkable.

  ‘Please. I’ll do it myself.’ The words came out automatically.

  ‘Get on with it, then,’ Babs snapped at her.

  Jane kicked off her shoes and started to take off her dress.

  ‘Put everything on the car seat,’ ordered Mel.

  With shaking fingers, Jane complied. ‘Why are you doing this to me?’ she pleaded, close to tears now.

  ‘You’ll find out. Just get on with it,’ said Babs, brandishi
ng the gun.

  ‘You can keep your bra and pants on,’ said Mel. Her voice was almost sympathetic.

  Shaking and fighting back the tears, Jane completed the required task. She placed her dress, neatly folded, on the car seat and put her shoes next to it.

  ‘Take off your watch as well,’ instructed Mel. ‘You can leave the rest on,’ she added, with a glance at Jane’s locket and anklet.

  Jane looked at her. ‘Why?’ she pleaded.

  ‘Just do it. We’ve wasted enough time on you,’ snapped Babs.

  Jane removed her watch and placed it on top of her dress. She stood there, conscious of her skimpy underwear. Under normal circumstances embarrassment would have overtaken her, but now fear overruled her modesty. What did these people want with her, and what were they going to do to her? Why had she been made to remove her clothes? ‘Please tell me what you’re going to do with me,’ she begged.

  ‘You’ll find out soon enough,’ smirked Babs.

  The two men were now standing with them. They seemed to be a similar age to the two women – perhaps just a bit older than Jane. Their eyes were fixed on Jane, who was standing pathetically by the car. One of them gave a whistle and grinned at her.

  ‘Where have you been all my life, darling?’

  Babs immediately took control of the situation. ‘You can cut that out. Remember we’re doing a job. I don’t want you messing things up.’

  The man looked a bit sheepish. ‘No harm in a joke,’ he muttered under his breath.

  Babs turned to Jane. With the number of accomplices increased, she was no longer waving the gun around.

  ‘Walk over to the other car,’ she ordered.

  Jane obediently started to walk in the direction indicated. She felt sick with fear, but for the present there did not seem to be any alternative other than to do as she was told. The situation she was in was the type of thing you read about. Something that happened to other people. But now it was real and it was happening to her.