134 lines
8.5 KiB
Plaintext
134 lines
8.5 KiB
Plaintext
Archive-name: Bondage/aejb.txt
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Archive-author: Felix Dartmouth (C)
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Archive-title: Segment - AEJ B
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"I am Jim Fredericks, a private investigator with a practice divided
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between Mexico and Houston. I met Miss Ryan on the plane. Is Miss Ryan being
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detained, or is she under arrest?"
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"That is to be determined," said the Colonel. "Miss Ryan, what can you
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tell me of your trip to Mexico?"
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"I went to Mexico on business. I was to meet a man there and spend the
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weekend there with him working. I am a secretary."
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"So, he imported a secretary all the way from the United States? You must
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be very skilled indeed. Tell me, what else did he have you do? Are you a
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prostitute? Let me assure you that if you are, it is no concern of mine, and
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that matter is not at all in my jurisdiction. We are concerned about something
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else entirely, something far more serious. I suggest that you tell me the
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absolute truth about this matter."
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"I am not a prostitute!" said Stacy, very upset with the accusation.
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Jim broke in. "Officer, I sense that there is some reason that you are
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questioning my friend that goes beyond import violations. She has no luggage,
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and she is carrying no contraband. It is certainly not illegal to go to Mexico
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and her papers are in order. Why are you questioning her?"
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"Let me get straight to the point then. We received certain photographs
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of a women yesterday from a notorious white slave ring. One of these
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photographs appears to be Miss Ryan." Colonel Cooper pulled a manila envelope
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from his desk, and took out three black and white photographs and gave them to
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Stacy.
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The top photograph was a striking young brunette in an evening gown with
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elbow length leather gloves. She wore a diamond necklace that must have cost
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twenty thousand dollars if it were real. She was tightly gagged with a ball
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gag the type that Stacy was all too familiar with, and she was turned to the
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side so it was apparent that her arms had been tightly bound with rope and her
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elbows had been wrenched together and bound. There were tears streaming from
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her eyes, and she seemed to be in pain and very frightened. She could have
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been no more than twenty-five, although her sophisticated dress made her look
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more mature.
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The second photograph was of Katrina, equally tightly bound and gagged,
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and the third photograph was of Stacy in the white dress with the wide black
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belt, in the same bondage manner as the elegant woman in the first photograph.
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"That appears to be you in the third photograph, Miss Ryan. Is it?" asked
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the Colonel.
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Stacy looked at Jim. Even he did not know the whole story. She was a
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little upset with Fernando for sending her home in such publicly flaunted
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bondage, but she had promised to protect his identity and his cause to break up
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the slavers. She certainly did not want to go to jail for him, however.
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"You seem hesitant to reply. Let me tell you a little bit about what you
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seem to have gotten yourself into. This woman is the wife of Michael
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Wentworth. You may be familiar with him. He is an industrialist and a weapons
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maker. The woman in this photograph is Renee' Wentworth, his wife of two years
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and the daughter of a French weapons maker.
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"Mrs. Wentworth as taken from her hotel room in Mexico City yesterday
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morning. No ransom note was left, and none of the government authorities have
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heard from the kidnappers. Of course, she could have been kidnapped for money,
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but our worst fears are that her husband is to be blackmailed into supplying
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arms to insurrectionist factions in Mexico. As you might imagine, with Mexico
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bordering on Texas, this is a matter of National Security. All of the customs
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stations have been notified, and we suspected that someone entering the United
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States would provide us with clues regarding this matter.
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"I don't have to tell you that this matter is strictly Top Secret. You,
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Miss Ryan, appear to be in the same state as this unfortunate Mrs. Wentworth.
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I highly recommend that you co-operate, or you will be detained as a material
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witness in this case," concluded Colonel Cooper.
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"I prefer not to comment at this time," said Stacy. She remembered that
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she saw Mrs. Wentworth in the cells where they had spent a thankfully few hours
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before Fernando had rescued them. She was probably the elegantly clad young
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brunette that was lying on the cell floor hog-tied and sobbing.
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"I will not mince words, Miss Ryan," said the Colonel. "I suspect that you
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are familiar with this case, and your photograph in bondage along with these
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others submitted to us confirms it, and therefore, I am placing you under
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detention as a witness, until you choose to tell us what you know regarding
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this matter."
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"Excuse me," broke in Jim. "I am a licensed private investigator, and am
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frequently employed in the transportation of prisoners, and am bonded for that
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activity. In deference to my friend, who has spent a traumatic weekend, I
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volunteer to hold her in custody for one night without fee, and discuss this
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matter with her, and escort her back her tomorrow at 10:30 for questioning, and
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I feel that I may be able to convince her that telling you what she knows may
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be the best thing for all concerned, including the United States and this Mrs.
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Wentworth and her husband."
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The Colonel sounded interested. "Do you have your papers here?"
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"Certainly," replied Jim, and took a card, and a folded sheet of paper out
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of his wallet and handed them over to the Colonel. The Colonel, seeing a
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possible way to make some progress, nodded.
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"Very well, I see you are a resident of Houston, Mr. Fredericks. I would
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like however, if you would stay at a designated hotel so we can contact you if
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necessary. Specifically, I would like you to stay at the Mariott downtown."
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Jim, knowing this to be typical, was pleased at the prospect. Also, he
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was wondering what his bound friend on the plane was involved in, and did not
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want her seen in his house, in case there would be someone following them.
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"That would be fine," he replied.
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Stacy protested. "Hey, I don't see why I can't just call you from where I
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am going!"
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"You don't seem to understand," replied the Colonel. "You are now in
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custody, Miss Ryn. You can spend the night in the Mariott under the protection
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of Mr. Fredericks, or you can spend it handcuffed in one of our airport cells,
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which I can assure you are very small and none too comfortable, until the FBI
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arrive tomorrow. I don't feel that you are dangerous, Miss Ryan, but your
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presence must definitely be secured so we can continue our investigation. Take
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your pick."
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"Well Colonel, since I appear to be under arrest, I will go with Jim."
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She looked daggers at him. "Well," she said sarcastically, "are you going to
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handcuff me now? And what about some sort of gag?"
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"When we leave," said Jim with a straight face.
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"I don't believe it!" said Stacy. "This is like a nightmare!"
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"Please try to understand, Miss Ryan. Your going with Mr. Fredericks is a
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concession to your comfort as well as your safety. He is, however, to use any
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means possible to assure that you are here tomorrow, and that does include
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keeping you in restraints the entire time. It's simply regulations," said the
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Colonel kindly.
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The black woman came in carrying some papers. "Where do I sign for her,
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Colonel?" Jim asked. The papers were placed on the desk. Jim signed for his
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prisoner.
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"You will be paid the usual fee," said the Colonel to Jim.
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"Very well," said Jim. "Are you ready?" he asked Stacy.
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Huffily Stacy stood. Jim pulled the handcuffs out of his pocket, and
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approached her. She offered her wrists in front, pouting, and Jim clasped one
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wrist and then twisted her arms behind her and clasped her other wrist shut.
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Stacy was bright red with humiliation. This is the first time that she had
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ever been handcuffed at the auspices of her own government.
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"No gag, Stacy," said Jim, "The gag can be used at my discretion, but the
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handcuffs are mandatory. I'll gag you later, for the night."
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"We will see you two tomorrow, and I hope that you have developed a more
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co-operative attitude by then, Miss Ryan," said the Colonel.
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Stacy said nothing as she was lead out into the crowded lobby with her
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hands chained behind her back, and Jim with his hand firmly grasping her over
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her elbow.
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--
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