Chapter eight

Some ten miles down the river from Strassbourg, Helena became a little bit tired. She  had been awake for some 20 hours now and the day had been quite straining. She just considered wether she could dare to stop at a nearby city and to try to get some coffee, when suddenly the boat stopped, accompanied by a crashing sound.

RRRUUUMMMS!

Helena staggered and realized at once what had happened. Since she wanted to avoid being seen, she had sailed outside the navigation channel, marked by green respectively red buoys. This had indeed prevented her from being detected by the occasional freight ship that sailed the river at that hour of the night. But though the Rhine was mainly regulated, it still had some dangerous areas with reefs just below the surface – just like the one she had just hit.

Helena desperately looked around. There was no ship around and the shore was some 100 metres away. Helena was an average swimmer, but the flow was quite strong. And, even worse, what would happen to her captives? Though she had left then in the cellar earlier, Helena was no murderer, but if she freed them-

Her thoughts were interrupted when the cabin`s lid flew open and Angelique appeared, followed by Loredana. Both were still handcuffed and naked except for their panties. After considering to put on her own panties, that were soaked with Loredana`s saliva, Loredana`s that had been in her mouth or going stark naked, Angelique had reluctantly put on her panties, grimassing when the damp material came in touch with her private parts and buttocks. Equally embarrassed, Loredana put on her wet panties, too. Though none of the girls spoke, they wanted to get the little covering their panties provided for them.
When the boat had collided with the reef, both girls had immediately seen water flooding in through the leak. So, they had no other choice than to run for the deck.

„Stop! Stay where you are!“, Helena shouted, but the two girls had already seen that she no longer had a gun. They threw themselves upon Helena, but the catfight was roughly interrupted by the boat, which, now full with water, heeled to it`s side terribly.

„Damn! She`s sinking! Help!“, Loredana cried.

Angelique, who had come to her feet again, suddenly yelled:

„There! There`s a boat! HELP! HELP!“

Ignoring the fact she still was topless, she waved her cuffed hands and continued yelling, soon accompanied by Loredana and Helena. Indeed, a small boat came up from the south, at considerably high speed.

When it had reached the wreck, Helena and Loredana suddenly stopped yelling and waving.

„Hideki?“, they asked unisono.

Baker had chosen a boat that was the intersection of speed, size and capacity – meaning he had taken the only boat that had an engine and could be started without a key. It was an open boat, but at least, it was considerabely faster than Helena`s boat and so, after one hour, he spotted a small vessel right in front of them. He wondered why the boat wasn`t moving, but, whilst approaching, he saw it was shipwrecked and sinking.

„Hello there! Do you want to come aboard?“, he asked.

Now, Angelique had recognized Baker`s voice and her heart sunk. She considered jumping into the water, but with cuffed hands, she would not be able to reach the shore and the man would get her anyway, since he could follow her by boat.

Loredana screamed for help, but the only people to hear were those she wanted to get away from. Helena suddenly giggled.

„So, this is how it ends?“, she gasped.

„Its not necessarily the end“, Hideki said, „Mr. Kawayama just want`s to talk to you – and to Loredana, for what that means.“

Angelique, only understanding half of the conversation, since Loredana had told her only that she had left her Japanese lover, suddenly cried:

„But what about me? What`s my part in all that?“

Now, Baker spoke, smiling at the pantyclad redhead:

„Well, Lili, it just seems that you have a talent to be at the wrong place, sometimes. But now, get started, your boat will sink every minute!“

***

Sandra still could not participate in her companion`s mood of adventureousness: she still had to think about the two girls kidnapped by Helena who were now at the fugitive`s mercy – or doomed to die. Sandra knew that Janine was a good policewoman, but sometimes, her wilfulness was just too much. Her superior deliberately endangered the life of these two women, just to prove her skills as an investigator.

Anyway, her French colleagues didn`t see it that way. They just felt like on a treasure hunt. They were behaving as if on holiday and anticipating to go shopping on Elodie`s costs the next morning. Even Valentine and Mireille, who definitely knew what being bound and gagged by a criminal meant, did not understand Sandra`s concerns.

„Come on, we will be back tomorrow night. Just enjoy the day off, because, sometimes that`s all you can do: enjoy the breaks from our work`s hardships.“

The German policewoman knew that her colleagues were partially right, but now, she definitely was not that case-hardened towards the innocent.

***

At about four o`clock in the morning, Baker knew that it would be a race against time. He examined the road with upcoming concern.

After they had helped the girls to get aboard their dinghi, Baker and Hideki had secured them provisionally. Whilst Hideki had taped the girls`s wrists behind their backs, Baker had taken the handcuffs and tied Loredana`s left ankle to Helena`s right and Helena`s left to Angelique`s right. Now, sitting side by side, none of the girls could just jump overboard without endangering herself and her companions.

He had gagged them by simply putting a piece of tape over each`s mouth. Baker hated such piecemeal when binding and gagging a woman, but he could improve on that when Hideki would arrive.

Handing his Master Card to the Japanese, he had dropped him at the shore. Hideki should go back to Strassbourg as soon as possible, wether by taxi or by hitchhiking. In Strassbourg, he should go to the airport where he could find a 24h-service for car rental. Once he had the car Baker had told him to organize, he should come back to the place where Baker had dropped him. In the meantime, Baker stayed on the river, the boat`s tarpauline loosely draped over his captives.

Whilst Loredana was just frightened and Helena was thinking about ways to get her out of this, Angelique had mixed feelings. She remembered what the man had said about her „being at the wrong place“. In addition, she now had seen his face. Did this mean he was planning to kill her?

„But he has called you Lili!“

The thought was ridiculous, but somehow, Angelique clinched her hope on it. Of course, the man could just be a psychopath who could be friendly towards people in one moment and kill them in the next. But she had the vague hope that she had seen something different in his eyes. The only question was – if he did not intend to kill her, what else could he do to her?

„Ah, there he is.“

Baker saw a van approaching the shore. He started the boat`s engine and slowly steered it ashore. Hideki left the car and took the line, mooring the boat to a big stone.

„What took you so long, my friend?“

„Well, I just spent a few hours at a massage centre, since you had a leisurely boat trip with three scantily clad ladies“, Hideki answered.

„Somehow, that`s exactly what it seems to me.“

He opened the van`s side door and saw that Hideki had brought their package from their rooms. Taking his bag, he opened it and took a roll of duct tape before going back to the boat where the girls had already peeled away the tarpauline and where trying to get from the boat.

„Wait, ladies, you will leave the boat now anyway.“

„Mmmph! Uuuhhhmmm!“

Baker entered the boat and first went to Loredana. He took the tape and taped her forearms behind her back, pushing her ellbows together, this thrusting out her big breasts.

„Mmmmphh!“

Baker wrapped her fingers, too, then, he wound more tape around her arms and body, further immobilizing her upper limbs. He did the same to Angelique. Before he taped Helena`s arms, he took his knife and cut the blouse and bra from her, wondering that she obviously preferred the same bras as Janine.

With the help of Hideki, he made their topless and bound captives step from the boat and walk over to the van. Here, the two men took more rolls of duct tape and taped the women`s legs, tightly wrapping them from their ankles to the top of their thighs.

„Now, for one last thing...“

„Mhhhrrrrr! Hmmmphhh!“

Loredana squealed into her gag when Baker cut her panties loose and yanked them from her, leaving her stark naked. The girl blushed all over. She had been nude in front of Helena and Baker before, but Helena was a woman and Baker a stranger – Hideki was a former colleague and a man.

Baker balled up the panties and approached Helena. She knew what would come, but she remained calm and allowed him to stuff the used garment into her mouth after ripping the tape away. When the taste of the panties reached her senses, Helena let out a small sound of disgust.

Baker carefully put the top of his knife to her chin and forced Helena to close her jaw as far as possible. When she was chewing firmly on the panties, he put an edge of the duct tape to her temple and wrapped the tape around her hed vertically, forcing her to keep her jaws pressed together. Then, he wrapped more tape over her mouth and eyes. When he was finished, Helena was totally blindfolded and unable to utter a sound, except for some grunts in the back of her throat.

Angelique had felt a little bit of malicious joy when Helena, their former kidnapper, got the same treatment, but she was roughly drawn back to reality when Baker cut her panties from her.

„Mmphh!“

But Baker just used these to gag Loredana, securing her jaw and taping over her mouth and eyes, too. After that, he went to Helena who was staring daggers at him and ripped the crumpled skirt from her.

„Well, that`s a lovely sight. But don`t mind, I am prepared for all occasions.“
Ripping off the skirt revealed that Helena, since she had been on the run since her getaway, still didn`t wear any panties.

Baker went for his bag and searched for a plastic bag. When he had rummaged Sandra`s flat, he had also searched through her laundry drawer, finding at least one white pair of panties waiting to be put into the washing maschine. Instead, they now found their way into Angelique`s mouth who accepted the humiliating gag with a great deal of self control.
Before Baker taped Angelique`s jaws, mouth and eyes, he gently placed a kiss on her forehead, unseen by Hideki. Then, they carefully stowed their captives between the second and the third row of seats, lying them on their backs as close as sardines.

„Don`t mind the heat, the car has got a climate“, he assured the mummified girls before he loosely draped the boat`s tarpauline over them. Then, he closed the side door and sat on the driver`s seat. Hideki had just controlled the navigation system of Elodie`s car.

„It`s still switched off, so, let`s hope they are still in the hotel.“

Baker looked at his watch. 4:30 a. m..

„Just try to sleep a bit, I will drive to Nancy. There, we both can rest for a while until these lovely ladies decide to get up and will lead us to our fortune.“

***

At breakfast, Sandra`s concerns had diminished and she even was able to enjoy the shopping trip with the others. Babette had entered their final destination to the navigation system and told them it would take them three hours of driving. So, they had decided to get some new clothing before they would start after two hours of power shopping, sponsored by the generous Elodie.

***

„Hell, I always thought I knew France, but where`s that?“

His laptop had told Hideki about Babette`s latest entry. According to the map, it was somewhere near Reims, but Hideki hadn`t heard about the place either.

„We will find out soon enough. They have switched the system off again. Maybe, they want to do some sightseeing before they start?“

„Who wants to visit Nancy if he can visit Reims?“, Baker asked, „it`s where they crowned the French kings, you know?“

„At least, if we both end up in jail, one can not say that I didn`t learn something new“, Hideki said when Baker left the parking lot where they had spent the last three hours.

The girls vaguely recognized the car had started again. First, Loredana had squirmed and bucked and made the tarpauline move, but Baker and Hideki let her exhaust herself because the van`s rear windows were tinted and she could not attract anyone`s attention. If they got into a police control, the girls would be discovered anyway.

Helena and Angelique had tried to work on their bonds, but with their fingers taped, this was to no avail. So, being totally exhausted and with no chance of freeing themselves right now, they even dozed off and found some sleep whilst the car found it`s way to the rural France.

France is quite a big, but not very densely populated country and most people live in the bigger cities. So, if one leaves for the country, he easily can find places that can be described as the „fucking middle of nowhere“. It was such an area the navigation system was directing them to.

„Somehow, I fear that they have discovered what we are doing, have typed the name of the most godforsaken place in France and laugh at us, whilst they are just putting their hands on the jewels.“

However, Baker`s concerns were unfounded, for, some 20 kilometres after he had left the highway, Hideki`s laptop told them that Elodie`s van had left Nancy.

Some five kilometres after the street had changed into a gravel path, they approached a lonely small house. According to the navigation system, it was their destination.

„Be it ever so humble-“, Hideki started, but Baker interupted him.

„We still have about 90 minutes until the ladies will arrive. Let`s find a place where we can hide our car. If we park right here, they will know from a mile`s distance that something`s wrong.“

***

Since they had taken their time, it was some 2:00 in the afternoon when the women`s van finally approached the little house. In the van, only two people were sitting. After a few miles in the bucolic scenery, and after Babette had told them that they were going to an old house without even offering water taps or electric currency, Elodie had decided that she would wait in the next city that at least offered a hotel.

This city now was some ten kilometres behind them.

„Phew, how did you find such a remote place?“, Sandra asked Babette who was sitting next to her.

Tiffaine, Mireille and Valentine had won when they had drawn sticks who had to accompany Babette on the last part of their trip.

„We once did a holiday trip when I was a girl and I discovered it during a cycling tour. I thought, noone would search at a place like that and of which nobody knows it is somehow related to me.“

Sandra stopped in front of the house. It looked like the typical French peasant`s house – with one or two rooms, no sanitary equipment except for an outhouse and a small pen for keeping hens or maybe a goat in it.

„Shall I go with you or do you prefer me to wait outside?“, she asked Babette.

„Just wait here, I will be back in two minutes“, Babette answered.

However, it took some five minutes until Sandra heard Babette`s voice from inside the house:

„Sandra, could you please come in, I might need your help!“

„Is there a spider sitting on the jewelry box?“, Sandra muttered, but, taking her gun from her handbag, she approached the house.

When she had stepped inside, she saw Babette who looked at her with fear in her eyes. A masked man had slung his arm around her neck and kept a gun pointed to her head.

Before Sandra could do or say anything, another man grabbed her arm from behind and took her gun from her right.

„Just do as we say, and noone get`s hurt.“

Babette let out a faint croak, obviously begging for an excuse for getting the policewomen into this predicament.

***

Some ten kilometres away, Elodie and the French policewomen were sitting in the only bistrot the little city had, drinking a glass of Pernod.

„I have tried three times now, but she doesn`t react“, Mireille said, looking at her cell phone.

„As I told you, the place`s so remote, you won`t even be able to use a cell phone there“, Valentine said lightly.

„Anyway, they have the car. So, if we don`t want to take a ride on some peasant`s tractor, we have to show a little patience.“

Tiffaine exaggerated, since of course the citizens had modern cars, like anyone else in France. But being born and raised in Paris, she showed more than a little contempt towards the countryside.

Valentine took a sip from her glass and stretched her limbs.

„If they are not back within the next two hours, we will call our colleagues. After all, there`s no longer a need to hide from someone.“

***

The fact that the other women could call for reinforcements concerned Baker, too, but now, he had something else to do before.

„All right, ladies, here`s the deal: do as we tell you and you will survive unharmed, only lacking a bit of dignity. Did you get me?“

Though trembling with fear, Babette decided to play her greatest trump.

„I-if you d-d-don`t l-let us go, I-I will n-n-never tell you whe-where the jewels are!“, she stammered.

Without saying a word, Baker reached for his bag and put a wooden box on the table. The bewildered look upon Babette`s face told Sandra that it was the box that contained the jewelry.

„It`s a sign of consequence that, since you found it in an old chimney, you kept id hidden in one, too. But it also shows a lack of fantasy.“

Babette suddenly started to cry.

Baker spoke to her, surprisingly friendly:

„My, my, I know what you are thinking. You were dreaming the dream of Cinderella, the poor working girl that became rich. But you don`t have to be too disappointed. You will be able to get some money from selling your story to the newspapers. That`s unless you decide to not being obedient and we have to kill you, of course. Perhaps, I will even transfer you some of the money once I have sold the jewels. Normally, I steal from people who get a compenstion from their insurance. I don`t want you having to bury all your dreams.“

„You will never get away with that!“, Sandra blurted.

Baker turned his head towards the policewoman and now Sandra could almost see the smile on his masked face.

„The last person telling me that had to spent an entire day naked, bound and gagged in her bedroom – and I did get away with it. Speaking of that, as you may think, we will have to bind and gag you. But, there are some conditions. Whenever you refuse to fulfil what we tell you now, the one who does not behave receives one strike. And three strikes will get you out of the game – terminally.“

He playfully pointed at the girls with his gun. Then, he continued:

„So, first of all – take off your shoes and all your jewelry and put it on the table.“

„Don`t you have enough valuables yet?“, Babette sobbed.

„Well, no – first strike!“

This made both girls taking off their earrings, necklaces and wristwatches and stepping out of their sandals.

„Good. Now, take your tops off. Slowly!“

Whilst Babette obeyed, too terrified to think of being defiant, Sandra crossed her hands in front of her breasts. Though she knew that most people considered her as beautiful, she was quite shy about her body and she of course did not want to present her charms to a criminal.

„Well, I said slowly, but we haven`t got all day“, Baker said.

Sandra didn`t move an inch.

„First strike!“

Baker knew that he had to be careful in too deliberately striking out the girls. He did not want to use violence, but he would have to if the policewoman refused to obey.

„All right, Sandra. Since I don`t want to miss the show because of your prudishness, here`s a change in the rules: Whenever one of you refuses to fulfil an order, the other one get`s the strike!“

Now, Babette winced. Reluctantly, she took off her T-shirt, trying to cover her lacy white bra with her crossed arms.

„Now, the skirt – or, in your case, Sandra, the trousers, please.“

Trembling, Babette opened the zipper of her skirt and let it fall to the floor whilst Sandra slowly undid her jeans, staring daggers at Baker and Hideki. Now, Babette wore only a black bra and black French knickers whilst Sandra wore white lacy fullback panties, matching her bra.

„Now, a little change again. Babette, please take Sandra`s bra from her – and tell me her size.“

Babette blushed whilst Sandra stepped one step back and kept her arms defensively crossed in front of her ample chest.

„You-you can`t do that!“

„The last person who told me that – but I don`t want to bore you by telling wartime stories. Anyway, second strike for Babette!“

Babette gasped from sheer fear and now, blushing all over, Sandra lowered her arms. She panted heavily and lowered her eyes, but she remained calm and allowed Babette to open the clip of her bra and to take it off her. Sandra shivered slightly when Babette`s ice cold fingers touched her breasts.

Since she wasn`t told otherwise, Sandra again hid her boobs under her arms.

„Babette, the size, please.“

Babette cleared her voice: „Sh-she`s a 3-3-34 D-D-D“, she stammered, making Sandra blush even more.

Baker laughed: „A 3334 DDD? Are you sure, Babette?“, he asked mockingly.

Babette, now reddening from embarrassment, too, forced herself to speak clearly:

„She`s a 34 D.“

Baker seemed satisfied: „Just as I`ve guessed. But now, please remove your bra too, Babette.“

Looking pleadingly at Baker, the girl hesitated, but she reached for the clip before Baker could threaten her with another strike.

„I-I am a 34 B“, she said uptight when she stood in front of the men topless.

„Oh, sorry, Babette, I should have asked you too. How inpolite of me! Therefore, I will reduce your strikes to one.“

Now, Babette blushed down to her chest from showing obeying obedience to the criminal.

Baker once again looked directly at the girls.

„Now, the last but not least of your lovely garments, please!“

Both women now stood petrified. Baker knew what they were thinking: they both would not risk to die for keeping their panties on – not even the prudish Sandra would be so foolish. But both still had one strike to spare and they did not want to prove over-obedient.

Finally, Babette peeled her panties over her hips and down her long legs. Before she could put her hand over her pubic area, Baker noticed that her pubic hair was neatly trimmed.
Sandra panted, feeling like betrayed by Babette. If she refused to obey, Babette would again receive her second strike. Reluctantly, she pulled down her white panties.

„Ah, a landing strip, nice to see“, Baker commented, adding insult to injury.

He told Sandra to fold her hands upon her head and lean to the wall. Then, he turned to Babette:

„Please, get over to the table and open the jewelry box.“

Babette obeyed, looking at the man with concern.

„Now, please, put on the jewels, one by one.“

„P-pardon?“

Baker smiled: „When Marie Antoinette was married to the French Dauphin in 1770, she had to cross the border between the Holy Roman Empire and France completely naked. So, I think it would be quite nice if you were wearing the late Queen`s jewels with nothing on but your most charming smile. Besides, if you hhad handed the jewels to the Ministry of Culture, as planned, they sure would have taken one photo on which you are wearing the jewels. This photo will be a bit different, but it will give you a priceless memory.“

Pleadingly, Babette looked at him with her beautiful green eyes, but Baker just put a second strike on Sandra. Now, the fearful brunette obeyed.

Hideki had seen pictures of the famous necklase that played a leading role in the „Necklace-Affair“, but these gems were even more lavish. To him, the whole ornamentation seemed more pretentious than beautiful, but for sure, it consisted of quite a lot of big diamonds. To be precisely, the whole jewelry consisted of a diadem, long, dangling earrings and a necklace that reached down to Babette`s belly button.

Once Babette had put on all the jewelry, Baker said:

„If you want to take a look at yourself, feel free to take a mirror from your handbag.“

Babette only shivered, but Baker wasn`t finished with her.

„Now, for the photo. Please, put your hands on your hips, look slightly over your shoulder and smile. And, please, try to look a bit less strained.“

Baker had to point at Sandra with his gun before Babette did her best to act as told on the photo. Hideki had taken his camera and did the shooting. Finally, the men seemed satisfied.

„Well, your smile is still a bit artificial and we will have to do some work with the filters to make you look as if you are blushing from joy and not from embarrassment, but I think you will look beautiful. If you don`t believe us, you can check it up in the internet during the next days. I am sure most viewers will like you in that ensemble.“

Babette now lost the remnants of her self-control. Her legs staggered and she had to sit down, the jewels clinking in the progress.

***