The Little Death 1

»TGIF!«

Dr. Sophia Chabrol pushed the door of her office shut and let out a deep sigh. The room was rather a chamber, measuring barely ten square yards and had only one small window. But it was her own office, a room she did not have to share with any of her colleagues, indicating that she had climbed another step on the long and steep ladder of her career.

She looked through the window that opened to one of the University`s parking lots. Since it was Friday, not so many students were there and so, there were only a few cars. Some of the young people heading towards their cars had attended her own lecture. It was one of the many obligations of her being a part of the University`s employees that Sophia had to do a few courses for the new students, but in addition of paying her rent, her new job allowed her to further participate in the works of Professor Etienne Leduc, her former supervisor and one of France`s leading pharmacologists. Sophia knew that if she worked hard and if the Professor would retire in a few years, his position could be hers. She smiled: perhaps, she would get her own Wikipedia entry before she was 35.

»And then, I am still young enough to enjoy life and to relax on the weekend!«

Sophia yawned and stretched her limbs. Being at her position at the age of 28 had come at the cost of having nearly no social life and hardly any acquaintances outside the lab. Her Friday evening would consist of going to the gym and then have a glass of wine whilst watching TV.

Her self-pity was interrupted by a knocking at her door. Sophia frowned: her consultation hour was on Tuesday and when she had wished her students a happy weekend some 30 minutes ago, they all had more or less rushed out of the classroom with none of them staying behind and trying to ask something. It had been the first lesson of the semester and she had barely done more than trying to organize the things to come and the tests were months ahead.

The knocking repeated, a bit louder this time.

»Who is it?«

Sophia tried to sound dismissive, but also polite. If it was the Professor or one of his colleagues, she could hardly send him away, but if it was one of the students, she would kindly ask him to return next week.

»Dr. Chabrol? A minute, please!«

It was a male voice, sounding young and she was sure that she had noticed a slight accent. Sophia sighed. Obviously, one of the foreign students had a question.

»Come in!«, she said after a quick look at the mirror. Though it was late September, it was still warm and since this was somehow expected from a pharmacologist, she had worn a white lab coat over her business dress. But she decided that she still looked presentable enough for the short interruption.

A young man that looked Asian entered. To her surprise, he was followed by a tall, muscular man that looked rather than a chucker-out than a student. Sophia saw that the second man had closed the door behind him without her telling him to do so, but before she could say anything, the Asian spoke:

»Dr. Chabrol, I know it is Friday and you are a busy woman. So, please, allow me to come to my point without preliminaries!«

Sophia hid her slight amusement behind a polite smile. The young man had the laborious courtesy of someone raised at a noble, old-fashioned public school. He even bowed before he continued:

»Actually, it is a list of things I would request you to do for me, Dr. Chabrol.«

Her smile became a bit icier.

»As long as I have a saying in this, too, Mr.-«

The young man didn`t take the hint to introduce himself. Instead, he looked at her and said:

»First, I would ask you to take off your panties!«

Sophia raised her eyebrows and stared at him. Suddenly, she understood: obviously, this was some kind of hazing ritual and the young Asian had to do something embarrassing to prove he was worthy of whatever frat he wanted to become a part of. She tightened her lips and replied:

»Okay, you have had your fun! Now, if you leave my office immediately, I will refrain from reporting you!«

She tried to express all the contempt and authority her 5`2`` embodied, resisting the urge to put her hands on her hips. The Asian showed a smile that didn`t reach his eyes.

»Dr. Chabrol, my request was rather an order!«

He made half a step to the side and now, Sophia could see the other man`s right hand – and the gun that was aiming at her. Sophia instinctively shied back, but was stopped by her desk.

»Listen, this is getting too far! I-«

The Asian just reached out with his right whilst his silent colleague stood motionless, still pointing at her with the barrel of his gun. Sophia looked at the parking lot where two or three students were still standing and chatting. They were only a few yards away, but none of them noticed in the slightest that she was just getting assaulted.

»Dr. Chabrol, we haven`t got all day!«

Only now Sophia noticed that he had stepped towards the window, blocking it with his back, whilst the man with the gun still was standing between her and the door. She was trapped!

»Please, if you go now, I will not-«

»Just do as you are told!«

It was rather the look in his eyes than his still polite voice that let a shiver run down Sophia`s spine whilst she felt sweat build on her forehead. Slowly, desperately trying to get the glimpse of a potential rescuer at the parking lot, she reached under her black, knee-length skirt.

When her fingers wandered up her thighs, Sophia felt her pantyhose and she knew that the terrible ordeal would become even more embarrassing. She would have to peel down not only her panties, but also her nylons. Still, she hoped that this would turn out to be a prank: a prank that would get these two banned, but a harmless joke nevertheless.

Watched by the Asian and forcing herself to stay calm, the woman grabbed the waistband of both her pantyhose and panties and slowly lowered them down her thighs, trying to keep her privacy covered by her skirt. Sophia could not help trembling when she finally stood with her pantyhose crumpled around her knees, the white plain silk panties on top.

Again, the Asian brought his hand forward and Sophia noticed he was holding a pair of scissors by its blades, offering it to her. She stared at him in disbelief. However, the alternative was to take off her shoes and to take off her pantyhose completely before she could step out of her panties. So, Sophia took the scissors. For a moment, she considered attacking the man, but there was still the other one with the gun and so, panting from fear and humiliation, she cut the sides of her panties and then handed both the garment and the scissors to the man. He put the scissors into his jacket and then let the panties slide over his fingers. Sophia could not help blushing, knowing that he was feeling her body`s warmth and their slight dampness after some sweaty hours. She wanted to say something, but had to clear her throat before she could croak:

»N-now that y-you have what y-y-you came f-for-«

The Asian smiled and said:

»Oh, we haven`t come just for a pair of your lovely panties!«

He smiled again and made a waving gesture with his free hand. As Sophia didn`t react, he ordered:

»Please, Dr. Chabrol, pull up your pantyhose again!«

The order surprised Sophia, but she also felt a slight relief: at least, they were not going to rape her – at least not instantly. She fumbled around to work the nylons back in place, trying not to give the Asian who was watching her with interest too much of a display of her womanhood. When she had more or less rearranged her pantyhose and flattened her skirt, he told her, still in this cold, but polite tone:

»Now, if you please take off that lab coat and your business jacket!«

Sophia obeyed. Her heart was bumping like mad and she still tried to find a way to alert someone outside, but she placed the two items on the desk. Now, the Asian took a roll of flesh colored tape from his jacket and told her to cross her wrists in front of her. Again, she did as she had been told and only let out a sharp breath as he wound the tape around her wrists very tight several times before he cinched the bonds. Sophia felt that the tie almost cut off her circulation. Then, her eyes widened as the Asian took out a vicious looking switchblade knife, but he just cut two small pieces of tape from the roll.

»Allow me, Dr. Chabrol!«

He took off her glasses and then told her to close her eyes. With nimble fingers, but not pressing too hard, he taped her eyes shut and brushed over the edges of the tape. Then, she felt him put her glasses on her nose again.

»I took your sunglasses – but don`t care, we will take your real glasses with us, in case you might need them.«

This was quite disturbing, but the dismayed Sophia did not dare to protest as she felt something brush over her back. It made her cringe and with horror, she realized it was the gun`s barrel. Blindfolded, her other senses seemed to sharpen and she heard the Asian tear and cut five more pieces of tape from his roll. Then, she heard a rustle and knew he was rummaging through her handbag.

»Ah, there it is!«

Not bothering to tell her what »it« was, he grabbed Sophia`s arm and turned her so she was facing the mirror, though she couldn`t see her reflection. She still felt the barrel at her back and now, the Asian stepped behind her and his hand brushed over her neck, causing Sophia to gasp.

»Now, you sure want to know why I made you take off your panties, Dr. Chabrol.«

Somehow, this made an irrational wave of hope rush through Sophia`s brain. This was so over the top that it couldn`t be a real attack by criminals! So far, they had humiliated her, frightened her and done much more than a prankster would have done, but they hadn`t actually hurt her. Perhaps, this was just an act of revenge. Quickly, her mind analyzed the list of persons she might have insulted in the past.

»Y-you sure will t-tell me!«

Now, it was the time for a final insult before they let her go. However, the Asian let his fingers wander over her nape before he grabbed her hair, forcing her to arch back her head. The grip was firm, but as long as Sophia didn`t fight, it at least didn`t hurt. Instinctively, she raised her bound arms, but immediately, the pressure of the gun barrel increased. Silently, the two men waited until she had lowered her arms and stood there, her head bent backwards so she would have looked at the ceiling if it hadn`t been for the tape.

»Relax, Dr. Chabrol! I just took your panties to give them back to you – as a gag!«

»No, please, I-«

Sophia slightly squirmed. The idea of getting gagged frightened her and the idea of getting gagged with her worn panties was an idea directly from hell! The Asian tightened his grip on her scalp and in dire contrast to this, he said matter-of-factly:

»We need you quiet, Dr. Chabrol. And quiet, you will be. The only question is – will you do so the good way or the hard way?«

There was a snapping sound and the horrified woman realized it was the switchblade. A moment later, she felt something brush over the inner side of her nylon-clad knee. Sophia gasped and as the blade slowly went up her inner thigh, she stammered:

»P-please, I-I will b-be good!«

The knife was removed and the man asked:

»Promise?«

He let go her hair and Sophia nodded.

»I – I promise to be good!«

»What exactly will you allow me to do now, Dr. Chabrol? Please, tell me!«

The girl had to take a few breathes before she could whisper:

»I-I will allow you to g-gag me – with my p-panties!«

The man put his thumb and index finger on her lips, gently forcing her to open her mouth. Though scared to death, Sophia had to fight down the urge to bite him for humiliating her. She then felt something smooth touch her lips and the scent of sweat and perfume made her nose cringe slightly.

He did nothing fast, taking his time to thoroughly work the torn silk deep into her mouth. Sophia retched and decided that the taste of her underwear was worse than the smell. With strong fingers, he pushed the gag into her oral crevice before forcing her to close her lips over the foul tasting gag.

»Now, hold still!«

One by one, he plastered the precut strips of tape over her mouth. Then, he grabbed her chin firmly and she felt something brush over the place where her lips were hidden under the tape. It took some ten seconds and she realized that he was painting a fake mouth on her face with her own lipstick.

»That won`t work! Someone must see what is happening!«

Now, her jacket was draped over her bound wrists and then, her arm was grabbed. The Asian whispered:

»My colleague will now put his gun in his pocket, but if you try anything, he will be quick enough to kill you before you may alert someone.«

Sophia let out a soft moan that her abductor obviously took for her understanding his threat. Then, she was directed to the corridor and towards the parking lot. She could hear an engine close to her and even two persons talking, but nobody seemed to see anything suspicious until she was made to stop and heard the sound of an opening door. A moment later, the Asian assisted her in sitting down on the passenger seat. Sophia sensed leather and guessed that it was a rather big and luxurious car.

The seat belt was pulled over her bound arms and fastened and she heard the Asian take the seat behind her whilst the silent man obviously was the driver. There was a moment of desperate hope when the car stopped at a zebra crossing, but then, they were on the road leading from the campus towards the inner city.

»I guess you have a good sense of orientation, Dr. Chabrol?«

»Mhhmm?«

Suddenly, the Asian reached around Sophia`s seat and a second later, a rag was pressed over her face whilst she felt his other hand on her left breast, pinning her to the seat.

»Uuhhmmph! Mmhhmmph!«

Sophia squirmed as she smelled the narcotic, but the man was too strong for the helplessly restrained woman. She felt him grope her breast, massaging it roughly, as he held the rag pressed over her face, forcing her to breathe in the drug until her struggles ceased and she passed out.

***

The sound of the alarm clock was merciless and Isabelle Marceau finally gave up covering her ears with her pillow, worked herself closer to her nightstand and slammed her fist on her clock. For a moment, there was silence, but then, the ringing sound came again.

»Fuck!«

It was the phone, not her alarm clock. Cursing, Isabelle brought herself into a sitting position, almost throwing up when the sudden movement made her headaches even worse. The phone rang again and, taking all her will power together, she managed to get from the bed. Staggering, she went to her table and answered the call.

»Lieutenant Marceau?«

»Mhm?«

At the same time as her still tired brain recognized the voice of her superior, Isabelle suddenly shivered.

»Oh my God, have I completely overslept Sunday?«, she thought.

Colonel Beranger could at least take that sorrow from the deranged young Policewoman:

»Sorry for disturbing you on your free day, but could you please come over? We only have the new girl here and since you will have to introduce her anyway-«

Isabelle mumbled something that Beranger obviously took as an agreement, for he thanked her and hung up. Blinking from the bright sunlight, Isabelle worked herself into the bathroom and sat down on the toilet seat, considering her current situation with a mixture of reflection and self-pity.

It had all started like a dream, but turned into a nightmare. A few months ago, after she, her younger sister Samantha and a few other friends had gotten into some encounters with white slavers and other criminals on Malta, in the end, she had ended up in Mike`s arms. Mike – the man whom Isabelle had met during a previous adventure and who had saved her life more than once. Mike – the man whom she had thought she loved.

The three last days on Malta had been like a predated honeymoon. They had spent most of the time in their luxurious hotel room and Isabelle`s heart still cramped when she reminded these happy hours. When she thought of what they had done during these days, even when she had drunk too much, she sometimes felt overwhelmed by other feelings and on these occasions, her hand found its way between her legs-

Problems had started a few weeks later, when Isabelle had started her new position at the Marseille Police Department. Mike had visited her at her tiny apartment and had asked her whether she wanted to go out for dinner or if he should cook something for them.

»You must have money to burn«, she had grunted, projecting some annoyance because of one of her new colleagues at him.

»Technically, I am a millionaire!«

It hadn`t been the fact that he had money whilst she could just afford a two room flat in the suburbs of Marseille. However, she knew that he had earned at least some of this money by doing illegal things. Isabelle had told herself repeatedly that Mike wasn`t a criminal and that he had punished the right people. However, she was a Policewoman and therefore, it was her duty – and intention – to enforce the law. And that included not tolerating some of the things Mike did.

»So, how do you consider our future to be? Will you go for your next ›job‹ and disappear for a few weeks or months again and again whilst I will be waiting for you? Or will you retire at the tender age of 31 and live from the interest charges of your millions?«

It was a question Isabelle had asked herself again and again and when she now confronted Mike with it, he had no answer. He had offered to get an ordinary job. After all, he had a college degree and was fluent in three languages. In addition, his money would allow him to be picky. However, Isabelle had not considered this a good idea.

»So, you want to do a nine-to-five job for the rest of your life? And sooner or later, I will read in your eyes that you blame me for ending your dreams!«

»Actually, I was considering you the answer to my dreams!«

It had been a peace offer and in retrospect, she was sure she should have taken it. However, she had insisted on her position and finally, words had become harsh. In the end, Mike had left and spent the night at a hotel.

During the following weeks, they had met twice and phoned several times, but it had always ended in them quarreling and finally, Mike had said:

»Perhaps, we both should cool down a bit! Phone me if you want to talk without yelling!«

He had hugged her and Isabelle was sure she had seen a tear in the corner of his eye, but he had left and so far, he hadn`t called her. Isabelle, who could be very stubborn if she was angry, had refused to phone him either and had also quarreled with Samantha who had been more on Mike`s side. For the moment, she and her sister were not talking to each other, too. In addition, Samantha was in Paris where she had started to study and Isabelle`s new job at the Criminal Department had been quite demanding.

So, the last two months had been a routine of work, frustration and loneliness. At her job, she had buried herself in work and reduced the contact to her new colleagues to an absolute minimum. And to escape the solitude of her flat, she had either done some excessive sporting or, quite too often, drunk until she fell asleep.

She was young, still 22, and so, she had so far been able to keep her drinking under control – at least in a way she could get to work and do her job quite well. And Beranger`s call at least spared her another dull Sunday.

Isabelle managed to force a Croissant and some water down her throat, cleaned her teeth and showered. When she left the house, a combination of makeup, sunglasses and Tic-tac helped that she looked presentable, though she decided to take the bus instead of her car.

»The new girl!«

A few days ago, Beranger had told her that he expected her to take care of the new Cadet, fresh from the Police Academy.

»She`s just 18 and will sure prefer the guidance by someone who is about her age than by an old fellow like me!«

Isabelle had sighed, but she could not refuse becoming the chaperone of the new girl. According to what Isabelle knew, she was from Avignon and her name was Sistine Bertier. Sistine! Obviously, her parents had been great fans of Michelangelo. Isabelle scoffed.

»Or, they had many children and ran out of names!«

The shaking of the bus did no good to Isabelle`s hangover and so, she left two stations early and walked the last half a mile to the Police Department. When she entered the building, she thought if she could dare to have a coffee when suddenly, someone approached from behind.

»Lieutenant Marceau?«

Slowly, Isabelle turned around and her eyes fell on a girl about her height with dark brown curls tied to a ponytail. Her brown eyes sparkled and her smile became broader.

»They told me to wait for a redhead that looks as if she had a rough night – oops!«

She literally covered her lips with her fingers and then, her smile came back.

»Anyway, I know that I look older, but I am Sistine!«

Her right darted forward and she shook Isabelle`s hand whilst the still tired woman needed a few moments to get the pun. Then, she grimaced.

»I might look as if I like such jokes, but I am Isabelle – you may call me Lieutenant!«

Now, Sistine looked like a puppy that had been reprimanded ând Isabelle forced herself to be more kind:

»Sorry, I am always a bit grumpy in the morning!«

»It`s 2 p. m.«, Sistine replied. Then, the smile came back.

»Let me guess: black?«

»Eh?«

»Your coffee?«

»Some milk, no sugar«, the slightly puzzled Isabelle replied and Sistine darted away whilst she went for her office. Not a minute later, the girl entered, carrying two mugs and handing one to her.

»I hope that I haven`t taken someone`s private mug, but It`s my first day and-«

Isabelle took a sip and had to admit that at least, Sistine had put the right amount of milk in it. Meanwhile, the new girl told her at light speed that actually her first day would have been tomorrow, but that she had decided to have a look at her new department on her free Sunday.

»Colonel Beranger had no time to show me around, but there is that woman who wants to do a missing person report and he thought that I could start working together with you by assisting you!«

»Maybe, he just wanted to get rid of that chatterbox!«, Isabelle thought by herself, but she told Sistine to follow her to the interrogation room where the woman was waiting for them. Sistine asked her curiosly:

»Now, will you be the good or the bad cop?«

Isabelle took off her sunglasses and put her hand on Sistine`s shoulder.

»First of all, you will be the silent cop! Just listen and take notes!«

»Yes, Lieutenant!«, she responded in a tone that didn`t tell if she was trying to be sarcastic or if she was just overzealous. She opened the door and a tallish woman got up from one of the chairs. She had also red hair and though she was dressed in just jeans and T-Shirt, Isabelle could see that her clothes were quite expensive.

»Bonjour, I am Lieutenant Marceau and that`s my new colleague, Cadet Bertier. You are-«

»Dr. Lioba Karnstein.  I am working at the University.«

In addition to her strange name, Isabelle noticed a slight accent on her. Her last name sounded German, but the intonation of the words was different, more like Eastern Europe. Dr. Karnstein seemed to have read her thoughts and she explained:

»I am from Hermannstadt, or Cibiu, in Romania, part of the German Minority there. However, since I am fifteen, I had been living in Sheffield until my school exams and then, I have been in the USA until I moved here some three years ago. So – pardon my French?«

Her smile was friendly, but Isabelle felt a small stich in her heart. It hadn`t been the doctor`s joke, but the mentioning of Sheffield, the town where Mike had been born and raised. She had to oppress the urge to ask her whether she knew him.

»She could be his age«, she thought before she forced herself to be more professional:

»Dr. Karnstein, my colleague told me that you wanted to report a missing person.«

Lioba became serious and said:

»Yes, I am concerned about my colleague, Dr. Sophia Chabrol. We both work at the Pharmaceutical faculty.«

»Wow, drugs and stuff!«, Sistine blurted. Isabelle glanced at her, but Lioba just smiled.

»Hey, we are doing contraception pills, too!«

Then, turning serious again, she continued:

»Anyway, Sophia and I were currently working on a project of Professor Leduc, the head of the faculty. So, we wanted to meet at the lab yesterday at 10 a. m., but when I arrived, Sophia wasn`t there. I have phoned her a few times, but always got the mailbox. Sophia`s living alone and it seems that I am her closest friend, so, none of the others working on the project could tell me where she is.«

She continued to tell the two Policewomen that the last time anyone had seen Sophia, she had held her lecture on Friday. After that, she had not be seen by anyone.

»I could persuade her landlord to let me have a look at her apartment, but she isn`t there either. And when I went back to the University a few hours ago, I noticed something else: Sophia`s office is at the first floor, and so, I could peep inside through the window. Her lab coat was lying on the desk, beside her handbag – and its contents had been poured onto the table.«

»Well, that`s a bit unusual, but still no sign of a crime.«

Lioba continued by telling that she had once more phoned her colleague and through the window, she had seen that Sophia`s cell phone was lying on the desk, too.

»Perhaps, she got some bad news, maybe about a dying family member and therefore left overhasty«, Sistine suggested and Isabelle had to admit that this was an intelligent thought. However, Lioba didn`t seem convinced.

»Look, I know that I am sounding irrational. Sophia`s an adult and there may be a dozen harmless explanations for her disappearance. However, there is that project we are working at.«

»What is it? Something confidential – or even illegal?«

Lioba shrugged.

»It`s only confidential in the sense of Professor Leduc not wanting anyone to know about the details, but the project is a continuation of his researches he has done at Harvard University. That`s where he, Sophia and I met. Anyway, at Harvard, there were seven persons involved in the Professor`s works, including him, Sophia and me. Four of these persons were female – and now, since yesterday, I am the only of these four who hasn`t disappeared during the last weeks. So, you may excuse that I am feeling a little concerned.«

***