Venetian Carnival 12

When he had ran away, Hilmar hadn’t taken much care where he actually was running, and so, he was lost; not in a way he would have stumbled around for hours, but he could not have said which way would lead him back to Shannon’s place without doing some extra rounds.

Beside him was a narrow side canal, smelling like a sewer, and the trash can he had used to hide behind didn’t smell like rose either. He listened carefully if anyone was around, but there were just the small sounds of some rats, and a distant honk from a ship. He checked his watch: it was half past three in the morning.

Hilmar followed the canal, knowing it would end up at one of the larger ones, and at a corner, he had a feeling that he had been there before. The canal he was looking at was several yards wide, and on the other side, he spotted a small pier. Then, it clicked in his head: this was the canal entrance of Erik von Peters’ house!

From here, he could also see the windows and the balcony of Shannon’s apartment. To his surprise, the lights were on, and there were some two or three persons walking around. One of them stepped onto the balcony and lit a cigarette. Hilmar frowned. This was Debra’s bodyguard, the man he had had the brawl with. Reflexively, he balled his fists, only now noticing he still had the crowbar.

Suddenly, his ability to think rationally came back, and Hilmar concluded that if the henchmen of Debra were at Shannon’s apartment, it was unlikely she was still there, as she was none of Debra’s friends. Again, he looked at Erik’s home, and then, he made a decision. The battery of Marcus’ phone was getting low, and so, he only sent a short message to the number from which Silvana had dialled him:

»Trying to get inside Erik’s house!«

He found a way to the street where Shannon’s house was, and under a lantern, he checked his appearance. His jeans were ripped on two places, his T-Shirt looked shabby, and he sported a few bruises, but all in all, he just looked as if he had gotten into a drunken brawl; nothing too uncommon after a night with many festivities. So, hiding the crowbar behind his back, he slowly walked down the street. At Shannon’s house, a man was standing in the door, but he just withdrew when Hilmar approached: obviously, the men in the apartment had left a guard.

»Well, I wanted to search Erik’s place anyway!«

Getting to the small piazza was a matter of a few minutes. Now, it was empty and dark, only lit by two lanterns. Hilmar approached Erik’s house when he heard the sound of a bike. It actually were two machines, and when they entered the piazza, Hilmar could see that they belonged to the Police.

»Fuck!«

However, the two men completely ignored him. Instead, one of them suddenly held a submachine gun, whilst his colleague rang and knocked at Erik’s door. What the hell was going on? Had Marcus and Silvana called the Police? Hilmar checked the phone, seeing that they had read and answered his message:

»If you can, wait there for us!«

Sure, they would have told him if they had called the cops! In addition, this wasn’t the worst to happen: if Marlene and Mariko were inside, their ordeal would soon be over, as now, the Policeman was talking to someone via his headset, most likely a superior. Then, he stepped back and landed a hard kick on the door.

It took the Policeman a few more attempts until the door flew up. The alarm started, but was stopped after a few seconds. Two or three lights went on at the piazza, with people looking what was going on. However, when they saw the Police, they withdrew, thinking that everything was going its right way.

Hilmar suddenly thought of the other entrance. There had been no boat, but of course, Erik could try to escape by swimming. And if he had a hostage with him, she might drown!

So, he searched his way back to the other end of the house. Here, to his surprise, he saw that the door was open, and now, a boat was moored there. It was blue and white, and big letters said »Polizia dell’ Acqua«.

»So, they are doing a razzia at Erik’s home! Well, if he’s in there, he will at least not escape!«

He suddenly felt a grip on his shoulder, and he had already raised the hand with the crowbar when he recognized it was Marcus. He pointed at the Police boat.

»Did you call the cops?«

Hilmar shook his head, and he looked over Marcus’ shoulder.

»Where’s Silvana?«

A second figure stepped from the dark. Hilmar saw that Silvana was barefoot, and she sported a very tight shirt of AC Venezia, plus a jacket knotted around her hips, like an apron.

»Is this my business jacket?«

»The alternative would have been going bottomless!«, Marcus explained and Silvana blushed. They had luckily reached Hilmar’s car, but the jacket had been the only clothing item in it. So, Silvana had tied it around her waist, so the sleeves dangled over her butt and the jacket covered her front.

They quickly exchanged what had happened, and now, Hilmar began to understand:

»So, you stole a car and knocked out its owner, giving the man Erik’s name! And the bike with which I broke a Police control and had an accident was also registered under his name! No wonder they have a few questions on him!«

Indeed, such a row of crimes, including an armed assault, was quite much, even for a millionaire. The idea of Erik sitting behind bars was quite appealing, but Marcus now pointed at the Police boat and said:

»The piazza can only be reached on foot, or by bike, but the lanes are all too narrow for a car!«

Hilmar frowned.

»What are you talking about? I didn’t  intend to do so!«

»I mean«, Marcus explained, »that if they had ordered an ambulance, it would be an ambulance boat, and it would dock right here! In other words, they haven’t found Marlene or Mariko, for otherwise, there would be an ambulance now!«

The others nodded silently. Even if the unthinkable had happened, that Erik had killed his captives, there would have been a doctor to confirm their deaths. Hilmar hit the wall with his crowbar, so a few sparks flew around.

»But where are they? When I looked at Shannon’s house, Debra’s bodyguard was there, together with a few men! So, they aren’t there either!«

During the trip, Marcus had briefed Silvana about what had happened, and so, she wasn’t too confused. However, she now said:

»Do you think they looked behind the mirror?«

She shuddered from the memory of how she had been behind the soundproof glass, bound and gagged, with her friends less than a yard away. Haltingly, she continued:

»When they – packed me, Marlene and Mariko were still there! I mean, I was blindfolded and had my ears plugged, so, they could have done everything then – but they were still there!«

Marcus put his arm around her, and Hilmar raised his crowbar.

»What are we waiting for then?«

The street was empty; obviously, Debra’s henchmen had left. At the main door, they could see that these had obviously used rather unsubtle methods of entering, for it showed some traces of a hammer or crowbar, and it was only ajar. Either, the Police had already been there, or nobody had called them, for there was nobody in the corridor.

At Shannon’s door, they could see that obviously someone had informed the cops, for there was some barrier tape at the ajar door. Marcus cringed his nose at the stench.

»Seems that they have used a smoke grenade – or Shannon has left one for unexpected visitors!«

They sneaked inside, and here, they could see that Debra’s henchmen had searched the rooms quite thoroughly, as all cupboards and drawers were open, and there were piles of broken dishes, clothes and some books. Obviously, they had decided that if Debra wasn’t kept here, they could at least take the valuables.

They had, however, not vandalized the place, for the mirror was still intact. Hilmar raised his crowbar, but Marcus stopped him.

»Think of the neighbours! There must be a mechanism!«

»Sorry, I was chloroformed when I was packed inside«, Silvana apologized, but the men just inspected the framework and had soon found the hidden locks. Carefully, they put the heavy glass aside.

»Uuuhmmm!«

The sight was terrifying, but at the same time, they also felt some relief: it was a woman, and she was alive. They couldn’t see much of her head, but the small breasts and the shaved pubic mound told them it was Mariko.

»Uuuhmmm!«

Mariko had her entire head wrapped in black tape, and more of this tape tied her legs who were also folded, so the girl had to kneel inside the small space. Her arms were behind her back, and several straps fixed her to the back wall.

»Poor girl! Just a minute, and you are free!«

They loosened the straps, and Mariko fell forward a bit, mewing and rearing up. They carefully tried to lift her from the box, and they soon detected another perfidy: the anal hook had been fixed to the wall, so they had to carefully lift up the girl and pull it from her rear before they could carry her to the bed where they began to unwrap her.

Silvana cut through the tape around her legs, then through the zip ties that were underneath. Even Mariko’s toes had been tied, and she groaned as she now could stretch her legs again.

»At least, they spared her the crotch rope!«, she thought, but then, she remembered the anal hook; there was definitely no need to be envious!

Marcus had meanwhile freed her arms, whilst Hilmar had at least removed the tape around her head, allowing him to remove the pantyhose covering her head. Underneath, The girl was not only tightly blindfolded by more tape, but also had a pair of torn white panties tied over her face. According to the size, they were Marlene’s.

When these had come off, Mariko, who was still lying on the bed without moving much, greedily sucked in fresh air. Hilmar now unwound the tape from her eyes whilst Marcus picked on the bandage over her mouth. Silvana had been holding Mariko’s hand, but now, she looked for a bottle of liquor instead and found some Grappa. As she returned, she could see Mariko weakly blinking at her, whilst Hilmar was plucking some plugs from her ears. Marcus meanwhile carefully removed the tape from her lips. Then, he fumbled a big, dense packing from the girl’s mouth. Silvana recognized them as her own white panties, and she blushed involuntarily.

A sip from the Grappa made Mariko cough, but it also seemed to have revived her a bit. She croaked something, but now, Hilmar bent over her:

»Where’s Marlene?«

Mariko stared at him, obviously struck by the fact that Hilmar hardly cared about her. Hilmar grabbed her shoulders and shook her, not brutal, but not too gentle either.

»Where is she! Please!«

»Ba-Barca Fu-Fu-«, she breathed before her eyes twisted and she fainted. Hilmar lowered her to the bed and rose, repeating her words.

»Barca Fu! Barca Fu! What the fuck is she-«

He looked down at the unconscious girl, as if she was the problem. Then, his face showed a somehow maniacal grin, and he grabbed Marcus’ shoulders, not gentle at all this time.

»Barca Funebre, of course!«

As Marcus didn’t seem to understand, he added:

»A hearse on a boat, so to say! They are trying to smuggle Marlene out of Venice – in a coffin!«

He reached into his pocket and threw the phone to Silvana.

»Take care of her, we will call you!«

Without further explanation, he pulled Marcus with him, and they stormed down the stairs. Only at the street, Marcus refused to do one more step before Hilmar had explained himself.

»A hearse boat is quite noticeable! Also, they are not very fast, and soon, the sun will rise! We will find them! We must!«

Marcus hesitated, though he also felt some hunting fever grow inside him. However, they had one essential problem:

»What do you want, swim through the lagoon?«

Now, Hilmar laughed, and Marcus feared that he had lost his marbles completely now.

»We will swim, but only for a few meters!«

He pulled Marcus with him, and soon, they were at the canal, opposite to Erik’s house. The Police boat was still there, and there was no sign of any Policeman.

»Quick enough, I’d say!«

»We will quickly end up in jail!«, Marcus murmured, but he followed Hilmar as he slid into the cold, brackish water without hesitating. After a few seconds, they climbed upon the pier, and still, there was no sign of the boat’s owners.

»They left the keys! That must be a sign!«

Marcus loosened the ropes and jumped aboard whilst Hilmar started in a way he landed on the planks. From behind, they heard a yelling, and Marcus saw two Policemen stumble out of the door, but one second later, their boat had passed a corner.

Hilmar stood behind the steering wheel, with a determination that would have made Quint from »Jaws« look meek in comparison. He did, however, slow down to a more moderate speed once they had reached the outskirts of Venice, since it would be a ridiculous turn if they lost the race because they ran out of fuel.

Marcus meanwhile looked through the boat, and then, he saw something that drew his attention: there was a rifle, and his knowledge from the movies told him it was a pump gun. He took it from its bracket and stepped beside Hilmar.

»Have you ever fired such a thing?«

»No – but I did my military service, and so, I should at least know which end to point at these bastards once we’ve got them!«

***

Whatever Erik had used to narcotize her, it didn’t cause nausea. However, Shannon soon realized that this was about the only positive aspect of her new predicament.

Since he knew that this woman was a skilled escapologist, Erik had taken no chances: once he had packed a few things from his house, he had steered the Barca Funebre into the open waters. Then, he had started by stripping Shannon completely, bundling her clothes and leaving only her panties separate. He had to admit that she wasn’t hard on the eye: tallish, her figure athletic, but in a way she still looked feminine, a fact also emphasized by her firm, ample boobs. 36 D, as he had read from her bra. He traced the thin strip of brown pubic hair before turning her onto her belly.

He started at her wrists, tying them with tape before adding two zip ties on top, one to secure the bonds, the other to cinch the tie, before an additional layer of tape completed the bond. In a similar way, he tied her elbows, above and below the joint. Then, he turned to her fingers, tying each of them together with multiple small zip ties, including her thumbs, before he wrapped her hands completely in tape. That should even keep Shannon from using her hands.

He turned his attention to her legs, tying them in a similar fashion to her arms, using tape, zip ties to enforce the ties, and then another layer of tape at her upper thighs, mid thighs, above and below her knees, at her mid-calves and finally her ankles. Erik then tied her feet at the insteps and finally tied a zip tie around her big toes.

»Now, something to keep you entertained during your last hours!«

He gleefully chose a thin leather cord and moistened it before he tied it tightly around Shannon’s waist. Then, the cord was threaded between her legs, where he had to push and prod, as she was so tightly tied. He repeatedly pulled on the crotch rope before he tied it off, so the thong literally disappeared between Shannon’s legs and crushed her clit before he tied it off to her wrist ties. Then, he turned her around again and placed two clamps on her nipples before he reached for the roll of saran wrap. He mummified her from her neck to her toes, wrapping her entire feet and also squeezing her boobs and loins with the clingy material. He wrapped her entire body with an additional layer of black duct tape, leaving not an inch of skin uncovered below her neck. Then, he waited until Shannon recovered. She didn’t scream, but a short examining of her bonds had brought her to the dissuasive conclusion that she was hot and uncomfortable, and that she could not change that in the slightest.

Erik sat her up and leaned her upper body against the railing. He then held a glass filled with what seemed to be Whiskey to her.

»May I offer you one last drink, Shannon?«

Shannon didn’t answer and just stared at him. She wondered why there were straps over his shoulders, but then, she noticed he had taken her backpack containing the stolen jewels. Erik sipped from the drink before he continued:

»Well, as I promised, I will now tell you your three mistakes. But, first things first!«

He reached for a bag with three smaller transparent bags in it. Each contained a pair of panties. Erik opened the first one and showed her a light pink one, with white lacing and Broderie Anglaise.

»Since I am rich and not too ugly, I sometimes had women follow me to my house deliberately. However, I always insisted on a souvenir!«

He grabbed Shannon’s scalp and then placed a clothespin on her nose, squeezing it shut. Then, pressing the balled up panties against her clenched teeth, he told her:

»These are from Marie Hélène, a woman from, you guess it, France! Her derriere was a bit big, but she really-«

His memories were interrupted by the gasp as Shannon no longer was able to hold her breath. Erik stuffed the substantial packing inside her oral cavity. She tried to bite him, but the cloth upholstered her teeth, and so, Shannon could do nothing but retch as he worked the panties deeper and deeper into her throat.

He plucked the clothespin from her nose, and whilst Shannon panted, he added the second pair, a thong that was white, blue and red and showed a lone star on the front panel.

»Ashley from Texas! She actually never allowed me to really sleep with her. All I was allowed was to massage her through her panties until she came!«

»Ghhmmph!«

He stuffed the tiny thong above the panties before he reached for the final pair, a plain blue cotton pair.

»And, last but not least, Ingrid from Sweden. She was like you imagine a cliché Scandinavian, but she couldn’t stand the Italian summer! I am afraid they may taste a bit salty, for poor Ingrid was always sweating!«

»Gllggg!«

Once her mouth was as full as it could be, Erik tied a thin scarf between her lips, tying it off at her nape before he buckled a leather strap on top. Then, he took the used pantyhose from Mariko, pressed the crotch part on her mouth and then wound the legs twice around her head before he tied them off over the gag, so Shannon could smell Mariko’s feet. Erik sealed the whole packing with an entire vet wrap bandage before he took another sip from his Whiskey.

»Now, for your three mistakes: first, by showing off too much of your skills, like when you broke free from the handcuffs as if they were nothing, or the way you packed the girls! At that point, I knew that you are a professional, only waiting for your chance to get rid of me!«

Shannon twitched as she had reflexively pulled on her bonds, but to no avail.

»Second, by forcing these two idiots to place the sign on Debra’s stake! Now, I knew who that woman was, and it allowed me to phone her right hand! The man was quite grateful when I gave him your address, and as I hoped, he shooed you up!«

Shannon stared daggers at him, but could not oppress a faint chortle.

»And, finally, you didn’t kill me when I was no longer of use for you, but you even allowed me to get on land and prepare my revenge! Well, this is a mistake I won’t make! Once I have you nicely packed, robbed of all your senses, I will push this coffin overboard. It will sink, very slowly, and maybe, you will still have some air left when it reaches the ground. Then, surrounded by the deep sea, you may think of your three mistakes for the rest of your life!«

He now took some cotton wool, dipped it into his Whiskey glass and then pressed it into her ears, rendering her deaf. Then, he produced her own panties and, having ostentatiously sniffed on them, he pulled them over her head. Then, he showed her the bundle of her other clothes and threw them overboard. Shannon then saw him take something from a bag. It was large, black, and it had straps dangling from it.

It was what some called a Gorean Hood, a stiff leather hood he now put over Shannon’s head. The front was modelled after a face, and there were two small openings at the nostrils to allow breathing. It had a padding at the mouth and eyes, both were tightened with two straps at the back of her head before the hood was closed. Now, additional paddings pressed on her ears, and even the small noises that had passed the cotton wool were now cut off, leaving Shannon completely in silent darkness. Erik buckled the final strap under her chin, forcing her to close her jaw the few millimetres her gag allowed and reducing all sound she could make to barely audible chortles in the back of her throat.

Once he had padlocked the hood at her neck, Erik went for a 30 feet chain he had found in the boat, wrapped it around Shannon’s mummified body and then secured the whole lot with a long strapping cord he also wrapped around her before tightening it. He ached and sweated when he then heaved her into the coffin, but he grinned wolfishly when she was lying on the upholstery.

»A coffin – would have been – inappropriate for my future – bride!«, he panted, »But it’s more than appropriate – for you!«

Shannon, immobilized, gagged, blindfolded and deaf, now felt several small vibrations, and she knew it was Erik nailing the coffin.

***

Whilst Erik had been true about Shannon’s mistakes, he wasn’t flawless either. By enacting his revenge on Shannon, he had used up his head start, and as Hilmar correctly had pointed out, a Barca Funebre, with its canopy and a coffin on it, was noticeable once the sun had shown up. They approached the boat whilst Erik was just hammering the final nail into the coffin. Hilmar made Marcus take the steering wheel and grabbed the pump gun, reloading it.

»Careful, you may hurt Marlene!«

»Oh, thank you, I would have completely forgotten about her!«, Hilmar mocked before he fired. He had only served for 12 months, but he had been quite a good marksman, and a canopy wasn’t a hard target over a distance of now perhaps 100 yards. The moment the shot was fired, Erik spun around, and the fraction of a second later, the canopy above him was hit, splinters raining down on him.

Not expecting to be attacked, Erik had placed the gun he had taken from Shannon beside the steering wheel in the boat’s stern. Reflexively, he headed there – getting away from the coffin and allowing Hilmar to fire at him.

Even in his rage, Hilmar was no cold-blooded killer, and so, he had aimed for Erik’s legs. However, a moving boat wasn’t the best underground for good aiming, and in addition, the pump gun was loaded with shot. A few of the lead pellets hit his butt, and he staggered before he fell off the boat with a scream.

Carefully, they approached the Barca Funebre, Marcus even did an entire round whilst Hilmar, the gun ready, watched out for Erik’s head. They didn’t see him, and Hilmar gulped. He had not intended to become a killer, not even to rescue Marlene.

Marcus also was silent as he got alongside the Barca, and they both jumped over. Except for the podium with the coffin, the canopy and a contraption to get the coffin on land, it was built like a normal sightseeing boat, with two long benches on both sides. Hilmar spotted the hammer on the planks and bent down when his eyes fell on something he wouldn’t have expected on a hearse: a large hardshell suitcase.

With the Police boat’s engine still chugging in idle, he couldn’t tell whether there was a sound coming from the suitcase, but Hilmar bent over it, and, too impatient to try the numbers lock, smashed it with the hammer. The lid popped open, revealing the sweat-clad body of a naked woman stashed inside, barely fitting in.

»Marlene?«

»Uuuhmmmmm!«

It was Marlene, though someone who knew her less close wouldn’t have noticed her, gagged and hooded as she was. She was tied into a tight ball, with an extension cord keeping her forehead pressed against her knees and her lower legs against her thighs. These were not her only bonds, as Hilmar could see once he had lifted her out of the suitcase and removed the extension cord, allowing her to stretch her body with a deep groan. Marlene’s arms were still wrapped and forced together behind her back, and there were several rounds of thin cord around her legs, each one cinched, even the one binding her big toes. A knotty rope was tied between her legs, far too tight to cause anything but pain, and her nipples were clamped, whilst she sported a tight leather corset that must make breathing quite difficult. Marlene’s head was covered by what turned out to be a black Lycra leggings, the legs tied around her neck.

Hilmar began to free her, whilst Marcus decided to let them have their moment. In the Police boat, he had found half a packet of cigarettes and a lighter, and so, he started to smoke when he suddenly heard a roaring sound.

Since none of them had moored the Police boat, it had drifted away a few yards. Obviously, Erik hadn’t drowned, but instead dived towards the other boat and climbed aboard. Hilmar jumped up and wanted to reach for the pump gun, but Marcus grabbed his arm.

»Relax, old man!«, he said, offering the cigarettes to Hilmar who stared at him with disbelief.

»Erik! He’s escaping!«

Marcus shook his head.

»Not for long! I don’t know much about the Italian Police, but I am quite sure they are tracking their boats if one of them gets stolen! So, he will soon have more followers than Taylor Swift! And – the more distance he brings between us and him, the less likely the Police will notice us!«

After a few seconds, Hilmar laughed with relief, sending a raised middle finger after the vanishing Police boat. After a few seconds, an indignant mew from Marlene reminded him that she wanted to be freed completely.

Since Marcus had seen Marlene in the nude already, he assisted Hilmar, concentrating on her arms and legs whilst Hilmar removed her crotch rope and corset before turning to her gag. The leggings concealed a head scarf, tied under Marlene’s chin, and a head still packed in cloth. When Hilmar had removed the headscarf, he noticed not only the two pairs of panties hooding her, but also a cloth tied over her eyes, whilst another covered her mouth and nose. He removed the blindfold, and two balled up socks fell off. Marlene blinked and let out a faint moan.

Underneath the other cloth was her mouth, covered by a vet wrap bandage, and Marcus, who had finished freeing her limbs, unplugged her ears whilst Hilmar removed the bandage and pulled the tape from her lips. Between her teeth, he saw a dense packing in bright red, still slightly smelling of female arousal, despite having been in her mouth for so long.

Once the gag had come off, Marlene panted and was unable to do anything. Marcus spotted the Whiskey bottle, took a considerable sip and handed it to Hilmar who also drank before instilling Marlene some. She coughed, but then, she was able to raise her head a bit. Hilmar caressed her cheek.

»It’s over!«

He kissed her lips, but then, Marcus interrupted them by clearing his throat and patting onto the coffin.

»If Marlene was inside the suitcase – what about that?«

Marlene, who had been deposited inside said coffin for a few hours until Erik had needed it for Shannon, wanted to explain, but only managed to croak:

»Sh- Shan-«

»Shannon!«, Marcus concluded, and as Marlene weakly nodded, he showed a grim smile.

»Well, she’s well stowed then, I hope!«

He left Hilmar and Marlene alone and went to the stern. He started the engine and held for the Italian coast, phoning Silvana to tell her where she should pick them up.

***

Erik looked despondently at the growing silhouette of Venice as they approached the city. His triumph about having escaped once again had lasted only 20 minutes. Then, no less than three Police boats had surrounded him, with men aiming at him with guns. As they had arrested him, he had tried to tell them that all this was a terrible mistake, and he insisted on being Erik von Peters.

»We know – and I think you have done enough for one night!«

Whilst his comrades had put Erik in handcuffs, the Police Officer had continued by a long list of crimes he was accused of: attacking a man and stealing his car, breaking a Police control, causing a motorbike accident, stealing a Police car – Erik was perplexed, since he had committed none of these, but at that moment, one of the Policemen had opened his backpack, or rather Shannon’s backpack. The golden statuette glistered in the morning sun, and the Police Officer now said:

»Signore von Peters, I am sure a rich man like you has an excellent lawyer, but I think even the best won’t spare you from three to five years behind bars!«

Erik giggled hysterically whilst tears ran down his cheeks. He would end up in prison, for crimes he hadn’t committed – but telling the truth was also no option, for this would have gotten him some 15 years more!

***

The little bay couldn’t be called lonely, for it had a small boat pier and even a kiosk, but now, on a February morning, it was abandoned, except for a black Audi that now slowly rolled down the sandy path. Two women got out, stepping onto the pier and waving towards the slightly uncanny looking boat with the coffin under the black canopy.

Both Mariko and Silvana were provisionally dressed in some of Shannon’s clothes, though they looked a bit oversized on the petite Mariko. They had taken the opportunity to shower before they had walked to the parking garage and left with Hilmar’s car.

Silvana had also thought of bringing a bathrobe, and indeed, once Marcus had moored the boat and slung his arms around Silvana, Hilmar followed, cradling a naked Marlene in his arms. Once at the pier, she demanded to be let down, and Silvana let her slip into the bathrobe.

Marlene looked at Mariko who gulped at her sight whilst Hilmar seemed to have found something interesting at the sky above. She staggered towards the girl and brushed over Mariko’s arm, forcing a smile on her lips. With a sigh, Mariko hugged her, and Marlene repeated the gesture. Hilmar also sighed with relief. Perhaps, he wasn’t off the hook for cheating, but at least, the way home with both women wouldn’t become the next ordeal.

»I-Is Shannon-«, Silvana began, and Marcus pointed at the coffin.

»Inside!«

He had held his ear to the lid, and a faint rustling had told him that Shannon was alive, though obviously quite restricted in her movements or ability to create any noise. Silvana looked at the coffin and then, she asked:

»Now, what will we do with her? Call the Police?«

»If the Police arrives here, I want to be in Austria!«, Hilmar insisted. Then, he told them what he and Marcus had decided during their trip to the coast:

»The kiosk will open in one hour, and the owner will sure not leave a hearse boat unnoticed. So, the most likely thing is that he will think it has gotten loose, or some people have exacted a prank and unmoored it. He will call the funeral directory, and they will take care of the boat, the coffin and all its – contents!«

»So, Shannon will have some very uncomfortable 12 to 24 hours before she’s released! Most likely, she will not be further prosecuted, but at least, she will get a dose of her own medicine – and since she doesn’t know where we are from exactly, we are also save from her revenge!«

It sounded like a plan, and so, all five entered the car and left, none of them looking back at the Barca Funebre moored to the pier.

***

Shannon wondered whether Erik had changed his mind, or if she had missed the point where he had sent the coffin overboard. Unable to see or hear, she had lost all count of time, and she wasn’t even sure if she would notice the water getting inside, only if it would run into her nostrils.

She had never been a very emotional woman, her career as a cat burglar being less of a profession and more of a search for a thrill. But now, she felt something she hadn’t experienced for a very long time. Deep, black terrible fear.

So, she screamed and screamed into the three pairs of panties stuffing her mouth and writhed in her bonds until exhaustion stopped her, whilst she was trapped inside her dark, silent, immobile world.

The End