Wrong Place, Right Time 1

On the first sight, nobody would have noticed anything wrong with Emma Dietrichs walking down the corridor of »Hartenstein & Pfister«; after all, she was one of several secretaries working at the big insurance company. On the second sight, however, one might have wondered why Emma was here hours after business hours had ended – and why she was wearing no shoes.

Emma had taken off her high heels deliberately, for she didn’t want to make a sound on the floor as she now approached the private office of Martin Ketteler, the new CEO for two years, after Otto Pfister, one of the company’s founders, had died. She knew that the office would be empty, but Ketteler was on his way here, accompanied by some of his business friends.

She sneaked in and looked around where to hide. Behind the curtain? Under the desk? Finally, when she heard steps from the corridor, she slipped into one of the cupboards and prayed that none of the men now entering the room would open it.

»Excellent you could make it!«, Emma heard the voice of Ketteler, noticing he spoke English. So, he was indeed meeting with the Americans – most likely without Martina Hartenstein knowing about it.

He and Martina were the heads of »Hartenstein & Pfister«; Ketteler wanted to sell the company to a bigger American trust, Martina didn’t. In her case, it was less the fact that she was the granddaughter of the company’s founder, but the fact that she saw more money in keeping the company. Anyway, since both held 50%, all negotiations had come to a draw so far.

Emma heard that the men sat down; she guessed that it were some three or four. No drinks were served, and Ketteler didn’t waste time with preliminaries. Instead, he told the Americans that he was anticipating being able to persuade Martina Hartenstein to sell her half of the company to him soon, so he could sign the deal.

Now, Emma had to oppress a gasp. That very morning, Martina had told her that she would only sell over her dead body! A shiver ran down Emma’s spine. What if Ketteler was planning exactly that – turning Martina into a dead body?

The talk went on, now concerning details of the deal, including many numbers and paragraphs. Emma felt that her legs ached, but she didn’t dare to change her position. Finally, she heard them get up, and Ketteler wished his American guests Goodbye. The door closed, and Emma was about to leave her hideout, when she heard Ketteler say in German:

»Ulrich, please, come back once you have brought Mr. Keene and Mr. Sanchez to their car!«

Again, Helena almost gasped and she balled up her scarf and bit into it. Her heart bumped, and she almost feared that Ketteler could hear it.

When Martin Ketteler had become the new CEO, he hadn’t come alone, but brought his assistant with him, Ulrich Schmidt. Ulrich was tall, blonde and handsome – however, though Ketteler was balding and going to seed, these two men had one thing in common: a cold, slightly uncanny attitude. Whenever Emma met one of them at the corridor, she felt a slight uneasiness, though none of the two had ever been other than polite, let alone harassing her or anyone of the other employees.

»They are like two sharks!«

Emma knew that if the two noticed her, she could be glad if she just got fired. She almost trembled and only dared to shift her position slightly when Ulrich came back and the two men walked around, causing some noise.

»Ulrich, you know that Keene and Sanchez will return in four weeks. Is everything ready so far?«

»Certainly, Mr. Ketteler! I hope you don’t mind that I have – outsourced the whole affair?«

»Outsourced?«

Ketteler’s voice sounded interested, and Emma could imagine him raising his eyebrow. Ulrich explained to him:

»As you know, Mrs. Hartenstein will start for a trip to Southern France on Friday, together with her daughter. Well, they will leave the house, but unfortunately, their hotel in Nice will wait in vain for them!«

There was a moment of silence, and obviously, Ketteler showed some concern, for Emma heard Ulrich speak again:

»Oh no, they won’t die on their way. I mean, they will have an accident, but luckily, they could be saved, almost unharmed – physically. However, it seems that the crash left them – mentally challenged.«

»Unable to lead a big company!«

The talk went on for a little longer. Ketteler was concerned about whether it was possible to arrange the accident that precisely, but Ulrich told him that this would be easy, for the guys he had hired would strike in the night from Thursday to Friday, and when Martina’s Mercedes left the mansion, they would have both long gone.

»And as you know, Mr. Ketteler, we have the meeting at Frankfurt from Wednesday on! So, we will have dozens of witnesses that can prove we haven’t even been near the house!«

There was the sound of Ketteler patting Ulrich’s shoulder. The two men left little later, allowing Emma to leave her hideout. She sneaked out of the room and almost sprinted down the corridor and to the elevator. Only when she was inside her car, she noticed that she had left her shoes in her office.

***

»So, Ketteler wants to strike on Thursday night?«

To Emma’s dismay, Martina Hartenstein seemed very calm for what she had just reported to her. Since she was her private secretary, Martina had asked her to spy on Ketteler, and now, she had come to her mansion immediately with the frightening news.

»So, what will you do? Call the Police, hire some security?«

»Oh, I am thinking of something more elaborate, Emma! If the guys Ulrich hired will not be able to strike, they will try something else on a later occasion. No, I think it will be better if they think they succeeded – whilst Lisa and I are save and sound, and I can plan how to make Ketteler pay!«

Now, Emma was puzzled.

»What do you mean? Hire some doubles?«

Martina smiled enigmatically. When the excited Emma had told her what she had witnessed, she had suddenly thought of a little coincidence a few days ago. She looked at the desk, where a portrait of her daughter was standing; unlike Martina who had dark brown curls, Lisa came after her father and was a blonde.

»Something like that, Emma! So, if you hear about Lisa and me having an accident on Friday, don’t panic, for it won’t be us!«

***

Two weeks after Carnival, the mid term holidays had started, and for Silvana, it was lucky. After her return from Venice, where she had once again fallen into the clutches of some criminals, she had somehow stumbled through the rest of the semester and even managed to pass her tests, but now, she was completely exhausted. She had shortly visited her parents, but then returned to the students’  hostel, pretending she had to work on a paper.

She had met with only a few people during the last weeks. Mariko, who had gone to the same ordeal as her, had left the first day of the holidays to visit her aunt in Tokio, and Silvana was a bit relieved: at Venice, Hilmar, Marlene’s boyfriend, had cheated on her with Mariko, and though Marlene had forgiven her, none of the two had the intention to see each other. Since she and Mariko had been in two courses together, she hadn’t seen Marlene for a while, and they had just phoned regularly.

However, now, the Easter holidays had begun, meaning that Marlene would be free, too. Silvana’s parents were on a holiday trip, and so, there would be only Marcus she had regular contact with. Since Venice, they had a strange kind of semi-relationship: they met each other, and sometimes also slept together, but Marcus was working on his thesis that had to be ready in May, and so, he wasn’t angry if Silvana didn’t show up for a few days in a row either.

On the first day of the holidays, she visited Marlene at her apartment. She still lived at the place from where she had been abducted a few weeks ago, but she was looking for something new, and now, she told Silvana that she had finally found something decent.

»I will have a balcony and two bathrooms! There is only one small problem!«

»The house is haunted!«, Silvana joked, and Marlene giggled.

»I hope not! No, my contract is running out in two days, and I can only move there in two weeks! So, I will have to find a hotel for these two weeks, whilst all my furniture will be in some warehouse! I guess the money from the diamonds will be gone when I have my house-warming party!«

She sighed theatrically, as if to indicate that this wasn’t a real problem. In fact, Silvana was a bit concerned about her friend. Marlene had spent the two days in Venice almost constantly bound and gagged, and her kidnapper had been a man obsessed with her. And Silvana noticed that Marlene still looked a bit exhausted to her.

»So, how about you and Hilmar?«, she decided not to waste time on small talk. This time, Marlene’s sigh was real.

»What can I say? I mean, what Hilmar I am dealing with? The man who risked his life to save mine, or the guy who cheated on me?«

Silvana slung her arm around her, and Marlene cuddled against her. She sniffled, wiped her eyes and continued:

»We – we tried a new start after we returned. At first, it was – okay. I mean, I was glad that I wasn’t physically repelled by him after – what Erik did to me.«

Silvana nodded understandingly. Marlene hadn’t gone into details, but Erik had tried everything to sexually coerce her, though he hadn’t actually raped her. Silvana knew how Marlene felt: the kidnappers had made her climax against her will, too, and she had been relieved that this had not caused problems when she was together with Marcus.

»Well, he now is at Norderney – together with his daughter!«

Hilmar had been married before, and he had an eight year old daughter that was also one of Marlene’s pupils, though the girl didn’t know yet. The first meeting between her, Marlene and her father had been delayed due to Marlene’s abduction.

»By the way, I found a new Zumba class! It’s quite expensive, but maybe, you want to come with me this evening? The first two lessons are free, if you come on invitation!«

Erik, Marlene’s kidnapper, had installed cameras at the shower of the gym where she and Silvana had gone, and though Erik was currently facing trial in Italy, and the cameras had been removed, neither of them had felt good in going there any longer. Since Silvana had not done any sport in weeks, she agreed and so, she entered the indeed posh rooms of a very noble gym.

»I feel like a tramp at a fine hotel!«, she whispered to Marlene, but her friend replied:

»Don’t mind, I don’t have Christian Dior sportswear either! And some of the ladies here are really nice – ah, speaking of the devil!«

Marlene approached another woman, and for a moment, Silvana thought that Marlene liked the other one because they looked the same. Not that anyone could have mixed them up: the other woman was some two inches taller than Marlene, her hair was slightly brighter, and her face looked completely different. However, both had brown curls and were busty.

Marlene introduced her to Silvana as Martina Hartenstein, and Martina let her eyes wander over Silvana. Before she could feel uneasy, Martina explained:

»You remind me of my daughter! You two should be of the same age!«

After the Zumba, they had a drink at the gym’s bar, and it turned out that Lisa, Martina’s daughter, was indeed some two months older than Silvana and had just celebrated her 19th birthday. Martina was 41, but she looked younger.

»But, Marlene, how about your search for a new apartment?«

So, Marlene once again told her about the nice flat she had found, and her problem about having to live at a hotel for two weeks. Martina suddenly pondered.

»When did you say you have to leave your old apartment?«

»Well – on Wednesday!«

Martina’s face brightened, and she said:

»What a coincidence! Lisa and I are going to a trip to Nice on Wednesday – a belated present for her birthday!«

She sounded as if it was normal to make such presents on a regular basis, and Silvana felt a bit envious. However, Martina now offered Marlene to live at her mansion until she could move to her new apartment.

»Lisa and I will leave shortly before noon! So, you can just come over, and I will hand you the keys! There is no need you pay thousands for some hotel if you can live at my house for the short time! When did you say you can move?«

Marlene told her, and Martina assured her that this was a match made in heaven, for she and Lisa would return two days later.

»So, you will have the house for your own the whole time! I mean, you will really have it for your own, for I already gave the servants some paid days off, too, but it could be worse. After all, the pool is quite small, but the sauna-«

»Okay, okay, I am hooked!«

Marlene hugged the other woman, gratefully accepting her offer. Silvana commented on the »small« pool, and Martina smiled broadly:

»If you want to go there, too, you are invited to stay as long as Marlene wants you around! Or until Lisa and I return, whatever comes first!«

***

So, the next Wednesday, both Marlene and Silvana approached the mansion that looked very modern, but offered all luxury inside. In fact, Marlene had persuaded Silvana to come with her, for she was a bit afraid of spending the time alone at a big house she didn’t know. They shortly met Lisa, and also a blonde, slightly nervous-looking woman that was introduced as Miss Emma Dietrichs, Martina’s secretary.

»Emma will get us to the airport in her car, so, I don’t have to leave mine at the airport!«

They managed to get all the suitcases into the small Twingo, and, after some hugging and Martina having explained a few things, they left. Marlene stood in the vast living room and looked around.

»Silvana, I would like my drink served at the terrace!«

»Oui, Madame!«

Silvana curtseyed, and the two laughed. Then, they explored the mansion. Martina had prepared the guest rooms for them, but these were more than sufficient for the two weeks. Then, they discovered the indoor pool. »Small« was only correct if one compared it to a public pool, for it was some 15 yards long and five yards wide, with a few artificial rocks and some easy-chairs around it. Once Marlene had found out how the heating worked, the two changed into their bathing suits and enjoyed the water, followed by a trip to the sauna.

One thing Martina had forgotten about was food, and so, they ordered a pizza and enjoyed it with some expensive wine from crystal glasses whilst watching a film on the huge screen of Martina’s TV.

The next day was equally a mixture of relaxing and feeling excited about the wealth they were allowed to enjoy.

»What do you think, should I invite Marcus over?«, she asked Marlene the next day when they had a late breakfast after a morning dip in the pool. Marlene shrugged.

»If you want me to feel like the fifth wheel on the cart, go for it!«

She smiled as Silvana lowered her head, and she brushed through her friend’s wet hair.

»Just kidding, girl! However, I would be glad if you could wait until Saturday to tell him! Hilmar will come back on Easter Sunday, and so, I would have at least the option of calling someone, too!«

That was easily promised, for Silvana still wanted to explore more of the mansion’s secrets, so she could impress Marcus when he arrived. So, when he sent a message to her, she told him that she had decided to visit her parents for a few days and would call him asap.

»Is it cheating if you are preferring a whirlpool to your somehow still boyfriend?«, she asked as they were lying side by side in the bubbling hot water. Marlene arched her back and sighed:

»If it has a massage system like this one, it would be a sin if you didn’t!«

***

Another day had passed in sweet laziness, and both had not only gone to bed late, but Silvana had also decided that she wanted to sleep until noon and would kill anyone waking her up. Marlene, however, who was used to getting up early, was awake at 8 am. For some time, she considered staying in bed, but then, she decided that some workout would do her good, after she had enjoyed a mixture of alcohol and fast food for two days in a row now.

So, she put on her panties, leggings, a tight sports top, her socks and sport shoes and went to the gym room where she entered the stepper and did burn some calories whilst listening to her favourite music. The window opened to the mansion’s backside, allowing her a marvellous view not only at the garden, but also over the skyline of Würzburg.

Had it opened to the front, Marlene would perhaps have noticed the strange van that had parked in front of the mansion. Had they both checked more careful, they would have noticed that the expensive alarm system had been switched off. And had Marlene not decided to do her workout to the music, she would perhaps have heard the steps coming down the stairs and stopping at the gym’s door.

Marlene was just wiping sweat from her forehead when the door opened. She noticed the move at the corner of her eye, but before she had realized it wasn’t Silvana, strong hands grabbed her arms, and when she opened her mouth to scream, a hand clamped over it, stifling it to a moan.

»Oouuhmmm!«

The three attackers took no chances with her. Marlene was wrestled down to the floor, and whilst one kept his hand pressed over her lips, the other two forced her arms into the sleeves of something white, made of tight canvas. It was a straightjacket, and Marlene moaned as they forced her to sling her arms around her body and then tightened the straps and buckled them, rendering her arms immobile. Then, she was lifted from the floor, and she screamed into the strong hand gagging her as an additional strap was pulled between her legs.

»Uuhhmmm! Hhrrrmmm!«

The man at her back now grabbed her scalp and yanked her head back. He withdrew the hand from her mouth, but before Marlene could scream, something was forced into her mouth, something that was soft and tasted of rubber. It was fixed to a broad leather band that also went over her chin, and it was buckled tight at her nape. Then, one of the men reached for a small balloon attached to her gag, opened a little valve and pumped. The soft thing in her mouth expanded, and soon, a large ball filled Marlene’s mouth, effectively silencing her.

A leather strap was tied around her thighs, right above the knees, and her shoes were removed. Then, one of the men loaded the wriggling and mewing Marlene over his shoulder. She wildly flailed with her lower legs and tried to scream through the stifling gag, but she was mercilessly carried into the living room where she was placed on the couch.

Still, none of the men had spoken a word, but Marlene could now see two of them grab another straightjacket and a second gag, whilst the third stayed back, looking at Marlene.

»They are fetching Silvana!«, Marlene thought, and she screamed into her gag, trying to get up. The man forced her onto her belly and then, he meticulously tied all the straps one notch tighter, including the one around her legs and the one between them. Then, he pumped a little more air into the balloon in her mouth before he threw Marlene over his knees. Ten times, his hand painfully hit her buttocks, and when she squealed, Marlene noticed that the gag had become even more effective.

»Next time you fight, it will be double punishment!«, he informed her as he let her go.

A few minutes later, steps could be heard on the stairs, accompanied by some mewing, and now, Silvana was carried into the living room, tied and gagged like Marlene was. Her legs were naked, but she was wearing a pair of white panties. When she spotted Marlene, her eyes widened and she increased her struggles – only to be rewarded with the tightening of the straps, the pumping of her gag and getting her butt spanked ten times, too.

The two were sat side by side, guarded by one of the men, whilst the other two now walked out of the front door, only to return little later with two wheelchairs. Silvana was placed in one of them, and secured to it by two straps that tied her upper body to the backrest, and her feet were tied to the footrests. Then, she was pushed outside whilst the two others secured Marlene to the second chair.

At the yard, Marlene frantically mewed and looked for help, but there was only the van with the open side door, and a ramp leading inside. The wheelchair was pushed into the car and fixed to the wall, so once again Marlene was sitting beside Silvana. The door was shut, and a few seconds later, the van drove off.

One of the men had remained in the load with them, and when Marlene and Silvana continued to wriggle and mew, he just shrugged and approached them. The straps on their backs were out of reach for him, but he could tighten the belt between Marlene’s legs and did so, yanking hard so he could make it two notches tighter, and grinning as she whimpered at the line of fire at her soft flesh. Silvana was punished the same way, and then, he pumped even more air into their inflatable gags, reducing their moans to throaty chortles. Then, he took two black hoods and pulled them over their heads, leaving the two girls alone with their panic and pain.

***

Only two of the kidnappers had left with the van, number three now waited for a woman that arrived on foot. Looking around if someone had noticed them, they entered the mansion and searched for two suitcases. Then, they did what they had come for.

The woman’s job was to pack some of Martina and Lisa Hartenstein’s clothes; their employer had decided that a woman would know better what two females would take on a trip to France. She quickly filled the two suitcases with some light clothes and underwear, whilst her accomplice seemed more fascinated by Martina’s and Lisa’s choice of underwear. Then, in Martina’s bathroom, she frowned. There were still some perfumes, but she only found a still packed toothbrush, looking as if it had been stored for reserve. Lisa’s bathroom (the mansion provided one for each woman) offered a similar picture.

»It looks a bit as if they have packed their belongings already! And look here! One would expect that they would take care of the laundry before leaving!«

She pointed at the half filled laundry basket. Her partner shrugged.

»Maybe, the maid will take care of it! I – I have forgotten something in the other room, just wait for me at the garage!«

The woman smiled as she carried the suitcases to the garage and placed them in the trunk of Martina’s white Mercedes. She had an idea why the man had wanted to be alone, and indeed, when he arrived, his pockets bulged from something soft. She raised an eyebrow and joked:

»Are you just glad to see me, or are these some of Martina’s and Lisa’s panties in your pockets?«

»Both!«, the man grinned. Then, he sat down on the driver’s seat whilst the woman took the seat beside him. Then, they left, sure that the tinted side windows and the sun shields would hide that they didn’t look like the actual owners of the car at all.

After a few hundred yards, the man seemed to want to apologize for his fetish:

»After all, I need a little solace, since not only do I not get more than an occasional smile from you, but I will also have to destroy such beauty!«

He caressed the car’s steering wheel, and the woman laughed:

»Just let me out at the station, and I will maybe smile more often when I see you!«

When he did so, she even kissed his cheek, and the man sighed as if she had said »Yes« to his proposal. Then, she watched as he drove off for the most dangerous part of their plan: he had to get to a place where it would look plausible that Martina had lost control over her car, and he also had to take care nobody saw him as he jumped out before the car went over the edge.

Martina and Lisa had no close relatives: after the divorce, she had lost all contact to her ex, her only sister lived in the USA, and her mother was in an expensive retirement centre, since she suffered from the Alzheimer’s disease. So, it would not be too strange that the hospital would inform Martina’s closest contact person – her business partner and co-CEO Martin Ketteler. He would carefully spread the news that both Martina Hartenstein and her daughter had survived a terrible car accident; there would be rumours they had a brain injury, and for the time being,  Ketteler would lead the company alone, assisted by his trusted employee Ulrich Schmidt.

The woman smiled with anticipation. Their »Plan B« was to let Martina and Lisa in the asylum for as long as it took for the world to accept their fate. It would bear the risk that someone found out about the truth, and in addition, it could take months, if not even one or two years, after which they still had to think of what to do with their captives.

So, Ketteler and Schmidt preferred Plan A: persuading Martina to transmit her share of the company to Ketteler, and then retire to her mansion, under the premise that neither she nor Lisa would ever spill the beans.

To get their captives this far, it would take some persuasion. The way she would get the two to cooperate was a thought that made her smile even broader.

***

The van seemed to have left Würzburg and now was driving over the Autobahn, at least that was what Silvana and Marlene concluded. It was a slight relief, for now, the car no longer curved. Their wheelchairs were not fixed steadily to the wall, and so, they rolled back and forth, following the laws of Physics, and it had added the risk of getting sea-sick to their predicament.

Not that the smooth and even road meant that the trip had become comfortable. They were still straightjacketed, gagged and hooded. The tight straps cut into their flesh, especially their crotches, and whenever they were forced to move a bit, they whimpered with pain. The inflatable gags filled their mouths to the bursting, stretching their jaws and bulging their cheeks, and the darkness under the hood and their captors’ silence added to their fear.

At least, their bondage had protected them from the man’s touches a bit. After a while, he had caressed their legs and groped their hips, but he either had strict orders to leave them restrained, or he enjoyed them suffering, for he left the crotch straps in place, thus not being able to touch their most intimate parts. The stiff canvas of the straightjacket also protected their breasts from fondling, and so, he had withdrawn after a short time. Marlene was especially relieved that he hadn’t found out about her ticklishness yet.

Now, the car seemed to leave the Autobahn. A prolonged ride with lots of curves followed, and it seemed that they were somewhere in the hills. The asphalt changed to gravel, and then, the van stopped completely.

»Welcome to your new home!«, they heard the voice of one of the men as the side door was opened. Then, the wheelchairs were pushed along a corridor and then, they stopped, and Marlene felt that the straps fixing her to the chair were released.

»If you behave, we will take the restraints off – for the moment!«

Marlene nodded, and then, she heard a hissing sound. She groaned with relief as the balloon in her mouth deflated, and then, she moaned even louder as the crotch strap was loosened. This provoked a laugh from her captors, but they quickly freed her from the gag strap, the straightjacket and her gag. Then, in the same move, she was pushed forward and the hood was pulled from her head.

With a gasp, Marlene landed on all fours, but noticed that the floor was made of something soft, like rubber. Before she could further look around, the door behind her was opened, and Silvana was pushed inside, before the door was closed and locked again.

Obviously, Silvana had been too drunk or tired to put on her pyjamas, for the white panties were the only item she was wearing. Nevertheless, the two exchanged a hug and then examined their new prison.

It was a short inspection, for the cell was just some three yards long and two yards wide. Both the floor and walls were thickly padded with rubber, and there were no windows, just an air vent beside the neon light that was high above their heads and protected by an iron cage. The door, also padded, had a lid in it, and in one corner, there was an opening of some five inches in diameter.

»Oh my God, where have we landed here? Is this a rubber cell?«

Silvana jumped towards the door, banged at it with her fists and yelled, but there was no reaction, and the little noise her fists caused was somehow dissuasive and so, she stopped and sank to the padded floor, staring at Marlene with fearful eyes.

In a helpless gesture, Marlene reached the only item in the room to her: a roll of toilet paper that had been placed beside the opening in the floor.

»If you want to cry, don’t hold it back!«

Silvana sniffled and wiped her eyes, but then shook her head. Then, she suddenly gasped and crossed her arms in front of her bare breasts.

»Do you think they have a camera inside here?«

They looked at the ceiling, but then, Silvana let her arms sink. Her captors had seen her already, and she would walk to the Dome of Würzburg on her knees and light a candle if this was their worst problem.

»Who are they? I mean, did you recognize any of the men?«

Marlene had been able to see a bit more of the three kidnappers, but she shook her head.

»The problem is, that over the last months, the list of people who either have a grudge against us or just want to get one of us into their clutches has become quite long!«

Silvana shuddered. That was true, though they had both been sure that all these people were either in jail or on the run, or on a different continent. However, nothing of this meant that they were save forever!

Suddenly, Marlene bent forward and whispered:

»There’s even another possibility?«

»W-Which one?«, Silvana asked, also lowering her voice.

»We were at the house of Martina Hartenstein, and we have a slight resemblance to Martina and Lisa! So, if the kidnappers only had a vague description, and were ordered to kidnap the two women residing at the mansion – there’s a good chance that we are not the real target of this!«

The two exchanged an anxious look. Marlene’s thought was quite plausible – but if it was true, the question was if this would improve their situation!

***