Wine and other Goods 5

Though she owed Angelina, and though she began to sympathize with the reporter, Verena just couldn’t get it over herself to take her with her when she visited Erik Gabelstein. So, at a crossing, she stopped the car.

»Look, I can’t take you with me when I visit the forensics! Otherwise, too many people might notice that I already told you more than I should! However, I doubt you want to stay in the car for an hour or so, even if I leave the window open!«

»So?«

Verena took a deep breath, knowing that the alternative was a bit questionable, too. However, she would have Angelina on her heels anyway.

»Do you know where Luna Carstens lives?«

After a short hesitation, Angelina nodded. Obviously, she had done good research. Verena pointed at the nearby bus stop.

»This line brings you close to her house! Just go there and wait for me! I will send Luna a message, and until I have done what I have to do, you may have an interview no other reporter got so far!«

Angelina agreed and left the car. Verena quickly typed a short message for Luna, then, she went for Gabelstein’s lab, to see what clues he could get out of the three pairs of panties she was keeping in her handbag.

***

Panting, Laya was lying half on one side, half on her belly, her right hand balled to a fist. All she had to do was to open and close it three times in a row, the signal they had agreed upon that she was giving up.

She had no idea how many minutes had passed, but she hadn’t come closer to freedom since Kaede had gagged her. The Japanese had been gentle, and she had used a fresh scarf Luna had brought her. She had tied a triple knot in the centre, pushed it between Laya’s jaws and tied it off at her nape before further securing the gag with three strips of tape plastered over her lips. Laya still could breathe, but the cloth in her mouth caused her to drool, and she could still utter loud moans, but not talk in an intelligible way.

Quickly, she had learned that simply pulling on her bonds brought her nowhere. Not only were the knots too tight, struggling also pulled on both her chest scarf and the one running between her legs – and the latter was more than irritating. Laya still wore panties and leggins, and the scarf hadn’t been applied too tight, but the taut cloth rubbing over her soft flesh felt awkward and so, she had decided that a calm approach would be better.

With her forearms folded, she could only use one hand at a time, and the knots of her arm tie were out of reach. After some squirming, she had found out the only way to success: testing her flexibility to the limits, so she could get her bound ankles close enough to one of her hands, enabling her to pick on the knots. Once her legs were free, she could try to sit up, maybe even get to her feet, and find a way to get rid of the blindfold and even the gag. And since there were no limits in using whatever they found, she could simply walk over to the kitchen, get a knife and cut herself loose.

It sounded like a plan, but progress on the tight knots was slow, and Laya had to pause regularly. She could hear Luna and Kaede who were watching her progress, and she felt both embarrassment and the determination to get free, whatever it would take.

Suddenly, a faint beep could be heard, and moments later, Luna breathed:

»Someone’s in the garden!«

»Mhhmm?«

Laya hoped that her friends would end the game and set her free, but all she could hear was the sound of stocking-clad feet rushing away, accompanied by some whispered commands. Like an iron fist, fear grabbed her heart, and despite what she had figured out about a calm approach to her bonds, the girl now squirmed on the carpet, pulling on her bonds and screaming through her gag.

***

The camera had told Luna and Kaede that there was only one intruder, and she was near the living room windows. This allowed them to sneak out through the back door and approach from behind.

Indeed, at one of the large windows, they saw a tall woman crouching behind a bush and obviously filming the inside with her phone. Though they didn’t speak, both Luna and Kaede were sure that she wasn’t one of their attackers from the day before.

Communicating via sign signals, they checked that obviously, there were no other persons around, and so, Kaede pointed at the woman and made an aggressive looking move with her hands. Luna, who was holding her gun, nodded, preparing to give her a backup.

The Japanese darted forward and jumped, slinging her legs around the tall woman’s upper body whilst pressing both her hands over her eyes, pulling her head backwards. The woman gasped and staggered, and Luna jumped forward, pressing the gun to her ribs.

»Freeze! Freeze and get to your knees!«

Kaede weighed barely 100 lbs and so, the woman still stood on her feet, but she obeyed the order and knelt, forced to bend forward by the Japanese. Luna still pressed the barrel at her chest. She had no idea if the gun was still locked, and she hoped that the woman would think so.

»I – I am A-Angelina!«, the tall woman stammered.

»Good for you!«, Kaede hissed, tightening her grip.

»P-please – didn’t Verena t-tell you? Verena B-Beil – the Kommissarin!«

The mentioning of the name they knew made them both hesitate, and Luna withdrew the gun a bit. Angelina took the opportunity to say:

»She wanted to send a message to you, that I would come to you!«

Luna and Kaede exchanged a look. Both their phones were inside, and obviously, the Japanese had put hers on soundless mode, too. On the other hand, this could also be a trick.

The solution was a bit rustical, but it seemed the obvious thing to do. Taking one of Angelina’s arms into a lock grip, and forcing her to stay on her knees, they made her crawl towards the veranda door whilst Luna watched her at gunpoint. Once inside, Luna checked her phone, and a moment later, she lowered the gun.

»Let her go! She’s just a reporter; Verena indeed sent a message some 30 minutes ago!«

Kaede didn’t release her grip.

»She was snooping around in your garden, instead of ringing at the door, like a normal person would do!«

When Angelina remained silent, the Japanese added a little more pressure to her shoulder, and the tall girl ached:

»Okay, okay! I-I am a journalist, and I wanted to see if-«

At that moment, a moan could be heard from behind the couch, and though her shoulder was still aflame, the reporter added in a triumphant tone:

»Well, something indeed caught my eye!«

Without a word, Kaede let her go, and Angelina massaged her shoulder as they all passed the couch, looking down on Laya who had managed to remove the blindfold of one eye and stared at the three women, panting and looking quite dishevelled. Luna explained:

»We were just – having some training!«

Angelina chuckled.

»You are adults, and as long as it is all consensual-«

Luna blushed.

»It’s not that kind of-«

»Mmhhmmph! Uhmph!«

Angelina pointed at Laya who now stared daggers with her one free eye.

»I presume your – friend has got something to say in the matter, too!«

She left it to Luna and Kaede to free the girl and went to the garden to fetch her phone she had dropped during Kaede’s attack. When she returned, an equally embarrassed and relieved Laya was massaging her wrists, her makeup showing signs of the gagging. Luna tried to save the situation by acting as a good host:

»How about a coffee – or would anyone prefer a glass of wine?«

»Wine!«, all three opted in unison, Laya’s voice sounding a bit croaky. This caused them to laugh, and Laya looked at Angelina.

»You are a journalist?«

Angelina nodded.

»From ›Crime Investigator Germany‹! I saw a video of you two – on the parking lot!«

Laya exchanged an insecure look with Kaede who also lowered her head. The memory of them both being watched by the crowd in just their underwear was still haunting.

»So, we already went viral!«

Luna appeared with a tray, bringing a bottle of her best Riesling and four glasses. When they had toasted, both Laya and Kaede had to hold themselves back from not emptying their glasses at once.

***

To Verena, running around in public in bra and panties would have been preferable to reporting what had happened to her to Erik Gabelstein. The forensic doctor hid his glee under a thin veil of professionalism, and he insisted that she told him all the details, so he got »a better image«. Verena couldn’t help blushing when he used two Q-tips to take samples of her sweat and saliva, to »differ your DNA from that of your attackers«. She knew he had to do so to investigate the panties, but it reminded her having had them in her mouth and over her face.

»At least, you attracted an interesting kind of criminals! I mean, threatening you to send a warning is quite genuine – but they had quite an extraordinary way of telling you!«

Verena gulped and her voice sounded hoarse when she replied:

»Isn’t humiliating the victim quite – ordinary, too?«

It was hard for herself to talk of herself as a victim, and yet, she could feel that Gabelstein wanted to express something less obvious. Like a teacher in class, the forensic rose his index finger.

»These women did not just humiliate you! I mean, I am sure that this was their main purpose – but in a weird way, they also took care of you! You said that you climaxed?«

Verena lowered her head, and she was sure that her cheeks were glooming like traffic lights.

»Twice!«, she breathed, almost inaudible. She felt a tingle at her nape, indicating that she was ashamed of herself. Gabelstein sensed her uneasiness.

»If it helps you to cope with what has happened, compare it to getting tortured! Sooner or later, everyone succumbs! You just showed a natural reaction!«

»Natural reaction!«, Verena scoffed. She felt as if she was stark naked. Looking up at Gabelstein, she asked:

»How much of this will have to appear in the report?«

The forensic shrugged.

»As much as you will mention! My lips are sealed!«

»As long as I am willing to pay the price!«, Verena concluded. Gabelstein raised an eyebrow.

»What do you think I am? If you want me to do extra work, you have to pay extra – but I would never force you to do anything to ensure my silence!«

He sounded honest, and she felt a slight relief. She brushed over her cheeks, got up and focussed the man.

»So, since I already feel embarrassed – how much is your – extra work this time?«

Gabelstein scratched his head as he roughly calculated the time he would need.

»I already have the descriptions of the two women that abducted Laya and Kaede, and thus, I have something to match the data with! These are routine tests, so, I guess, the whole procedure won’t take me more than two hours!«

Verena nodded and took a deep breath.

»Well, what’s your – hourly wage?«

To her surprise, Gabelstein dodged the question:

»You look tired, Verena! Maybe, you want to sleep on my couch whilst I run the tests! So, you will have some fresh energy to hunt down the by then narrowed down list of suspects!«

Verena frowned, trying to find the hidden trap. However, Gabelstein just opened a door behind which a small room was hidden, just big enough for a couch, a low table and a cupboard. He made no attempts to even enter the room with her, and Verena took off her shoes and lay down. Exhaustion took over, and soon, she was sleeping soundly.

***

Whilst they had had their wine, Angelina had asked a few questions, but these had been rather cautious, not worse than what the Police had asked already. Luna sighed.

»I still have no idea what this is all about! I mean, my company isn’t that big that I am attracting the most unscrupulous competitors!«

»At least, you are about to expand to the Japanese market!«, Kaede stated, causing Luna to smile, as this was more or less a promise that the Japanese wasn’t blaming her for what had happened the day before. Looking at Angelina, Kaede added:

»Before you ask: my company is bigger than Luna’s, but I am not the CEO, and if we would withdraw from the deal, the financial difference wouldn’t be enormous either!«

Laya, who considered herself to just have been at the wrong place at the wrong time, looked down at her top that still showed some sweat stains, and she asked Luna whether she could use her shower.

»Of course! I think we all need some water and a fresh set of clothes! Maybe, just you and Kaede go ahead, and I answer a few more questions of our new guest!«

Grateful, Laya headed for the guest’s bathroom; to her surprise, Kaede followed her.

»I am sure Luna let’s you use her bathroom, so, you won’t have to wait!«

Kaede reminded her that, since actually Luna had told her to sleep there, she had put her newly bought clothes there and wanted to fetch the bags. However, having gathered these, she looked at Laya and asked, humming and hawing a bit:

»The bondage – was it okay, or did I go – too far?«

Laya blinked. Sure, she had collected some practical experience in being tied up and gagged during the last two days, and in this case, she had known that she hadn’t been in danger. However, she had a feeling that Kaede was referring to the crotch scarf – and Laya sure could have told her a thing or two about how irritating it had felt. However, it felt awkward to discuss these parts of her body with someone else, even though Kaede was a woman and maybe about to become a friend.

»It was – an interesting experience!«, she dodged the question with a smile. When she entered the bathroom with her new clothes, Kaede took the hint and left the room. She had seen that Laya had been about to say more, but she had to respect that she kept it to herself.

Her memories wandered back to Taro, her second boyfriend, and the first one with whom she had gone physical. In hindsight, Kaede had to admit it had been more a crush than real love; the then 19 years old girl had been fascinated by the 26 years old man who had been tall for a Japanese, athletic and handsome. There had been rumours that Taro’s family was related to the Yakuza, but she had never seen him do anything more illegal than driving too fast, and maybe, his back tattoo was just fashion. At least, he still had had all his fingers.

Taro had introduced her to Shibari, the Japanese art of bondage, and she had somehow liked it. That »somehow« had to do with something Kaede had needed years to admit even to herself, and so far she had never talked about it, not even to Taro or to one of her close friends:

Though he had tied her up for real, Taro had always taken care that there was a safe word or a gesture if she wanted to be set free, and he had never gone too far. Kaede had loved his respectful way – but deep inside, she had missed a bit of a thrill.

She had walked down the stairs deep in her thoughts, and when she entered the living room, it took her a few moments to realize that something was strange.

Both Luna and Angelina were still sitting on the couch, or rather, it looked as if they had been draped over it.

»Are they sleeping?«, Kaede wondered when she saw a third woman standing in the room. She was wearing blue Jeans and a white T-Shirt this time, but the black hood mask was still the same, and she was pointing at Luna with her gun.

»I don’t need her alive – but if you want her to survive, you better don’t struggle!«

Before Kaede could do or say something, an arm was slung around her from behind, and a cloth was pressed over her mouth and nose. She smelled a sweetish odour, and she reflexively wanted to struggle when she saw that the other woman was placing the barrel of the gun on Luna’s temple.

»As I said, it’s on you whether she stays unharmed!«

The fumes of the narcotic reached Kaede’s lungs, and she coughed, causing her attacker to tighten her grip. Kaede chortled, and she dropped the bags she was still carrying. Her eyes fell on her new bra protruding from one of the bags, and though this wasn’t important right now, Kaede felt a little embarrassed.

»Soon, you will sleep, and this potion does not even cause nausea!«

»Ghhuummph!«

Kaede’s vision blurred, and she felt her limbs become heavy. When her attacker lowered her to the ground, she didn’t try to break free, and after a few more breathes, everything went black.

The masked woman waited for another minute before she withdrew. Her comrade nodded and pointed at the stairs.

»Let’s look for the busty one! With a little bit of luck, she is still in the shower, hot, wet and naked, and totally unaware of the surprise we have for her!«

***

»Wakey, Sleeping Beauty!«

Drowsy, Verena took a few moments to realize where she was, and who was the man sitting on the edge of her couch. Gabelstein held a cup of coffee to her, and when she had taken a sip, he showed her a few sheets, covered with charts and rows of numbers and letters.

»I think you prefer if I translate the meaning of these to you!«

Obviously, Gabelstein hadn’t turned completely into being helpful for nothing; he insisted that she leaned against his chest, and he cupped her left breast, fondling it whilst he unfolded the sheets and started reading:

»Luckily, all these panties have been worn before, so, I could get DNA from all of them! However, your sweat and saliva did some damage, so, I can’t provide you with the most exact results!«

Verena groaned. She definitely hadn’t needed another reminder of having been gagged and hooded with another woman’s underwear. However, she was also curious to hear what Gabelstein had found out, and so, she remained quiet and resisted the urge to remove his groping hand from her breast.

»Even more luckily, these three panties belong to three different women – and they match the descriptions!«

He took a sip from his own cup, to raise the tension.

»The lilac Lycra panties seem to belong to the tall woman you mentioned, which would also fit their size! She is between 25 and 35, of Caucasian descent, and she has got brown or auburn hair! Her eyes are brown or green-brown, and she has her pubic hair shaved off, except for a landing strip!«

Gabelstein smiled at Verena’s frown.

»The last information, I concluded from  her panties, not from her DNA!«

The owner of the black bikini briefs that had also gagged her was younger, maybe between 19 and 25, of medium height, a brunette with green or brown eyes, white and according to Gabelstein, with trimmed, but not shaved pubic hair. Verena imagined the description given b Laya and Kaede and her own memories and added wavy shoulder-length hair and a height of about 5’ 6’’, also a rather athletic figure.

The third woman, the one who had been the owner of the lacy white silk knickers that had hooded Verena, was also between 19 and 25, about 5’4’’, white and a blonde with blue eyes.

»A natural blonde, obviously, though she also sports a landing strip!«

»If I have to throw up, it will be all over your couch!«, Verena groaned, and Gabelstein chuckled and pinched her nipple through her bra and T-Shirt. Verena removed his hand and rose from the couch.

»Anyway, thank you for your help – and for the nap! I assume you want to keep the – evidence for long winter evenings?«

She yawned and stretched her body, allowing him to admire her ample breasts. Gabelstein wasn’t insulted.

»Considered I have just worked for two hours, you still made quite a bargain!«

The papers were gibberish to her, and so, Verena didn’t take them with her. However, in front of her eyes, the three women behind the masks became more and more imaginable. She could see the tall one, and she imagined her in a tight spandex suit, accompanied by the two others in a similar outfit. Still, the description fit a lot of women – but there weren’t too many groups of three that did so!

Verena reached for her phone, as she felt obliged to somehow give this information to her colleagues, though she would have to rely on a white lie how she had gotten them.

The display showed two messages from Luna, the first telling her that Angelina had arrived at her home. The second showed a picture Verena had to click at to open it. It showed a woman’s crotch, covered with black lacy knickers, and the message was short:

»Sometimes, the sender of a message is not who she seems to be!«

***

Ten minutes later, Verena’s car came to a halt in front of Luna’s house. She had speeded through the streets, and it had been sheer luck she hadn’t caused a crash. Forcing herself not to rush forward, she drew her gun and approached the garden door. It was ajar, and carefully, Verena slipped through it.

On the first view, the garden seemed empty, and Verena used the cover of a few bushes to get to the house. Once again checking the area, she leaned forward and peeped into the living room, raising her gun when she saw a movement through the closed drapes.

On the couch that stood with the backrest towards her, she could see a head that moved slightly. Then, Verena felt a shiver run down her spine. From the head, or rather from the other side of the backrest, two ropes ran over the edge of the backrest and were tied off to the couch’s rear feet. Verena could easily imagine that they fixed the owner of the head to the couch.

From the previous night, she remembered the side door, and she wasn’t too surprised that it wasn’t locked. Whoever had sent the second message had wanted her to get inside.

Verena was armed, and she was trained for entering a building without getting attacked by surprise. Slowly, she worked herself through the corridor and to the door that led to the lobby. From behind, she could hear muffled grunts and mews.

She imagined the room behind the door. The lobby had three more doors: the main entrance, a small guest’s toilet and the corridor leading to the living room. It wasn’t a good place for an ambush, and so, ready to shoot the first masked woman to show up, she entered.

»Uuuhmmmm! Mmhhmmmmmm!«

The humming of at least two gagged women greeted her, and the Policewoman quick-checked the small toilet before she approached the living room. Her eyes fell on the couch on which a tall woman was sitting. She guessed it was Angelina, but she looked different from what she remembered the reporter.

She sat upright with her breasts thrust out, indicating that not only her wrists were bound, but also her elbows. She was naked, and her legs were spread obscenely, and her ankles were tied to the front feet of the couch. Angelina’s mouth was sealed with strips of silver duct tape.

Between her legs, another woman was kneeling, with her face buried in Angelina’s crotch. She had her arms tied at wrists and elbows, and her legs were secured at ankles and knees and also tied off to her hands. This woman only wore black lacy knickers and gartered stockings, and Verena guessed it was Luna.

»Are they still here?«

Angelina shook her head, and Verena quickly checked if she had told the truth before approaching the two bound women. Now, she realized another detail of Angelina’s bonds: a small envelope was fixed to her left nipple with a clothespin.

»What happened? Where are Laya and Kaede?«

»Mmhhmmph!«

Impatiently, Verena ripped the tape from Angelina’s mouth, causing her to mew and to squeeze her eyes. She ripped a cloth from the reporter’s mouth, and she coughed and panted whilst Verena rushed for the kitchen to get a knife. When she returned, Angelina was able to croak that she had suddenly been chloroformed from behind.

»It all – happened – so fast! Didn’t see a thing! Woke up – like this!«

Verena removed the rope around Luna’s neck that had forced her face into the other’s crotch. She could now see that Angelina still wore a pair of peach-coloured panties. Quickly, she ungagged Luna and cut through her arm bonds.

»Can you get yourselves free? I get upstairs and see where the others are!«

Though obviously still confused, Luna nodded, and Verena handed her the knife and ascended the stairs to the second floor, her gun ready. At the corridor, she could hear mews come from the guest room. Being almost sure that the criminals no longer were at the house, she entered.

»Uuhmmm! Mph!«

The moans led her into the bathroom where in the shower, she spotted Laya. She was standing with her arms raised, and they were tied to the shower head. Tape sealed her lips, and a large towel wrapped around her covered her from her breasts to the top of her thighs.

»Mmhhmmmph!«

Laya mewed, and Verena also gasped when suddenly, something touched her shin, causing her to stagger. She managed not to drop her gun, but reflexively, she reached out, touched something soft and in her attempt not to slip, she ripped off the towel from Laya. The Sri Lankan was completely naked, and though she didn’t want to stare, she couldn’t help noticing that the girl had indeed very ample breasts – and that, either by race or by the help of epilation, she had no hair on her pubic area. Verena cleared her throat and forced her head upwards.

»Oopsie, sorry!«

She removed the tape, and she shuddered when she helped the girl to get the white wad of cloth from her mouth and realized it was a pair of panties. At least, it looked as if it were Laya’s own.

»Eww!«

»I totally agree, sister!«

She looked around for something sharp and found a nail clipper that allowed her to cut through the zip tie securing Laya’s taped hands to the shower head. Laya lowered her arms to cover her pubic area, but then raised them, so Verena could free her wrists.

»They – they came inside! With their guns! Tied me – like this!«

Verena wanted to help her out of the shower, but Laya just staggered and shrieked, falling towards the Policewoman who was taken completely off-guard. She landed on the floor, with Laya on top.

»What is going on?«

Angelina and Luna entered the room, looking down on the two entangled girls. The reporter had put on a T-Shirt to her panties, and Luna sported a top, still sweaty from the previous sport session. Laya tried to get off Verena and showed an apologetic smile.

»My – my toes are still tied to the drain!«

Indeed, the girl’s big toes were zip-tied to the metal grid, and Verena quickly cut her loose. Laya grabbed the discarded towel and covered her bareness.

»Where’s Kaede?«, both Luna and Verena asked in unison, and it was clear that none of them had an idea about what had happened to the Japanese. Suddenly, Angelina cleared her throat.

»M-maybe, I have got a hint – s-so to say!«

In her hand, she held the envelope that had been pinned to her nipple. It looked plain, but something was written onto the outside:

»Read careful before you contact anyone – or else!«

Angelina looked at the envelope as if it was a venomous snake, and Verena took it from her. She opened it, and to her surprise, it didn’t contain a note, but an USB stick.

»Sh-shall we call the P-Police?«, Luna asked, and Verena needed a few moments before she shook her head.

»We should read whatever their demands are before we do so! Maybe, they have hidden some bugging devices, and we have to assume that they have Kaede in their clutches! Whatever we do, we mustn’t risk her life!«

They followed Luna to her study where she started her laptop. She inserted the stick and opened the only file, named »Further Instructions«. It was a Power Point, and the first image showed the face of an unconscious Kaede. At least, they hoped that she was just unconscious.

***