CHAPTER FOURTEEN - The Listener

Six days later… Tuesday 28th March …

8:00 am

On his return from London, Roger had quickly fallen back into his old routines. Every weekday, at eight o'clock in the morning, and whilst on his way to the amusement park, he would call in at the hospital to spend an hour with Mimi.
The doctors had given Roger permission to visit Mimi at anytime, day or night, and positively encouraged him to speak to her long and often. It had been explained that voice stimulation was a recognised therapy for bringing people out of comas. Sometimes favourite music would do the trick, or messages from famous film or pop stars had been known to work on many occasions, but in the case of Mimi it was considered Roger's voice to be the stimulant that really mattered.
As always on arrival, Roger leaned forward, kissed Mimi on the cheek then settled down in a chair alongside the bed.
"Good morning Mimi… and how are you feeling today?… Are you feeling any better?" he asked.
There was no reaction. Mimi lay on her back, her eyes closed, and with arms full of tubes resting by her side. Roger gripped a lifeless hand tightly and continued talking. Today he had some exciting news to tell her.
"The Estate Agent in London informs me he's got a buyer for my flat," Roger told her.
Again not a muscle stirred, Mimi remained still and motionless. However Roger knew that she had heard and understood every word he had spoken. It was a sort of sixth sense, and he knew that Mimi was listening.
"The Estate Agent phoned me at the farm late last night. He wants me to go to his office first thing tomorrow morning to finalise the deal… Mimi, I've got to go back to London, probably this afternoon and stay overnight if I'm to be there early tomorrow morning… So I guess I won't be able to see you for a couple of days… I'm so sorry… but I'll get back as soon as I can, I promise… I would never leave you Mimi… you know that… I love you too much," said Roger, and he squeezed her hand more tightly than ever.
Mimi remained lifeless and still; not a muscle flickered, but all the same, Roger knew that she had heard, and was aware of his every word. Mimi was most definitely listening and understanding everything he said. It was just that at present she had no means of communicating back to him, that was all. But given time he knew that she would find a way. Mimi was a fighter and would never give in.
"I shall stop the night at my old flat… the bed's still there, and there's a few more things I want to bring back with me," he explained to her.
Again not a flicker, not a stir came from the lifeless body, but once again Roger knew that his message had got through. Mimi was listening but not responding, of this he had no doubt. She had been listening to him for more than a fortnight now. He knew this to be a fact even though the doctors were not convinced. They said that they needed to see some movement, some little sign of response before they could be certain that Roger's prognosis was correct.
Roger looked furtively around the room. He wanted to make certain that no one was overhearing the conversation. It was a silly gesture really, the room was not bugged and there were no hidden cameras, and he knew this to be the case. However he wanted to make absolutely certain that no one was around to listen to what he had to say next. He had something personal and private to say to Mimi, and he wanted no one else to overhear.
Moving in close to Mimi's ear, Roger began to whisper: "Mimi,… tomorrow tonight… whilst in London… there's a strong possibility that I can kidnap one of the girls that did this to you… Would you like me to do that for you?… Would you like me to stay over, and capture her, and punish her for what she did to you?"
Roger looked for some kind of response. Mimi's eyelids remained firmly closed, but beneath the lids he perceived a tiny movement of the eyeballs. Nothing like this had ever happened before. There had never been the slightest movement of the eyes before now.
Encouraged by what he saw, Roger moved in closer to Mimi's ear and whispered the message again: "Mimi,… tomorrow tonight,… in London,… I might get the chance to capture one of the girls that did this to you… Would you like me to do that for you?… Would you like me to capture her?"
Roger waited, and this time watching Mimi's eyes closely for the slightest reaction. Then it happened again. There came a significant movement of the eyes, and there was no mistaking it this time, Mimi's eyeballs, for a brief second, rolled beneath the lids.
Immediately Roger sat upright.
"Nurse!" he called.
Then rising from off the chair, he went to the door and shouted: "Nurse!" once more down the corridor.
A nurse seated at the reception desk came running, thinking there was an emergency.
"What is it Mr. Downton?" she asked on arrival, and a little out of breath.
"I've got a response," he told her hurriedly, "Mimi's answering me… with a movement to the eyes… look let me show you."
Roger and the nurse entered the room and Roger leaned over the bed to whisper closely in Mimi's ear. Obviously he could not say the same message, that was a secret between the two of them, but he thought of something else to say.
"Mimi, I'm going to London today,… show the nurse that you are listening,.. roll your eyes again like you did last time," he told her, and at the same time keeping a close watch on her eyes.
But on this occasion there was not a flicker, not even the slightest movement. Mimi remained still and lifeless.
Roger spoke once more, this time talking a little louder and with more earnest to his voice: "Mimi,… I'm going to London today,… show the nurse you understand."
But once again there came no response.
Roger turned and looked to the nurse in despair.
"Her eyes did move nurse,… she did answer me,… honestly they did!" he said with a touch of sorrow and despair to his voice.
The nurse smiled and held Roger's hand. "I know she did Mr. Downton," said the nurse as she tried to comfort him. "Mimi's coming round slowly… everyone can see that… but it will take time… movement of the eyes are just the first signs… and it is very encouraging… I will make sure the doctors get to know."
Roger pulled a sad face and bit hard on his bottom lip. "Thank you nurse," he told her. "I'll keep on trying… perhaps I'll get another response a little later if I keep on talking to her."
The nurse smiled and squeezed Roger's hand tightly. "You do that Mr. Downton… just keep on talking to her," she said, "it's the best therapy we have."
Roger returned the smile. The nurse adjusted the bed clothes about Mimi's body, then left the room to return to the reception area.
As the door closed, Roger leant forward again and whispered his original message. He just had to find out what Mimi was up to. "Mimi,… tomorrow tonight,… in London,… I've got a chance to capture one of the girls that did this to you," he repeated, then asked: "Would you like me to do that for you?… Would you like me to capture and punish her?"
As Roger spoke he watched Mimi's eyelids closely for any signs of movement. For a moment nothing happened, then beneath the tightly closed lids the eyeballs rolled. This time there was no mistaking the movement.
Roger smiled. The signal to him was positive and clear. This time there was most definitely a distinct and discernible flicker of the eyeballs. Mimi was answering him. He nodded his head slowly in response and squeezed her hand tightly. He knew exactly what Mimi wanted. She was giving him the permission he needed. She wanted him to go ahead with his plans to kidnap Gayle Jackson.
Roger leant forward and kissed Mimi on the lips. "Thank you Mimi," he said, "I knew that you would understand."
Once more the eyeballs rolled beneath the lids. This time more positively and stronger than ever.
A little tear appeared in the corner of Roger's eye. "Mimi, I love you," he said, "do you love me?"
The eyeballs rolled one more and he kissed her again. "Mimi, you will get your wish," he told her. "Gayle Jackson will be yours to punish and do with what you like the moment you leave this hospital… that's a promise… and you never know, with a little bit of extra luck… maybe I can kidnap some of the other girls too!… What do you think?"
Once again the eyeballs rolled.
Mimi was now responding to everything he was saying and tears welled up in Roger's eyes. "Oh Mimi, I do love you,.. please get better soon," he told her, and he leaned across the bed and kissed her on the lips.
As Roger held the kiss Mimi's forefinger twitched. He did not see it, but if he had, he would have seen that Mimi was getting stronger by the hour.

9:00 am

On the way out from the hospital, Roger told the duty nurse at the reception desk that he would not be seeing Mimi again for at least two days. He explained that he was going to London and gave the nurse the telephone number of his old flat. He also gave her the numbers of the Estate Agent's, and FotoPix Studios. He thought that he would look up Lenny and Judi again whilst on his way to the flat. If there should happen to be some good news, then Roger wanted to know that he could be contacted wherever he happened to be.
The nurse wrote the details down in a large desk diary then looked up at Roger and smiled. "Don't worry Mr. Downton," she said, "Mimi's in good hands and she's recovering well… but if anything should happen, then be assured you'll be the first to know."
Roger smiled back and told the nurse: "If Mimi does come round, explain to her where I am… I know she'll understand."
"We will Mr. Downton… we will," she replied.
"Thank you nurse," added Roger, then turned and headed for the exit. He had a busy schedule ahead of him.

10:00 am

After a short stop at the amusement park to brief Mr. McTavish with all the latest happenings, Roger returned to Carrowbank Farm. He arrived there sometime around ten o'clock and parked his big Mercedes up in the courtyard.
There were a few special items Roger wanted to collect before setting off for London. For one thing he thought that sleeping pills would be useful, and he had plenty of them. In fact a whole bathroom cabinet full of pills were at his disposal. Godfrey, when he was alive, consumed them by the dozens every day. Roger, at one point, was certain that Godfrey would rattle if he shook him. He had uppers, downers, sleepers, tranquillisers; you name it, he had them. Roger packed everything from the cabinet, including a roll of surgical tape, into his overnight travel bag. The tablets should have been disposed of anyway, and if no use came of them, then he would most certainly get rid of them on his return.
There was also something else very important that needed doing. It was vital that he checked out the old abandoned railway tunnel before putting any plan into action. It had been a few weeks now since he last paid a visit to the place; and if it was to become the new permanent home for a certain university student by the name of Gayle Jackson, and possibly a few more captives after that, then he had to be certain that everything was in order to make their stay as uncomfortable as possible.
Setting out on foot from the farm, Roger walked the old cart track as far as the north meadow before scaling the steep railway embankment that ran alongside. At the top, for a brief second he turned and surveyed the carnage beneath him. Godfrey's sea of dancing bright yellow flowers had long gone, everywhere he looked was now a flattened wilderness of brown and rotted vegetation.
Roger clenched his fists in anger. His mind flitted back to Godfrey's funeral just one week ago, and he cursed: "Bastards!… I'll get you all for this."
To Roger it seemed such a sad and pointless loss of life. Godfrey was such a good and honest man, no one had the right to do this to him and get away with it. Shaking with rage, he turned and strode off quickly along the old abandoned railway track.
Arriving at the tunnel entrance, Roger removed the large padlock that sealed the small door. He inspected the door and the corrugated sheeting, and looked all about him before entering into the tunnel. There appeared to be no evidence of tampering. As far as he could make out no one had been near the place since his last visit. He entered into the tunnel and started a small generator in the corner. It burst into life on the second pull of the cord, and some distance along the tunnel an area started to light up. After a little tinkering with the throttle he set off down the tunnel towards the illuminated area.
On  arrival he looked about him. Everything was just as he had left it. Even the plank set edgeways on, and supported by a framework of scaffolding remained in place. This is where their last photo-shoot had taken place, and where Chloe had bravely ridden the wooden pony.
Roger checked on the rest of the equipment. Taking each in turn, he tugged down hard on the four chains that hung from the apex of the high arching roof. Nothing moved; everything was still firmly anchored to the ceiling. He tested the fifth item; the block and tackle that also hung from the roof and in line with the row of chains. That too was fixed as solid as a rock to the ceiling, and just to prove it he swung from the hook with both feet off the ground.
Finally Roger walked across to a tunnel wall. Right at the very start he had affixed eyebolts to the wall here, but they had never been used. He had set four eyebolts just above head height along the wall and well spaced out, then added four more directly below these at just above floor level. He tested every eyebolt in turn to make sure that none of them had worked their way loose.
Happy with everything he tested, Roger stood up and walked down the tunnel a little way to a large trunk that lay on the ground. This had been the girls' changing area, and the trunk contained a few skimpy clothes, mainly constructed from leather straps, along with a certain number of bondage items. The contents had been on loan from Lenny's studio and should have been returned, but in all the ensuing chaos it had been long forgotten.
Roger delved inside the trunk and collected the few items he felt necessary for his London trip. He then stood up and took one final look around. He considered himself to be prepared now. As far as he was aware he had everything he needed for a successful abduction. Deep in thought he rubbed his chin, then looked back down the tunnel to the many chains and anchorage points. He tried to picture the scene. If all went well, in two days time, Gayle Jackson would be his prisoner here, and given more time, so would a number of other girls from the Cropwatch organisation, including their leader Sylvia Sparelli. She was number two on his list. He smiled wickedly at the thought. At long last he would have something exciting to tell Mimi on his return. Something he felt certain would help stir the emotions and bring her back to consciousness.
After one last look around, Roger set off back down the tunnel to the entrance. Here he killed the generator and stepped outside into the glaring daylight. The sun was shining brightly with just a few white fluffy clouds in the sky. He waited a moment for his eyes to re-adjust to the brightness, then replaced the padlock on the door. Finally, with a little whistle and a noticeable bounce to his step, he set off back to the farm.
Rather than scramble back down the bank to the track, Roger decided to follow the railway line to where it was less steep. After taking about two-hundred paces he stopped abruptly. At this point the winding road that descended steeply from the hills above joined the embankment, and from here onwards ran parallel to the old railway line all the way down the valley as far as the village of Carrowton.
Roger looked down at the road. Parked up alongside the verge, and right next to the embankment was a vehicle. He recognised it immediately. It was a brightly painted Volkswagen Campervan, mainly in greens and oranges, and on the side was written a verse from the scriptures.
Roger stood for a moment whilst he recalled the last time he had seen this vehicle. On that occasion it had been parked up in the bluebell wood with a small campfire going alongside. Mimi and Chloe had been with him on that memorable Sunday walk. He also recalled the stalker in the woods. Someone had been spying on their photo-shoot, with Mimi tied to a tree at the time. Whoever the stalker was, he had run away as soon as he was spotted. At the time, he and the girls had concluded that it must have been the owner of this campervan that he been watching them. He wondered if it really was that person, or just someone else that happened to be in the woods that day.
From high on the embankment Roger looked down through the windscreen and windows of the campervan. As far as he could make out no one was inside. His immediate thoughts were that the vehicle had broken down and had been abandoned by the roadside. The campervan looked old enough, and the sort of vehicle that would do that sort of thing. But then he began to think. Surely he would have noticed it whilst on his way to the tunnel a little earlier? He could have missed it, that was true. It was about at this point where he had scrambled up the embankment over on the other side. However he doubted that to be the case, the vehicle's colours were far too bright and glaring for it to be easily missed. He was positive that he had turned his head on several occasions to make sure no one else was around. So where had the driver got to? Could the driver be walking back down the road and going for help?
Roger looked about him and down the road as far as the eye could see. The road was fairly straight from this point onwards, and he could see no one. The road was totally deserted. Still puzzled by the presence of the campervan, he moved over to the other side of the track to peer down at the flattened field below. There was no one at the bottom of the bank and no one amidst the flattened crop. Finally he raised up his head and immediately found what he was looking for. Over on the far side of the meadow, standing right next to the riverbank, he could see the figure of a man dressed all in white.
Roger rubbed his chin thoughtfully and wondered what the man was doing over by the river. It did not look like he was fishing, he was just standing there and staring down at the fast flowing water.
Suddenly Roger had a dilemma, and he wondered what he should do about it? Should he go and meet the man and confront him? After all he was technically in charge of Carrowbank Farm, and the man was trespassing. Or, should he just ignore what was going on and simply walk away? For a while he stood and pondered, then decided to take the latter option. He felt it inappropriate to walk up to the man with all the bondage gear he now held in his hands. He could put it all down and hide it somewhere, but he decided the best thing was to do nothing about it on this occasion. However, if there should be a next time, then he would most definitely confront the man and say something about it.
After a little more thought Roger set off back to Carrowbank Farm. A little further along the track he looked to his watch. The time was approaching eleven o'clock and he was cutting everything a bit fine. If he was going to call on Lenny and Judi this afternoon he needed to be in London by mid-afternoon at the latest.
Roger quickened his step. He should have looked at the time earlier. There was no way he could have confronted the religious fanatic anyway. It was simply a case of heading back to the farm, piling a few more items into his overnight bag, then heading off straightaway to London.
Suddenly Roger became a man in a hurry, and he broke into a quick jog.

4:00 pm

Roger pulled up outside the building to FotoPix Studios. This was to be his first stop and first port of call since departing Carrowbank Farm. The journey had taken him about four and a half hours, and he reckoned that was good going considering all the traffic that was about in the afternoon.
The same space where the Rolls Royce had parked on Roger's one and only previous visit was available, and he slotted easily into the large gap. He got out of the car and looked up to the top floor of the building. He sighed. There were no lifts and it was a long climb up to the six floor. He regretted now not having made any prior telephone call. He just hoped that Lenny and Judi were up there, and that it would not be a wasted climb.
At the top Roger knocked on the door and waited. He was a little short of breath. He looked around; nothing had changed; not even the sign on the door; it was still fixed perilously by one screw. He gave the sign a little push with a finger whilst he waited, and it fell and began to swing to-and-fro. He tried to put it back as it was, but the screw had worked loose and the sign just would not return to the horizontal position.
Judi answered the door, and a big grin crossed her face when she saw who the caller was. On this occasion she was not dressed as a policewoman but as a French chambermaid, complete with a little white frilly apron and a feather duster in her hand. However, this did not come as any great surprise to Roger, and he barely batted an eyelid. If there was any surprise at all, it was probably the fact that she was actually wearing clothes.
"Roger,.. sweetheart,… this is a surprise!… do come in," she told him, and sounding a little startled.
She opened the door wide so that Roger could enter. He kissed her on the cheek.
"Hello Judi, nice to see you again," he greeted her, then on entering the studio he asked: "Is Lenny around?"
"Yes Lenny's here," she informed him. "He's in the darkroom developing some films at the moment."
They moved through to the office. Judi put the kettle on for coffee, and whilst they waited for it to boil they sat down facing each other across the small table. It was here, in this room, on Roger's one and only previous visit, that he had negotiated the dungeon deal with Lenny. It also happened to be his first day working as 'The New Caretaker' for his company, and a day he would never forget. It was here that he first got to meet Mimi. So the place really did hold a lot of mixed and happy emotions for him.
Roger looked around the small office. A red bulb glowed above the door to the dark room, but other than that, there was not a great deal of difference to the place. The two washing lines strung across the room were still pegged full with photographs, and the surface of the table remained as cluttered as ever with black and white pictures of what looked very much like torture scenes. However there was one notable addition to the small room. On top of the filing cabinet rested a television set and a video recorder. There was also a stack of at least a dozen video tapes resting on the table before him.
"How's Mimi?" asked Judi and breaking the silence.
It was the first thing she wanted to know. She had known Mimi since she was five years old, and had gone all through schooldays with her.
Roger returned his thoughts to Judi and the question being asked of him.
He nodded his head slowly.
"Mimi's doing very well thank you Judi. The doctors are very pleased with her progress and it could only be a matter of days now before she pulls out her coma. Everyone at the hospital's got their fingers crossed for her," explained Roger.
Judi smiled an uneasy smile. She could sense Roger's heartache in the way that he spoke.
"That's good sweetheart," she told him. "I've got my fingers crossed too,… look!" and she showed him her hands with fingers tightly crossed.
"Thanks Judi, I'll tell Mimi all about it when I get back," said Roger
The kettle began to boil and up got Judi to make the coffees. At the same time the door to the dark room opened and out stepped Lenny. His face suddenly beamed when he saw Roger sitting at the table. Then, just as suddenly, it changed to one of sadness.
Roger rose up from his chair, and Lenny shook his hand in greeting.
"Roger it's nice to see you again… and how's Mimi?" he asked.
Mimi's health was the first thing on Lenny's mind too, and the first thing to be asked after saying hello to Roger.
"I was just telling Judi," explained Roger, "Mimi's doing just fine… the doctors think she'll be pulling out of the coma soon… anyway, everybody at the hospital's rooting for her."
Lenny patted Roger on the shoulder.
"Give her all my love will you, when you get back?" he told him.
Roger smiled and nodded his head. Of course he would. He would tell Mimi everything about this trip the moment he got back to her bedside.
"I will do that Lenny… I will tell her that you are both thinking about her," he assured them both.
Lenny was wondering why Roger had come to London.
"Anyway Roger, what brings you here?" he asked.
"I'm trying to sell my flat. I put it on the market a week ago," Roger explained. "My life and everything around me all seems to be in Littlesea now, and my old flat just had to go."
Lenny understood and nodded his head slowly. At least he knew enough to understand that Roger's future now rested many miles away from the big city.
"Any buyer's for the flat yet?" he asked.
Roger nodded his head.
"Hopefully I can conclude a deal tomorrow. My Estate Agent sounded very positive when he spoke to me on the phone," he explained.
"I'm not surprised," said Lenny, "bachelor flats get snapped up pretty quickly around here."
Roger hoped so. The quicker he severed all ties with London, the better, as far as he was concerned.
"I hope so Lenny," he answered with a sigh, "I do hope so!"
Lenny patted him on the shoulder.
"It'll all turn out right in the end Roger, don't you worry," Lenny assured him. "You and Mimi will soon be back together and living a life of happiness."
Roger smiled and nodded his head slowly. He hoped and prayed that Lenny's prediction would come true one day. He decided to change the subject from the uncertainties surrounding his and Mimi's future. The conversation was getting a little too depressing for his own liking.
"Well Lenny?" he asked. "What have you been doing with yourselves these past few weeks? Have you been keeping busy?"
Roger was aware that without Mimi, then Lenny's business was certain to suffer.
Lenny nodded his head.
"We've kept on going Roger," he told him, "we've just received a 'Spanish Inquisition' contract that's going to keep us busy for the next couple of weeks, haven't we Judi?"
Judi was placing cups of coffee on the table when Lenny spoke. She put them down and nodded her head. "We sure have... After watching all those video tapes, if there's anything you want to know about the Spanish Inquisition then please come to me sweetheart… I'm an expert on it now," she said.
Lenny nodded his head in response, then turned to the television and video recorder on top of the cabinet.
"Judi's right, it's a very good contract. It's for a magazine that wants some technically accurate portrayals of what went on in Spain at the time of the Inquisition. We were provided with a few videos on the subject and we've been looking at them on here," explained Lenny and pointing to the television perched on top of the filing cabinet.
Roger nodded his head in response. His only feeling was one of happiness towards Lenny and Judi. Without Mimi their business was bound to suffer, and that was something he very much regretted.
Lenny picked up one of the video tapes from off the table.
"Here, you can have one of these if you like Roger,.. take it home with you and look at just before you go to bed," said Lenny handing over the tape. "We were given a six copies of the same video, and we were wondering what to do with the other five."
Roger did not think that he would ever find time to look at the tape, but he took it from Lenny out of courtesy.
"Thanks Lenny, I'll get to look at it as soon as I get the chance," he told him.
After that Roger, Lenny and Judi all sat down around the table and chatted about nothing in particular, the conversation going wherever the mood took them. It was just nice to be together again. However, it was also a sombre atmosphere that prevailed throughout. Mimi was missing, and until all four of them were back together again, things could never be the same.
About an hour after arriving, Roger left FotoPix to cross the city and return to his old bachelor flat.

9:00 pm

Roger had no plans to go out that evening. What few items of furniture were to remain in his flat had been scrubbed and cleaned, and everywhere looked spotless. He considered this to be his last visit ever, and, as soon as the new purchaser was ready, then he would be free to move in.
Roger had already removed quite a number items from the flat on his last visit and taken them back to Littlesea with him. Those items were now stored at the farm. The apartment therefore looked a bit bare and lacking in certain areas. However, foresight had told him to leave his television set and video recorder behind so that he could keep himself occupied until the place was sold.
So, as nine o'clock came round, and finding himself with not a fat lot to do, Roger switched on the television set and slid the video Lenny had given him into the machine. The word 'PLAY' appeared on the screen and the opening titles began to roll down the screen.
Roger settled down on the bed to watch the recording.
The video was not what Roger had expected, and he could see this right from the start. This was not a pornographic film in the true sense of the meaning. It was more of a documentary style recording that tried to portray true historical facts as they really happened. However, the style did not distract from the contents. It was still highly pornographic for all its pretence not to be. The only difference being, it was all very cleverly done.
The scene began with a young blond haired woman in her early twenties being literally dragged before what appeared to be a court. She was totally naked and had her hands tied behind her back. She was being escorted by two jailers, both dressed in black, and with hoods upon their heads. The building they were in must have been a dungeon, since there was no evidence of windows or natural light. The place was lit by many candles and the walls were all stone-blocked and grey.
A narrator explained away the young woman's nakedness: "In the case of a woman being brought before the court," he said, "she will already have been stripped by other women considered upright and of good report. This stripping was done in case some means of witchcraft had been sewn into the clothing."
The scene moved on.
A man of the church, possibly a bishop, dressed all in white robes, a white mitre on his head, and with gold chains of office about his neck, was seated on a high chair and looking down on the scene. In one hand he held a large jewel-studied cross. By his side stood a scribe. He was dressed in long black gown and wore a loose pointed cap, the end of which trailed down over a shoulder. In one hand he held a feather quill pen, and in the other a small writing bureau.
The young woman was forced to kneel in front of the bishop and bow down her head. One of the jailers explained that it was forbidden for her to look her inquisitor in the face.
Held down by her two jailers on either side, the bishop began to ask questions.
"Young woman, how long have you been in league with the devil?" he asked.
The woman shook he head vigorously and protested her innocence, but every time she tried to raise up her head, it was forced back down again by one of the jailers.
The scribe made a note, and the questioning went on.
"Young woman, how long have you been in league with the devil?" repeated the bishop.
He sounded patient and as if he had all the time in the world to get to the bottom of the problem.
"Young woman, I want to know how you became in league with the devil, and what happened on that occasion?… For your own good it is best that you answer the questions that are put to you," said the bishop.
The young woman tried to calm herself down.
"Good sir,… I beg of you,… have mercy upon my sole… I am but a poor peasant girl… and know nothing of the devil… or his evil ways," she tried to explain between sobs of desperation.
The bishop seemed to take his time in considering the reply that he received. He then nodded to the woman's jailers. It was a signal to prepare her for torture.
He then looked down at the young woman and spoke of her fate.
"Hear ye, young woman," he said, "you are well known to be in league with the devil… We have many witnesses… so will you confess it freely now?"
The woman merely sobbed.
"Good sir… please believe me… I have nothing to confess," she replied.
"Young woman, if you still refuse me, then I must put the torturer to his work," said the bishop.
The woman continued to sob.
"Good sir… I beg of you… have mercy upon my soul… for I have nothing to confess," she said.
With a flick of his hand the bishop signalled for the torture to begin.
Then, making the sign of a cross with one hand, he told the girl: "Young woman you are nothing but the 'Spawn of the Devil' himself. May god have mercy upon your soul."
The jailers began their work the moment the bishop began to speak. The young woman was quickly dragged backwards across the chamber several paces. A hook on the end of a long length of chain hanging down from the ceiling was placed between her wrists and beneath the rope that bound her hands. The chain was then raised upwards until the young woman stood uncomfortably with arms drawn up high behind her back and with head forced downwards to gaze fixedly at the floor.
Weights were then added to the legs. Large blocks of lead attached to chains were fastened around the woman's ankles. The chain behind her back was then raised a little higher until her feet left the ground and her legs began to pull on the weights about her ankles. At this point the woman began to scream.
Above the noise the bishop spoke once more.
"I will begin my questioning again," he said. "Young woman, how long have you been in league with the devil?"
The woman, now in serious pain protested the best she could. But she was never going to prove her innocence. Her guilt had been decided long before she had even entered the dungeon.
As the chain rose higher the narrator's voice stepped in once more to explain: "To the inquisitor and all those present in the chamber," the narrator said, "the saving of the young woman's soul was of more concern than the saving of the body, therefore it was hardly surprising that thousands of innocent people were condemned to suffer in this way."
The scene continued, and the bishop maintained his line of questioning.
"I ask you again young woman… how long have you been in league of the devil?" he asked.
The video shots from this point onwards were well cut and edited. This was no tacky porno video. They showed the chain behind the woman's back rising ever higher, and a ground level shot showed the weights finally lifting up from off the floor. There were also quick flashes of the bishop and scribe looking on passively and waiting patiently for the woman to confess. The bishop did ask another question, but his voice was drowned out by the woman's screams.
Roger wanted to look away, but somehow found himself riveted to the action. What intrigued him the most was, that this was all for real. These scenes really did happen, albeit a long time ago.
The camera shots now concentrated on the woman's feet, and the constantly rising weights. When the gap between the bottom of the weights and the floor became so great that it no longer fitted onto the television screen, the chain behind the woman's back was seen to be released.
Suddenly everything dropped. But the distance released had not been enough for the weights to hit the floor and the legs in the picture were seen to stretch and bounce under the strain.
As the woman's screams faded the narrator stepped in once more to explain: "An historian at the time wrote: 'The prisoner has her hands bound behind her back, and weights tied to the feet, and then she is drawn up high until her head reaches the pulley itself. She is kept hanging in this manner for some time, so that all her joints and limbs may be dreadfully stretched by the weight hanging at her feet… Then she is suddenly let down with a jerk, by the slackening of the chain, but kept from coming quite to the ground, by which terrible shake her arms and legs are all disjointed. This puts her to the most exquisite pain - the shock which she receives by the sudden stop of her fall and the weight at her feet stretching her whole body more intensely and cruelly.'."
The final scene was left to the bishop.
"Young woman, you have been found to be the 'Spawn of the Devil', and I beg of you to confess the truth and your soul be saved," he said.
The woman, now back down on the floor somehow managed to rebuff the accusations.
Immediately afterwards the chain was seen to rise up again, then the picture faded and that became the end of the scene.
The narrator got in the final word: "In the most hardiest of cases, this process was known to have continued for some ten to a dozen times before the accused was finally forced to confess," he explained. "But usually just once, with the threat of a second in the offing, proved in most cases to be enough."
Roger continued to watch the video right through to the end. He found it all very fascinating. Further scenes included various other methods of torture and also the burning at the stake, which was the common ending for most of those that finally confessed, including the poor young woman at the start of the video.
After eleven o'clock, and a final hot drink, Roger retired to bed.
Tomorrow was going to be a very busy day.

End of Chapter Fourteen