CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - Comfortably Numb

The following day … Tuesday 11th April …

6:00 am

It was six o'clock in the morning when Sylvia Sparelli heard a door open and someone enter the room. Quite obviously she had no idea of the time, nor for that matter just how long she had been lying on the bed. However she had been awake and conscious for quite some time now, and was slowly coming to grips with the situation she now found herself in.
The visitor to the room came up to her and tested her ropes. They were still tight and stopping the circulation to both her hands and feet. Perhaps this was a good thing, for she was comfortably numb and had been in this state for quite some time now. However, there were other parts of her body crying out for attention. Her head throbbed wildly and the roof of her mouth felt like the bottom of a birdcage.
"Drink… please… drink…," she croaked weakly.
It was an effort to speak and made the back of her throat hurt. It was like swallowing razor blades.
Still lying on her stomach, and with her hands and feet tied tightly together behind her back, Sylvia listen to the man walk away from the bed. She heard the clinking of glasses and her spirits rose.
The man returned, rolled her over onto her side, then raised up her head with a hand behind the neck and placed the rim of a glass to her mouth. She took a gulp and swallowed it down. Water trickled from the corner of her mouth as she attempted to drink at an awkward angle. But she did not mind, most of it was going down her throat and the roof of her mouth no longer felt like sandpaper and bird droppings.
Two tablets then appeared on her tongue and the drinking glass returned to her lips. She gulped the tablets down assuming them to be pain killers. She was then allowed to finish off the glass. Afterwards she ran her tongue around her mouth. It felt so good to have the saliva running once more.
The man left her lying on her side and returned the glass. He then moved across the room to the door.
As the door closed behind the man, Sylvia found herself on her own again, and strangely this she did not mind. The fact was she was beginning to feel very tired. She yawned and tried to make herself comfortable on top of the bed. Slowly she rolled herself back onto her stomach. All she wanted to do now was sleep.

9:00 am

Tracy called at the hospital as early as she could the next morning. She had spent the night at her home at Castle Point. Her mother had been glad to see her even if it was only for one night. Tracy had told her that she had to be back in London the following day and that this was just a flying visit. The excuse being that she had come home for some fresh clothes.
With a big bunch of flowers in her hands, Tracy entered the reception area of the intensive care unit of Littlesea Hospital. There was no one else around except for a nurse sat behind the reception desk. Tracy was well aware that this was not visiting hours, but all the same she was determined to get access to one of the hospital's coma patients no matter what time of day it was.
The nurse at the desk looked up and gave a little smile.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
Tracy smiled back and cleared her throat.
"I'm looking for someone called Mimi… I'm an old friend of hers," she said, "I'm told she's a patient here."
The nurse looked up and cast a quizzical eye over Tracy. She was getting to know all Mimi's visitors by now and aware of all their differing relationships with the patient. This girl stood before her with the flowers she had never seen before. The hospital had recently had a few scares, a new born baby had been nearly snatched last week, and as a result security had been tightened. Instructions had been issued to check out all newcomers, and, even though the girl stood before her looked genuine enough, the nurse was still not prepared to take any chances.
"I'm afraid it's not visiting hours," she told Tracy. "Only next of kin and close relations are allowed to see her out of hours."
Tracy pulled a sad face.
"I know that, but I'm only in Littlesea for a few hours. I've got to get back to London today, and I did hope that I'd be allowed to see her if only for a few minutes," explained Tracy.
The nurse looked concerned. She was also aware that Mimi had not had any visitors today. Roger Downton her fiancé was in London and therefore did not come to the hospital at eight o'clock like he usually did. She opened up the diary on her desk and checked on today's entries. She was looking for a telephone number to contact Roger. He usually left a telephone number at the desk so as to be easily contacted when he was away.
"I'm afraid I'll have to get permission from Mimi's fiancé Roger before I can let you see her," explained the nurse as she flicked through the pages.
Tracy made a mental note. Mimi's fiancé was called Roger. At last she was getting somewhere.
"Roger!… Is that what his name is," remarked Tracy. "I've not seen Mimi for such a long time. Not since we were in London together. I knew she was engaged to be married but never got round to learning his name."
The nurse looked up and nodded her head.
"Yes, Mimi's engaged to Roger Downton… he usually calls here at least twice a day… but he's in London today… I think he went there yesterday…  and he usually leaves us a telephone number where he can be contacted… but it appears he's not done it this time," explained the nurse.
At the time the nurse was looking at the entries in the reception desk diary for Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th of April. The same entry appeared on both days. It read simply: 'Roger Downton away in London.'
Tracy read the two upside down entries as the nurse flicked back and forth between the pages. She did not particular care anymore whether she got to see Mimi or not, she already had the information she was looking for. The name of the Mercedes driving photographer from Littlesea was Roger Downton, and that was enough.
"Look can I just peek in through the doors and leave her these flowers?" asked Tracy.
The nurse flicked backwards through the pages of the diary.
"If you just hang on a minute I might be able to find a London number and then you can go in and see her properly," answered the nurse.
Tracy was not too certain whether she wanted this call to be made, but she let the nurse carry on for the time being. The nurse stopped at an entry in the diary made on Tuesday 28th of March.
"Ha!… here we are…," exclaimed the nurse, "Tuesday 28th March… that was just a fortnight ago… it says here; 'Roger Downton in London for the next three days - can be contacted on the follow numbers'… and he left us two telephone numbers… one's for his estate agent, and the other's for a place called FotoPix Studios."
Tracy raised an eyebrow at the mention of FotoPix Studios. But after considering carefully just what the nurse had said she was not fully surprised. This Roger Downton was a part time photographer and had connections with Lenny Blackmore. After all, that was where she got the information from in the first place. Judi had also hinted that she knew Mimi from her old school days and that Mimi once did a bit of modelling of her own there. All the same she did want to get her name mentioned over the phone to either Lenny or Judi. That could prove fatal and blow her cover.
"Roger won't be at FotoPix Studios… that's where I work… and that's where I met Mimi," lied Tracy, "best try the other number."
The nurse tutted and shook her head.
"Afraid that won't find him either," she stated as if she knew. "The other number's his estate agent's, and he sold his old flat a week ago."
Tracy shook her head as if to look sorry. She decided it best to just hand over the flowers and then depart quickly. She thought about giving a name to the nurse and decided to make one up. Telling the nurse that her name was Tracy did not sound like a good idea. Janet was the first name that came to mind.
"Look nurse… honestly," said Tracy sadly, "I don't mind if I can't see her… I understand… just leave her these flowers and tell her,… or I suppose Roger when he visits again that Janet called and left Mimi some flowers,… I bet he'll be confused and wonder just who I am… but mention FotoPix Studios and he'll probably understand."
The nurse looked to Tracy and gave a knowing smile. She took the flowers from across the desk.
"I'm so sorry Janet…," she apologised, "but that's the way it is at present… security's tight… but I'll see to it that the flowers get put by Mimi's bedside… and I'll tell Roger you called the next time he comes in."
Tracy gave a final smile to the nurse.
"Okay, you do that then please nurse,… and give Mimi my love," she said, and then turned and walked out of the door.
In the hospital car park Tracy gave a little skip and jump and punched the air in jubilation. It was over to Georgina's place next to explain everything that had happened, and possibly hand over the rest of the operation to Davina and Georgina. All that was left now was find out just where Roger Downton lived and stake out his place. She was sure that she was on to a winner here, especially after seeing the dates in that diary. Gayle Jackson disappeared on the night of Wednesday 29th March, and the diary entry said that Roger Downton was away in London at the time. This just had to be more than coincidence. Roger Downton just had to be their man, she was positive of it now.

9:30 am

Davina was at home when the telephone rang. She moved to the hall and picked up the receiver.
"Hello, Davina Townsend speaking," she said.
"Oh hello, I was wondering if Sylvia Sparelli was with you," asked a female voice.
Davina wondered what this call was about.
"No… why?… she returned to London yesterday," she told the caller.
There was a pause.
"Oh dear," came the reply.
Davina was getting a little concerned now.
"Why?… what's happened?… who's this calling anyway?" she asked.
There came another pause. The woman on the other end of the line appeared to be collecting her thoughts.
"Oh, my name's Laura Bennett… have you ever heard of an organisation called Cropwatch?" she asked.
Davina knew the organisation only too well. Her old school pal Sylvia was the chairperson and the missing girl Gayle Jackson was a delegate there.
"Yes," answered Davina tentatively and not wanting to reveal the true extent of her knowledge.
"Well I'm the organisation's secretary, and I was… well I was just calling to see Sylvia at her apartment to discuss some business… and well I'm phoning from there now," said Laura Bennett.
Davina was really getting concerned now.
"What's happened?" she asked directly.
There was another pause. It was obvious that the girl on the other end of the line was suffering from shock.
"Well… the door was open… and there are flowers everywhere… and there's no sign of Sylvia," she explained. "I thought that she might still be with you… she gave me your telephone number before she went away in case of emergency… but if you say she's not there… then I don't know what to do next."
Davina collected her own thoughts. It sounded bad. This was exactly what Sylvia had predicted and what she was most worried about. Sylvia had no proof, but deep down she reckoned Gayle's disappearance was somehow connected to her work at Cropwatch.
"You'd better call the police and stay there until they come… and give them my name if they need confirmation that she returned home yesterday… I took her to the station and saw her on the way,… she should have been back in London yesterday afternoon," Davina told her.
There was another pause. Laura Bennett still appeared to be in some state of shock.
"I'll phone the police then… yes… I'll do that… Oh, I do hope Sylvia's all right," she said in a stammering voice.
Davina bit her bottom lip. She was equally as worried.
"Okay… do it now Laura… put the phone down and call the police," she told her, then she put her own receiver down.
Quickly Davina dialled Georgina. This new twist was serious and she had a lot to talk about.

9:35 am

Tracy pulled up outside an old Victorian house that backed onto the vast amusement park complex. This was the Watkinson's residence. Georgina lived here with her parents, and by the presence of her car in the drive, it looked like Tracy was in luck. She had called on the off chance not knowing whether Georgina was at home or not. As it happened, this was Georgina's day off and she was out of uniform.
Tracy rang the doorbell and waited.
Georgina answered and looked surprise as she saw who the caller was. Tracy was meant to be in London.
"Tracy!" she exclaimed.
Tracy smiled.
"Good morning Georgina," she answered.
Georgina opened the door wider.
"Well this is a surprise Tracy!" she remarked, and then added: "Where's Wendy?"
"She's still in London working on her own part of the investigation," Tracy told her, "but I've found out something important myself, and I need to fill you in on the details."
Georgina turned her head to look behind her down the hall to the kitchen door.
"You'd better come in Tracy… mother's in the kitchen... but we can talk in the lounge," she said.
Tracy stepped inside the house, and as she did so the telephone rang.
Georgina moved to answer it.
"Hello, Georgina Watkinson speaking," she said.
"Georgina, it's me, Davina… can we speak?" came the reply.
"Yes Davina, mother's in the kitchen, but we can speak… I've also got Tracy with me by the way," she replied.
The news of Tracy being with Georgina was something not expected, but Davina took it in her stride. She had something important to say, and perhaps it was best that they both heard news at the same time.
"Sylvia's disappeared," she announced. "I've just had a call from someone called Laura Bennett… she's the secretary at Cropwatch… and she was calling from Sylvia's apartment… she said that the door was open and there were flowers everywhere… and there was no sign of Sylvia."
Georgina pulled a face full of concern.
"That sounds bad," she remarked on hearing the news.
Just then Georgina's mother walked out of the kitchen. She had overheard the last two words spoken, and was also surprised to find Tracy in the house.
"What sound's bad?" she asked.
Georgina turned her head towards her mother.
"Oh, nothing much mom,… Davina's got a bit of a cold," she lied.
"Oh, I do hope she gets well soon," said Mrs. Watkinson and wiping her hands on her pinafore. She then walked past and headed off up the stairs.
Georgina waited for her mother to disappear before speaking over the phone once more.
"Look Davina," she said. "We'd best meet up somewhere to discuss this… can you get to our bench?"
The bench in question was at Castle Point. It was the meeting place for the pact. They would be one short. But that could not be helped.
"Yes, I can be there in half an hour's time," she confirmed.
"Right, see you there then," said Georgina.
"See you there," echoed Davina and the phone went dead.
Georgina put her own phone down.
"We're to meet at the bench in half an hour's time," she told Tracy.

10:00 am

Tracy pulled up in the small car park next to the old castle. Georgina was sat by her side. There appeared no sense in coming in two cars. Through the windscreen of the car Tracy looked around at the castle ruins and the choppy seas out beyond the cliffs. The place had a familiar and friendly feel to it. How much better this was than the crowded streets and grimy buildings of London she was thinking. It was so nice to be home.
The two girls got out of the car and ambled over towards their allotted bench. They were waiting for another car to arrive before they could begin. Tracy had managed to brief Georgina on her own findings whilst driving to the castle, and both agreed that things were certainly getting very interesting.
About five minutes later Davina's car crested the hill and drew up in the car park. She got out of the car and moved quickly towards the bench. She sat down next to Georgina who was now sitting in the middle of the three.
"Well, where do we begin?" said Georgina opening the meeting.
Davina started, since it was her news that had triggered off this meeting in the first place.
"I've not much to say other than what I've already told you over the phone," she said. "Sylvia's gone… she told me that she was worried, and that this might happen… that's why she spent a few days with me… it was really getting her down… she was convinced that Gayle Jackson's disappearance was related to Cropwatch… she could not explain why… it was just a gut felling… but it really made her worried."
Georgina interjected.
"Well that's two from Cropwatch gone now, so I guess she could have been be right… but what's the connection with something Tracy's found out I just don't know," she said, and then turning to Tracy she said: "Tracy, you'd better fill Davina in on what you've discovered."
Tracy leaned forward so as to look around Georgina seated in the middle. She thought it best to start right at the beginning.
"Remember the first statement to the police from a couple of witnesses leaving the park on the night that Gayle disappeared?… well they said that they had seen a Mercedes car prowling around the area," said Tracy for openers.
Both girls listening nodded their heads. They both did remember.
Tracy continued: "Well I got an interesting bit of information from Chloe Chambers, Gayle's best friend… she told me that she thought she recognised  the Mercedes… she had seen it earlier, and it was somebody's she knew… but at the time I did not get the driver's name… only that he was a photographer from the Littlesea area… well that came as a bit of a surprise for starters."
Both Davina and Georgina also found the news surprising and they muttered between themselves for a moment or two. Tracy waited for them to settle before continuing. She did not particularly want to go into details, the searching through Walter's library for Chloe's photograph, nor the session she endured at FotoPix Studios, nor even mention today's little episode at the hospital. She just wanted to get straight to the point.
"Well after doing a little bit of detective work I've managed to find out that photographer's name… it's Roger Downton," she revealed.
Suddenly Davina gasped.
"Roger Downton!… I know him!" she exclaimed.
Both Tracy and Georgina looked to Davina in amazement.
Davina turned to Georgina.
"And you've met him too Georgina," she informed her. "Remember here… by the castle… at Wendy's eighteenth birthday party… the man who returned my wedding ring that day… well that was him… that was Roger Downton."
Georgina looked surprise. But yes, of course, she did recall the man. He was with a girl that day seated on a bench over on the other side of the castle. Then she remembered something else. The girl with him was the one that had fallen off the roof of a barn the day the farmer got killed. She had been on duty that day and called to the scene. The girl was in hospital now, and as far as she knew, still in a coma.
"Yes, I remember him," said Georgina collecting her thoughts, "the girl that was with him is in hospital now… she's lying in a coma."
Tracy nodded her head.
"That's right… I was at the hospital this morning finding out," she said.
Suddenly Davina put her hands to her mouth as she remembered something else.
"Oh no!" she exclaimed. "I've just remembered something… Roger Downton called at my place only last Saturday… and… and he took Sylvia with him into Littlesea… he must have been planning something and I didn't realise."
Tracy leaned forward, she had a few more revealing facts to tell.
"Roger Downton was away in London when Gayle Jackson disappeared… and he's also there at the moment, just at the time when Sylvia disappears too… but he's given himself away… he leaves all his movement's in the hospital's diary… That's got to be more than coincidence, surely?" she asked the other two girls.
 Both girls looked pensive for a moment. Everything pointed to Roger Downton being the culprit.
"I know where he lives," stated Georgina.
"So do I," added Davina. "It's a farm over at Carrowton… he was asking John about fitting a burglar alarm there."
"That's right Davina," confirmed Georgina. "Well, what do say girls?… Why don't we go over the farm now and take a closer look… if Tracy's right and he's in London, the place should be deserted and we can have a good look around."
All three girls stood up and linked hands.
"To the pact," they said, then headed off to the car park.
They were three girls on a mission now. It was just a pity that the fourth could not be with them.

10:45 am

Davina's car cruised slowly past the turning to Carrowbank farm. Georgina was in the passengers seat; Tracy in the back. There was a long track down to the farm and they could not see much. They were in two minds whether to drive down the track or not.
"No, best go on a little further... let's park somewhere out of the way and walk back to the farm," suggested Georgina.
The other two agreed. Anyway, Georgina was the police officer and ought to know best.
A little further up the lane Davina pull the car into the side of the road. The old disused railway line that went under a bridge where it crossed the farm track had now turned into an embankment as the terrain rose to meet the nearby hills. The girls got out of the car and looked around. The embankment was now overgrown with young saplings and running wild after twenty-five years of neglect. With fresh Spring leaves on all the trees the growth was dense in places and looked ideal cover.
"Perhaps if we follow the old railway line back down to the farm track we can get there without being seen," said Georgina now firmly in charge.
Davina and Tracy agreed and looked for a way up the embankment. There was a low fence dividing off the road from the railway. It was decayed in places with some bars and posts missing.
"There's a way up there I think," said Davina pointing to a climb up the bank that looked a little trodden underfoot.
The girls set off for a gap in the fence. It was something like twenty paces further up the road. About halfway there Tracy stopped abruptly. Something written on a torn and battered notice pinned to one of the fencing posts had caught her eye. She moved in closer in order to read the contents. The other two girls, wondering what it was all about, gathered beside her.
Tracy pointed to the faded banner heading. It read; 'Cropwatch'. A front cover of a copy of the Cropwatch news sheet had been pinned to the post.
"Look,… Cropwatch have been here!" she exclaimed, "It's one of their posters."
As she spoke Tracy moved to unpin the notice from the post.
Georgina stopped her.
"No Tracy… evidence… don't touch," she told her.
Tracy stepped back. Georgina was right. How lucky they were to have a trained police officer as part of the team.
The three girls moved on to scale the embankment. For Davina, now three months pregnant, it was quite an effort and the girls helped her up. At the top they looked out on the other side. Away in the distance they could see the banks of the River Carrow flowing rapidly to the sea not far away, and in the foreground a desolate field lay before them. It looked like a crop of sorts, but whatever it was, it had since all been chopped down and destroyed.
"Do you think Cropwatch did that?" asked Davina and spreading her hands out across the meadow.
Georgina nodded her head.
"I guess so Davina… it's what the organisation does… they go around destroying any genetically modified crops they can find… I remember a report of them being active in the area about a month or so back… but I don't think any action was taken at the time," she revealed.
"But more damning evidence… and a motive for retribution,"  suggested Tracy.
Georgina agreed once more.
"Yes Tracy… more damning evidence,… and certainly a reason for gaining revenge," she said thoughtfully.
 The girls moved on. This time to follow the old disused railway lane all the way down to where it passed under the track that led to Carrowbank Farm. Low hedges grew to either side of the farm track, and rather than walk out in the open, they scaled a fence and made their way to the farmhouse by creeping low and making cover behind the hedge.
On arrival they looked around. The farm looked deserted. There was no sign of any cars, especially Roger Downton's big Mercedes.
Peering over the top of a hedge, Georgina asked: "Well, shall we go in then?"
All three girls looked to one another. They nodded their heads.
"Come on, let's go in," said Davina bravely.
The girls found a gateway out of the meadow and crept stealthily into the farmyard. There were a few chickens clucking about, but that was about all there was to see. They peered firstly into one barn, and then another. Nothing seemed amiss. There was a tractor and trailer in one, and a few old farming implements in another, but nothing to suggest anything untoward.
 They moved on to the next barn, this time over on the far side of the yard. They entered through a side door and peered into the gloom. This one was packed full with items. There were boxes and crates stacked everywhere, and a lot of very weird things that could not even be described. But the conclusion was, it all looked like exhibition stuff.
Then Tracy spotted something over on the other side of the barn. They walked over to it. It was a pillory, and close by rested some stocks. For a while both girls stared at the objects.
Tracy understood a little better than the others. Having worked her way through thousands of BDSM magazines she was well aware that these things would all form part of a photographer's collection of props.
"Kinky stuff hey!" she remarked.
Georgina recognised even more. She had been held captive herself in these very stocks back at the amusement park.
"There from the amusement park," she stated coldly as memories of that ordeal came flooding back.
All three looked to one another. Of course. It was so obvious now, and they all should have realised it. Roger Downton was the New Caretaker at the amusement park. That's where he had discovered Davina's missing wedding ring. He had been Malcolm Smith's replacement after the first Caretaker there had been killed in a roof fall in the catacombs beneath the old castle.
"It was Roger Downton that found my wedding ring at the amusement park," revealed Davina.
Of course it was. Roger Downton worked at the amusement park. Everybody knew that now, and it felt all so eerie and spooky. They all knew for certain now. It had been the New Caretaker all the time, and their investigation had led them right round in a circle. They were back where they started, chasing another caretaker from the amusement park. Well now they had found him out and his little game was up.
"What shall we do then?" asked Davina.
"We go to straight to the station and tell Inspector Hawkins all about it," said Georgina.
As far as she was concerned their job was done. Now it was up to the police proper to finish off the investigation, and hopefully find out where the two missing girls were being kept.

6:00 pm

Sylvia Sparelli regained consciousness only to discover that she was being carried along slung over someone's shoulder. It was probably the bouncing up and down under the laboured walk that had aroused her in the first place.
She tried to work out exactly what was happening to her. The blindfold remained about her head, that was the only certainty, since everything about her remained in total blackness. Furthermore she was still unable to move a muscle. Her arms remained tied behind her back, and her feet were also roped together. But conditions were slightly better now, at least the hogtie was gone. The rope that once joined her arms and legs together behind her back had been removed.
Whilst being bounced up and down over the shoulder of her captor, Sylvia tried to come to grips with the current perilous state she now found herself in. She tried to piece together everything that had happened to her. A little of her memory had returned and the throbbing pain to her head was not as bad as it once was.
For starters Sylvia recalled the ringing of her doorbell, then going to the door and looking through the spy hole to find a man standing there with a large bouquet of flowers in his hands. After that she remembered opening the door only to find a swinging cosh strike her on the side of the head. She knew now just how stupid she had been.
Sylvia's mind moved on. She recalled waking up to find herself lying face down on a bed. She remembered too being visited by someone checking on the ropes that bound her hands and feet together. After that she must have drifted into unconsciousness for a while. When the man did return for a second time she recalled being offered a drink of water. She remembered how good it tasted and how she had gulped it all down along with two tablets. And that was about it really, she could recall nothing else until a few minutes ago when she came round to find herself being carried on someone's shoulder. She decided to play unconscious for a little while longer. She did not know why, and she did not have a plan. She just did not want the hassle of fighting him off until a little strength had returned to her body.
Sylvia kept her bouncing body limp and listened to the muffled sounds of footsteps filtering through the many layers of tape that not only covered her eyes but her ears as well. If anything she was being carried along inside a chamber or someplace with a high vaulted roof. Her naked body could sense a touch of coldness in the surrounding air, and the padding feet had a distinctive echo about them. She wondered where she was being taken.
Eventually her captor came to a halt and she felt herself being dumped unceremoniously down on a table, or more probably a wooden bench, for the surface felt solid with little give in it. She landed with a thump which came as a sudden shock and knocked the wind out of her. She also landed on her back with her hands tied behind her, and it was damn uncomfortable, but apart from expelling air from her lungs when she landed heavily, she reckoned she had not given the game away about regaining consciousness. To emphasise the fact, she allowed her head to fall loosely to one side and kept it there.
After being dumped down from the man's shoulder, Sylvia was half expecting to be rolled over onto her stomach and hogtied once more, but this never happened. She was simply left to lie as she landed. As she tried to regain her breath, she listened to the sound of receding footsteps. She felt thankful that the man was leaving her. She just wanted to be left alone.
However, and totally unknown to her, Sylvia Sparelli was by no means the only prisoner in the chamber. A fellow colleague from the Cropwatch organisation, and someone she knew very well, just happened to be not very far away.
At no more than a dozen paces distance from the rack, Gayle Jackson found herself chained to the wall once more. This seemed to be her life now. Imprisoned by a short length of chain between the wall and a steel collar about her neck. She was able to sit upright with her back to the wall, and lie down on the hard floor when sleep was called for, but that was about the limit of her activities. Her hands were still manacled at the front and many layers of tape remained wound about her eyes and ears.
Just a few minutes ago Gayle had listened to the sound of her captor's footsteps approaching and sat herself up with her back to the wall in readiness for his arrival. She assumed feeding time had arrived. Her body clock told her that it was mealtime. However, as her captor drew a little closer she could hear his laboured breathing, and immediately assumed him to be carrying something heavy. She had heard the same breathing patterns many times before when he had been delivering the timber and winding gear for the rack he was constructing. She therefore assumed that more parts, possibly even for some new contraption, were arriving. Then she heard the thump of something being dropped down heavily on the bench, and at the same time detected the faint sound of air being expelled from the lungs. Suddenly she realised that she was no longer alone. Her captor's promise that the rack was reserved for someone else, someone very special, seemed to be coming true.
Instinct told Gayle to call out, to make contact with what obviously was a fellow prisoner, and to sympathise deeply with her, but she stopped herself from doing so. She knew that she would be punished severely if she did so. Then, to her own alarm, she heard her captor's approaching steps and she knew immediately that he was coming for her. She wondered what he wanted from her this time and suddenly felt afraid. Perhaps she was expected to join the other prisoner on the rack.
Gayle heard her captor arrive and to stand before her. She then felt his hand grip the sides of her face and squeeze tightly, and in doing so the pressure forcing her jaws apart. She knew what was expected of her from now on, and she opened her mouth wide. This method of prising her mouth open had been subjected upon her many times, and she prepared herself into accepting a filthy rag being forced into her mouth. As if on cue, the rag arrived and was pushed deep into her throat, then a wide strip of tape was placed across her mouth, and in doing so sealing in the rag.
She wanted to explain to her captor that she was never going to speak out of turn anyway. She was being a good girl and the imposition of the rag was simply not warranted, but that was impossible now. She just hoped that she did not have to keep the rag in her mouth for very much longer. It was just so unnecessary.
Lying on a hard wooden surface somewhere deep inside a large echoing chamber, Sylvia Sparelli lay motionless and concentrated on listening to her captor's footsteps disappear into the distance. However, he did not walk far, nor stay away very long, and soon he was back to stand by her side once more. She continued to act as if unconscious. She did not know why she wanted to continue on with the pretence, it just seemed best that way.
Hands touched her naked body and rolled her over onto her stomach. She let her body flop limply on the surface and made no obvious moves. The man's hands then began to fumble with the knots that bound her feet together. She felt them fall apart as the rope was finally pulled away.
Sylvia's hands came next. Slowly and awkwardly the knots were untied and the rope unravelled from about her wrists. Once released she let her hands slide slowly apart and to drop to the bench on either side of her body.
A thought came to her, now that she was free she could rip the blindfold away from her head and make a fight of it, or simply just run away. But when she tired to move her hands and feet just a little bit, nothing happened. She remained comfortably numb.
Strong hands gripped her body once more and flipped her over onto her back. Immediately afterwards she found herself being dragged a little way down the bench and her legs pulled apart. Wide leather straps then became buckled about the ankles, retaining her legs in an open position and preventing the bottom half of her body from moving.
Next she heard the rattle of a short chain and felt something cold and heavy become locked about a wrist. Her hands were then drawn together above her stomach and another band of steel became fixed about her other wrist. Her hands remained numb from the stopping of the circulation by the ropes, but all the same she could easily recognise the fact that her hands had been manacled together, with just a short length of chain linking the two steel bands about her wrists.
She wondered if that was it, all finished, and that he would go away and leave her now that he was done, but she was very much mistaken. A hand took hold of the short chain between her wrists and raised up her arms above her head. Something was then attached to the chain to pin her arms to the bench. She found herself stretched out now, with arms held above her head and with legs stretched wide and strapped to the bottom of the bench. She reckoned that there was not a lot more he could do to her. Surely this was it now? What else could he do to her?
Then came the slow clinking of a ratchet and the whirring of gears, and suddenly Sylvia realised that there was a whole lot more he could do. She felt the muscles in her arms tension as whatever it was that had been attached to the small chain between her wrist began to draw her hands up the bench.
Suddenly she realised what was happening and she was about to scream. The pretence of remaining unconscious seemed no longer to have any relevance. But then just as suddenly as it started, the winding stopped and a hand patted her on the stomach.
She heard a raucous chuckle issue from the man's lips before he spoke just one single word.
"Lovely," he said.
Sylvia listened to the departing footsteps. Perhaps acting unconscious had reaped its rewards after all? Perhaps the man was waiting for her to wake up first before doing anything drastic to her body? She just hoped that she was right. At least she could remain still and unmoving for as long as it took. At least it was one method of self protection, and about the only thing she could do now anyway.
As the sound of footsteps disappeared into the distance she began to think of other things. That voice for starters. The man had only spoken one word to her since her abduction. She had however heard him speak through her door when he first delivered the flowers. The trouble was it had been muffled then, but all the same, she was sure that she had heard that voice somewhere before.
But where exactly?
She could not think.
She tried to settle down and relax.
At least there was no pain anymore.
Perhaps feeling comfortably numb was not such a bad thing after all, not once you got used to it anyway.

8:00 pm

Roger returned to Carrowbank Farm feeling tired and exhausted. He had had a long and harrowing day and he too was feeling comfortably numb. On swinging into the farmyard he was surprised to find a police car parked next to the barn.
As Roger got out of his car, a police officer and a plain clothes detective got out of the other. He recognised the tall, lanky police officer. He had been the first one to turn up to Mimi's accident, and also the officer he had met the day he returned the lost wedding ring. Roger had seen him twice that day, once at the station and once at Castle Point a little later on that evening. The detective however he had never set eyes on before.
The plain clothes detective came up to Roger and showed him his warrant card. The name on it was Chief Inspector Hawkins.
"Mr. Downton?" he asked.
Roger nodded his head.
"Yes, that's me," he confirmed.
"Then I'd like you to accompany me to the station. I've got a few questions I'd like to ask you about the disappearance of two girls from London," said Inspector Hawkins.

End of Part Two