Teal Cove PD
Wed. June 30, 1982
Around 4:00 AM
The detective entered the interrogation room. Jerry had his head in his hands resting his elbows on the table. He looked up when he heard the door open.
"I want a lawyer," Jerry demanded before the detective said anything.
The cop took a seat opposite him. He set a tape recorder in the center of the table and pressed play and record simultaneously. "It's... Wednesday, the 30th of January," he said glancing at a calendar on the wall and then moving his eyes to the clock above it. "Time is about 5 minutes after 4 AM. Interview with burglary suspect Gerald M. Hardy." The cop gave his name and rank but Jerry wasn't listening and didn't catch it.
He then turned to Jerry.
"Look kid, you've been read your rights. You are a legal adult. If you want an attorney before you say anything, that's your right," the man said. "Now, you mentioned that you know of some people being held against their will outside of town. If you're telling the truth and they're in imminent danger, the clock is ticking. Keep in mind if something happens to them and you were involved in any way or your lack of cooperation causes something to happen to them..."
"Look, I'm telling you the truth," Jerry shot back, a hint of anger in his voice. "I'm a victim here, too! I barely escaped with my own life!"
The detective nodded. "Okay, then tell me what happened."
Jerry inhaled and let his breath out slowly. He looked at the table for a moment and then at the tape recorder. He refused to look the cop in the eye.
"Yeah, so I got mixed up in some stuff. I thought I was helping some people do something harmless and it turned out they were stealing cars," Jerry began. "By the time I realized what was going on, it was too late. They threatened me and forced me to help them..."
Jerry gave a quick overview of the operation and played up that he had been recruited for his electronic knowledge. He described the radio system he'd rigged up using number code and went off on a rambling explanation of numbers stations. Part of it was Jerry wasn't very social and good at talking to people, but he also wanted to avoid bringing up that he had helped break into and steal cars himself. He was trying to make it sound like he was being forced into helping the gang strictly with the technology aspect of the operation.
"So how did you come to be breaking into a house in the middle of the night and what does this have to do with these hostages you mentioned," The cop pressed.
Jerry twisted the truth here. He decided to start at the beginning rather than answer the question immediately. He was stalling for time. Instead of bringing up Marie and her friends giving him the job of spying on Tabitha and Starla because they disapproved of who they were associating with, Jerry lied and said the gang forced him to provide leads.
He talked about the country club and befriending the cheerleading captain at Teal Cove and then providing the gang with the info. on stealing her new car. He didn't mention that he himself had broken into and hotwired it.
Jerry then mentioned that the gang had taken notice of a new girl in town that had Trans-Am, the kind from the movie Smokey and the Bandit. Someone in the gang also realized she was working for the local paper when she covered another story about a girl being robbed and tossed in a dumpster behind a local restaurant. She'd also provided the paper with info. about a car theft, they'd committed the weekend before. The gang took an interest in her and her car. They forced Jerry to befriend her and that he had deliberately acted hostile towards them so they wouldn't want to be friends for their protection.
It was at that point that Officer Thompson's name came up. Jerry said the cop was nervous the reporter girl and her friends were getting too close to uncovering the location of their operation just outside of town and had somehow lured them into a trap. Jerry didn't know the details of how he'd done it, but they were now prisoners and in immediate danger.
"So, tell me... if you were so worried about their safety, why were you breaking into a house in the middle of the night," the detective asked again, trying to get back to his original question.
"That girl, Doreen Rogers, lives there. Her family has expensive cars," Jerry explained. "She's best friends with the chick I was telling you about earlier, Marie Evans. She's the one with the Camaro that got boosted down by the lake at the carnival.
Anyway, I was trying to buy time for them. I convinced them that I knew where the reporter chick's car was. Instead of going to where she really lived, I went to Doreen's house. I pretended that I expected the Trans-Am to be there and acted surprised when it wasn't. When Mouse almost lost his shit on me, I told him if I could get in the garage, we had a choice of two real nice cars. Doreen's car was parked in the street and the door was unlocked."
"Why didn't you take hers," he asked.
"Not worth much," Jerry answered.
The part about the door being unlocked was a lie. Jerry had jimmied the door, but he didn't want the cop to know that. "Anyway, I got the remote and raised the garage door. I was going to go in and wake her parents and get them to call the cops, but Mouse followed me into the garage. I told him that the car keys were right inside the door leading into the kitchen on a hook on the wall. Her dad heard me, though and we never met before so he wouldn't know me and I thought he might have a gun. I threw my car keys across the yard when I fled so Mouse couldn't get away using my car. Then I cut through the houses to get to my place and called you guys as soon as I got in."
"What about the hostages? They are on this... Farm? How many are there? Do you know their names," The cop pressed.
"Yeah, uh three chicks, two dudes," Jerry said. "The reporter's name is Shelley and the blonde girl is Starla and the redhead is uh... Tammy... no Gabby?"
Jerry couldn't remember her name but took the opportunity to stall some more.
"Look kid, are they imminent danger," he asked bluntly.
Jerry nodded. "They are all tied up on the Farm," Jerry said trying to stress the urgency of their predicament. Look, I gave you what I know, am I still in trouble?"
"That's for the judge to decide and will depend on how this turns out and if you're telling me the truth," the detective replied. "I'll put in a good word for you and let the judge know you cooperated. If it all checks out and you were indeed forced to cooperate, it may be possible no charges will be pressed but that's not my call. Now, I need to know as much information as you can give me so we can get these people out of there safely. The more you cooperate, the more it is going to help you."
Wed. June 30, 1982
Around 4:00 AM
The detective entered the interrogation room. Jerry had his head in his hands resting his elbows on the table. He looked up when he heard the door open.
"I want a lawyer," Jerry demanded before the detective said anything.
The cop took a seat opposite him. He set a tape recorder in the center of the table and pressed play and record simultaneously. "It's... Wednesday, the 30th of January," he said glancing at a calendar on the wall and then moving his eyes to the clock above it. "Time is about 5 minutes after 4 AM. Interview with burglary suspect Gerald M. Hardy." The cop gave his name and rank but Jerry wasn't listening and didn't catch it.
He then turned to Jerry.
"Look kid, you've been read your rights. You are a legal adult. If you want an attorney before you say anything, that's your right," the man said. "Now, you mentioned that you know of some people being held against their will outside of town. If you're telling the truth and they're in imminent danger, the clock is ticking. Keep in mind if something happens to them and you were involved in any way or your lack of cooperation causes something to happen to them..."
"Look, I'm telling you the truth," Jerry shot back, a hint of anger in his voice. "I'm a victim here, too! I barely escaped with my own life!"
The detective nodded. "Okay, then tell me what happened."
Jerry inhaled and let his breath out slowly. He looked at the table for a moment and then at the tape recorder. He refused to look the cop in the eye.
"Yeah, so I got mixed up in some stuff. I thought I was helping some people do something harmless and it turned out they were stealing cars," Jerry began. "By the time I realized what was going on, it was too late. They threatened me and forced me to help them..."
Jerry gave a quick overview of the operation and played up that he had been recruited for his electronic knowledge. He described the radio system he'd rigged up using number code and went off on a rambling explanation of numbers stations. Part of it was Jerry wasn't very social and good at talking to people, but he also wanted to avoid bringing up that he had helped break into and steal cars himself. He was trying to make it sound like he was being forced into helping the gang strictly with the technology aspect of the operation.
"So how did you come to be breaking into a house in the middle of the night and what does this have to do with these hostages you mentioned," The cop pressed.
Jerry twisted the truth here. He decided to start at the beginning rather than answer the question immediately. He was stalling for time. Instead of bringing up Marie and her friends giving him the job of spying on Tabitha and Starla because they disapproved of who they were associating with, Jerry lied and said the gang forced him to provide leads.
He talked about the country club and befriending the cheerleading captain at Teal Cove and then providing the gang with the info. on stealing her new car. He didn't mention that he himself had broken into and hotwired it.
Jerry then mentioned that the gang had taken notice of a new girl in town that had Trans-Am, the kind from the movie Smokey and the Bandit. Someone in the gang also realized she was working for the local paper when she covered another story about a girl being robbed and tossed in a dumpster behind a local restaurant. She'd also provided the paper with info. about a car theft, they'd committed the weekend before. The gang took an interest in her and her car. They forced Jerry to befriend her and that he had deliberately acted hostile towards them so they wouldn't want to be friends for their protection.
It was at that point that Officer Thompson's name came up. Jerry said the cop was nervous the reporter girl and her friends were getting too close to uncovering the location of their operation just outside of town and had somehow lured them into a trap. Jerry didn't know the details of how he'd done it, but they were now prisoners and in immediate danger.
"So, tell me... if you were so worried about their safety, why were you breaking into a house in the middle of the night," the detective asked again, trying to get back to his original question.
"That girl, Doreen Rogers, lives there. Her family has expensive cars," Jerry explained. "She's best friends with the chick I was telling you about earlier, Marie Evans. She's the one with the Camaro that got boosted down by the lake at the carnival.
Anyway, I was trying to buy time for them. I convinced them that I knew where the reporter chick's car was. Instead of going to where she really lived, I went to Doreen's house. I pretended that I expected the Trans-Am to be there and acted surprised when it wasn't. When Mouse almost lost his shit on me, I told him if I could get in the garage, we had a choice of two real nice cars. Doreen's car was parked in the street and the door was unlocked."
"Why didn't you take hers," he asked.
"Not worth much," Jerry answered.
The part about the door being unlocked was a lie. Jerry had jimmied the door, but he didn't want the cop to know that. "Anyway, I got the remote and raised the garage door. I was going to go in and wake her parents and get them to call the cops, but Mouse followed me into the garage. I told him that the car keys were right inside the door leading into the kitchen on a hook on the wall. Her dad heard me, though and we never met before so he wouldn't know me and I thought he might have a gun. I threw my car keys across the yard when I fled so Mouse couldn't get away using my car. Then I cut through the houses to get to my place and called you guys as soon as I got in."
"What about the hostages? They are on this... Farm? How many are there? Do you know their names," The cop pressed.
"Yeah, uh three chicks, two dudes," Jerry said. "The reporter's name is Shelley and the blonde girl is Starla and the redhead is uh... Tammy... no Gabby?"
Jerry couldn't remember her name but took the opportunity to stall some more.
"Look kid, are they imminent danger," he asked bluntly.
Jerry nodded. "They are all tied up on the Farm," Jerry said trying to stress the urgency of their predicament. Look, I gave you what I know, am I still in trouble?"
"That's for the judge to decide and will depend on how this turns out and if you're telling me the truth," the detective replied. "I'll put in a good word for you and let the judge know you cooperated. If it all checks out and you were indeed forced to cooperate, it may be possible no charges will be pressed but that's not my call. Now, I need to know as much information as you can give me so we can get these people out of there safely. The more you cooperate, the more it is going to help you."
Gary's van
Wed. June 30, 1982
Just after 4:00 AM
Gary had nodded off when the scanner suddenly came to life again. There hadn’t been any more radio chatter in a while.
“Suspect Jerry Hardy has contacted the department, and claims to have escaped from criminals holding several hostages outside town.” She proceeded to say that Jerry intended to turn himself in, and she gave Jerry’s home address. A male voice responded. “Two-Adam-Eight responding; ETA 3 minutes.”
Hostages outside of town? Gary knew beyond a doubt that if that information had come from Jerry that he was talking about Shelley. The girls had planned something for tonight and that meant Starla and Tabby were most likely with her and possibly Trevor and Matt, too. Gary now regretted not wanting to know the details.
‘Outside of town’ covered a lot of ground. However, the south side of Teal Cove was pretty well developed. Just beyond the train tracks behind Gary’s house and a little north of the edge of town was all undeveloped and unincorporated. Much of it was still farmland. Some of the farms were in use while others were abandoned or just empty land that was up for sale. There was a pretty good stretch between Teal Cove and getting out near River Oaks Country Club and the wealthy retirement community surrounding it.
Gary thought that seemed like a good starting place. There were all kinds of back roads. However, maybe Jerry had told the law the location to where Shelley was being held and he might luck out and see some police vehicles to follow or something.
He backed out of the driveway and headed in that direction, turning the scanner up a bit so he wouldn’t miss anything. Worst case, nothing would come of it, but maybe he’d catch a lucky break or a clue as to where she was.
Wed. June 30, 1982
Just after 4:00 AM
Gary had nodded off when the scanner suddenly came to life again. There hadn’t been any more radio chatter in a while.
“Suspect Jerry Hardy has contacted the department, and claims to have escaped from criminals holding several hostages outside town.” She proceeded to say that Jerry intended to turn himself in, and she gave Jerry’s home address. A male voice responded. “Two-Adam-Eight responding; ETA 3 minutes.”
Hostages outside of town? Gary knew beyond a doubt that if that information had come from Jerry that he was talking about Shelley. The girls had planned something for tonight and that meant Starla and Tabby were most likely with her and possibly Trevor and Matt, too. Gary now regretted not wanting to know the details.
‘Outside of town’ covered a lot of ground. However, the south side of Teal Cove was pretty well developed. Just beyond the train tracks behind Gary’s house and a little north of the edge of town was all undeveloped and unincorporated. Much of it was still farmland. Some of the farms were in use while others were abandoned or just empty land that was up for sale. There was a pretty good stretch between Teal Cove and getting out near River Oaks Country Club and the wealthy retirement community surrounding it.
Gary thought that seemed like a good starting place. There were all kinds of back roads. However, maybe Jerry had told the law the location to where Shelley was being held and he might luck out and see some police vehicles to follow or something.
He backed out of the driveway and headed in that direction, turning the scanner up a bit so he wouldn’t miss anything. Worst case, nothing would come of it, but maybe he’d catch a lucky break or a clue as to where she was.
“Huh, what? Jerry,” Marie stammered, not sounding quite coherent. Doreen had just called her in the middle of the night to let her know about the break-in, and Marie was probably not fully awake yet. “Wait, you mean like he kicked your door in and tried to rob you? Holy shit! Are you okay? What happened? His bug is still out front? Is he in it?”
“He didn’t really kick in the door; Jerry’s not cool enough to do something like that. More like he sneaked in like a rat. Apparently he figured out a way to open the garage door and was going to sneak into the house that way, but Daddy heard the garage door opening and ran him off...no, he’s not in the bug, he just ran off. I think he was too scared to drive; probably pissed his pants.”
*tag Marie*
“Oh, and another thing; it sounds like there might have been someone else with him. I don’t know who it was, though. Daddy didn’t get a good look at the other one. Sounds like they both hightailed it, but in different directions.”
“Look, I don’t think Jerry would be stupid enough to try anything else tonight, but it’s probably best just to make sure all your doors and windows are locked, and sit tight for the night. Maybe we can get together in the morning and figure out what to do.”
*tag Marie*
“He didn’t really kick in the door; Jerry’s not cool enough to do something like that. More like he sneaked in like a rat. Apparently he figured out a way to open the garage door and was going to sneak into the house that way, but Daddy heard the garage door opening and ran him off...no, he’s not in the bug, he just ran off. I think he was too scared to drive; probably pissed his pants.”
*tag Marie*
“Oh, and another thing; it sounds like there might have been someone else with him. I don’t know who it was, though. Daddy didn’t get a good look at the other one. Sounds like they both hightailed it, but in different directions.”
“Look, I don’t think Jerry would be stupid enough to try anything else tonight, but it’s probably best just to make sure all your doors and windows are locked, and sit tight for the night. Maybe we can get together in the morning and figure out what to do.”
*tag Marie*
“Huh, what? Jerry,” Marie stammered, not sounding quite coherent. Doreen had just called her in the middle of the night to let her know about the break-in, and Marie was probably not fully awake yet. “Wait, you mean like he kicked your door in and tried to rob you? Holy shit! Are you okay? What happened? His bug is still out front? Is he in it?”
“He didn’t really kick in the door; Jerry’s not cool enough to do something like that. More like he sneaked in like a rat. Apparently he figured out a way to open the garage door and was going to sneak into the house that way, but Daddy heard the garage door opening and ran him off...no, he’s not in the bug, he just ran off. I think he was too scared to drive; probably pissed his pants.”
"So, he just like, left it in front of your house," Marie asked confused. That didn't make any sense. He'd have to come back for it eventually. It was also an obvious sign of who had tried to break in if Dori's dad hadn't seen his face. What a complete moron!
“Oh, and another thing; it sounds like there might have been someone else with him. I don’t know who it was, though. Daddy didn’t get a good look at the other one. Sounds like they both hightailed it, but in different directions.”
“Look, I don’t think Jerry would be stupid enough to try anything else tonight, but it’s probably best just to make sure all your doors and windows are locked, and sit tight for the night. Maybe we can get together in the morning and figure out what to do.”
"Totally, I don't want to run into his creepy ass in the middle of the night," Marie agreed. "I'm a little weirded out. What if he like, tries to come and break-in at my house next? Should I wake daddy and tell him, you think?"
*Tag Doreen*
Marie paused a moment. "So, like, what do you think he was planning if your dad hadn't heard him get in," Marie asked both concerned and curious at the same time. Was he going to sneak into your room and ask you on a date?"
*Tag Doreen*
“He didn’t really kick in the door; Jerry’s not cool enough to do something like that. More like he sneaked in like a rat. Apparently he figured out a way to open the garage door and was going to sneak into the house that way, but Daddy heard the garage door opening and ran him off...no, he’s not in the bug, he just ran off. I think he was too scared to drive; probably pissed his pants.”
"So, he just like, left it in front of your house," Marie asked confused. That didn't make any sense. He'd have to come back for it eventually. It was also an obvious sign of who had tried to break in if Dori's dad hadn't seen his face. What a complete moron!
“Oh, and another thing; it sounds like there might have been someone else with him. I don’t know who it was, though. Daddy didn’t get a good look at the other one. Sounds like they both hightailed it, but in different directions.”
“Look, I don’t think Jerry would be stupid enough to try anything else tonight, but it’s probably best just to make sure all your doors and windows are locked, and sit tight for the night. Maybe we can get together in the morning and figure out what to do.”
"Totally, I don't want to run into his creepy ass in the middle of the night," Marie agreed. "I'm a little weirded out. What if he like, tries to come and break-in at my house next? Should I wake daddy and tell him, you think?"
*Tag Doreen*
Marie paused a moment. "So, like, what do you think he was planning if your dad hadn't heard him get in," Marie asked both concerned and curious at the same time. Was he going to sneak into your room and ask you on a date?"
*Tag Doreen*
“Look, I don’t think Jerry would be stupid enough to try anything else tonight, but it’s probably best just to make sure all your doors and windows are locked, and sit tight for the night. Maybe we can get together in the morning and figure out what to do.”
"Totally, I don't want to run into his creepy ass in the middle of the night," Marie agreed. "I'm a little weirded out. What if he like, tries to come and break-in at my house next? Should I wake daddy and tell him, you think?"
Doreen thought it over. She knew Mr. Evans pretty well, but obviously not as well as Marie did. Would he get upset at being awoken in the middle of the night? Probably not, if Marie felt threatened. “I don’t know…maybe. I guess it depends on how secure you feel in your house. He might be a little annoyed when you first wake him up, but that’ll probably change when you tell him why. Although, to be honest, I really think don’t think Jerry’s going to try anything else tonight. I mean, he ran off without his car! And he’s got to realize that the cops’ll know who it belongs to, and they’re going to track his ass down.”
Marie paused a moment. "So, like, what do you think he was planning if your dad hadn't heard him get in," Marie asked both concerned and curious at the same time. Was he going to sneak into your room and ask you on a date?"
“He couldn’t possibly be that stupid,” she said. It was actually a pretty good question, though, and not something she’d really had much time to think about yet. What exactly did Jerry think he was going to accomplish by breaking in? Doreen began to reason through the possibilities while she spoke to Marie. “Well…normally when somebody breaks into a house, I’d assume they were wanting to steal stuff. But Jerry knows this is my house, and even he ought to know you shouldn’t break into the house of someone who would recognize you just to steal things. And we both know he’s been kind of obsessed with me lately, so I have to assume I was his target. I guess he might have wanted to rape me…but no, that doesn’t make sense, not with my parents here. It would make way too much noise, and they’d come to my resc…” She stopped, suddenly wondering about the second shadowy figure that had supposedly been with Jerry. What role would he have served? Maybe he would have kept her parents at bay while Jerry raped her. She cleared her throat and continued. “Well, I think maybe he wanted to kidnap me. Maybe he intended to knock me out with chloroform or something; then he could just sneak me out of the house. Good thing Daddy woke up and ran him off.
“Look, let’s get together for lunch tomorrow and talk about it. We’ll know more then, and Jerry will probably be in custody anyway by then.”
*tag Marie*
"Totally, I don't want to run into his creepy ass in the middle of the night," Marie agreed. "I'm a little weirded out. What if he like, tries to come and break-in at my house next? Should I wake daddy and tell him, you think?"
Doreen thought it over. She knew Mr. Evans pretty well, but obviously not as well as Marie did. Would he get upset at being awoken in the middle of the night? Probably not, if Marie felt threatened. “I don’t know…maybe. I guess it depends on how secure you feel in your house. He might be a little annoyed when you first wake him up, but that’ll probably change when you tell him why. Although, to be honest, I really think don’t think Jerry’s going to try anything else tonight. I mean, he ran off without his car! And he’s got to realize that the cops’ll know who it belongs to, and they’re going to track his ass down.”
Marie paused a moment. "So, like, what do you think he was planning if your dad hadn't heard him get in," Marie asked both concerned and curious at the same time. Was he going to sneak into your room and ask you on a date?"
“He couldn’t possibly be that stupid,” she said. It was actually a pretty good question, though, and not something she’d really had much time to think about yet. What exactly did Jerry think he was going to accomplish by breaking in? Doreen began to reason through the possibilities while she spoke to Marie. “Well…normally when somebody breaks into a house, I’d assume they were wanting to steal stuff. But Jerry knows this is my house, and even he ought to know you shouldn’t break into the house of someone who would recognize you just to steal things. And we both know he’s been kind of obsessed with me lately, so I have to assume I was his target. I guess he might have wanted to rape me…but no, that doesn’t make sense, not with my parents here. It would make way too much noise, and they’d come to my resc…” She stopped, suddenly wondering about the second shadowy figure that had supposedly been with Jerry. What role would he have served? Maybe he would have kept her parents at bay while Jerry raped her. She cleared her throat and continued. “Well, I think maybe he wanted to kidnap me. Maybe he intended to knock me out with chloroform or something; then he could just sneak me out of the house. Good thing Daddy woke up and ran him off.
“Look, let’s get together for lunch tomorrow and talk about it. We’ll know more then, and Jerry will probably be in custody anyway by then.”
*tag Marie*
“Look, I don’t think Jerry would be stupid enough to try anything else tonight, but it’s probably best just to make sure all your doors and windows are locked, and sit tight for the night. Maybe we can get together in the morning and figure out what to do.”
"Totally, I don't want to run into his creepy ass in the middle of the night," Marie agreed. "I'm a little weirded out. What if he like, tries to come and break-in at my house next? Should I wake daddy and tell him, you think?"
Doreen thought it over. She knew Mr. Evans pretty well, but obviously not as well as Marie did. Would he get upset at being awoken in the middle of the night? Probably not, if Marie felt threatened. “I don’t know…maybe. I guess it depends on how secure you feel in your house. He might be a little annoyed when you first wake him up, but that’ll probably change when you tell him why. Although, to be honest, I really think don’t think Jerry’s going to try anything else tonight. I mean, he ran off without his car! And he’s got to realize that the cops’ll know who it belongs to, and they’re going to track his ass down.”
Marie paused a moment. "So, like, what do you think he was planning if your dad hadn't heard him get in," Marie asked both concerned and curious at the same time. Was he going to sneak into your room and ask you on a date?"
“He couldn’t possibly be that stupid,” she said. It was actually a pretty good question, though, and not something she’d really had much time to think about yet. What exactly did Jerry think he was going to accomplish by breaking in? Doreen began to reason through the possibilities while she spoke to Marie. “Well…normally when somebody breaks into a house, I’d assume they were wanting to steal stuff. But Jerry knows this is my house, and even he ought to know you shouldn’t break into the house of someone who would recognize you just to steal things. And we both know he’s been kind of obsessed with me lately, so I have to assume I was his target. I guess he might have wanted to rape me…but no, that doesn’t make sense, not with my parents here. It would make way too much noise, and they’d come to my resc…” She stopped, suddenly wondering about the second shadowy figure that had supposedly been with Jerry. What role would he have served? Maybe he would have kept her parents at bay while Jerry raped her. She cleared her throat and continued. “Well, I think maybe he wanted to kidnap me. Maybe he intended to knock me out with chloroform or something; then he could just sneak me out of the house. Good thing Daddy woke up and ran him off.
“Look, let’s get together for lunch tomorrow and talk about it. We’ll know more then, and Jerry will probably be in custody anyway by then.”
"It is tomorrow, hon," Marie reminded Doreen. "Okay, I'm going to wake daddy and let him know what's going on. I'm not waiting until lunchtime, though. I'll call you back at a more decent hour but if there are any more developments like that creep shows up again, call me!"
With that, Marie hung up and headed down the hallway to wake her parents. She wondered if the other creepy guy Doreen had described was hiding in the neighborhood still.
"Totally, I don't want to run into his creepy ass in the middle of the night," Marie agreed. "I'm a little weirded out. What if he like, tries to come and break-in at my house next? Should I wake daddy and tell him, you think?"
Doreen thought it over. She knew Mr. Evans pretty well, but obviously not as well as Marie did. Would he get upset at being awoken in the middle of the night? Probably not, if Marie felt threatened. “I don’t know…maybe. I guess it depends on how secure you feel in your house. He might be a little annoyed when you first wake him up, but that’ll probably change when you tell him why. Although, to be honest, I really think don’t think Jerry’s going to try anything else tonight. I mean, he ran off without his car! And he’s got to realize that the cops’ll know who it belongs to, and they’re going to track his ass down.”
Marie paused a moment. "So, like, what do you think he was planning if your dad hadn't heard him get in," Marie asked both concerned and curious at the same time. Was he going to sneak into your room and ask you on a date?"
“He couldn’t possibly be that stupid,” she said. It was actually a pretty good question, though, and not something she’d really had much time to think about yet. What exactly did Jerry think he was going to accomplish by breaking in? Doreen began to reason through the possibilities while she spoke to Marie. “Well…normally when somebody breaks into a house, I’d assume they were wanting to steal stuff. But Jerry knows this is my house, and even he ought to know you shouldn’t break into the house of someone who would recognize you just to steal things. And we both know he’s been kind of obsessed with me lately, so I have to assume I was his target. I guess he might have wanted to rape me…but no, that doesn’t make sense, not with my parents here. It would make way too much noise, and they’d come to my resc…” She stopped, suddenly wondering about the second shadowy figure that had supposedly been with Jerry. What role would he have served? Maybe he would have kept her parents at bay while Jerry raped her. She cleared her throat and continued. “Well, I think maybe he wanted to kidnap me. Maybe he intended to knock me out with chloroform or something; then he could just sneak me out of the house. Good thing Daddy woke up and ran him off.
“Look, let’s get together for lunch tomorrow and talk about it. We’ll know more then, and Jerry will probably be in custody anyway by then.”
"It is tomorrow, hon," Marie reminded Doreen. "Okay, I'm going to wake daddy and let him know what's going on. I'm not waiting until lunchtime, though. I'll call you back at a more decent hour but if there are any more developments like that creep shows up again, call me!"
With that, Marie hung up and headed down the hallway to wake her parents. She wondered if the other creepy guy Doreen had described was hiding in the neighborhood still.
Starla had lain on the bed quietly for several minutes now, trying to hear what was going on in the rest of the house. She’d learned earlier that Jerry and one of the other men had left to find and steal Shelley’s car, but apparently they’d tried to break into Gary’s house when they couldn’t find it, and Gary had called the cops. Now the group of criminals were in a frenzy trying to figure out what to do. Starla was hearing a lot of noise, but she couldn’t tell what precisely was going on, or hear what was being said. At least, not until the door to the bedroom she was in opened and Chief and Cowboy came in. Chief was carrying a red and white hacky sack and a pair of scissors, while Cowboy had a roll of duct tape and an orange extension cord. The two of them seemed to be in the middle of a conversation.
“…Chicken was wantin’ to take Cathy with him and sell her down in Mexico or somewhere, but Buford told him to leave her and her friend in the trailer,” Cowboy was saying.
Chief nodded. He dropped the hacky sack on the bed next to Starla’s legs, and pulled up her skirt enough to expose most of her left thigh. Then he pulled her pantyhose up away from her skin and started cutting them with the scissors. “I need her left foot free for a minute; untie it for me. You can leave her other foot tied to the bed.” As Chief worked his way around her thigh with the scissors, Cowboy followed Chief’s instructions. By the time Chief got the left leg of Starla’s pantyhose cut loose, Cowboy had freed Starla’s left leg from the bed. Putting the scissors on a nightstand next to the bed, Chief pulled the severed pantyhose leg off of Starla, slid the hacky sack into it, and headed toward the door.
“Shouldn’t I re-tie her foot?” Cowboy asked.
“No time, and she’s not going anywhere. Just leave it,” Chief responded.
The two men left the room, closing the door behind them. Starla now had one leg free, but the other was still tied to the foot of the bed, and her hands were still tied behind her back. She glanced over at the nightstand. The scissors were still there, but they were out of reach of her hands. But maybe, just maybe, she could reach them with her newly freed foot. She was afraid to try at the moment, though; the bad guys could come back in at any time. So she continued to lie there for a while, until eventually the house seemed to grow quiet.
She lay there for a few moments longer, until she felt confident enough that the villains had abandoned the house. Then she made her attempt. If Starla had not been a cheerleader, she might not have been able to pull this off, but she had worked at maximizing her flexibility so she could do things like the splits and other cheerleader poses. She struggled, tossing her body back and forth until she got herself into a position where she thought she might be able to pull it off. She stretched her free leg toward the nightstand, hoping against hope that she could reach the scissors with her foot. It was difficult, but eventually she was able to touch the handles of the scissors with her toes. Now she just had to maneuver the scissors onto the bed within reach of her hands.
She curled her toes, and managed to get what seemed to be the most tenuous of a grip on the handles. She started to pull her leg back slowly. It seemed to be working, but once the scissors had cleared the surface of the nightstand, Starla thought she felt herself losing her grip on them. She panicked, knowing that if she dropped them on the floor they might very well be out of reach. In desperation, she pulled her leg up and back quickly, felt the scissors fly loose, and… land on the bed. By pulling her leg up and back as fast as she could, she’d managed to give the scissors enough momentum in the right direction before she lost her grip to allow them to make it onto the bed.
Now that the scissors were within reach, she just had to get them and make use of them. Moments later, she was using them to saw away at the ropes that held her…
“…Chicken was wantin’ to take Cathy with him and sell her down in Mexico or somewhere, but Buford told him to leave her and her friend in the trailer,” Cowboy was saying.
Chief nodded. He dropped the hacky sack on the bed next to Starla’s legs, and pulled up her skirt enough to expose most of her left thigh. Then he pulled her pantyhose up away from her skin and started cutting them with the scissors. “I need her left foot free for a minute; untie it for me. You can leave her other foot tied to the bed.” As Chief worked his way around her thigh with the scissors, Cowboy followed Chief’s instructions. By the time Chief got the left leg of Starla’s pantyhose cut loose, Cowboy had freed Starla’s left leg from the bed. Putting the scissors on a nightstand next to the bed, Chief pulled the severed pantyhose leg off of Starla, slid the hacky sack into it, and headed toward the door.
“Shouldn’t I re-tie her foot?” Cowboy asked.
“No time, and she’s not going anywhere. Just leave it,” Chief responded.
The two men left the room, closing the door behind them. Starla now had one leg free, but the other was still tied to the foot of the bed, and her hands were still tied behind her back. She glanced over at the nightstand. The scissors were still there, but they were out of reach of her hands. But maybe, just maybe, she could reach them with her newly freed foot. She was afraid to try at the moment, though; the bad guys could come back in at any time. So she continued to lie there for a while, until eventually the house seemed to grow quiet.
She lay there for a few moments longer, until she felt confident enough that the villains had abandoned the house. Then she made her attempt. If Starla had not been a cheerleader, she might not have been able to pull this off, but she had worked at maximizing her flexibility so she could do things like the splits and other cheerleader poses. She struggled, tossing her body back and forth until she got herself into a position where she thought she might be able to pull it off. She stretched her free leg toward the nightstand, hoping against hope that she could reach the scissors with her foot. It was difficult, but eventually she was able to touch the handles of the scissors with her toes. Now she just had to maneuver the scissors onto the bed within reach of her hands.
She curled her toes, and managed to get what seemed to be the most tenuous of a grip on the handles. She started to pull her leg back slowly. It seemed to be working, but once the scissors had cleared the surface of the nightstand, Starla thought she felt herself losing her grip on them. She panicked, knowing that if she dropped them on the floor they might very well be out of reach. In desperation, she pulled her leg up and back quickly, felt the scissors fly loose, and… land on the bed. By pulling her leg up and back as fast as she could, she’d managed to give the scissors enough momentum in the right direction before she lost her grip to allow them to make it onto the bed.
Now that the scissors were within reach, she just had to get them and make use of them. Moments later, she was using them to saw away at the ropes that held her…
The men had left in haste and not even bothered to take the radio gear, but one of them took time to cut the cord to the power supply rendering it inoperable. They didn't even have the decency to upright Shelley's chair. She lay on the floor. Trevor couldn't see her because of the table. With his feet bound to the chair legs, he was unable to scoot it at all. He'd already cracked it somewhere and was afraid to move. The last thing he needed was for it to break while their captors were still present. It took a lot of patience to sit there and wait for the right moment.
From what Trevor could gather about their predicament, the gang was in full panic mode and worried that the law would descend on the farm at any moment. They seemed to be grabbing up the essentials and wanted to get out of town as fast as possible. It appeared their hostages were going to be left to their fate. Trevor silently prayed he was right about the fact they didn't want blood on their hands and were not going to kill them. After what seemed like an eternity, the thugs left the trailer. Trevor still didn't dare to move a muscle, afraid they might come back in for one last check.
He held his breath as he could hear them out front for quite a while. Finally, he heard the big rig's engine start. The roar of the idling drowned out any conversation. After an untold amount of time, the vehicles began to move out and several headlight beams hit the glass. A few tense minutes later, the sound of the vehicles heading down the road slowly grew fainter. Trevor finally let out his breath. He attempted to call out to Shelley but with the gag, it was a series of unintelligible mumbles.
Trevor struggled hard against his bonds and thrashed about. Apparently, the chair was not as badly damaged as he had thought. It took countless minutes to work the rickety wood back and forth before it broke. It was a good thing the men had not tried to hurt either of them. Trevor had envisioned himself waiting for the right moment where he would break the chair and the ropes would go slack and he caught the thugs totally off guard. It was a good thing that had not happened because his plan would not have worked.
Finally, there was another loud crack as the chair finally collapsed and the back broke free of the seat. Unfortunately, the ropes didn't loosen as he had anticipated. He felt a screw or sharp piece of wood scratch his arm. As sweat entered the cut, it burned and he could feel it bleeding. Trevor continued to thrash for a good while. At least he could now see Shelley. Her face was swollen but she seemed to be alright. She seemed to be as good as she could be under the circumstances. He wished he could say something reassuring.
Trevor had to pause to catch his breath multiple times. Eventually, he managed to break the front legs free on the chair. They remained bound to his ankles, but once he could use his legs again, the task of freeing himself become easier. He caught the leg of his jeans on a screw and ripped them open. The chairback slipped through the ropes around his arms. While they were loose and a tangled mess, they didn't simply fall off. The biggest issue was his hands were still bound securely behind his back. That also meant he couldn't loosen his gag. He glanced to Shelley and then to the kitchen cabinets.
Clumsily he made his way that direction and turned around with his back to a drawer. He pulled it open and yanked it so the contents spilled to the floor. He turned and glanced down to see if there was anything useful. No good. It was batteries, writing pens, and other junk. There were no scissors or anything else sharp. Trevor turned around again and did the same thing with the second drawer. This time when the drawer clattered to the floor, eating utensils spilled out. Trevor found a serrated steak knife. He debated if he should try to use it to cut his own bonds or try to move and help Shelley.
Either way, he was going to be working with his hands literally tied behind his back. He figured it made more sense to try to free himself. Trevor also didn't want to risk cutting Shelley with the knife. He slumped to the floor and did his best to saw through the ropes. Leverage and the angle of the blade were not on his side and it took him what seemed like forever before he finally cut through them. It was a really good thing they hadn't set the trailer on fire or rigged a bomb to blow the place up.
Trevor had a newfound respect for James Bond and every other action hero who had ever been left tied up as the room flooded or they worked to get untied as some impending disaster inched closer by the second. Once the ropes finally snapped, Trevor took hold of the tangle of ropes around his upper body and pulled them over his head and tossed them to the floor in a big matted ball.
It took him another moment to get the gag loose. It was too tightly knotted to simply untie it, so Trevor pulled it hard until he got it clear of his jaw and let it drop to his neck. He spit out another wadded-up cloth that had been stuffed in his mouth. Just as Trevor was about to call out to Shelley to let her know he was finally free, he froze.
He could hear someone on the porch. Oh no, had their captors returned? Trevor quickly yanked the remainder of the chair legs free of the ropes around his ankles and grabbed the biggest knife he could find in the spilled drawer. He was numb and achy and could barely move. Trevor realized he was in no condition to fight and at a huge disadvantage. Loose cotton cords were still wrapped around both ankles and he had rope still tied around one wrist as well as the rag around his neck. Please be the cops or Matt or Starla or Short Stuff he prayed as he crouched down behind the counter ready to lunge at whoever came through the door.
From what Trevor could gather about their predicament, the gang was in full panic mode and worried that the law would descend on the farm at any moment. They seemed to be grabbing up the essentials and wanted to get out of town as fast as possible. It appeared their hostages were going to be left to their fate. Trevor silently prayed he was right about the fact they didn't want blood on their hands and were not going to kill them. After what seemed like an eternity, the thugs left the trailer. Trevor still didn't dare to move a muscle, afraid they might come back in for one last check.
He held his breath as he could hear them out front for quite a while. Finally, he heard the big rig's engine start. The roar of the idling drowned out any conversation. After an untold amount of time, the vehicles began to move out and several headlight beams hit the glass. A few tense minutes later, the sound of the vehicles heading down the road slowly grew fainter. Trevor finally let out his breath. He attempted to call out to Shelley but with the gag, it was a series of unintelligible mumbles.
Trevor struggled hard against his bonds and thrashed about. Apparently, the chair was not as badly damaged as he had thought. It took countless minutes to work the rickety wood back and forth before it broke. It was a good thing the men had not tried to hurt either of them. Trevor had envisioned himself waiting for the right moment where he would break the chair and the ropes would go slack and he caught the thugs totally off guard. It was a good thing that had not happened because his plan would not have worked.
Finally, there was another loud crack as the chair finally collapsed and the back broke free of the seat. Unfortunately, the ropes didn't loosen as he had anticipated. He felt a screw or sharp piece of wood scratch his arm. As sweat entered the cut, it burned and he could feel it bleeding. Trevor continued to thrash for a good while. At least he could now see Shelley. Her face was swollen but she seemed to be alright. She seemed to be as good as she could be under the circumstances. He wished he could say something reassuring.
Trevor had to pause to catch his breath multiple times. Eventually, he managed to break the front legs free on the chair. They remained bound to his ankles, but once he could use his legs again, the task of freeing himself become easier. He caught the leg of his jeans on a screw and ripped them open. The chairback slipped through the ropes around his arms. While they were loose and a tangled mess, they didn't simply fall off. The biggest issue was his hands were still bound securely behind his back. That also meant he couldn't loosen his gag. He glanced to Shelley and then to the kitchen cabinets.
Clumsily he made his way that direction and turned around with his back to a drawer. He pulled it open and yanked it so the contents spilled to the floor. He turned and glanced down to see if there was anything useful. No good. It was batteries, writing pens, and other junk. There were no scissors or anything else sharp. Trevor turned around again and did the same thing with the second drawer. This time when the drawer clattered to the floor, eating utensils spilled out. Trevor found a serrated steak knife. He debated if he should try to use it to cut his own bonds or try to move and help Shelley.
Either way, he was going to be working with his hands literally tied behind his back. He figured it made more sense to try to free himself. Trevor also didn't want to risk cutting Shelley with the knife. He slumped to the floor and did his best to saw through the ropes. Leverage and the angle of the blade were not on his side and it took him what seemed like forever before he finally cut through them. It was a really good thing they hadn't set the trailer on fire or rigged a bomb to blow the place up.
Trevor had a newfound respect for James Bond and every other action hero who had ever been left tied up as the room flooded or they worked to get untied as some impending disaster inched closer by the second. Once the ropes finally snapped, Trevor took hold of the tangle of ropes around his upper body and pulled them over his head and tossed them to the floor in a big matted ball.
It took him another moment to get the gag loose. It was too tightly knotted to simply untie it, so Trevor pulled it hard until he got it clear of his jaw and let it drop to his neck. He spit out another wadded-up cloth that had been stuffed in his mouth. Just as Trevor was about to call out to Shelley to let her know he was finally free, he froze.
He could hear someone on the porch. Oh no, had their captors returned? Trevor quickly yanked the remainder of the chair legs free of the ropes around his ankles and grabbed the biggest knife he could find in the spilled drawer. He was numb and achy and could barely move. Trevor realized he was in no condition to fight and at a huge disadvantage. Loose cotton cords were still wrapped around both ankles and he had rope still tied around one wrist as well as the rag around his neck. Please be the cops or Matt or Starla or Short Stuff he prayed as he crouched down behind the counter ready to lunge at whoever came through the door.
Matt didn’t know what kind of trouble had lured the cop away, but as far as he was concerned it was a good thing. Anything that caused problems for those villains was a welcome distraction. Once Buford was out of the room, Matt spent some time trying to pull his hands out of the cuffs, and when that didn’t work he started looking around for something he might use to pick the locks. There really wasn’t a lot in the room. It was a small room with a small bed, probably meant for a child. The bed was pushed up against the wall in the back corner, so that if you were in the door looking into the room the headboard was against the left wall and the left side of the bed was against the back wall. There was an old military-style footlocker against the room’s right wall beyond the foot of the bed, and Matt didn’t know what was in it and couldn’t reach it anyway. The sliding doors of a closet occupied the same wall as the door to the room, and he couldn’t reach that either.
He was getting frustrated. In the stories there was always some clever way for the hero to escape. Too bad real life couldn’t be like that. Eventually he ran out of ideas and sat there for a while trying to think of something else. There was a lot of noise going on in the house, but the door was closed and he couldn’t make out what any of the voices were saying.
Eventually the door opened and Buford came back in. He just said, “I need my handcuffs back,” and Matt noticed he had a roll of duct tape with him. Matt was sitting on the edge of the bed with his hands cuffed to a bedpost, and while he sat there, Buford used some of the tape to secure Matt’s feet. He then tossed Matt bodily onto the bed so that Matt was lying on his right side. Buford used more of the tape to wrap around Matt’s wrists above the handcuffs, and when he thought Matt’s hands were secure he removed the cuffs. He slapped one more piece of tape over Matt’s mouth, and then left without another word.
Matt started struggling again once the cop was out of the room; surely the tape wouldn’t be as secure as the handcuffs had been. But he didn’t seem to be making much progress, and he was already tired from his previous escape attempts. He decided to rest up a little, and lay there on his side looking towards the bedroom’s door. Had it grown quiet in the rest of the house? He wasn’t hearing the noise now that he had earlier. And then the doorknob turned, the door opened just a crack, and he saw the silhouette of someone peaking into the room…
And the door swung open, and it was Starla! With a quick glance to the left and right and a scared look on her face, she slipped into the room and shut the door behind her. Her hair was disheveled, and there were rope marks on her wrists and ankles. She wasn’t wearing any shoes, and for some reason she seemed to be wearing a stocking on one leg but not on the other. In a voice that was kind of a whisper but still loud enough to be heard across the small room, she said, “I think they’re gone.” She hurried over to the bed and pulled the piece of duct tape off his mouth.
“AH!” he said at the sting of the tape being pulled from his skin. He paused for a moment as he looked up at Starla and considered the situation, and then said, “Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?” That line would have been better if it had been Tabby rescuing him, but he had to say it anyway.
Starla looked at him incredulously for a second, and then broke into a laugh as tears simultaneously ran down her cheeks. She threw an arm over him and gave him as good of a hug as his position would allow, then got to work freeing his hands.
Once his hands were free Matt began freeing his own feet while Starla gave him an update on the situation. “There’s another room I haven’t checked yet, and I think they probably put Tabby in there. I’m going to go and see about freeing her. I haven’t seen Trevor or Shelley, but it sounded like they were keeping somebody named Cathy in the trailer outside the house, so maybe they have Trevor and Shelley out there too. Um, think you could check it out?”
“Somebody named Cathy in the trailer? You mean as a prisoner? What’s that all about?” Matt asked.
“I don’t know; it sounded like maybe they had a human trafficking ring going. They said something about selling her in Mexico,” Starla replied.
“Huh; maybe, but for all we know, this Cathy might be a puppy or something,” said Matt. “But, yeah, I’ll go check out the trailer.”
“Thanks, Matt.” Starla headed for the bedroom door and opened it enough to take a quick look outside. Not seeing anyone, she headed for the door to another room while Matt followed her out into the hall and made his way back to the kitchen and out the same door where they’d entered the house.
He was getting frustrated. In the stories there was always some clever way for the hero to escape. Too bad real life couldn’t be like that. Eventually he ran out of ideas and sat there for a while trying to think of something else. There was a lot of noise going on in the house, but the door was closed and he couldn’t make out what any of the voices were saying.
Eventually the door opened and Buford came back in. He just said, “I need my handcuffs back,” and Matt noticed he had a roll of duct tape with him. Matt was sitting on the edge of the bed with his hands cuffed to a bedpost, and while he sat there, Buford used some of the tape to secure Matt’s feet. He then tossed Matt bodily onto the bed so that Matt was lying on his right side. Buford used more of the tape to wrap around Matt’s wrists above the handcuffs, and when he thought Matt’s hands were secure he removed the cuffs. He slapped one more piece of tape over Matt’s mouth, and then left without another word.
Matt started struggling again once the cop was out of the room; surely the tape wouldn’t be as secure as the handcuffs had been. But he didn’t seem to be making much progress, and he was already tired from his previous escape attempts. He decided to rest up a little, and lay there on his side looking towards the bedroom’s door. Had it grown quiet in the rest of the house? He wasn’t hearing the noise now that he had earlier. And then the doorknob turned, the door opened just a crack, and he saw the silhouette of someone peaking into the room…
And the door swung open, and it was Starla! With a quick glance to the left and right and a scared look on her face, she slipped into the room and shut the door behind her. Her hair was disheveled, and there were rope marks on her wrists and ankles. She wasn’t wearing any shoes, and for some reason she seemed to be wearing a stocking on one leg but not on the other. In a voice that was kind of a whisper but still loud enough to be heard across the small room, she said, “I think they’re gone.” She hurried over to the bed and pulled the piece of duct tape off his mouth.
“AH!” he said at the sting of the tape being pulled from his skin. He paused for a moment as he looked up at Starla and considered the situation, and then said, “Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?” That line would have been better if it had been Tabby rescuing him, but he had to say it anyway.
Starla looked at him incredulously for a second, and then broke into a laugh as tears simultaneously ran down her cheeks. She threw an arm over him and gave him as good of a hug as his position would allow, then got to work freeing his hands.
Once his hands were free Matt began freeing his own feet while Starla gave him an update on the situation. “There’s another room I haven’t checked yet, and I think they probably put Tabby in there. I’m going to go and see about freeing her. I haven’t seen Trevor or Shelley, but it sounded like they were keeping somebody named Cathy in the trailer outside the house, so maybe they have Trevor and Shelley out there too. Um, think you could check it out?”
“Somebody named Cathy in the trailer? You mean as a prisoner? What’s that all about?” Matt asked.
“I don’t know; it sounded like maybe they had a human trafficking ring going. They said something about selling her in Mexico,” Starla replied.
“Huh; maybe, but for all we know, this Cathy might be a puppy or something,” said Matt. “But, yeah, I’ll go check out the trailer.”
“Thanks, Matt.” Starla headed for the bedroom door and opened it enough to take a quick look outside. Not seeing anyone, she headed for the door to another room while Matt followed her out into the hall and made his way back to the kitchen and out the same door where they’d entered the house.
Shelley was becoming more aware of the pain in her upper arms where the back of the chair pressed against them, and she was beginning to notice a tingling in her hands. Probably neither of these things was new; she’d just been too afraid to really pay them much attention until now. But the villains’ hurried exit had brought an initial sense of relief, and then more awareness of her immediate situation as she began to worry less about her fate. Her arms were trapped between the floor and the chair back, with her own weight pressing down on both. The tingling in her hands probably meant the combination of the chair pressing into her arms and the ropes binding her arms and wrists were interfering with her circulation. Her feet tingled too, but not as badly as her hands. She needed to get herself untied, but how?
She heard Trevor trying to talk through his gag, and looked in his direction. Since he was on the other side of the table, she could only see him from the waist down, and she couldn’t make out what he was trying to say. Soon he began struggling and thrashing about, apparently trying to break free of his bonds. Inspired by his escape attempts, she briefly tested her own bonds. Her attempts mainly consisted of trying to kick her legs, since she couldn’t really move her arms, but she quickly decided she wasn’t making any progress and stopped, letting out a moan of despair.
Trevor, on the other hand, continued to struggle. Eventually there was a cracking sound, and Shelley watched as Trevor’s chair collapsed. Her eyes went wide and a worried “MMMPH” slipped past her gag. She saw some blood on Trevor’s arm, but he continued to struggle. The back had broken free from his chair, but he was still tied to it and his hands were still bound. He wasn’t free yet, but at least he was making progress. She watched helplessly as he continued to struggle, periodically taking a couple of moments to rest. His persistent efforts finally paid off when he was able to break the chair legs loose, and with a little more struggling he managed to dislodge the chair back from his ropes. He looked at her and then in the direction of the kitchen, and seemed to be deciding on his next action. He got to his feet, and she watched as he started walking toward the kitchen, chair legs still tied to him, until he disappeared from her field of view.
She couldn’t see Trevor any more from her position, but she continued to listen. She soon heard what sounded like a drawer being pulled open, and then a crashing sound, like lots of small objects hitting the floor. A moment later she heard almost the same sound again. That was followed by more struggling sounds, not too unlike the ones she’d heard when Trevor had been trying to get free of the chair earlier. She hoped he could get free soon; her arms and hands were really starting to bother her. And then she heard the sound of footsteps outside the trailer, and her heart leapt into her throat, worried that the villains had returned. It sounded like Trevor had the same thoughts, because after a couple more low-volume noises from him, things grew quiet, until the door opened.
She heard Trevor trying to talk through his gag, and looked in his direction. Since he was on the other side of the table, she could only see him from the waist down, and she couldn’t make out what he was trying to say. Soon he began struggling and thrashing about, apparently trying to break free of his bonds. Inspired by his escape attempts, she briefly tested her own bonds. Her attempts mainly consisted of trying to kick her legs, since she couldn’t really move her arms, but she quickly decided she wasn’t making any progress and stopped, letting out a moan of despair.
Trevor, on the other hand, continued to struggle. Eventually there was a cracking sound, and Shelley watched as Trevor’s chair collapsed. Her eyes went wide and a worried “MMMPH” slipped past her gag. She saw some blood on Trevor’s arm, but he continued to struggle. The back had broken free from his chair, but he was still tied to it and his hands were still bound. He wasn’t free yet, but at least he was making progress. She watched helplessly as he continued to struggle, periodically taking a couple of moments to rest. His persistent efforts finally paid off when he was able to break the chair legs loose, and with a little more struggling he managed to dislodge the chair back from his ropes. He looked at her and then in the direction of the kitchen, and seemed to be deciding on his next action. He got to his feet, and she watched as he started walking toward the kitchen, chair legs still tied to him, until he disappeared from her field of view.
She couldn’t see Trevor any more from her position, but she continued to listen. She soon heard what sounded like a drawer being pulled open, and then a crashing sound, like lots of small objects hitting the floor. A moment later she heard almost the same sound again. That was followed by more struggling sounds, not too unlike the ones she’d heard when Trevor had been trying to get free of the chair earlier. She hoped he could get free soon; her arms and hands were really starting to bother her. And then she heard the sound of footsteps outside the trailer, and her heart leapt into her throat, worried that the villains had returned. It sounded like Trevor had the same thoughts, because after a couple more low-volume noises from him, things grew quiet, until the door opened.
At first it opened just a crack, followed by a short pause; and then it opened wider, and Matt stuck his head in and took a quick look around. He spotted Trevor crouched behind the counter and he saw Shelley still tied to the overturned chair, but no bad guys. Fragments of rope, pieces of a chair, kitchen utensils, and any number of other small items lay scattered around the floor. Realizing he wasn’t going to be prompted with an “Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper” quote, he skipped the “Huh? Oh, the uniform” line and proceeded on to “I’m Luke Skywalker; I’m here to rescue you.” He figured Trevor and Shelley would want to know about Starla and Tabby right away, so he said. “Starla’s okay; she’s back in the house looking for Short Stuff. We’re pretty sure she’s okay too; we just weren’t sure which room they put her in.”
*tag Trevor*
Matt looked back and forth between Shelley and Trevor. Clearly Shelley was the one most in need of help; Trevor looked like he’d just managed to free himself, though there were still ropes around his ankles and one wrist, and what looked like a gag hanging around his neck. But other than that he was free, and he also had a big kitchen knife in his hand. Matt turned back to Shelley and said, “Hold on, Shelley, we’ll get you loose in a minute, but I’m going to need Trevor’s help to get you uprighted. You okay?”
Shelley said, “Mmm” and nodded, but Matt could tell she was in a lot of discomfort.
Matt moved to offer Trevor any assistance he needed to finish getting free. Realizing that the knife Trevor held would be useful in cutting through ropes, Matt picked up another one that had fallen on the floor. He was sure it would be quicker and easier to cut the ropes rather than trying to untie Shelley’s knots.
Hurrying over to Shelley, Matt looked over her to see how she was tied. “It looks like it would be easier to cut her feet free if we do that before setting her upright, but it looks like her arms are being crushed, so maybe we should set her up first. What do you think?” Matt asked.
*tag Trevor*
*tag Trevor*
Matt looked back and forth between Shelley and Trevor. Clearly Shelley was the one most in need of help; Trevor looked like he’d just managed to free himself, though there were still ropes around his ankles and one wrist, and what looked like a gag hanging around his neck. But other than that he was free, and he also had a big kitchen knife in his hand. Matt turned back to Shelley and said, “Hold on, Shelley, we’ll get you loose in a minute, but I’m going to need Trevor’s help to get you uprighted. You okay?”
Shelley said, “Mmm” and nodded, but Matt could tell she was in a lot of discomfort.
Matt moved to offer Trevor any assistance he needed to finish getting free. Realizing that the knife Trevor held would be useful in cutting through ropes, Matt picked up another one that had fallen on the floor. He was sure it would be quicker and easier to cut the ropes rather than trying to untie Shelley’s knots.
Hurrying over to Shelley, Matt looked over her to see how she was tied. “It looks like it would be easier to cut her feet free if we do that before setting her upright, but it looks like her arms are being crushed, so maybe we should set her up first. What do you think?” Matt asked.
*tag Trevor*
At first it opened just a crack, followed by a short pause; and then it opened wider, and Matt stuck his head in and took a quick look around. He spotted Trevor crouched behind the counter and he saw Shelley still tied to the overturned chair, but no bad guys. Fragments of rope, pieces of a chair, kitchen utensils, and any number of other small items lay scattered around the floor. Realizing he wasn’t going to be prompted with an “Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper” quote, he skipped the “Huh? Oh, the uniform” line and proceeded on to “I’m Luke Skywalker; I’m here to rescue you.” He figured Trevor and Shelley would want to know about Starla and Tabby right away, so he said. “Starla’s okay; she’s back in the house looking for Short Stuff. We’re pretty sure she’s okay too; we just weren’t sure which room they put her in.”
"Ben Kenobi? Where is he," Trevor asked quickly skipping over the 'little short for a stormtrooper' line which would have preceded Matt's line. "The princess is here? We should search the detention area and get over there and look for her! We'd better get Shelley untied first, though."
*Tag Matt*
Matt looked back and forth between Shelley and Trevor. Clearly, Shelley was the one most in need of help; Trevor looked like he’d just managed to free himself, though there were still ropes around his ankles and one wrist, and what looked like a gag hanging around his neck. But other than that he was free, and he also had a big kitchen knife in his hand. Matt turned back to Shelley and said, “Hold on, Shelley, we’ll get you loose in a minute, but I’m going to need Trevor’s help to get you uprighted. You okay?”
Shelley said, “Mmm” and nodded, but Matt could tell she was in a lot of discomfort.
Matt moved to offer Trevor any assistance he needed to finish getting free. Realizing that the knife Trevor held would be useful in cutting through ropes, Matt picked up another one that had fallen on the floor. He was sure it would be quicker and easier to cut the ropes rather than trying to untie Shelley’s knots.
Trevor quickly untangled the remaining ropes from his arms and legs and wasted no time making his way over to Shelley.
Hurrying over to Shelley, Matt looked over her to see how she was tied. “It looks like it would be easier to cut her feet free if we do that before setting her upright, but it looks like her arms are being crushed, so maybe we should set her up first. What do you think?” Matt asked.
Trevor nodded. He got on one side of her as Matt got to the other. "Let's upright her first. Get on the other side of the chair. Okay, ready? lift," Trevor instructed as he and Matt lifted the chair that she was bound to. As soon the chair was back on all four legs, Trevor unknotted Shelley's gag.
"Are you okay," he asked quickly.
*Tag Shelley*
"Hold really still," Trevor instructed. He carefully cut through the rope around her neck. He realized they were lucky it didn't choke her when the chair was knocked over. She could have easily tightened it without meaning to while struggling to try to free herself.
*Tag Shelley*
"Work on her feet, Captain Hunter," he instructed.
*Tag Matt*
Trevor started working on the ropes around her upper body while Matt untied Shelley's feet and legs. They were going to have to completely free her legs, feet, and upper body before they could effectively get to her hands.
Once they had made significant progress on freeing Shelley, Trevor stood up. "Finish untying her," Trevor said. "I'm going to check on Starla and Short Stuff."
*Tag Matt*
Trevor hurried out the door, glanced around to see if there was any sign of anyone else, and then cut across the yard toward the house. He noticed Matt's van was sitting in the yard near the tow truck. Hopefully, Matt still had his keys and Trevor could find the parts and tools he needed to get the van fixed up once everyone was untied. He'd witnessed the thugs disable the phone and radio in the trailer and could only assume they'd done the same in the house.
"Ben Kenobi? Where is he," Trevor asked quickly skipping over the 'little short for a stormtrooper' line which would have preceded Matt's line. "The princess is here? We should search the detention area and get over there and look for her! We'd better get Shelley untied first, though."
*Tag Matt*
Matt looked back and forth between Shelley and Trevor. Clearly, Shelley was the one most in need of help; Trevor looked like he’d just managed to free himself, though there were still ropes around his ankles and one wrist, and what looked like a gag hanging around his neck. But other than that he was free, and he also had a big kitchen knife in his hand. Matt turned back to Shelley and said, “Hold on, Shelley, we’ll get you loose in a minute, but I’m going to need Trevor’s help to get you uprighted. You okay?”
Shelley said, “Mmm” and nodded, but Matt could tell she was in a lot of discomfort.
Matt moved to offer Trevor any assistance he needed to finish getting free. Realizing that the knife Trevor held would be useful in cutting through ropes, Matt picked up another one that had fallen on the floor. He was sure it would be quicker and easier to cut the ropes rather than trying to untie Shelley’s knots.
Trevor quickly untangled the remaining ropes from his arms and legs and wasted no time making his way over to Shelley.
Hurrying over to Shelley, Matt looked over her to see how she was tied. “It looks like it would be easier to cut her feet free if we do that before setting her upright, but it looks like her arms are being crushed, so maybe we should set her up first. What do you think?” Matt asked.
Trevor nodded. He got on one side of her as Matt got to the other. "Let's upright her first. Get on the other side of the chair. Okay, ready? lift," Trevor instructed as he and Matt lifted the chair that she was bound to. As soon the chair was back on all four legs, Trevor unknotted Shelley's gag.
"Are you okay," he asked quickly.
*Tag Shelley*
"Hold really still," Trevor instructed. He carefully cut through the rope around her neck. He realized they were lucky it didn't choke her when the chair was knocked over. She could have easily tightened it without meaning to while struggling to try to free herself.
*Tag Shelley*
"Work on her feet, Captain Hunter," he instructed.
*Tag Matt*
Trevor started working on the ropes around her upper body while Matt untied Shelley's feet and legs. They were going to have to completely free her legs, feet, and upper body before they could effectively get to her hands.
Once they had made significant progress on freeing Shelley, Trevor stood up. "Finish untying her," Trevor said. "I'm going to check on Starla and Short Stuff."
*Tag Matt*
Trevor hurried out the door, glanced around to see if there was any sign of anyone else, and then cut across the yard toward the house. He noticed Matt's van was sitting in the yard near the tow truck. Hopefully, Matt still had his keys and Trevor could find the parts and tools he needed to get the van fixed up once everyone was untied. He'd witnessed the thugs disable the phone and radio in the trailer and could only assume they'd done the same in the house.
There were a few more doors down the hall, and they were all open except one. Starla figured Tabby was probably in there, but she took a quick look through each open door as she approached the closed one just to make sure. Not seeing Tabby in any of the other rooms, she opened the last door and looked in. She didn’t see Tabby in there either, and her heart sank. But then she noticed a short tube of brown cardboard on the floor, and realized it was probably the core of a used-up roll of duct tape; and then she noticed there was another closed door in the room, probably to a closet. With renewed hope, she went to it and opened the door, and found Tabby.
Tabby’s hands were taped together and to her upper legs, her feet were tied, she had an orange extension cord wrapped around her upper body and arms, and she had a hacky sack stuffed in her mouth and held in place with pantyhose. Starla understood now why the two men had paid a visit to the room she’d been tied up in before they left. “Tabby! Don’t worry, the bad guys are gone and I’m going to get you out. Matt’s okay; he’s gone to look for Trevor and Shelley.”
She squatted down in front of Tabby, trying to decide which part of her to free first. She quickly decided Tabby would want the gag out first so she could breathe better and could talk. She reached behind Tabby’s head and started tugging at the knot, but it was pulled tight, and Starla quickly realized she wasn’t making any progress. “Hold on, I have to go in the other room and get some scissors. Don’t worry, I’ll be right back,” she said before arising and hurrying out of the room.
*tag Tabby*
Starla rushed to the room she’d been tied up in and retrieved the scissors she’d used to free herself. Mentally she berated herself for not having brought them along to begin with, and she hoped Tabby wasn’t panicking. Probably only a few seconds had passed while she was out of Tabby’s sight, but she imagined it would seem longer to Tabby, so she wasted no time in rushing back to where Tabby was bound. She slipped a finger between Tabby’s cheek and the hose and used the gap it created to carefully slide one scissor blade through, and snipped the hose in two. Then it was easy to get the makeshift ball gag out of Tabby’s mouth.
*tag Tabby*
Starla untied the extension cord next, and did so with no trouble at all. Extension cords couldn’t really be knotted securely the way pantyhose could. Then she went to work on the duct tape, quickly finding the end of the tape and tugging it loose. Duct tape might be hard to get out of if you were bound with it, but it was fairly easy to pull loose from someone else once you got hold of the end of it. After a few moments of unwrapping, she had Tabby’s hands free.
*tag Tabby*
Tabby’s hands were taped together and to her upper legs, her feet were tied, she had an orange extension cord wrapped around her upper body and arms, and she had a hacky sack stuffed in her mouth and held in place with pantyhose. Starla understood now why the two men had paid a visit to the room she’d been tied up in before they left. “Tabby! Don’t worry, the bad guys are gone and I’m going to get you out. Matt’s okay; he’s gone to look for Trevor and Shelley.”
She squatted down in front of Tabby, trying to decide which part of her to free first. She quickly decided Tabby would want the gag out first so she could breathe better and could talk. She reached behind Tabby’s head and started tugging at the knot, but it was pulled tight, and Starla quickly realized she wasn’t making any progress. “Hold on, I have to go in the other room and get some scissors. Don’t worry, I’ll be right back,” she said before arising and hurrying out of the room.
*tag Tabby*
Starla rushed to the room she’d been tied up in and retrieved the scissors she’d used to free herself. Mentally she berated herself for not having brought them along to begin with, and she hoped Tabby wasn’t panicking. Probably only a few seconds had passed while she was out of Tabby’s sight, but she imagined it would seem longer to Tabby, so she wasted no time in rushing back to where Tabby was bound. She slipped a finger between Tabby’s cheek and the hose and used the gap it created to carefully slide one scissor blade through, and snipped the hose in two. Then it was easy to get the makeshift ball gag out of Tabby’s mouth.
*tag Tabby*
Starla untied the extension cord next, and did so with no trouble at all. Extension cords couldn’t really be knotted securely the way pantyhose could. Then she went to work on the duct tape, quickly finding the end of the tape and tugging it loose. Duct tape might be hard to get out of if you were bound with it, but it was fairly easy to pull loose from someone else once you got hold of the end of it. After a few moments of unwrapping, she had Tabby’s hands free.
*tag Tabby*
Tabby was both seething and scared at the same time. She was furious with her mother. While she hated going to the dentist, she resented being treated like a child. She was in high school and if she didn’t want to go to the dentist that was her right! Yet, here she was, literally strapped down to the dentist’s chair like a prisoner.
Thompson, the cop that had ‘arrested her’ at the carnival was the dentist. “This is what happens when you refuse to come to your appointments. Now we have to do it the hard way!” Tabby was too terrified to respond. She desperately wanted to reach out and fiddle with her hair the way she did when she was nervous.
She struggled furiously, but she couldn’t move. A black cape, the kind a barber or stylist used during a haircut covered her from the neck down like a blanket. Despite not being able to move much, she managed to shake it loose. As it fell to the floor, she realized in horror that she was literally tied to the dental chair with rope.
These weren’t medical restraints. Had her parents kidnapped her and brought her into the office like this? Had people in the lobby seen her tied up? Tabby was horrified. She wasn’t clear how she got here. Had she been unconscious until now? She was about to scream “let me out!” when something was forced into her mouth and a strap was buckled behind her head, silencing her.
Tabby looked up at the nurse. It was mama. “This is what happens when you fuss and carry on like that” She scolded.
Tabby thrashed about but the ropes were too tight. She tried arguing with the nurse but couldn’t speak. The nurse adjusted the lamp over the dental chair closer to Tabby’s face as she continued desperately to try to free herself. She was disoriented momentarily as the beam hit her right in the eyes blinding her.
“Tabby! You don’t want your friends to see you like this. Matt just went to go get Trevor and Shelley,” a different, familiar female voice suddenly said. All she could see was the outline of a figure towering over her. Her nurse? Now she was lying in a hospital bed instead of the dentist chair.
“Mmmmpppppppph,” Tabby protested still half asleep. She wasn’t processing what was happening as the dentist’s office morphed into a hospital room.
No, wait! Tabby shook her head vigorously and struggled. They couldn’t see her like this! She glanced down again and now she was in a straitjacket instead of tied with ropes, but was still gagged. There’s been a mistake! I’m not supposed to be here! I’m not crazy!
“Mmmmmph mmmmmppphhh, mmmmphhhh,” Tabby frantically tried to beg. She desperately tried to communicate with the woman to untie her so her friends didn’t see her in a straitjacket like a mental patient but the ball in her mouth prevented her words from being intelligible. It was garbled gibberish.
Tabby glanced down at the cape she’d managed to throw off of herself, only now it was a blanket crumpled up on the floor. Tabby glanced between the shadowy figure of the nurse and the blanket trying to tell the woman what she wanted with her eyes. At least let me talk! Please remove my gag and cover me up so they don’t see me tied up like this!
It was too late, as her vision cleared, and Starla was already standing there at her bedside looking down at her. Tabby just stared at her for a moment completely horrified unable to explain to Starla how she got here or ask her for help.
Suddenly, she realized it had all been a terrible dream! Yes, she was really tied up, but she wasn’t at the dentist or in a psych ward. She was in the closet of the creepy house at The Farm. Starla was here and was working on untying her. Tabby was still disoriented though. Who had untied Starla? Tabby remembered seeing her lying on her stomach with a rag covering her mouth on the kitchen floor. Where were Matt, Trevor, and Shelley?
Starla knelt over her, examining her bonds as if debating where to start. Tabby desperately wanted to tell her to remove her gag first, but obviously couldn’t. The thugs had knotted the fabric on either side of the beanbag ball keeping it centered. The ends of the cloth had been pulled tightly and were tied behind the back of her head to keep the ball in place. The pantyhose tugged uncomfortably at the corners of her mouth. At the same time, it kept the ball just deep enough in her mouth to plug it preventing her from uttering almost any sound while forcing her lips to wrap around it, keeping them immobile and rendering them unable to form any words. She couldn't use her tongue to push it out of her mouth.
Starla reached behind Tabby’s head and started tugging at the knot of her gag, but it was pulled too tight, and Starla quickly realized she wasn’t making any progress, even with her fingernails. It looked like for a moment she was going to give up and work on something else. Tabby’s heart sank. Was Starla going to free her mouth last? Would she have to go outside like this, unable to speak, looking ridiculous?
“Hold on, I have to go in the other room and get some scissors. Don’t worry, I’ll be right back,” she said before rising and hurrying out of the room.
Tabby again let out an unintelligible hum but nodded that she understood. Starla hurried out of the bedroom, leaving the door wide open. She was only gone for several seconds but it seemed like an eternity.
Tabby no longer noticed the achiness from being held immobile. Even though she realized the dentist/hospital thing had been a dream, she suddenly felt very awkward and embarrassed to be lying on the floor like this unable to move or speak.
She somehow felt robbed that she wasn’t able to immediately utter some witty remark the moment Starla burst in the way Matt would have, although nothing witty came to mind. It seemed strange that humiliation was the emotion Tabby felt right now. She could think of far more embarrassing situations to be in like being totally naked or even just in her undergarments. For some reason though, she felt very angry and resentful that she could only communicate through head nods and eye movements and had to spend an extra minute or two gagged. It just somehow seemed very unfair.
Starla rushed back into the room finally with a pair of scissors and immediately knelt down beside her. She slipped a finger between Tabby’s cheek and the hose and used the gap it created to carefully slide one scissor blade through, and snipped the hose in two. Starla immediately pulled the ball out of Tabby’s mouth. Tabby had never felt so liberated in her life, even though she was still tied up.
“Oh my god, that was awful!" She exclaimed as soon as she could speak. She had never been so glad to see someone in her life and even more glad it was Starla. There were so many things Tabby wanted to tell her suddenly. A thousand questions flooded Tabby’s mind and she desperately had to get them all out at once.
“Wait, how did you escape? Do you know how long we were tied up… what time is it? Has anyone called the police yet,” she asked rapid-fire.
Tabby realized she was bombarding Starla with questions faster than she could respond. She took a deep breath.
“Sorry,” Tabby said quickly. “Maybe you should have saved the gag for last.” She forced a little chuckle, hoping to make the situation less awkward although she was glad that had been the first restraint Starla had removed. The feeling of embarrassment was slowly fading. The joke about saving the gag for last was the only witty thing she could come up with, but in the back of her mind, she still felt violated over it.
*tag Starla*
Starla looked over Tabby’s bonds and went for the extension cord around her arms next. Starla had to help her sit up. The only way to do that was to move Tabby to her knees so she was kneeling. She had to lean forward slightly due to her hands being taped to her thighs.
It only took her a minute or two to unwind the extension cord from around her upper body. If Tabby’s feet were free it might have been easy for Starla to take an end and circle her as she unwound it or for Tabby to spin in the opposite direction, but she couldn’t stand with her ankles tied.
Untying the extension cord did little to offer Tabby much in the way of additional movement, but it did feel good to have it gone. She hadn’t realized how much it had dug into her arms until she saw the pressure marks on them.
Starla then found the edge of the duct tape around her legs and unraveled it. After a few passes, she could lift her hands, which had been essentially wrapped like a mummy. A few more layers and Tabby’s fingers were free. They were very red from the lack of circulation and she immediately wiggled them. Her wrists were still bound together with a separate strip of silver tape. Tabby flexed her fingers a few more times before extending her wrists out so Starla could finish untying them.
The minute Tabby’s hands were free, she threw her arms around Starla. She was momentarily overcome with emotion and was surprised herself to find that she was sobbing. It was a mixture of relief and pent-up rage from the dream. She fell forward, forgetting her feet were still tied together as she did.
*Tag Starla*
Tabby glanced at her ankles. They had used an elastic bungee cord which they had knotted and then clipped the 2 metal hooks together. She’d deal with that in a moment.
“Holy shit, Starla,” Tabby exclaimed as she squeezed the life out of her and took a moment to catch her own breath. “We got Nancy Drewed… for real! We’re like a real-life Daphane and Velma now… but the crooks got away…” She wiped a few tears from her eyes and laughed.
“Hey, were you crying,” She asked, pretending she hadn’t just done the same thing herself a moment earlier. Starla's mascara was a little streaked and her eyes were red.
Tabby suddenly froze as she heard the front door open. The hinges squeaked and then the door slammed a few seconds later. “Starla? Short Stuff? Are you two in here,” Trevor called.
Tabby suddenly let go of Starla and tugged at the bungee cord around her ankles. She did not want Trevor to see her tied up, even if it was just her feet at this point.
*Tag Starla*
Thompson, the cop that had ‘arrested her’ at the carnival was the dentist. “This is what happens when you refuse to come to your appointments. Now we have to do it the hard way!” Tabby was too terrified to respond. She desperately wanted to reach out and fiddle with her hair the way she did when she was nervous.
She struggled furiously, but she couldn’t move. A black cape, the kind a barber or stylist used during a haircut covered her from the neck down like a blanket. Despite not being able to move much, she managed to shake it loose. As it fell to the floor, she realized in horror that she was literally tied to the dental chair with rope.
These weren’t medical restraints. Had her parents kidnapped her and brought her into the office like this? Had people in the lobby seen her tied up? Tabby was horrified. She wasn’t clear how she got here. Had she been unconscious until now? She was about to scream “let me out!” when something was forced into her mouth and a strap was buckled behind her head, silencing her.
Tabby looked up at the nurse. It was mama. “This is what happens when you fuss and carry on like that” She scolded.
Tabby thrashed about but the ropes were too tight. She tried arguing with the nurse but couldn’t speak. The nurse adjusted the lamp over the dental chair closer to Tabby’s face as she continued desperately to try to free herself. She was disoriented momentarily as the beam hit her right in the eyes blinding her.
“Tabby! You don’t want your friends to see you like this. Matt just went to go get Trevor and Shelley,” a different, familiar female voice suddenly said. All she could see was the outline of a figure towering over her. Her nurse? Now she was lying in a hospital bed instead of the dentist chair.
“Mmmmpppppppph,” Tabby protested still half asleep. She wasn’t processing what was happening as the dentist’s office morphed into a hospital room.
No, wait! Tabby shook her head vigorously and struggled. They couldn’t see her like this! She glanced down again and now she was in a straitjacket instead of tied with ropes, but was still gagged. There’s been a mistake! I’m not supposed to be here! I’m not crazy!
“Mmmmmph mmmmmppphhh, mmmmphhhh,” Tabby frantically tried to beg. She desperately tried to communicate with the woman to untie her so her friends didn’t see her in a straitjacket like a mental patient but the ball in her mouth prevented her words from being intelligible. It was garbled gibberish.
Tabby glanced down at the cape she’d managed to throw off of herself, only now it was a blanket crumpled up on the floor. Tabby glanced between the shadowy figure of the nurse and the blanket trying to tell the woman what she wanted with her eyes. At least let me talk! Please remove my gag and cover me up so they don’t see me tied up like this!
It was too late, as her vision cleared, and Starla was already standing there at her bedside looking down at her. Tabby just stared at her for a moment completely horrified unable to explain to Starla how she got here or ask her for help.
Suddenly, she realized it had all been a terrible dream! Yes, she was really tied up, but she wasn’t at the dentist or in a psych ward. She was in the closet of the creepy house at The Farm. Starla was here and was working on untying her. Tabby was still disoriented though. Who had untied Starla? Tabby remembered seeing her lying on her stomach with a rag covering her mouth on the kitchen floor. Where were Matt, Trevor, and Shelley?
Starla knelt over her, examining her bonds as if debating where to start. Tabby desperately wanted to tell her to remove her gag first, but obviously couldn’t. The thugs had knotted the fabric on either side of the beanbag ball keeping it centered. The ends of the cloth had been pulled tightly and were tied behind the back of her head to keep the ball in place. The pantyhose tugged uncomfortably at the corners of her mouth. At the same time, it kept the ball just deep enough in her mouth to plug it preventing her from uttering almost any sound while forcing her lips to wrap around it, keeping them immobile and rendering them unable to form any words. She couldn't use her tongue to push it out of her mouth.
Starla reached behind Tabby’s head and started tugging at the knot of her gag, but it was pulled too tight, and Starla quickly realized she wasn’t making any progress, even with her fingernails. It looked like for a moment she was going to give up and work on something else. Tabby’s heart sank. Was Starla going to free her mouth last? Would she have to go outside like this, unable to speak, looking ridiculous?
“Hold on, I have to go in the other room and get some scissors. Don’t worry, I’ll be right back,” she said before rising and hurrying out of the room.
Tabby again let out an unintelligible hum but nodded that she understood. Starla hurried out of the bedroom, leaving the door wide open. She was only gone for several seconds but it seemed like an eternity.
Tabby no longer noticed the achiness from being held immobile. Even though she realized the dentist/hospital thing had been a dream, she suddenly felt very awkward and embarrassed to be lying on the floor like this unable to move or speak.
She somehow felt robbed that she wasn’t able to immediately utter some witty remark the moment Starla burst in the way Matt would have, although nothing witty came to mind. It seemed strange that humiliation was the emotion Tabby felt right now. She could think of far more embarrassing situations to be in like being totally naked or even just in her undergarments. For some reason though, she felt very angry and resentful that she could only communicate through head nods and eye movements and had to spend an extra minute or two gagged. It just somehow seemed very unfair.
Starla rushed back into the room finally with a pair of scissors and immediately knelt down beside her. She slipped a finger between Tabby’s cheek and the hose and used the gap it created to carefully slide one scissor blade through, and snipped the hose in two. Starla immediately pulled the ball out of Tabby’s mouth. Tabby had never felt so liberated in her life, even though she was still tied up.
“Oh my god, that was awful!" She exclaimed as soon as she could speak. She had never been so glad to see someone in her life and even more glad it was Starla. There were so many things Tabby wanted to tell her suddenly. A thousand questions flooded Tabby’s mind and she desperately had to get them all out at once.
“Wait, how did you escape? Do you know how long we were tied up… what time is it? Has anyone called the police yet,” she asked rapid-fire.
Tabby realized she was bombarding Starla with questions faster than she could respond. She took a deep breath.
“Sorry,” Tabby said quickly. “Maybe you should have saved the gag for last.” She forced a little chuckle, hoping to make the situation less awkward although she was glad that had been the first restraint Starla had removed. The feeling of embarrassment was slowly fading. The joke about saving the gag for last was the only witty thing she could come up with, but in the back of her mind, she still felt violated over it.
*tag Starla*
Starla looked over Tabby’s bonds and went for the extension cord around her arms next. Starla had to help her sit up. The only way to do that was to move Tabby to her knees so she was kneeling. She had to lean forward slightly due to her hands being taped to her thighs.
It only took her a minute or two to unwind the extension cord from around her upper body. If Tabby’s feet were free it might have been easy for Starla to take an end and circle her as she unwound it or for Tabby to spin in the opposite direction, but she couldn’t stand with her ankles tied.
Untying the extension cord did little to offer Tabby much in the way of additional movement, but it did feel good to have it gone. She hadn’t realized how much it had dug into her arms until she saw the pressure marks on them.
Starla then found the edge of the duct tape around her legs and unraveled it. After a few passes, she could lift her hands, which had been essentially wrapped like a mummy. A few more layers and Tabby’s fingers were free. They were very red from the lack of circulation and she immediately wiggled them. Her wrists were still bound together with a separate strip of silver tape. Tabby flexed her fingers a few more times before extending her wrists out so Starla could finish untying them.
The minute Tabby’s hands were free, she threw her arms around Starla. She was momentarily overcome with emotion and was surprised herself to find that she was sobbing. It was a mixture of relief and pent-up rage from the dream. She fell forward, forgetting her feet were still tied together as she did.
*Tag Starla*
Tabby glanced at her ankles. They had used an elastic bungee cord which they had knotted and then clipped the 2 metal hooks together. She’d deal with that in a moment.
“Holy shit, Starla,” Tabby exclaimed as she squeezed the life out of her and took a moment to catch her own breath. “We got Nancy Drewed… for real! We’re like a real-life Daphane and Velma now… but the crooks got away…” She wiped a few tears from her eyes and laughed.
“Hey, were you crying,” She asked, pretending she hadn’t just done the same thing herself a moment earlier. Starla's mascara was a little streaked and her eyes were red.
Tabby suddenly froze as she heard the front door open. The hinges squeaked and then the door slammed a few seconds later. “Starla? Short Stuff? Are you two in here,” Trevor called.
Tabby suddenly let go of Starla and tugged at the bungee cord around her ankles. She did not want Trevor to see her tied up, even if it was just her feet at this point.
*Tag Starla*
Shelley tensed up when she saw the door opening, not knowing who was coming through. She felt a huge wave of relief when she saw that it was Matt. This was her moment to ask him if he wasn’t a little short for a stormtrooper, but she was gagged and so she missed her opportunity to contribute to the Star Wars banter. Matt and Trevor went ahead with it as expected.
"Ben Kenobi? Where is he," Trevor asked quickly skipping over the 'little short for a stormtrooper' line which would have preceded Matt's line. "The princess is here? We should search the detention area and get over there and look for her! We'd better get Shelley untied first, though."
“Walking into the detention area was not what I had in mind!” said Matt, switching into the role of Han. He looked back and forth between Shelley and Trevor, apparently trying to decide what to do next. Matt turned back to Shelley and said, “Hold on, Shelley, we’ll get you loose in a minute, but I’m going to need Trevor’s help to get you uprighted. You okay?”
Shelley said, “Mmm” and nodded, giving her tacit consent. She understood that Matt might need Trevor’s help to get her set back upright, but she was in a lot of discomfort, and that made her impatient to get untied. From her position on the floor, she didn’t have a good line of sight to where Trevor had taken cover back behind the counter, so she couldn’t tell how close he was to getting loose. There was nothing for her to do but wait until Matt finished freeing Trevor; she just wished they’d skip the Star Wars nonsense and get on with it.
Matt disappeared from her view as he went to help Trevor get loose, though she could still hear the noises the two of them were making. After a moment or two they both reappeared, each equipped with a kitchen knife. They paused for a few seconds to examine how she was tied and decide how to proceed. “It looks like it would be easier to cut her feet free if we do that before setting her upright, but it looks like her arms are being crushed, so maybe we should set her up first. What do you think?” Matt asked.
As Shelley lay there looking up at the two of them while they studied her, she began to get a feeling of self-consciousness about her situation. It occurred to her that the hem of her dress had dropped when her chair had been overturned, causing it to be bunched up near her hips and leaving most of her thighs exposed. It was a silly thing to be embarrassed about, she knew; both of these guys had seen more of her legs on multiple occasions, like when she’d worn the bikini in the beauty pageant and in the boat outing. So why was it bothering her now? Perhaps because on those other occasions it’d been her own choice to wear something revealing, or maybe it was just because she was currently helpless to do anything about it. Being unable to talk with them while she was gagged might have played a role as well. Basically, being helpless was just humiliating overall, she decided.
Trevor nodded. He got on one side of her as Matt got to the other. "Let's upright her first. Get on the other side of the chair. Okay, ready? lift," Trevor instructed as he and Matt lifted the chair that she was bound to. As soon the chair was back on all four legs, Trevor unknotted Shelley's gag.
"Are you okay," he asked quickly.
Shelley breathed a sigh of relief once the gag was out of her mouth. “Yeah, I think so,” she said. She was glad her arms were no longer bearing the weight of her body and the chair, though there was some new pain in her arms, maybe from blood rushing in to replenish the previously inadequate supply. She was sure there was going to be some bruising.
"Hold really still," Trevor instructed. He carefully cut through the rope around her neck. He realized they were lucky it didn't choke her when the chair was knocked over. She could have easily tightened it without meaning to while struggling to try to free herself.
“Thanks,” said Shelley, glad to have the rope off her neck. Fortunately it had never been all that tight; the villains had used it almost like a leash, to drag her out to the trailer. But while it was on her neck it had been a choking hazard.
"Work on her feet, Captain Hunter," Trevor instructed.
Matt knelt by the side of the chair and looked beneath the seat. Shelley’s feet weren’t tied to the chair’s legs, but to a supporting strut that ran from left to right under the seat about halfway back. Matt thrust the knife under the seat toward the rear of the chair and started moving his arm back and forth. Shelley felt a tugging on the rope that held her feet to the strut, and realized Matt must be sawing on the part of the rope that went behind the strut, away from her legs. Eventually she felt that rope snap, and she was able to pull her feet out from under the seat, though they were still tied together by Jerry’s rope. Matt began unwrapping the rest of the rope he’d just sliced through from her ankles and legs. “Another rope?” Matt asked when he realized there was a second rope under the first still holding Shelley’s feet together.
“Some guy in a black baseball cap tied that rope you just sliced through, when he decided he wasn’t happy that my feet weren’t actually tied to the chair,” said Shelley. She didn’t mention her kick that had led to that decision. “The other rope is Jerry’s handiwork; he just tied my feet together earlier, and didn’t bother tying them to the chair.”
“That rope looks awfully tight; did you do something to piss Jerry off?” Matt asked.
“No; I think he was just being a jagoff,” Shelley replied.
Matt continued working on unwrapping the rope from Shelley’s legs while Trevor worked on the ropes binding her upper body and arms to the chair. After they got those off, the only ropes remaining were the one tying her hands together and the one binding her feet. At that point, Trevor stood up. "Finish untying her," Trevor said. "I'm going to check on Starla and Short Stuff."
Matt had just begun working on the rope holding Shelley’s feet together when Trevor announced he was going in search of Starla and Tabby. Matt glanced up and said, “May the Force be with you,” before returning his attention to the rope. He carefully slid the blade of his knife between Shelley’s legs just above the rope, preparing to slice through it. “Try not to move; I wouldn’t want to cut you by accident,” he said.
“I won’t,” she reassured him. Matt worked quickly, and had soon sliced through both ropes, freeing her completely. Even though the ropes were gone, Shelley found it hard to move at first, her muscles resisting her efforts after having been confined in that one position for so long. She moved slowly at first, but it didn’t take long to work out the stiffness. She got to her feet and walked around a little to get the blood flowing again. Then she looked over at her emptied purse and groaned, “Oh, my stuff. They took all my money and my keys, but at least they left my pocketbook.” She knelt down to gather up her stuff that had been dumped on the floor.
“Oh, uh…well, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” said Matt. It was pretty clear from the embarrassed look on his face that he didn’t want to have anything to do with the contents of Shelley’s purse, despite his offer to help.
“That’s okay, I got it,” Shelley said with a reassuring smile. When she finished, she said, “Well, that’s it, I guess. Shall we go rejoin the others?”
“Yeah, let’s get outta here,” he said, and the two of them headed out the door to return to the house.
"Ben Kenobi? Where is he," Trevor asked quickly skipping over the 'little short for a stormtrooper' line which would have preceded Matt's line. "The princess is here? We should search the detention area and get over there and look for her! We'd better get Shelley untied first, though."
“Walking into the detention area was not what I had in mind!” said Matt, switching into the role of Han. He looked back and forth between Shelley and Trevor, apparently trying to decide what to do next. Matt turned back to Shelley and said, “Hold on, Shelley, we’ll get you loose in a minute, but I’m going to need Trevor’s help to get you uprighted. You okay?”
Shelley said, “Mmm” and nodded, giving her tacit consent. She understood that Matt might need Trevor’s help to get her set back upright, but she was in a lot of discomfort, and that made her impatient to get untied. From her position on the floor, she didn’t have a good line of sight to where Trevor had taken cover back behind the counter, so she couldn’t tell how close he was to getting loose. There was nothing for her to do but wait until Matt finished freeing Trevor; she just wished they’d skip the Star Wars nonsense and get on with it.
Matt disappeared from her view as he went to help Trevor get loose, though she could still hear the noises the two of them were making. After a moment or two they both reappeared, each equipped with a kitchen knife. They paused for a few seconds to examine how she was tied and decide how to proceed. “It looks like it would be easier to cut her feet free if we do that before setting her upright, but it looks like her arms are being crushed, so maybe we should set her up first. What do you think?” Matt asked.
As Shelley lay there looking up at the two of them while they studied her, she began to get a feeling of self-consciousness about her situation. It occurred to her that the hem of her dress had dropped when her chair had been overturned, causing it to be bunched up near her hips and leaving most of her thighs exposed. It was a silly thing to be embarrassed about, she knew; both of these guys had seen more of her legs on multiple occasions, like when she’d worn the bikini in the beauty pageant and in the boat outing. So why was it bothering her now? Perhaps because on those other occasions it’d been her own choice to wear something revealing, or maybe it was just because she was currently helpless to do anything about it. Being unable to talk with them while she was gagged might have played a role as well. Basically, being helpless was just humiliating overall, she decided.
Trevor nodded. He got on one side of her as Matt got to the other. "Let's upright her first. Get on the other side of the chair. Okay, ready? lift," Trevor instructed as he and Matt lifted the chair that she was bound to. As soon the chair was back on all four legs, Trevor unknotted Shelley's gag.
"Are you okay," he asked quickly.
Shelley breathed a sigh of relief once the gag was out of her mouth. “Yeah, I think so,” she said. She was glad her arms were no longer bearing the weight of her body and the chair, though there was some new pain in her arms, maybe from blood rushing in to replenish the previously inadequate supply. She was sure there was going to be some bruising.
"Hold really still," Trevor instructed. He carefully cut through the rope around her neck. He realized they were lucky it didn't choke her when the chair was knocked over. She could have easily tightened it without meaning to while struggling to try to free herself.
“Thanks,” said Shelley, glad to have the rope off her neck. Fortunately it had never been all that tight; the villains had used it almost like a leash, to drag her out to the trailer. But while it was on her neck it had been a choking hazard.
"Work on her feet, Captain Hunter," Trevor instructed.
Matt knelt by the side of the chair and looked beneath the seat. Shelley’s feet weren’t tied to the chair’s legs, but to a supporting strut that ran from left to right under the seat about halfway back. Matt thrust the knife under the seat toward the rear of the chair and started moving his arm back and forth. Shelley felt a tugging on the rope that held her feet to the strut, and realized Matt must be sawing on the part of the rope that went behind the strut, away from her legs. Eventually she felt that rope snap, and she was able to pull her feet out from under the seat, though they were still tied together by Jerry’s rope. Matt began unwrapping the rest of the rope he’d just sliced through from her ankles and legs. “Another rope?” Matt asked when he realized there was a second rope under the first still holding Shelley’s feet together.
“Some guy in a black baseball cap tied that rope you just sliced through, when he decided he wasn’t happy that my feet weren’t actually tied to the chair,” said Shelley. She didn’t mention her kick that had led to that decision. “The other rope is Jerry’s handiwork; he just tied my feet together earlier, and didn’t bother tying them to the chair.”
“That rope looks awfully tight; did you do something to piss Jerry off?” Matt asked.
“No; I think he was just being a jagoff,” Shelley replied.
Matt continued working on unwrapping the rope from Shelley’s legs while Trevor worked on the ropes binding her upper body and arms to the chair. After they got those off, the only ropes remaining were the one tying her hands together and the one binding her feet. At that point, Trevor stood up. "Finish untying her," Trevor said. "I'm going to check on Starla and Short Stuff."
Matt had just begun working on the rope holding Shelley’s feet together when Trevor announced he was going in search of Starla and Tabby. Matt glanced up and said, “May the Force be with you,” before returning his attention to the rope. He carefully slid the blade of his knife between Shelley’s legs just above the rope, preparing to slice through it. “Try not to move; I wouldn’t want to cut you by accident,” he said.
“I won’t,” she reassured him. Matt worked quickly, and had soon sliced through both ropes, freeing her completely. Even though the ropes were gone, Shelley found it hard to move at first, her muscles resisting her efforts after having been confined in that one position for so long. She moved slowly at first, but it didn’t take long to work out the stiffness. She got to her feet and walked around a little to get the blood flowing again. Then she looked over at her emptied purse and groaned, “Oh, my stuff. They took all my money and my keys, but at least they left my pocketbook.” She knelt down to gather up her stuff that had been dumped on the floor.
“Oh, uh…well, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” said Matt. It was pretty clear from the embarrassed look on his face that he didn’t want to have anything to do with the contents of Shelley’s purse, despite his offer to help.
“That’s okay, I got it,” Shelley said with a reassuring smile. When she finished, she said, “Well, that’s it, I guess. Shall we go rejoin the others?”
“Yeah, let’s get outta here,” he said, and the two of them headed out the door to return to the house.
Starla rushed back into the room finally with a pair of scissors and immediately knelt down beside her. She slipped a finger between Tabby’s cheek and the hose and used the gap it created to carefully slide one scissor blade through, and snipped the hose in two. Starla immediately pulled the ball out of Tabby’s mouth. Tabby had never felt so liberated in her life, even though she was still tied up.
“Oh my god, that was awful!" She exclaimed as soon as she could speak. She had never been so glad to see someone in her life and even more glad it was Starla. There were so many things Tabby wanted to tell her suddenly. A thousand questions flooded Tabby’s mind and she desperately had to get them all out at once.
“Wait, how did you escape? Do you know how long we were tied up… what time is it? Has anyone called the police yet,” she asked rapid-fire.
Tabby realized she was bombarding Starla with questions faster than she could respond. She took a deep breath.
“Sorry,” Tabby said quickly. “Maybe you should have saved the gag for last.” She forced a little chuckle, hoping to make the situation less awkward although she was glad that had been the first restraint Starla had removed. The feeling of embarrassment was slowly fading. The joke about saving the gag for last was the only witty thing she could come up with, but in the back of her mind, she still felt violated over it.
Starla blinked a couple of times as Tabby inundated her with questions, and then grinned as Tabby finished with a joke. She helped Tabby sit up and gave her a big but brief hug, relieved that she seemed to be okay. “Um, the bad guys accidentally left a pair of scissors within my reach before they left,” she said as a quick answer to the first question, figuring she could give a more detailed explanation later. “I was able to cut myself loose once I got hold of them. And, uh, I’m not really sure what time it is. I haven’t called the police, and as far as I know, no one else has either.” She hadn’t really had time to think about these things before, but now that Tabby was asking the questions, it occurred to her that she had a lot of the same questions.
But first, she had to get Tabby free the rest of the way. Starla looked over Tabby’s bonds and went for the extension cord around her arms next. It only took her a minute or two to unwind the extension cord from around her upper body. If Tabby’s feet were free it might have been easy for Starla to take an end and circle her as she unwound it or for Tabby to spin in the opposite direction, but she couldn’t stand with her ankles tied.
Untying the extension cord did little to offer Tabby much in the way of additional movement, but it did feel good to have it gone. She hadn’t realized how much it had dug into her arms until she saw the pressure marks on them.
Starla then found the edge of the duct tape around her legs and unraveled it. After a few passes, she could lift her hands, which had been essentially wrapped like a mummy. A few more layers and Tabby’s fingers were free. They were very red from the lack of circulation and she immediately wiggled them. Her wrists were still bound together with a separate strip of silver tape. Tabby flexed her fingers a few more times before extending her wrists out so Starla could finish untying them.
The minute Tabby’s hands were free, she threw her arms around Starla. She was momentarily overcome with emotion and was surprised herself to find that she was sobbing. It was a mixture of relief and pent-up rage from the dream. She fell forward, forgetting her feet were still tied together as she did.
Starla had been about to help Tabby get her feet untied, but when Tabby threw her arms around her she realized it could wait, and she returned Tabby’s hug. She could feel Tabby trembling while the two of them embraced, and tried to comfort her. “It’s alright, everything’s going to be okay,” she said in a voice just a little louder than a whisper. Tabby was squeezing her hard, to the point of discomfort really, but Starla was okay with that. This was what Tabby needed right now.
Tabby glanced at her ankles. They had used an elastic bungee cord which they had knotted and then clipped the 2 metal hooks together. She’d deal with that in a moment.
“Holy shit, Starla,” Tabby exclaimed as she squeezed the life out of her and took a moment to catch her own breath. “We got Nancy Drewed… for real! We’re like a real-life Daphne and Velma now… but the crooks got away…” She wiped a few tears from her eyes and laughed.
“Hmm, I guess this time it worked despite us meddling kids,” she said with a smile. “But although they might have gotten away, their operation is still busted.”
“Hey, were you crying,” She asked, pretending she hadn’t just done the same thing herself a moment earlier. Starla's mascara was a little streaked and her eyes were red.
“Huh? Oh…yeah, maybe a little.” It was something she hadn’t really thought about until Tabby mentioned it, but now that it was on her mind, she was a little embarrassed about it. She was afraid it made her…less cool, somehow. She was glad Marie, Doreen, and the other cheerleaders weren’t around to see her in her current state.
Tabby suddenly froze as she heard the front door open. The hinges squeaked and then the door slammed a few seconds later. “Starla? Short Stuff? Are you two in here,” Trevor called.
Tabby suddenly let go of Starla and tugged at the bungee cord around her ankles. She did not want Trevor to see her tied up, even if it was just her feet at this point.
Starla’s head whipped around toward the unexpected sounds from the front door, and then back to Tabby when she felt Tabby let go. She was in time to see Tabby frantically trying to free her feet. The speed with which Tabby was moving made her realize that Tabby didn’t want Trevor to see her until she was completely free, and considering that she had just been thinking how much she’d hate for the cheerleaders to see her now, she understood. She got to her feet and quickly went to the door.
“Trevor! We’re back here,” she called out as she stepped through the door and closed it behind her. She hurried down the hall toward Trevor’s voice. She would intercept Trevor and give Tabby time to compose herself. She thought about how she herself wasn’t exactly presentable at the moment and wished she looked better for him, but she knew Trevor would understand. And besides, she really, really wanted to see him right now; she needed to see him. As soon as he came into sight, she rushed to him and threw her arms around him. “Are you okay? I am so, so glad you are here,” she said as she hugged him hard.
*tag Trevor*
She glanced past Trevor; she had expected to see Matt and Shelley as well, but they weren’t here. She was pretty sure Matt was okay, having seen him only a few moments before, but she still didn’t know about Shelley. Their absence brought a sudden feeling of dread. “I saw Matt, but is Shelley okay?” she asked. The concern in her voice was evident.
*tag Trevor*
“Oh my god, that was awful!" She exclaimed as soon as she could speak. She had never been so glad to see someone in her life and even more glad it was Starla. There were so many things Tabby wanted to tell her suddenly. A thousand questions flooded Tabby’s mind and she desperately had to get them all out at once.
“Wait, how did you escape? Do you know how long we were tied up… what time is it? Has anyone called the police yet,” she asked rapid-fire.
Tabby realized she was bombarding Starla with questions faster than she could respond. She took a deep breath.
“Sorry,” Tabby said quickly. “Maybe you should have saved the gag for last.” She forced a little chuckle, hoping to make the situation less awkward although she was glad that had been the first restraint Starla had removed. The feeling of embarrassment was slowly fading. The joke about saving the gag for last was the only witty thing she could come up with, but in the back of her mind, she still felt violated over it.
Starla blinked a couple of times as Tabby inundated her with questions, and then grinned as Tabby finished with a joke. She helped Tabby sit up and gave her a big but brief hug, relieved that she seemed to be okay. “Um, the bad guys accidentally left a pair of scissors within my reach before they left,” she said as a quick answer to the first question, figuring she could give a more detailed explanation later. “I was able to cut myself loose once I got hold of them. And, uh, I’m not really sure what time it is. I haven’t called the police, and as far as I know, no one else has either.” She hadn’t really had time to think about these things before, but now that Tabby was asking the questions, it occurred to her that she had a lot of the same questions.
But first, she had to get Tabby free the rest of the way. Starla looked over Tabby’s bonds and went for the extension cord around her arms next. It only took her a minute or two to unwind the extension cord from around her upper body. If Tabby’s feet were free it might have been easy for Starla to take an end and circle her as she unwound it or for Tabby to spin in the opposite direction, but she couldn’t stand with her ankles tied.
Untying the extension cord did little to offer Tabby much in the way of additional movement, but it did feel good to have it gone. She hadn’t realized how much it had dug into her arms until she saw the pressure marks on them.
Starla then found the edge of the duct tape around her legs and unraveled it. After a few passes, she could lift her hands, which had been essentially wrapped like a mummy. A few more layers and Tabby’s fingers were free. They were very red from the lack of circulation and she immediately wiggled them. Her wrists were still bound together with a separate strip of silver tape. Tabby flexed her fingers a few more times before extending her wrists out so Starla could finish untying them.
The minute Tabby’s hands were free, she threw her arms around Starla. She was momentarily overcome with emotion and was surprised herself to find that she was sobbing. It was a mixture of relief and pent-up rage from the dream. She fell forward, forgetting her feet were still tied together as she did.
Starla had been about to help Tabby get her feet untied, but when Tabby threw her arms around her she realized it could wait, and she returned Tabby’s hug. She could feel Tabby trembling while the two of them embraced, and tried to comfort her. “It’s alright, everything’s going to be okay,” she said in a voice just a little louder than a whisper. Tabby was squeezing her hard, to the point of discomfort really, but Starla was okay with that. This was what Tabby needed right now.
Tabby glanced at her ankles. They had used an elastic bungee cord which they had knotted and then clipped the 2 metal hooks together. She’d deal with that in a moment.
“Holy shit, Starla,” Tabby exclaimed as she squeezed the life out of her and took a moment to catch her own breath. “We got Nancy Drewed… for real! We’re like a real-life Daphne and Velma now… but the crooks got away…” She wiped a few tears from her eyes and laughed.
“Hmm, I guess this time it worked despite us meddling kids,” she said with a smile. “But although they might have gotten away, their operation is still busted.”
“Hey, were you crying,” She asked, pretending she hadn’t just done the same thing herself a moment earlier. Starla's mascara was a little streaked and her eyes were red.
“Huh? Oh…yeah, maybe a little.” It was something she hadn’t really thought about until Tabby mentioned it, but now that it was on her mind, she was a little embarrassed about it. She was afraid it made her…less cool, somehow. She was glad Marie, Doreen, and the other cheerleaders weren’t around to see her in her current state.
Tabby suddenly froze as she heard the front door open. The hinges squeaked and then the door slammed a few seconds later. “Starla? Short Stuff? Are you two in here,” Trevor called.
Tabby suddenly let go of Starla and tugged at the bungee cord around her ankles. She did not want Trevor to see her tied up, even if it was just her feet at this point.
Starla’s head whipped around toward the unexpected sounds from the front door, and then back to Tabby when she felt Tabby let go. She was in time to see Tabby frantically trying to free her feet. The speed with which Tabby was moving made her realize that Tabby didn’t want Trevor to see her until she was completely free, and considering that she had just been thinking how much she’d hate for the cheerleaders to see her now, she understood. She got to her feet and quickly went to the door.
“Trevor! We’re back here,” she called out as she stepped through the door and closed it behind her. She hurried down the hall toward Trevor’s voice. She would intercept Trevor and give Tabby time to compose herself. She thought about how she herself wasn’t exactly presentable at the moment and wished she looked better for him, but she knew Trevor would understand. And besides, she really, really wanted to see him right now; she needed to see him. As soon as he came into sight, she rushed to him and threw her arms around him. “Are you okay? I am so, so glad you are here,” she said as she hugged him hard.
*tag Trevor*
She glanced past Trevor; she had expected to see Matt and Shelley as well, but they weren’t here. She was pretty sure Matt was okay, having seen him only a few moments before, but she still didn’t know about Shelley. Their absence brought a sudden feeling of dread. “I saw Matt, but is Shelley okay?” she asked. The concern in her voice was evident.
*tag Trevor*
“Hmm, I guess this time it worked despite us meddling kids,” she said with a smile. “But although they might have gotten away, their operation is still busted.”
“Hey, were you crying,” She asked, pretending she hadn’t just done the same thing herself a moment earlier. Starla's mascara was a little streaked and her eyes were red.
“Huh? Oh…yeah, maybe a little.” It was something she hadn’t really thought about until Tabby mentioned it, but now that it was on her mind, she was a little embarrassed about it. She was afraid it made her…less cool, somehow. She was glad Marie, Doreen, and the other cheerleaders weren’t around to see her in her current state.
Tabby suddenly froze as she heard the front door open. The hinges squeaked and then the door slammed a few seconds later. “Starla? Short Stuff? Are you two in here,” Trevor called.
Tabby suddenly let go of Starla and tugged at the bungee cord around her ankles. She did not want Trevor to see her tied up, even if it was just her feet at this point.
Starla’s head whipped around toward the unexpected sounds from the front door, and then back to Tabby when she felt Tabby let go. She was in time to see Tabby frantically trying to free her feet. The speed with which Tabby was moving made her realize that Tabby didn’t want Trevor to see her until she was completely free, and considering that she had just been thinking how much she’d hate for the cheerleaders to see her now, she understood. She got to her feet and quickly went to the door.
Starla pushed the door closed behind her as she went to Trevor. Tabby tugged on the metal hooks on the bungee cord and unclasped them. It took her a moment to get a grip on the knot. Because she played guitar, her fingernails were clipped short. It was hard to work the knot free. She could hear Starla and Trevor talking in the next room. After another minute, she managed to finally get the bungee cord untied and quickly unwound it from her ankles.
Tabby tossed it aside. She picked up the ballgag for a moment and studied it. Starla's pantyhose leg was ruined. There was no point in giving it back to her. She was about to discard the hacky sack but had second thoughts. It seemed odd to hold on to it. Did she really need a keepsake to remember this ordeal? However, for reasons she didn't fully understand, she stuffed it into her pocket. Tabby decided she could always discard it later. After taking another moment to take a deep breath and collect herself, she pushed the door open and went to rejoin Trevor and Starla.
“Trevor! We’re back here,” she called out as she stepped through the door and closed it behind her. She hurried down the hall toward Trevor’s voice. She would intercept Trevor and give Tabby time to compose herself. She thought about how she herself wasn’t exactly presentable at the moment and wished she looked better for him, but she knew Trevor would understand. And besides, she really, really wanted to see him right now; she needed to see him. As soon as he came into sight, she rushed to him and threw her arms around him. “Are you okay? I am so, so glad you are here,” she said as she hugged him hard.
"It's okay, babe. I'm fine. Where is short stuff," He asked as he stroked her blonde hair for a long moment before releasing her.
*Tag Starla*
She glanced past Trevor; she had expected to see Matt and Shelley as well, but they weren’t here. She was pretty sure Matt was okay, having seen him only a few moments before, but she still didn’t know about Shelley. Their absence brought a sudden feeling of dread. “I saw Matt, but is Shelley okay?” she asked. The concern in her voice was evident.
"Yeah," Trevor nodded. "They're fine. Those gang members did a thorough job of tying us both up. It was like out of one of Matt's comic books. I finally got free by breaking the chair I was tied to. I had just gotten loose when Matt came in. He helped me untie Shelley. She was almost loose when I came over here to check on you two."
*Tag Starla*
About that time, Tabby emerged.
"Hey Short Stuff, are you okay," Trevor asked.
Tabby nodded. "Yeah, fine," she replied.
As the two girls stepped into the light he could see them a bit better. He noticed the redness in their faces and their eyes. Their makeup was streaked slightly and he could see faint tear stains on their cheeks.
"Were you crying," Trevor asked.
"NO," Tabby answered quickly. "We were definitely not crying. Right, Starla? It was just uh, really hot and sweaty being locked in that bedroom closet."
*Tag Starla*
She then noticed the dried blood all over Trevor's arm.
"What happened to your arm," Tabby asked quickly.
"Oh, I scrapped myself up pretty good doing my Houdini act," Trevor replied glancing at the cuts on his arm. "I think I cut myself on a screw or some splintered wood when I broke that chair I was tied to."
Tabby moved up to him passed Starla. She reached out and took hold of a cloth still tied around his neck. She flipped it around so the knot was in front and began working on the knot.
"Your ascot was backward, Fred," Tabby said quickly handing him the rag. "It's also the wrong color. Hey, we'd better call the cops or something!" She knelt down and removed the remaining ropes still wrapped around his ankles.
"Short Stuff is right," Trevor agreed tossing the rag to the floor and pausing as Tabby untied the last of the cords. "Come on." He made his way back to the kitchen near the front door and picked up the kitchen phone on the wall.
*Tag Starla*
"The line is dead," Trevor announced. "They must have cut the telephone lines to the house. They did that in the trailer to the kitchen phone and the power cords on the radio equipment, too."
*Tag Starla/ Matt and Shelley?*
“Hey, were you crying,” She asked, pretending she hadn’t just done the same thing herself a moment earlier. Starla's mascara was a little streaked and her eyes were red.
“Huh? Oh…yeah, maybe a little.” It was something she hadn’t really thought about until Tabby mentioned it, but now that it was on her mind, she was a little embarrassed about it. She was afraid it made her…less cool, somehow. She was glad Marie, Doreen, and the other cheerleaders weren’t around to see her in her current state.
Tabby suddenly froze as she heard the front door open. The hinges squeaked and then the door slammed a few seconds later. “Starla? Short Stuff? Are you two in here,” Trevor called.
Tabby suddenly let go of Starla and tugged at the bungee cord around her ankles. She did not want Trevor to see her tied up, even if it was just her feet at this point.
Starla’s head whipped around toward the unexpected sounds from the front door, and then back to Tabby when she felt Tabby let go. She was in time to see Tabby frantically trying to free her feet. The speed with which Tabby was moving made her realize that Tabby didn’t want Trevor to see her until she was completely free, and considering that she had just been thinking how much she’d hate for the cheerleaders to see her now, she understood. She got to her feet and quickly went to the door.
Starla pushed the door closed behind her as she went to Trevor. Tabby tugged on the metal hooks on the bungee cord and unclasped them. It took her a moment to get a grip on the knot. Because she played guitar, her fingernails were clipped short. It was hard to work the knot free. She could hear Starla and Trevor talking in the next room. After another minute, she managed to finally get the bungee cord untied and quickly unwound it from her ankles.
Tabby tossed it aside. She picked up the ballgag for a moment and studied it. Starla's pantyhose leg was ruined. There was no point in giving it back to her. She was about to discard the hacky sack but had second thoughts. It seemed odd to hold on to it. Did she really need a keepsake to remember this ordeal? However, for reasons she didn't fully understand, she stuffed it into her pocket. Tabby decided she could always discard it later. After taking another moment to take a deep breath and collect herself, she pushed the door open and went to rejoin Trevor and Starla.
“Trevor! We’re back here,” she called out as she stepped through the door and closed it behind her. She hurried down the hall toward Trevor’s voice. She would intercept Trevor and give Tabby time to compose herself. She thought about how she herself wasn’t exactly presentable at the moment and wished she looked better for him, but she knew Trevor would understand. And besides, she really, really wanted to see him right now; she needed to see him. As soon as he came into sight, she rushed to him and threw her arms around him. “Are you okay? I am so, so glad you are here,” she said as she hugged him hard.
"It's okay, babe. I'm fine. Where is short stuff," He asked as he stroked her blonde hair for a long moment before releasing her.
*Tag Starla*
She glanced past Trevor; she had expected to see Matt and Shelley as well, but they weren’t here. She was pretty sure Matt was okay, having seen him only a few moments before, but she still didn’t know about Shelley. Their absence brought a sudden feeling of dread. “I saw Matt, but is Shelley okay?” she asked. The concern in her voice was evident.
"Yeah," Trevor nodded. "They're fine. Those gang members did a thorough job of tying us both up. It was like out of one of Matt's comic books. I finally got free by breaking the chair I was tied to. I had just gotten loose when Matt came in. He helped me untie Shelley. She was almost loose when I came over here to check on you two."
*Tag Starla*
About that time, Tabby emerged.
"Hey Short Stuff, are you okay," Trevor asked.
Tabby nodded. "Yeah, fine," she replied.
As the two girls stepped into the light he could see them a bit better. He noticed the redness in their faces and their eyes. Their makeup was streaked slightly and he could see faint tear stains on their cheeks.
"Were you crying," Trevor asked.
"NO," Tabby answered quickly. "We were definitely not crying. Right, Starla? It was just uh, really hot and sweaty being locked in that bedroom closet."
*Tag Starla*
She then noticed the dried blood all over Trevor's arm.
"What happened to your arm," Tabby asked quickly.
"Oh, I scrapped myself up pretty good doing my Houdini act," Trevor replied glancing at the cuts on his arm. "I think I cut myself on a screw or some splintered wood when I broke that chair I was tied to."
Tabby moved up to him passed Starla. She reached out and took hold of a cloth still tied around his neck. She flipped it around so the knot was in front and began working on the knot.
"Your ascot was backward, Fred," Tabby said quickly handing him the rag. "It's also the wrong color. Hey, we'd better call the cops or something!" She knelt down and removed the remaining ropes still wrapped around his ankles.
"Short Stuff is right," Trevor agreed tossing the rag to the floor and pausing as Tabby untied the last of the cords. "Come on." He made his way back to the kitchen near the front door and picked up the kitchen phone on the wall.
*Tag Starla*
"The line is dead," Trevor announced. "They must have cut the telephone lines to the house. They did that in the trailer to the kitchen phone and the power cords on the radio equipment, too."
*Tag Starla/ Matt and Shelley?*
Gary had been driving out of town down the main road towards where the country club was. That seemed to be the obvious direction, but there were dozens of backroads out that way. They could be an hour or more outside of town. Gary had little to go on.
About 20 minutes after the last transmission, the scanner came to life again with an unfamiliar address on "Sarah Hart Lane". Gary wasn't familiar with it. He'd only lived in Teal Cove a year or so and didn't have the intimate familiarity of the area like some of the locals. He knew of the abandoned Sinclaire gas station. It was the one Tabby had called from during the scavenger hunt prank. Gary had told them about it since he'd driven out there to play around with the payphone at the old gas station several times.
Gary was approaching it now. He decided to pull off and listen to the radio chatter. It seemed someone had been dispatched to investigate what was apparently an old farm. They mentioned a Farm-to-Market road, FM 4351. Gary wasn't sure where that was either. Just then he saw lights coming down the highway. A police car going a little fast, but without its lights zoomed by. A moment later, 3 other police cars followed. "That has to be them," he said to himself. He watched the taillights get further down the road before turning out of the old gas station to follow.
Way up ahead, he saw them all brake. One by one, they began to turn off on a side road. Gary slowed down to keep his distance. He didn't want the cops realized he was following them or get mistaken for being part of whatever mess Jerry was involved in.
About 20 minutes after the last transmission, the scanner came to life again with an unfamiliar address on "Sarah Hart Lane". Gary wasn't familiar with it. He'd only lived in Teal Cove a year or so and didn't have the intimate familiarity of the area like some of the locals. He knew of the abandoned Sinclaire gas station. It was the one Tabby had called from during the scavenger hunt prank. Gary had told them about it since he'd driven out there to play around with the payphone at the old gas station several times.
Gary was approaching it now. He decided to pull off and listen to the radio chatter. It seemed someone had been dispatched to investigate what was apparently an old farm. They mentioned a Farm-to-Market road, FM 4351. Gary wasn't sure where that was either. Just then he saw lights coming down the highway. A police car going a little fast, but without its lights zoomed by. A moment later, 3 other police cars followed. "That has to be them," he said to himself. He watched the taillights get further down the road before turning out of the old gas station to follow.
Way up ahead, he saw them all brake. One by one, they began to turn off on a side road. Gary slowed down to keep his distance. He didn't want the cops realized he was following them or get mistaken for being part of whatever mess Jerry was involved in.
Tabby suddenly froze as she heard the front door open. The hinges squeaked and then the door slammed a few seconds later. “Starla? Short Stuff? Are you two in here,” Trevor called.
“Trevor! We’re back here,” Starla called out as she stepped through the door and closed it behind her. She hurried down the hall toward Trevor’s voice. She would intercept Trevor and give Tabby time to compose herself. She thought about how she herself wasn’t exactly presentable at the moment and wished she looked better for him, but she knew Trevor would understand. And besides, she really, really wanted to see him right now; she needed to see him. As soon as he came into sight, she rushed to him and threw her arms around him. “Are you okay? I am so, so glad you are here,” she said as she hugged him hard.
"It's okay, babe. I'm fine. Where is short stuff," He asked as he stroked her blonde hair for a long moment before releasing her.
“She’s in one of the bedrooms back there; she just needs a moment to get herself composed,” Starla said, no wanting to go into any detail. “It’s been quite an ordeal for all of us.”
She glanced past Trevor; she had expected to see Matt and Shelley as well, but they weren’t here. She was pretty sure Matt was okay, having seen him only a few moments before, but she still didn’t know about Shelley. Their absence brought a sudden feeling of dread. “I saw Matt, but is Shelley okay?” she asked. The concern in her voice was evident.
"Yeah," Trevor nodded. "They're fine. Those gang members did a thorough job of tying us both up. It was like out of one of Matt's comic books. I finally got free by breaking the chair I was tied to. I had just gotten loose when Matt came in. He helped me untie Shelley. She was almost loose when I came over here to check on you two."
Starla breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad everyone’s okay,” she said, and hugged him some more.
About that time, Tabby emerged.
"Hey Short Stuff, are you okay," Trevor asked.
Tabby nodded. "Yeah, fine," she replied.
As the two girls stepped into the light he could see them a bit better. He noticed the redness in their faces and their eyes. Their makeup was streaked slightly and he could see faint tear stains on their cheeks.
"Were you crying," Trevor asked.
"NO," Tabby answered quickly. "We were definitely not crying. Right, Starla? It was just uh, really hot and sweaty being locked in that bedroom closet."
“We were out in the rain for a while,” added Starla. She personally was fine with admitting to a little crying, but clearly Tabby wasn’t, and Starla wanted to be supportive. Her response was meant to be neither a confirmation nor a denial, just a statement of fact that Trevor could take however he wanted.
Tabby then noticed the dried blood all over Trevor's arm.
"What happened to your arm," Tabby asked quickly.
"Oh, I scrapped myself up pretty good doing my Houdini act," Trevor replied glancing at the cuts on his arm. "I think I cut myself on a screw or some splintered wood when I broke that chair I was tied to."
Starla hadn’t seen the blood at first, but now that Tabby mentioned it she released her embrace and took a step back to examine Trevor’s arm. “Is it still bleeding?” she asked with concern as she began looking him over. “I think Matt keeps a first aid kit in his van…”
*tag Trevor*
Tabby moved up to him past Starla. She reached out and took hold of a cloth still tied around his neck. She flipped it around so the knot was in front and began working on the knot.
"Your ascot was backward, Fred," Tabby said quickly handing him the rag. "It's also the wrong color. Hey, we'd better call the cops or something!" She knelt down and removed the remaining ropes still wrapped around his ankles.
"Short Stuff is right," Trevor agreed tossing the rag to the floor and pausing as Tabby untied the last of the cords. "Come on." He made his way back to the kitchen near the front door and picked up the kitchen phone on the wall.
“You think it’s safe to call the cops? I mean, one of the bad guys was a cop,” said Starla as she followed Trevor to the kitchen, sounding uncertain. “But, uh, yeah, I guess we should. I got the feeling he was worried about the other cops finding out.”
Being in the kitchen brought back bad memories of being hogtied on the floor and being tickled mercilessly. She noticed her shoes in one corner where they’d been tossed, and went to put them on while Trevor attempted to call for help.
"The line is dead," Trevor announced. "They must have cut the telephone lines to the house. They did that in the trailer to the kitchen phone and the power cords on the radio equipment, too."
“Trevor! We’re back here,” Starla called out as she stepped through the door and closed it behind her. She hurried down the hall toward Trevor’s voice. She would intercept Trevor and give Tabby time to compose herself. She thought about how she herself wasn’t exactly presentable at the moment and wished she looked better for him, but she knew Trevor would understand. And besides, she really, really wanted to see him right now; she needed to see him. As soon as he came into sight, she rushed to him and threw her arms around him. “Are you okay? I am so, so glad you are here,” she said as she hugged him hard.
"It's okay, babe. I'm fine. Where is short stuff," He asked as he stroked her blonde hair for a long moment before releasing her.
“She’s in one of the bedrooms back there; she just needs a moment to get herself composed,” Starla said, no wanting to go into any detail. “It’s been quite an ordeal for all of us.”
She glanced past Trevor; she had expected to see Matt and Shelley as well, but they weren’t here. She was pretty sure Matt was okay, having seen him only a few moments before, but she still didn’t know about Shelley. Their absence brought a sudden feeling of dread. “I saw Matt, but is Shelley okay?” she asked. The concern in her voice was evident.
"Yeah," Trevor nodded. "They're fine. Those gang members did a thorough job of tying us both up. It was like out of one of Matt's comic books. I finally got free by breaking the chair I was tied to. I had just gotten loose when Matt came in. He helped me untie Shelley. She was almost loose when I came over here to check on you two."
Starla breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad everyone’s okay,” she said, and hugged him some more.
About that time, Tabby emerged.
"Hey Short Stuff, are you okay," Trevor asked.
Tabby nodded. "Yeah, fine," she replied.
As the two girls stepped into the light he could see them a bit better. He noticed the redness in their faces and their eyes. Their makeup was streaked slightly and he could see faint tear stains on their cheeks.
"Were you crying," Trevor asked.
"NO," Tabby answered quickly. "We were definitely not crying. Right, Starla? It was just uh, really hot and sweaty being locked in that bedroom closet."
“We were out in the rain for a while,” added Starla. She personally was fine with admitting to a little crying, but clearly Tabby wasn’t, and Starla wanted to be supportive. Her response was meant to be neither a confirmation nor a denial, just a statement of fact that Trevor could take however he wanted.
Tabby then noticed the dried blood all over Trevor's arm.
"What happened to your arm," Tabby asked quickly.
"Oh, I scrapped myself up pretty good doing my Houdini act," Trevor replied glancing at the cuts on his arm. "I think I cut myself on a screw or some splintered wood when I broke that chair I was tied to."
Starla hadn’t seen the blood at first, but now that Tabby mentioned it she released her embrace and took a step back to examine Trevor’s arm. “Is it still bleeding?” she asked with concern as she began looking him over. “I think Matt keeps a first aid kit in his van…”
*tag Trevor*
Tabby moved up to him past Starla. She reached out and took hold of a cloth still tied around his neck. She flipped it around so the knot was in front and began working on the knot.
"Your ascot was backward, Fred," Tabby said quickly handing him the rag. "It's also the wrong color. Hey, we'd better call the cops or something!" She knelt down and removed the remaining ropes still wrapped around his ankles.
"Short Stuff is right," Trevor agreed tossing the rag to the floor and pausing as Tabby untied the last of the cords. "Come on." He made his way back to the kitchen near the front door and picked up the kitchen phone on the wall.
“You think it’s safe to call the cops? I mean, one of the bad guys was a cop,” said Starla as she followed Trevor to the kitchen, sounding uncertain. “But, uh, yeah, I guess we should. I got the feeling he was worried about the other cops finding out.”
Being in the kitchen brought back bad memories of being hogtied on the floor and being tickled mercilessly. She noticed her shoes in one corner where they’d been tossed, and went to put them on while Trevor attempted to call for help.
"The line is dead," Trevor announced. "They must have cut the telephone lines to the house. They did that in the trailer to the kitchen phone and the power cords on the radio equipment, too."
Matt and Shelley trudged through the tall, wet grass on their way from the trailer back to the house. “Oh, look, your van is here,” said Shelley, pointing to the vehicle. The last time she’d seen it, it was stranded on the side of the road with steam coming out of it. “Do you think they fixed it?” she asked hopefully.
“Nah, I don’t think so,” he replied. “They had a tow truck; they prob’ly just towed it here to get it off the road so no one would see it.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she said, disappointed. “Got your key? I’d like to get my camera bag out, assuming it’s still there.” What if it wasn’t? The idea of losing her camera equipment was terrifying; it was so expensive, and so much of her work for the newspaper and her prospects for the future depended on it. Of course, it wasn’t nearly as scary as being tied up by criminals and having your life threatened.
“I do,” he replied.
They made a quick detour to the van, and Matt produced the key and unlocked it. Shelley was extremely relieved to find her camera bag still inside. For once, something had gone right tonight. She opened the bag and got the camera out. “Hold on, I want to get some exterior pictures of the house and trailer,” she said, but then she reconsidered. “Well, I guess I should wait for daylight. The film I’ve got in here is fine-grained, which is good for sharp pictures, but it needs a lot of light. I can take pictures of the interiors of the house and trailer using my flash, but the exterior pictures can wait for later.”
They proceeded on to the house, and found Trevor, Starla, and Tabby in the kitchen. Trevor had just attempted to call the police, but the phone line was dead. While Shelley went to embrace Starla and Tabby, Matt spoke to Trevor about what they should do next. “Think you can find a radiator hose around here somewhere to replace mine? Maybe take the one off the tow truck? I’d like to get out of here as soon as possible.”
Starla glanced at Matt. “What, no Star Wars quote?”
Matt shrugged, and then said, “They told me they fixed it! It’s not my fault!”
*tag Trevor*
While Matt and Trevor discussed what to do next, Shelley asked Starla and Tabby about their experience, and asked them to show her where they had been tied up. Now that the bad guys were gone and they were all freed, there wasn’t much to make the pictures very interesting, but she took pictures of each room anyway, including pictures of the cut ropes and various other restraints that were still lying around. She also took a picture of the scissors Starla had used to cut herself loose and free Tabby. When she was finished, they returned to the kitchen.
“We can’t call for help, but Trevor’s going to try to fix the radiator hose on the van,” he said. “I guess we’re stuck here until he can get it fixed. I’ll help however I can.”
Shelley nodded. “We’ve got some time, then. I want to go back to the trailer to get some pictures over there.”
*tags*
While the guys worked on fixing Matt’s van, Shelley took Starla and Tabby with her to the trailer so she could tell them about her own experiences. She pointed out the chair she had been tied to, the remains of Trevor’s chair, the disabled radio, the cut phone line, and the debris from the drawers Trevor had dumped on the floor during his escape attempt. She took photographs of each as she explained to the girls what had happened. She told them about the contents of her purse being dumped out, her money and keys being taken, and how Mouse and Jerry had gone looking for her car. She told them about the radio message indicating that Jerry was a suspect in an attempt to break into Gary’s house (not realizing it was actually Doreen’s house, not Gary’s), and the resulting panic among the gang members. She told them how her chair had been knocked over with her still tied to it, and showed them the bruises forming on her upper arms from being crushed against the floor by the chair back.
*tags*
While Shelley was telling her story, Starla noticed a flash of light through a window. Looking out, she saw a car coming up the road toward the farm. It was still dark, so she couldn’t tell much about it, but it scared her. “There’s a car coming!” she shouted, drawing the other two girls to the window to see for themselves.
“Could they be coming back? I think we should run to the woods and hide! At least until we can see who it is,” said Shelley in a frantic whisper.
“I agree. Come on!” said Starla as she ran for the trailer door. “Gotta warn the guys and get outta here!”
*tags*
“Nah, I don’t think so,” he replied. “They had a tow truck; they prob’ly just towed it here to get it off the road so no one would see it.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she said, disappointed. “Got your key? I’d like to get my camera bag out, assuming it’s still there.” What if it wasn’t? The idea of losing her camera equipment was terrifying; it was so expensive, and so much of her work for the newspaper and her prospects for the future depended on it. Of course, it wasn’t nearly as scary as being tied up by criminals and having your life threatened.
“I do,” he replied.
They made a quick detour to the van, and Matt produced the key and unlocked it. Shelley was extremely relieved to find her camera bag still inside. For once, something had gone right tonight. She opened the bag and got the camera out. “Hold on, I want to get some exterior pictures of the house and trailer,” she said, but then she reconsidered. “Well, I guess I should wait for daylight. The film I’ve got in here is fine-grained, which is good for sharp pictures, but it needs a lot of light. I can take pictures of the interiors of the house and trailer using my flash, but the exterior pictures can wait for later.”
They proceeded on to the house, and found Trevor, Starla, and Tabby in the kitchen. Trevor had just attempted to call the police, but the phone line was dead. While Shelley went to embrace Starla and Tabby, Matt spoke to Trevor about what they should do next. “Think you can find a radiator hose around here somewhere to replace mine? Maybe take the one off the tow truck? I’d like to get out of here as soon as possible.”
Starla glanced at Matt. “What, no Star Wars quote?”
Matt shrugged, and then said, “They told me they fixed it! It’s not my fault!”
*tag Trevor*
While Matt and Trevor discussed what to do next, Shelley asked Starla and Tabby about their experience, and asked them to show her where they had been tied up. Now that the bad guys were gone and they were all freed, there wasn’t much to make the pictures very interesting, but she took pictures of each room anyway, including pictures of the cut ropes and various other restraints that were still lying around. She also took a picture of the scissors Starla had used to cut herself loose and free Tabby. When she was finished, they returned to the kitchen.
“We can’t call for help, but Trevor’s going to try to fix the radiator hose on the van,” he said. “I guess we’re stuck here until he can get it fixed. I’ll help however I can.”
Shelley nodded. “We’ve got some time, then. I want to go back to the trailer to get some pictures over there.”
*tags*
While the guys worked on fixing Matt’s van, Shelley took Starla and Tabby with her to the trailer so she could tell them about her own experiences. She pointed out the chair she had been tied to, the remains of Trevor’s chair, the disabled radio, the cut phone line, and the debris from the drawers Trevor had dumped on the floor during his escape attempt. She took photographs of each as she explained to the girls what had happened. She told them about the contents of her purse being dumped out, her money and keys being taken, and how Mouse and Jerry had gone looking for her car. She told them about the radio message indicating that Jerry was a suspect in an attempt to break into Gary’s house (not realizing it was actually Doreen’s house, not Gary’s), and the resulting panic among the gang members. She told them how her chair had been knocked over with her still tied to it, and showed them the bruises forming on her upper arms from being crushed against the floor by the chair back.
*tags*
While Shelley was telling her story, Starla noticed a flash of light through a window. Looking out, she saw a car coming up the road toward the farm. It was still dark, so she couldn’t tell much about it, but it scared her. “There’s a car coming!” she shouted, drawing the other two girls to the window to see for themselves.
“Could they be coming back? I think we should run to the woods and hide! At least until we can see who it is,” said Shelley in a frantic whisper.
“I agree. Come on!” said Starla as she ran for the trailer door. “Gotta warn the guys and get outta here!”
*tags*
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