A Thoughtful Woman

by K T Findlay

  Hilary brought out a homemade bløtkake, a sponge soaked in fruit juice, and smothered in whipped cream and chopped up fruit. As she was placing Peregrin’s slice into his plate, the serving slice twisted in her hand and the cake fell sideways with a splot onto the table.

  ‘Bugger!’ she said, but quickly used the serving slice to pick it up, and place it in her own plate. ‘The table’s clean, so no harm done.’

  ‘That’s it.’ said Sally to herself, inspired by Hilary’s instant remedy. ‘I just need to adapt, and quickly.’

  ◆◆◆

  James had seen Sally’s preparations to depart for dinner, which gave himself and Freddy enough time to get ready to try and follow. ‘She’s taken Wick Lane.’ he said as Freddy started the Transit’s engine. ‘She’s probably going to the golf course again.’

  ‘I’m fine with that.’ replied Freddy. ‘I wouldn’t mind another of their risottos, and I think perhaps a trifle.’

  ‘Trifle with risotto? You’re a strange man sometimes.’ scoffed James.

  Freddy was destined to be disappointed however, as an exploratory drive past the golf course car park revealed no sign of the Range Rover. ‘Perhaps she’s gone to Dalton?’ he suggested.

  James wasn’t so sure. ‘It’s a bit late isn’t it? By the time she gets there I mean. Why don’t we check her policeman friend’s place before we go all the way to Dalton?’

  ‘Because if we don’t catch her on the road we’ll never find her in town?’ replied Freddy with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice. James was adamant however, and Freddy consoled himself with the thought that they might as well go to the golf club after all if there was no sign of her at the McEwan’s house.

  Sally’s car was there however and James destroyed Freddy’s culinary fantasies by suggesting they take advantage of Sally’s absence and investigate her house the same way they’d done Helen’s studio the night before. What neither of them expected was to find someone else already there with the same idea.

  ‘There’s a Transit in the drive!’ gasped Freddy.

  ‘So there is… pull over round the corner.’ ordered James.

  ‘The police were looking for a Transit after Terry’s place was burgled.’ Freddy reminded him.

  ‘The police are always looking for a Transit after a burglary!’ snarled his colleague. ‘They’re the criminal’s favourite! Come on, let’s see who they are and what they’re up to.’

  The two agents snuck carefully up the road, sticking to the shadows as much as possible until they could peek in through the northern kitchen window. Inside they could see Ted Malcolm and Mark Evans looking into the lounge, eyeing up the video player and Sally’s camera.

  James jerked his head and Freddy followed him back to the front of the house. James dropped his hand to the bottom of the garage door which the burglars had left not quite shut, and slowly lifted it enough for the agents to roll through on their backs.

  Ted and Mark had gone over the garage first, and Sally’s secret cupboard was a secret no longer, its contents strewn across the garage floor. James drew his pistol, indicating for Freddy to do likewise. Then, counting down three, two, one with the fingers of his left hand, he crept quietly into the kitchen and uttered the immortal words ‘Put your hands up and keep them there.’

  The command was softly spoken, but carried an unmistakable hint of menace. Ted however, wasn’t a man raised on the subtleties of life and he spun around, jemmy raised, ready for a fight.

  James cocked his revolver, the unmistakable metallic sounds echoing back off the walls. Ted hesitated, and when Freddy’s gun made the exact same noise, he slowly lowered his weapon.

  ‘Don’t drop it on the floor!’ ordered James. ‘Put it down gently, on the sheepskin. I don’t want a dent in the floor.’

  Mark looked at his friend. They had a right one here, worrying about a few marks when he was waving a gun about the place! But what was a home owner doing with a pistol? Whose place had they broken into? What was going to happen now? The questions bounced around the inside of what he called his mind for now, as he was too frightened to ask. As it happened, his last question was the first to be answered.

  ‘You lads are going to put everything back exactly as you found it, exactly mind you. That’s very important. This place belongs to a friend of ours and we don’t want her to know you’ve been here, see? If you don’t get it right, and she starts asking questions later, we’re going to be very cross with you and you really, really don’t want that. Trust me. You really, really don’t want that.’

  Ted found his voice. ‘We’ve only done the garage. We haven’t touched anything in the house mister, honest. Please put the gun down. We’ll do what you want.’

  James smiled, but kept the pistol pointed firmly at Ted’s chest. ‘I’m afraid you’re just going to have to put up with it pointing at you, but if it makes you feel any better, I have a very steady finger. After you.’ he said sweetly, indicating a return to the garage where Ted and Mark went to work, diligently putting Sally’s cupboard back the way they’d found it.

  ‘You boys did the house in Beattie Close a while back didn’t you?’ Freddy asked.

  Mark swallowed it hook, line and sinker. ‘How’d you know that mister?’ he gasped.

  ‘It’s my business to know things.’ whispered Freddy. ‘His too.’ he said, waving his gun towards James. ‘Tell me, what did you get?’

  Ted shot Mark a look that very clearly said “Keep your festering gob shut!’ but Mark was too frightened to notice.

  ‘Just some jewellery and some DVDs.’ he offered hopefully.

  Freddy nodded in understanding. ‘Strange sort of place to keep DVDs, in a safe like that…’

  Ted dropped Sally’s spare front bicycle wheel in surprise, the axle chipping a tiny hole in the concrete floor.

  James’s face coloured in fury and he pointed his pistol at Ted’s face. ‘I thought I told you I wanted the place exactly as you found it you cretinous, spotty faced oik! What was in that safe?!’

  A small dark patch began to grow around the fly of Ted’s jeans.

  ‘Oh for God’s sake!’ sneered James. ‘Come on boy, what was in that safe?!’

  Mark jumped in. ‘We don’t know mister, honest.’ Then the penny dropped. ‘Oh Christ… it’s you! You was in Saver Pete’s!’

  James’s eyes narrowed. ‘You’ve got a very good memory for someone so young…’ he looked him briefly up and down, ‘and so stupid! What was in that safe? Tell me!’

  Mark fell to his knees and clasped his hands in front of him. ‘We don’t know I tell you! I was so scared after hearing you put the frighteners on Saver Pete that we just chucked the safe in the corner and left it. It’s still there! We can get it for you. Please don’t hurt us, please don’t hurt us!’

  Freddy intervened. ‘Nobody’s going to hurt you lad, as long as you’re good boys and do what you’re told. Now you just finish putting the house back together and the four of us will go and have a look at that safe.’

  Once James was satisfied that the garage was as good as it was going to get, he tied up both boys with cable ties, bunged Ted into the back of his own Transit so he wouldn’t get pee on the seats, and made Mark direct him back to their flat in Dalton. Freddy followed in their own Transit, musing that James’s over the top interrogation style wasn’t always the most helpful.

  ◆◆◆

  Sally arrived home much later, and parking on the far side of the garage, didn’t notice anything out of place. She went outside to raise the flags to tell Emma to get the hell out of town for the whole weekend, then went to bed.

  17 Last man standing

  The bedside phone blasted him awake.

  'For the love of all that's holy mother, it's 8 o'clock on a Saturday morning!' groaned Alan.

  ‘Time for us to be going again dear. We’re off to London to watch Me And My Girl, and see the sights. We'll be gone the whole weekend, so I hope your overnight bag’s already packed.’

  �
��Yes mother.' he groaned again.

  ‘Come straight up and I’ll make you breakfast.’

  ◆◆◆

  Sally spent the day helping Alison clean out the cages and the exercise yards in the cats’ home. In return, Alison gave her a nice lunch, an excellent dinner and an evening where they both learnt to play Go.

  ‘This is a very deceptive game.' observed Alison. 'Simple rules, easy to learn, very sophisticated to play.'

  Sally agreed. 'I love it! In some ways, it's cleaner and freer than chess. Why has it taken so long to hear about this? We could have been playing it for years!'

  'And not so nakedly combative as chess.' said Alison.

  'Oh I think there's a place for being nakedly combative.' smiled Sally.

  Alison laughed. 'Are you thinking about Miss Helen again?'

  'She even gets paid for it!' giggled Sally.

  ◆◆◆

  Freddy and James arrived home in Little Throcking just after nine. Freddy yawned. ‘That was a long day.’ he sighed.

  ‘A good one though. At least we know those thieving little buggers hadn’t managed to open the safe. If Terry’s document is in there, at least it’s secure.’ said James, in a surprisingly good mood.

  ‘What do you think they’ll do with our young entrepreneurs?’ Freddy mulled.

  James shrugged. ‘Who cares? It’s not our problem now. Hey, the target’s home.’ He pointed across the valley to Sally’s house where the kitchen light had just come on.

  Freddy peered through the telescope. There was virtually no moon and there were no street lights at Sally’s place, but he could just make out the flags by the light from the kitchen. ‘On her flagpole there’s a down arrow, four arrows pointing outwards and an exclamation mark. She’s telling our neighbour to scarper.’

  James looked through the window at Emma’s house. ‘There’s certainly no signs of life here but she could be in bed already.’

  They continued to watch the Mellors residence until a quarter to ten when Selina walked out of the bathroom into the lounge.

  ‘She’s hunting again!’ Freddy called out. ‘She’s dressed up as the blonde.’

  James stared through his binoculars. ‘I wonder if she’s spotted anything amiss in the house? Like that chip in the garage floor.’

  ‘And did those kids really put the cupboard back the way they found it? We’ve got no way of knowing.’ contributed Freddy.

  ‘One thing we do know,’ growled James, ‘is that she won’t take it lying down if she has found anything. I wonder if that’s why she’s going out in the Mini?’

  ◆◆◆

  At ten o’clock precisely, a psyched up Selina was standing next to the Larkin Street steps in Wesser Bech and looking out to sea, when Bob Harland’s footsteps echoed off the wooden planks as he climbed his way home from the pub. Selina reminded herself that she’d have just one shot at this. If she didn’t hook him first time, she’d have to abandon the whole idea for at least a year.

  'You all right love?' Bob wheezed, when he reached the top of the stairs.

  Selina turned a sad face towards him. 'Do you really want to know?'

  He stopped, and sensing opportunity came over to her side. ‘Perhaps.’ he said, giving her a smile under the street lamp.

  ‘I’ve just found out my husband’s having an affair with his secretary. They’re in Paris right now, whooping it up and I’m just wondering what to do about it.’ she said, returning her gaze to the waves.

  ‘Well drowning your self’s no option.’ he said callously.

  She gave a sardonic laugh. ‘Right. So that leaves suck it up in silence, have a massive row and live unhappily ever after, or get a divorce. Great choices.’

  He let the silence reign for a few seconds. ‘Or…’

  She turned look at him again, her face quizzical. ‘Or…?’

  He smiled. ‘There’s always revenge sex. What’s good for him…’

  Her eyes never left his. ‘Are you offering?’

  ‘If you’re interested.’ he said, with a boyish grin, and pointed down the road. ‘My house is right there.’

  She shook her head. ‘I’ve got a better idea. If we’re going to do it, let’s do it properly. We’ll do it in our house, in our bed, in the bed where he tells me he loves me! The bastard.’ Swinging her hips, she walked back to the Mini, opened the driver door and without looking back spoke just one word. ‘Coming?’

  With a huge self satisfied smirk, Bob plonked himself into the passenger seat and looked forward to his ride.

  They didn’t even get all the way across the kitchen before the cuddling began. Bob’s hand moved down to stroke her bottom, and she nestled her head into his shoulder. His second hand joined its mate on the other side.

  ‘Well he’s not a complete loser.’ thought Selina to herself, as she enjoyed his technique.

  Then his hand began a slow march around her hip towards her groin. She moved back a little and reached her right hand out to return the favour. He stiffened, in both senses, and instantly started to remove her skirt.

  She grasped his wrist, ‘Slow down tiger. I want to make this last.’ and placed his hand back on her bottom, while she continued to manipulate him.

  He gasped. ‘That’s not fair! I’ll never last if you carry on doing that.’

  She kissed him sensuously. ‘I can make you last as long as I want to darling, and the longer I do, the greater your pleasure at the end. Do you want to try me?’

  He nodded dumbly.

  ‘Then all you have to do is to leave your hands on my ass.’

  His self control lasted all of two minutes before his hands arrived back at the front of her skirt. She stopped what she was doing and he groaned in frustration.

  ‘Put your hands back where I told you.’ she said simply.

  This time he managed to exceed two minutes, but only just. She broke their clinch.

  ‘You my dear,’ she said, reaching up to stroke his dismayed cheek, ‘need a helping hand to reach the dizzy heights I have planned for you. Take off your clothes.’

  And he did. Less than a minute later he stood there in front of her, with a slightly embarrassed grin and his hands out to the side as if he was a performer doing a ta-dah for his audience.

  ‘Very nice.’ said Selina softly. She reached out to gently take him in her hand, while simultaneously swatting away his own. ‘Ah ah. Now, come with me.’ and gently she led him into the lounge and the chair.

  ‘Sit down my pretty one, and I’ll take you to the moon.’

  Perplexed, he allowed her to sit him on the chair. ‘Now, you hang onto the arms while I get to work.’ she whispered.

  He hung on for dear life, squirming as she carefully worked her magic, but after less than a minute his hands shot out, grasping for her breasts.

  She sighed, smiled at him, and straightened up. ‘Even worse than before! Well, I can see you need the advanced class. Stay there while I get something from the bedroom.’

  When she returned, she draped a delicate scarf over each shoulder. ‘Now, let’s see how you like silk.’ she said softly, and kissed the top of his head.

  She ran the fine fabric over his chest, playing with his nipples, and down his beer belly paunch to the demanding centre of his masculinity. He gasped as the sensations shot through him to his core. He fought valiantly to keep his hands on the arms of the chair, knowing she would stop if he moved them.

  ‘You seem to be distracted. Would you like me to take care of that for you?’ she breathed even more softly into his ear.

  ‘Oh God, yes please!’ he gasped as she gave him a particularly effective twist.

  ‘Your wish is my command.’ she giggled.

  Gently she stroked the scarf across his right wrist, stimulating hairs on his arm, all the while tracing the ends of the other scarf across his crotch. Then ever so gently, and ever so slowly she tied a knot in the scarf and secured his right wrist to the chair. She worked him over intensely for another ten seconds before
starting on his other wrist.

  ‘I’m not sure I want…’ he began to say.

  ‘You don’t want any more of this?’ she asked, giving him her most powerful stimulation yet.

  ‘Okay, okay!’ he gasped, repositioning his arm to let her complete her work.

  He made no resistance at all when she tied his ankles, only coming to life again when she put the leather strap around his chest.

  ‘Say what–?’ he asked, suddenly alert to his true situation.

  ‘It’s fine dear.’ she whispered. ‘Just relax.’

  But he didn’t relax. The strap had alarmed him and he began to test the strength of the scarves. Selina moved quickly. She grabbed the leather straps from the cupboard and quickly secured them over the top of the silk on his wrists and ankles.

  ‘What the hell are you doing?’ he demanded. ‘Let me go! This isn’t funny!’

  ‘No Bob.’ she said in a matter of fact voice. ‘For the first time this evening, you are absolutely correct. It isn’t funny at all.’

  The grim determination and ice in her voice kicked him into a panic, and he threw everything he had into escaping.

  ‘Hah!’ she spat. ‘I’ve had a stronger man than you in this chair and he couldn’t escape, so you've got no chance!’

  He continued to writhe, periodically smacking the back of his head into the chair.

  'Tut-tut.’ she said. 'We will have to do something about that head of yours.'

  She retrieved the head clamp from under its cover and screwed it to the back of the chair. Ignoring his demands, she lowered it slowly, until it was just touching his hair.

  He kicked his head forward, away from the pressure. ‘I'm not going to let you put anything else on me you bitch!'

  'We'll see, we’ll see.' she said softly.

  She wound in the side and front plates until they began to hit his head at the extremes of his twists, and like playing a fish, slowly reeled him in.

  Sensing what she was up to, Bob changed his strategy from trying to evade the plates, to trying to break them, but Sally had built her equipment well. It took her almost 5 minutes, with Bob swearing and cursing the entire time, but eventually she had him secured the way she wanted.