Twice as Fatal: A Jarvis Mann Detective Novel

by R Weir

  Kate had returned to town Monday morning, letting me know her lawyers had gotten the restraining order. Paperwork would arrive late in the day, and we could toss her husband out on his ear early the next morning before he left. I would be there to handle escorting him out, as I’d often served papers on people. She would arrange for a locksmith to be there Tuesday to change all the locks at home and at work. The relief in her voice the end was near filled the phone lines.

  Feeling refreshed with a day to myself, I paid bills, ran a few errands to pick up some household items, started the wash and did a hard workout. Today after running, punching and lifting, I did several laps around the pool. Other than the latest round of bruising from my fight with Mack and Grady, I felt good physically.

  Thinking it would be a stress-free afternoon, my cell rang and it was Bill. He explained Rachael had an ominous call to go to a website to check out a video. They told her it was important to the safety of her family. If they didn’t view it and contact them within seven days it would be posted for all to see. When they viewed it, they were shocked by what they saw.

  “I need you over here right now,” stated Bill.

  I headed straight through the fall air, and entered the house, absolutely fearing the worst. I was ushered into a small office with a notebook computer sitting at a nice oak desk, both Rachael and Bill looking stunned. On the screen was a frozen image. Bill used the mouse and clicked play. He had the sound turned down but it wasn’t necessary to hear what was going on. The picture said it all.

  On the LCD with his face digitally removed, lay an African American man on a bed, completely naked. His hands were roped to the bedpost, but this wasn’t something where he was forced to be tied up; this was a sexual game. Soon a white woman came into the room dressed in leather garters and cami top, her face also blacked out. She was holding a leather whip with long strands of soft cowskin, running it up and down the man’s body, arousing him. It was gentle domination, but still the fetish behavior was hard to watch. From the physical size of the man and the shape he was in I was pretty certain who it was. The scar on his knee was a dead giveaway, the final clue. The woman began to undress when Bill hit the pause button.

  “It’s Ray, isn’t it?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.

  Both of them glared at me and nodded their heads, shock still filling their eyes.

  “I’ll move this ahead and turn up the volume,” said Bill. “There is a message at the end you need to hear.”

  The speakers popped, the voice obviously digitized.

  “By now you probably know who the young man on the screen before you is. He has a debt he needs to settle. The amount is one thousand dollars, to be paid immediately, with monthly installments going forward of five hundred dollars. If these payments are not made, the video without the face blacked out will be put on the Internet. Text messages will be sent to students and faculty at UNC with links to view the footage. As you are aware other students will send the link around like wildfire. Once this happens, there is no stopping it and his life will be ruined, including his chance at ever playing football again. This version will only be on this site for four hours and will be taken down. If in seven days the payment is not made, the unedited file of this video will be turned loose for all to view. You will receive a text message with a PayPal email account you can upload the money to. Any aggressive attempts to retrieve this footage will mean the immediate release of it for the world to view.”

  “Oh crap,” said Rachael. “My baby in a sex tape. How could he?”

  “I doubt he knew he was being filmed,” I answered.

  “What are we going to do?” said Bill. “We can’t afford this every month.”

  “You may need to pay the initial thousand dollars if we can’t come up with anything first. Has Ray seen this?”

  “No,” stated Bill forcefully. “Do you think we should show him?”

  “Not yet. I’m afraid he might do something stupid like go up there and confront them. He’s not equipped to handle these people.”

  “We are,” stated Bill forcefully. “Maybe we should go up and deal with this. I’m inclined to shoot them both.”

  I was a little surprised by the statement.

  “Wouldn’t do any good, for Mack and Grady are merely muscle. The owner of the club is the man calling the shots. We need to think this through and come up with some options. How much longer do we have before they pull this from the Internet?”

  “I got the message about an hour and thirty minutes ago. Why?”

  “With your permission I’d like to get the web address. I need to see the whole video and search for anything to help us. I will do this at home. You don’t need to watch any more of this.”

  “What do you think you’ll find?” asked Rachael.

  “It’s hard to say, maybe nothing. Part of the job is going over things again and again searching for clues of any kind. It’s too unpleasant to do yourselves, so it’s up to me. Right now it’s all we’ve got. Believe me, I won’t enjoy it, but it has to be done. We need to find something to use.”

  Bill reluctantly wrote down the web address. Once I got home I ran the video from the beginning, looking for any signs to tell me where it was filmed and who else was in it. The total length was about twenty minutes minus the warning message at the end. It starts out as before with Ray and the white girl, who after disrobing, started providing various manual and oral pleasures. After about ten minutes she straddled him and began to grind away. Shortly after another woman came into the picture wearing a pink see-through negligee. Her face was blacked out, but soon she was naked, joining the festivities, also climbing on top at a different angle. The quality of the video was a bit grainy, though good enough to see details. The whole scene climaxed with lots of wailing moans of ecstasy, with bodies slumping down to the bed, exhausted. There was something there I missed the first time, I couldn’t put my finger on it. I watched again and saw it the second time, pausing the scene for a better view. The brown skinned girl had a butterfly tattoo on her right thigh. I’d seen it on the leg of Ariela when I visited her. She had been involved in the video. I checked it again, discovering the walls were exactly like the ugly gray stucco ones in her apartment. The footage had been filmed at her place. Could she have been in on this whole scam from the beginning? She had even propositioned me in the club. Could she have been trying to lure me in to be recorded?

  There was only one way to find out. I needed to go back to Greeley to see her and find out where it led.

  Chapter 18

  The trip back to Greeley took me the normal hour plus, so I hoped it would be worth it. I didn’t tell Bill of my plan. I was certain he would want to tag along and my scheme didn’t call for two people. Before leaving I called The Hustle to see if Ariela was working but they said it was her night off. This worked perfectly for what I had in mind. Going into the club again would only cause me trouble with their goon squad. I needed to have her at her place.

  When I arrived I knocked on the door. After a couple of minutes she answered, dressed in tight blue jeans and a tank top. She looked somewhat surprised to see me, but let me in. She smelled of flowered perfume and her black hair was cut shorter than when I last saw her. She smiled warmly while sitting down on her old brown sofa.

  “You looking for Ray again?” she asked.

  “No,” I answered. “I was looking for you. After your stimulating lap dance I thought I’d stop by and see if you were available for some fun. I believe you offered the next time I was in the neighborhood.”

  She was coy with her response, having been trained well not to be entrapped.

  ”What offer are you referring to?”

  “It was a little hard to hear in there and the warmth of your crotch on mine was distracting, but you stated I was cute and I should stop by sometime and we could have some fun.”

  “Really. What type of fun would you like to have?”

  “Well, you mentioned you had a female friend
who would join us. I’ve always wanted to have a three-way. If you and she are willing, I think I’m up for the challenge.”

  Ariela ran her tongue along her lip, a seductive move which probably lured them all in. For me it was a game, an end to a means.

  “Anything else you’d like?” she purred. “There is little we won’t do for a cute guy like you.”

  “Well, I’m not sure how to put this,” I stated while hesitating.

  “Come on now, don’t be shy,” she said while sliding her hands up and down her thighs trying to encourage me.

  “I love girls in leather. Those chaps you wore the other night were hot. Nothing better than a woman taking charge and running the show, making me do what you want!”

  “Well, you are in luck; we aim to please. Let me contact my friend. She lives close by and can usually be here within an hour.”

  Ariela got up and came over and kissed me hard on the mouth, grabbing my rear, pulling me tight to her. Walking away she made her phone call, speaking obscene comments into the mouthpiece. She had gotten the answer she wanted and strolled back over to me.

  “It’s your lucky day, stud. Leather is ready and willing. She’ll be here in about thirty minutes. Would you care for a drink?”

  “Sure. I’ll take a beer if you have one.”

  “Always,” she said while leaving the room.

  I scanned the room trying to see any signs of cameras. From what I could tell there were none in the main room. I moved to get a glimpse down the hall and saw three doors, one straight down looking like a bathroom, and one on each side. It appeared this was a two-bedroom apartment, with only one person living in it. The other room might have been a study or work room, but I bet it might be something else.

  Ariela returned with the beer poured into a glass. I thanked her and took a fake sip, for fear she might have added something to it. I needed to have my full faculties. Any type of drugging would have put me in jeopardy of being able to resist them. I didn’t care to see myself on the Internet screwing these women.

  “Sit down next to me,” said Ariela from the sofa. “We can warm things up a bit.”

  I did as I was told and soon she was rubbing her hands up and down my body, kissing me at the same time. It was difficult not to get aroused, and since I was playing the part it was best to let the blood flow. I ran my hands all over her, feeling her body react to each touch. I knew I was good but I wasn’t this good. Her performance was over the top but I went with it.

  In a short while her friend walked in the door, with a full-length leather coat. She slammed it shut and opened the jacket to reveal the same leather outfit I’d seen in Ray’s video, with knee-high black boots with spiked heels. She was probably in her late thirties, with long blonde hair flowing all the way to her rear end. She was tall, about my height, well built in all the right areas and wore bright red lipstick, dark eye shadow and big hoop earrings. This was obviously the same woman in the video. She was a smoking hot woman of the age I would take in a heartbeat if I wasn’t on the job. Few men could ever resist her.

  “What do we have here,” she stated loudly. “Are you playing with my woman, mister? Don’t you know only I get to touch her down there!”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” I answered still in character. “What are you going to do to me?”

  She pulled out her whip and snapped it against her palm.

  “Get your hands off her pussy and stand up! My name is Leather and I’m here to straighten you out.”

  Following her orders she walked over and slapped me softly with the whip on the rear end. Her face two inches from mine, growling like an animal. She grabbed my hands and pressed them against her breasts. She nibbled on my ear and whispered.

  “She is good, but I’m better,” she said. “Come with me and I’ll show you how a dominant woman fucks a man. She can watch and learn.”

  She walked me backwards into the bedroom on the right, pulling me in tightly licking my neck. Ariela followed us but turned left through the other door. The room was laid out exactly as it was in Ray’s video. A brass four-poster bed, with leather straps on each post for tying someone down. Leather clawed at me, my hands touching her; while looking around I spotted where I suspected the camera was. It was well hidden up in the corner, but some exposed wires gave it away. I figured the recording had already started when she pushed me away from her.

  “Don’t touch me,” she yelled out. “You are mine and you’ll do what you’re told. Take off your clothes so I can see you.”

  I stripped down but left my briefs on. The room was cold and I had lost my arousal from earlier. I wasn’t going to go much further but needed to make sure the action had started. Leather was not happy I was still wearing shorts.

  “All of it, buster,” she stated. “I want to see your hard man cock.”

  “Where is Ariela?” I asked.

  “What?” she answered.

  “Where is Ariela? If I’m going to drop my briefs I want her here too. I plan on sticking it in both of you.”

  Still in character, Leather shouted, “Ariela, get in here, bitch!”

  She walked in, dressed only in lingerie. She was smaller than Leather but still sexy, standing beside her, looking puzzled.

  “Come on, you two, I want to see you groping each other?” I said.

  “I thought you wanted us to dominate you?” said Ariela.

  “Oh yes, but first I need you embracing and kissing with lots of tongue to get me revved up again. There is nothing hotter!”

  Hesitating, they glanced at each other, and shrugged, as if to say whatever the man wanted. They turned and started kissing softly. I stepped over, leaned against them and pushed them together over onto the bed and walked out of the room.

  Across the hall and into the other bedroom I found what I was looking for: computer equipment recording all the happenings in the room. I closed the door and locked it, sat down and begin looking through files. She hadn’t password-protected it before leaving and I had total access. If the data was stored locally, I might be able to find what I was looking for. Under the video folders there were lots of them. I sorted by date and opened each one around the time it would have been recorded. On the fifth file I double-clicked there was the one of Ray unedited and without the face hidden.

  “Hey, what the hell are you doing?” yelled Ariela while pounding on the door.

  Ignoring her I found many more videos, all in raw format, plus an edited version. I could delete them all but figured I would take all the storage hardware with me. Since it was a desktop computer I powered it down, opened it up and removed the hard drive. There might have been other copies, but I would take it and any devices I found. There were a couple of flash drives and one other external USB hard drive. I gathered them up and placed them in a pillowcase I found in the room. I unlocked the door, pushed my way past Ariela and went across to the other room to get my clothes.

  “What the hell!” Ariela said. “Are you robbing me?”

  “Actually, I’m keeping you from ruining Ray’s life and a few others you had on the computer. This game of yours needs to end.”

  “Wait now. We are only doing what we are told to do by our boss.”

  “Sure, lure men in and make their fantasies come true. A couple of sexy women acting out their kinky bidding—then recording it. Maybe even drug them with a drink. I can call the cops right now and have them come in and see the setup you have, maybe test the beer you gave me. You’d be in a lot of trouble blackmailing people. How much they pay you for each performance?”

  Both women appeared to be in shock. Neither could muster up an answer. Their best leverage was sex but they knew it wouldn’t work. They were stuck and knew it.

  “Not sure how you’ll explain this to your boss, but too bad. All the lives you ruined, I’d say it’s time to find new employment.”

  “Please don’t,” said Leather, now crying. “They will kill us, or worse.”

  She tried to grab for the b
ag but I slapped her, knocking her back on the bed. I had finished dressing and headed towards the living room.

  “I have no sympathy for you both. You better get out of town. Pack up now and go. You should have time to get away. I’m not going to tell on you.”

  “Please. I saved your ass by calling the cops,” said Ariela.

  “Did you really? I’m not so certain, because why would you help me and now attempt to record me screwing you both? Was it part of the plan? I think you’ve been in on this from the start. You called them to keep them from killing a potential customer. You figured you would lure me back in here with the sexy talk you used in the club. Another one on the hook and a piece of the action for you. What are they paying you? A finder’s fee or do you get a cut of each monthly membership you bring in? If we dig a little further I bet we find you aren’t poor as you appear. Maybe you are even running this whole scam!”

  The charade seemed to be over now.

  “I’m calling Mack and Grady,” Ariela yelled.

  I pushed her out of the way, went to the phone and ripped the jack out via the cable.

  “Pleasure doing business,” I stated, walking out with the pillowcase feeling pretty proud of myself.

  Chapter 19

  Arriving at Kate’s bright and early the next day, fresh off of my success from the night before, I was dressed in my best throw-the-bum-out-of-the-house clothing: blue jeans, long-sleeved white shirt, hiking boots and a brown leather coat concealing my .38. Since I’d seen Jack armed when running his errands, I wanted to be prepared for the possibility. Knowing I could take him in a fair fight, I needed to make sure he didn’t tip the odds with firepower.

  At the front door Kate greeted me with an anxious smile. This was the big day, though she did appear nervous. She was barefoot, with black jeans and black lacy shirt. Her hair was in her signature braded ponytail, her skull covered in a bandana. Leading me in by the arm into the living area, she introduced me to her lawyer, who was sitting down on her sofa with some coffee and a folder of documents he was reviewing. Burt Sanders stood up and gave me the rock-hard handshake all men seem to use to gauge their virility. He was dressed in a nice dark suit and shiny business shoes I couldn’t and wouldn’t wear if my life depended on it. The gray thinning hair led me to believe he was in his fifties, the slight paunch in his belly further evidence. He handed me the paperwork I needed to serve to Jack, which included the divorce papers and restraining order to leave the house and not come within 500 yards of the home, the salon business, or her and the kids.