The Finchley Flasher Ch. 02

She had not slept much since her boyfriend's unexplained disappearance and it took all of Alice's gentle ministrations to keep her from completely falling apart. Christiana proved a generous and caring friend, administering a potent sedative when Jenny's nerves could find no relief in over-the-counter medications. But the girl's torment continued. She wondered what tortuous circumstances her lover had been forced into and if he was indeed even alive.

Alice had advised Jenny not to call the police. She knew that Ariel would have operatives within the New York police force and it was her contention that if Jenny had reported Edmund's disappearance to them that this news would get back to Ariel. Christiana seconded this motion. It was clearly apparent that Ariel had been planning to kidnap Edmund for a very long time, even when she was freely associating with both Alice and Christiana, cleverly hiding from both women the truth about her real intentions. Their only hope now was to ask the Sisterhood for help.

"Ariel has tricked us," Alice said to her niece and the good doctor as they sat in the kitchen eating breakfast. "We didn't see it coming and that is very much to our discredit. It's also a testament to Ariel's power of subterfuge. But this lead could prove very helpful. At least it's a start."

Jenny sat across for Alice playing with a piece of toast that she had no desire to eat. "What's the name of that girl you spoke to from the Sisterhood? You know, the one you told me about a few days ago?"

"Her name is Holly McKenzie," Alice replied. "She is the supreme leader of our Order. And she has graciously offered to help us in finding Edmund and in bringing Ariel to justice."

"Do you think she can really help?"

"If the information Sally gave you is correct, the Sisterhood can use it to track down that car. Their methods and equipment are far superior to anything the local police have."

"And Holly wants to bring down Ariel at all costs because Ariel is the leader of the largest splinter group within the Sisterhood—the group that most threatens Holly's position."

"So this whole thing is providing Holly with a pretext for war within your organization," Jenny said.

"Quite so," Alice replied. "And it's about time something was done because the longer Holly waits to act—and I believe she has already waited too damn long—the more powerful Ariel becomes."

Jenny looked out the window. It was just starting to snow, and the gray, bleak, Manhattan skyline made her think of how gray and desolate her own life had now become without Edmund.

"Do you think he's still alive?" she asked her aunt.

"Oh, is that what you're thinking?" Alice rebuked her. "Don't be ridiculous, my dear. Ariel is many things—mad, sadistic, vengeful—but she is not a killer."

Alice had spoken these words in a valiant attempt to not make them sound half-hearted, but she couldn't convince herself or Jenny that she was truly certain about Ariel's ultimate intentions. She knew that Ariel, if provoked, might indeed kill Edmund, but she did not want to alarm her niece by admitting this possibility. In any case, her words had little effect upon Jenny, who continued to look out the window as if expecting the sun to peek out at any moment and dispel all the fear and anxiety that she had suffered the past three days.

"I feel so helpless," she said at last, and laid her head on the table and cried.

Christiana suggested that Jenny take a sedative and go to bed, which the emotionally exhausted girl agreed to do. The day passed without any further news from the Sisterhood, and Alice and her doctor friend decided to wait until Jenny had rested sufficiently before making their next move. They had to rescue Edmund somehow, but until they could learn exactly where he was being kept, they could do nothing but sit tight and wait.

The afternoon of the following day found Jenny very well rested. She had slept for almost fourteen hours and had discovered her appetite again. Alice and Christiana were quite relieved to see the young woman looking refreshed and optimistic, and as they sat together in the kitchen eating lunch the phone rang. Jenny jumped up when she heard it ring and ran to answer it. There was a moment's pause as the girl listened anxiously to the voice on the other end.

"Yes," Jenny said into the phone, "she's here. But why can't you..." She murmured something incoherently, shrugged, and handed the phone to Alice. "It's your friend, Holly. She refuses to talk to me."

"Give me the phone," Alice said, quickly extending her hand.

Jenny waited patiently as Alice sat in silence across from her, listening with extreme attentiveness to all that was being conveyed over the phone line. She asked Jenny for a pen and paper with which she abruptly began to take notes. She remained on the phone for about five minutes, writing down everything that was said to her. With a heartfelt 'thank you,' she said goodbye to Holly and hung up the phone, a look of hope of her face.

"Edmund is alive but being held captive," Alice said. "And the Sisters are going to help us."

An exultant Jenny threw herself into the arms of her aunt and began to weep tears of joy. "Oh, auntie! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Thank Holly and the Sisters, my dear. They're the ones who did it," Alice replied, returning Jenny's affections.

"This is wonderful news, Alice!" Christiana said excitedly. "What else did Holly have to say? Do they know where they're keeping him?"

"It seems the information our friend Sally gave to the Sisterhood was indeed correct. But it wasn't complete, and it has taken them all this time to put the pieces together. And what they found was that the car's license plate was from New Jersey. It was a Lincoln town car owned by a taxi service but not the one Edmund's company employed."

Jenny, now feeling more alive than she had in days, rose from her seat and grabbed a napkin to dry her eyes.

"Thank God for Sally!"

"Yes indeed, my dear. The car had been stolen by one of Ariel's—let us say, and thankfully, less intelligent—accomplices and the theft was reported to the police. The Sisters found out through their own intelligence network that this vehicle had been abandoned in a ditch somewhere off Interstate 90 about fifty miles north of Fort Plain, which is where Edmund is being held. Once they had the location of Edmund's whereabouts, it was merely a matter of sending our operatives into action and the pieces of the puzzle started to come together."

Jenny nodded impatiently. "Where is Fort Plain?"

It's a small village in Montgomery County in upstate New York, about a four-hour drive north of here. It seems that Edmund and these other men—probably former flashers like himself—have been held there since they were captured four days ago."

"But what about those other men? They must have friends and family wondering what has become of them. Surely the police must have received reports of kidnappings."

Alice smiled knowingly. "They're paid to look the other way. That is why I warned you against contacting them. Had you been foolish enough to do so, they would have warned Ariel and our rescue attempt might have been compromised."

"Rescue attempt?" Christiana asked. "What do you mean?"

"Holly is mobilizing our forces as we speak. Already the warehouse where the men are being kept is under surveillance by our people. Her plan is to catch Ariel red handed and take her into custody along with her other associates. She'll meet us tomorrow just outside of Albany where a contingent of our Sisters will be waiting. Holly thinks the best way to get Ariel is to employ the use of sleeping gas. If everyone is drugged, then none of the men can be used as hostages and it will neutralize any chance of weapons being used."

"Do you think the women would really shoot at each other?"

"With Ariel you never really know."

"Where exactly is Holly?" Jenny asked.

"She and several other Sisters left Los Angeles several hours ago on a private jet. They should be arriving at the Albany airport around 6:45 p.m. tonight. Once they arrive they will hook up with some of the Sisters from our New York chapter and then finalize their plans to rescue Edmund and the others. Holly has arranged for us to take an 11:00 a.m. flight from LaGuardia tomorrow, so I suggest you pack whatever things you need. I'm going to arrange for a cab to pick us up at 8:00 a.m."

"I can't believe Holly put this plan of hers into action so quickly," Christiana said looking slightly dumbfounded. "Do you really think we have a chance to bring Ariel down without anyone being harmed?"

"I don't know, Christiana," Alice replied. "All I can tell you is that if there's anyone who can go head to head with Ariel, it's Holly. She's one hell of a woman and we should be thankful that we have her on our side."

Despite the fact that all three women knew they had to arise early the next morning, they continued to talk about the plans for Edmund's rescue well into the night. And when they had nothing left to say, they each retired to their own room—Jenny and Alice sharing the king-size bed in the master bedroom and Christiana taking the queen-size bed in the guest room. It would be a restless night occupied by agonizing dreams and ardent prayers.

************

It was the afternoon of the fifth day of Edmund's captivity and he watched with detached interest as the other men gulped down sandwiches and soda that their generous captors had provided. He had eaten only a few bites of his tuna salad sandwich, finding that the mayonnaise had gone rancid. Most of the men sat together at some makeshift tables that had been set up for them, with a dozen or so armed guards—the afternoon shift—keeping close watch over them.

Edmund had preferred to take his three daily meals in the barracks, where he sat eating and reading on one of the twelve cots arranged in two equal rows of six. Ariel had insisted that the men bathe every day and, to further this endeavor, she had installed several shower stalls in the rear of the building adjacent to the bathroom.

The men were provided with toiletries, clothing, and books and magazines to read, but television was forbidden. For most of the time they sat and talked, entertaining themselves with amusing stories or, when the guards were not within earshot, conjuring up extravagant ideas for escape. Some men even went as far as to tease some of the prettier, gun-toting females, promising them anything they wanted if they would release them. Billy, who had been daring enough to approach one of the stately specimens asking if he could make a phone call, found himself staring down the barrel of a rifle when the offended woman took exception to his outlandish request. It was the first and last time he would make such a foolish move.

As Edmund got up to locate a less offensive morsel to eat, George, who had been sitting and talking with Billy and another man named Harry, motioned for him to join them. The big man with the big heart laughed when Edmund told him about the rancid sandwich.

"I saw your face scrunch up when you took that first bite!" George laughed loudly. "Do you think you'll survive?"

"I'd better!" Edmund replied, laughing right along with his friend. "We live to fight another day!"

The pretty face of the tall, brunette guard closest to them, whose name was Marie, glowed with self-satisfaction, gloating in the knowledge that she knew something they didn't. She looked stealthily at the quartet of men, smirking at the thought that they could be so idiotic as to entertain any hope of actually subduing their captors.

"I heard one of the guards say that all hell is going to break loose here tonight," Harry said in a hushed voice. "Ariel has something especially wicked in mind for us boys. I don't like the sound of it."

"What exactly did you hear?" George asked warily.

"Something about a 'double whammy'."

The other men looked at each other questioningly.

"A double whammy," Harry repeated. "You know...like getting it from both ends."

Billy let out a long moan. "That can only mean one thing. We're gonna get fucked every which way but loose."

Harry shook his head and frowned. "I just want to prepare you guys, that's all."

"That's enough," George said with a heavy sigh.

The images conjured up by this 'double whammy' made Edmund feel ill.

"How much longer must we endure this damnable humiliation?" he asked. "We've been here now for five days. My arse is sore as hell and I don't think I can stand another fucking tuna sandwich! Not to mention that my fiancée is probably sick to death wondering if I'm alive or dead!"

"Very well said, Flasher!" George said, patting Edmund on the back. "Very well said! But what in heaven's name can we do about it? We all feel the same as you do. I've got a wife myself, and two kids. You remember what happened to that young guy Tiger when he made a feeble attempt to escape: they beat the shit out of him. Do you see that woman over there? Yes, I'm pointing at you Marie, or whatever the hell your name is."

Marie slung her weapon halfway down her arm so that it rested in a more convenient position. She glowered at George, waiting on his next word.

"I don't think you have the guts to pull that trigger do you sweetheart?" he continued. "Cause if you had the balls to do it—and I don't discount the fact that despite your fine looks you could actually have a set of brass ones—Ariel would have your sweet ass in the frying pan sooner than you could shake your dick at it!"

This time the rifle was raised to a horizontal position, the muzzle pointed directly at George's head.

"Another word out of your filthy mouth and I'll show you how what balls I have," Marie spat.

George laughed a jittery little laugh and shrugged off her comment as if it had been spoken by a child wielding a popgun.

"Just trying to make conversation darlin', that's all."

Marie took a step toward him and assumed a threatening posture. "You are nothing more than a loudmouthed fool," she said with disgust. "And that goes for all of you. You've got five minutes to finish your meal and get back to the barracks. And if I hear another rude remark from any of you I'll blow your fucking heads off."

There could be no mistaking the sincerity in her voice, and George wisely averted her fierce gaze and looked down at the floor. Billy and Harry sat frozen in their seats but Edmund, tempting fate as it were, stared the woman down, not believing for a second that Ariel would permit him to be harmed—not him, not the Finchley Flasher, the evil woman's prime specimen—by a mere lackey.

"Forgive my friend," Edmund said to Marie. "He's a little on edge...we all are. It comes from being trapped in here for so long. I guess we're all going a little bit nuts."

"Your friend is rude and vulgar," she replied, speaking to him in a much gentler tone. "I don't particularly care for playing mother hen to you bunch of perverts but I have to. The only enjoyment I get out of this job is watching your fucks being abused and ridiculed, which is what you all deserve."

Edmund noted that she seemed to relax her guard a bit and proceeded to sling the rifle back over her shoulder. She looked at him steadily and let her eyes roam up and down his magnificent half-naked form.

"Of course," she continued, "a handsome man like you can never really be made to look ridiculous, not like these others."

She nodded her head disparagingly at George and the other two men, as if by making that one gesture she could discount them as being beyond any possible hope of redemption.

"In fact," she said with a touch of coyness, "some of the other paramilitaries in my outfit have been taking bets that you might actually get off easy tonight—if you comply."

"Comply with what?"

"Let's be real, shall we Mr. Kent? You're a fucking hunk. All the women in my outfit want to fuck you—fuck the living Adonis, that's what they say. If you go for it I'll put in a good word to Ariel and maybe she'll take it easy on you tonight."

"Really?" Edmund asked with a bemused look. "What's so special about tonight?"

"That little asshole over there," she replied looking straight at Harry, "already told you. You guys are going to get the double whammy. Do you know how painful that can be?"

"What can be more painful that what we've already been through?"

"Oh, that was just kid's stuff!" Marie said dismissively. "Total bullshit. Tonight is going to be much more fun."

"Fun for you means pain for us."

Marie laughed. "Let's just say that your assholes are going to be sore for a long time."

Edmund didn't need to have her implication explained further. He could see the dildo now; plastic, hard, dripping with lubricant, ready to penetrate his anal cavity with merciless force. And all the while Ariel's maddening laughter filled his ears as she or some other depraved Sister rammed him from behind.

It wasn't so much the thought of having artificial devices inserted into his orifices that made him cringe but rather the tone of voice and the delight Marie found in its revelation. Another guard standing ten feet away heard Marie's remark and broke into a fit of laughter.

"We are going to have a lot of fun tonight!" the woman laughed. "But don't let the cat out of the bag!"

"Don't worry, Ginger," Marie replied. "I don't want to get on Ariel's bad side."

She looked at Edmund.

"So, do you want to go for it or not?"

"Forget it," Edmund replied. "I'll take my chances with the rest of the men."

"I'll fuck you right now. Right here," she said, her voice lustful, intimidating. "Ariel will go easy on you, I'm telling you."

"No thanks," he said flatly, and sat down to finish his drink.

"Suit yourself," Marie replied, trying to conceal her disappointment with a sardonic grin. "But don't say I didn't give you a chance."

If Edmund had found Ariel a very distasteful example of femininity, he would have to give top honors to Marie, whose overt sexual conniving, almost masculine in nature, he found offensive. He refused to look at her, even though he could see her stealing glances at him from the corner of his eye. For a short while he talked about mundane matters with the other three men and then returned to his bed to read a magazine and ponder what new vicissitudes Ariel had planned for him and his compatriots.

He wondered how Jenny was faring during his absence. He knew she was a strong and highly intelligent girl who would do whatever she could to find him. But the thought that she was suffering because of him gave him no peace. In the year they had lived together they were rarely apart, and her absence left a great empty space in his heart. It amused him to think that, even now, the police were on the verge of rescuing him and the other captives, and this thought gave him hope. But there was no denying that Ariel had orchestrated his kidnapping with the utmost care and deliberation, and that it would take an incredible stroke of good luck for them to find him.

Edmund thought of the other men trapped inside this wooden prison with him and felt partially responsible for their fate. After all, it was his perverse exploits, and their emulation of them, that had provoked their collective downfall. He had befriended several of them: Billy, the smallish, furtive man who sometimes acted on impulse but was basically a coward; George, the epitome of the endearing Irish-American middle-class slob who wore his heart on his sleeve and minced no words; Harry, a good-looking Jewish man in his thirties who worked as a trader on Wall Street but seemed to have no idea of subtlety; and Lester Quan, a manic-depressant, nineteen-year-old Chinese guy with a cock that was already far too big without the drug-enhanced benefit of the EJAX medication.