This Week
Monday
“Do you think
you can tell me what happened?”
Amanda nodded
as she sat at the kitchen table, holding the mug in her hands as she looked
across at the young man. “Yeah it started when I brought Richard and Carl back
from the cinema. We went to see the new Pixar film.”
“For the
record, what were you wearing?”
“Well, Richard
had this white jumper on over a white t-shirt, jeans
and trainers, while Carl had a red gilet on over a checked lumberjack shirt,
jeans and shoes. I was wearing a blue denim dress with a brown belt and black
boots.”
“Thank you they
have been taken for forensic examination. So you saw the film?”
“Yeah we came
home, came into the house and then he pointed the gun at us and told us all to
put our hands in the air, and not to raise our voices.”
“He?”
“The intruder
he was a young man, short brown hair, about the same height as me and casually
dressed but he was wearing dark glasses and what looked like latex gloves, and
it was a gun in his hand that he was aiming at us. The boys just stared at him
as he smiled, and told us all to put our hands on our heads and walk up the
stairs in front of him.
“I looked at
the boys and told them to be quiet, and just do as he said, so we walked up the
stairs and into my bedroom. Richard was shaking, but I just told him to be
brave as we walked in, and the man told me to sit on the bed, and the boys to
stand in front of me.”
“I see and what
happened next?”
“Well, I saw
him take some thin nylon strips from a bag he had carried up, and then he
pulled Carl’s hands behind his back. I heard a rasping sound as he bit his
lower lip, and then he did the same thing to Richard, before he told them to
stand still, and told me to lie face down in the middle of the bed, my head on
the pillows.
“I really felt
as if I had no choice, so I lay face down, and put my hands behind my back
before I felt him crossing my wrists. I then felt the thin strip as he used it
to force them together, and there was the rasping sound again.”
“Your sons were
watching the while time?”
“They were too
scared to move I think anyway, I felt him crossing my ankles and heard the
rasping sound again as I felt my ankles when they were forced together, before
her rolled me onto my back, and stuck the silver tape down over my mouth. He
then rolled me back over, and that was when he pulled my ankles back and made
sure they were secured to my wrists with another of those strips.”
“How do you
know that was what he did?”
“Because I
turned my head and watched as he went back over and gagged both Carl and
Richard, then forced them at gunpoint to lie face down either side of me. I
could see the strips round their wrists as he crossed and forced Richard’s
ankles together, then pulled them back and used a third strip to secure his
wrists and ankles together.
“He then did
the same thing to Carl and left us struggling on the bed while he ransacked the
room, and then left us. The strips were too tight for us to get free, and I was scared of the boys hurting themselves, so somehow I
managed to convey the message we should just try and lie still. So they both
rolled onto their sides and looked at me as I tried not to cry.”
“And you were
like that until your husband came home?”
“Yes he came
home, found us and cut us free, then called your station.”
The officer
nodded as he put his pad away and said “Well, we have the list of what was
taken we can refer you to a counsellor if you wish.”
“Do you
think she will take you up on the offer?”
“She might
at any rate, I don’t think this was one of the Games Players.”
“No their MO
is to make it a game for the children, and every report I have seen of them has
them wearing a stocking over their head or a balaclava. Jay Edwards and that
young couple work as a team this was a solo job.”
“So someone
else?”
“Yeah let’s
hope this is a one off “
Tuesday
Tracy and Hank were
watching, their eyes wide as the man waved the gun at their mother and said “let’s
make sure none of you can raise the alarm now.” Six-year-old Hank was wearing a
brown jumper, jeans and white trainers, while his nine-year-old sister was
wearing a brown fur waistcoat top over a cream-coloured woollen one, and faded
jeans with the bottoms tucked into a pair of black fabric ankle boots.
Neither of them
could say a word however not with the latex gloved hands over their mouths, and
the teenage girl behind them saying “watch what my friend does to Mummy” into
their ears.
Their mother
was wearing a long-sleeved white blouse and jeans tucked into knee length
chestnut brown boots with a flat heel and a frightened expression as she said “please
don’t hurt my babies.”
“Then do what I’m
telling you to do,” the young man said quietly, “and stand against the wall
divider, hands on your head.” She nodded as she stood against the metal frame
that went from floor to ceiling, watching as he took a length of cord from a
bag and lifted her left wrist up before he tied it to the metal. He then walked
round and tied her other wrist to the divider, before he secured her ankles as
well, her legs spread slightly apart and tied so that her legs were a little
way away from the divider.
He then knelt
on her left side, and said to Tracy “come over here kid, and do what I tell
you, and not a word got it?”
She nodded as
she slowly walked over, the man looking at her as he said “wrap your rms round
your mummy’s leg, and don’t move.” Once she had done this, he took more cord
and tied her wrists tightly together on the other side of the leg, before
another length of cord was used to tie her ankles tightly together.
He then rolled
up a black scarf and pulled it between Tracy’s lips, tying the band round her
head and on top of her brown hair. She looked up at her mother as the young
girl brought over Hank, and then watched as he was forced to do the same thing,
his wrists tied together as he held his mother’s other leg, his ankles tied
together, and then a scarf pulled between his lips to act as a gag.
“Now,” the man
said as his partner stroked the hair of the children, “we don’t want them to be
hurt, do we? Where are your valuables?”
“Just don’t
hurt them “
“He struck
again?”
“Two of them
this time a young man and a young woman. Her husband came home to find them
tied to an old-style wall divider, the kids with their arms round their mother’s
legs, all three gagged, all three crying.”
“And it was
not the Games Players?”
“No same as
yesterday, no way this was pitched as a game by anyone. So we have a pair of
real and not particularly friendly thieves targeting families?”
“It
certainly looks that way let’s hope they just move on “
Wednesday
“Does it have
to be so tight,” Zoe complained as the rope forced her arms against her sides.
“Do you want to
stop talking now or do I have to make sure you stay quiet,” the man said as he
pulled the ropes tighter still, and then secured the ends behind her back, the
bands stretching her black blouse over her chest. Her wrists were secured
behind her back, while the armed girl was standing with her four children, all
of them staring at her.
The man knelt
by Zoe’s side and passed rope round her ankles, pulling them together as there
was a squeaking sound that made the girls giggle. Zoe’s jeans were tucked into
a pair of tan leather pirate style mid-calf boots, but as he tied her legs
together below her knees she only had one question in mind.
“What are you
going to do to my babies?”
“I’ll show you,”
he said as he tied the ropes off and stood up. “Tell your daughters to sit on
opposite ends of the couch, hands on top of their heads.”
Zoe looked at
eight-year-old Hannah and ten-year-old Beryl. Hannah was wearing a blue denim
waistcoat over a black and white striped top, and black leggings tucked into
brown Ugg boots. By contrast, Beryl was wearing a long grey cardigan over a
white dress with yellow flowers, and knee length brown fabric boots.
“Do Do as he say, girls,” she whispered as the woman held her
sons by her. Sammy was four, and Zach three, both of them
wearing jeans and brown shoes. Sammy was wearing a green and black checked
shirt, and Zach a black fleece top.
The man then
came over with the bag, and took more cords out before he made sur the girls
both had their ankles secured together, and then their legs below their knees,
before he handed two lengths of cord over to the girl. She then bound Sammy and
Zach’s wrists together in front of them, before she lifted them up and placed
Sammy on Beryl’s lap, then Zach on Hannah’s.
“Thank you
girls put your arms round your brothers and hold them tight now,” the woman
said, both of them doing just that as her partner made
sure their wrists were secured together as well, and then bound the ankles and
legs of the two boys.
“Look at me
Mummy,” Zach said, “Hannah’s hugging me.”
“So I see,” Zoe
said as she tried to smile and ten she had to watch as strips of brown sticking
plaster were pressed down over the mouths of her children and then she was
gagged in the same way, forced to watch as the room was ransacked, and praying
her children would not panic. She had seen that old film.
“If you
struggle, you’ll puke, and if you puke “
“The same
couple.”
“The same
couple they tied the mother up, then the daughters, then the sons as the
daughters held them. Their grandmother found them all an hour later.”
“What they
must have been thinking “
“At least
they stayed calm I just hope if they hit another family, and there is a genuine
issue, they take account of that “
Thursday
“Please, no
they’re asthmatics, they need their inhalers.”
Lesley’s eyes
were wide as she looked at her two children. Brian was four years old, and was
wearing a tartan shirt over a grey t-shirt, jeans and
blue sandshoes, while seven-year-old Zandra was wearing a denim jacket over a
grey dress, white tights and tan short boots. The two children were sat
back-to-back on the floor, their hands secured together at their wrists behind
their backs, and rope holding them together round their stomachs. Their ankles
were also tied tightly together, as well as their legs below their knees but
the reason their mother was upset was that they were both coughing and trying
to breathe.
The young woman
looked at Lesley, and said “where are they?”
“Kitchen -
white box, the masks are in there as well, she said as she twisted on her side
on the couch.” She was wearing a white cardigan over a black top, and jeans
tucked into knee length tan leather boots - but her own hand were secured
together behind her back with ropes, as well as ropes round her arm sand body,
her ankles and legs.
As the young
woman stood up and walked out of the room, she looked at her children and said “I
know you’re scared I’m scared too but remember what the doctor said to you. Try
to calm down and take deep breathes the lady has gone to get your medicine, and
you will feel better after you have a few doses.”
They looked
over as Zandra said “it’s tight Mummy.”
“I know it’s
tight for me too but you need to be brave for all of us,” Lesley said as the
young woman came back with a clear lozenge shaped chamber that had a face mask
on one end, and a brown inhaler. Shaking it, she put the mask over Brian’s face
and fitted the inhaler into the hole on the other side of the chamber, pressing
down and holding it there as the young boy breathed in and out. She took the
inhaler out, shook it and then replaced it before pressing down for a second
time, the young boy calming down as he stopped coughing.
“Thank you,” he
whispered as she then put the mask over Zandra’s mouth, the young girl visibly
relaxing as she inhaled the medicine. The young woman brushed her long light
brown hair away from her face, before she said “do you promise you will both
keep quiet?”
As they nodded,
Lesley sighed, then saw the man as he came in.
“The kids
panicked, but they’re going to be quiet,” the woman said as he walked over and
looked at Lesley, then peeled away from inside his jacket a length of white
tape.
“Mummy will be
quiet, won’t she,” he said as he pressed the tape down over her lips, and then
they both left the family, Lesley watching her children as she tried to pick at
the ropes round her wrists
“Whoever
this is, they almost had a tragedy on their hands are we any closer to
identifying who they may be?”
“Not at this time but we have a good description of them now.
Young, casually dressed we will find them “
Friday
The four chairs
were arranged facing each other, the evening meal still on the table. They had
come in and forced the family to move the chairs away at gunpoint the young man
in the fitted suit, white shirt, dark tie and dark glasses, the young woman wearing
a black leather dress and knee length felt boots.
Then they had
been told to sit in the chairs with their hands on their heads, the woman
covering them with her gun as her partner started with the grandfather. He was
wearing a grey fleece over a blur t-shirt, jeans and
black trainers, but the man had pulled his hands behind the back of the chair
and tied his wrists together before securing them to the chair back. He had
then tied his ankles to the front legs of the chair, before wrapping rope round
his waist and the chair back. A wide strip of black tape had then been pressed
down over his mouth, followed by two more.
The man then
took the gun as his partner dealt with the grandmother. She was wearing a grey
sweater, purple pants and black ankle boots, and she
talked to the other two constantly as her wrists were secured and her body to
the chair back, before he knelt down and bound her ankles together, then took
them to the side and secured them to the chair leg before he secured her legs
together below her knees as well.
She told them
to be brave before her mouth was sealed over with black tape, and then he took
the gun back as his partner looked at the twelve-year-old boy. He was wearing a
green long sleeved top, jeans and black trainers, but
he offered no resistance as she guided his hands between the slats in the chair
back, tied his wrists together and then secured them to the centre spar, and
then tied his upper body to the chair. She then knelt down
and secured his ankles together, as well as his legs below his knees, and then
pulled his feet under the chair before securing the rope to the chair back as
well.
Watching this
was his nine-year-old sister, who was seated in the last seat, wearing a
mustard-coloured corduroy dungaree dress over a long sleeved
patterned top. Ad purple tights with no shoes. She swung her legs to and for as
she watched the lady put black tape over her brother’s mouth, and then realized
the man had taken her hands through the chair back as well, and tied her wrists
together before he forced her against the chair back with a longer rope.
As she knelt down, she looked up and smiled before she wound the
rope round the young girl’s ankles and secured them together, then another
length round her legs below her knees before she swung her legs up and down
then felt the tape over her mouth as it silenced her.
“Sorry we
interrupted the Sabbath dinner,” the woman said as she stood up, “but you have
so many valuable things we want for ourselves. Enjoy this time of quiet
reflection and prayer.”
“Uhbhsthrrdsss “
“Please,” the
man said as he looked in the grandfather’s eyes, “such language in front of the
grandchildren? Consider your sins “
“This is
getting beyond a joke!”
“I agree sir,
but they have proven elusive. Somehow, I do not think they are just going to
call on one of us.”
“That would
be different, would it not?”
“Yes Sir “
Saturday
“There now do
they look as if they are unhappy?”
“No but they
look scared “
“Well they take
your example so show it,” the man said as he pulled the rope round Fiona’s
wrists, forcing them together behind her back as she sat on the couch. She
grunted and then looked across to where her three sons were sitting on the
floor, looking over at her.
They had been
about to go shopping when he had walked in and held them at gunpoint. Andrew
was eight years old, and was wearing a black and white striped t-shirt, jeans and trainers. Dan was six, and had on a checked short
sleeved shirt and denim shorts, with black ankle socks and flat shoes, while
four-year-old Jack had on a pair of dungarees over a white polo shirt, as well
as his one white socks and brown shoes.
She knew who he
was as soon as she had seen him she and her supervisor had spent the week
following his exploits so when he told her she was going to tie her sons up,
she told them all it was going to be a game. If it worked for the Games
Players, it might work for them a little.
She started
with Jack he handed her a long rope, and she made a lasso before putting it
over his head and pulling his arms against his sides. She had then tied his
wrists together in front of him, and then to his legs as he bent them, before she tied the end round her ankles and secured
it as tightly as she could.
She then did
the same to Dan, and then to Andrew, before he had made her sit down and was
now tying her up, the rope going round her arms and forcing them against her
sides as well. She was wearing a denim romper shorts
set with short sleeves, and knee length brown biker boots with a floral motif
on the side boots which squeaked as he knelt down and pulled her ankles tightly
together, and then her legs below her knees.
“Lie down, get
comfortable.”
“Be brave we
will try to get free when he has gone,” she said as she lay down, her head on
the armrest as he peeled a length of white tape from the roll and pressed it
down over her lips. She tried to speak, with no success, as he gagged each of
her sons in turn, and then left them alone. She could hear him searching round
upstairs, tying to remember as many details as she could, to report back
As he came back
in, he smiled as he said “enjoy your day my friend is visiting your boss as
well. We do like to end our visit on a high “
As she held her
baby boy in his arms, watching him drink from the bottle, she tried not to look
at the woman who was pointing the gun at her.
“All right I
haven’t hurt you, have I?”
“No Daddy,”
Paula said as she looked at her father. She had her blonde hair in a ponytail,
held in place by a blue ribbon tied with a bow, and lifted her legs up and down
as she looked at the ropes round her ankles and below her legs. She was wearing
a blue wool cardigan, blue jeans, and red sandals over white socks, but her
hands were secured together behind her back, and there were ropes round her
arms and stomach.
“Is Ford all
right?”
His wife looked
up and nodded, then looked at the baby boy, who had a blue neckerchief on over
his blue jumper and pants. She herself was wearing a blue denim blouse, and a
long blue skirt with old scuffed burgundy leather boots boots which had rope
tied round them at her ankles, and also below her
knees as well.
“You did a good
job, daddy,” the woman said as she looked at him, Ford burping and smiling as
he detached himself from the bottle, and then smiling as his mother winded him.
“Take him, help him to sleep now.”
Nodding, he
took his son from his wife’s arms and rocked him gently, as the woman went
behind her back and pulled her arms back, forcing him to watch as she bound her
wrists together behind her back, and hen wrapped ropes round her arms and upper
body to secure her further.
Walking round,
she looked at the baby boy as his eyes slowly closed, his father kissing his
forehead as he laid him in a car seat and then grunting as she began to bind
his wrists and arms.
“Why hit this
area anyway?”
“Why not but
the added bonus of you and your deputy was too good to
resist. We’ve watched you visit those we have visited so you get a taste of it
as well.”
“Wonderful,” he
sighed as the ropes forced his arms against his sides, opening
up the black gilet he was wearing over a blue shirt, and then he sat
down and watched as the intruder walked over and lay his daughter down so her
head was on her mother’s lap.
“They have done
this all week?”
“I’m afraid so,”
he said quietly as he heard a ripping sound, and then saw the brown sticking
plaster over both their mouths as the woman walked over.
“Thank you for
your cooperation,” she said quietly as she bound his legs, and then gagged him
as well, before leaving them to wonder what had just happened
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