02-26-2020, 11:00 PM
Chapter 3
Rhiannon was glad that the conference was coming to an end. Four days of lectures and networking events had worn her down. It was the final evening and she was attending the formal dinner dance that would officially signal the end of the conference. She had considered not attending and either getting an early night with a bottle of wine or trying to get a flight but thought that she might enjoy the evening. Wearing a flowing red dress with matching heels and shawl she entered the hotel’s public bar from the large hall that was hosting the final throws of the party. The hotel where the conference was being held had several bars and Rhiannon was hoping to get a bit of piece and quiet, making her way to the bar to order a large glass of red she didn’t notice the familiar face sitting at a table at the back of the bar.
Christina had taken a seat in the shadows towards the rear of the bar where she could observe everyone that entered the bar through either entrance, the one to the large function hall and the second that took you out to the main lobby of the hotel. In order to blend in with the conventioneers attending the dinner dance she had dressed for the occasion in a figure hugging black dress. She had to admit that it was great to glam up and put on a nice dress, make up and jewellery. It made a change form the usual practical clothing and she had already had two serious offers from male admires that she had managed to politely fend off. Unwilling to take the chance of being recognised by Rhiannon she nursed her own drink as her target took her time over two large glasses of red wine. After completing her second glass Christina watched as Rhiannon settled the tab and exited the bar into the main lobby. Christina guessed that Rhiannon would be heading to her room. It was time to put her plan into action. Ms Scott was in for a shock in the not to distant future.
Christina didn’t want to follow Rhiannon directly through the hotel. She had made discreet enquiries earlier and confirmed what room Rhiannon was in. Instead Christina exited the bar through an unmarked exit into a service corridor. Making her way down the corridor she rounded a corner to find a man arguing with a young woman. Well argument suggested that it was a two way thing but the man was clearly berating the young woman. Christina noted that the young woman was wearing a uniform; she assumed that it was a staff uniform and a plan formed in her head.
“What’s the problem here?” Christina asked as she approached. They both paused and turned to face the new arrival. The man paused for a second, slightly shocked by the new arrival. Christina could see that the man’s face was getting to the deep red stage. “Why so upset with the shouting and gesticulating dude?” Christina continued putting on a fake Californian surfer accent.
“Dealing with idiots like this its no wonder I get upset. What would you do if you were me?” the man shouted at Christina indicating the young woman when he said the word idiot.
“Shoot myself” Christina replied, levelling her gaze at the man. Christina could see the man was shocked by the reply. Probably not used to woman or other staff answering back the man started to realise that she wasn’t going to back down and didn’t know where to go so she let the uncomfortable silence grow.
“Can I ask you a question?” the man finally said after a pause deciding to change tack “What are you doing here?” the man straightened his back to try and look all authoritative.
“You answer mine first” Christian replied “What are you going to do for a face when King Kong wants his ass back?”
This got a laugh from the young woman that she just about stifled. The man stewed in silence and unable to come up with a response turned and left. Christina watched as the man hurried away, embarrassed about being bested by a woman. Turing round she now focused on the young woman wearing a waitress uniform standing next to her.
“Thanks for helping me out” the young woman said.
“I wouldn’t thank me just yet Monica” Christina replied noting the name on the nametag. The girl paused, a perplexed look breaking across her face at this comment. Christina reached into her small purse and produced a bottle of perfume and a handkerchief. Christina sprayed a healthy amount of the perfume onto the handkerchief.
“What’s that scent?” the young woman required, wrinkling her nose.
“Chloroform” Christina answered as she thrust the cloth over the other woman’s nose and mouth, using her momentum to push the young woman against the wall and pin her in place with her body.
The young woman recoiled in shock at the sudden turn of events. In shock at being attacked by the woman who had just helped her Monica tried to wriggle free but her attacker had the leverage. She was pinned against the wall with a damp handkerchief smothered over her the lower half of her face, completely covering her nose and mouth forcing her to inhale the sweet smelling fumes coming from the chloroform on the handkerchief. She had involuntarily taken a couple of deep breaths when forced against the wall the wind had been knocked out of her. She had no option but to continue to take breaths. Monica could feel the drug start to have an effect as her limbs started to feel heavy, looking at the woman that was holding the cloth she noted that a reassuring smile had broke out across the woman’s face. “Don’t worry, just relax and take some deep breaths. It won’t be long until you go to sleep.” Monica felt her eyelids start to go heavy and eventually she couldn’t fight any longer, closed her eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.
Christina watched the young woman’s eyes close and felt her body slump against her own. She removed the handkerchief from overt he woman’s nose and mouth and slipped it into the top of her dress, her cleavage holding it in place. Luckily the young woman was light and Christina was able to manoeuvre Monica over her shoulder and carry her along the corridor to a storeroom that she had noted earlier. Christina opened the door and carefully deposited the young woman on the floor. After closing the door Christian searched the young waitress and quickly found what she was looking for, an electronic key card that would allow access to most of the doors within the hotel. This would allow her to move freely around the non public areas of the hotel. Not having prepared for this she didn’t have anything to bind the waitress with. Unlike the chloroform (no woman should leave home without it) there wasn’t room in her purse. It was a storeroom so there should be something Christina thought to herself. She scanned the shelves and finally found a roll of duct tape. Grabbing it Christina used it enthusiastically to bind the young waitress’s legs and arms, practically mummifying the poor girl. Christina then took a rag from a nearby shelf and checking it was clean stuffed it into the young woman’s mouth, using several strips of tape to hold it in place.
Christian pulled her phone from her purse and found the number that she was looking for ands typed Room 613 confirmed. Meet in corridor; then headed toward the fire escape stairs to walk up the sixth floor.
Chapter 4
Michelle hurried around the corner of the hotel toward the rear goods entrance. During the induction on her first day she was informed that under no circumstances were staff to enter the hotel this way but on this her fifth day she was running late and using this entrance would save her some time and keep her new boss from warning her about her time keeping for a second time during her first week. A colleague had shown her the short cut and explained that for some reason the hotel’s CCTV system didn’t cover this particular rear door. She didn’t mean to be late but got caught up chatting with some friends at the gym after a fitness class. It took a bit of effort to keep her 5 ft 4” frame in the best shape now that she had hit her mid twenties but it was worth it to maintain the natural gifts that she had been bestowed. Michelle opened her large purse and removed two items, an elastic band and the key card that she had been given she started working as a maid in the hotel. When swiped in the electronic locks that were on all of the doors throughout the hotel the key card would allow access to all bedrooms, cupboards and almost every other room. Michelle placed the card between her teeth as she used both hands to tie back her long black hair with the elastic band. As she approached the rear fire escape which she planned to use to enter the hotel she was glad that nobody else was about. About ten paces from the door Michelle stopped as she heard an engine approach the loading bay. She immediately looked around for somewhere to hide but quickly decided that this would be childish and beside she thought a delivery man wouldn’t want know that hotel staff were not supposed to use this entrance. She relaxed as she recognized the vehicle reversing into the loading bay as an ambulance. Michelle stood transfixed as the vehicle stopped short of a ramp. The engine shut off and both doors opened simultaneously as two female paramedics exited the cab.
Kirsty stood down from the driver’s side of the ambulance and closed the door. She made her way briskly round to the rear of the ambulance, opened both doors and stood back to let her partner enter the cabin. As she waited for her partner Kirsty took the opportunity to survey the loading bay area and it was then that she noted the young woman dressed in what looked like a maid uniform standing on the elevated platform above her.
“Katie, come and have a look at this” Kirsty said over her shoulder to her partner as she started up the ramp toward the young woman, “we may have got a very fortunate break.”
Kirsty reached the top of the ramp and paused for a second, then affixing a smile that she hoped exuded friendship made her way across the platform toward where the young woman was still standing close to the goods lift and an emergency exit. About halfway across the gap she raised her hand and said “Good evening. I was told someone would meet us. Did the manager send you?”
“No” Michelle replied with a slightly bemused look on her face
“Would you be able to help us anyway? We need access to the hotel. Apparently somebody is in need of assistance.”
“Ah…yeah sure. My card gets access through that door and a lot of the internal doors. I can take you to the manager’s office or reception if that would help.”
“That would be great.” Kirsty replied. Michelle made toward the door but stopped when the paramedic said “but first could you give my partner and I some help with carrying equipment from the ambulance.”
“Sure. No problem”
They both started back toward the top of the ramp. Kirsty couldn’t help notice that the young woman acted slightly guilty as if she wanted to get out of the loading bay quickly, like she shouldn’t be there at all. “Popped out for a sly cigarette?” Kirsty enquired.
“No, nothing like that. Just running late for my shift and shouldn’t really be using this entrance. Don’t tell the manager.”
“Let’s just call it our little secret” said Kirsty. This elicited a smile from the young woman wearing the maid uniform.
They reached the bottom of the ramp where they were met by the other paramedic. “Thanks for the help” Katie said to Michelle. Before she could reply Michelle suddenly felt the first paramedic’s arms wrap around her body pinning her arms to her sides, in shock Michelle dropped both her purse and key card onto the hard floor of the loading bay, she went to say something but when she opened her mouth the second paramedic who had quickly closed the gap between them stuffed a cloth into her mouth, muffling any noise to make it useless even trying. The second paramedic then bent down and grabbed her legs. In her confusion it took Michelle a couple of seconds to process what was going on. They were carrying her toward the rear of the ambulance. It wasn’t until they were half way that she started struggling. She thrashed with all her strength but she had no leverage, all she succeeded in doing was losing a shoe, both of these woman were larger and stronger the Michelle plus they had the advantage of surprise. Despite her squiring as much as possible the two paramedics easily got her into the rear of the ambulance and forced her down onto a stretcher. She continued to struggle as they first secured her left and then right wrist to the stretcher using thick padded straps. Michelle tried to plead with them to stop, to ask what was going on but they didn’t respond to her muffled pleas. It was then that she remembered the cloth wedged in her mouth and started to work it free. Just as she got it free and spat it out the second paramedic clamped a firm hand over her mouth forcing the back of her head down into the soft pillow below. Michelle looked on as the first paramedic exited the ambulance and closed the doors behind her.
There was silence in the back of the ambulance; the only noise was Michelle breathing heavily into Katie’s hand. “Calm down and stop struggling. No point in continuing that now. Not with your hands secured to the stretcher.” Michelle’s brown eyes flashed with fear at what was going on and then suddenly calmed as a look of resignation washed over them. “That’s better”, Katie said whilst nodding “I am going to remove my hand but no shouting. There is nobody to hear you anyway.” Michelle sighed from under Katie’s hand and slowly nodded. Once the hand was removed from over her mouth Michelle watched in stunned silence as Katie went about quickly and professionally securing her to the stretcher. Katie began by using a strap to bind Michelle’s ankles together. Then she used thick, padded straps placed across Michelle’s ankles, thighs, waist and chest to secure her to the stretcher. Michelle grunted in protest as each strap was put in place and tightened against her body.
“Why are you doing this?” questioned Michelle as Katie turned round to retrieve some items from a bag that was sitting on another stretcher opposite the one that Michelle was now securely bound to.
“This isn’t anything to do with you honey.” Katie replied “from your prospective it was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now don’t panic but I need to give you something to knock you out. I can’t stay here watching you and I need to know you won’t be causing any trouble.” Panic instantly flooded through Michelle and she made to scream but Katie had anticipated this and moved quickly to place her hand over Michelle’s mouth again.
After several seconds of pointless struggling against her bonds Michelle’s muscles relaxed as she submitted to the situation, stopped struggling and nodded for Katie to remove her hand. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she sadly accepted her fate. Once the hand was removed Katie picked the large white cloth and dark colored bottle that she had place on the stretcher. “You were being so co-operative and I understand the panic so I’m going to make this as easy as possible for you. I’m going to pour some chloroform onto this cloth and hold it over your nose and mouth. You just lay there and take nice, deep breaths things will go fine. I’m not going to lie to you it isn’t nice being chloroformed for the first time; you’re going to feel really light headed and a little bit dizzy. Then your head will spin. Don’t fight it. Just relax and breathe it in. You’ll start to feel really tired and then after about ninety seconds you will drift off to sleep. That’s it.” Katie gently squeezed Michelle’s shoulder as a gesture of support before placing the cloth over Michelle’s nose and mouth.
Michelle recoiled from the strong smell of the chemical’s fumes as the cloth was placed over the lower half of her face. Her assailants hand was expertly placed so that the cloth was clamped around her nose so that no air could enter and dilute the pungent fumes. Michelle had heard of the drug before and had seen many examples of it supposedly being used on actresses on television but nothing could prepare her for the real thing. The fumes had a sickly sweet smell that invaded her nostrils. After she had taken a couple of breathes her head started to ache and her vision started to blur. As she continued to breathe in the fumes she eventually started to feel her eyelids getting heavy and darkest descend around the edge of her vision. She had started out fighting against the sleepiness but now she recognised that resistance was futile and took deep, even breathes eventually succumbing to the effects of the chloroform and slipping into unconsciousness.
Whilst her partner was securing the maid in the back of the ambulance Kirsty picked up the items that were dropped during the struggle. Keeping the access card she depositing everything else in a nearby bin made her way up ramp, across the loading bay and toward the emergency exit door. Kirsty stopped at the door and mentally crossing her fingers swiped the access card through the reader. After a brief delay the light on the reader changed from red to green and she heard the lock disengage. Pulling the door open she stepped into a fire escape corridor and made her way towards another door that having studied layout plans of the hotel knew would lead her into a stairwell which should climb to the upper floors.
Once the young woman in the maid uniform had closed her eyes Katie removed the cloth and placed in on the stretcher. Katie then placed a thick pad over her mouth and used a bandage wrapped around her head several times to keep the pad in place. Not the best gag Katie thought but it would do for the moment. As she checked the equipment on the stretcher for the final time the doors to the rear of the ambulance opened and Kirsty leaned in. Glancing at the young woman bound to the stretcher Kirsty said to Katie “Come on I have got the goods lift down to this level and it is waiting for us”. Katie nodded and slung a backpack over her shoulders and loosened the locks that held the remaining empty stretcher. The two women then removed it from the back of the ambulance. Closing the doors behind them they made their way toward and then into the lift, moving the empty stretcher between them all the time keeping a watch for anybody lurking around the area. Once in the lift with the doors closed they could relax a little. Kirsty leaned over and pushed the button for the 6th floor. Katie took a quick glance at Kirsty “Upward and onwards.” The comment was met with a frosty glare.