Summary:
With the fear of the Cat hanging over them, Chelle, Lin and Jenn join their female schoolmates at a resort where locally a case looms. Jenn receives shocking news from Richard.
Author’s note: While this story is pro and anti-British Royal Family, it does not reflect the view of the author.
Warning: Young damsel humiliated.
On a Discord server centred on the British Royal Family, there was a heated argument going on, particularly Her Majesty the Queen Camilla. One user FrankJ was an extremely supportive of the Queen, citing her relentless work for the Royal Family and the United Kingdom.
Another , MikeW, was in contrast, against the Royals, also specifically the new Queen.
FrankJ: She’s devoted to duty, the appointments she holds and given..
MikeW: Appointments?! What, the simple baby-carrying, ribbon-cutting events? He used expletives, cursing her and her appointments.
FrankJ: I don’t write your kind of language. Her appointments are all honorary, given mostly by the Monarch, in this case her husband. They are not ‘ baby-carrying, ribbon-cutting events’ rather engaging and further understand communities, individuals, providing moral support.
MikeW countered with more degrading words and swear words and the debates still intensified until MikeJ uploaded a photoshopped image of Queen Camilla sitting with knickers down. The user added , ‘Sitting on the throne’.
FrankJ: *In Caps* YOU WILL REGRET THAT!!!
At a small eatery in Croonford, the teen detectives were gathered. Jenn, dressed in an unusual clothes – black shirt, black jeans, even black summer coat hanging over her chair.
“Jenn, we’re teen detectives,” Chelle smirked. “Not secret agents. And you don’t have to look at the clientele every few minutes. I don’t think the Cat is amongst them.” As Chelle pulled up the straps of her beige dress, Jenn still glanced around. She also had repeatedly told what how she was stunned and trussed up previously.
“If anyone is, I have my ink and pepper spray pen ready and my guy has his net right?” Lin patted her boyfriend’s shoulder. Reinhard nodded and was more focused on Lin’s clothes, purple top and jeans mini-skirt.
“Yeah, thanks for the protection and confidence. Yet, the Cat has quite definitely returned, targeting us.”
“We’re a team,” Chelle’s boyfriend Mark noted after drinking his coffee. “We’ll defend each other and find out who this person is. Maybe we need a break…”
“Hey you lot,” they heard a familiar voice and saw Julia Humes, Chelle and Lin’s classmate. “Hey, boys, girlie chat. You mind?”
The three boys all raised eyes though moved to a nearby table.
“Heard you want to take a break. I’ve got the ideal idea. My aunt has finished remodelling her resort down at Cornwall and allows me to head there for a relaxing time. It’s a mini-country club – game stations, gym, sports hall, tennis courts, food outlets and of course swimming pool. I’ve invited some of the girls from our year – Hattie, Bethan, Heather and others. It’s the perfect way to relax before term starts. You three want to come? Or stuck here with your detective work?”
“Well, wish the weather was warmer. Sure,” Lin replied.
“It’s a deal.” Chelle stated confidently.
Jenn took a few seconds to ponder then agree.
“What about the boys?” Chelle nodded in their direction. “Are they invited?”
“I’d like to keep girls -only. Just us lot. I’ll text you the address and where to meet up. Oh, with the pool there don’t forget your bikinis.” Julia darted off.
“Bikini…got to check if my black pair needs dusting off,” Chelle remarked.
“Oh, have a nice purple one,” Lin added.
Jenn fell silent and the boys re-joined them.
“Girls only? Sound sexist,” Reinhard added.
“Don’t worry pal,” Lin squeezed him. “I’ll text you pictures of me at the pool,” she teased.
“What if some event crops up?” Richard wondered.
“We’re going to relax not find a case. If there is any” Chelle declared.
As the teen detectives dispersed, Lin caught up with Jenn. “Something on your mind?”
“You know me. I’m not comfortable wearing a bikini even if it’s with all girls.”
“You did eventually wore when we were in Penang.”
“Yeah, still not comfortable. I think I hide that one away.”
“Why don’t we go shopping again for another. Please, give it a try?”
Lin took her to a cheap swimwear store with plain designs. Jenn looked at the white or beige ones and ruffled a few ones. She made her decision in 10 minutes. “I really don’t think I can wear a bikini. I don’t have…”
“The body for it?”
“Don’t say that!” Jenn cried then thankful they were alone/. “Ok, yes, it’s more I just don’t feel comfortable with it. I’ll wear a swimsuit ok?’
“Thanks for let’s us stay, Aunt Judy,” Julia told her aunt as the girls entered the resort. “Wow, it’s really vast.”
“Everything in order, except the swimming pool. Repairmen are fixing it and shouldn’t take long. Enjoy your time girls, just don’t make too much of a mess.”
Pool’s out for a while yay, Jenn cheered silently. The others didn’t seem too elated hearing that. As Julia, stated, Hattie, Bethan, Heather were present as well as Madeleine Ranson and Lorna Cheatle. Both were in Jenn’s class with Lorna having just recently shifted to her class. Jenn had talked briefly with Maddie though Lorna seemed to keep her distance from her classmates.
“Alright, what ya all want to start with?” Julia asked after they dumped their bags in rooms. Lin and Heather decided to try the sports hall while the others stayed in the games room. Jenn tried her hand at snooker then gave up and switched to floor chess set with she and Bethan were lying on the ground laughing. The girls met together for lunch and as Jenn scooped more jerk chicken on her plate, Bethan poked her.
“Hey, hey Chelle and Lin, this is up your alley.” It was a news clip from the local channel.
“In breaking news, local resident Michael Water’s ten-year-old daughter Amelia has gone missing. Police are not ruling out a kidnapping at this stage. In world news..”
“Missing child? Perhaps, perhaps not,” Chelle replied.
“Very vague information and we’re resting,” Lin added.
“Yeah, I mean we’re on holiday,” Jenn agreed.
“I though you lot pick out any police stuff that pops up in the news,” Lorna remarked with Jenn raising her eyes at her.
The rain suddenly poured down, resulting in everyone staying indoors. After a round of <span class=”mw-page-title-main”>table shuffleboard and teams playing on pinball machines, the girls sat on bean bags sofas and watched a series romantic dramas. As the credits rolled on the 2005 film The Wedding Date, the weather cleared and the girls decided to explore more of the resort. They quickly found an adventure park and just as they change to sports gear, Julia nudged Lin and passed her one earphone.
</span>
“The police are treating ten-year-old Amelia Water’s disappearance as a kidnapping. At present, they have very little leads except her father Michael of Orange Lane had a online dispute. Amelia was last seen playing in the garden on her home has was wearing a yellow floral dress, is 4’7. Anyone who has seen her can call…”
Lin passed on the news to her fellow girl detectives, stating it was worth looking into.
“Well, we first have to head to this Orange Lane,” Chelle remarked.
“Hey, we’re on holiday,” Jenn protested but after the girls played on childish bouncing castles and chasing each other through a man-made maze, Jenn turned to Chelle and Lin and announced, “Ok, we can head down there before dinner. But darn, this is supposed to be a break.”
The trio left as their female schoolmates either smiled or shook their heads, expecting them to investigate the kidnapping. Orange Lane turned out to be a downward-sloping lane and the Water residence was at the end of it.
Michael Waters was a heavily tattooed man working on machines thus not extending his hand to greet the girls.
“I just had the coppers visit me, why would I wish aid from three lassies? Man, you are one hot chick even though ya a Chink,” he nodded to Lin. Lin was about to react when Chelle pulled her arm said they could assist and asked what the online dispute was about.
“Oh the ****ing media reported that. It’s…” There was the roar of a thunderstorm.
“Let’s resume this tomorrow. See ya girlies,” He waved.
“Hot Chick?! Chink?! I’ll show him who I am,” Lin lifted her arms to flex her muscles.
“His constant swearing and calling us lassies and girlies is so degrading, almost misogynistic,” Jenn shook her head. “Are we seriously helping him? Let’s return, before we’re drenched.”
After dinner, the girls again congregated in the mini theatre and Lin not interested in war movies, turned to her laptop to read some science articles when she switched to the news site.
“We just received a message from an unknown sender. Viewers may find it offensive so be warned.”
The screen changed to a darkened room and a dim light shone. A muffled masked man started, “If the foul-mouth MikeW wants his daughter back, he should apologise for that humiliating picture of he posted of Queen Camilla publicly and the Queen herself. If not, his daughter will continue to sit like in his image.” The camera shifted to the young girl as described earlier. She was sitting on some wooden chair, her mouth cleaved-gagged with a thick piece of cloth, arms were wrench behind her back and legs were tied with thick rope against the chair’s legs. What was the humiliating part was that her knickers were pulled down to her ankles.
Lin quickly called her fellow detectives and replayed the video with Jenn shaking her head.
“That is totally disgusting,” Jenn remarked and briefly covered her face. “No child should receive that kind of humiliation in front of a camera, even as its due to a dispute between adults online.”
“Well, the facts are a little clearer now it was an argument about the Queen, “Chelle pointed to the screen. “And MikeW or Mr. Waters uploaded some image, definitely photoshopped, that wasn’t real and attracted the fury of this kidnapper. ”
“How’re we going to proceed? It’s still vague who this kidnapper is,” Jenn argued.
“I’ll go meet Waters tomorrow morning you to might want to check what the local police know.”
“Well, no tall Chinese girl and no short one,” Michael Waters remarked as he shook hands with Chelle and gave her a cup of coffee. She grimaced, instantly knowing it was from some instant can yet immediately started with the issue at hand.
“Oh yeah the bloody news, the cat’s now out of the bag.” Waters took a drink and Chelle noticed his used of ‘less’ offensive words. “Yeah, it was a heated debate over the horse-face woman holding the title ‘Queen’ which only should go to a proper monarch. So after a while, I uploaded this,” he pulled out his phone and showed her the image. Chelle only momentarily raised eyes at the insulting image.
“What are you Michelle? Pro or anti -Royal?”
Chelle said neither although personally was leaning to the Royals having influenced from her parents. She queried the origin of the Photoshop and learnt the discussion was on Discord.
“I didn’t make it; found it somewhere on the ‘net. Now, it was to aid my fight with that pro-Camilla user. Now, instead of continuing, he kidnaps my Millie.”
Chelle expressed sympathy then wondered how his daughter was easily taken. “Haven’t a clue, lass. There’s my garden, the fence isn’t that tall. She always loves to play there. I didn’t hear any cry from her that day then suddenly she was gone.”
Chelle looked at the garden for a few minutes then with Waters heading inside, she snapped a few pictures, thanking him and left. Meeting up with the others, they didn’t have much to tell.
“The Detective, DI Scott Maddison, on the case hardly spent time with us and even when we mentioned our work, he didn’t hear of us, even when we mentioned Nikki’s name.” Lin referred to their long-term police ally, DCI Nikki Heath.
“Well, it’s not always the police are friends,” Jenn shook her head. “Ok, as I said, no child should suffer over adult disputes. How do we proceed from here?”
The answer was obvious – to check out the original discussion on Discord. That task fell to Lin and while Chelle watched Jenn played around of table chess with Hattie and improved her snooker skills. Finally, she joined her fellow detectives.
“It is a complex scroll but here’s the discussion,” Lin pointed. They read through the debate with Jenn noticing the good strong arguments provided by the user FrankJ vs the simple words and coarse language used by Waters. The discussion ended with those capital letter, ‘YOU WILL REGRET THAT!!!’
“From one threat to a kidnapping,” Lin just remarked. “Something on your mind Miss Summers?”
“There’s something odd. I just can’t place it.”
With no clear path to thread, Lin made a call. “Hey how’s the resort? How’s pool?” Reinhard asked.
“Hold your horses. my boy,” Lin answered and she knew he like that. She quickly asked him how one could trace another’s IP address from instant messaging apps,
“That’s a tough one,” he answered. “Never heard of that though there may devices out there. You want me to find and get back to you?”
Lin said no then there was excitement from Chelle. “It’s this!” She held up her mobile phone and the other girls squinted. Chelle enlarged the image to the full. “See that? It’s a torn orange piece of cloth. And it matches…She lift open Lin’s laptop, “the avatar of that person.”
“Ok, ” Jenn still not convinced. “So what? We’re looking for someone wearing orange?!”
Chell noted that the residences here mostly had low fences and clothes were strung up to dry on washing lines. We’ll just check the local area if there’s a torn clothing matching this. If nothing, we’ll leave the authorities to handle this.”
The three girls had a tight time frame as the news came that swimming pool was almost fixed. As Chelle mentioned, the residences were few and had low fences. The girls covered the various houses in less than an hour and as Jenn wished to return, Chelle called the girls over.
“See that?” She pointed at the house with the only cement wall. The other girls watched and an orange T-shirt fluttered in the wind with one corner clearly torn.
“Ok, looks like it. So what? We ring the door and ask the owner about his shirt?” Jenn wondered, however, Chelle darted off towards that residence. It’s going to be another bound and gagged time, Jenn guessed.
The residence looked a little wealthier than the others the girls walked pasted and had no immediate neighbours. After searching around, Chelle found the doorbell. Immediately, the large gate swung open exposing a clean-shaven man, a stark contrast from Mike Waters. He had a slight limp.
“Ah, I don’t get visitors at this time of the day. Girl Guides? Nah.?” The owner started.
“No, well, there’s a young girl kidnapped due to…”Chelle replied.
“Ah some debate. Please come in. It’s not that warm but I don’t like standing around. Jenn suspected something but her fellow detectives already entered.
“I have some Chinese tea. It’s becoming my favourite,” He had non-Chinese pot and poured tea into mugs with handles.
“So where…ah yes, the poor child. What a way to pay for the parent’s actions,” The owner continued. “Then, what brings you three to my place?”
“Well, we met the father of the girl and am assisting him,” Chelle answered. Where are you going with this? Jenn wondered.
“Ah, the wonderful world of…detectives work. I always wanted to be one when I was young age,” he continued. “So, what did you girls find?”
“Oh, nothing much,” Chelle answered. “Just a torn orange cloth like the shirt you have hanging,” Jenn, having spent much time with suspects, saw his eyes twitch.
“Oh, that, I torn it on a sharp garden stick,” he remarked though at a quick view, he didn’t have any such stick in his small garden. Before Lin could open her mouth, she knocked her given mug and fell down on the ground.
“Lin!!” Both Chelle and Jenn cried simultaneously and bent down to check her.
“Oh, she’s fine. Just knocked out for around ten minutes.” The pair looked up and the man now held some small handgun with a suppressor attached at them. He threw cable ties and a piece of cloth. “Why don’t you two bind and cleave gag your friend. I’m sure you two know how.”
“You’re the FrankJ user!” Chelle shouted.
“That’s a little too loud for me. Why you gag yourselves.” He threw them a roll of tape. As Chelle reluctantly stuck a piece over her lips, he waved his weapon, telling her to spread a long strip all over her head. That took up almost the tape. “Well lucky you,” he pointed to Jenn who had to cleave gag herself. With the unconscious Lin in their arms, the girls were forced inside and down narrow steps into a dark basement.
Chelle and Jenn immediately heard muffled sounds but an immediate call of ‘quiet’ from their captor silenced the room. “Over there, bind her hands to the railing, then her ankles,” he ordered.
As Chelle did so, she tried used her legs to swim at him but he was quicker and pushed her down on the ground. “You two as well!” As Jenn lay in fear, He drew out more cable ties and soon Chelle was strictly hogtied. Suddenly, Lin stirred.
“Ah, sleeping beauty awakes,” he muttered and warning Jenn to keep lying down, he moved over to stuff cloth into Lin’s mouth, sealing it with a round of tape, just like Chelle’s gag.
“Now for you,” He yanked the shortest girl detective up and was going to truss her up, Jenn decided a unusual move.
“Mimter, I thinmmk we camm taammlk this outmm,” she said through her gag.
He had finished binding her wrists behind back then stopped. “What did you say?” Jenn repeated herself as best as she could through the cleave gag, hoping he wouldn’t tighten it.
“Oh, I don’t fall into the ‘let me go and I won’t tell’ trick,” he said, restraining her ankles.
“Nmm, Immnk we canmmm tak abmmout thismmissue u hadmmonline,” Jenn again hoped it came out right.
He paused, then pulled her into the only spot of light in the basement. “Oh, you’re trying to discuss the matter. You were quiet earlier now you want to talk?” Just then, the muffled sounds came again.
“You stay put. Try to move to your friends, you’ll forget about speaking,” he warned and headed up.
Jenn took that seriously and called as best to her friends to check on them. Chelle had rolled a little though not much given the threat and gave a gagged ‘ok’. Lin, still weak from whatever sedative he added to her tea, gave the softest positive groan. As stated, the captor returned, moved to an side where Jenn suspected the little girl was held then returned. He check on Chelle and Lin then moved to Jenn.
“Ok, you want to talk, talk.”
Jenn gestured for her gag to be lowered but that wasn’t going to happen.
“Lookmmm, the Royals aremm nicemmmolks n I’mmmsure yu eally ike em,” Jenn said . Gah, I’m a debater but never debated with cloth wedged between my lips.
“They are beyond nice! They are wonderful! The country would tear apart without them.”
“U stronglyyyy believe inmm Queen Camilla?” Gah, even though this gag isn’t the tightest, my words sound alien, she thought.
“Yes! I do. You read the Discord discussion.” Jenn nodded in response, trying to prevent her throat from drying out.
“ThmmMichael has poommmr undermmmmhstanding of thee Queennn’s bmmmground, herrrappointments, herrole,” Jenn continued, actually not agreeing with what she said. Gash, I sound worse than I was when I was a kid. Can’t he remove the gag?
“And he swears way too much!” Jenn nodded. Meanwhile, despite the strain of the hogtie, Chelle managed twist her watch with laser beam. Just as she tried to turn her finger to push the relevant button then the argument restarted.
“He swears like a gangster. And posted that uncouth picture,” The captor continued.
“N U retaliated takin hiss daughtar, putting er in same positione as the picture?”
“I’m teaching him a lesson! Respect the Queen! Apologise to her!”
“You shouldn’t go to that extreme, mistreating a child…” While that came out properly, Jenn started to drool at the sides of her gag. The captor stared at her for a few seconds, then lowered her gag.
“Tha..anks,” Jenn coughed hoping to receive watere though he only wiped the side of her lips and asked her name.
“Jenn, you think it’s right to insult the Queen?”
“No…and neither should you response humiliating a child,” Jenn replied as best as she could with a dry throat. Nor should you truss and gag us up.
“You question me?’ Before Jenn could respond, there was a loud knock. “Dominic Hudson! This is the police! Come out and release Amelia Waters!”
“Release…mmmpph!” Jenn’s words were cut off as he wedged the cloth back between her lips and tighten the knot. Great, and I thought the talk was going fine.
The captor stared at the stairwell, then at Jenn who gave a muffled ‘released her’ twice before slumping down, exhausted from her dry mouth and throat. Slowly, the captor headed to the other side of the basement and out came the young girl i his arms.
“Jenn Thompson, that was really a great move,” Chelle remarked as the three girl detectives sat in the police van. “Talking down a captor.”
“With a gag on,” Jenn drank more from the given water bottle. “I don’t think I want to try that again, even with a cleave gag.”
The girls were thankful that the police dismissed them after a short statement–police had tracked the video the captor Dominic Hudson sent to the media. The trio made it back in time at the resort with Julia excitedly declared the swimming pool was ready. “Get your bikinis on!”
As they headed to the changing room, Lin cornered Jenn. “Don’t worry, no one is going to tease you over a normal one-piece.”
At the pool, Julia and Hattie were tightening the string of their bikini tops, less they get a wardrobe malfunction. Both were wearing G-string bikinis, Hattie in scarlet while Julia was in orange with triangular bra cups. Behan was wearing a lime green strapless bandeau > also with a G-string bottom. Heather was in a aqua blue bikini, the cups further emphasising her C-cup breasts. Maddie Ransom was wearing a push up brown bikini while Lorna was in an all black halter white random white patterns.
“Hey where’s Jenn?” Chelle asked as she adjusted her black halter top.
“Probably taking her time to put on her suit,” Lorna called. Lin, in her dazzling purple strapless two-piece shot her a glance then headed to find her friend. Suddenly, Jenn emerged from a corner, wearing a T-shirt over…
“Jenn? Are you wearing a bikini under that?” Bethan called. Not answering, Jenn nervously removed her shirt, showing the white bikini she bought before the trip to Penang.
“She is! Let’s get into the water!” Heather led diving straight in and one by one, all the students dived or slid in and splashed around.
“Jenn, you really took a turn wearing it,” Lin remarked as they hung on one side of th pool.
“I still love a good swimsuit,” Jenn remarked, looking down at her bikini top. “Not sure if I’ll ever grow used to this.”
Lin was going to reply when Hattie, out of the water, called.
“Hey detectives! Together! Smile!” Chelle jointed her fellow girl detectives and Hattie snapped several pictures.
“Oh, Hattie, don’t you dare post those on Facebook!” Jenn cried.
After much soaking in the pool, all girls returned to Croonford refreshed and ready for school. The girl detectives met up with their fellow male detectives and Mark congratulated Jenn.
“Richard,” Jenn’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you have a set of our school uniform?”
“Oh, I was going to tell you three. I’m switching schools to Croonford school. Teachers from my old school are leaving for others, affecting grade performance there.”
“What?! No!!!!”
Michelle, Lin Ling, Jennifer, Mark, Reinhard and Richard will return in Charity gone wrong.
Croonford Detectives 