Part 5: The Attempt
A small boat motored along the shoreline of the Wentworth estate just before midnight. It was a dark, moonless night, perfect for this sort of evening cruise the two sailors were hoping for. With the wind now coming off the land, the waves behind the bluff were almost non-existent. After a few moments of searching, they found what they were looking for and pulled the boat to the narrow shoreline. They tied the boat off to prevent it from drifting off and the two figures moved ashore. Dressed in dark clothing from head to toe and with camouflaged packs on their backs, only the sharpest of eyes would see them in the darkness, and at the secluded spot, no one would be looking in their direction anyway.
Using small flashlights, they moved forward and started to search the bluffs. Due to the added growth of the brush and field grasses over the years, it took longer than they had hoped, but at last they found what they were looking for. They pushed aside the natural growth and found the entrance to the tunnel, which was well over a yard wide. A few feet in they found a wooden door capping the end of the tunnel that took a small effort to open but sealed well when shut. In they went, moving deeper in, the tunnel opening taller but wide enough for them to move abreast of one another. The trek went for a good a half a mile before it opened up wide into the cave. Here they lit a lantern to get a better look around at the subterranean catacombs.
“Amazing.” Brad said looking around, his voice echoing. “I never knew this was here.” He added in a softer tone.
“That’s because you were always at boarding school.” Catherine replied softly, knowing the acoustics of the cave better. “Had you been around, I might have shown it to you.”
“That’s because dear old daddy never wanted me around.” Brad replied. “Only when I proved I had a head for business and an aptitude to grow the empire while staying loyal did he decide I was worth having near. Who else knows about this place?”
“As far as I know, no one else.” Catherine replied. “Daddy would come down here once or twice a year to make sure things were in order, or do something, and to see no one had discovered or used it for a secret hideout.”
“Then how did you find out about it?”
“Oh, I saw him disappear into it one day. I waited till he returned to figure out how to get in, then checked it out that night. From then on, whenever I wanted to disappear for a while or sneak off the estate, I just slipped down here and poof, I was gone. Best of all, Daddy never knew I discovered the secret.”
“I understand the cave being natural, but why the tunnel?”
“I think they used it for smuggling or hiding out people. I found some papers dating back to the late 1800’s.”
“And that’s where the family fortune began.” Brad stated as he looked around. “He said it was through shipping, but I’m guessing the family made more money through this operation that by legal trade.” He said as he came to an opening in the wall that was carved out, high and big enough for a dozen or more people to stand in. Two other identical opening ran down the length of the wall. “See these holes, I would bet those were for a grate to cover this opening.”
“To keep people out?” Catherine asked.
“Or in.” he replied. “But enough sight seeing, how do we get into the house?”
“This way, by way of the steps.” She replied, leading her brother deeper into the cave.
They left the lantern at the base of the stairs. The narrow steps were at first carved from the stone wall of the cave, but as they drew to the top, became wooden to extend past the foundation of the home, ending at a small stone slab landing. After figuring out the latching system, they doused their lights and slowly open the access way. Surprisingly, it opened quietly, the hinges having been well built, maintained and greased.
The access way opened into a seldom used hallway near a back entrance of the estate. The hallway was dark and as they listened they could not hear any movement or voices. They crept out and silently closed door, letting it disappear back into the wooden paneled wall of the passageway. Using a single dim lighted flashlight, they moved to the back stairway, carefully listening for the odd servant who may have been moving about this time of night. Up they crept and down the hall to the master bedroom. The door was locked, but Brad had a master key and slowly unlocked the door. They retrieved a few items from their packs before they crept in, masks now covering their faces.
As usual, the fireplace was glowing red, still very warm from the fire that burned earlier. They crept to the bed where Jennifer slept soundly. Standing on either side of the bed, with their packs on the floor, and slowly slid the covers down. Jennifer stirred but didn’t react, allowing them to uncover the shapely blonde till just her lower legs were covered.
She slept naked.
Brad nodded three times and the duo pounced. Catherine covered Jennifer’s mouth with a cloth as Brad grabbed her arms before flipping her over onto her chest.
Startled form her sleep, Jennifer had no idea what was going on as one attacker locked her wrists in handcuffs while the other pushed the cloth into her mouth and added a scarf over the top to hold it in place. With her hands secured, the second attacker held her down, adding another scarf to serve as a blindfold while the first bound her legs together at the ankles and knees. The whole attack was so swift it took only a minute to render the disoriented Jennifer helpless and at her attacker’s mercy.
Jennifer was flipped over onto her back. She squirmed but was unable to get free of her restraints. The handcuffs were on tight and she couldn’t slip her hands through the steel loops. Unable to see, she felt her one attacker lay with her on the bed, using his own body to hold Jennifer down, while the other got off the bed and started moving around the room. She heard lots of movements and sounds as she struggled to get free and move away from her capture, who was now fondling her naked chest and down between her bound legs with a gloved hands. Jennifer began to wonder if this was more than a break in or robbery, that maybe her attackers were on an erotic mission setup by a friend who knew her kinky tendencies. She further thought the assault was not malicious when she felt the head of her bullet vibrator pierce her lower lips and the vibrator remote tuck into the ropes binding her knees. Then she felt the pinchers of a set of nipple clamps tighten onto her erect nipples, adding to the idea that this was an erotic, playful episode.
Several minutes later, the sounds stopped. Jennifer was taken off the bed and carried by her two kidnappers to another part of the room. She was made to stand on a small stool where she could feel the warmth from the fireplace. Then to her horror, she felt something slip around her neck and tighten, and it felt like a noose!
At this point, the blindfold was removed. Indeed she was in a noose, the end looped over the beam above, placing her in the exact same spot she was found the night her husband died. She was standing on the chair to her dressing table, facing the fireplace. But the chair felt unstable, like the legs of it were not fully on the floor. If she squirmed, the chair wobbled, and she feared it would knock over. She was able to look down and saw that the legs of the chair were on long but thin cubes of ice, each about a foot in length.
One of the attackers began to pull the rope tight, so that her neck began to be stretched. Satisfied the proper tension was set, the end of the rope was tied off. The two circled their captive, surveying their work. They nodded to each other then one of them reached up to the remote and switched it on. Small waves of pleasures passed into her as her captures resumed playing with her restrained body, pawing at her breasts, pussy and ass, tormenting their captive as she fought not to struggle herself to death.
A few moments later, they stopped. She watched as one of the attackers began to pile more wood onto the fire throwing several logs, adding fuel to rejuvenate the fire that was only smoldering. She looked over and her other capture, who was placing a paper on her dressing table. Lastly, they threw some newspapers on the fire, which made the fire flame up. It was only then that Jennifer realized what they were doing. She shrieked through her gag, pleading for them not do this to her as the reviewed their work then only turned and left the bedroom, locking the door when closed.
Brad and Catherine went back the way they came, making sure to not to be heard or seen. Brad had trouble opening the access panel, so Catherine nudged him aside and did it and slipped in ahead of him. Brad closed the panel behind him and secured it, following Catherine down the steps as they carefully descended. They remained silent till they reached the bottom, where they took off their masks.
“We did it!” Catherine explained. “I can’t believe it but we did it!”
“Not quite, sister.” Brad replied. “While our mission was a success, she’s probably not dead yet. I would guess at this very moment, she’s trying to figure out a way to get out of her plight without killing herself.”
“True, but what chance does she have?”
”Without help, I think none.” He replied. “She’s in a no win scenario up there. If she struggles too much, she might tip over and hang herself. If she remains still the heat of the fire will melt the ice and do it for her, which will slowly choke her to death. But with the front set of legs closer to the fire than the back, the chair is going to get unstable and fall over on its own, either snapping her neck or strangling her to death. At some point, she just might choose to jump, just to end her suffering, but personally I hope she takes the slow, agonizing route of choking to death.”
“Sadistic, my brother.”
“Not as sadistic as you adding the sex toys and us groping her up.”
“My brilliant addition to your little plan.” She evilly smiled. “If nothing else, it will drive her crazy having the pain of clamps on her nipples and the pleasures of that thing inside her, plus adding a distraction from clearly thinking. It makes it appear as if one of her self-bondage games went bad or she went crazy in her last hours and killed herself. Besides, I want that bitch to squirm like mad in the throes of her death struggle.”
“Sadistic, my sister.” He replied, checking his watch.
“Runs in the family. I know this was setup to look like suicide, but when the ice melts, what about the water?”
Brad smiled. “That’s where my brilliance really shines, sister. The servants won’t disturb her till at least 10 or 11 in the morning. More than enough time for the roaring fire that Jennifer so dearly loves to not only melt the ice and send the bitch to her death, but evaporate the water, eliminating the evidence. Nobody will notice a water residue, which can’t be traced back. By the time she’s discovered, the ashes will be at room temperature, just like her dangling corpse will be.”
“And with the note left behind, carefully crafted by me in a near perfect replica of her own hand writing, the police will think she couldn’t live without her beloved husband and the press hounding her as the cash happy widow and rule it a suicide.”
“Exactly, and the family fortune will come back to the immediate family, being the rightful owners, just as daddy wrote into his will. It’s fool-proof, but only if we get out of here and catch our ride, to fortify our alibis.”
They quickly headed back down the tunnel and sealed off the access door. The boat was still tied along the shore, which they quickly boarded and headed out into the open water. After changing clothes, they stuffed their dark suits, and a few bricks, into their packs and threw them overboard, watching them quickly sink to the bottom several miles off shore into deep waters that no one would explore to find. They sped back to where the family yacht was crusing to resume their leisurely voyage back to and around Gotham City harbor, hailing other sailors and ship crews as they entered in, appearing to have been partying all night on the yacht.
While the apparent thieves made their escape into the caves, Jennifer was struggling to remain still, her fears and struggles getting the better of her. She tried to think how she could escape, but knew her options were almost non-existent. Already the chair was slowly sinking, tightening the noose on her neck and tipping forward slightly, which was making standing on it far harder. She knew that if things continued unaltered, her death would be slow, excruciating one. Jumping off would progress her death and maybe be more humane, but she refused to assist her attacks in her own demise.
The vibrator buzzing inside her and the dangling chain between her boobs weren’t helping either her thought process or keeping her from moving.
She tried to call out for help, but the gag muted her voice so much, no one outside the room could hear her. The chair shifted, the ice melting fast. She was able to shuffle her feet back, adding a fraction of an inch off the rope slowly strangling her. Time was running out. The fire was blazing, throwing a lot of heat far into the room, which was thinning the already thin ice blocks quickly. She feared that in a few moments, the ice would melt enough that they wouldn’t hold her weight and snap in half.
She hoped it would kill her quick.
Something cracked, telling her it would happen in seconds, not minutes. She tied one last time to slip her wrists from the handcuffs, but the loops were locked on so tight, she could get them past her hands. She closed her eyes and screamed one last time, knowing the chances of help coming was non-existent. But as she did, the chair shifted again and it began to tip forward.
At that moment, time seemed to slow to a crawl and she was completely aware of every thought she had and of everything that transpired. Just as she was about to fall and fully tighten the noose around her frail neck, she heard something flying through the air above her head. One of the ice blocks cracked and the chair began to fall over, throwing Jennifer forward as well and to her imitate doom. She waited for the noose to constrict around her neck, either breaking it quickly or slowly strangle her to death as she swung helplessly from it. But as she fell, in the split second of what she expected to be the end of her life, neither happened, nor did she hit the floor.
Jennifer dropped into the arms of Batgirl.
For the past few nights, Batgirl has been prowling the grounds of the Wentworth estate, easily slipping over the gates and past the alarm systems. She learned the grounds well and often held a vigil on Jennifer terrace, watching the back of the house and checking in on the owner. When she reached the terrace tonight, she had to do a double take at seeing Jennifer standing naked on a chair, bound and gagged, with a rope around her neck, the skin of her nude body glowing before the roaring fire.
She quickly opened the latch on the door and entered, just as one of the blocks of ice gave way. Reacting on instinct, she threw her Batarang with perfect skill and aim as she rushed forward, slicing the noose from the beam above to prevent the hanging. She caught Jennifer as she fell, dropping to her knees to cushion the impact till they were both came to rest on the floor.
Batgirl quickly removed the noose from Jennifer’s neck. Using the light of the fire and her Batlight, she could see that while the rope had made impressions and slight red marks on her throat, the young widow was alive and well, breathing hard around her gag in shocked disbelief she was still among the living.
“Batgirl, oh thank you! Thank you!” Jennifer cried out when Batgirl removed the gag. “You saved me!”
“Are you all right Mrs Wentworth?”
“Yes, yes, I think so, thanks to you. Oh dear, thank you for saving me! I thought I was going to die!”
“I must ask you Mrs Wentworth,” Batgirl said trying to sound sympathetic, “are you trying to commit suicide?”
“Oh god, no. I was attacked! They did this to me! They were trying to kill me!”
“Who Mrs Wentworth? Who was it that tried to kill you?”
“I, I don’t know. Two people broke in while I was sleeping.” Jennifer said as she told her story of what happened. Oddly, she never asked to be untied as Batgirl continued to cradle the near victim. During her tale, Batgirl observed and turned off the vibrator, but Jennifer hardly noticed the difference. Only when Batgirl removed the clamps from her breasts did Jennifer react, making her squeal at the swell of pain as blood rushed back into her nipples, then seemed to have a mini orgasm. It wasn’t the first time she has climaxed like this.
“And you have no idea who could have done this.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Two attackers, you say. Can you describe them?” ‘I bet I could!’ she thought to herself.
“I really can’t. It was dark, I was blindfolded for most of it and their faces were covered when I did see them. It all happened so fast and I was so scared. I’m sorry, I just don’t know.”
“Did they speak, could you recognize their voices?”
“I don’t think they said a word the whole time.”
“Interesting. OK, let’s get you untied and to a hospital.”
Moments later, Jennifer was free and had slipped on a robe. Batgirl surveyed the scene, seeing how cleaver the attackers were. The ice had almost completely melted, and with the heat from the fire, would have dried up by morning. If this was an attack, it was well thought out and the culprits cleverly covering their tracks while destroying the evidence in the process.
Remembering the note, Bargirl examined it.
To the world,
I find that after witnessing the death of my beloved husband and the way my character has been accused and ridiculed before, during and after my marriage, I find it impossible to continue living. I wish to end my suffering and go to the one that I love and remain with him forever.
The note was signed as Jennifer.
“May I see that?” Jennifer asked. “No. No, I didn’t write this!” she said.
“Is that your handwriting?” Batgirl asked. She had seen some hand written notes and her signature in office city documents, and it sure looked similar.
“It is, I mean, it’s close to mine, but I swear to you I didn’t write this.”
Batgirl check the door, finding it locked. She opened it and checked the lock and the jam, neither showed signs of tampering nor a forced entry. The windows and terrace doors were all locked from the inside as well, excluding the one she entered through, but it too was locked before she entered.
“They must of had had a key. It’s the only logical explanation. Who would have a key to your bedroom?” Batgirl asked. Jennifer listed her personal attendant, a maid and herself, but she didn’t know of anyone else and neither of her attackers matched the build or height of her servants, both being too tall.
Batgirl was beginning to wonder if this really was a suicide attempt and now Jennifer was trying to make up a cover story. The use of her own vibrator and bondage gear gave some credence to the theory.
“If someone did break in, the security system should have recorded it.” Batgirl said. “But we should first get you to a hospital and report it to the police.”
“No, no, we, can’t.” she replied. “I mean, I’m fine, just a little scared from the whole thing. Doing all that will just bring unwanted attention to the whole matter, and right now I just don’t need that kind of publicity.”
“Mrs Wentworth, you really…”
“Please Batgirl, I beg of you. Don’t you understand? It’s such a fantastic story, no one in Gotham City will think it’s true, that I’m making it all up to either get attention or to cover up I really was trying to kill myself.”
Batgirl thought for a moment. “Alright, we’ll do it your way, for now. However, if the break in was caught on tape, it will give credibility to your story and provide evidence on catching the two who attacked you.”
But the security system didn’t catch a thing. Not even Batgirl’s prowling was noticeable, except one camera recording some kind of movement that was undecipherable. No one came into the house and no one left it.
Bending to the widow’s wishes, Batgirl did not press Jennifer further. She’d been through enough for one night and wanted to be alone. With a chair under the door handle, Bargirl left the way she came and departed from the estate, Jennifer securing the terrace door behind her. As she rode back to Gotham City, she contacted the Dynamic Duo to meet her on a downtown rooftop.
“Holy Pseudo- Suicide!” Robin exclaimed. “Had you arrived 10 seconds later, there would have been another tragedy in the Wentworth family.”
“Yes, Robin, but what is the truth here.” Batman said. “In you honest opinion, what do you think really happened tonight, Batgirl?”
“I just don’t know.” She replied. “On the one hand, if it was a suicide attempt, why would she make it so complicated and do it in such a horrific yet bizarre way? Why not just do the deed and be done.”
“Maybe she wanted to do it, but also wanted an option to change her mind. Then events went wrong and she nearly accomplished it.” Batman replied.
“Or she could be trying to frame someone for it.” Robin added.
“Possible, but far too ambiguous.” Batman replied. “She didn’t leave a single clue in her plot to point us in any direction other than herself nor did she implicate anyone after it failed.”
“It could have been someone from old Bad-Worth’s past who had an axe to grind and decided to take it out on his surviving widow. He’s still got to have some old enemies out there that have a motive.” Robin suggested.
“She did say she was into self-bondage and like to pretend herself in perils. Maybe this was just a game and things got out of hand, and now she’s embarrassed and want’s it covered up.” Batgirl suggested.
“Or it could be an inside job. One or two of the hired help may have a motive for this attack.” Robin added.
“All very real possibilities and far too numerous that we won’t solve standing here at this late hour.” Batman said. “If it indeed happened the way she described it, we need to find who and why. Therefore, we investigate all possibilities. We see where the Wentworth’s children were last night at the time of the attack and verify their alibis. Run background checks on the servants and anyone who could gain access to the estate. And Barbara Gordon needs to visit Jennifer Wentworth soon to see if she can get any idea if this was real attempt on her life, a game gone wrong or in reality a near fatal suicide attempt.”
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12.12.12
story continues in Batgirl - The Return 6: The Aftermath
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