The Case Ch. 02

Chapter Two -- Proof of Life

"Honey... that's great coffee," Jake smiled at Sharon and pointed to the cup he was holding.

She got the Joke. Harrison Ford had made the same joke in a scene from his newly released move 'Witness'. It was a parody on the old sixties ads for Folgers coffee but she felt uncomfortable with Jake referring to her as 'honey'.

"You get the joke right?" Jake said, suddenly apologetic.

"I get it," Sharon smiled wanly.

They were sitting on the couch in the family room of the holiday house on the foreshore of Lake Wallenpaupack. The central heating had finally made the place comfortably warm. Jake wouldn't allow a fire because smoke from the chimney would draw attention. The windows remained shuttered and from the exterior the house looked empty and winterised. Jake's car was locked away in the shed.

Jake had raided the freezer in the shed and brought in some staples which they had defrosted in the microwave. The presence of such a decadent appliance and the Bertram sportsman in the shed indicated the owners of the house were well to do.

Sharon had made coffee and sandwiches whilst Jake had explored the rest of the house. She felt it was a bizarre situation to be in, drinking coffee and eating sandwiches in front of the television set with her captor, watching the ticker scroll across the bottom of screen asking for any person having knowledge of Sharon's whereabouts to contact the police.

"Sorry about the joke," Jake put his coffee cup down on the table.

"You abduct me and keep me captive in a house that you broke into but you apologise for a lame joke made in poor taste," Sharon turned to him.

"How long are you going to keep me captive?" she glared at him.

"You're the one who handcuffed herself to the case. You should have just handed it over. It's your fault that you are here," Jake retorted.

"You're crazy!" Sharon barked at him.

"You're lucky I'm not," Jake smiled at her.

This is what she hated about him. As much as she should despise him and be fearful of him, Sharon actually found him quite amusing and he had been nothing but considerate and gentlemanly to her. He'd looked up her skirt a couple of times when she'd got in and out of the car but it was instinctual, all men did it. She'd never admit it but she would have been disappointed if he hadn't checked her out, she was quite vain when it came to her appearance and attractiveness.

They had been cooped up in the house all afternoon and into the evening. The house was dark because of the storm shutters on the windows but she knew that it was getting late.

"I'll make you a deal. I'll let you make a phone call if you behave yourself," Jake said.

Sharon perked up immediately.

"Why would you do that?" Sharon suddenly became suspicious.

"Proof of life. If the cops know you are safe and unharmed they might be less inclined to shoot me on sight. They'll settle down a little," Jake replied.

"Ok?" Sharon didn't think he was telling her everything.

"Also it's the right thing to do. There are obviously people out there who love you. They deserve to know that you are safe and well," Jake continued.

"Ok. I'll behave," Sharon's eyes sparkled in anticipation.

"Here are the rules: You get one minute. You don't tell them where we are. You don't tell them anything about me. No hints or codes ok?" Jake stood up.

"Agreed," Sharon said and got up with him.

They went to the breakfast bar and Jake took the handset from the wall-mounted phone and handed it to Sharon.

"Behave," he warned her.

She dialled her home phone number and it was answered immediately by Bethany Williams.

"Hello honey," Sharon breathed into the phone and began to cry softly.

"Hey baby, are you ok?" Bethany breathed into the phone.

Penelope Evesham and Elliot Granger were standing right next to Bethany and they both gasped and then smiled when Bethany acknowledged that she was talking to Sharon.

"I'm safe and well but I can't leave where I am," Sharon was careful not break her promise to Jake.

He was standing next her, his face close to hers so he could hear both sides of the conversation with his fingers resting on the hook so he could hang up immediately if necessary.

"I love you honey," Bethany sobbed into the phone.

"I love you too," tears were running down Sharon's face.

"Are sure you're ok? You're not under duress are you?" Bethany asked.

Bethany was a lawyer and Elliot was the Commander of the Braidwood Police department and they had concocted a series of innocuous questions for Bethany to ask her should Sharon call.

"I'm fine. I'm unharmed and as comfortable as can be expected given the circumstances," Sharon replied.

"What does he want? Is there a ransom?" Bethany asked.

Elliot was spinning his finger, encouraging Bethany to move along and ask as many questions as possible. He knew that the call would be short so that it couldn't be traced.

"There's no ransom. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Sharon explained.

Jake shook his head. Sharon was here because she was belligerent and had defiantly handcuffed herself to the case that he desperately wanted but he wasn't going to speak. He knew that law enforcement would be listening to the call and recording it. He didn't know how sophisticated their voice analysis and identification techniques were but he had no intention of testing it.

"You know I love you. I know that you have been abducted before. Don't do anything to get yourself hurt. I want you to cooperate, to do whatever your kidnapper asks you to do. You know what I mean don't you?" Bethany was now crying.

"It's not like that Bethany," Bethany's crying jag caused Sharon to cry in sympathy with her.

"I love you and I want you know that I'm safe and well and will be released unharmed soon," Sharon said, although she didn't really know that.

"I love you too baby," Bethany replied.

Jake watched the minute hand of his watch crawl across the face indicating the minute was up and he broke the connection.

Sharon hung up the receiver. She was crying silently.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Jake backed away from Sharon. He'd found a drinks cabinet during his search and he went over to it and poured a large slug of Jake Daniels into a tumbler and brought it over to Sharon who was sitting on the couch. She took it from him and took a sip. He went back and poured himself a drink and then sat down, keeping a suitable distance between them.

He couldn't look at Sharon while she was crying so he looked at the television. The banner crawling across the bottom of the screen had changed. A severe weather warning had been issued by the National Weather Service. Jake picked up the remote and the pretty little thing in front of a projected weather map began to speak.

"Near-record cold temperatures caused by a polar vortex are about to affect parts of the U.S. The result will be brutal conditions over the north east United States, residents are warned to take appropriate precautions and expect up to three feet of snow and for temperatures to plummet."

The weather girl waved her hand over the whole state and in particular Braidwood County.

"Shit!" Jake jammed his finger down on the mute button.

Sharon had stopped crying and was looking at the screen.

"Good news and bad news for you I guess," she said, taking another sip of her drink.

Jake looked at her questioningly.

"Well the good news is that weather front means that the search for you will have to be scaled down or suspended. The bad news means we're going to be trapped here unless we get out soon. Maybe now is a good time for you to let me go and for you to hightail it," Sharon said.

"They'll keep the roadblocks up until the weather comes in. We're going nowhere," Jake said with some finality.

He went to the drinks cabinet and came back with the bottle and poured them both another drink.

"Who's Bethany?" Jake asked.

Sharon gave him a steely look.

"Ok. I get it," Jake sighed.

He hadn't figured Sharon for a lesbian, she dressed so femininely and to be frank, provocatively. The lesbians he had seen were typically clad in heavy boots, dungarees, plain t-shirts and other distinctly un-feminine attire. They had short haircuts, were masculine and were very vocal about gay rights, persecution and the male 'gaze'.

Sharon was tall, slim and very attractive with her long brunette hair piled loosely on top of her head held in place with long wooden pins. Her makeup was carefully applied, especially her bright red lipstick. She was wearing a red pencil skirt with a hem that rested mid-thigh, a white satin blouse, tan hosiery and black high heels. The jacket matching her skirt was hanging from the coat rack near the front door. She had a single handcuff around her left wrist from which dangled the remaining links where Rick had cut it free.

The other cuff was secured to the handle of a silver pelican case that Jake had taken into the bedroom he had commandeered for himself.

"You get what?" Sharon hated condescending males.

"This is an argument I'm not going to win so let's let it slide. What did Bethany mean when she said you had been abducted before? You said it yourself in the car, you said this isn't the first time you've been abducted," Jake swirled the liquor round in his glass.

"It's not something I share with strangers," Sharon replied.

The storm front slammed into the house right then. The whole house shook and the central heating kicked into overdrive as the thermostat reacted to the plummeting outside temperature.

"Here's that storm," Jake said soberly.

They walked over to the door and opened it a crack. The wind was howling and snow was falling in blinding sheets, the roof on the shed was already covered in six inches of snow and it was piling up along the walls of the house. Jake slammed the door closed.

"We better get prepared for a few rough days. You can bet the power isn't going to hold out," Just as he said it the house went dark and the steady hum of the central heating ceased.

*****

At Elliot and Penelope's homestead Elliot had checked the generator, checking the battery, the oil level and topping off the diesel tank. Penelope and Bethany sat on the rug in front of the log fire sipping whisky. Penelope was doing her best to reassure Bethany that everything would be ok. They were both fearful that the coming storm would suspend the search for Elliot's sister and her abductor but Elliot explained to both Penelope and Bethany the storm would mean that the abductor would have to hold up somewhere and ride it out.

The State Troopers had put up roadblocks and were confident that Sharon was still somewhere in Braidwood County. Having recently received a phone call from her offering proof of life they felt a little better. Bethany had said that Sharon didn't sound unduly distressed but that was no comfort to Elliot who felt helpless being excluded from the search.

Penelope took a call from her brother who had seen the news reports about Sharon's abduction. She reassured Robert that Sharon was safe but was still in the hands of her captor. She also reassured him that she and Elliot would be safe from the coming storm.

She adjusted the heating and went upstairs to find Elliot sitting on their bed with head in his hands.

"I know that you're frustrated because you want to be in charge of the investigation but you know why you're being excluded," Penelope said.

"That doesn't comfort me," Elliot sighed.

Penelope went into the bathroom and after a few minutes Elliot heard the toilet flush and Penelope came out. She was dangling her panties from her fingers and she walked over and drooped them over Elliot's face.

I know what will take your mind off things," she stood in front of him and dropped her skirt.

She was wearing hold-up stockings and her cock was sticking out.

Elliot pulled her onto the bed and helped her out of the rest of her clothes except for her stockings and heels. He impatiently ripped off his uniform and leapt on the bed. He kissed Penelope and she instinctively reached for him and found him erect. Elliot reciprocated and took Penelope in his hand and stroked her to full tumescence.

Penelope manoeuvred herself so that she was on top of Elliot, her mouth over his groin and her cock dangling close to Elliot's lips.

She took Elliot's cock into her mouth and he took hers. They suckled each other until they were both close to orgasm and then Elliot lifted Penelope off him and lay her on the bed and rose over her.

Penelope pushed a pillow under the small of her back and opened her legs. Elliot knew that Penelope had prepared herself in the bathroom and he could see the gleam of lubricant in her puckered bud. He put his cock in the pink wrinkle and pushed.

Penelope smiled up at him as his glans pieced her sphincter. Elliot stopped and smiled down at her as he extracted his cock from her anus and did it again, pushing just the head of cock inside her and then talking it out.

"Don't be a tease," Penelope smiled up at him.

Elliot fell on her and pushed himself inside her. Penelope just lay there with her arms and legs open, not moving.

"Now don't you be a tease," Elliot crushed his lips against hers.

Penelope put her hands on Elliot's shoulder and wrapped her legs around his back and pushed up, impaling herself on his hard pulsing penis. She rubbed her legs on his flanks and raked her heels on his back knowing it would drive him wild.

And it did.

Elliot began to fuck Penelope with long slow strokes, gradually building the intensity when she encouraged him. Penelope's cock pressed into his belly and he could feel her warm, slippery pre-cum on his flesh.

She goaded him on when he began to fuck her harder, rising up to meet his thrusts and kissing him passionately.

When Elliot filled her anus with his scalding seed she came with him, ejaculating her hot spend on his belly. She held him tight and comforted him when he began to cry.

"It's going to be ok sweetheart; it's going to be ok," Penelope stroked his broad shoulders.

But Penelope did not know if it was going to be ok... not really.

*****

The house got darker and colder. There was no power, no fire, the snow was piling up against the walls and accumulating on the roof. Both Jake and Sharon had put their jackets on but it didn't really warm them up.

"We need to light a fire otherwise we're going to freeze to death," Sharon was sitting on the couch shivering.

"The house is supposed to be vacant. If I light a fire the smoke will give away our presence," Jake replied.

"To whom? Who the fuck is going to notice in this ice storm and so what if they do? There's already two feet of fucking snow out there!" Sharon was angry.

"No fucking fire!" Jake said with finality.

Jake took off his overcoat and put it around Sharon's shoulders but this time it brought her little comfort.

"Fuck this," she declared and went down the hall to the bedrooms.

She went into her allocated room and piled up every blanket and duvet she could find, stripping the third bedroom of bedclothes and covers. She let out her hair, took off her shoes and her suit and climbed under the covers hoping that her body would generate enough heat to keep her warm.

Later that night Jake opened the door to Sharon's bedroom and peeked in on her. The light cast by the lantern he was carrying was dim but he could just make her out under the pile of bedclothes. She appeared to be asleep but occasionally she would shiver, the room was bitter cold and he could see the steam coming from her deep breaths.

Sharon was aware of Jake's presence at the door but she gave no indication. Was he going to try to climb into her bed? Would she fight him? Would she welcome him? It was a moot question because Jake turned away and closed the door leaving her in total darkness.

She woke up in the early morning; a single bar of weak sunlight had broken through a small breach in the storm shutter covering her window and inconveniently fell on her face. She lay under the covers not wanting to move out of the small island of warmth her body had generated. The house was silent except the sound of the ice storm raging outside. Reluctantly she got out of bed because of the uncontrollable need to pee.

She had gone to bed dressed in her slip, bra, panties and pantyhose but they gave her no warmth as her feet touched the cold floor. She had arranged jack's overcoat on top of the bedclothes in order to get the maximum amount of warmth that she could and she pulled it around herself and padded down to the bathroom. The toilet seat was icy against her ass but she endured it and gave a sigh of relief as she evacuated her bladder into the bowl. She was surprised that the cistern wasn't iced-up and when she went to wash her hands she found that the water was icy cold.

She went back to her bedroom and wrapped two blankets around herself and made her way to the kitchen-diner. She looked in on Jake's bedroom on the way and saw that he was up and out. The case sat on the floor beside his bed. She felt momentarily guilty when she saw the meagre amount of bedclothes on his bed; she had stripped every spare blanket in the house to put on her own bed and was also wearing his overcoat.

Sharon was surprised not to find Jake in the kitchen or the family room. She made a quick circuit of the house but still couldn't find him. She noticed balled-up newspaper and kindling in the huge fireplace. It looked like Jake was going to relent and light a fire. Then she noticed that the lid on the firewood storage box beside the fireplace was open. It was empty. It was then she heard the feeble scratching at the front door and she ran over to it and opened it.

Jake was on his knees near the door, his arms full of firewood but he couldn't stand up to open the door. He was dressed only in his dark suit and covered in snow, his face a mask of pain, his hands blue.

"What the fuck?" Sharon grabbed him by the arm and helped him inside.

"Wait," he reached outside the door and started to drag the cut logs inside.

"Leave it!" Sharon kicked the logs that were blocking the doorway inside and slammed the door closed.

"We need a fire. You need to keep warm Sharon," Jake's teeth were chattering so hard she could barely understand him.

"Christ! You idiot!" Sharon helped Jake into the family room.

He couldn't stand, he had to crawl. His clothes were nearly frozen stiff and his skin felt glacial. It was then that she realised that she was wearing his overcoat. Why hadn't he at least come and taken it from off her bed before he went outside? She shook off the blankets she had wrapped around her and threw them over Jake who lay on the floor shivering uncontrollably.

"Fuck!" she realised that he was suffering from hypothermia.

She needed to get some heat into his body core. She looked at the fireplace and thought briefly about lighting the fire but that wouldn't work. She had to get him out of his damp frozen clothes and get some heat into his body.

"Fuck!" she said again and began to half-drag him down to her bedroom.

She clawed at his clothes, her fingers becoming stiff with the cold. He tried to stop her but he was too weak. When she had him down to his underwear she helped to lift him on the bed. She pulled back the covers. There was some residual heat left in the bedding in the space where she had slept but not much. She dragged him into the middle of the bed and threw the covers over him.

Jake lay there shivering, unable to speak, half delirious.

"Fuck!" she said for the third time and cast off the overcoat and climbed into the bed beside him.

His skin was icy-cold and he was shaking. She wrapped him in her arms hoping that some of her body heat would transfer to him.