Chapter 21

A rather irate looking Stephen Wilson arrived at the slightly rundown detached house in North London. His anger turned to dismay as he perceived his wife and Olivia seated on the threadbare sofa, and Angela standing watching over them.

"You!" he accused.

"I'm afraid so," Angela replied, suddenly feeling on top of the situation. "We've just been having a nice chat with your wife. I was wondering what she'd think once I tell her how you arranged a visit to the same clinic that handled Olivia."

"How did you ... I don't know what you're talking about."

"Stephen..." Rachel interrupted, "they're saying that you've done something to me ... something to my mind."

"Don't listen to them, they don't know anything."

"I can give you a little demonstration of your wife's submissiveness if that will help you remember," Angela volunteered.

Wilson paused, then sat down heavily. "Am I under arrest?"

"You most certainly are," Hammond told him.

"And Rachel?"

"That remains to be seen. If you testify to what happened to her, it's quite possible that the courts will be sympathetic."

"She won't go to prison?"

"She'll have to agree to a full psychological evaluation, but I think we both know what that will show."

"Stephen?" Rachel pleaded.

"I did it for us. You were depressed all the time. Our relationship was falling apart. We've been happy since your treatment haven't we? You love the club?"

Rachel thought for a second then nodded.

"Typical male arrogance," Angela spat. "You play with her mind for your own benefit and even justify it by claiming you did it for the good of your relationship. Bullshit!"

Wincing from her words, Wilson finally reached a decision. "If you can promise me that Rachel will escape punishment, I'll tell you all that I know."

"I can't promise anything but we'll do what we can." Angela looked at Hammond who also nodded.

"Where is the clinic that treated Olivia and your wife?" Penrose demanded.

"I don't know," he looked pained. "Honestly, I don't. Rachel was picked up in a taxi to take her there and Olivia was delivered to me at a Hotel off the M4."

"Not particularly useful."

"Hunnicutt can give you all the details. He's the one behind it all."

"He runs the clinic."

"No. Some guy called Morbius does. I only met him once. Strange fellow, I think he was in the military."

"Why?"

"Just a feeling I got. He had that sort of bearing."

"Alright, so Hunnicutt is the main player. You have evidence of this?"

"Not exactly. He's not stupid."

"So what exactly can you give us that we don't already have?"

"Tell him about the Baron!" Rachel exclaimed.

"The Baron?" Hammond interrupted.

Wilson cast a despairing look at his wife then realised his situation was untenable.

"The Baron's real name is Werner Rheinmann."

"I've heard of him," Hammond interrupted. "He was engaged in insider trading and other serious financial fraud. I tried to have him arrested, but ended up having to let him go. I did put a stop to all his activities in this country though."

"He now resides in Northern Italy," Wilson related.

"You were going to see him?"

"I need money. I'm almost on the verge of bankruptcy."

"Yet you can afford a hundred grand for Olivia?"

"A hundred grand here or there isn't going to make a great deal of difference. I need about twenty million to shore up my company before the shareholders move against me. I gambled that using Olivia would stop the rot; that Sir Giles would capitulate and stop his campaign against me but he's a more stubborn bastard than I gave him credit for. I was going to sell a controlling interest in my financial consultancy to Rheinmann; it would still be in my name but he'd run it and have power to invest in the UK again.

"I'd eventually sell my remaining shares and retire quietly. Obviously that's not going to happen now."

"Very interesting but your financial concerns are of little interest."

"You don't understand. He also owns a stake in Hunnicutt's little scheme. He has three ... no, four girls at his house."

"You know this bastard?" Hammond snarled.

"Only by reputation. He offered to provide the funds although..."

"Yes?"

"He wanted Olivia as well. I didn't take her with me because Rachel asked me not to, but he made it clear that she'd eventually be part of the agreement."

"You said four?" Angela prompted.

"He told me that he'd just taken delivery of the fourth. What the fuck he does with them all is anybody's guess. I couldn't keep up with one of them."

"Jesus. This is sick," Hammond opined.

"I've told you pretty much everything. Can we cut a deal?"

"With your wife maybe, but not you. I'm not going to stand by and let you get away with kidnapping. You knew exactly what you were doing and what the effects of it would be. Olivia is going to live with this for the rest of her life."

"She was a stuck-up bitch. She'll have much more fun the way she is."

Hammond made a dive at Wilson; only Penrose's quick reaction prevented the two coming to blows.

"Paul, leave it," Jim urged. "He's not worth it."

"What's his problem?" Wilson sniped.

"He lost his daughter," Penrose replied tersely.

"To Hunnicutt's lot?"

"We think so?"

"When?"

"Three years ago," Hammond growled.

"If that's true, you probably wouldn't recognise her anymore."

Hammond cried out in anguish as he received possible confirmation of his daughter's fate.

"Where is she?" he demanded. "I need to see her, no matter what she's become."

"I have no idea. A lot end up in Moscow. Hunnicutt worked in the British embassy there for a while. He got to know a lot of people."

"Why Moscow?"

"The Russians like the ladies."

Hammond collapsed into a chair and put his head in his hands. It was Olivia that responded to his sobs, kneeling beside him and stroking his hair tenderly.

"It'll be okay," she soothed.

"No it won't," he whimpered. "She's gone. She's gone for good."

"I still remember Daddy. I still adore him even though I love what I've become. I never thought sex could be so incredible until the clinic showed me."

"You remember the clinic? You know where it is?" Angela asked,

"I don't know where it is but I can tell you about who runs it. There was Doctor Morbius, Nurse Ruth, and the two guys, James and Henry."

"Henry was the bloke selling the dodgy DVDs."

"James was also the name of the fake police officer that abducted the twins from Ambrose College. He was ex-army. Maybe Morbius knew him from there," Penrose added to Angela's observation.

"I'll find Hunnicutt," Hammond declared suddenly. "I'll force him to tell me where Susan is."

"Wait, wait. Hold on," Angela interrupted. "Let's think this through. Hunnicutt could still deny everything. What we do know is that four potential victims are somewhere in Northern Italy."

"What are you thinking?" Penrose queried.

"You and Wilson are almost the same build."

"I'm NOT!" Penrose recoiled in horror.

"Alright, he's got a bit of a spare tyre around the middle but otherwise..."

"Hey," Wilson objected.

"Shut up," Angela snapped. "Now I'm thinking, Jim, this Baron person doesn't know either of you. He's expecting Stephen Wilson and Olivia. It's the perfect chance to go over there, find out what's going on, ID the girls then bring the bastard to justice."

"No, wait, I couldn't..."

"You could," Hammond interposed, his attitude brightening. "I have a contact in Milan. He could certainly help if we have incontrovertible proof that Rheinmann is buying trafficked women."

"I could tell you all you'd need to know," Wilson added, "if you put in a good word for me with the prosecution."

"Hmm."

Angela made a final plea. "The Baron must know a lot more than anyone else if he's taken four girls. If we can get to him, then he could implicate Hunnicutt and then get him to reveal the location of all the kidnapped girls. This is what we're trying to achieve isn't it? We've got to help girls like Amanda and stop this before it happens to anybody else."

"What about Olivia," Rachel interjected. "You're going to take her to this Baron person."

"You were quite ready to sell her for money a couple of hours ago," Penrose argued.

"I know. That was before I knew ... that I..."

"Alright. Olivia. Will you help us?" Penrose asked.

"What would I need to do?"

"Come with me to see the Baron. We'll see if he's holding any girls there against their will, or brainwashed, or whatever, and then get the police to arrest him. There's absolutely no danger."

"Will it help Rachel and Stephen?"

"If it proves successful and we recover the missing girls, then it will certainly not do them any harm."

"Then I'll do what I can."

Rachel stood up and walked over to Olivia. She offered her hand and Olivia allowed her to pull her to her feet.

"We've done a horrible thing to you, Olivia, a cruel horrible thing."

"No. I love you both."

"You can't. We're wicked. We've corrupted you."

Olivia put her arms around her mistress and hugged her. "I love you, Rachel. I was sad when I knew you were selling me to Angela. I thought I'd failed you in some way."

"No, Olivia," Rachel sobbed. "You never failed me. I just didn't know how best to look after you."

"You've been looking after me fine, Rachel. Can I still see you after all this is over?"

"I don't know what will happen. The house will go and maybe the club too."

"I don't care. I just want to be with you."

Rachel sobbed even harder, clinging tightly to the girl, overwhelmed with raw emotion. "I don't deserve this," she whimpered.

Angela picked up the phone and read her text. "Come and see me. Bring your strap-on friend. Love J."

She'd not spoken to Joanna since she'd left her tied to the bed and she was curious to see how things had developed between her and George.

The Wilsons were currently under house arrest at the address in North London where Stephen Wilson was putting the final touches to Jim's planned impersonation. The man had also phoned the Baron and informed him that his trip had been unavoidably delayed, but that he'd now be bringing Olivia as per their original agreement.

Olivia remained at the house where by all accounts she remained intimate with them. It was the relationship between her and Rachel that was evolving, becoming more loving by the day to the exclusion of Stephen.