Loxuru
Graf von Kreuzigung
Very true!You know how to write a good thriller!
The climax is nearing!
What part will there be for the whipping post?
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Nordic Peril: The Sequel to Gone Missing in Sweden
- Thread starter Barbaria1
- Start date
The climax is nearing!
What part will there be for the whipping post?
Stop reading ahead. Be assured that the old post will have a role to play.SWhat part will there be for the whipping post?
Loxuru
Graf von Kreuzigung
I just hope, Barb would give me the demerits inside, and not at the whipping post in a Swedish snow storm!
Chapter 23. Dining room, country home of Åke Persson, Thursday, 22 January, 07:21.
“Listen up, everyone,” cried Gun on entering the dining area with Barbara’s iPhone held high in her hand. “I’ve just spoken with my colleague, Bertil Hansson. He and our boss, Chief Björklund have been driving all night to join us and they’ve made it as far as the turnoff on highway 90.”
“Great news!” enthused Barb, after hastily swallowing a large mouthful of Swedish pancake smothered in lingonberry sauce.
“It’s unfortunately not all good news, Babs. Bertil says they were forced into the ditch by someone in a black Volvo SUV, which they believe subsequently turned onto the forest lane leading here to the house. That Volvo could well contain the Syndicate special-ops team that Marina has told us is on its way. We need to think quickly about how exactly we’re going to meet this threat!”
“We have some time, I think,” said Åke thoughtfully. “That lane gets quite heavily drifted every time we have a storm like last night’s. I doubt that even a big Volvo SUV can make it through. They’ll likely be forced to abandon it and proceed by foot. It’s nearly 4 kilometers out to the highway, and much of it uphill. We probably have at least an hour to prepare … possibly longer.”
“Sounds like we could set up an ambush,” suggested Bill Johnson.
“Perhaps, although we don’t know how many of them there are and how heavily armed they might be. A firefight out in the open might be to their advantage. We might fare better at closer quarters,” posited Gun. “Remember, the only weapons we have at our disposal are Bill’s handgun and Marina’s collapsible.”
“How much ammo do you have for it, Marina?” said Bill, turning to her.
She was seated at the table, wearing the skin-tight black leggings and top she had worn when she had assaulted Gun, Barbara And Min-Ji in the sauna. She had a place at the table only because Bill had earlier managed to convince everyone that she was now on their side, a revelation that was enthusiastically received by Barbara and Åke. Gun and Min-Ji, on the other hand, had been less than enthusiastic. They had acquiesced in the end, but were determined to keep a wary eye on her.
“Not so much,” she replied to Bill’s question about ammunition. “You’ll find what I have upstairs in my bag.”
“We’ll need to trick them,” concluded Min-Ji. “I suggest we use Marina as bait. After all, they’re in the dark out there as to what actually happened yesterday. We could, for example, have her mislead them into thinking she has things under control in here, and lure them into letting down their guard.”
“Or we could do something to suggest that she was overwhelmed and has, under extreme duress, given us enough information about them to make them hesitate and reconsider how to approach the house. Time is on our side, remember because help is on its way.” mused Gun.
“And all that actually did happen,” agreed Barbara, “But we can hardly invite them in to take a tour of Ake’s torture museum.”
“No, but I may have just the thing,” mused Gun. “They’re unlikely to risk a frontal attack. My guess is that they will circle around back where they will have the advantage of occupying high ground. And do you recall, Babs, how Åkeentertained us when we first arrived with stories about that old whipping post out back? What if we tied Marina to it, and the first thing they saw as they approached the house was Marina, slumped half-naked against the post with bloody whip marks all over her back? It just might upset whatever plan they had enough to cause them to hesitate, and that might just offer us a tactical advantage that we could capitalize on.”
“Your talents are being wasted as a police officer, Gun!” exclaimed Bill with a grin. “You should come work for me. You’re a natural for my kind of work.”
“Brilliant. I’ll go check the kitchen for catsup or something we can use to fake the bloody lash marks on her back,” enthused Barbara.
***************************
A kilometer or so along the forest lane leading to the country home of Åke Persson, Thursday, 22 January, 07:31.
“Shit! This is impossible!” groaned Arne Skogman, as he rocked the car back and forth on the snow-drifted trail … only to spin the wheels futilely. “We’re hopelessly stuck. And the snow looks even deeper up ahead. Everyone out! We’re going to have to go in on foot from here.”
“We’re not dressed for this!” objected the team leader. “And it’s still dark.”
“Your eyes will become accustomed to the poor lighting as soon as we leave the car and its headlamps behind. The only other option is to give up on this and head back. Your choice.”
“No, there is no choice. We go in on foot.”
“Okay. Fine. Have you a plan ready for when we get there?”
From his jacket pocket the leader pulled out an aerial photo of the Persson house and its immediate surroundings, and held it up to the light from the Volvo’s dome light.
“We’ll circle around back unobserved and go in through the rear entrance at first light with guns blazing and tear gas canisters,” he replied confidently pointing at the spot on the photo.
“Okay, your funeral if it goes wrong. My job was to get you here. I’ll hold back and cover your rear. Now let’s get moving.”
“How far is it?”
“Probably a couple kilometers. More than an hour in this deep snow.”
***************************
At the head of the forest lane leading to the country home of Åke Persson, Thursday, 22 January, 07:44.
“This is it,” announced Annika. “And look! Just as we thought. That Volvo turned in here. Probably won’t get far though, look at how the tire tracks slew from side to side and the way the car was plowing through the drifts … I’d say it’s only only a matter of time before it gets hung up and stuck, which means that whoever is in that Volvo will either have to turn back or go on by foot.”
“How do you know all this?” wondered the Chief.
“Born and raised up north of here in Lycksele.”
“Oh, I see.”
“And, you think we should go in on foot?”
“What choice do we have? We can’t get the Saab out of that ditch back on the highway. And if we do nothing but stand around until someone comes by we’ll likely catch our death of cold. Best to keep moving.”
“Let’s suppose the occupants of that Volvo are the hit team that Gun is worried about, said Hansson. “Anyone here armed? I’m not.”
“Nor I,” admitted the Chief, looking rather chagrined.
“Okay. Me neither,” replied Annika evenly. “We keep our distance following them in and hope for the best. Hopefully SÄPO will arrive in time and be well armed.”
‘She takes charge just as Gun would’ mused Hansson to himself.
TBC
“Listen up, everyone,” cried Gun on entering the dining area with Barbara’s iPhone held high in her hand. “I’ve just spoken with my colleague, Bertil Hansson. He and our boss, Chief Björklund have been driving all night to join us and they’ve made it as far as the turnoff on highway 90.”
“Great news!” enthused Barb, after hastily swallowing a large mouthful of Swedish pancake smothered in lingonberry sauce.
“It’s unfortunately not all good news, Babs. Bertil says they were forced into the ditch by someone in a black Volvo SUV, which they believe subsequently turned onto the forest lane leading here to the house. That Volvo could well contain the Syndicate special-ops team that Marina has told us is on its way. We need to think quickly about how exactly we’re going to meet this threat!”
“We have some time, I think,” said Åke thoughtfully. “That lane gets quite heavily drifted every time we have a storm like last night’s. I doubt that even a big Volvo SUV can make it through. They’ll likely be forced to abandon it and proceed by foot. It’s nearly 4 kilometers out to the highway, and much of it uphill. We probably have at least an hour to prepare … possibly longer.”
“Sounds like we could set up an ambush,” suggested Bill Johnson.
“Perhaps, although we don’t know how many of them there are and how heavily armed they might be. A firefight out in the open might be to their advantage. We might fare better at closer quarters,” posited Gun. “Remember, the only weapons we have at our disposal are Bill’s handgun and Marina’s collapsible.”
“How much ammo do you have for it, Marina?” said Bill, turning to her.
She was seated at the table, wearing the skin-tight black leggings and top she had worn when she had assaulted Gun, Barbara And Min-Ji in the sauna. She had a place at the table only because Bill had earlier managed to convince everyone that she was now on their side, a revelation that was enthusiastically received by Barbara and Åke. Gun and Min-Ji, on the other hand, had been less than enthusiastic. They had acquiesced in the end, but were determined to keep a wary eye on her.
“Not so much,” she replied to Bill’s question about ammunition. “You’ll find what I have upstairs in my bag.”
“We’ll need to trick them,” concluded Min-Ji. “I suggest we use Marina as bait. After all, they’re in the dark out there as to what actually happened yesterday. We could, for example, have her mislead them into thinking she has things under control in here, and lure them into letting down their guard.”
“Or we could do something to suggest that she was overwhelmed and has, under extreme duress, given us enough information about them to make them hesitate and reconsider how to approach the house. Time is on our side, remember because help is on its way.” mused Gun.
“And all that actually did happen,” agreed Barbara, “But we can hardly invite them in to take a tour of Ake’s torture museum.”
“No, but I may have just the thing,” mused Gun. “They’re unlikely to risk a frontal attack. My guess is that they will circle around back where they will have the advantage of occupying high ground. And do you recall, Babs, how Åkeentertained us when we first arrived with stories about that old whipping post out back? What if we tied Marina to it, and the first thing they saw as they approached the house was Marina, slumped half-naked against the post with bloody whip marks all over her back? It just might upset whatever plan they had enough to cause them to hesitate, and that might just offer us a tactical advantage that we could capitalize on.”
“Your talents are being wasted as a police officer, Gun!” exclaimed Bill with a grin. “You should come work for me. You’re a natural for my kind of work.”
“Brilliant. I’ll go check the kitchen for catsup or something we can use to fake the bloody lash marks on her back,” enthused Barbara.
***************************
A kilometer or so along the forest lane leading to the country home of Åke Persson, Thursday, 22 January, 07:31.
“Shit! This is impossible!” groaned Arne Skogman, as he rocked the car back and forth on the snow-drifted trail … only to spin the wheels futilely. “We’re hopelessly stuck. And the snow looks even deeper up ahead. Everyone out! We’re going to have to go in on foot from here.”
“We’re not dressed for this!” objected the team leader. “And it’s still dark.”
“Your eyes will become accustomed to the poor lighting as soon as we leave the car and its headlamps behind. The only other option is to give up on this and head back. Your choice.”
“No, there is no choice. We go in on foot.”
“Okay. Fine. Have you a plan ready for when we get there?”
From his jacket pocket the leader pulled out an aerial photo of the Persson house and its immediate surroundings, and held it up to the light from the Volvo’s dome light.
“We’ll circle around back unobserved and go in through the rear entrance at first light with guns blazing and tear gas canisters,” he replied confidently pointing at the spot on the photo.
“Okay, your funeral if it goes wrong. My job was to get you here. I’ll hold back and cover your rear. Now let’s get moving.”
“How far is it?”
“Probably a couple kilometers. More than an hour in this deep snow.”
***************************
At the head of the forest lane leading to the country home of Åke Persson, Thursday, 22 January, 07:44.
“This is it,” announced Annika. “And look! Just as we thought. That Volvo turned in here. Probably won’t get far though, look at how the tire tracks slew from side to side and the way the car was plowing through the drifts … I’d say it’s only only a matter of time before it gets hung up and stuck, which means that whoever is in that Volvo will either have to turn back or go on by foot.”
“How do you know all this?” wondered the Chief.
“Born and raised up north of here in Lycksele.”
“Oh, I see.”
“And, you think we should go in on foot?”
“What choice do we have? We can’t get the Saab out of that ditch back on the highway. And if we do nothing but stand around until someone comes by we’ll likely catch our death of cold. Best to keep moving.”
“Let’s suppose the occupants of that Volvo are the hit team that Gun is worried about, said Hansson. “Anyone here armed? I’m not.”
“Nor I,” admitted the Chief, looking rather chagrined.
“Okay. Me neither,” replied Annika evenly. “We keep our distance following them in and hope for the best. Hopefully SÄPO will arrive in time and be well armed.”
‘She takes charge just as Gun would’ mused Hansson to himself.
TBC
This would be FAR more convincing if you just whipped her bloody, wouldn’t it? And a god test of her new found loyalty, hmmm. I vote Babs be the one to lash Marina…
Oh FFS
So the ONLY true professionals are a gun happy Texan and the Syndicate???
Fossy
SEXPIOGENTUS
Good to see the potential gravity of the situation hasn't affected Barb's appetite!
Seems that caution would be a good guide here ...
Got to say that I agree with Loin' ... just strip and actually whip her!
The action is building nicely towards a wonderfully frantic climax!
Loxuru
Graf von Kreuzigung
Uh-oh! Secret weapon!
Psychological warfare at its best! And finally, that whipping post gets a good use in the plan!
Support your local police!
M
montycrusto
Guest
What? Barb left her trusty Demerit-Gun back in Minnesota?
It’s only effective against wise asses at close CruxForums range. And going nuclear is not an option unless I’m REALLY PISSED!What? Barb left her trusty Demerit-Gun back in Minnesota?
M
montycrusto
Guest
You only get really pissed after FOUR glasses of Riesling
Brilliant. I really love this one!
Loxuru
Graf von Kreuzigung
LittleSiss
Sorceress
Natten kan vara i flera dagar, det är faran!
That’s just one thought.
That’s just one thought.
True, but light always comes with the dawn.
