Exhibit B

"Officer Kent, would you please describe the events of the evening in question."

"Well, at 10:48 we responded to a 911 call."

"What was the nature of the call."

"We didn't know."

"Oh?"

"The operator said there seemed to be someone on the line, but their responses were garbled, muffled."

"But you responded anyway."

"Yes. Lots of times it's a prank, but you never know."

"Go on."

"I arrived first, but waited for backup before entering the property."

"How long did you have to wait?"

"Seconds. I could see the lights from the other vehicle as I exited mine."

"Fire? Rescue?"

"They arrived a few minutes later."

"Go on."

"Well, the other officer went around back. I went up to the front door. I knocked, announced myself, knocked again. I tried the knob. The door was unlocked. I called the other officer, told him I was about to enter the property."

"What did you find?"

"The victim, Miss Nelson, was on the living room floor."

"And her, uh, situation?"

"She was bound and gagged."

"And was she clothed?"

"No, Ma'am. She was naked."

"Go on."

"I asked her if she was okay and she nodded, so I took a quick tour of the house, let my partner in."

"Then you released her."

"Yes."

"What was her demeanor?"

"She was a bit shaken."

"Shaken? Not frightened? Not terrified?"

"No. Just, well, shaken up, nervous, embarrassed."

"Was there any evidence of violence? Forced entry?"

"No. Well, the phone was on the floor by her head, but, otherwise, everything seemed normal."

"Thank you, officer."

"Prosecutor?"

"No questions, Your Honor."

"I'd like to call Lilian Nelson to the stand."

The victim was duly sworn.

"Now, Miss Nelson, Would you please describe the events of the evening."

"Sure. I, uh, I had a library book that was due so I drove to the library."

"That was at what time?"

"A bit before 9:00. The library is only a couple of blocks away. I could have walked."

"But you didn't."

"No. It was raining. And I had to go to the grocery store."

"I see. Go on."

"I drove home and parked by the front porch, because it's covered, because of the rain. I let myself into the house-"

"Was the door locked?"

"I...I'm not sure. I think it was. It should have been. I just put my key in automatically."

"Okay. How long were you gone?"

"About an hour, give or take."

"Go on."

"Well, He was there and he had a gun."

"'He' being the defendant?"

"Yes."

"And the gun? It was your gun, was it not? A chrome .38 Special? Logged as exhibit A?"

"Yes."

"Go on."

"Well, we just stood there looking at each other for a while, then he told me to strip."

"And you did."

"Yes."

"You didn't try to argue with him or plead with him?"

"No. Uh, he had the gun."

"So you removed your clothes."

"Yes. When I was naked he told me to put my panties in my mouth."

"And did you?"

"Uh huh."

"Please respond yes or no."

"Uh, yes."

"Go on."

"He tossed a roll of tape at me and told me to tape my mouth shut."

"Tape? Where did he get a roll of tape?"

"From my, uh, bag."

"The gym bag logged as exhibit B? The one containing various ropes, straps, gags, the aforementioned tape, and an assortment of sex toys?"

The woman blushed and nodded.

"Please respond."

"Yes."

"Are you married Miss Nelson?"

"No."

"Have a boyfriend or, to be politically correct, a girlfriend, or partner?"

"No."

"Mm. Well, continue."

"He handed me a set of handcuffs and told me to cuff my wrists behind my back."

"And you did."

"Yes."

"Go on."

"He made me sit on the couch, then he poured a drink."

"A drink?"

"I have a wine rack in the corner and a decanter of brandy on top."

"I see."

"He sat on the couch and put his arm around me, sipped his drink."

"That was it? He just sat there? Did he touch you?"

"Yes."

"Intimately?"

"Yes."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Objection, Your Honor!"

"Counselor?"

"Miss Nelson lives alone, yet has a gym bag full of bondage gear and sex toys. Your Honor, it is our contention that Miss Nelson was engaging in some sort of self-bondage activity and was unable to free herself. Misplaced the handcuff key, probably. Her description of her alleged assailant was so vague as to fit half the people in this court."

"Hm. Don't answer the question, Miss Nelson. It's inappropriate."

"Your Honor-"

"I didn't say you could not pursue this line, I just feel that this question was inappropriate."

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Do you have any more questions for the witness?"

"One, Your Honor. Do you, in fact, engage in self-bondage?"

"No. No, I don't"

"No further questions."

"You may step down."

"Your Honor?"

"Yes, Mr. Prosecutor."

"I have a question of my own. I'd like to recall Officer Kent to the stand."

The defense attorney sat at the table, leaned over to her assistant and whispered, "She lied."

"Probably, but you planted the seed."

"Officer Kent, would you please describe Miss Nelson's situation, specifically as it pertains to the means by which she was restrained."

"She was, as testified to, nude. Her wrists were fastened behind her back with a set of handcuffs. There were two, wide leather straps around her chest, one above and one below her breasts."

"Were they merely around her chest or did they pin her arms to her sides."

"They circled her chest and arms."

"Go on."

"Her knees and ankles were tied with rope and the cuffs were led through the ankle tie forcing her into what is commonly called a hogtie."

"I see. And, in your opinion, Could she have achieved this state on her own?"

"I don't see how."

"Thank you. No more questions."

He gave the defense attorney a wink as he regained his seat.

"Given the hour, we will adjourn until 9:00 tomorrow morning."

The judge banged his gavel and left.

The next morning...

"Your Honor, may we approach the bench."

"Yes."

"Yesterday Officer Kent stated that Miss Nelson could not have bound herself. We disagree. And, with your permission, we'd like to demonstrate."

"Oh please, Anette."

"Jerry-"

"Counselor, you can demonstrate that it is, in fact, possible to do so?"

"Yes, Your Honor. Quite simple actually."

"All right. I'll allow it."

"Thank you, Your Honor. Could we have a ten minute recess to prepare? My assistant needs to change into something more, uh, appropriate."

"Court is in recess for ten minutes."

After the recess the defense attorney and her assistant, now clad in gym shorts and t-shirt, cleared their table. The girl climbed up on the table and sat. They had found a gym bag very nearly like Exhibit B and filled it with the appropriate contents. The attorney handed the girl a coil of rope. The girl tied her ankles. Another coil went around her knees. She slipped the steel cuffs between her bound ankles, picked up a pair of white panties, wadded them up, pushed them into her mouth, and sealed them in place with duct tape. She took a leather strap, looped it over her shoulders, down her arms, and secured it below her breasts. She took a second strap and cinched it above her breasts. While the straps seemed to secure her arms, she could still move her elbows and wrists. She adjusted the buckles until they were tight. Finally, she rolled onto her belly and reached for the cuffs. It wasn't easy, but she managed to snag a cuff and draw her ankles up further. She snicked the cuff around her wrist, then, with a bit more tugging, fastened the other.

"There, Your Honor. I'd like to call Officer Kent."

"Remember, Officer, you are still under oath."

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Officer, is this similar to the situation you found Miss Nelson in?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"How similar?"

"Nearly identical as far as I can recall."

***

Manny took a drag on the blunt, sucked it in, handed it off to his sister. She took a hit, handed it to Kyle. The three of them sat on a couch in Kyle's apartment. Manny burst out laughing, expelling a plume of blue smoke.

"Man! I never saw that coming. Not in a million years. Girl got herself all tied up right in front of everybody. Nice tits. Seriously nice tits. Man. I mean, I'm sittin' there. I'm so close I can smell her. Know what I mean?"

"Wouldn't have gotten caught if you hadn't stopped for cigarettes."

"How was I to know it was fucking granny night at the fucking Quik-E Mart? And then the fucking cop walks in."

"Yeah, dude, I saw him, like, like talk into his shoulder, you know his mike, and then he's looks at you, and we got the hell out of there."

"Good thing, too, man. They would have got you as accessories. And for what, man? A few hundred out of a cookie jar?"

"Yeah, but we had the gun, dude."

"Yeah."

***

Across town, Lilian Nelson sipped the last of her wine. She had dimmed the lights and sat by the glow of the fireplace. She opened the gym bag. Not the same gym bag. That was still being held as evidence. They said she could retrieve it in a month or so.

She extracted the butterfly vibrator, turned it on. It surged to life, buzzing with a set of fresh batteries, the batteries she'd inserted only an hour ago.

Lilian removed her robe, set it aside. She stepped into the straps of the butterfly, nestled it between her nether lips, adjusted the straps.

She gagged herself with the bright red harness ball gag. It tasted rubbery. It was kind of a treat for her having this new gag. It was all new. New rope, new straps, new cuffs, new toys.

She tied her ankles and knees, slipped the handcuffs between her ankles. She tugged the loop of string over her finger. The chrome steel key glistened in the firelight.

Soon, new straps smelling of fresh leather encircled her chest, snugged tight. She was able to duck her head and slip on the blindfold.

Lilian powered up the vibrator, found the sweet spot, a muffled purr escaped her lips. She rolled onto her stomach, reached for her ankles, locked her wrists into the cold, steel cuffs.

 

04.10.13