The Vault - Chapter 1

The investigator sat patiently in a dark motel room and waited for her client to call. Her name for the moment was Anita Adams she found it a good idea in her line of business to change her name and other details every so often. It was a sensible precaution for someone who worked undercover having one identity was almost a guarantee that someone she had inconvenienced in the past would catch up with her. She had a number of identities, shallow identities that she could use and burn for a single job and deeper identities that she did business under. At the moment she was a slim brunette with shoulder length hair and glasses, any number of those details could be changed with a variety of effort some hair dye contact lenses different make up and clothing and she would hardly be recognised. 

She wore grey trainers grey socks faded jeans a grey t shirt and a black jacket, she dressed to look unremarkable a face to be lost in the crowd. A face to be dismissed such was the life she had chosen. She was muscular but it didn’t show underneath the lose clothing, she was five foot eight not that tall not that short shoes and posture could make her appear quite different. Anita Adams would be the identity she would use on this job if she took it. She was considering taking the job, it offered a lot of money but her gut told her something very weird was going on. Slowly she sipped the terrible coffee, she seemed to find coffee was always terrible either terrible coffee or terribly expensive coffee she smiled at her own private joke. There was a file in front of her and its contents were not appealing reading.  

First off there was the location she was potentially being sent, hope field health farm. On the surface it looked like a nice modern place where rich people went to do a bit of dieting exercising and detoxing. It was set in about 400 acres of the thickest deciduas woodland you could ever imagine. If you looked into a bit further it was not such a nice little health farm. It was at one point a very private place at least twenty years ago it seemed that it had been much larger than its current occupied area. The little country club health farm occupied about a tenth of the space of the site ninety percent of the site buildings were abandoned. With the old institution someone had hidden a lot of rather disturbing reports. The institution was known as the Hope and charity Asylum twenty years ago, the majority of it had been a maximum security instillation for so called hopeless cases. People that were to disruptive for other sanatoriums. There had been an incident several patients seemed to have escaped eight in all five men three women. The director of the facility had been killed in quite a horrible way during the escape. The asylum had lost its licence its funding all patients had been transferred somewhere else. The place shut for a year the bad publicity seemed to fade, then it opened again as little more than an expensive health club.

If you went back another 30 years the place had been synonymous with the mob it was called the hope and Higgs institute at that time. Then there had been two types of patients. There were regular patients but there had been a large number of mobsters who had escaped any real form of justice by claiming insanity. The level of how they had gotten away practically Scott free was hard to comprehend! One particular old mobster nicknamed soapy had got the ball rolling. He was called soapy because he always came out clean. He had got his doctors and lawyers to get him sent to the institute he had generously donated the funds to have a new wing built onto the institute. It was the current site of the hope springs health farm it was little more than a glorified hotel when it was constructed. Members of his crime family and there allies had been shipped into the high security institute after pleading insane then they had simply been transferred to the low security country club on the side. A few years there a few lawyers and doctors claiming that they were cured and they were back out. This ran for about eight years until one particularly nasty piece of work a mobster nicknamed the gorilla got into an argument with a Dr Hope and killed him. They tried to cover it up but the government raided the place there was a number of arrests, both the staff and the patients were transferred to the prison system. The institute closed down only to reopen two years later by Dr Higgs son as the hope and charity asylum supposedly the last place for disturbed individuals to find refuge.

Another thirty years before that it had been a smaller private hospital called the hope clinic. The doctors had tried every treatment or torture they could think of on the patients, it had seen a riot by the patients. They had gotten creative the senior doctor had been chopped to bits by a manic patient. The head orderly set on fire the local priest thrown from the institute chapel the senior nurse drowned. A large number of patients and staff disappeared without a trace presumed killed in the rioting or they escaped in the confusion to avoid prosecution for there treatment of the patients. Supposedly the authorities had not found half of what was left of the staff they just closed the place up sealed it. Yet the place had been opened a few years later under a different name the owner of the place partnered up with a Dr Hope the rest history.

Anita considered her position she was a professional industrial spy for want of a better word. Though it sounded better to call herself a private investigator. She would join a company find out who had there business secrets and discretely copy them then she was gone. Some times she would find out who had metaphorically once literally buried the bodies for a company and then give the dirt to her employer. This job was different very different first off she was not the first person sent to this delightful little place. Her employer had made it clear her first order of business was to find the first woman that had been sent. She would be looking for Emma Weight who had been sent in first.

Anita looked at the file on Emma Weight she was someone who usually went fact finding for reporters, for the press she dug up dirt for the newspapers for documentary makers. She was a crusader for one cause after another animal welfare one month higher standards for health care the next. She was a busy girl who had probably made a lot of enemies. She was twenty six five foot four a red head with a short bob of hair green eyes a pleasant smile, she carried a little bit of weight but not much. The job in front of Anita was in two parts the first was to find her predecessor and then find what she had been sent to find.

The phone rang it was anonymous the call could not be traced, witch was not to a great surprise most of her clients liked there privacy. Anita took a measured breath she answered the phone she smiled and put on a professional telephone manner. “Hello this is Anita hear are you ready to discuss the job?” There was a pause for a few seconds then the clicking of keys. “Ms Adams I am willing to discuss this job as you see from the file that I had couriered over I wish to get down to business.” The voice on the other end was computer generated someone was disguising there voice using a piece of software typing there words out. “How did you know where to send the courier have we done business before?” There was a pause on the line “I prefer to do business this way.” Anita was a little irritated by the person’s invasiveness “I want to clear a few things up, this is not the normal way I do business.” The voice on the other end of the line sprang to life, “I decided to cut out your usual middle man I want the extra security of total anonymity and I would rather not pay them a 15% fee.” 

Anita thought about it for a second “how did you find me have we worked together before?” “Let us say I have an acquaintance who is looking for you for some work you did against there business interests, I was sufficiently impressed by your work. However you left a few small clues behind you. If you accept this job I can help that little trail of clues disappear, but if you don’t.” It was left and Anita’s mind filled in the gaps she did not want to think about the effort and expense involved in creating a new deep identity and completely relocating again! If she refused this persons job offer she was potentially in a sticky situation.

“Ok lets say your making me an offer I can’t refuse, I want more information,” There was a pause. “There are things that I can tell you and things that I cant, ask what you want I make no guarantees, but I am sure a ten percent payment of the final fee that I outlined in my initial proposal would be a good start. Call it a gesture of good will call it expenses I am sure it can make up for the lack of information.” She was not happy but it would do for now “Fine tell me about Emma weight what story did you spin her to get her on board, she doesn’t seem the type that normally gets up to her neck in this sort of business. The more info I have the better the chance of doing my job.” Her employer seemed to think for a second. “Fine I can tell you the bare bones I pitched it to her like I was a producer and that there was a story in the little health farm. I thought it was simply a matter of digging through a little dirt. A few old records to find what I wanted it turned out to be more complex so I need someone more professional someone less likely to disappear.”

Anita thought carefully “Have you got any idea what happened to Emma?” the response was not positive “honestly no I have connections friends but no one that subtle, a few discrete inquires and she seemed to have vanished of the face of the earth. I don’t think she got a better job offer and I don’t think someone caught up with her but that’s just speculation. She was due to report in, the staff at that place seemed to think she got fed up with the job and left.” Her employer seemed to regret there actions “honestly I didn’t think that there was any danger in that place apart from going crazy from eating the rabbit food they serve.” Anita thought about it “who ever is in there already has a good idea what to expect, I am in just as much danger as Emma.” There was a pause“This time things will be different you’re a professional she was an amateur, I wont tell you what your looking for because if you don’t know you wont trip up and if something happens they cant make you talk.” 

Anita could see several flaws in that logic, “that seems ridiculous not telling me what I am meant to be looking for.” Her employer continued with the mystery “All in good time if this proceeds according to my latest plan you won’t have a problem, this is how I want to do it,” Anita felt she had come to an impasse. “Ok I wont press it further, how do you want to proceed?” First you find Emma then you call me on that satellite phone I left in with the file, there is no mobile signal out in that forgotten area of the world, after you find Emma and compare notes then we find” the employer paused “lets call it the prize.”

Anita thought about it “How do I get in to the Hope springs health farm”? “The management at that glorified health club are regularly looking for new staff, people get fed up with the spoiled rich guests from time to time so they regularly have vacancies. I understand you are a qualified masseuse amongst your skills that is in your favour a way in.” There was a warning “one last thing from the file you might have heard of Nicky ‘The Soap’ Carmine he got away mostly scoot free because when the police tried to open his accountants safe they triggered a little trap that set two flare‘s off inside the safe toasting the incriminating contents. He was there for eight years if you happen to find a safe do not try to open it unless you are absolutely sure of the code.” Anita was sure of what she was looking for she had no idea of its exact form but the prize was valuable and her employer was just after valuable, “Ok I will remember that.” “Call me when you find out what happened to Emma”. The line went silent

Anita was quite frustrated with this job already, she was on the back foot forced into doing it not knowing all the facts. Going in to save some amateur who had already got herself in a lot of trouble, kidnapped maybe best case scenario maybe killed worst case. Maybe stuffed in a straight jacket and left in a padded cell. Anita would have to find out but she had been given a clue at least by her employer. A quick search later and it turned out that Nicky The Soap had all his business assets liquidated quietly after he was arrested and put away. He was a very rich man by the standards of the day he financed the construction of the little country club that became the Hope springs health farm he would have had a lot of wealth left. There was no record of him spending it in any substantial manner after that. So supposedly there was a safe somewhere in the dam place that was stuffed with money artwork gold bullion antiques maybe a bit of each. Emma had obviously gotten somewhere towards finding it or maybe just ran into something else while she was there Anita groaned this would be fun.

It took Anita a day to contact the Hope springs health farm. They were not exactly a high security instillation any more. A few emails exchanged one rather heavily doctored CV with a liberal sprinkling of buzz words straight from the company’s online mission statement and they gave her a call, Anita easily talked herself into a job. A few of her contacts acted as references Anita had a call back and a nice new job. In the past she had gotten into a company via one of there directors, posing as a personal trainer she ended up giving his files a work out it was a role that she could easily play.

It was a long train ride then a short wait for a taxi and a long ride through the country side. The taxi driver often took guests to the health farm he complained about a lot of them being snooty. The health farm was situated in a natural bowel high cliffs on every side but one. The gap had been filled in with an eight foot high stone wall toped with decorative but functional spikes. It was probably a security feature of the original institution, it came with an impressive automatic gate. Anita checked on her paperwork she was due to meet a Dr Hillary Jones for her orientation. She pressed the intercom on the gate there was the sound of rustling she thought for a second the intercom was faulty but there was the sound of someone swallowing chips perhaps, “come in the gates opening.” Slowly the gate creaked open it was an old gate with a new lever arm motor attached to it. A few minutes through some decidedly overgrown woodland and the taxi deposited her at the front of the health farm. The building was elegant tasteful however looking carefully she could see the disused sections of the old asylum of behind it. A few large shrubs and fences did quite a good job of hiding the building, but Anita had seen the floor plans she knew what to look for.

There was a security guard on the front reception desk the man was enormous part muscle mostly fat, he wore a neat blue uniform that had security stamped on it. He had a warm smile his security badge said Jamaal Cole. He was black probably in his late forties or early fifties a little grey hair could be seen peaking out from under his cap. He quickly wiped a speck of food from his lips with a napkin and stuffed a rustling wrapper under his desk. The man made Anita think of a very large hamster he was a large man, but he didn’t look dangerous unless you had food in your pockets then all bets were off. It looked like he didn’t have to do much more than greet people at the front door and handle the post. He grinned warmly “Good morning can you please tell me your name and your business hear.”

Anita breathed in and presented herself in a calm professional manner “My Names Anita Adams I have an appointment with Dr Hillary Jones I am the new masseuse.” “My names Jamaal I am the day security supervisor pleasure to meet you” he had a firm but gentle hand shake. He looked in a book on the front desk “I have you down for a meeting with the good doctor in ten minutes, she will give you the basic pep talk then partner you off with one of the senior members of the department. Your probably going to end up with water Lilly” he paused for a second “I mean Ms Lilly Dean Smith. She takes the swimming classes and some of the hydro therapy classes so we call her water Lilly.”

Two blond women walked into the reception one must have been twenty three or four she was quite tall but very thin with piercing hazel eyes. The second woman was short and curvy early forties or late thirties a few laughter lines around her face her hair was down to her waist. The woman wore three inch heels probably to counter her short height. The shorter woman stopped waved to Jamaal something beeped on her belt she pulled out a radio and stepped out of the building to take a call from another member of staff. The tall thin woman walked over towards reception she was bubbly friendly as she took Anita’s hand, “you must be Anita welcome to hope springs health farm my name is Lilly dean smith.”  Anita smiled “let me guess water Lilly you run the hydrotherapy?” Lilly giggled and looked at Jamaal. “I guess Jamaal can’t keep a secret, we call Jamaal the fridge,” he looked a little embarrassed “why is that?” Lilly giggled “two reasons first he is about the size and second he is stocked up like a fridge.” Anita looked behind the reception there were two mini fridges and several cupboards below the reception desk.” She noted that he couldn’t keep a secret and that there was a baseball bat hidden under a large packet of crisps. 

Anita smiled “you seem well prepared Jamaal.” he grinned with a touch of pride “In the four years I have been hear I haven’t had any problems, well one girl a guest had an asshole boyfriend show up I threatened to sit on him and he ran away.” 
The three of them laughed at that. Lilly spoke a little more quietly “its fine working hear we are one happy filmily apart from bad weather I mean May weather,” Anita spoke up “who is May weather?” Lilly grinned back “she is the dietician around hear sometimes I think the patients are lucky she doesn’t strap them down and force feed them caster oil and bran fibre, though I can think of one or to guests that deserve it.” They giggled again “some people cant take the snobs we have some times, it’s a shame but we only have a few pains in residence at the moment and almost all of them are elsewhere at the moment sauna aerobics.” 

Anita started to steer the conversation ,“you say not every one can handle the snobs did something happen recently.” “Yes we had a girl Emma she seemed to be ok for the first three weeks she was hear, a bit shy but she had an argument with one of the guests a royal pain and then she left it was just under a week ago. It was a little weird she even left some of her stuff behind.” A few minutes through the door and Anita already had a few leads to work on. She had to get a look at whatever Emma had left behind and she had to speak to this guest that Emma had argued with, her train of thought was derailed by the short blond woman returning.

She seized Anita’s hand with a strong grip, “I am Dr Hillary Jones the director of physiotherapy. I plan the therapy programs for all our more serious guests, the people that come hear to recover from physical trauma you will be working under me in my department. Our patients tend to stay hear longer than the other departments as they can require months of care, rather than the shorter programs of a few weeks or even long week ends offered by other parts of the health farm. You already met Lilly she will show you the ropes I was going to give you a brief introduction, but I have a pressing engagement to attend to Lilly can give you the brief tour and show you where your room is.” Hillary disappeared up a flight of stairs.

A tall black haired woman with thick glasses marched into the reception, she had her hair pulled back in a tight pony tail. Her features were pointed and angular she must have been thirty but had deep set frown lines made her look older. She wore a black business pants suit and carried a stack of menus. She looked like she had judged the world and scored it with a two out of ten and was perpetually disappointed with the result. Lilly put on a half smile and introduced Anita “Mrs May weather this is the new masseuse Anita.” Anita felt the woman’s intense stair travel up and down her, “I am Mrs May Weather the dietician you may call me Mrs May Weather. We go to, well I go to a lot of time and effort to ensure that our patients have a precise nutritionally balanced diet. I know it Is a joke around hear about the food but do not let the patients bribe bully or beg any food from you.” Anita was a little taken aback “certainly Mrs May weather only prepared meals.” She gave a seething look towards Jamaal the big man started to look nervous he was sweating trying to avoid Mrs May weathers icy gaze, it was funny to watch a man over six foot tall trying to look invisible trying to sink back behind the security desk and failing utterly. 

Mrs May weather looked at Jamaal “I am expecting a new batch of dietary supplements to be delivered today kindly advise me when they arrive.” He swallowed nervous “Yes Mrs May weather,” Mrs May weather marched off Jamaal looked at Anita and Lilly. He explained shrugging his shoulders “it was a year ago I gave a guest a few chocolate bars Mrs May weather caught me. I swear I will never hear the end of it she made me put a lock on my fridges and cabinet so that no one can accidentally break there diets.” Anita looked at Lilly “how senior is the dietician?” Lilly paused. “If you asked her she runs the place but seriously the manager, who I think is also the majority owner of the hope springs health farm. Mr Higgs won’t even argue with her and he employs her.”

Anita was quick to follow behind Lilly as she gave her a run down of the building, “the 5th floor is where our long-term guests stay they each have private rooms I think 30 in total the manger also has his apartments up there. The guests on shorter stays are in the 4th floor a few more up to about 40. The main gym and fitness rooms are on the 3rd floor the dining hall and kitchen is on the 2nd floor, the administration is located on the first floor as well as the massage and physiotherapy rooms. There is a running track a couple of tennis courts and a swimming pool outside staff can use them out of business hours if you book in advance. The hydro therapy pool and the steam rooms are on the ground floor. The staff rooms and the facilities department are based in the basement of the building. There is a passenger elevator at the front of the building and service lift at the back of the building we have a little paperwork to do then I can show you your room.”

They went through the building to the administration office, Lilly left her there while Anita got on with the bureaucracy. Anita signed a contract for her time at the hope springs health farm, it was a fairly standard document privacy for the patients usual disclosures. She had her own documents checked they were expensive so they passed the cursory glance that the health farm administrator gave them. Then there were a series of hard copies of health and safety documents, that Anita had already been through when they were emailed to her. She was briefed on the fire procedure and the company’s security procedures, then the administrator gave her a quick test on the company manuals and was quite satisfied with her answers. She filled in a few tax forms and was ready to hook up with Lilly again.

Lilly showed Anita the room where she would be working where everything was and the schedule she had. Lilly would sit in on the first couple of sessions then leave Anita to it. They were heading out of the therapy room and heading for the staff quarters when they bumped into a guest. She was tall nearly six foot and thin as a rail she radiated confidence and arrogance in equal measure, she smiled showing her perfect white teeth. She had long very pail brown hail reaching to the small of her back. “Well Lilly introduce me to you new little friend,” Lily gestured towards Anita “this is the new masseuse Anita.” The guest smiled showing more teeth looking Anita up and down like a new toy. “Anita I am so please to meet you darling I am sure we will get on fabulously get a good nights rest my little darling and I will see you to tomorrow.” After the guest was well out of ear shot Lilly turned to Anita. “That was Jill Baker one of our physiotherapy patients, know it all and colossal pain in the ass. Admittedly she is the only real pain amongst our long term residents but she can be a real hand full. She ended up hurting her back very badly after she got drunk and beached her daddy’s yacht. Her allowance is being used to fix her daddies yacht so she can’t go partying we have the bored little madam hear until her back is in shape. She had the row with Emma before she left.” Anita processed that new information hear was an opportunity and a threat all rolled into one package.

Anita was led to her room Lilly showed her the next door room which was Lilly’s and told her to call if anything was needed. Anita casually asked which room was Emma’s, Lilly gestured in one direction and Anita worked it out. She sat down and processed in her head what she needed, she got out her case it opened with a numerical code she transferred her possessions to the set of draws in the room. Anita locked the door to the room she entered another code into the case lock and pressed the button twice. There was a dull click the bottom of the case opened up to reveal the tools of her trade. A number of bugs a set of high end lock picks some devices designed to override most mundane electronic security a gun taking ten millimetre ammo with eight rounds two spare clips and a silencer. She had never had to use it yet but it was best to be prepared she had a taser some plastic cuffs and a flick knife. Anita put on some dark clothes she charted a route through the building that she could explain away with any activity from getting a midnight snack to going out for a run if anyone noticed her. Anita grabbed a few tools then locked the case she waited until the building was quiet and went to work.

Her first stop was Emma’s room there was only a very basic lock that did not even need to be picked, a piece of plastic and a little pushing and the door was open. Anita carefully closed it behind her. She carefully looked through the room using a small torch. Everything was neat and clean someone had tidied up the room it was too tidy, like someone had searched it and then put everything back where it belonged. Anita opened Emma’s bag and carefully searched it, she was pretty sure that nothing was hidden in the sides or in the clothes or any of the other small effects, but that didn’t mean that there weren’t any clues. There was a pair of trainers on the soles there was gravel and plants embedded in them, there were other bits in some other pieces of clothes. Anita was no expert but she was pretty sure based on the tiny bit of hedge that Emma had been into the old asylum looking for something then quickly changed throwing her clothes into the bag. Emma looked around the room more carefully, one of the pictures on the wall was odd it stuck out as not lining up properly unless someone was looking carefully they would have missed it. Anita took the picture down and turned it over there wasn’t something on the back. But there was a bulge on the backing as if something was sandwiched between the cardboard backing and the picture. A little fiddling and an old folded scrap of paper dropped out.

Anita could anticipate the change coming she could feel a solid clue in her fingers. The paper was old the ink on it faded, she read it slowly and carefully. It was dated forty five years ago the time when the mob were running the place. An orderly was writing to his brother he described that the old mobster, obviously Nicky the soap carmine had two rooms. One that he used whenever someone was visiting inside the wing he had built, but he spent most of his time in a different private room that was some where private secret and inside the asylum proper but hidden away. The details were a little vague but Anita had a second clue. Emma was after something that carmine had left in the asylum, a pile of gold a map with x marks the spot a bank book with all his accounts, Anita could only guess. She was pretty sure that Emma had gone on a treasure hunt, but the asylum was large and she had no idea where exactly or what had happened to her bad luck an old booby trap a rival treasure hunter only time would tell.

Anita needed more information she pocketed the piece of paper and left the room. She went to the main administration office, it had a lock that was easy to pick an alarm that was easy to override. She had a reset code ready when she noticed the code for the alarm written on the panel below it. Security was a joke but then it was a health farm not a maximum security psychiatric institution anymore. Anita looked up Emma’s file there was not very much on it, a very detailed letter of complaint from Mrs May weather about Emma daring to dismiss her ideas on nutrition a record of the argument that Emma had with Jill. It concluded that Jill had simply baited the woman and it was not being taken any further. Conventional means were not really getting Anita any new data thankfully she had a data stick loaded with all sorts of programs designed to get around the mundane. 

Whoever had cleaned up Emma’s room had also had a little clean up of Emma’s file, there was a record of the file being altered shortly after she had left. On the file was a written warning about her going out into the woods by the asylum, one of the gardeners had seen her while checking on some seedlings. The area was deemed hazardous and a no go area. Anita noted that the warning had been deleted she had more to go on. Anita looked through Emma’s browsing history using another little software tool. Emma had been looking through a list of ex- employee’s of the institution Dr Hadrian Higgs deceased about 80 years ago. Though he was also the founder of the institute Colin Cranwell deceased at the same time. Fredric ash,  Courtney Chambers, Bill Theatres, Elizabeth Sikes all dead. There was one name not on the list of death records a Hanna Chambers she was employed a long time ago but after 80 years was she still alive could she still remember something had she left a journal? It was a clue there was a similar record of a Tom Jennings. The man had worked at the place thirty - thirty five years ago as a cleaner and it looked like he still worked in the health farm now. If Anita could talk to him maybe he was her best chance of finding Emma, if he knew the history of the place if she had talked to him which was a good chance another lead.  

Anita made her final exploration of the night she found the cctv recorder for the health club and reviewed it. There was nothing there were two many camera’s on one recorder it lasted a day or two then recorded over itself. Then Anita saw a figure on the monitor it was Jill Baker and she was returning from the old asylum with something. Anita carefully recorded it then erased over the camera she had a little leverage that she was sure that she could put to good use. She needed to get back to bed she needed to get some sleep but first she had to construct an alibi by visiting the kitchen and getting herself a little snack. The kitchen was on a lock only staff had a key for, it was designed to keep guests out of the larder and firmly on there diets access was one staff perk. Anita paused for a moment as she stood outside the kitchen it was odd she had a sense of foreboding fear of imminent danger, she looked around for an instant the place looked much more terrifying much more dangerous in the dark with the lights off in the witching hour. She shook herself she had read to many horror stories but she had felt like just for a second something had been watching her she dismissed it and went back to bed.

The next morning Anita got some breakfast took a shower and dressed professionally ready for her first session. Lilly stayed and watched the first two sessions as Anita politely chatted with guests while massaging there muscles there aches and pains, while carefully following Dr Hillary Jones guidelines on each patients rehabilitation program. Anita found with a bit of polite chit chat that hardly any of the long term patients remembered Emma, apart form the fact that she was chatty she spoke to the cleaners a lot. Anita filed that away she probably needed to speak to this Tom Jennings as soon as possible, she had found out that there was a large cleaning staff that had worked for a long number of years at the health farm they seemed to keep to themselves they cleaned the place at night when everyone else was in bed. 

Then Jill baker arrived she wore a pair of sandals and a one piece swim suit she carried a very large and probably expensive designer bag. Anita was certain that she could deal with anything the woman could do to her she was naive. “Now darling I was told that to have the best possible effect I need to be completely naked you don’t mind that do you”. Anita was not going to be put of by a naked woman. The tall woman quickly removed her clothing and spread out naked on the massage table the only thing she wore was a superior look and a pair of sunglasses. It didn’t faze Anita. It took a few minutes but Anita had laid out everything ready to start. “Darling be a good girl and get my massage oils I have them custom made for my skin there so much better than what the health farm provide”. Anita calmly packed away everything she had just got out and unpacked Jill‘s oils.

Anita started to work on Jills back massaging the oils into her skin when there was a little rattle as Jill’s sun glasses hit the floor “be a darling and get me my glasses thanks” Anita reached down to pick up the glasses a hand grabbed her bottom while she reached over. Anita must have jumped about a foot in the air and shrieked. Jill smiled a superior look “oh I swing both ways darling and every cute little ass in the building needs to watch out.” Anita breathed in to calm herself down “I must respectfully remind you about our policy with staff and inappropriate touching.” “Sorry darling my hand must have slipped” Jill smiled a cheeky smile. Anita got back into her rhythm slowly working the muscles in Jill’s back, she was about to change the direction when there was a crunching noise, Anita was slightly distracted then there was another crunching noise. Jill had a small bag of seeds and she was chewing them in a way that seemed to make an awful lot of noise. Jill looked at Anita “don’t worry darling May weather says I can have these sunflower seeds as a snack do you want some?” 

Anita got on with her job there were more distractions humming, comments about how unflattering the staff uniform was etc. Towards the end of the session Anita was stretching out Jill she got her wrists together and pulled Jill’s arms up and back she perhaps used a little more force than was entirely necessary. Jill moaned not in pain but in Anita guessed it was pleasure. Anita paused unsure for a second “oh come on go all the way darling,” Jill ran her foot along Anita’s thigh Anita pulled a little harder getting Jill’s arms pulled far back almost wrenched out of there sockets. Jill made a sort of soft growling almost contented noise. Anita’s open palm landed on Jill’s backside with a smack, “that’s your session over for today now lets have a little informal discussion while I have you where I want you.”

Jill was relaxed in this position even with her shoulders pulled back, “darling if you want me like this I’m all yours” she was still playful. An authorities tone crept into Anita’s voice “now we have finished playing for the day, I know you have been going into the old asylum I know you have been snooping around after hours and I know you took something out from the asylum. Your going to tell me what you found what you have been doing and what happened with Emma.” Jill smiled “goody are you going to spank me like the naughty little girl I am until I spill the beans?” her voice held an amount of anticipation. 

Anita grinned “No I am going to report it to the manager and show him a DVD I recorded of your escapades he will contact your father and I am sure there will be consequences.” Jill paused for a second “no fair that’s a bit below the belt.” Anita grinned “I can go and get the DVD now.” “Ok ok darling I am a massive nosey parker as everyone knows, I stick my nose in everything and everyone’s business. There is this massive spooky old asylum next to this dull boring health farm what do you think. It’s like a big open invitation, to me at least. Its full of ghost story’s and mad people and mobsters buried treasure and kinky little toys, it’s the only interesting thing around hear and I was crawling up the walls after a week of being stuck hear tormenting the staff. When I found a little box in the woods it had a procedure manual from the old asylum the first one the proper one also there was a maintenance key and an old photo.”

Anita waited “if you’re going to play it that way maybe you could pull my arms a little tighter darling”. Anita released the pressure “spoil sport ok I have played around the asylum proper for a bit. With a tiny bit of effort I got onto the first and second floors and a bit of the ground floor. Darling the maintenance key doesn’t get you everywhere, what I found out is you need is a master key that opens everything. The director and his three most important cronies had them, maybe other senior members of staff had one to if you could find the personal effects of one you might be able to find a master key.”

Tell me about the ghost stories? “Darling this place is really spooky the old woods the old asylum the dreadfully exciting history. I overheard a couple of the cleaners talking about ghost stories they say that the director of the institute the first Dr Higgs did all sorts of devilish experiments drove the patients mad, turned the staff into zombies that sort of thing. They say that some nutter called the five ways killer heard god speaking to him he got an axe and chopped up the director and all the senior staff. Now there ghosts roam the old asylum, I haven’t found a lick of evidence but then I haven’t really had a chance to poke around deep in the asylum. Mores the pity it would have made such a good ghost story. All the doors with sensitive stuff were locked up pretty tight” she paused for a second. “Though they do say that someone disturbs the ghosts every two or three decades and then blood is needed to put them to rest again chilling isn’t it darling?”

“You mentioned mad people what have you heard?” She seemed to think for a split second “well for starters darling this place is like a torch attracting mad people and I don’t just mean the patients. The old ghost stories go that the first director promoted a lot of how shall I put it, mostly cured patients to positions in the old asylum he was said to have claimed that it gave them a perspective. I think he just wanted yes men kissing his ass and shining his shoes. But more than that darling they say this place made the staff go mad, that it had a presence that warped there minds maybe the country air got to them.”

Anita pressed for more useful information, “What have you heard about the mob?” “Anita darling I have herd that the mob used to run this place, like a little crooked country club. That oily little lawyers got them out of doing any real punishment and that one of there big bosses the god farther of somewhere or other stashed all his hidden loot somewhere on the grounds. Though I think they have been shooing away treasure hunters for decades. The police searched the place from top to bottom and couldn’t find a farthing so there probably isn’t anything there, but it would still be fun to go and look for it a real adventure!”

“You mentioned Toys what could you possibly mean?” She giggled “well Anita darling you can guess the old hospital had so many delicious ways of disciplining naughty girls. I was hoping I might find a few odds and ends and have a little fun just a little game, I am a patient there another perhaps you Anita plays the part of a nurse that has to strictly discipline me for being so disruptive.” Anita patted her on the back “you really are too kinky to torture.” A grin spread across Jill’s face “you better believe it darling, but it would be fun of you to try.”

“Ok finally what happened with Emma” Jill paused for a second “that little minx wanted something in the old asylum, I think she was some sort of treasure hunter or at least maybe someone that could spin a story about being a treasure hunter. Maybe she was a reporter, certainly she would have made Higgs lose the rest of his hair if he had known. She talked about the two of us having a little expedition into the asylum together, then she went without me can you believe the little rotter stood me up after pumping me for information even got my spare key that I found!”

“Darling Any way Anita what’s it all for are you a friend of Emma’s another intrepid reporter a sleuth looking for clues?” “That my dear Jill is for me to know and you not to know.” Jill looked disappointed for a fraction of a second, “Anita I may or may not have acquired a few little mementos of my asylum delving if we can come sort of arrangement you might like to have a look.” Anita was fairly certain that Jill had made up the last part but she would possibly look into it further if she had no other leads.

Anita released Jill’s arms and looked her squarely in the eyes, “no more delving into the asylum. For all you know part of it fell on Emma and the same thing could happen to you. You’re going to hand over whatever you found to me no arguments.” She had a sour look on her face just for a second, “Fine darling but you have to give me a special massage and you can have the lot.” Anita looked at her questioningly “what do you mean a special massage?” She grinned a cheeky grin, “darling a lady has to have a few secrets come to my room at midnight we can have a bit of fun and you can collect those items.” Jill dressed kissed Anita on the lips before she could push her away and left.

Anita packed away everything ten seconds later Lilly entered. Lilly spoke to Anita, “your first run in with Jill don’t worry about it one of the old nurses told me about something they called a calming wrap I think Jill would be perfect for it.” For a second Anita hoped to have a source of first hand information “Is the old nurse still around,”  Lilly shook her head, “oh no she left years ago.” Out of interest Anita inquired “What’s a calming wrap?” “Actually quite a serious treatment to tame a problem patient, we found a box of the stuff a few years ago it’s around somewhere when we found it someone looked up what it was for, Hillary I think.” Lilly paused “go on finish telling me,” Lilly resumed “lets say you have a problem patient called Jill she would be stripped naked and given a thorough shower. Then a pair of tight elbow length leather mittens would be applied to her so she didn’t have the use of her hands they had a harness which was like a large collar that would go around her pretty little neck. A high posture collar so she couldn’t move her head about much her fingers in the mittens would be strapped to her elbows then a strap would be connected to the back of the collar. Keeping the patients hands out of the way after that they would wrap her folded arms and torso in wide elasticated bandages, there were a lot of these in the box they had a hook on one end and a eyelet on the other so that they stayed in place when applied and remained really tightly latched together. A pipe gag would be forced into the patients mouth it consisted of a large hollow three inch black rubber ball with a one inch diameter rubber pipe coming out.” 

“The patient would be gagged but could still be force fed via the pipe. A three foot rubber tube would be used to catheterised the patient then a rubber plug would be inserted up he backside they only had very large ones eight inches long and four inches in diameter at the widest part perfect to make naughty little girls toes curl. It would be hollow as well with an attached black rubber tube.” 

“The patients feet would be brought up to there ankles and there legs wrapped in a layer of elasticated bandages rendering them pretty helpless. More elastic bandages would be wrapped around there head, but only after cotton pads had been applied to there eyes and there ears had been plugged. They would be wrapped in layer after layer of elastic bandages until the restraints were super tight and the patient could hardly move. Then just to be on the safe side a second layer of bandages would be applied they had white bandages for the first layer and grey bandages for the second, but even after that they were not done.” 

They had a three piece rubber suit for the patients a hood that would have a hole for the gag it would be pulled over the patients head, it would be so tight you could practically see the patients features. Then a sort of rubber jacket would be pulled over the patients torso designed with a pocket for the patients arms it laced up at the back. Included were two crotch straps to really get it tight then a rubber section would be applied to the patients legs sort of like a pair of rubber trousers but with half the length obviously. They were applied over the wrapping with holes to fit the tubes through then they would be connected to the jacket and the patient would be left to stew for days in a corner of a padded room completely isolated.” Lilly grinned “Don’t tell Jill about that she might demand it as part of her treatment program.” Anita could only shiver at the horrible thought of being on the receiving end of that, a strange tingle a shiver of dread and panic travelled up her spine then was gone.

Lilly taped her on the arm Anita refocused, the two of them headed for the dining room. Suddenly both girls jumped and turned around as someone slapped them both on the ass. “That sounds very kinky darling can you sign me up for a session daddy always said I needed the brat disciplined out of me.” Jill had appeared form nowhere. “The way I heard it a really naughty girl got up to two weeks in a calming wrap they had a special way to make them behave. the darling would have a little plug in her backside it would be connected to a water supply with a special valve the valve worked on pressure once it got to a certain pressure it would lock for twenty minutes. Then let the water drain away then it would refill again and the cycle would continue for that time. The poor little damsel in distress would have no way out, no rest, sounds devilish to be so helpless so mercilessly controlled.” Jill whistled and walked away Anita started thinking about the rich brat.

A quiet little man stepped out from around the corner a potted plant seemed to have been knocked over he was obviously a cleaner sent to tidy it up. He whistled to himself, The man was called Tom Jennings according to his name badge, a cleaner who worked there for a long time. Lilly introduced him to Anita the man politely waved and smiled and then got back to his sweeping, after shaking her offered hand. Anita found a piece of paper had been stuffed into her hand. She didn’t look at it all she did was push it into her pocket she would read it when she was in a private place.