The Games Players: Honesty (MF/Fmf)

[KP Presents]

Kate Grisham is one of the hosts of the local morning news program in the area Steve and I live in – in her early forties, she has blonde hair that actually is starting to show the dark brown roots, and that perma-tanned look that only news presenters and some politicians seem to have.

But she was a wealthy woman, and Steve and I both decided she would be an ideal candidate for our next joint visit. We knew she lived in a large house with nice grounds with her husband and three children, and that her husband commuted to and from London every day, so we decided to visit one day during the school holidays. The house itself sat behind a walled garden, but we timed our arrival to coincide with a grocery delivery - slipping through the gates with our rucksacks on our backs while they were open, and quickly going to the side of the house.

Steve was wearing a black jumper under a leather jacket, jeans and shoes, while I has on a white jumper under a tan jacket and black leggings tucked into short black boots. We also both had our gloves on, and we pulled the stockings down over our heads as the delivery van left, waiting for the good Mrs Grisham to come home.

We only had a short wait, as the Daimler pulled up and Kate Grisham got out. She was wearing a short pink sleeveless dress with white daisies on the neckline at the front, and matching heels. She thanked the driver, and went to open the front door as he drove off – only to stop for a moment as Steve put his gun against her back and said “hello Kate – slowly, open the door and walk in, with your hands in the air where we can see them.”

“What’s going on,” she whispered.

“We’ll explain inside – and please, don’t do anything to alert your children to our presence. We wish to talk to you before they get involved.”

I watched for anyone passing as Kate slowly opened the door and walked in, her hands in the air as Steve followed, and I quietly closed the door. We could hear noises from other rooms, but Steve walked Kate into the front room as I closed that door, and walked to pull the curtains across the windows while she turned round.

“Is this a robbery? If so, take what you want, and you can leave me and the kids in the cellar, with the door locked outside.”

“Now that would be cruel,” I said as I walked over, “we have a counter proposal. There is no need to scare your children in that way, Kate – not when you can be together, in here, watching a film while we make our getaway. On which note – give me your handbag please.”

Kate handed me her bag, while Steve smiled and said “so instead, all of you are going to play a game here together.”

“A game – oh my god, you’re the Games Players? I covered the visit you made to that family this morning.”

“Well then, you know what we are going to ask, don’t you – make sure your children believe this is a game, and they won’t panic or hurt themselves.”

Kate looked at both of us, and then said “that’s fine for Daniel and Edie, but Jane – she won’t believe that for a second. You’re going to have to convince her – or else make sure she can’t tell them what is going on, and given we are all going to end up the same way…”

We knew her oldest daughter, jane, was seventeen, and when they are of an age to understand what is going on, often the best policy is to be honest with them. So I nodded to Steve, as he took his rucksack off and gave me the gun, then took Kate’s wrists behind her back and secured them tightly together with rope.

“Where is Jane going to be right now?”

“In the kitchen – she puts away the groceries and then gets on with her pre-college work.”

“Not today,” Steve said as he tied the ropes off, “let’s go and talk to her. And remember – not a word to anyone else in the house.”

I removed Kate’s mobile phone from her bag and put it in my rucksack, before we left the room, Steve holding her arm as I walked in front. When we walked into the kitchen, we saw Jane Grisham sat at the table. She had long hair the same colour as her mother, and was wearing a white vest and jeans, the legs of the jeans tucked into knee length chocolate brown leather boots.

She looked up as Steve came in with her mother – and then looked again, before she opened her mouth to scream. Well, she would have if I had not walked over and placed my hand over her mouth, Steve pointing the gun at her as he said “now, we do not want to scare you brother and sister, do we? Keep quiet, and put your hands in the air while your mother explains what is going to happen.

“Mhmmwhhthfthdhn,” she mumbled as she slowly raised her hands.

“Jane,” Kate said quietly, “we are being robbed by the Games Players. Have you heard of them?”

“Thshshrthshhcchhcswhthfhmhlshp?”

“Well,” Kate said as she looked at me, with my gloved hand over her mouth, “they do tie families up, yes, and they do rob them – but they make it a game so the younger children don’t panic. It could be much worse if they did – and today, they’ve come to our house. So, for the sake of Daniel and Edie, are you going to help me make it a game for them?”

“Nfhfhknhhhnshcns,” Jane mumbled as she twisted round. Steve pulled a chair out and said “sit down Kate – if Jane is not going to cooperate right now, then we need to take steps to make sure that when the time comes, she will not spill the beans on what is going on.”

“Uwhhdlnhhdhr…”

I watched as Steve took from his bag a sponge ball, compressed it in his hand, and walked over. I slipped off my rucksack and took something out as well as Kate watched, then took my hand away as Jane clamped her lips together and stared defiantly at him with her hands in the air.

“Open your mouth.”

“Jane, please…” The young girl just shook her head, and then I pinched her nostrils closed with my gloved fingers. Eventually she had to open her mouth and Steve pushed the sponge ball in, then I covered her lips again as I handed him the roll of white tape.

“Jane, please – you need to calm down now,” Kate said as her oldest daughter looked at her, and then stopped struggling, her chest rising and falling as I took my hand away, and Steve pressed a long length of the tape over her mouth. I then took her hands behind her back, and started to tie rope tightly round them as Kate sighed,

“Look, this is going to happen,” she said quietly, “and trust me, the last thing you need to do now is get yourself worked up and find you can’t breathe. At some point, they are going to join you and get tied up – please, even if you don’t think we should tell them it is a game, don’t make it scary for them.”

I took a longer rope from my rucksack and passed it round Jane, forcing her arms against her sides as she looked at her mother, and then nodded as the ropes got tighter.

“Thank you,” Steve said as he put the gun down, took a long rope from his own rucksack, and started to do the same to Kate as I tied the ropes off round Jane. Once her mother was secured, Steve said “let’s take them back to the main room, and we’ll make sure Jane stays there.” We helped them to stand up and walk back through, Jane sitting down as Kate watches me kneel and bind her ankles tightly together, and then her legs below her knees.

I then help Jane to lie down and roll over, before I pull her ankles back and secure them to the ropes around her chest, then roll her onto her side. “Now, we are going to fetch the rest of the family,” I said, “so you stay there. You don’t want to hurt yourself, do you?”

Jane looked at her mother and shook her head, Kate relaxing and saying “thank you – I love you” as we led her back out of the room. We walked up the stairs, and stopped outside a door that said “KEEP OUT!”

I knocked as Kate said “Daniel, I need to see you for a few minutes.”

“All right,” a young by called back as I opened the door and we walked in. Daniel Grisham was nine years old, with short brown hair, and was wearing a green polo shirt, jeans and blue trainers.

“Hey Mum – what’s going on?”

“Well, you know how I have talked on the news about some robbers called the Games Players?”

“Yes…”

“Well, I wondered if my two friends can help you to play a game where the Games Players visit. As you can see, they already have me tied up with my arms. And /jane is playing downstairs…”

“Jane is playing?”

“that’s right,” I said, “and now we want you to play with your sister as well. Nothing really bad is going to happen, you just all will be kept together and quiet for a little while.”

“So are you going to do that to me,” Daniel said as he looked at Steve.

“No – I am,” I said with a smile as I took some rope from my rucksack. “Sit on the bed, and you can hold this while I use another length to make sure your ankles stay together.”

“It’ll be fun,” Kate said as she watched her son sit down, holding the first length of rope while I took the second one and knelt down to secure his ankles together. I then took a second length of rope and tied it round his legs below his knees, before I said “there – that’s not too bad is it?”

“No – but I won’t be able to walk easily.”

“Let me worry about that – can you get up, jump round, and give me the rope as you put your hands behind your back? Then I’ll make sure you are just like Mummy.”

Kate watched as Daniel handed me the rope, managed to stand up and jumped round, then looked over his shoulder as I tied the rope around and between his wrists, and then wrapped rope round his arms to keep them against his sides.

“Mummy? Can I have a drink?”

“I’ll be there in a minute Edie,” Kate said as we heard footsteps, and then her five your old daughter Edie came into the room. She had blonde hair up in a knot on her head, and was wearing a striped top with pink trim, faded jeans and white trainers with red laces.

“Hey Edie,” Danile said, “come and look what the lady has done to me.”

The young girl came over and looked at her brother, then her mother before she said “is this a game Mummy?”

“It’s a very special game,” Kate said, “so while I can’t get you a drink at the moment, perhaps my friend here can take you to get a drink when we go downstairs, and then she can help you to play the game as well.”

“That sounds like an idea,” I said as I took Edie’s hand, and Steve icked Daniel up in his arms, before we all walked downstairs. As they went into the front room, I heard Daniel say “Jane?” as I took Edie to the kitchen.

“Are you pretending to be a bad robber,” Edie said as I gave her a glass of milk.

“I am,” I said as I sat with her, “which means for the game, you, your mummy, your brother and sister are all going to be in the front room, while my friend and I make sure you can’t move a lot, and you can’t talk.”

“The ropes look tight. Does it hurt?”

“No,” I said quietly, “it won’t hurt. Let me show you – finish your drink, then stand up and put your hands behind your back.” Edie looked at me, and then stood and turned round, while I took more rope and made sure her wrists were snugly tied together behind her back.

I then wrapped rope round her arms and body to keep them together, before I said “there – does that hurt?”

“No – it’s actually nice…”

“Well, let’s go and join the others shall we?”

Edie nodded as we walked back into the room, Kate standing with Steve while Daniel was sitting on one side of a small couch while Jane lay along the other one. He also had a strip of white tape over his mouth now, as Kate said “I’ll be back in a minute” and they left the room.

“Sit on the couch with Daniel,” I said to Edie, and waited until she pushed herself back on the seat before I secured her ankles and legs in the same way as everyone else.

“This is a good game, jane,” Edie said as he looked over, and to her credit Jane nodded in agreement. I then tied some rope round Edie’s legs below her knees, making sure it was nice, neat and cinched, before I said “I need to put some tape over your mouth as well Edie.”

“When Mummy comes back can she sit with me?”

“Of course she can – now, can you put your lips together?”

Edei did that as I smoothed the tape down over them, and then moved Daniel over to an armchair as he settled down as well. I then turned the television on, Jane groaning as Peppa Pig came on, but Edie nodding.

“Thank you,” I said as I looked at Jane.

“Hddhntwhnthtmshchrhd.”

I nodded in agreement as Steve brought Kate back in, helping her to sit next to Edie before he knelt and started to secure her ankles and legs. She looked at Edie and said “enjoying the game?”

“Yhdmmhmhh,” Edie said as she let her head rest on her mother’s lap, while I peeled white tape from the roll and pressed it gently down over Kate’s mouth. She then looked at Edie as the little girl smiled under the tape, while Steve nodded to me.

“Now, we’re going to wait in the kitchen,” I said with a smile, “wait an hour, then see if you can get free.”

“Whlldhtht,” Kate said as she looked at Jane, Daniel and Edie, all three of them nodding as we left the room, went into the kitchen, and then out of the house…