by Paul Rosemount
Detective-Inspector Trevath surveyed the library of Sir Henry Swatham's mansion, noting the shelves of calf- and morocco-bound books lining the walls, the comfortable-looking leather armchairs and sofa grouped around the large stone fireplace, the naked blonde bound firmly over Sir Henry's heavy mahogany desk, the scatter of small tables bearing reading lamps plus the occasional decanter or box of cigars, and the French windows, framed by floor-length velvet curtains, in the far wall. He turned to Lady Marion.
"What seems to be the problem, ma'am?" he enquired.
Lady Marion glared at him, an impatient scowl marring her fine patrician features.
"Isn't it obvious, Inspector? She is the problem!" An imperious forefinger indicated the nude woman, now making head gestures and muffled sounds, possibly indicating, the Detective-Inspector considered, a wish to be released from the ropes and ball-gag currently restraining her.
The policeman quickly ran over the possibilities in his mind. He knew Lady Marion had a step-daughter, Susan, who might well be home from college, but this young lady appeared to be in her mid-twenties and Sir Henry's daughter would be a few years younger than that. One of the domestic staff, then? It seemed likely. When Lady Marion had first come to Zark as Sir Henry's bride, she had, Trevath recalled, found some of Zark's traditions a bit of a shock at first, but had quickly adapted and set about whipping Sir Henry's household staff into shape, both metaphorically and, in some cases, literally. It was odd, the Inspector thought, how often incomers were keener on the island's traditions than the islanders themselves...
His musings were cut short by an impatient "Well?" from Lady Marion.
"Of course, how Sir Henry or yourself keep order among your domestic staff is up to you, but unless this young woman has broken the law I see no reason to call us out - and even if..."
"This... person is not one of my maids, Inspector! I'm quite capable of dealing with them on my own."
"Then who is she?" The question was put by the third member of the party, Doctor Hewson, whose help Inspector Trevath had requested on first receiving Lady Marion's summons to the Hall on what she had described as 'a very serious case'.
"A good question, Doctor - who is she, Lady Marion?" The Inspector felt he should be asking any questions that needed to be asked - he was Zark's only Detective-Inspector, after all.
"If I knew that, I'd hardly need to send for a detective, would I? She's a complete stranger to me!"
"Perhaps Sir Henry knows her?" ventured the doctor.
"Sir Henry is away on an urgent business trip to London," Lady Marion replied. "I simply came into the library this afternoon and there she was!"
"An intruder, eh?" said the doctor. "And you tackled her and tied her up...? Well done! But why didn't you ask her name before gagging her?"
"I did not 'tackle her', as you put it," Lady Marion replied frostily. She turned to the policeman. "When I entered the library she was already stripped and tied over the desk like that - and that's not all. Have you noticed the state of her bottom? She's been caned!"
Both men moved over to the desk and investigated Lady Marion's claim. It was true - the girl's slightly plump buttocks were reddened and marked with a number of neatly horizontal crimson weals, evidence of a thorough caning.
"It would certainly seem that a crime of some sort has been committed," Inspector Trevath said interestedly. "You did well to call me in to investigate. Is there any more you can tell us?"
"I'm afraid not, Inspector. I was entertaining the vicar and his wife to afternoon tea - they'd turned up, not knowing my husband had been called away unexpectedly. Most inconvenient, as I'd planned a visit of my own this afternoon. They'd hoped to interest him in a plan of restoration work for the church buildings. I came in here to find a book touching on the history of the church and found this woman as you see her now. Then I called you. Now I must get back to the vicar - it would never do for him to follow me in here and find this! Can I trust you to handle the matter with discretion? If rumours were to spread, it could result in a most disagreeable scandal..."
"I'll see what I can do," Detective-Inspector Trevath replied. "We may need to take a formal statement or ask you further questions later, when we've got a better idea of what we're dealing with, but for now you can leave it to us."
"Thank you, Inspector - and you too, doctor." And Lady Marion hurried from the room.
Doctor Hewson went over to the desk and began examining the ropes tying the young woman to the desk.
"Tell me, doctor, are those ropes securely tied?" Inspector Trevath enquired.
"Very - the knots are pulled tight - she must have struggled against her bonds while being caned. Not to worry, though - I can cut the rope with a scalpel." He reached into his medical bag.
"Leave it for now," the Inspector commanded. "A properly-organised investigation must proceed in an ordered and methodical fashion. First we examine the scene of the crime, then we can question the witness - if the ropes are secure, she's not going anywhere..."
"But, Trevath..." began the doctor, only to be quelled by a stern glance from the detective, already resuming his study of the bound girl's rear.
"In your opinion as a medical man, would you agree with me that these marks are recently made? From the colour of the weals and the extent to which the reddening has spread, I'd estimate no more than an hour, possibly less."
"Well, they certainly appear fresh to me..." replied Doctor Hewson, temporarily abandoning his efforts to release the girl "...but I couldn't be as exact as an hour - could you?"
"I have, as you know, made a special study of punishment-marks - a thing essential in cases such as this, but unaccountably overlooked by other police forces - and intend to produce an illustrated monograph on the subject, once I can find more suitable research assistants than the last one."
The doctor nodded. He was well aware of Inspector Trevath's desire to make his mark in the field of scientific detection by producing a textbook illustrating the effects on the buttocks of paddles, straps, canes and other, more unusual, punishment instruments. He was also aware of the fate of Trevath's last 'research assistant' - a student, home from university, who'd answered his advert in the 'Zark Chronicle', hoping for a summer job.
She'd expected to be typing up notes, or possibly going door-to-door with a questionnaire. Instead she'd found herself first going over Trevath's lap for a bare-bottomed spanking, then bent over his desk for a prolonged paddling, with pauses for Trevath to photograph her increasingly red and tender buttocks and demand that she describe, in detail, the sensations she was experiencing. When the Inspector had produced the martinets and floggers he hoped to try next, the girl had fled. What made it even more unfortunate for her was that on arriving home, pantieless and red-bottomed, her guardian had asked her what excuse she had for appearing in such a state, and on learning she'd been paddled by the police, had taken his belt to her already sore bottom before she'd had a chance to explain...
Understandably, she hadn't come back - and once the story had got round there had been no further answers to the advert.
Meanwhile, the Inspector had continued his study of the weals, recording his observations in a small notebook, as well as providing a commentary for the benefit of his companion.
"Our victim is a young woman, age early to mid-twenties, height about five foot six or seven, slim build, eyes blue, hair..." he paused to glance between the girl's unwillingly-parted thighs "... natural blonde, no visible scars, tattoos or other distinguishing marks. Subject bears marks of a recent caning on her bare bottom." He leant in closer to examine them in detail.
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