Interrogation Inter Alia

INTERROGATION INTER ALIA - Chapter Six

Mistress Emma pushed Alfredo out of the way and wheeled the computer trolley into his place. I stared nervously at the screen; the new message from Steve:

RE: I need your help

Hi Ingrid – what a surprise to get mail from you! I see you’re online now too – wanna chat?

I’d no sooner read the words than the sound of a loud buzzing alert rang in my ears. Mistress Emma laughed and quickly pulled the computer out of reach. She then directed Alfredo and Mike to shackle my wrists together and to unshackle my ankles from the chair.

“What are you doing?” I anxiously looked at Mistress Emma.

“He hasn’t sent any letters, Ingrid. What do you want to say to him?”

“Um,” my mind went blank. I watched helplessly as Mistress Emma opened a chat window and got ready to reply. “Tell him…ask him…no…I don’t know!”

Mistress Emma began to type and read aloud, “Hi Steve – did you think of some letters for me?”

“Turn her around so she can see it on the big screen,” Mistress Emma said to Alfredo and Mike.

They turned me to face the large screen. I watched as Steve’s silent reply scrolled across the screen:

Hey Ingrid –what’s up?

“Hitch her arms up, boys,” Mistress Emma said to Alfredo and Mike.

Alfredo held my shackled wrists while Mike went to the side of the stage to lower a chain from the ceiling. Alfredo cinched my manacles to it and a moment later Mike winched my hands high above my head. Steve continued to type:

Letters? How about an A…

I breathed a small sigh of relief.

That’s a vowel…

I heard the crowd behind me laugh at Steve's statement of the obvious.

Four others… a D…

I watched as Mistress Emma, speaking as me, interrupted with a line of text telling Steve to wait. The screen then switched to the one with her perverse puzzle and she added the new letter:

SATU _ DA _ D _ _ _ _ _ @YAHOO.COM

When Mistress Emma switched back to the chat window, Steve had already sent two more letters. She clapped her hands excitedly together and then replied:

Good – BRB

She then quickly switched windows again to update the puzzle:

SATURDA _ DR _ _ _ R@YAHOO.COM

My heart skipped a beat at the sight of the almost complete answer that stared boldly at me from the screen. Anybody could guess it was missing a Y which meant only three letters really remained to be divulged. It was a small relief when I saw the final letter Steve sent was an M.

Mistress Emma switched back to chat and wrote:

That’s great, Steve – I have to go now – will you be online much longer?

I shivered at the thought of what I knew Mistress Emma might have planned. I hoped Steve might say he wouldn’t be online but her replied:

I can stick around for as long as you like. Just buzz me when you’re ready to chat…

The request in any other situation would be taken as completely normal but to me; it took on all the overtones of a horrible, menacing threat. Mistress Emma replied:

Excellent – I’ll do that – looking forward to it!!! :D

Steve replied with a collection of emoticons that included embarrassing hearts and roses. His status then blinked to I’m here – buzz me.

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