Special Operations (Badge of Honor 2)

She nodded her head, but still kept her head turned away from him.

“Bra and pants, is that what you were wearing, because it was so damned hot?”

“Just my panties,” she said, faintly, after a moment, and then she flared. “You’re trying to make it sound like it was my fault.”

“No, I’m not, Miss Flannery,” Hemmings said, with all the sincerity he could muster.

He probably would have broken in if you had been wearing an ankle-length fur coat, but looking through the window and seeing you wearing nothing but your underpants didn’t discourage him any, either, Hemmings thought. And was immediately ashamed of himself.

“You say he cut your clothing? You mean your underclothes?”

“He came over to me and put the knife down the front of my panties and jerked it,” she said.

“Did he say anything? Or did you?”

“I tried to scream when I first saw him, and couldn’t,” she said. “And then when he was using the knife, I was too scared to scream.”

“Did he say anything?”

“He said, ‘Let’s see the rest,’” she said, very faintly.

“What was he doing with the knife at this time?” Hemmings asked, gently.

“Oh, my God! Is this necessary?”

“Yes, ma’am, I’m afraid it is.”

“He was pushing me in the breast with it, with the point.”

She turned her face to look at him, then as quickly averted it.

“Then he said, ‘Take your panties off,’ and I did,” she said, quickly, softly. “And then he took me into my bedroom and made me get on the bed, and then he tied me to the bed—”

“What did he use to tie you to the bed?”

“My panty hose,” she said. “He went in my dresser and got panty hose and tied me up.”

“Up?” Hemmings interrupted. “Or to the bed?”

“To the bed,” she said. “I’ve got a brass bed, and he tied me to the headboard and footboard.”

“On your back? Or on your stomach?”

“On my back,” she said.

“And then what?”

“Then he started talking dirty,” she said.

“Do you remember what he said?”

“What do you think?” she flared.

“Can you tell me exactly what he said?” Hemmings asked.

“Jesus!” she said. “He used words like ‘teats’ and…and ‘pussy’ and words like that.”

“Anything else?”