When Jack came to, he found himself tied to the chair that sat in front of Jan's makeup table. His arms were pulled back, and when he rocked in the chair to test his bonds, they wouldn't budge. More rope was wrapped across the front of his chest, and he guessed that it was looped around the back of the chair. Trying one foot and then the other, he concluded they were tied tightly to each leg. In effect, the only part of his body he could move was his head. A gag that seemed to be made of a silky material, maybe one of Jan's thigh highs, cut into his cheeks at the corners of his mouth.
What appeared to be a beach towel hung over the mirror behind the open laptop, cutting off the view from the bed against the opposite wall behind him. Rocking a little, he decided he could turn the chair onto its side if he wanted. It felt fairly strong, and he wasn't sure what he'd accomplish by doing that.
"How good of you to show up, Jack."
The voice was male and sounded educated, but other than that, he could discern very little.
"Jan and I thought we would wait around awhile and see if you came out to chat, but in person is so much better."
With the reference to chat, Jack's blood ran cold. Rocking in the chair, he struggled once more only to feel the ropes cut deep into his skin, leaving an itchy, burning sensation. Hearing footsteps behind him, he froze trying to locate the person from the sound; it seemed to move from the side of the room where the closet was to right behind his chair.
"How's that, Jack? Is the picture good?"
Looking at the laptop's screen, he suddenly saw Jan in the broadcast monitor window, still tied spread-eagled to the bed in her panties. The arm he'd freed had been secured again, and the gag put back, firmly in place.
There was a sound of movement again as Jack's tormenter retreated. Jack decided he had taken the lens' cap off the camera so he could watch. "Yes, Jack, I think this is so much better. Just think what the sound will be like. And if you're good, I'll even take her gag off before we're finished here."
Jack slumped against his rope. Yes, Linda had been right. This was about him, and in spite of not recognizing the voice, he knew exactly who was standing in the room behind him. Watching the cam view on the laptop, there seemed to be little he could do while Scott continued to speak.
"She is lovely, Jack. I even think she's even lovelier than Lisa was.
What do you think, Jackie boy
?"
Jack bucked wildly in the chair, deciding that tipping it over would bring Scott closer. Maybe, it would present some kind of opportunity.
"Now, Jack, let's not make me feel hurried." With that, Jack froze, and the chair settled firmly on all four legs, leaving him to stare at the cam picture on the screen - a gloved hand, resting on one of Jan's bare breasts, toying languidly, with the nipple.
"That's better, Jack. And speaking of Lisa, what did you think of that? Quite the flair for the theatrical is what I thought. I think artists always go overboard on their first performance."
Jack watched Jan closely as she lay submissively, not struggling; her eyes open wide, staring at the ceiling. Her bare breasts rose occasionally, and he could see her swallow, but other than that, her arms and legs were motionless. There was a clinking sound, and Jack could hear some sort of liquid being poured. Watching Jan, she seemed to glance to her right before turning her face back up to stare at the ceiling. There was another small clicking sound, and a few seconds later, Jack recognized the pungent odor of a cigar. The room remained silent except for the sound of Jack's own breathing.
*****
When Linda had put forth her theory, Jack had laughed, but she'd insisted. "Look, Jack, his motive is revenge, and this type of killing fits his business. He's in the internet porn trade; he has one of the biggest in the country."
But he'd still been skeptical. "And why would he put all that in danger over a penny-ante bust for small time theft?"
"Because he can, Jack. Simple as that. He has no family. He has the money and mob connections to get whatever he needs to do it, and he has the ego to want to bring you down - to knock you from the top of Pond Enterprises so he can feel bigger than you."
