Shaggy sat quietly, his head in his hands, Scooby sat next to him staring glumly into space. Daphne paced about torn between raging against the world and sobbing uncontrollably. Fred stood by the window looking at the world go by. He needed to give his mind time to work, they knew a lot about Rufus, how he worked and the kinds of places he could be, so many pieces up in the air he just needed to let them settle. The police had come up with information, they had found the number plates and the vinyl covers, this had lead them to look at CCTV images which had eventually ended up with the truck hire and some credit card information. The police were following the paper trail, the FBI had been informed and airports had been alerted. It was unlikely he had left the country but an international arrest warrant had been issued for him just in case. The only thing they had was that he had go onto the highway, after that the trail had gone cold. Fred scratched his head, perhaps they should go back and search the area again, they might turn up something and it was better than doing nothing.
"I…" he began
"Oh I suppose you have a plan? We don't even know where to look for her!" Daphne snapped angrily at Fred which made her feel even worse but she get couldn't keep it in any longer, she needed to scream at someone.
Fred paused for a few moments then sagged "No, no I don't, not this time, I'm…"
Suddenly Daphne felt awful ""Freddie I'm…"
Fred straightened up "but I know someone who can."
"Oh Freddie." Daphne hurried up to him, Shaggy and Scooby looked up expectantly "Who?"
"Father Tugman."
"What!" Daphne shrieked, "He's nearly 70! He runs a food bank I know I help out there, he visits people in hospital, runs homework clubs. How can he help find Velma?!" Daphne's face was almost purple.
"He's ex-CIA ex-counter-espionage agent." Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby blinked, now that he had their attention Fred continued "He stalked the mean streets of Hamburg, Berlin, London and Prague during the Cold War, he's got skills the police, and us, don't have." Fred held onto Daphne's arms "Daph, he used to hunt spies, people who professionally know how to disappear."
"How do you know this?" Daphne's eyes were wide, Shaggy and Scooby got to their feet.
"Well he was thinking of writing his autobiography and asked me for help."
Daphne felt a little flicker of hope "Let's go, now!"
It was several hours later, and the gang were huddled in Father Tugman's study. When he had been told what was going on he had cleared his diary. He had listened to what each of the gang had to say of what had happened and what they knew about Rufus. Then he started to question them, by the end Shaggy would have told him anything he wanted to know, even now the man was a master of his craft. At the end he sat back in his chair and contemplated on what they had said.
"Hmmmm, this is a messy business. That Rufus character sounds like he's not playing with a full deck. But he's cleaver and methodical, the planning that went into Velma's abduction show that. He's also obsessive, but from what I know about Velma she'll have her wits about her to try to make use of that." He paused for a few minutes "There's nothing in his profile to indicate he's particularly violent or cruel but he'll be very manipulative. I'd expect he'll try to make Velma dependent on him somehow."
"Like, how does this help?"
"Time, these things take time, he thinks he's got away with this, he'll now focus his attentions on Velma. He's in for a rude awaking if he tries to play mind-games with her." Shaggy nodded, he was seeing where Tugman was going.
"So like, we do have time to find her."
"Exactly, from what you've told me and the notes from the police about his character it's clear he won't keep this a secret, look how he boasted about it, giving you all what sounded like a pre-planned speech. He'll be compelled to tell some people what he's done, how he got one over the legendary Mystery Inc, how he now has the great Velma Dankly as his devoted bride."
"He wouldn't dare!" Daphne went a deeper shade of purple.
"Oh he would, it's a possession thing, an old way of thinking but still symbolically powerful, plus it requires her consent and agreement, hence the manipulation. He'll want others to bask in his triumph as he takes 'possession' of Velma as his bride."
"Like how do we get an invite, man that is one party we need to gate-crash." Shaggy glanced at Daphne, she looked like she was ready to explode.
"We need an expert here," Tugman drummed his fingers on his desk for a few moments before his eyebrows twitched and he reached for his mobile phone "Father Talantov."
"Like, the old priest with the really impressive beard? Won 'Best Beard' at last year's summer festival?" Shaggy mimed a huge beard.
"Yes, that's him. Ex-GRU…"
"GRU?" said Daphne.
"Glavnoye razvedyvatel'noye upravleniye, Soviet military intelligence. We faced each other down many a time back in the day, then there was Hamburg and Sophia Meyer, ahhh Sophia." Father Tugman smiled with the memory "I lost count of the times we nearly killed each other back then, good times. We now meet up to play chess and drink coffee every Wednesday."
Just when you think you know people thought Daphne hang in there Velma, don't give up, we're coming.
"Up we come, nearly home Velma." Said Rufus as he lifted Velma out of the boot.
"Uhhhhh." Velma groaned, closing her eyes tightly against the light. She turned her head to where it was darkest. From Rufus' point of view this was wonderful as he saw Velma bury her head in his chest. For a while it was too bright to make out where she was, she'd lost all feeling in her limbs and her throat was parched. She simply didn't have the energy to even pretend to resist him as she was carried somewhere.
By the time her eyes had adjusted and became more aware of her surroundings she worked out she was in a lift but she couldn't make out the direction of movement. Bing! The lift door opened to a long corridor with an open set of double doors at the end.
"Your boudoir." Rufus said striding down the corridor.
"My what!?"
"Boudoir, a woman's private rooms or bedroom, from the French verb bouder to sulk."
"I know what it means."
"Then why did you ask?"
"I, oh never mind." Velma signed, too tired to argue.
Her boudoir was a large circular room with windows and a couple of recesses which held a bath/shower affair and a toilet. Each recess could be screened off by a curtain or veil of some kind. The room contained a huge bed with numerous pillows and a thick duvet, there was a dressing table with accompany vanity mirror and chair, a small bookcase full of books with a reading chair and… bars? As Velma looked about she saw that the part of the room closest to the door was screened off by floor to ceiling bars, with a barred door set in the middle. Jinkies, this is just like a holding cell.
"Time to get those ropes off." Rufus carried Velma to the bed and lay her face down. Velma cried out in pain when he untied her, limbs just flopped to the side, she gritted her teeth as be body became a painful mass of pins and needles.
"Soluble aspirin will help." Rufus walked to the sink in the 'bathroom' and poured some water into a cup and popped in to tablets which began to fizz. Velma was too thirsty to care and drank cup after cup of water
"This is your new home, your private space till you become the mistress of this house. I'll show you around the ground later, you'll love it here."
"Why will I?"
"It has everything your heart will desire…" Rufus described the features of the place, Velma felt her skin crawl as he described the 'Dinkley Gallery' in honour of her. "And now I have the centrepiece of the collection…" He held his arms out towards her
"Me, I suppose." Velma said bluntly
"No Velma," Rufus laughed "Your clothes, the classic Velma outfit."
Velma's eyes widened, despite her protesting limbs she drew the covers about herself for protection.
Rufus smiled and sat on the edge of the bed but made no attempt to move towards her which made Velma feel a bit better "You deserve to be treated like a princess Velma, and to dress like a princess. Your old clothes will be cleaned and placed in a display case. I have something more appropriate for you to wear."
It was then that Velma noticed the flowing orange dress on a mannequin next to a small chest of draws, it was straight out of Disney princess 101. She was to be his princess locked in a tower. Better than a dungeon Velma reminded herself
"You, you want me to wear that?" Her eyes were wide, she'd worn fancy dresses before but not on a daily basis preferring the casual side of smart casual.
"Yes, besides your clothes do need a clean and you will no doubt appreciate a long hot bath after you've taken them off." He held his hands up as he saw her eye widen "You will undress and bathe in private, do not worry I will not be in the room."
Velma was quiet, her clothes were soaked in sweat and starting to smell, just like she was. The bath was tempting, her body just ached so much to say no. Rufus gave her a bag for her old clothes then left, locking the barred door and the double door behind him.
Velma stepped out of the bath and peered through the curtain, good to his word Rufus wasn't in the room, she wrapped herself in a towel and padded over to the barred door and gave it a hard shake; unsurprisingly it was still locked. She sat at the dressing table while she dried herself. Fishing around in the chest of draws she found some red silk underwear, red hold-ups and some red shoes with a slight heel. The underwear did feel good on her, it was more comfortable then her regular wear. She walked carefully over to where the dress was and took it off the mannequin and put it on. She hated to admit it but the dress suited her, and fit her perfectly. How, how does he know this?
When Rufus returned a few minutes later he was full of praise for her beauty, grace and elegance. So much so that Velma became uncomfortable. If that was off, what happened next was just off the scale. He got down on one knee and proposed marriage. His proposal was sincere, heartfelt and honest, and because he wasn't stupid he remained on the other side of the bars. It took a few seconds for Velma to process what had just happened. She took a deep breath and readied her reply, her very long reply.
Rufus listened patiently to Velma, he knew roughly what she going to say but he just had to ask; he needed a baseline of her reaction. As soon as Velma paused for breath he got off his knee "I know it's a lot to take in, but don't worry Velma, I'm content to wait for you to change your mind." Velma glared at him, her chest rising and falling as she caught her breath. He blew her a kiss "Later my love. I'll come and collect you for dinner" And left the room closing the doors behind him.
Rufus breathed a sigh of relief, rested his head against the wooden door and turned the key in the lock. He pocked the key and walked away from the door to Velma's boudoir poking a finger in his ear, they were still ringing. He paused, yep even through the thick oak door he could hear her ranting about the dress.
"Lovers tiff." He chucked to himself, he tucked Velma's old clothes under his arm, yawned to clear his ears and walked down the corridor towards the lift, barred doors automatically closed behind him at intervals down the length of the corridor. In reality Velma's 'boudoir' was a deep sub-basement, buried under meters of concrete, stone, earth and finally an ornamental garden. Multiple high-security doors sealed the passage between her door and the outside world. This would be her home for the next couple of days, while she settled in and adjusted to her new life.
Velma's response to his proposal of marriage had been spirited to say the least but so well educated with so much focussed fire and passion. He'd never been sworn at in Latin before, it just proved the point that Velma was the perfect woman, exciting his mind and his loins. All he needed to do was to replace her clearly expressed desire to make balloon animals out of his internal organs with a more appropriate desire of a devoted wife for her husband. He entered the lift and pressed the button that would take him direct to his study, there he could observe his beloved via CCTV and plan. Plan how to win her mind, their wedding but before that, their first dinner date.
It was a sombre mealtime at Mystery Inc, Fred and Daphne ate in silence while Shaggy just pushed his food around his plate.
"Shagster, you need to eat." Fred put his arm round Shaggy's shoulder "None of us want to but we need to be ready."
"Like, just, just not hungry."
"Shag, we need you ready, Velma needs you ready."
"But, but what if she'd not being fed."
Don't go thereShaggy Daphne through "Father Tugman said Rufus wasn't cruel, he want's Velma so he's going to be kind."
"Shag, when she's back what's the first meal you'll cook for her?" Said Fred, Daphne gave him a thumbs up, being positive was what they needed.
Shaggy gave a slight smile "Like, a pie, a big pie, with shortcrust pastry, chicken and roast vegetables. Yeah, she'll love that."
"Attaboy Shag, now keep that in mind." Fred smiled at Daphne as Shaggy began to eat.
"Time for dinner Velma my love, I'll give you a tour of the place and show you what it has to offer." Velma had been flicking through the books, not only to find out if any were interesting but if any had come from her house. She jumped out of the chair, she was hungry and the mention of food made her feel her hunger more. She walked over to the bars to see Rufus dressed like they were going to an expensive restaurant. He was holding a bag which he passed to her through the bars.
"You need to put these on first."
Velma took the bag and looked inside, reaching inside she took out an orange leather collar and matching lead. It wasn't a regular bucking collar instead there was a single reinforced slot on one end and on the other a metal hoop that fit thought the slot. From the hoop hung a metallic orange padlock
"Seriously." Velma looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Unnecessary, but beautifully symbolic wouldn't you agree."
Velma shot him a dark stare, but placed the collar round her neck, it fit perfectly. She sighed as she put the padlock through the hoop and locked the collar in place. Velma next found a set of ankle cuffs. These were made of metal, and allowed her a stride of about two feet long.
"An elegant stride, as befits a princess."
Velma muttered an obscenity under breath as she locked these onto her ankles. She glanced up, from what she could tell Rufus wasn't gloating as she bound herself, his expression was more of eager devotion. It would be easier if he was gloating.
Next came an orange ballgag, it had the same locking mechanism as the collar. This all made terrible sense, if she were to escape there would be no way she could free herself or attract attention. She opened her mouth, the ball fit snugly behind her teeth, it wasn't too big to be uncomfortable, but wasn't too small that it would be ineffective, it was, a perfect fit. Velma snapped the padlock in place. The last thing in the bag was a set of orange leather wrist cuffs, Velma closed her eyes for a few moments. "What a surprise, a perfect fit" she mumbled quietly to herself as she put the cuff on her right wrist and slipped the padlock through the hoop to secure it in place. She put her hands behind her back and fumbled about, after a minute there was a click. She turned to show Rufus she had done it. Rufus opened the barred door and walked into the room and held Velma in his arms and stroked her hair.
"Oh Velma, you make me so happy, you've already proved you are superior to Daphne in every way." He stroked her cheek "One last thing."
"Muuuff!" Velma exclaimed as he tied a wide strip of cloth over her glasses.
"It's a surprise. None of this will be necessary when you are the mistress of this house."
"Huuupf!" Velma snorted in derision, she felt the tension in lead increase and she very carefully shuffled after him. On the plus side when Daphne found out about this she wouldn't stop at killing him that was for sure.
So, what doesn't he want me to see? Velma listened carefully as they walked down the corridor from 'her room' Ahhhh automatic doors opening as we walk down the corridor, interesting. We've stopped, must be at the elevator. Odd, feels like the elevator is going up but the room is in a tower hmmmm. It was clear that there were security elements he didn't want her to see, which meant escape was possible. After a bit more walking a door close behind her, she blinked as the blindfold was removed to reveal an opulent library. Oh he's good, he knows exactly what he doing, but so do I so I win.
There followed a tour of the library, a few rooms of the building they were in including a small but elegant ballroom before they went outside. This was the most important part, she could get a sense of the scale of the place, the security and if she could see the stars, an approximate idea of where she was. There was a high wall around the grounds, too high for her to climb, that he was openly leading her around the place bound and gagged meant he had no concerns about anyone seeing them, a bit depressing but that also meant when she made her break for freedom there would be few if any to get in her way. Finally he took her back inside and into the dining room where the table was set for two, Velma could hear her stomach rumble at the smell of the food. The dinner had been the most civilised affair of the evening as she had been able to eat normally with just her ankles bound. The meal was excellent, just what her body needed, Rufus was an attentive host waiting on her every need. Of course he never left the room so there was no chance to make a break for it. When the meal was over she was rebound and taken back to her bedroom.
"Thank you for a wonderful evening, see you tomorrow." Rufus blew her a kiss and closed the double doors. From behind the bars Velma made a rude gesture in the direction of the door before throwing off the dress and going to bed. She lay back and began to organise the clues and information she had collected but was unable to stop her eyes from closing.
Back in Coolsville the gang tried to sleep while Tugman and Talatov each said mass for Velma's safety.
During the Velma turned over in her sleep mumbling Rufus' name.
