The Vault 
                           Chapter 2

  Anita and Lilly went to the cafeteria. It was a large, open inviting room full of activity and bustle as nearly eighty guests and almost the same number of staff had their meals there. 
  The room looked a little like a refurbished gentlemen’s club-the old features giving it character. Chandeliers, fire places from a bygone age-simple decorations, now their functions replaced with modern lighting and heating. There were several posh tables where guests were being waited on by several staff. There was a less posh, more functional area where the staff ate. It was not completely closed off from the guests but it was separate. 
  A friendly looking man with blond hair, somewhere in his twenties dished out various healthy salads to guests and staff alike that is, the guests that were not on the premium service, not weighted on hand and foot.

  Anita looked over the selection. There was some fish, chicken, cheese and a very wide array of vegetarian options. Everything except the greenery was in relatively small portion sizes. The condiments were sparse with a few healthy looking sauces and the entire menu seemed to lack salt, fat and sugar. Anita had to laugh under her breath. There was a tray of walnut salad with a label on it ‘Caution! May Contain Nuts.’ 
  The cafeteria also served various pureed drinks, there was a machine that looked like an expensive and impressive gadget that could blend all sorts of healthy ingredients together into various flavours of organic mush-it looked very impressive. They ordered a pretty light lunch, Anita had a goats’ cheese and nut salad Lilly had a minestrone soup with a whole grain roll. 

  They sat down on folding seating built for function rather than anything else. The seating could be packed up so that the area could be used. They slowly ate the dinners while entertainment came in the form of May Weather. They watched her arguing with a man who was in tennis whites-maybe a coach, she was complaining that he was not eating healthily, having a hot dog that he had made himself, setting a bad example for the patients and guests. He was trying to eat his lunch in peace and not have an argument but she would not let it go, finally May Weather said that she was complaining to the management before storming off leaving her colleagues trying to suppress laughter and the man in tennis whites shaking his head in disbelief.

  The floor show over, Anita and Lilly made small talk, Lilly described how the boss Mr David Higgs the manager and owner was not bad to work for. He liked to encourage the staff to socialise in their spare time. He tried to generate quite a friendly atmosphere at the health club-they all lived and worked on the same site, it was productive to have everyone getting along. 
  Lilly started to wonder if there was some silent partner. How much of the place was owned by the bank or someone else? 
  They chatted about the grounds. The gardens were well maintained, there were large sections that had been overgrown from when the place had been a far larger institution. All sorts of unusual herbs could be seen in the grounds it was odd and you had to be careful-some of them were really itchy. 
  The gardeners planted hedges, fences and just maintained the area near the health club. It was expensive and time consuming but the views had been maintained-they were one of the selling points of the health farm. They had a good team of gardeners and it helped to create a pristine healthy atmosphere, Anita reflected on how little people noticed people like that, how easy it was to disappear into the background. Half the guests probably didn’t give the staff sitting ten yards from them a single thought...

  Anita had two more sessions booked with patients, they were patients that had not been at the health spar for very long and they barely knew anyone so not useful to her investigation. The first one was an uptight, middle aged manager, most of his hair having escaped decades ago. He had eaten far too much and exercised far too little. A few days at the health farm might not remove the weight but it might reduce his stress. 
  The man was overworked and unable to relax-he spent all of the session glancing at his phone even though there was no signal. He seemed to be expecting a call, like a dog watching his master.   
  In her opinion, the man needed a large amount of alcohol and to take a hammer to his phone Anita kept that opinion to herself. 

  The next patient was a female swimmer who had just pushed herself too hard and was lucky not to have a career ending injury. Anita could see the woman lacked confidence as a result of her injury she talked about how it would recover, tried to encourage the young athlete to be positive, the woman was healing from psychological injuries as well that could just as easily end her career. Doubt could end a competition before it had even begun.

  Anita had one more patient and then the working day was over. She had ten minutes until her last patient came to the session. Lilly also had a spare minute. They met in the corridor and chatted to pass the time. She mentioned to Lilly that there was a bit of a semi informal party that night after work;
    “Mr Higgs likes to get all the staff together once a month for a party, informally discuss work, get to know each other.” She smiled. 
    “That sounds like he is a good person to work for.” 
  Lilly grinned;
    “He says we spend time serving people we should get to enjoy ourselves as well. What is the point of life if all you have to do is work, right?” Anita nodded and thought to herself, ‘if you want answers go to the top’, the man in charge must know something or at least should be investigated and eliminated from enquiries, Lilly slipped away mentioning that the party was at eight o clock in conference room 2. 

  There was one more session with a patient. It was fairly relaxed. She was an older woman approaching her golden years. Her medical notes indicated she had done a lot of running in her younger days. Now as a result of her over active lifestyle her legs were not very good due to all the strain and stress she had put on them. Anita found the woman friendly enough but she knew nothing relevant having just arrived the same day as Anita. She tipped her reasonably afterwards for easing her aches and pains.

  Anita went to the dinner in a very tight black dress, another not-so-subtle weapon in her arsenal. She wore a practical pair of pantyhose and a heavily padded bra that made her look far more endowed than she usually was. She went all-out in four inch high black heels no straps so she could kick them off quickly. They had gel inserts so she didn’t have any problems walking. She even wore micro socks with traction strips on the bottom they could not be seen covering her feet but she had treads on them to enable her to grip a surface and run without sliding about, that had happened once and by shear luck she had gotten away. She had a long tight black dress that came to her ankles it clung to her lithe athletic body. She had bare arms and a plunging neck line. There was a slit from the knee down, with the use of two zips the dress would quickly become far less restrictive and limiting.
  Anita could move very fast if she had to. The dress was something else shimmer fabric a subtle corset effect pulling in her waist. A little make-up, some lipstick, a few pins in her hair and she was dressed for success. Jaws would be dropping! She had a small handbag with her that looked benign but could easily disgorge a large number of useful gadgets. 
  She was used to a quick costume change it was part of her skill set. Once she had attended a fancy event, stolen something quite valuable then simply changed into maintenance overalls and started working in the background, completely ignoring the guards who were looking for her, enabling her to walk out the side gate with the other contractors. 
  She met up with Lilly who was in a pair of white heels and a cream silk oriental inspired dress which had some subtle hints of a kimono about it. She arrived on time. Some people were looking formal, some informal it didn’t really seem to matter. There was more cocktail food, more cheese, biscuits and chocolate. It seemed that the healthy items were not on show when the guests were not around there were even a couple of very nice very cheesy pizza’s, thinly sliced sitting on a table and they started to rapidly vanish.

  Anita let Lilly have a few drinks then she discussed the old asylum proper, the original building on the site. Lilly seemed a little worried, she shook her head, 
    “Normally Higgs is fairly laid back, but no one goes there.” She paused for effect “Mr Higgs is quite specific about that. According to him, he had a thorough structural survey done years ago it would cost too much to fix up the place and is very dangerous so no one, on pain of being fired on the spot and then prosecuted for trespass, can go there.” 
  Anita wondered if she could get her hands on that survey. It might show some interesting things like a structural support large and heavy enough to support a big safe or vault. Anita was sure that there was a further reason that Higgs didn’t want people trespassing in the old asylum, she was sure that in this get up she could get a few answers or at least someone could point her in the right direction while drooling on her shoes! 
  She saw Hillary Jones the director of physiotherapy in a pink dress and even higher heels than she usually wore. Anita noticed the subtle hints in body language when she was talking to the boss. She had a great deal of affection for the man who probably didn’t notice. Anita wondered if her get-up would be wasted. Did the man have different tastes? The brunette left Lilly chatting to a member of the kitchen staff and went over to talk to Hillary. She quickly got Hillary to introduce her to the manager.
  With the formal introduction out of the way, Anita quickly went about evaluating the man, He was a thin, nervous looking man mid or late thirties thick glasses and a receding pale brown hair line. He shook her hand gently;
    “P-pleased to make your acquaintance. You can call me Mr Higgs or David if you like.” He paused, catching a stutter. He looked up at her face trying to make sure he didn’t look at anything else. Anita was wrong about her first impression he was interested in what he saw. He had a tendency to stutter she was sure. He’d had training to stop it but he had let it slip when he first saw her, he regained his composure, looking directly into her eyes, “We are quite informal here.” 
  Anita smiled;
    “Thank you for hosting this party.” David smiled,
    “I think it helps to build a nice atmosphere with the staff and guests. We are all one big family- we are here to help people,” May Weather walked past them, a man in an ill fitting suit followed her like a dog. The manager paused for a second. Anita looked at him questioningly, “...with one or two exceptions, necessary evils and what-not.” He swallowed and adjusted his shirt collar-a nervous gesture. 

  Anita could read the man or at least she thought she could, he was someone who had taken it upon themselves to try and solve all the problems. She could see the stress behind his pleasant facade the man genuinely believed in what he was doing but he was stressed about something or many little things combined, some gentle prodding and Anita could find out. More than one manager she had met was looking for a confidant-someone to confide in, to talk to. Anita steered him towards the strongest drink on the table;
    “You must find it stressful looking after all this. Have another drink.” He seemed to relax a little as the glass touched his lips and started to talk about the problems involved in organising everything. Anita pulled something out of her bag and easily added it to the glass without him noticing. She continued feeding him a second drink, this one far more likely to loosen his lips, “You organised this wonderful party-you should relax, have another drink.” He thanked her and started to let his guard down. There was a human being as weak and exploitable as everyone else behind his pleasant formal manners.

  He was talking about responsibility and Anita helped him some more with a third glass, she grinned;
    “Higgs. That name seems familiar, why not have a drink and tell me about yourself.” 
  He started to tell her about his history, his father-a physiatrist wanted him to be a doctor. He was not that way inclined academically, though. He had tried training as a dentist but hadn’t gotten anywhere after a year on the course. So he became a manager, trained with a degree in Business administration, he figured many places needed a good manager in charge rather than a good doctor. A good doctor’s talents would be wasted being stuck doing this part of the paperwork.   
  Anita could see it in him. He felt he had failed his father, his family but there was more than simply failing to achieve some degree of medical qualification. Anita noted a considerable amount left in the bottle but continued to encourage him;
    “There‘s only a little left in the bottle why waste it? Drink up.” The man was relaxing and slowly melting, his more formal manners dissolving. He dared to glance down at her dress for a fraction of a second. She poured more alcohol into him, “Your glass is half empty, why don’t I fill it up for you?” Anita manoeuvred him to a private corner of the room for the interrogation.
  She’d gotten him more than a little drunk and drugged, “David you must know all about this place, there must be such stories to tell.” He staggered slightly;
    “Well Anita, I could tell you one or two things not mentioned in the records, not in these records.” He’d let something slip. Records not available to the staff or the public, maybe like that structural survey. She gently pushed him;
    “Oh? What records do you have?” He grinned and leaned in;
    “Well, in the family records. I don’t have access to the full archive but I have more than most.”
  Anita smiled at him;
    “Now you have to tell me more! What connection does your family have to this place?” David puffed himself up;
    “This land has been in my family for four generations before anything was built here, I am David Higgs-the great grandson of Hadrian Higgs who build the main building, founded the first medical institution on this site.” He gestured to her to come closer, “I am not just the manager of hope springs health farm, I am the custodian of our families traditions, at least the best of them.”   
  Anita wondered what traditions, what family secrets was he hiding? She continued to manipulate him;
    “What do you have?” 
  He grinned;
    “I have secrets, the secret museum, our family archive and all our collection of memorabilia, paraphernalia.”
  She continued to tease information out of him;
    “David you just have to tell me more, it sounds so fascinating...” He slurred his words a little;    
    “Well, you seem a good girl. I suppose it can’t hurt.”
  She had to lean forwards to steady him as he staggered. The alcohol and chemicals were kicking in a little too hard, “My great grandfather was quite a globe trotter before he settled down and founded the first institute on this site. He went to India, Africa, South America, North America. He met what you would call traditional medical practitioners, spirit healers, Shaman, Witch-doctors and the like. He had a fascination with how other cultures viewed medicine.” 
  He paused and scratched his head a little. Anita prompted him;
    “What did he collect?” David smiled, 
    “All sorts of trinkets-mostly their written histories, their practices. There were a lot of different cultures. Some inscribed their history on stone tablets others velum or cowhide parchments, drawings inked on clay vases, some just dolls and stories.” 
  She took a step back. He seemed steadier, “Please go on. This is fascinating!” David grinned,     
    “He seemed to be trying to analyse these tribal remedies. He believed that there was worth to them, that he could use science to distil them down to their active ingredients. He was a bit of a botanist as well-took all sorts of samples. You can still find some of the more unusual plants he brought over growing in the grounds-just fancy weeds now.” She idly asked,
    “Did he get anywhere with that?” The response was short sharp and a little rude in the tone,
    “He didn’t profit from it.”

  Anita knew that she hit a nerve. Some old family secret perhaps buried out in the asylum? She needed to move the conversation on, not let him dwell on it or she risked annoying him and losing the progress she had made;
    “There must be more than just that..?” He grinned, focusing on less serious matters,
    “Then my grandfather, he seemed to study the place in detail. He was interested in all sorts of medical paraphernalia. I think he had quite a collection of what we would call ‘medical quackery’ in this day and age.” Anita thought on her feet;
    “They must have had some weird ideas-I would love to see it!” He grinned, an idea forming in his head;
    “I tell you what, I am a busy fellow but tomorrow afternoon come to my room after one be discrete and I will show you my little private museum.” Anita grinned and accepted his invitation. She gently propelled the man back to Hillary and left her to fuss over him making a little small talk and left for her other appointments.

  Anita had a decision to make. Appearing in Jill’s room in her current dress could make things faster but she really didn’t want to have any more comments from the little snob and she was sure that this dress would get her plenty of them. Still, time was ticking on. Anita didn’t really have time to change, plus the contents of her purse could possibly make Jill a lot more manageable. 
  In short order she appeared at the woman’s room. She had a trolley with her to help carry whatever Jill had found. The trolley had been borrowed from the cleaners. She didn’t knock or ring the doorbell. A small bit of very flexible metal a few clicks and she was through the door. Jill was half asleep on her bed, a book by her hands.
  Anita grinned. She tried to be professional but sometimes you could also enjoy your job. She slowly closed the door and flicked on the table light. Jill woke up with a start, half jumping up then realising it was Anita she paused longer to take a look at her guest;
    “My goodness darling, you certainly look dressed for a night out on the old town I guess you went to that little do that David has, can you believe they won’t invite me?” Anita simply nodded. Jill looked at the door, “A bit cloak and dagger. I guess no lock in this place is safe from you but I bet the ones that used to keep the loonies in place are just that bit more complex so you can’t just go off by yourself exploring right?” Anita nodded the woman was perceptive which also made her more of a pain in the butt. Jill grinned a mischievous grin, “I don’t suppose you would be a dear, could you liberate the chocolate fudge ice cream that’s incarcerated in the kitchen for me?”
  Anita shook her head. She noticed that the book on the bed had a picture of Betty Page on the cover, a rather thoroughly bound Betty Page.
  Jill looked at the book and looked at Anita. She grinned, as sure of herself as ever;
    “Anita darling, here is the deal on the table so to speak. Over there is a little bit of something I recovered from the asylum, you play my game you can have it and all the other knickknacks I have found, do you like playing games darling?” Anita grinned;
    “I play all sorts of games.” Jill looked her up and down;
    “You do look dressed for the part darling. Pity its last years’ fashion and a cheep knock off-a little over-padded on top and a little too tight on the bottom.”

  Anita ignored the comments there was a stack of wood and leather behind a dresser table. It had been cleaned up quite a bit Anita was sure that Jill had done the work though she didn’t have a scuff on her fingernails to show for it. She grinned;
    “I do love darling little gadgets, let’s see what this little pile folds into!” Jill showed Anita how it went together. There were two sections of dark stained hard wood board on a hinge they unfolded to form a table six foot long by two foot wide. Then the table was turned over and two wooden supports clipped into the bottom of it. There were four legs they each came in three parts a main leg and two folded supports. With the supports unfolded they fitted into a set of notches in the main board then a pin was put through the base holding it in place. It assembled to be a rather solid affair, portable yet solid enough to hold a struggling patient down when you wanted to tease her. There were places where straps could be fed through the wooden boards. There was also a hole where a large rubber bung could be fed through a hole in the table it would correspond to a woman bound face down to the table. It looked like the base would screw in place to keep the gag in.
  Jill opened a draw to show Anita the gag and the straps-a grin on her face, Anita quickly pulled her around;
    “So you want to be given the full works you want to feel like an old time patient?” Jill’s eyes misted over;
    “Yes darling, I certainly do!” Anita assumed a role, a dominant and commanding voice rising in the back of her throat;
    “That is not how you speak to a member of staff! You will address me as nurse or Madam! Do you understand?” She grabbed Jill by her top and held her close. A submissive tone crept into Jill’s voice;
    “Yes madam I think I do.” Anita grabbed Jill‘s wrists and twisted, pulling her down. She locked lips, kissing her for a second. Jill had no intention of resisting.
  Anita released her wrists;
    “Patient Baker, you will now disrobe or I will be forced to use more creative methods to ensure your behaviour.” 
  Jill reached out and gently stroked Anita’s breast through the dress. Anita was the dominant in this game the nurse. The patient was on the receiving end, she didn’t get to initiate anything. Jill had a small glint of anticipation in her eyes. She wanted to be dominated, to receive creative methods of ensuring her compliance. Anita grabbed her right hand and pulled it sharply behind her back;
    “Patient Baker, you have been a highly disruptive influence in this institution,” with her free hand Jill touched her bottom, Anita grinned, “...I am the one in charge! I guess I have to prove it now...”
  Jill put up a token resistance as Anita pulled of her night-shirt. She was wearing no bra, just a tiny thong. Anita pushed her against the bed and turned her around. She pulled the tiny thong down Jill’s legs and away rolling it into a ball. Anita pushed the ball of fabric into Jill’s mouth then pulled her upright. Jill looked surprised as her underwear gagged her. Anita pushed her jaw shut with a finger then pushed her off balance, face-down on the table, bent over it. A little adjustment and she pulled her legs up onto it so that she was completely face-down on the hard wood surface.
  Anita grabbed the bundle of leather straps. She quickly secured Jill to the table with straps at her ankles. Her feet were held in a position that would make them easy to tickle. A few seconds later Jill was giggling into her make shift gag. Methodically Anita applied more of the strap’s through slots in the board around Jill’s upper thighs a slightly broader one around her waist. More straps followed behind her knees around her big toes so her feet were even more helpless. She moved Jill’s hair out of the way then secured her head down with a strap to the back of the neck. Jill’s hand tried to wander again Anita caught it first, six more straps soon held her arms down at wrist elbow and shoulder. 

  Anita checked to make sure that all the straps were tight but still loose enough to allow circulation. That was not what Jill had in mind her voice could be heard through her underwear;
    “Please nurse, I think it’s a little loose.” Anita grinned. So she wanted it that way? She adopted a seductive menacing tone;
    “Certainly, patient Baker.” One by one she clinched each strap tight until Jill’s flesh bulged around it and she was pinned down to the hard wood. Jill moaned;
    “Oh yes! Tighter, thank you Mistress,” Anita clinched a few of the straps tighter, “...oh I can barely squirm-yes!” Jill tugged against her bonds it seemed to excite her, “Oohhhh, you might want to gag me nurse-I can be quite loud.” Anita obliged. She wedged the gag into Jill’s invitingly open mouth then screwed the base locking it in place. Jill reacted with what seemed like gagged agreement “yyyyyyymmmmmmmmmpppppphhhh!” 
  Anita got Jill’s personal massage oils out. She went to work on her neck, back, shoulders, her arms and legs. 
  After twenty minutes, Anita finally worked a lot of scented oil into her hands and reached between Anita’s legs she easily slipped her fingers into the waiting folds of Jill’s engorged pussy.   
  A little friction and stimulation and she had Jill’s bound body convulsed in an orgasm, Jill bit down hard on the gag, squirming around on the board with as little movement as her bound body was allowed. She clenched her fists and felt her muscles quake. Anita’s hands continued to massage between her legs the woman squirmed around against the straps trying to get closer to the sensation, shortly after that Jill exploded in a second convulsive orgasm the gag muting her shrieks of ecstasy.
  It didn’t stop there. Jill’s body was like a waiting instrument making erotic noises with every touch of Anita’s hands. She had the little brat at her complete mercy. When she was finished, Jill would not be capable of much. She teased and tickled and caressed until Jill felt herself tensing as the sensation of a strong, powerful orgasm rushed over her body. She collapsed, almost blacking out. 
  Anita grinned as she un-strapped the dazed woman and removed the gag then pried her panties out of her mouth. She rolled her off the table into a standing position, helped her the few paces to the bed and let her flop down onto it exhausted. 
  Anita recovered a hand towel and some cloths from the bathroom. She tidied up the table and Jill. Then she carefully disassembled it. Jill looked exhausted she looked up and grinned, reaching under the bed and pulled out a box;
    “Here you go darling, take good care of that table.”
  Anita opened the box and looked inside. Jill slowly explained it as best she could in a weak voice;
    “I found a little box in the woods, its quite a sturdy little thing-I think a old lunch box, it had a procedural manual from the old asylum. There are some scribbled notes but they don’t make any sort of sense, maybe a code or maybe just someone doing the crossword puzzle? Its old, this comes from the first one-the proper one where it was all shackles and canvas waistcoats. As you can see there is a maintenance key and an old photo. I did find another key but Emma disappeared with that.” 
  The photo showed a group of the asylum staff-a tall old man in a white coat that looked a bit like David Higgs, possibly his grandfather or great grandfather. To his left was a priest with a massive bushy beard, to that man’s left was a man in overalls, lots of tools and other bits and pieces stuffed in pockets and on a huge pocketed belt around his middle. There were two women to his left one had a pile of books with a strap wound around them and thick glasses. To his right there was a large man with a distinctive burn mark on his face he looked like an orderly there was a second man of slighter stature and a rather solid-looking nurse, pretty in her own way beside him.
  There was a little drawstring bag Anita opened it and looked inside;
    “That’s what I have to show for my delving dear, a few bits but nothing earth shattering…”   
  There was a pair of handcuffs that seemed to be rusted shut. They were a very solid style with no hinge-quite basic. A bent key was next to them. It looked like it might have once fitted. There was a bit of wood and a strap that looked like a section from a gag, a few pamphlets on old medication, some unused rolls of bandages still in there original wrapper and what looked like a bent silver fork. Not exactly a great find but still interesting nonetheless. 
  Anita packed up the items and left. She dropped them off at her room, returned the trolley, changed into some less conspicuous clothing and headed off to her third meeting of the night.

  Anita had memorized the note.She was to meet Tom Jennings at a store cupboard-3C. It was a large room left open, filled with roller towels, air freshener cartridges and refills of hand soap. The little old man pushed a cart around the corner. He noticed her and spoke quietly;
    “Let’s talk inside.”Anita had no idea what the meeting with Tom Jennings was going to produce. She carefully apprised him. His casual demeanor evaporated. He was now looking very serious. In her eyes, she was utterly certain he meant what he said, “A polite warning-this place is dangerous.” She looked at him unfazed. Was it a threat? She didn’t think so. He pressed on, “You need to go home, tell whoever sent you to stop looking.” 
  Anita hid her surprise;
    “What do you mean? I’m just curious. I am looking for my predecessor, Emma-wasn’t it?”  
  The man continued. He seemed to be looking at something in the distance, perhaps remembering something? 
    “This place is old, it has history. If you go back far enough the people who lived here before this country was colonised were sensible enough to keep out of this area. Those that didn’t fell into the old cave systems wandered about for a few days then died.” Anita looked at him;
    “I’m not planning on going rock climbing unless Emma went. If she is hurt or missing we should look for her.” He shook his head;
    “I have spent a lot of time working here. One way or the other, I can remember when it was bigger and our problems were bigger.” He seemed to be a little traumatized;
    “What happened?” She enquired but he didn’t answer directly. 
    “This place swallows lives. It was a mine when they settled this part of the land. Some people died digging for tin, some more died going after them. Too much cost in blood, back when it was just idiots with pick axes.” She looked at him, puzzled where he was going;
    “What has this got to do with Emma?” Jennings gripped his left arm like he was in pain or remembering something painful. He continued;
    “It was a jail for a bit before the asylum was built. Cutthroats, murderers and worse-the plague went thought the entire place. They buried the bodies in the old mine works.” He looked sad “This place is trouble. Higgs is nice enough but some of his ancestors were not. You don’t want to poke around in what they left.” She was a little annoyed as he kept going around in vague circles;
    “Did Emma poke around in something that one of the old doctors left?” 
  He looked uncertain;
    “Don’t know, not worth finding out. Just go!” She looked at him;
    “How much do you know? I’m not even going to think about leaving.” He shrugged, no change in his face;
    “Your funeral. You need to speak to Hanna-she will lead you right.” Anita was sure that she had heard the name on something;
    “Who is Hanna?” He grinned;
    “She’s the night cleaning supervisor, busy at the moment. She knows what’s what, I have known her for ages-trust her.” 
  Anita dismissed the vague ominous warnings. She was sure she read him right-he believed what he said but someone else was giving him the script. Maybe Jennings and Hanna were trying to frighten her off? They were possibly after the same thing. Jennings was old he could barely pick up a mop, he didn’t look like he could threaten any one. He was an old man who probably couldn’t overpower Emma without some assistance. There was Hanna. There might be more people involved-the cleaners seemed to keep to themselves a tight knit group that kept themselves separate from the rest of the staff. 
  Anita had decided to meet Hanna Chambers. She seemed to be in charge-he deferred to her maybe she was the brains and brawn of the outfit? He handed her a piece of paper with a time and a location written on it and slowly walked off on his rounds. 

  Anita retreated to her bedroom-she needed some rest and some sleep. The next day she quickly showered and dressed. She had more work, more massages to do to maintain her cover but she had to speak to the manager about the table. She wanted to get on his good side fast. 
  A few of Jill’s little trinkets from the asylum might well do the trick. She was early and looked sporty in a tight Lycra costume. The manager seemed to have a bit of a hangover but was none the worse for wear, no unpleasant effects from the drugs this time. 
  She quickly pounced on him before he could react. She grinned;
    “Mr Higgs, David-you know that you mentioned an interest in the old medical devices, I have such an item that might compliment your collection. It breaks down into this little stack here.” 
  She had it on a small hand-cart. The man’s eyes lit up;
    “I think I remember this fellow from an old catalogue! Its nearly ninety five years old, fascinating!” She grinned;
    “I am sure that you can figure out how to put it together.” He looked at it and her, appraisingly;     
    “You must tell me how you came by it. I am intrigued, were there any other little items?” Anita grinned;
    “I’m not sure. I think a cleaner found it in an old store room. One of the guests was playing around with it.” He grinned for a second;
    “I am sure that I know who that was. Let’s keep this between us. Our meetings still on for later, I don’t get to show the old collection off much. Let’s get moving, we both have things that we need to do.”

  Anita worked on auto pilot, massaging one unremarkable guest after another. She was definitely going to investigate the asylum tonight. She had the key from Jill and it would not take her that long to cover her tracks. She was sure that she could quickly peruse everywhere that Jill and Emma had been though it was a lot of ground to cover.
  She thought about it. She would be missed if she didn’t get back to her room in time. Still, with Emma and Jill and probably at least one other person (possibly Jennings or Hanna) poking about the place they must have found something, she was sure that she would find out soon.
  As she worked on the third session of the day she thought about things. Anita reasoned maybe Higgs was playing her. He might have been a good actor, was the mobster’s treasure part of his collection? Was Emma part of his collection-was it a trap? Was he planning to add her to his collection? She shook her head. Really, she doubted it but it was a possibility she had to consider, however remote. In fact it would be relatively easy if the solution was that simple. She managed to finish her guest’s session a little early, packed up and headed off to meet David.

  He had a rather plain door to his apartment and with one short tap he opened it. He greeted her;         
    “Welcome. Please follow me.” He lead her inside. 
  The room was wood paneled with old, well decorated antique furniture, a deep piled red carpet and lots of photos of mostly mundane things-mostly the local landscape. He led her into a little library filled with medical text. Grinning, he moved his arms in a theatrical manner, pushing aside a book case to reveal a heavy door. The Doctor produced a bronze key and opened it with a little squeak from the hinges. It opened inwards and he beckoned her to enter.
  He strode around the room, an air of confidence about him now that he was inside his inner sanctum;
    “My dear Anita I am so glad that someone else shows an interest in my little museum.” He walked around with his arms open wide, “Some people may see it as a tad macabre, not in keeping with the current direction of this facility so I keep this little collection quiet. My father collected most of these things and I simply added a few to them.” Anita looked around. She stood there in tight spandex and running shoes. 
  Regarding the collection, David continued;
    “They are a reminder of how far we have come, how much more civilized the world is now. I am not sure how I assume it was Ms Baker managed to find that table but it was in perfect condition with all its accessories intact it belongs here.” He spun in a slow circle, looking up around the room, “My ancestors did like to put so many hidey holes in the asylum buildings as you can see from these rooms. I would very much like to fully renovate it one day but time, money and other factors are against me so for the moment sleeping dogs are left to lie-so to speak.” He watched Anita look around the room.

  There were a number of old pictures of people in a display case along with small personal effects-lighters, reading glasses etc. Looking at the pictures and the descriptions it would seem that they were minor celebrities of the day that had spent some time in one of the old incarnations of the institution. 
  Anita was drawn to one case of artifacts. There was a locked display case with a few weapons in it, a small hand written note indicated items confiscated from patients. Some were quite mundane-small knives and shanks. One set obviously belonged to a lady of wealth. There was a set of matching knuckle dusters, a pair of derringers and a pair of switch blades that were made with gold and ivory handles set with little diamonds a pattern of a cat on them. The blades were silver plated they were left open they had a designs of roses around it so did the barrels of the guns. There was even a little case like a jewellery box but with a hidden compartment with ammunition and a kit for cleaning the gun all open on display. There was one item that Anita could not identify, also tucked away in the hidden compartment it looked like a large steel bracelet with a ring on one side. There was a faded picture of a thin arrogant woman in a fancy hat presumably the owner of the little arsenal. 
  Anita looked at the strange, heavy bracelet. David grinned. He put on a pair of white gloves. Taking a small key out of his pocket, he unlooked one section of the display case. He carefully removed the strange bracelet. Anita moved closer, she could see a small key in the box under the item. Slowly, David moved the bracelet. It was actually split into four sections, each one mounted onto a solid ring with a hinged bracket he slowly moved them apart so that they were an equal distance so that there were four large rings linked to a smaller central ring. 

Each part of the bracelet had two sections-one more solid section with a little key hole and a series of diamond studs on its surface in the shape of a cat. Each section had a secondary hinged piece held shut with the lock that had a pattern of roses engraved on it. Anita realised with a little shock that it was a highly ornate set of cuffs for hogtying someone rather tightly. Looking at the design the size they were meant for a woman. 
  David grinned at her and offered an explanation;
    “Her maid was her lover-the heiress liked to use this on her.” He grinned, “Maybe if you have an interest you would consider modeling them for me? I have a fascination with such paraphernalia purely form a sociological perspective. I would of course compensate you for your time.” 
  Anita grinned, there was no way in hell she would ever let herself be bound especially in something like that, if she was the one doing the binding maybe… 
  She brushed him off as he put it back in the case;
    “I will consider it. You must have more to show me.”
  There were some more serious items-a sawn-off shotgun sat in the case with a note below it, confiscated from Joe ‘The Gorilla’ Hamilton. It was a strange piece of art if that was the right word. The bottom of the sawn off handle had a large steel ball added to it like someone had hollowed out a ball bearing and then bolted it to the bottom there was something that looked like a cut down knuckle duster that formed a guard over the fingers on the handle. If it was empty it could be used as an effective bludgeoning item. There was a brown leather sleeve over the barrel a sort of easy carry ammunition store and grip combined into one with six shotgun cartridges sitting in it to the right of the barrel who ever used it was left handed.
  David was showing off. He opened the case with a small key still wearing the pair of white gloves and pulled out the shot gun. He broke it open to show two rounds inside it then snapped it shut.
  Anita felt for one second that he had got the drop on her, that she was about to be put into the cuffs he had shown her earlier then subjected to whatever he desired but then the moment was gone. It was not his intention. He pushed a little notch on the side of the grip. There was a dull click and an eight inch spike shot out below the two barrels it was some sort of bayonet. He grinned;    
    “Hamilton was an animal-this was found in his suitcase.” David struggled to put the bayonet back in then returned the gun to the case. 
  There was a leather pouch in the case, open. In it was what appeared to be an axe head and a handle in two sections. It seemed to be made of hardwood and stainless steel, durable construction! There were crucifixes on the head and the handle was engraved. In it was the image of an angel striking down a devil;
    “This axe belonged to the five ways killer who was a resident here eighty years ago. He didn’t actually kill anyone with this axe, it was his back-up weapon he never got the chance to use.” David slotted the axe head into the handle with a click then added the second half of the handle. David held the axe out in one hand it was really light. The head was like a medieval axe designed for cutting, elegant and thin. He smiled, “You may ask, ‘who was the five ways killer?’ He was the most famous mad man of his time, a real psycho around a junction called five ways. He decided God had told him to clean the place out. Over seven days he cut through six pimps and ten drug pushers, five loan sharks and a serial rapist. Leaving them in little bits, then he ended up here.” David dismantled the axe and put it back in the case. He locked it. There were two old looking revolvers and a gun that seemed to have been homemade also in the case.

  He pointed Anita to another exhibit. There was a glass case. In it was a suit of quite unique looking armour;
    “This was what the orderlies wore over eighty years ago when dealing with the most dangerous of patients.” There was a set of faded canvas overalls, a pair of sturdy leather boots padded shin and knee guards, a padded vest that came with a front and back plate it almost looked like a catchers vest Anita presumed that much of this had started life as sporting equipment then had been re-purposed by the asylum staff to protect them from the worst of the patients. It had been reinforced with sections of thick brown leather to protect the shoulders, the gaps at the ankles wrist and waist. There was a thick leather helmet it had a solid iron grill with a slight dent in it at the front. A rigid neck guard completed the outfit she looked at it in detail
  The whole thing looked solid but unwieldy still, if you were dealing with a patient in the tight confines of their room it probably didn’t matter if you were a little slow. There was a wooden shield for want of a better word next to the armour in the same display case. It looked like there were teeth marks around the edge of the wood. A leather rim had been added at some point. A few patches had been added to it here and there. There was a wooden club about two and a half feet long. The handle had a stiff leather guard, almost like a cutlass made out of leather and wood rather than metal. 
  The whole thing had a disturbing quality to it, a way of dehumanizing the person inside it and the person they were sent to deal with. There was a device in the same case that looked like a dog catcher’s noose it was obviously designed for a human. There was a handle with what appeared to be some sort of ratchet mechanism on the end. In the case there was a picture showing about two dozen orderlies in their full gear, posing for a picture. One person had their helmet off. There was a barely legible note-Fredric Ash. Anita recognised him from the picture she had found with the other trophies that Jill had located he had quite a distinctive scar.
  There was a display of various types of handcuffs-some rather basic in their construction, some fiendishly intricate. Anita recognised a few items-Irish Eights, English Police Cuffs, Thumb Cuffs, a pair that looked like metal mittens and another pair that were some sort of intricate cage that would keep a persons wrists crossed.
  Some that looked like metal bars, a set like a stock or pillory, some looked like they had weights added to them just to make them more cumbersome. There was one metal item that looked particularly intimidating at the centre of the case it looked like a thick metal waist belt tailored a little like a corset with a pair of cuffs at the back that were very heavy and would keep a person’s hands high up behind their back where they could be out of the way. Each cuff was fairly far from the other cuff so that there was no chance of the patient getting at their restraints. 
  The device also had a crotch plate hinged at the front that would go between the patient’s legs. It seemed to be secured on a toothed slot at the back that could be tightened with a key. Anita looked at it more closely. The cuffs seemed to be set on tracks. Similar tracks were on the side of the belt. It looked like it could be tightened with the key. Once someone was inside that device it could be tightened further-a disturbing prospect;
    “They called it a morality enforcer. It was an antique when the first version of this institute was opened. If you were up for a spot of modeling this would be the second choice.” 
  Anita again smiled politely.

  There was a larger case containing a number of leather items supported by wooden forms. The centre piece was a full set of leather restraints. It was obviously tailored to a woman’s build. A complex straitjacket that seemed to be designed to hold a persons arms tightly behind their back. A very thick hood with an inbuilt posture collar and some sort of leg binder that would ensure that the person inside it would have their legs folded up uncomfortably ankles crossed and compacted in a way that looked incredibly restrictive. It seemed to be designed by someone who would get a sadistic glee from restraining someone in the most complex manner possible there were other more mundane items of leather from simple cuffs to muzzles;
    “The straitjacket set at the centre of the display was commissioned by my great grandfather for a woman called Courtney Chambers. You are a flexible girl I think you would look lovely in it, I mean it would be a useful piece of historical research to document the use of this restraint if you were interested.” She smiled;
    “Perhaps later.” 
  There was a rack of clothes carefully preserved and starched-patients simple clothes, nurses’ clothes, doctors’ clothes. All sorts of scraps of fabric with labels on them taken from one place or another.

  They moved to a number of other items, there was the massage table and the other items seemed to have been moved out of the way to accommodate it. A hospital bed with a rather thorough set of restraints, an old fashion wheel chair and a case containing medical equipment of yesteryear-glass syringes wooden tongs. 
  Anita could guess at some of it as dental paraphernalia. There were three large cases with the rest of the items simply labeled as quackery. There was a collection of bottles, pill boxes and other containers old boxes that showed the slow evolution of medical pharmaceuticals there were a few old brochures leaflets and pamphlets. There was a locked bookcase. Looking at it closer there were diaries of patients, doctors and log books of the old asylum. 
  The information not in the public record would likely be here. She knew where it was if David didn’t help her out she could easily access it when he was not about she was fairly confident if she could find what she needed to know.

  There was a solid securely-locked display case with a great carved stone tablet inside. Pictographic writing covered it. Anita looked at it. This was obviously the oldest part of the collection that he had mentioned earlier, the medical records of tribes from various continents.   
  David showed it off;
    “My great grandfather did some touring. The stone Incan tablet was the pride of his collection. Supposedly the recipes for their best potions and secret rituals are inscribed on it but nobody could read it at the time. Of course, it was supposedly taken from the ruins of a high priest’s quarters who knew there darkest secrets,” he paused grinning, “…and that is the end of the little asylum museum tour.” 
  Anita politely made her excuses and left. The manager had a perverted streak in him. He wanted to introduce her to every restraint in his little collection. Anita wondered that he would make a perfect partner for Jill-the two of them seemed to be equally kinky in their own right. 
  Lunch followed rapidly. Anita had to grab a broccoli protein shake and quickly suck it down to have a meal in the little time left before her next shift. 

  Work arrived back all too soon. Anita worked through several patients giving them various massages. She chatted briefly with them, maintaining her cover story. The cleaners might have guessed she was up to something but they were unlikely to talk as they seemed to be up to something themselves. 
  She carried out another massage with the business man. He seemed a little bit less preoccupied and was not waiting for something like his phone to ring. There was responsibility in his job but he had finally decided to take a break from it and he was starting to look happier for it.

  The end of the working day didn’t come soon enough. She had things to do but first Anita had to be sociable. She had to get on with the general staff she had no interest in making any enemies or alienating any potential friends. Anyone could see something or know something that was useful or critical to her job. For this reason she attended the staff barbecue. Everyone was invited amongst the staff to the little gathering out the back behind the garage except for May Weather. 
  No guests were allowed. Jamaal had three oil drums cut in half to make makeshift grills. He wore a chef’s hat and an apron that said GIVE THE COOK A RAISE. The grills had racks over the barrels and crude metal supports. 
  There were burgers and sausages and chicken smothered in barbecue sauce. The condiments were all unhealthy, full of sugar and salt. 
  The further they were away from the guests, the unhealthier the staff behaved. After a bite to eat and half a cup of beer Anita slipped away from the barbecue. She had to speak to Hanna Chambers. Maybe she could get a straight answer for once?

                                 TO BE CONTINUED…