The Not so Secret Agent Ch. 05

Chapter 5: Old Friends and Silver Mines

On an unusually cool morning in June Arthur stood on the patterned brick walkway that he helped build. It was the 8th, exactly one month since his arrest. In that time the brown and yellow path had advanced a hundred meters closer to the war memorial. Though there was a slight glow in the east all the brighter stars were still visible in the predawn sky; at least the sky was familiar.

The fog that rose off the river always made it feel colder than it actually was, so to warm up Arthur started setting up some of the equipment that he and a few other workers would use. After another thirty minutes Jakt's old pickup truck rumbled down the road. By that time the sky had lightened just enough to see his newest worker walking toward the truck.

The old man laughed: "Arthur, I don't know what I'm going to do with you. Standing around out here in the damp air while it's still dark, you're going to get sick. The others have the good sense to stay in bed for another hour; sometimes I think they put that collar of yours on too tight."

Arthur appreciated the old man's tact; not mentioning the real reason Arthur went to work so early: to avoid the morning police patrols. Arthur smiled and tried to respond using the couple hundred Danubian words he knew. "Good morning Mr. Jakt." He gestured to the tall pile of bags in the truck bed. "You get big load on small truck."

By the time Arthur had the truck unloaded the sun was rising and the three other young men that Jakt employed had arrived. They were recent high school graduates and seemed to be close friends. Arthur hadn't bothered to learn their names since they avoided any contact with him anyway; free people, he figured, probably didn't want to be seen with a criminal.

Just as he dumped the first bag of cement into the mixer there was a tap on his shoulder. Behind him was one of the bicycle couriers who deliver packages around the city. This young woman said something after he turned around but the mixer was too loud to make out the words. Arthur threw the sack down and walked over to where the courier had parked her bike. She repeated a phrase twice before Arthur realized that she was trying to pronounce his name.

"I'm Arthur Liggett." The courier handed him a clipboard so he could sign for the package.

Inside the large brown envelope was a form printed in English on Ministry of Justice Letterhead.

"Criminal # 88588, Arthur Liggett: You are to report immediately to the office of Spokesman Ralkliv. By order of the Ministry of Justice you are released from all previous responsibilities to give priority to this directive. Failure to respond in a timely manner will result in further reprimands."

Nothing good can come from this, Arthur thought. After informing Jakt, Arthur went directly to his spokesman's office.

The secretary at the front desk said Ralkliv was expecting him, so Arthur went down the hall, opened the door to his spokesman's office and walked in. Inside was a surprise, a very bad surprise. Before he thought Arthur blurted out: "Son of a Bitch!"

Kneeling on the floor in front of Ralkliv's desk were the two girls that he met the previous week. They were completely naked and totally terrified. Samantha and Laura looked back at Arthur and cried uncontrollably.

Spokesman Ralkliv glared at Arthur. "Criminal # 88588 you will address me in the proper manner and kneel while doing so!"

Arthur came back to his senses. He dropped down to his elbows and knees, touched his forehead to the tile floor, and then greeted his spokesman in the manner that protocol demanded. During this time Arthur understood why Ralkliv had been so severe. Three police officers were seated to the left of his desk.

"Criminal # 88588 you may kneel upright but remain on the floor." Ralkliv looked even more agitated when he turned to the two naked girls weeping by Arthur's side. "Young ladies you must stop this crying immediately, I'm trying to help you!"

When they quieted down somewhat Ralkliv turned to Arthur. "These two Americans were arrested last night for the possession of a controlled substance. During interrogation they mentioned spending some time with you. Is this true?"

Arthur looked past Ralkliv; he swallowed and paused for as long as he thought he could get by with. Though he tried to think of a way out of this mess, nothing came to mind. Arthur sadly realized that he had little choice but to tell the truth: "Yes spokesman. I met them about a week ago on the west side of the city. I bought them lunch and then escorted them back to their hotel."

Ralkliv translated to the police investigators then they posed another question.

"Arthur, I want you to think very carefully before answering my next question. Did you know that these suspects had ecstasy tablets with them?"

Arthur knew the idiot girls must have already spilled their guts or he wouldn't be in this situation and no one would ask him that question. He was cautious though, not wanting to admit anything: "Spokesman, do I have to answer questions that would... implicate me in a crime?"

Ralkliv's mouth fell open for a second. "Criminal # 88588, when you are asked a question by your spokesperson you are expected to answer the question truthfully and without hesitation!" Ralkliv pointed an index finger at his client. "To this point I have been very lenient with you, since you were a foreigner I didn't hold you to the same standards as my other clients. I thought I would overlook your behavior and give you time to adapt but perhaps that was a mistake." Ralkliv picked up the fancy engraved ink pen he always kept at his desk and twisted it nervously in his right hand. A frustrated Ralkliv glanced down at the whimpering girls and then back to his client. "Now, Criminal # 88588, you must tell me... and realize that any resistance or deception on your part will be considered proof of your guilt and grounds for further charges. Did these young women tell you about their ecstasy tablets?"

"Yes spokesman." Arthur felt the misery of a condemned man. "While we were at the diner they mentioned having something they called 'Skittles', from the way they acted I assumed they were talking about illegal drugs."

Spokesman Ralkliv and a police investigator talked at length, then he posed another question. "How did you respond after these suspects told you of the 'Skittles'...as you say... that they brought into this country?"

Arthur's shoulders slumped; he knew he was trapped, there was no way out. "I told them to stop talking about it, so they wouldn't get in trouble."

Ralkliv spoke to the police then he turned to Arthur with a disappointed look. "Arthur, by not reporting criminal activity to the police and encouraging the suspects to avoid capture you have violated one of the conditions of your sentence."

Arthur could hardly breathe but he needed to know: "Spokesman, are they... are they going to execute me?"

"Execute you?" Ralkliv made an exasperated expression. "Of course not..." He leaned forward, tapped an index finger dramatically on his desktop. "But you are still in some very serious trouble, Criminal # 88588." Ralkliv spoke quickly, his voice full of irritation. "You have displayed little regard for the law or for the trust I placed in you! You have dishonored yourself. One month, you cannot stay out of trouble for one month! One month!"

Ralkliv stopped then, closed his eyes for a couple seconds, took a deep breath, settled back in his chair, and regained his calm professional demeanor. "Arthur, the prosecutor is offering you a deal. He is willing to request leniency in exchange for your testimony at the trial of these young women. I suggest you take it."

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For the second time in thirty days Arthur was back in the Rika Chorna Courthouse. This time he was a reluctant witness for the prosecution. As Spokesman Ralkliv had explained; the two suspects already admitted their own guilt but the prosecutor wanted all the evidence on record regardless.

The court decided to try both suspects at the same time, which Arthur thought might not have been such a good idea. Every time one of the girls broke down crying the other would start in as well. Arthur just tried to ignore the theatrics and focused on the floor until it was his time to testify.

Arthur knelt next to the prosecutor's desk, which was to the right of the judge's seat and faced the elevated platform. His two "girlfriends" stood a few meters in front of him in their usual hysterical state. With multiple spotlights focused on them their naked bodies seemed nearly to glow. They were quite attractive, Arthur thought. Samantha was tall and willowy with a light complexion and shoulder length blond hair that not surprisingly was natural. There was nothing subtle about Laura's form though, the generous curve of her hips, the slender waist, and full breasts that moved in a most fascinating manner as she sobbed...

Arthur came to his senses just in time and averted his eyes away from the bodies of the two naked suspects. In just a few minutes he would have to stand and speak in front of a courtroom full of people and several television cameras. Arthur really missed wearing pants.

The prosecutor had Arthur describe the events from a week earlier and confirm that the girls told him of the pills they had at the hotel. The prosecutor was finished with him after just a couple minutes of testimony but the judge was not. She turned to Arthur and a court official translated.

"Criminal # 88588, you have admitted to violating the terms of your sentence by not reporting criminal activity to the police. I will see you and Spokesman Ralkliv in my chambers at break to discuss the penalty for this violation. Is this clear?"

Arthur knew this was coming. "Yes, Your Honor."

Arthur was dismissed. The prosecutor ordered him to kneel at that back of the courtroom, safely out of public view, at last. He quietly withdrew and resumed kneeling with at least some dignity as the prosecutor called his next witness. A security guard rose to testify. The prosecutor showed him photographs that were also projected up on the big screens for the audience to view. The first photograph was taken inside a hotel hallway. The next photo was a close up of a tall ashtray canister along the wall. The metal tray had two cigarette butts and a couple of gum wrappers, and something else. Fourteen pink pills, each with a smiley face stamped onto it, were half buried under the sand and the wrappers. The prosecutor held up a clear plastic bag containing the fourteen pills.

Arthur badly wanted to strangle Samantha and Laura. AN ASH TRAY. They got rid of their damned 'Skittles' in an ashtray! He had warned them about Danubian drug laws and here they act stupid, get caught and then bring his name into it.

Arthur cringed as he had another thought: What if that plane crashed and I'm really dead... and this is Hell? I'm such a sinner. The drinking, the blasphemy, the gambling, making fun of religious people... Shit! I should have listened to those Mormons!

It took less than an hour for the prosecutor to finish presenting his case and then the judge retired to her chambers. Spokesman Ralkliv left the two girls under the supervision of an apprentice while he and Arthur went to discuss the situation with the judge. The judge, however, wasn't going to negotiate anything; her decision was made already. She just motioned Ralkliv over to her desk, said a few derisive words about his inability to control Criminal number 88588's behavior, and then she handed him a signed form.

Spokesman Ralkliv read the judge's orders to his client as soon as they were back in the courtroom.

"Judicial authorization for the additional punishment of Criminal # 88588 due to a violation of the terms of his criminal sentence; the items are as follows:

Item 1: Criminal # 88588 will receive a formal judicial punishment of twenty-five strokes of the standard police switch to be administered by the arresting officer or other qualified personnel on the 9th of June. Item 2: Criminal # 88588 will report to the Ministry of Public Works on the 10th of June to be assigned a place on a work crew performing hard manual labor for a period of three months' time."

As Spokesman Ralkliv tried to comfort and focus his newest clients Arthur stood quietly to the side and contemplated his bad luck. Not only would he have another appointment with Officer Stashak in the morning but then the next day he would be shipped out to some camp; it was just the sort of thing that would happen in Hell.

The trial restarted and Spokesman Ralkliv gave the girl's defense, which considering the length of his talk, wasn't much. He finished in just over ten minutes then the judge focused her attention on the two girls. The Judge spoke and a court official translated.

"Defendant Samantha Sherman do you have anything to say before this court pronounces the verdict?"

Samantha had briefly stopped crying so she could address the court. "Please Your Honor I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..." Then there was a long series of apologies, crying, and senseless babbling. After a while the Judge cut her off.

She asked the same of defendant Laura Brawne but Laura had started crying during the middle of Samantha's hysterical statement. She just stood there and continued sobbing. Apparently that was good enough for the Judge.

Arthur heard the details of the sentence translated by the court official. Three year sentences each with a switching twice per year. Three year for possession of fourteen smiley faced pills. Arthur wondered what Danubians would do to somebody caught with a kilo.

While Ralkliv was trying to get the girls over to the collar machine the room was readied for the punishment phase of the trial. A second portable table was brought in and set up near the permanent one.

Arthur noticed that Spokesman Ralkliv and the other court officials were having a great deal of trouble with the girls. With all the hysterical crying, begging, and thrashing about, the technician couldn't keep them still enough to put their collars on. Spokesman Ralkliv looked embarrassed and the judge grew furious at the delay.

The judge lost her patience and called four court guards over to take control. They grabbed Samantha first, handcuffed her hands behind her back and then forcibly held her still while the technician measured her neck. Then, with a guard on each side of her and another securing her head the technician clamped the collar on Samantha's neck. The guards let go of Samantha and she just collapsed to the floor weeping while Laura was put through the same ordeal.

Arthur glanced out into the audience; it seemed they were eager to see the girls beaten. From what Spokesman Ralkliv had told him Danubians expect a stoic attitude from their criminals and above all a respect for authority. The out of control behavior of the girls was probably interpreted as a personal insult.

The four guards and two pairs of police officers all but threw the girls on top of the tables and quickly strapped them down. Samantha's face froze in a horrified expression when the policeman pulled the leather wrapped switch from his belt. As he walked closer to her she stopped moving altogether like a frightened rabbit trying to hide from a predator. He took his time though examining her exposed body. His left hand wondered to the small of her back just below the leather strap that held her waist so firmly to the table. Samantha broke her silence when the officer's hand slid further back to explore the curves of her bottom.

Arthur looked to Spokesman Ralkliv who just sat there with a serious expression while the policeman fondled his client in front of the judge, court officials, and hundreds of spectators in the audience. The policeman and his female partner then moved behind their helpless victim. He used his hands to further expose the most intimate parts of her body to the other cops and leering crowd. A close up view of this lurid scene played on one of the large video screens at the front of the courtroom. Arthur could hardly believe that no one was stopping this policeman's conduct. If the police can do that to a criminal, Arthur wondered, what else can they do?

After humiliating Samantha for a minute, the policeman began her punishment. He aimed and then struck hard across the left cheek of her exposed bottom. As she screamed the policeman and his female partner exchanged devious glances. There was a brief conversation with the other pair of officers. Then it was Laura's turn to feel the switch.

Laura's fuller figure afforded the policeman a fine target for his switch. The curves of her bottom drew his eyes and then his hands. Laura made a pitiful sobbing noise as he traced his fingers across the contours of her full cheeks and then lifted and spread her buttocks to further expose his captive. With a wicked glance toward his partner he quickly stepped to the side and delivered a cruel strike of the switch across her bottom. Laura screamed as the pain built and the police admired the strength of the blow.

It seemed to Arthur that these two pairs of police officers were having some kind of competition with the girls. In between strokes of the switch all four cops would examine the unlucky girl's bottom with a great deal of touching by both the men and the women. They alternated back and forth with pauses between strokes of about forty seconds. By the time each girl had felt the tenth stroke their bodies were slick with sweat and their sobbing was only broken by screams each time the switch landed.

During the middle of the punishment Arthur figured out it was a competition of accuracy. As the switch fell on the girl's unfortunate bottoms the red line of a welt would rise then the next would stroke was aimed about two widths of the switch lower and so on until they reached the crease that separated their buttocks and thighs. On the way back up the officers tried to strike the unmarked skin in between the raised welts. Obviously if the first set of strikes weren't parallel there would be no way to strike the undamaged skin in between.

Try as they might one of the officers would eventually miss and overlap one of his strikes. On the thirty-first stroke of the switch the policeman in charge of Samantha grimaced and had to admit defeat as his poorly aimed strike overlapped. Though the officer had apparently lost a wager the agonized scream from Samantha made him smile nonetheless.

Spokesman Ralkliv got up then to check the condition of his clients. For reasons that Arthur didn't understand the police could put a criminal through agony for an unlimited amount of time but if there was a little drop of blood the punishment must end.

The Spokesman directed the last few strokes to the thighs of his clients. Then it was over and the girls were released from their restraints.

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Arthur arrived at the office of Spokesman Ralkliv early the next morning. After going through the formal greeting and getting up off the floor, Arthur thought that he better try and mend fences with Ralkliv right away.

"Spokesman, I didn't mean to disrespect you in front of the police officers yesterday, please excuse my careless words. I was just so surprised to see those girls that I said something I shouldn't have and I failed to show the proper respect."

"Make sure you don't do it again. Maybe in America it's acceptable to use that kind of language but here in Upper Danubia we do not burst into someone's office cursing 'son of a bitch'. Let me tell you if the police had understood your words you would have gotten more than just yelled at."

Ralkliv leaned his elbows on the desk and rubbed his temples. "I woke up this morning with a pounding headache. I know it was that trial. I believe it was the low point of my career. The behavior of those American girls... they dishonored themselves and damaged my credibility as a spokesman."