Follow the man inside

Lifting up head high and squaring her shoulders, Velma let her hands drop to her sides. There might have been a little stiffness in the way she walked, but it would have been difficult to see. Daphne used both her hands to support and cover her breasts, but she left the red landing strip that pointed to her tight slit was still visible.

Velma, then Daphne, walked through the door that the man held open. Neither had considered that there was much of choice. As he had pointed out, it was a bit on the chilly side. Hiding in the cemetery would have been uncomfortable at best. With night not far off, it wouldn’t be long before the sun set. It would get colder and the chances of getting lost in the dark increased. Trying to get to the hotel meant going through the heart of town. The shoes they wore meant that they couldn’t run fast enough to avoid being seen. Even if they weren’t arrested for indecent exposure, they would still have to present themselves to the guys as they were in order to get into their room. Fred would never let them live it down.

He ushered them into the parlor. With a flick of a switch, he lit the gas fireplace on the outside wall. Indicating that they should sit, he headed for the kitchen. The girls were quick to sit on the couch in front of it. They spread themselves to catch as much of the warmth it generated as possible.

It wasn’t long before he returned. He held a platter with a large bottle of wine and three glasses on it. Filling the glasses from the bottle, he waited for each of them to grab a glass before setting the tray on the table at the end of the couch. He took the last glas and sat in the chair at that end of the couch.

“I assure you,” he said as he noted their hesitancy, “There is nothing in the wine...except for the ****.” He took a sip from the glass he held. Velma waited until it was obvious he had drunk the wine and suffered no ill effects. She took a sip from her glass. It was a decent if inexpensive wine. She nodded her approval and took another sip. Daphne to a sip. She then drained her glass and refilled it. Velma felt the warmth grow in her belly. She emptied her glass to feed it. Daphne refilled it as soon as she had finished filling her glass. The man waited for both of them to finish their second glass before starting.

“As I said earlier, I have a proposal for you.” he started. Both Daphne and Velma stiffened and moved to cover their boobs with their free hand. Neither actually succeeded in covering themselves.

“What? Get us drunk and take advantage of us?” Daphne interrupted.

“I am as horny as the next man,” he said, “and I am as susceptible to the charms of two beautiful women,” Velma felt her cheeks flush and it wasn’t just from the wine. “But I am an artist. Not a ****. Having sex with either or both of you would merely be a bonus to our relationship.”

“Why would we go into business with a criminal?” Velma interrupted.

“What makes you think I am a criminal?” he asked. The two began to babble.

“You’ve broken into this house,” “You’ve kidnapped or killed the Hartingfords.” “ You dressed up as a zombie to scare everyone away from here.” “You’re a counterfeiter.” “You’ve passed bogus money.” You stole our clothes. You pervert!”... He held up his hand to get them to stop.

“If you are so sure you can prove it,” he challenged, “There is a phone on the table next to you Miss Hinkley. Call the police if you want. I won’t stop you. But before you do, you might want to hear my side of things.” Velma hesitated. She was sure he had committed crimes. But his confidence in his ability to face the police made her wonder...made her curious. Besides, she needed to figure out how to explain away his story. She needed to hear it before she could. She motioned for him to continue.

“My name is Anthony Harrison. You can call me Tony.” he continued. Both Velma and Daphne gave him their first names. “In answer to your questions… The Hartingfords are on an extended cruise around Hawaii. A trip they ‘won’ in a contest held by Passive Sales Inc.”

“A rigged contest no doubt.” Velma snorted. Daphne added her agreement. The both took large drinks from the glasses they held. Tony merely shrugged.

“Rigged or not, the prize was legitimate and actually given to them. I suppose I’ll have to send them the appropriate tax forms at the end of the year.” Tony explained, “I was sent as a courtesy housesitter. So I have permission to be here. You on the other hand ‘broke’ in without permission. Beyond getting you out of my hair, I have no desire to press charges against you for trespassing.”

“Last time I looked, dressing up as a zombie is weird, but hardly a crime.”

“I won’t deny the charge of counterfeiting.” Tony explained, “But you can’t prove it. The police have no reason to suspect I am guilty of some crime. So it is unlikely they will ask to search the place. I’ll grant any request they make. They won’t find the secret passage. You can’t show them. You don’t know where the trigger is. If you did, you would have set your trap inside the passage where I couldn’t miss it.” The way Daphne and Velma looked at each confirmed Tony’s suspicion. He retrieved another bottle of wine and filled all three glasses. “There is nothing down there that would suggest any illegal activity occurred. The police are unlikely to ask for an expensive complete forensic examination of the area.”

“My guess is that Mr. Hartingford went into his wife’s purse and took the bogus bill from it without realizing it. It was he who spent it.”

“And while I may be a pervert,” Tony smiled, “I did not steal your clothes. They are in that green van labeled the ‘Mystery Machine’. And while I may have stripped you, anything that happened in the garage was something you did of your own free will.

“Finally, if I go down, I’m taking you with me.” Tony held up a small key. “This is a key to a safe deposit box. The box is in both your names. Inside are some old plates I used for counterfeiting, a couple bundles of test bills, and a thousand dollars of real cash. You approached me and tricked me into working for you. The safe deposit box is the place I would put the bogus bills and get my share of profits.from your passing them.” Daphne gasped. Velma swallowed hard. They both drained nearly full glasses of wine, filled them, and drained them again. Velma leaned over and whispered to Daphne. Tony took the empty wine bottle and got another bottle to give them some privacy to discuss their options.

“Well,” Tony started as he opened the bottle, “Are you going to call the cops?”