Otter Under Fire (10 page)

“But you knew enough to go to Michael with it.”

“Then he would have lost his job and we needed the money. We ended up separating over it in the end.”

“He had lung cancer; do you think it’s possible the cancer traveled and he had developed a tumor in his brain that made him think like this?”

“I hadn’t thought of that. If I had, I would have asked them to look. Do you think it possible that my Clark was sick?”

“I don’t see why not. If he suddenly saw himself as a savior by blackmailing people, it would certainly be a clue that his brain wasn’t right.”

Tonya sighed a little sadly and looked down in her lap. “The last time I saw him, he was eating in a little diner not far from his hotel room. I was going to go in and talk to him, but a blonde woman got into the booth across from him and I turned and walked away.”

“He was with a blonde? What did she look like?”

“I really didn’t see that much. She was a little stocky and her hair was pretty long. Other than that, I didn’t see that much.”

“OK, thanks for taking the time. I need to go.”

“I know you’re angry with him, Mackenzie, and I don’t know how this all will turn out—but I loved him. He and I were married over 25 years. I miss him so much, it hurts.”

“There’s another thing about this blackmail list,” Otter said.

“I wish you wouldn’t call it that,” Tonya pouted; it makes him sound like a horrible person.”

Otter stopped herself from commenting. She was trying to get information, not piss the woman off.

“There are more than 200 names on the list,” Otter said as Tonya went white, “Not all of them are from AzTech. Some have to be from people he knew elsewhere. Maybe they are from your church, maybe they are your neighbors, but there are a lot more than just people he knew at work.”

“I—I need to see the list,” Tonya stammered, “I need to see who all is on it.”

“I gave it all to the police,” Otter lied, “I don’t have it anymore.”

“You gave it to the police! Why did you give it to the police?”

“What if Clark didn’t take his own life? What if he made someone angry enough to kill him?”

“Now you listen to me, young lady,” Tonya bristled and pulled herself up to her full height, “The police and the coroner said he killed himself. Who are you Miss Smarty-pants to come along and say different?”

“So you accept that Clark committed suicide? You think that was in character?”

“You know, I think it’s time you left. You’re poking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“Kind of like Clark, when you think about it,”

“Your motives are nothing like his.”

“There’s something you and I can totally agree on.”

Tonya glanced out the window. “I think it’s time you leave.”

“OK,” Otter shrugged. “Suit yourself. If it were my husband I’d want to know the truth, but that’s just me.”

Tight lipped, Tonya McCartney walked to the front door and gestured Otter out. As Otter reached the front porch, she noticed Jeremy Redding drive up and park across the street. The day was just going to get more interesting for Tonya, Otter thought. It was too bad that she couldn’t be there to see what happened.

As she passed the young man she murmured, “Sorry Jeremy, I’ve already pissed her off.” She slipped him her business card. “Call me if you need to.” Jeremy nodded and headed toward the front door, Tonya simmering at them both.

As she drove away, Otter thought about Tonya McCartney. Having Tonya verbally attack her was a little like being savaged by a baby bunny—it was not something she did well. She wondered if the emotion behind Tonya’s outburst was anger or fear—maybe both.

When Otter got back home, Tempest was back so they had lunch together. Tempest put together some left over party food for herself, but Otter decided on a small steak and a salad and some iced tea. She told Tempest about her meeting with Tonya.

“What a horrible woman,” Tempest said. “She didn’t care about all the people her husband was screwing with, all she cared about was the money.”

“Well Clark was unemployed for over a year,” Otter said, “I’m sure she had some serious back bills to contend with.”

“Didn’t their church help them out? Mormons are known for that kind of thing. They don’t usually let a church member lose everything.”

“Must have, they still have their house and vehicles, so they had something. I don’t know them that well, so I couldn’t tell you.”

“And he had four pages on Annie? This is your friend, Annie?”

“So it seems.”

“And she thought it was something to be proud of--four pages of blackmail evidence?”

Otter laughed. “Her reaction must have shocked him. I’d bet that he wasn’t expecting that.”

“Annie sounds a lot like my mother,” Tempest said darkly. “I can see Mom doing the same thing.”

Otter could too. Currently, Viola Blackthorn Claremont, Tempest’s mother, was on some kind of spiritual trip in India and they didn’t expect her back until around Halloween.

“Oh and speaking of Annie, she wants to go to the fetish ball with us tonight.”

“Of course she does! Why not, things couldn’t get any sillier.”

“She also wants to know if there is a slave auction, and if they take credit cards.”

“Otter, you know I’m a reasonable woman. There is no way she wants to buy a sex slave.”

“She plans to have him paint her porch and she’s ok with him wearing just a G-string.”

“Very democratic of her,” Tempest said thoughtfully, “You know that’s not a bad idea. It would be an excellent way to punish a bad slave.”

“Advertising slavery is a bad marketing decision in my opinion. It could bring on all kinds of negative publicity. I’m surprised that they are considering it.”

“Well it’s role playing, isn’t it? It’s not like we raided North Scottsdale, kidnapped them from their golf games and are forcing them into slavery against their will.” Tempest shook her head and sighed. “I guess if she wants to come, she can. It’s a free country. I just don’t know what they will make of her.

“Does she have appropriate attire, do you think?”

“I wouldn’t be a bit surprised.” Tempest said.

Otter and Tempest sat thinking about that image.

“She can wear whatever she wants to wear,” Tempest decreed. “I’m going to tell myself it doesn’t matter.”

“We’re just on a fact finding evaluation anyway,” Otter said. “It won’t matter to this client’s future plans.”

“That’s true. We’re to check out the displays and the booths and give them advice about the best way to market merchandise and services. I don’t expect us to be there any more than a couple of hours.”

“OK, I’m good with that.” Otter said, finishing up her salad. “But I sure would like to know why the soda fountain guy was here this morning. He looked rather drained of energy.”

Tempest opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

“Not that it’s any of my business,” Otter said as she took her dishes to the sink, “but good soda delivery guys are hard to find. He’s also a nice guy, and you don’t do nice guys all that well.” She opened a cupboard and got some treats out for the cats.

“I know, I know,” Tempest said waiving her hand in the air in resignation. “He was there and I was there and everything got a little out of hand. I think I may have scared him.”

“You certainly sapped the life out of him; I hope he doesn’t hold it against us.”

“I don’t think so, but he probably won’t come to any more parties.”

“Well that sucks, because he’s great at the barbeque.”

“These things happen,” Tempest said. “I hope I didn’t scar him for life.”

“Me too, because I know all the trouble it took for you to get delivery in the first place. The company isn’t going to send someone else if you’re just going to emotionally shred them.”

“I’ll try not to do it again,” Tempest said, looking very penitent. Otter wasn’t fooled for a minute.

Otter looked at herself in the mirror while Mouse watched all the laces move back and forth. Otter decided that the black leather pants were cool. This pair was skin tight and fit perfectly in the black high heeled leather boots that laced up to her knees. It all went nicely with her black leather bustier that added a couple cup sizes to her chest. With the blood red lips and the smoky eyes, she was quite a picture. She turned around and looked at herself from all angles.

“How are you doing in there?” Tempest called from the living room.

“All I need is a pair of vampire fangs and a black cape with a red satin lining and I would be ready for Halloween. I already have the black cat with big fangs.”

Tempest sighed. “You are missing the point. You are supposed to be a mistress of pain and suffering.”

“Ok, I suppose I can do that.” Otter said striding out into the living room. “Just remember, I’m going with you to survey this venue and help you evaluate what they need to make it a money making event. Not to learn to be a mistress of pain and suffering. I get enough of that at work.”

“And you need to ride heard on Annie,”

“Yeah, that too, so where did you get this outfit?”

“Oh, a client of mine, don’t worry, it’s been professionally cleaned and has been in storage for a while.”

It was then that Otter got a good look at Tempest’s ensemble and the engineer in her sighed with envy. Whoever built the foundation for Tempest’s bustiers must have gone to the same school as the engineer for the Hoover Dam. It was truly a marvel in black leather with touches of black lace. Unlike Otter, Tempest had had her outfit made for her and it was fabricated to showcase her stupendous body.

Tempest looked like she could cause a lot of pain and suffering—and possibly a tsunami.

“I hope you plan to drive,” Otter said as she picked up her wallet. “There is no way I could operate a vehicle with these boots on.”

“Piece of cake,” Tempest said. “We’d better get moving. I want to be there during certain parts of the event and I don’t want to miss anything.”

“I’m ready.”

They stopped at Annie’s house and were both impressed with her red and black satin outfit. She looked like she could fit in at a fetish ball just fine. With a few adjustments, she could go to a heavy metal concert, a vampire wedding, an upscale funeral or a rock opera—and from what Otter was learning about her-- probably had.

The event was being held in a strip mall not far from Thunderbird and the I-17. The storefront was bright with a banner across the top announcing the ball. A black carpet led into the front door.

“Good parking,” Tempest nodded approvingly. “There is easy access off the freeway, too.” She led them to the building. “We got here before it started, good. I want to look over a few things.”

Tempest went in ahead of them, but Otter stopped Annie before they entered.

“I hear that Clark tried to blackmail you once upon a time.” Otter said.

Annie sighed. “Yeah, he tried. He had pages of stuff about me, mostly from when I was a kid.”

“His wife said you were so proud you asked for a duplicate set.”

She snorted, “You should have seen the look on that pompous ass’s face when I told him I wanted copies. I don’t think he was expecting that.”

“Most people wouldn’t.”

“Listen Otter, I’ll tell it to you truthfully. There was definitely stuff on there I didn’t want anyone to know about. I was a pretty wild kid when I was young.”

“No shit, I would have never guessed.”

“And I’m sure you were always a smart ass. Anyway, I learned a long time ago that the best way to deal with a bully is to act like you don’t care. Seriously, convince them somehow that they aren’t even a mosquito at your picnic. If you don’t follow the script they’ve written, they have to improvise. So that’s what I did and he backed down.”

“Good thing he did.”

“If that stuff got out, it would have been embarrassing, but I would have been ok.”

“You’re amazing Annie.” Otter said, feeling a new respect for her friend.

“You don’t know half of it, one day I’ll tell you how I got rid of a stalker.”

“I can’t wait for that conversation.”

“Now can we go in? I want to scope everything out before all the people get here.”

“Sure, let’s go,” Otter opened the door and waved Annie inside.

The first room was all red velvet and gold braid with a ticket counter in front of the next door. It looked very much like an old time theater. There were glass show cases filled with elaborate masks. Presiding over the room and talking to Tempest was a tall black woman wearing a baby blue corset and carrying a laser blue whip.

“Here they are,” Tempest said. “Otter helps me quite often when we shop my new clients. Annie is a friend of hers.”

“I want to buy a ticket,” Annie said. “Can I go in?”

Debra looked totally nonplussed as she took Annie’s money and watched her dash into the next room.

“I promise to keep her out of trouble.” Otter said, quickly following behind.

The room was huge and looked like a large ball room. Booths were being set up around the perimeter and in the far corner was the leather vendor. Annie was already there looking though the merchandise. There were booths with whips and paddles, booths with all types of restraints and gags, there were some with oils and candles.

“Interesting array,” Otter said to Debra when she and Tempest had caught up to them.

“I hope so,” Debra said, “I’d really like to make this an annual event.”

“So what is going in the center of the room?” Otter asked watching Tempest take out a clipboard with a long list of items on it.

“Well, it is a ball, but instead of dancing we’re going to have several demonstrations.”

“I think it would be better if you had them off to the side and charged people to come to the class—like a seminar,” Tempest said.

“That’s a thought,” Debra said.

“Maybe you should have a bath demonstration,” Otter surprised herself by speaking up. “Get a clear tub and do a demo on how a slave should bathe his or her master in a proper fashion.”

Tempest looked at Otter in pleased surprise, “You’ve been paying attention.”

“Apparently so,” Otter said, “and maybe a pedicure and shoe station for__,”

“Foot fetishists,” Debra said snapping her fingers. “I should have thought of that.”

“It’s a matter of math and algorithms,” Otter said, “you know the components of the lifestyle and you figure out the items and services you could sell that would enhance that lifestyle.”

“She’s an engineer,” Tempest said apologetically. She always figures out a way to work math and metals into everything she does.”

“That’s cool,” Debra said, “If she can tell me where I can find a clear tub.”

“I know a place that sells plastics in sheets and they weld them into all kinds of tubs for industrial use. A clear tub for a bath would be no problem for them.”

“I like her,” Debra said to Tempest.

But Tempest wasn’t paying any attention. She was watching the room full of people, lots of people suddenly. All of them wearing white makeup and black lips and dog collars. Otter thought they looked awfully young to be there.

“Gothlings,” Tempest whispered, “Baby Gothlings, dozens of them.” She looked at Otter. “See the way they look at us? We’re the oldest people in the room. I’ve never had that happen to me before.”

“Everyone has to be over 18 to be here,” Debra said, “My people are checking ID at the door.”

“It shouldn’t matter, Tempest,” Otter said, “A customer is a customer. Just do your survey and put together your report.”

“That’s a good way to think about it. A customer is a customer no matter how small.” Two of the “gothlings” behind Tempest chose that moment to squeal loudly over a satin bustier they found in a nearby stall. Tempest closed her eyes for a moment, then squared her shoulders and soldiered on.

Otter wandered from booth to booth, checking out the merchandise for Tempest. She was aware of how much younger the clients were than her when she heard giggling and whispering at every stop. She managed to block them out and made her notes as she moved among counters with colorful displays.

As the evening wore on, she became aware of a different breed of client mingling in with the original group. Those were the more hardcore practitioners of bondage and pain and periodically she would have to step over some nearly naked slave at her feet asking if she would be his (or her) new mistress.

She looked around and there were definitely many women dressed as she was, and many men as well. The slaves were obvious by their lack of clothing and their various methods of restraint. Many had nipple clamps attached with light chains hanging between their breasts—and some of the nipple clamps were actually piercings.

The piercings weren’t restricted to nipples. Several male slaves were pierced through their testicles with large rings that were attached to a dog leash held by a mistress pulling them along in the crowd. Female slaves were also led by rings coming from their genitalia and secured by a leash. Otter didn’t look closely enough to ascertain if they were pierced as well, deciding it was not something she really wanted to know.

A pony booth had opened in the corner opposite the leather goods area. There were all length and colors of tails—attached to butt plugs-- hanging on a rack, where a mistress browsed, ostensibly to find a tail the same color as her slave’s hair. A set of modified stocks was set up next to the booth with two naked and masked people in it. One was male and one was female, and the proprietor of the stall would demonstrate how to properly install the props and equipment on the appropriately sexed pony.

Otter walked over to the leather goods stall and found, to her delight, that some of the leather merchandise was belts, wallets and other mundane things. In the back of her mind, she heard a whip crack and some deeply rhythmic music playing, but she figured it was the whipping demonstration. Since she wasn’t interested in watching, she continued to browse.

The music and now hand clapping was insistent and she looked up to see all the Goth kids in a circle around something and she heard the whip crack again. Curiously she made her way over and peered into the center.

There was Annie. She had charmed one of the merchants into lending her a bull whip. She handled it expertly and was putting out a row of candles with a simple flick of her wrist and an ear splitting crack. Young men put objects on their shoulders and she knocked them off neatly or spun the whip to grab the object and bring it to her. Once in a while she would flick it out like a lazy tongue and it would sting someone on his forearm to his delight.

“She is full of surprises, that one,” Tempest said.

“Look who’s talking,” Otter replied.

“What is it she does at your shop?” Tempest asked

“Answers the phone and masks parts for copper plate.”

“Why?”

“I never asked her, the subject never came up. Looking at her now, though, I’d say she worked at a circus at one time.”

Annie seemed to glow as she performed. She did one last fancy move of jumping over the whip and spinning it around her to wrap up a young man and tie him in a neat bundle. She put up her hands in surrender and a groan went through the crowd. She beamed at all of them.

“Thank you for your kindness. Maybe we can do it again some time.”

The crowd cheered and clapped. Otter noticed there were some older people in the ring around Annie, interspersed with the kids. Tempest was drifting off to some of them and making marks on her clip board. Deb was directing her employees to put a low stage together near the back of the room. Otter walked over to Annie who was receiving congratulations from a large number of people.

“We’re having pizza and beer at your house tomorrow?” One of the Goth kids was asking her.

“Yes, and if you do a good job, I will give you a couple of lessons.” The group looked thrilled. Annie looked over and saw Otter. “I’m having the best time.”

“Looks like it. Where did you learn to wield a weapon like that?”

“Oh, I’m a farm girl. Our hired hand showed me how to do all that stuff when I was a kid.”

“So what was all that stuff about pizza and beer?”

“That’s the best part. I won’t have to buy a slave after all. These nice folks said they would paint my porch for pizza and beer.”

“And a few lessons with a bull whip.”

Annie shrugged. “If they do a good job.”

“Some of them are probably underage.”

“I’m pretty good at figuring that part out. Don’t worry.”

Just then it sounded like the parking lot was full of sirens. Otter along with Debra and Tempest rushed to the front door to see police cars and transport wagons out in front.

“What are the police doing here?” Tempest demanded.

Debra shrugged her shoulders. She and Tempest went out the front door slowly with their hands up. After a few minutes, Otter could see that Debra and Tempest were speaking in earnest with the cop in charge. Wanting to be away from the crowd behind her, Otter eased outside cautiously and heard Debra talking.