The Doll Collector Ch. 01

"If you insist." He pullled his hand back, "but I would rather you just talked to me."

"As you wish," Jillian left the decision to Jack. He was paying her for this after all, so it was his choice if she had a comprehensive written appraisal to go with her words.

"Well," she began, "It's a Lenci Salon Lady otherwise known as a Boudoir doll." Jillian looked up at the face of the man who stared at her urging her to continue. "She is tagged Turin Italy 165/26 which is the tag Lenci used in the early 1920's. Which means she is a series 165 doll and in absolutely excellent condition." She smiled showing her enjoyment at holding such a rare doll in her hands. She was slowly becoming at ease with the snarling smile that greeted her own, "She is exquisite, Jack. Do you want me to continue with the full appraisal or would you like to check the other boxes and I can record my full appraisals for you before I leave tomorrow?"

"Please continue," Jack sad softly, "I am enjoying your enthusiasm for the sweet salon lady."

Jillian's face lit up and she started to really examine the doll. Her voice was strong when she finally spoke again, "She measures 24 inches and has wonderful pressed and painted facial features exquisitely done with brown side-glancing eyes, painted lashes and arched brows." She took a breath while still staring at the dolls face. "She has the lower lighter lip colour with the 2 dots which Lenci is known for. Her blonde mohair wig is styled with long ringlets in the front and a little bun in the back."

Turning the doll and picking at the clothes, lifting and feeling them she began again, "Her outfit consists of felt and organdie boxes with a wonderful corsage of felt roses trailing her waist (pinned on) and in her hair. She is also wearing a white ruffled pinafore or apron with two ruffled pockets and is holding a hankie in one hand." Knowing this doll may never see the light of day again in an auction house, Jillian wished she had her voice recorder on.

"She has two organdie slips as undergarments, her original stockings and black high heeled shoes," Jillian was undressing the doll as she spoke, "She has a felt swivel head and elongated body with moving legs for sitting or standing position. Overall she is in excellent condition for her age." Again she looked up into his face to see his strange smile as she spoke.

"There is some age darkening to her outfit which is to be expected due to her age and under close inspection in the back I see one small spot and a slight tear in one of the organdie boxes. There are a couple of small tears on her stockings and one under her shoe but it does nothing at all to distract from her overall excellent condition. I only mentioned for them accuracy," Jillian said with a note of finality to her voice and handed the doll back to its owner.

"Just beautiful," Jack murmured, looking directly at Jillian and not the doll before recovering himself. "You know I have watched you do that many times on television, as a guest presenter on the Antiques show, but it was worth seeing it in person. Shall we do another one?" Jack discarded the doll laying her carefully back in her box before choosing another box randomly.

"You have seen me on TV?" Jillian was seriously surprised. "I have rarely done more than a commercial for the auction house."

"I guess the live feeds I have to the auction house made me believe it is more often." Jack got up abruptly after his confession and rang a small bell. Rose arrived discreetly and Jack's lips quirked in his odd smile, "Can you bring us a bottle of the Billycart please, Rose."

"Of course, Sir," Rose replied and turned to leave.

"Champagne?" Jillian questioned.

"Well judging by the first doll this consignment was better than I expected," Jack enthused, "It calls for a celebration, yes?"

"Well yes. It is a rare and fine example of the dolls of that period." Jillian looked at the doll again as it lay on top of the straw and nodded, "She is exquisite."

"Well let's see what is in the next one?" Jack artfully diverted her attention. Once again Jillian felt her skin crawl as the sword-like box cutter slid through the tape holding the second box closed. When they moved the straw aside, they found a Lenci Bed Boudoir Doll in a green floral dress. She was 24 inches tall, all felt and jointed, so that she was able to sit. She wore layers of organdie underwear, and a beautiful bright green dress, with flowers all over; it had some very light fading in a few spots, and minimal tiny holes. She had brown painted eyes and blond hair sewn into the original set. She had green heeled shoes and was wearing a hat. The hat had some restoration, the bright green ribbon on the hat having been replaced. She was a very pretty doll but not nearly as beautiful as the first they had uncovered.

Jillian went through her examination and talking spiel of appraisal while her glass was refilled by Jack. She had never felt champagne go to her head quite as quickly as this did but she guessed having no lunch and the fact that she did not partake in the high tea as she should have made her woozy.

After the third doll Jillian remembered being called for dinner and walking arm-in-arm with Jack to the dining room. After that she remembered nothing until the following morning. She woke up in her bed and stretched languidly despite a heavy ache in the back of her neck. The wine had really got to her and she felt bad that she had drunk too much failing to complete the job she was hired for. Getting up she still felt groggy and the fact that she remembered very little of the dinner or how she actually got to her room bothered her as she went to shower.

No matter how she tried to think it through, the missing evening failed to emerge into her memory. She massaged the back of her neck and felt the tenderness there. She wondered what she had done as it felt like more of a stinging feeling than the ache that comes with bad sleeping patterns. Perhaps a mosquito bite but it would have had to have been one huge mosquito to leave such a painful bite.

Jillian got dressed and walked down the stairs, unsure of her way. From that point she found the conservatory, which she found empty. Searching her limited memory of the evening before she walked across the entrance foyer to find the library and smiled as she saw the boxes still piled around the small table where they had been in her last memory of the room.

Walking over to the boxes Jillian furrowed her brows. While most lay open there were still two boxes unopened. 'How could that be?' she thought to herself. 'We spent all night in here didn't we?' She tried to work out the muddled images in her mind. She sat down on the chaise and cradled her head in her hands. When she looked up again, Billy was standing before her.

"I am sorry to disturb you Miss, but breakfast will be served in the conservatory as soon as you are ready." Billy's porcelain doll like face beamed at her. Jillian gazed at him, taking in his words and nodded as she took in the fact he seemed to be wearing what she assumed were lederhosen, the suspenders, long socks and bright shorts needing only a hat to be the epitome of a folk doll from Germany.

Following Billy to the conservatory, Jillian felt numb and barely reacted to the deformed figure of Jacques Milieu who sat waiting for her. She absently rubbed at her neck as she sat down where she was guided.

"How are you feeling this morning, Jillian," Jack enquired as she sat opposite of him.

"I am feeling a little worse for wear. I don't remember drinking that much; it must have gone to my head with having nothing to eat," Jillian said weakly.

"Do you not remember the dinner we ate together?" Jack tilted his head to look at her more intently, "Perhaps, I should call you a Doctor. You may have had an allergic reaction to something."

"We ate?" Jillian put her head in her hands and rubbed at her eyes. Try as she might she just couldn't remember anything after opening the fourth box and drinking more champagne. "I am so sorry," she murmured, "I don't usually drink much at all."

"Come eat some breakfast, it will help you feel better I am sure," Jack said kindly. "If not I will call the doctor and you can stay an extra night in the guest room."

"I don't want to inconvenience you at all." Jillian tried to smile but her head ached, "I am sure I will be fine and it is an easy drive back to the city." Sitting up straighter she took in the array of breakfast available to her and reached for a piece of toast.

"How would you like your eggs Miss?" Rose asked quietly.

"A poached egg would be lovely, please, Rose." Jillian smiled trying her best to put a good appearance forward despite how she felt.

"Of course Miss." Rose quietly left the room and Jillian buttered her toast, taking a small bite and chewing slowly as she waited for her eggs.

"We didn't quite get through the consignment last night. We should tackle the last two boxes after breakfast, if you are feeling up to it." Jack still looked at her with concern.

"Of course," Jillian answered quickly, "That was why you were gracious enough to have me in your home after all."

Jacks mouth curled into that snarling smile as he answered, "It was indeed a pleasure to have you," he paused looking at her intently, "here, in my home."

The way he said the last made her feel uncomfortable and she rubbed absently at the ache in the back of her neck.

Jack continued to make small talk about the collection he had received and how it would fit with the rest of his private collection upstairs. Jillian, feeling better after having eaten, looked toward the stairs in the foyer and considered after all the dolls in cases she had seen in her own room and the library. 'What could possibly be in his private collection,' voicing her question without thinking. "What type of dolls do you keep in your private collection?" Her voice was soft and thoughtful.

"The most rare and beautiful of course," Jack said enigmatically, "I am sure you will enjoy it one day. Until then, shall we finish what we were working on last night?"

The rest of the morning flew by as Jillian became engrossed in her passion for antique dolls again. She felt better as the morning went on and Rose continued to supply her with fresh bottles of Evian. It was edging into the afternoon by the time they finished and she wrote out the small cards of their attributes and an approximate value. Each was a stunning example from the Boudoir Doll range but she felt herself drawn back the first one she had uncovered, the beautiful Gish face and flowers in the mohair wig were stunning. The doll was obviously well-cared-for from her beginnings.

Placing the doll carefully back into her box Jillian turned to Jack, "Thank you for your hospitality but I should be getting back to the city before it gets any later. I am still not quite feeling up to par."

"Stay for lunch at least," Jack said quickly.

"No I really can't if I want to beat the traffic," Jillian said determinedly. "The blank spots in her mind from the night before were bothering her and this house and their owner were beginning to make her skin crawl. She shivered involuntarily as he took her hand and moved it toward his scarred mouth. Attempting a weak smile Jillian withdrew her hand

*****

It had been well over a month since Jillian had met the reclusive, Jacques Milieu. In her mind she refused to call him Jack as that would imply friendship and she would rather not remember the strange weekend she spent in his mansion. It wasn't the scars that had made her ill-at-ease but rather the whole atmosphere of his home. The strange staff that seemed doll-like themselves and the mysterious private collection she was warned against seeking out during her time there. Most of all though were the lost hours in her memory. Jacques had assured her they had eaten dinner together, several dolls she could not remember unpacking had been appraised and she had woken in bed fully clothed in her sleepwear, yet she remembered none of it.

She didn't drink more than two glasses of wine in a night as a rule but somehow she must have gotten drunk enough to forget everything. She just couldn't work out how it could have been possible to not remember drinking more than a couple of sips of the first glass. Again she shivered, imagining what could have happened to her that she might not be aware of.

In the limited contact she had had with Jacques since that weekend she had been strictly business-like and had declined further invitations to visit and view his collection, offering instead to do a full appraisal at a lesser rate if he sent the dolls to her. The final email he had sent had spoken of his intention to think over her offer and his disappointment that she was unable to make it back out to the country due to her work commitments.

Finally Jillian turned off her computer. She had a well-deserved weekend off for the first time in months or so it seemed. As she gathered her bag and keys she turned to the door, dreaming of her small cosy apartment and the soft bed that waited for her. During the week she had shopped for special treats that would make her quiet weekend perfect. She rode the lift to the basement car park she smiled softly as the man beside her lamented about the predicted rain. That would make her plans to stay indoors even better and she could almost hear the rain softly beating against the windows in her imaginings.

Even the traffic on the way home could not dampen Jillian's mood. She unlocked the door to her apartment and went to shower gathering her robe on the way. While Jillian stood under the shower with the water washing away the tensions of the last week, she was oblivious to the shadowy figure who had crept to her front door and was now working away at it with a lock pick.

The intruder had no problem opening the locks on Jillian's apartment door. He entered the apartment, setting his large bag down on the floor. The apartment was at first very quiet, but as he made his way in he could hear the shower running. He withdrew a small syringe from his pocket, took up a position outside the bathroom to wait for his prize.

Jillian, completely unaware of the intruder in her apartment, completed her shower, towelled herself off, wrapped her hair in a plush terry cloth towel and herself in a comfy cloth robe before heading for the kitchen.

As Jillian walked unsuspectingly past the intruder, he stealthily came up behind her. Suddenly, Jillian felt a gloved hand covering her mouth; she panicked and struggled as best she could. Jillian was preparing to deliver a painful blow to her attacker's groin, when suddenly she felt the sting of a needle entering her neck as the intruder quickly applied the object in his gloved right hand to Jillian and delivered a dose of strong sedative.

Jillian's eyes flew open. She tried to scream, but the hand that covered her mouth kept her voice muffled to a barely audible gurgle. The sedative worked quickly and she jerked weakly trying to fight the blackness engulfing her before passing out in her attacker's arms.

The intruder then went about preparing the unconscious girl to be transported to her new life. He started by removing the terry cloth towel and robe from his lifeless victim, laying her down on her stomach. He went to his bag and removed a handful of large plastic zip ties which were normally used for industrial use only.

Drawing Jillian's arms behind her back, the intruder quickly placed a tie around her wrists and another pinning her elbows together. Next he tied Jillian's legs. One band went around her left shin, binding it to her thigh, then he repeated the process on her right leg banding her right shin to her thigh, but leaving her legs spread apart. The intruder flipped Jillian over on her back with her arms under her, her legs drifting apart. With his victim securely bound on the floor, the intruder went to Jillian's bathroom, found her hamper and grabbed the panties that had just recently been discarded. He forced open the lower jaw of the unconscious Jillian and then stuffed the panties into her mouth; he secured them in place with several strips of duct tape he had removed from his bag.

The intruder retrieved several lengths of nylon rope from his bag, then grabbed Jillian's ankles and crossed them, forcing her knees far apart. He tied her ankles together then ran a long length of rope down through her crotch, up her back and up over her left shoulder. He continued the rope down over her ankles again, another pass through her crotch, up her back and over her right shoulder. The nylon rope allowed the intruder to easily cinch the rope up tight, forcing the unconscious Jillian into a small tightly wrapped ball of flesh. He played with her exposed cunt for a while before arranging the rope on either side of her pussy lips trapping them between the tight nylon rope, making them puff out and swell slightly.

Jillian's abductor prepared to remove her from the apartment. He removed a heavy military style canvas duffle bag from his kit. He positioned the helpless Jillian at the open end of the bag, and then began to ease it up over her hips. Once she was about halfway inside the bag, the abductor lifted up on the sides of bag and Jillian hit the floor with a thump as she settled to the bottom of the duffle bag. He closed the inside flap over Jillian's head, arranged the eyelets of the bag over the slotted teeth and locked the bag closed with a solid padlock.

The intruder carefully gathered up all of his equipment, the gloves he wore made sure that no fingerprints would be left. He then tidied up the apartment making sure that nothing seemed to be disturbed. He even placed the discarded robe and towel in Jillian's hamper and took her handbag, shoving it in with his gear, to be dumped securely later. After double-checking to make sure every thing was in order he slung the duffle bag over his shoulder and picked up the bag containing his gear. Then checking to make sure the hall was clear, he exited the apartment, locking the door behind him. He proceeded unobserved to the apartment's garage, depositing his gear and his newly acquired collectable in the back of his van.

The van moved through the city, bouncing its cargo about as it went on its way. Jillian came to, but soon realized oblivion was preferable to reality. She could see nothing, could not budge an inch and could only hear the muffled street sounds as the van worked its way to an overcrowded but seldom used warehouse. Her imagination ran rampant, and if truth were known, what was actually in store for her was not too far removed from the nightmarish scenarios that ran though her head.

Finally her abductor reached his destination and pulled the van into the warehouse locking the doors behind him. He opened the back of the van and slung the duffle bag over his shoulder once again. He deposited the it into an open crate located near the warehouse's exit. The duffle bag landed atop the pile of foam peanuts that covered the base of the crate with a thud. Fastened to one side of the crate were two scuba air tanks. Her abductor then unlocked the duffle bag; he grabbed the bottom of the bag and pulled up. Jillian plopped out of the bag and down on top of the foam, she landed on her back, arms under her and her knees crushed into her chest. Her eyes were wide open and panic stricken.

The abductor was amused as he watched his prize doll struggle in the crate. He leaned over the crate, reached in and yanked the tape from Jillian's mouth. Jillian let out a blood-curdling scream, muffled only by the panties still inside her mouth. He removed the panties then backed off, a huge grin on his face, and let Jillian scream for all she was worth. He knew it was all to no avail. With the doors closed on the warehouse, very little sound would escape. And it was unlikely anyone would be around to hear her screams anyway.