The brazen thief had struck terror into the women of the city and the police seemed completely unable to stop him!!!! It seemed like every morning found another of the fiends victims, bound and sobbing, all unable to describe him other than his black mask!!!
Gwen Fielding listened in horror as one after another of her friends recounted their nights of terror as the fiend appeared in each of their bedrooms!!! It almost seemed as if he was familiar with those in her social circle and was attacking one after another!!!!
Gwen opened up about her suspicions to Detective Joe Monday, he'd been working the case since the first robbery!!!
"I mean it Detective, I think it must be someone we all know....someone who's familiar with all of the city's debutantes....I think I might be next....you have to give me protection....I don't want to end up like those other girls!!!!"
"Relax Miss Fielding, I'm pretty sure we've got a line on this guy now....you're in no danger I assure you!!!"
"But what about protection, can't you assign an officer to watch over me....just until this horrible fiend is caught!!!"
"No can do Honey.....I haven't got the manpower to assign you a private guard!!! Listen, your Daddy has plenty of dough, why don't you hire a private dick to watch out for you?"
"Thanks for nothing Detective....that's exactly what I'll do and you can be sure I'll be telling my Daddy how little help you've been....and the next time he's golfing with the Mayor....well...I'm sure he'll be giving him an earful!!!!"
"Sure, sure Honey.....Now you run along home and let the men take care of things for you..."
She stormed out slamming the squad room door behind her but as angry as she was she was still afraid....and as she was about to get into her car she spotted a sign down the street...."Hart and Shooter, Private Investigators"....and she walked quickly to the door!!!
The PI's office was on the second floor, up a dark staircase and down a hallway that smelled of....well it smelled....bad!!!!
She knocked and the door was opened by one of the two men in the room who introduced himself as Milo Shooter....
"And that's my partner Hank Hart...."
His partner stood up....he wasn't a big man but he had an aura of a no-nonsense, tough as shoe leather man about him!!!
He smiled as he lit a cigarette....
"What can we do for you Miss...."
"Fielding.....Gwen Fielding..."
"OK, so what can we do for you Miss Fielding?"
"Well Mr. Hart, I'm sure you're aware of the recent crimes by that masked fiend...."
Hart glanced at his partner, who was already smiling....
"We read the papers Miss Fielding...."
"Well I don't know if you're aware, but every one of the victims was in last years Debutantes Ball and now I'm the last one left who hasn't been.....violated by this masked monster!!!!"
"That's very interesting Miss Fielding, but what do you want from us?"
"I want you to protect me....I just know he's coming for me next and I don't know where else to turn!!!!"
"But surely the police...."
"Oh my god....the police!!!! The police sent me to you!!!", she began to sob, "Please I need someone to help me!!!"
"Easy now Miss, of course we'll help you.....we'll need one hundred dollars up front and we get twenty five dollars a day, plus expenses....is that OK?"
She quickly pulled the money from her purse and laid it on his desk....
"Can you start right away? I'm afraid to even go home alone!!!"
"Sure, Miss....one of us will escort you home tonight...."
Across the room his partner was shaking his head....
"It'll have to be you Hank....I'm still working on that other case....the one about the black bird...."
"Oh alright then....give me your address and I'll meet you there in a little while..."
"Do you think I'll be safe until you get there? I'm so afraid!!!!"
The tough PI reached over and patted her cheek....
"You'll be fine Angel.....I'll be there before you know it..."
"Thank you Mr. Hart....
"Call me Hank...."
"Alright....Hank!!!"
After she left the two PI's discussed the case about the black bird and made a few arrangements for how they would cover the two cases and before he knew it Hank Hart looked up at the clock and saw it was late.....they'd been talking longer than they realized and both grabbed their coats and hats and rushed out the door!!!
It wasn't a long drive to her house and as Hank Hart pulled up outside the sprawling residence his first thought was that he wasn't charging her enough...apparently this Fielding dame was loaded!!!!
He saw her car parked in the driveway and the large house was dark except for a light on in an upstairs room....she must be getting ready for bed.....maybe he should leave and return tomorrow.....then he noticed the front door was ajar....
He pushed it open and stepped into the darkened house.....he took a moment for his eyes to adapt so that he could see where he was going....he went to the large circular staircase and slowly made his way up the stairs...
Quietly he made his way down the hall to the left and was slightly startled by the sounds of a woman crying coming from behind him....he turned and pulled his gun as he made his way down the long hallway to where he thought he'd heard the sound....he came to a door and saw a crack of light shining through....pressing his ear to the door he heard a soft whimper.....she was in trouble!!!!
He kicked the door in and took in the scene even as his eyes were dazzled by the light...she was there....bound to a chair as the masked man was searching through her dresser.....he had a gun!!!!"
"Drop it or I'll drop you where you stand!"
The masked man was startled and started to turn....Hart fired a shot that grazed him and the man dropped his gun....
"Are you OK Angel?"
"Yes please....untie me...."
He untied her as the masked man stood with his purloined treasures still clutched in his hand....
"Alright," Hart said, "Let's get that mask off and see who you are!!!"
With his hand shaking he reached up with his empty hand and pulled his mask away....
"Detective Monday....what....what's this all about....why are you stealing my underthings...."
The detective....blushing deep red, told them about his overwhelming desire for silky lingerie....how he was compelled, through his love for women....women he could never hope to have....women who would never look at him twice....how he would steal their most intimate things and he would.....wear them.....he would wear them just to feel closer than he could ever be in real life....
After listening to his story they watched the detective bend over and cry....burying his face in the fistful of her lacy underthings that he still clutched tightly in his hand....
"Alright Angel, let's call the cops and we'll have this pervert put away...."
Gwen looked at the PI and at the sobbing detective....
"I don't think there'll be any need for that Mr. Hart....in fact I don't think I'll be requiring your services any longer...."
"But Angel.....Miss Fielding....what about?" and he gestured to the man...
"I think I can handle him, I think I know just what he needs....just leave him with me..."
Two weeks later Hank hart read in the newspaper that longtime detective Joseph Monday had suddenly retired...telling his comrades that he had come into a fortune....and on the society page he read that Gwen Fielding was retiring to her fathers country estate where she would be attended by her new personal maid....
Hart laughed as he closed the paper and put his feet up on his desk....now he wondered about the way life turns out....reaching into his desk he pulled out the soft silk camisole and as he rubbed it against his cheek he smiled....it was the stuff that dreams were made of....
Now where are we with the case about that black bird....
