The King in Yellow Chapter Six

THE CARCOSA CLUB

Dana put her dossier down on the desk between them, sat back, and looked at Katya searchingly.

“So, what shall we do?” she challenged.

“The department is aware of these Suicide Clubs” Katya replied. “Our policy is that they are against the spirit of the law on assisted dying and so their existence is a problem for the legislature, not for us. You’re young, Dana, you were only a child when the old regime was persecuting “decadence” but today we’re much more aware of harassment”.

“But this wouldn’t be harassment” she persisted. “This would be investigation, intelligence gathering. The group I have discovered has chosen to call their club Carcosa. That detail of the Marie-Claude murder was suppressed and we two must be the only people in Waldenstein who know the significance of the name – apart from Dmitri’s accomplices. It has to be important”.

“So? What shall we do?” Katya turned the question back to her and Dana’s face lit up with enthusiasm.

“The Carcosa Club meets this weekend” she said eagerly, the words tumbling from her lips “and they will *********** a willing victim by lot. You and I should go and take part. I have already established contact but I think you should adopt my alias and I will present as your b…your sl…” she stuttered “as your submissive. Even if we find no connection to the case, we will have the opportunity to observe and document the phenomenon”. Her eyes shone.

The following Saturday, they approached a remote dacha on the old road from Mirenberg to the border. A well-built, straight-featured man came out to meet them at the gate and took Katya’s hand.

“Madame Fomitch?” he ventured, raising an eyebrow. “Enchanted. My name is Andrei, please ask for me if you require anything at all. And this morsel must be your slave. She will be Number Nine”. He handed Dana a canvas holdall tagged with her number. “Because you may need your clothes again” he explained, with a vulpine grin.

“I’m not ashamed of my body” Dana had insisted when explaining to Katya this part of the club’s activities. “Let the men look – and the women”. And so, she stood on the path and commenced to slip off her blouse.

“Is her cunt already ringed?” Andrei asked casually, inspecting the fastening of a tin dog-tag stamped with the numeral IX. Katya’s eyes darted to Dana, who nodded imperceptibly.

“Ah, yes” she replied quickly, just as Dana wriggled her skirt over slim hips to reveal two gold hoops on her left labium. Keeping only her shoes, stockings and leather corset-belt she dropped her clothes into the bag and stood passive and still while Andrei clipped the number to her cunt. Giving no sign of having seen their shared moment of panic he stepped aside and swept his arm towards the open door.

“Please, come and join the others” he invited and they went ahead of him, hand in hand. Katya squeezed Dana’s fingers and she returned the gesture, moving imperceptibly closer. Inside, the dacha was lit by flickering candles and a thick cloud of smoke and incense hung from the ceiling. Around thirty men and women, mainly older, were dressed for the evening and they sat in pairs and threesomes with their naked victims, sipping at glasses of wine and smoking. Dana brushed against Katya’s hip and silently indicated a low stool in a quiet corner with her eyes.