"Yes, Miss O'brien, we have persuaded to Ministry of Justice to speed up their investigation into your case and they are arranging for the police to interview people at the hotel and verify the possibility that your public nudity might not have been entirely involuntary"

"Not entirely.  What are they talking about?  Who in her right mind would volunteer to be frozen half to death at three in the morning?  And how has it taken this long to get around to checking with the hotel?"

"Yes, I know young lady, but you have demonstrated incredible hardihood these last few days. You seem seem pretty adapted to  low temperatures, and this has tended to confirm their doubts about your story.  They really think you like the cold.  As for the delay - it's what you have to get used to here, I'm afraid.   The Justice Ministry will keep us informed and as soon as I have anything more to tell you,  I'll be back to see you"

"When will that be?"

"Shouldn't be  too much more than another week or two" The Consul replied. "Unlikely to be less, I'm afraid" He tore his gaze away from the heart shaped mole on Katie's left breast. "You see there's a two day public holiday coming up and then the weekend. Things don't move too fast here, I'm afraid"

"What if they still don't accept my story" said the by now desperate girl. "What then"

"Well, the last time a foreigner fell foul of the morality laws he was given fifteen days in jail and just before his release they caned him on the soles of his feet.  That was a month ago.   He's fine now.  Won't need the sticks any more in a couple of months and doctor's pretty confident he'll have lost his limp almost completely by this time next year."

Katie went white with horror at this and her diaphragm contracted convulsively, making the Consul's body stir pleasurably. She continued to gasp heavily for some minutes.  Quite a pretty sight, thought the Consul. There are times when I love this job.

"Don't worry, my dear.You are a woman (and how!, he thought!) and they won't beat you.  At least, not as hard as they did that poor chap. You shouldn't get that long inside - they'll most likely be content just to chuck you out of the country.  There's a lot on the plus side, you've got a lot of publicity over this and plenty of your colleagues are over here covering the story. The authorities are  bound to cave in sooner or later."

"Can't you get me moved inside, or even given something to wear.  And this chain.  It's so degrading, being shackled here like this.  And I need a bath or shower.  I'm starting to stink after over a week"

"See what I can do." and the Consular visit was over.

Plenty of my colleagues over here covering my plight.  Great!  Not financial/economic analysts like me. Just tabloid hacks after a juicy story about a naked girl facing some kind of Oriental caning.  Cheap sensational exploitation stuff, that's what they were printing about her.  Her face went red at the very shame of it all and she sank back on the ground, the very picture of defeated despair.

Half an hour after the Consul had left, the Police Woman came out into the yard with a hose which she turned on and directed  full force at Katie.  The pressure was intense and the water icy cold.  It almost knocked her out. After ten minutes of this the hose was turned off and a shivering and soaking Katie was left sprawled and exhausted on the ground, trying to collect her thoughts.

"You stay out here" said the policewoman. "Till you go.  Plenty long time"

The police Captain, staring from his office window for the thousandth time in the last eight days smiled delightedly at the site of those long limbs and red hair and the chest rising and falling as the girl sobbed out her heart.  I wonder how much longer I shall have her to look at, he thought.  I'll miss her when she's gone.

"How much longer to you want her kept here",  he asked.

"Oh! Couple more months, maybe three,  till it gets really cold in the day as well as at night!    I'm nowhere near tired of this little game just yet!  I want to see her in the snow."  said Charlie Ford, with a grin.

"I'm off back home later today." he continued.  "Keep taking the pictures and  don't forget to email them to me.  See you in three weeks.  This should be enough to see you right until then."  And he shoved a thick wad of high denomination hard currency into the Captain's hand.

End of the Beginning