The next morning, Lisa first contacted the real estate agent who had the property she had in mind for Huib for sale. She briefly explained the situation and asked him if he could hold it for her for a while. He was not willing to hold it for her, but did promise her that he would call her immediately if anyone else made an offer. Lisa understood, after all it could also take months to get the money together, she had no idea how fast everything would go.

Immediately after coffee, Sjaak and Lisa left in the pickup for Henk's house. They arrived there a bit early, but did not have to wait long for the police-officers. They opened the door for them and walked in with them. The place where they had found Henk had been cordoned off with ribbons. It made Lisa feel uncomfortable, but she bravely walked on. "I think I'll start upstairs," she said to Sjaak. Sjaak walked behind her with a box so she could put everything she wanted to take with her in there right away. She walked straight to the closet where she knew the sex toys were. She looked at them for a second and then carelessly threw them into the box. "Good riddance! I’ll check all the closets because I don't know what else he has that is absolutely unsuitable for an auction."

Sjaak thought it would be smart to take his computer as well. "He only has a laptop," Lisa responded. She knew where it was, deposited it in the box. She searched the drawers to check for USB sticks and the like. She found dozens of them. As she stood with it in her hands, she wondered if all the videos he had made of her were on there too. In any case, she decided to take them with her. She found no photo or movie camera. She suspected that he had only filmed her with his cell phone. Where would that thing be? She searched all the drawers and closets, but couldn't find that cell phone. When she asked the officers about it, they both started blushing, "Sorry ma'am, he had his cell phone in his pocket, so the police took it."

By their blushing faces she knew they had seen the contents. Lisa was now even more embarrassed than the officers. "What did you do with his pictures and videos?"

The one agent was honest and brave enough to admit that they had viewed them, and that they had enjoyed them.

Lisa felt an intense anger rising and firmly replied to them, "Do you know that I was forced by that man to do these things? Do you even know what that's called? Physical abuse, because you bet it was painful! And sexual abuse! I never, ever consented to this! He forced me to do it, first only with himself, but later with all kinds of guests who he made pay handsomely for it. Forced into prostitution! And you are going to gape at such pictures and videos? I would prefer to give you a gigantic slap in the middle of your fucking head! And no, I am not sorry for using such words! You are indirectly guilty of the abuse, the mistreatment that has been done to me! Well, how does that feel?"

They had turned even redder and were looking at her with wide eyes. It took a moment for one of them to respond, "We really had no idea, that you were not doing it voluntarily. That must have been horrible indeed! I'll try to find out where that mobile has gone and make sure the footage gets to safety. Or do you want something else?"

"Ideally, I would like to have that mobile myself, before some idiot starts forwarding that material to his own mobile. If that hasn't already happened..."

"I will tell our colleagues your story, in the hope that they will be so understanding as to remove the material from their own mobile. Because yes, some colleagues have indeed already forwarded it to their own mail. And now that I know... know how it was done, I can only regret it. I am really very sorry this happened, it should never have happened. And I'm even more sorry about what happened to you here. You must have gone through hell."

Lisa nodded, "It certainly was yes..."

Sjaak had only listened until now. He intervened now, with clenched fists: "I would like you to take us to the police station later, so that Lisa herself can call your colleagues to order. And can take the cell phone."

The most talkative officer nodded, "I can understand that, but not all colleagues are on duty, so it won't help you much. I can, however, draft a message with your story in it and the demand to destroy all photo and film material and make sure all colleagues get that message. And I am even willing to ask each of them whether they have complied with this demand, and then to inform you of the reactions. Can you do something with that?"

"Yes, actually even better," Lisa said, "then I don't have to put myself on display there. Do you understand Sjaak? To have to go through this with both these agents is bad enough for me..."

Both Sjaak and the agents were understanding.

"Then please do as you just suggested. And yes, I would love to hear from you, how your colleagues reacted."

The agent, relieved at how she was handling it, nodded, "I promise I'll do everything I can to take care of it for you!"

"Fine! Then I just want to search the floor down here."

Lisa was able to go through it quickly, hardly finding anything of her own, and what she considered her possessions, she didn't want to take. She just didn't feel the need to, this was all part of that dark time....

"We're ready," she said to the officers, "thanks for your help and understanding. Are you coming along, Sjaak?"

Sjaak nodded to her, to the agents and walked with the box behind Lisa. In the cargo area of the pickup, he closed the box and tied it up. Once in the cab, he stared ahead with a twisted face, his hands clasped around the steering wheel.

"Sjaak," Lisa asked as she put her hand on his, "are you okay?"

"No, actually, I'm not. I'll be able to drive later, but I'm so incredibly angry about everything that happened to you in that house, and about the carelessness of the police force here. Damn them, that horny boys! They're no better than Henk! Yes, I know they thought you did it voluntarily, but still. What idiotic guy is going to sit around indulging in the sex of an unknown woman?"

"Yeah, I can't understand that either... they're somehow not healthy in their own sexual lives, something like that... and then the peer pressure, I'm sure that must have played a part too. Imagine being married to an agent like that. Then you think you have a man who is only with you... and then in the meantime he starts collecting such videos and photos... Anyway, I don't understand men who are involved in this. Those men in their expensive suits, who came to me for pleasure. Rich men, prominent men. I didn't know any of them, but their clothes and speech testified that they were high-ranking people. Actually, they should be prosecuted for it, but how should I do that? I don't know who they were, and I seduced them myself, I had to, Henk had taught me that. My dresses, my attitude, my lingerie, all the ways to make them feel that the pleasure was all mine. Oh well, let's just wait and see what the officer has to say in a while. Then we'll see."

Sjaak nodded, gave her a kiss on her hand that was still on his and started the engine. They drove home in outward quiet, where Lisa took the box of stuff to the dumpster. She put the torture devices Henk had used on her in a garbage bag, buttoned it up tightly and threw it in the dumpster. She wanted to throw away all the USB sticks as well, but in consultation with Sjaak she decided to keep them for a while. If it ever came to a lawsuit against the men who had used her as a prostitute, she would almost certainly have enough evidence. She put them in a plastic bag, buttoned it and stuck a label on it with the words 'USB Henk'. Deeply, she hoped that she would never have to open that bag.

.

Meanwhile Sjaak was completely upset. He wanted to scream, but not in front of Lisa. He decided to take refuge in the piano. He played in for a moment and then let himself be guided by what he felt. The melody was marked by anger and lashings of frustration. It was one big scream.

Lisa sat down on the bed behind him and listened. She knew deep down that what he was feeling was not directed at her, but for what had been done to her, and she drank in the music like a balm that hurt, but brought healing. His pain for her, his anger for her, his frustration... came out of his love for her.

To chapter 127. The burning of your soul

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