Without a Trace - Part 8

"So JR after that little chat you still want to go ahead with this?"

"Yes Sis it needs to be done too many have been hurt for too long, whoever is doing this needs to be stopped and at least jailed or given therapy" JR stated firmly "Well it looks like we start going shopping for my new young sister. I do hope you don’t end up needing diaper's though"

"Very funny Sis” but the thought did worry JR.

JR followed after the two women and noticed they headed for the unmarked cruiser that was parked by the entrance of the hospital. The two police women settled into the front seats and JR settled into the back seat. His sister smiled as she pulled out into traffic and looked at her partner and exchanged a barely perceptible nod to each other. Joanie was determined to enjoy this part of the proceedings. She always wished that JR was more of a sister than brother and what had come out was enough to please her. Her partner was a little surprised at how well Joanie was taking this, to her it would be a shock but she was an only child.

Thank fully the drive was a short one as they pulled into a rather upper class mall and Joanie went round to let JR out of the back.

“JR I need to ask you again are you sure that you really want to go through with this, it could be pretty damned dangerous?” Joanie let her concerns show in her face.

Jan looked over at the teenage boy and saw that there was a mark of determination on his face. She nudged her partner in the ribs as an unvoiced comment to let it drop. The three of them entered the mall and Jan was on her cell phone to her captain as she talked she noted down a set of numbers and then smiled. She handed the paper to Joanie and she smiled also as the last figure was a monetary value and there was also what appeared to be a badge number.

“Jon I don’t know how to say this but it seems that the Chief has decided after mom called him that you are joining the force” Joanie’s voice was filled with joy, “once we are done here you are to be sworn in.”

“What?” JR was surprised at this development and looked at Jan for confirmation. The female detective nodded and added her smile to his sisters and a gentle touch to his shoulder. The three of them entered one of the larger teen fashion stores in the mall and approached a sales assistant and pointed at the piece of paper. The assistant called a manager and the older woman nodded and lead the three to a private room.

This was a very upper class establishment and the manager saw to it that the three of them were settled. She then turned to JR and her smile became easier and she looked at his clothes closely.

“Dear what do I call you? I am Grace” Her voice was gentle.

“Please call me JR Ms Grace” JR replied.

The older woman frowned slightly and made a comment over young ladies not using proper names now days. JR had to laugh at the comment, he gently explained to Grace he was actually a Tran’s gendered person and Jonathon was his birth name. Grace did a double take and then smiled and nodded and took in his current looks and shook her head.

She pulled out a hand held organiser and started pressing keys as she seemed to flick through pages on an electronic catalogue. As the time passed there was a knock on the rooms’ door and two young sales assistants entered their arms full of clothes. They hung them up on a clothes rack and left with a gentle smile. Grace looked at JR and motioned him over to a pedestal near the rack and to help him get undressed. JR tried to resist the offers but Grace was a little insistent and JR allowed her to help. He was hardly shy but the matter of fact way Grace viewed his body and measurements and standing there in a pair of male underwear and no top seemed not to meet Graces expectations.

Grace made a quick call on the PDA she held and a sales assistant ran in with a set of teenaged lingerie. Grace helped him on with the training bra and handed him a robe that came down past his knees so he could change his panties. Once that was done she then helped him pick out a set of dresses for every day wear, then onto gym clothes and other things that was needed. Slowly the pile of selected clothes grew and the sales assistants walked in and out of the room with ever growing piles of clothing. The three of them looked at the pile and was shocked at just how much there were amassing.

After an hour had passed there was a huge pile of bags and Grace held out the blazer of the school uniform that JR was now wearing and the skirt felt rather strange around her knees. The knee socks were a pristine white and the uniform jumper and blouse made her appear as though she was under the age of fifteen. Grace clucked at the state of JR’s hair and gently teased the strands out to settle the style a bit easier. She then pulled out a pair of tweezers and teased a few stray hairs from the eyebrows and smiled at the effect. The three left the fitting room and walked out to the cruiser. The last of the bags were settled into the trunk and the lid closed and Joanie opened the rear door for JR and made sure he was buckled in.

JR felt slightly intimidated by how old his sister appeared to him dressed the way he was now. He could not help but feel younger than his years and the school uniform seemed to extenuate that image. Also it seemed that the attitude of both Joanie and Jan had changed towards him and they seemed more patronising but also protective. It was as if the clothing he wore defined his position and the girls were reinforcing it. They pulled out again into traffic but only after a short while Joanie pulled the care into the parking lot of a toy store and dived out with her purse and rushed in.

She came out a few minutes later carrying a hello kitty back pack and stuffed toy and opening the back door handed them to JR. He looked a little confused but Joanie mouthed it will help and he relaxed after a short while they reached police headquarters and this time Jan let JR out of the back of the cruiser. As they approached the imposing doors of the building there seemed to be rather a large amount of uniformed officers waiting on the steps. When they saw JR and the girls they without any command being given lined up to create an honour guard. Little did the trio know that the chief had arranged this as she felt it was the best welcome she could give to the newest addition to the roll of undercover detectives.

The three entered the lobby and JR saw his mom there with a woman dressed in a rather imposing business suit. Her face though was warmed by a gentle smile as she waited once they reached her she motioned them to join her in a large auditorium. They entered and there was a sea of blue uniforms in all the seats and at the front rows were a lot of police officers with rank markings including Joanie and Jan’s captain. As JR walked onto the stage a quiet seemed to settle as if they were all expecting something to happen.

The chief opened a briefing explaining the disappearances that had plagued the town, the older officers put in interjections about cases they remembered also. From what was buzzing around the room this had gone on for a while. A retired officer stood up and approached the stage and waited in front of the chief.

“Chief I don’t know what can be done, whatever happens at the hall stole my son away from me I got left with caring for a girl with the mind of a baby and the body of a hooker” there were tears in his eyes as he spoke.

The chief after that interruption looked up at the assembled officers and brass and there was a hard glint of steel in her eyes. She went on to explain a specialist task force was being set up and the members of the team were on the stage with her. She went on about how all officers were needed to work with this task force and to give them all assistance when needed. There was the sound of officers agreeing to what was laid out. JR looked at the assembled group and he wondered what he had let himself in for but he knew it was something that he had to do for himself.

After the chief had finished she started to introduce the team the officers nodded as Joanie and Jan were introduced and raised an eyebrow as JR’s mom was added to the team. There was a short break as JR hid behind his sister wondering how he was going to be accepted by the officers. As the chief mentioned JR’s full name Joanie stood to the side and there seemed to a dropping of temperature.

“Bloody hell it’s a kid, what the heck can she do”

The chief looked around to find the ones who spoke and cleared her throat and glared.

“Ladies and gentlemen let me introduce the newest member of the team this is detective Kylie Roberts, and I have the honour of swearing her in” She went on to officially swear JR in and he wondered where this would lead. The chief went on to explain a completely fictitious set of events that had lead to JR being promoted to detective. Once she had finished the wind had changed and the group of officers gave the team a standing ovation.

To be continued..........

Part nine operation flytrap