Introduction
This is one of five possible continuations of the story Path to the Crossroads. It is necessary to have traveled in the mind on the path to the crossroads before choosing in which direction to continue. May the reader find adventure, pleasure, and maybe even peace of mind, down the path he or she has chosen to travel.

Of Paths to Take
 
Path to the Mall

By: Zylux

In the display window were many stunningly beautiful things to look at, and I quickly scanned over all, coming to rest on five mini skirts laid out across the floor at the front of the display window. Each was expertly tailored using high quality fabrics in a variety of different designs, stimulating a different vision of the type of woman who would wear such an expensive skirt and the radically different men she would be surrounded by. That something inside me not only wanted to slip into those skirts, but an appropriate daydream as well.

One skirt in particular was quick to grab my attention. It was a slim fitting, beige, wool mini skirt with a wide waist band and two button, side zip closure that wanted to pair up with a matching fitted jacket. It had a cut and an overall impression of being very expensive and would be worn by a sexy, sophisticated, intelligent woman of means in a boardroom filled with powerful men, each competing for the wearer's attention. Now there was a dream I could spend some time in.

But that was not to be, for a very different type of skirt caught the attention of that something inside me. It was a flared, rube red sequined, mini skirt that shouted sex. It was the kind of skirt a woman looking for a fun night would wear to the top night club. She would thrill at all the men jostling with each other, trying to be the one to dance with her and hoping to be the one she would go home with. It was a dream that my inner something wanted to slip into, but I didn't, and I forced my gaze to move on.

My attention focused on a pleated, turquoise and gray plaid, mini skirt that invoked an image of a school girl with a pixie haircut. My mind dressed her in a white, long sleeve, turtleneck pullover sweater with a thin black belt around the waist. I smiled at the sweet, innocent picture as she headed for an exclusive private school. That something inside me did NOT like it and quickly changed the girl to a young woman by adding an ample chest. It then slipped her feet into black, high heeled pumps. Her hair became long and wavy. College was on her agenda.

The sweet innocent look was fast eroding away when suddenly; a breeze momentarily shifted a broken metal sign dangling from a poll on the outer edge of the parking area, briefly reflecting a ray of sunlight into the display window. The bright flash of light lasted just long enough to light up a straight, pure white mini skirt. My attention was completely captured by the nearly blinding light reflected off the skirt. My thoughts were instantly transported to the deck of a cruse ship, littered with wealthy people, all dressed in white suits, engaged in social activities of the day. I wanted to dwell on all the possible continuations of that day dream, but that something inside me forced me to move on.

My attention then came to rest on the last skirt, a blue denim mini skirt with a two inch wide, turned up hem instead of the normal turned under hem. I followed my inner something as it slipped deep into a day dream in which I was pulling that skirt up my legs, securing it in place with the front button and zipper fly. An unbuttoned blue and white checkered shirt materialized around my upper body. I slowly tied the bottom of the shirt into a knot, leaving the upper part unbuttoned. I had in my mind an image of raw sex appeal that needed a place to go, but where? The rodeo? Logical but no, for the skirt was high end and it demanded a classier venue. Like, a horse breeding farm where the wearer would be the owner … no, the daughter of the owner, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, swinging side to side as she sashayed out to the stables, seeking out the beefy hired …

Once again my daydream was shattered, this time by a car in a hurry, coming from my right that quickly decelerated to a stop directly behind me, its engine throbbing with the sound of pure muscle. I heard the driver side door open followed by the sound of first one boot hitting the pavement quickly followed by the other.

"You there! Turn around with you hands out to the side, now!"

I did as commanded and found myself being confronted by a woman police officer staring at me over the roof of her cruiser. She stared at me as she slammed the door closed and came around the front of the car. The intensity of her stare caused me to glance away. My attention refocused on her name tag, which read: Sergeant Lynn J____. From what I had seen of her, I could tell that she was a striking woman with a tough, hardness about her. She wore her hair up in a tight bun at the lower back of her head that stuck out from under her cap. As she approached me, I could see that she was at least six feet three, a couple of inches taller than me, giving her the tactical advantage of holding the high ground. She came to stand close in front of me as if to intimidate me. She then peered around me and stared down at the floor of the display window. A smile appeared on her face as she caught sight of the mini skirts. Her smile intensified as she looked back at me, and then took a step back in order to give me a good looking over from head to toe. But the smile turned more into a leer as her visual inspection came to focus on my right arm. She grabbed my right wrist, raising it up and turning it to expose a small tattoo on my right inner forearm. The look on her face told me that I was deep in that brown stuff.

"What do we have here, a gang tattoo?"

"Um, no no, it's a symbol of a karate dojo I used to belong to."

"You expect me to believe that YOU are some kind of marshal arts expert?"

"Hardly, but I was really into it in my high school and early college days."

"Well, I'm not buying that and I was just going to cite you for that little sprint of yours across the boulevard that caused one driver to swerve into another lane, but this ups the ante. I'm going to run you through the system. Show me your ID."

I slowly, deliberately, took out my wallet and extracted my driver's license. With a slightly shaking hand, I handed my license to the officer. She took it back to her cruiser, opened the passenger door and slipped in with her legs outside the vehicle. She reached over and snatched the hand mike from it's holder on the police radio and jerked it up close to her mouth. She said something and then read my license number into the mike. She dropped her hand with the mike into her lap and waited for a reply. It wasn't long in coming. She got back out of the car, leaving the door open, and strutted up to me with a look of disappointment.

"Alright, you came back clean, but I'm still going to issue a citation for jaywalking."

"Do you have too? Look, I didn't mean to do that, it's just that I got seduced by the smell of coffee…"

"Coffee? That's the shop down on the end."

"Yeah I know, it's … Okay, look, I was on a walk around in the mall, but started feeling kind of depressed after looking at the new, um… Well, I needed some air and stepped outside, and then I caught the smell of coffee, but I got distracted … It's complicated, can you just give me a warning instead? My jobs not much more than minimum wage…

"Hurting for money are we? Alright, you've got your warning, but with a condition, or two. For now, you can show up at the dojo on Linux just north of Pascal at eight o'clock tonight."

"Whoa, wait a minute, what for?"

"If I read you correctly, I think you will fit in with a program the department has created, and rather well I should think."

"What kind of program?"

"Never mind. I just have to check you out on a couple of things. All you need to worry about, for now, is being there on time. Got that?"

"Yes ma'am, I'll be there."

"Excellent. Now then, you're a ways from home, how did you get here?"

"By car, it's parked at the far end of the mall."

"Makes sense. Well, I have a few personal questions best asked in private. I can do it here in the car or, if you are done fantasizing about wearing those mini skirts and have no further interest in coffee, I can do it while giving you a lift back to your car."

Wow! Where did that come from? I know that the police have a heightened sense of observation, but that just shocked me to the core. I froze, unable to move. All I could do was wonder just how much of my daydream was obvious to her. Sergeant J____ leered with pleasure at my surprise as she turned away and headed for the front of her car. With her no longer leering at me, I was able to override my shock and got in the police car through the open passenger side door just as she opened the driver side door and slipped in behind the wheel. I indicated my accepting a lift by closing the door and buckling up the seat belt. Sergeant J____ shot me a sly smile then shifted into drive and drove on to the end of the mini mall where there was an exit. Almost directly across the boulevard was an entrance to the malls parking lot. After waiting for a break in traffic in both directions, she gunned the engine and speed across the busy street.

Once in the parking lot, Sergeant J____ maneuvered onto the main artery that ran in front of the side of the mall I had exited on. That’s when she engaged me in a conversation about my personal life, work, and family or more accurately, lack of family ties, having alienated my family by dropping out of collage and becoming a common laborer. But it wasn't a friendly conversation. It felt more like I was being interrogated, but for what I couldn't tell.

We rounded the end of the mall, and with the parking lot still sparsely used, I was able to point out my aging VW bug. Sergeant J____ abruptly stopped on the main road near my car. I thanked her for the lift and got out of the car. As soon as the car door closed, she sped off in the direction of the mini mall. I stood there and watched her car disappear in the distance before getting into my own car and making for home.

Once back at home, my mind was free to dwell on the officer's demand that I meet her at a dojo later that night, the reason for which escaped me. What could a female police officer, karate, and a lack of money add up to? And there was my fantasizing over mini skirts that didn't escape her attention, was that a piece in the puzzle or something for her pleasure?

Not knowing what lay in store for me at the dojo, I figured it would be best to have an early dinner so as to meet what ever waited for me with an empty stomach and a fueled up body. A can of soup fit the bill nicely and was consumed about an hour before I had to get ready. As the appointed hour drew near, I retreated to my bedroom to change clothes. My old karategi was retrieved from a forgotten corner of the closet and laid out on the bed. I stripped to my shorts and then put on the white trousers and white jacket. The blue belt denoting my mid kyu ranking was lifted off the hanger and secured around my waist. An old pair of sandals was pulled from the closet and I slipped my feet into them. I grabbed my keys and my wallet, and then headed for, and out, the front door.

I made my way to my assigned parking spot without running into anyone that I might have to explain my appearance to. Upon getting into my car, I leaned over to stuff my wallet in the glove box. Straightening up, I put the key in the ignition and turned it on. The engine of my aging VW bug finally fired up after the usual protests. I backed out and headed off to my appointment with Sergeant J____.

The trip to the dojo was uneventful and I had no trouble finding the place. Finding parking was a different matter. I ended up parking on the opposite side of the street and up from the dojo. The key was removed from the ignition and transferred to my left hand as I got out of my car. I surveyed the street looking for a break in traffic intending to sprint across, but I didn't; after all, it was jaywalking that got me into whatever mess I was in. Reluctantly, I walked down to the intersection with Pascal and crossed. I worked my way up to the dojo, hoping that I was on time.

Entering the dojo, I was greeted by a typical scene of students stretching and warming up on the mat. They were adults, mostly white belts with a few yellow belts mixed in. Sergeant J____ was easy to spot, although she was not in uniform. Instead, she was wearing a white pants suit with the jacket off and draped over her arm, revealing a black, long sleeve shirt, the top button of which was undone. She was standing at the edge of the training area in white pumps with a low, wide heel, engaged in conversation with a man dressed in his karategi and a black belt with two yellow stripes on one end indicating a second dan ranking. As I came up to them, the officer noticed me and turned to greet me.

"You have arrived and slightly ahead of time, excellent. Master K____, this is Jeff, the person of interest. Jeff, meet Master K____. He will be assessing your physical and defensive skills."

"Nice to meet you Jeff. Come join my students in some calisthenics and then I'll put you through the test."

As the students moved into formation before Master K____, I moved down to the back edge of the mat and turned to face it. I slipped out of my sandals, bent down to put my car key in one of them and straightened up. I made a partial bow before stepping onto the mat. Master K____ took note and gave a slight nod of approval with his head as I took a position at the end of the first row of students and made ready. We were really put to it. It was beyond any doubt, the most intense workout I had experienced since my quitting karate when I dropped out of collage to explore South America. I would be feeling it in the morning.

With calisthenics out of the way, the students sat down on the edges of the mat. Master K____ had me take a position at the center of the mat facing the students. He then called up the largest of his students, wearing a yellow belt. While my adversary was a few inches shorter than me, he was at least twice my weight and definitely stronger than me. Master K____ had him attack me from the front, than the side, and finally from behind. I fended off all attacks, broke all holds, and, as if to put an exclamation point on my performance, put my opponent on the mat. I couldn't help feeling a bit proud of myself; after all, it had been years since I last engaged someone in combat. Master K____ did not seem to be impressed.

Instead he called up two other students of average height and build, and then had both of them attack me together. We were put through several more scenarios, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Master K____ had the students retake their seats on the mat and then turned to face me. He issued a roaring one word challenge in Japanese. I responded by assuming the standard tee formation and we engaged in combat. Master K____ was clearly my better, but in the end, I had given a good account of myself and even managed to stay on my feet. We bowed to each other and then shook hands. He gave me some words of praise, and then motioned for his students to rise.

As the students paired up for the day's lesson, I exited the back of the mat pausing to pick up my key and slip my feet into my sandals. Master K____ had moved to engage in a brief conversation with Sergeant J____. As he turned to rejoin his students, the officer looked at me and smiled, but it wasn't entirely a friendly one, it was more along the lines of someone about to make an advantageous deal. The officer watched me come up the side of the mat to her.

"How'd I do Officer?"

"Let's talk proposition, but not here. There's a coffee shop just around the corner. And you can call me Lynn."

Coffee shop? Oh great, that's what lured me into this mess in the first place. We walked to the coffee shop for the most part in silence. As we came up to the shop I noticed a police car parked in front. Two officers were seated at a table for four just inside the front door enjoying a cup of coffee, the immediate area around them was clear. As we joined them, I noticed a couple of empty cups in front of the empty chairs and a half filled pot of coffee.
"Jeff, this is Captain Larry S____, and Lieutenant Frank Y____. Gentlemen, this is Jeff D____, the man I told you about."

"Have a seat Jeff, and help yourself to the coffee."

Lynn took a seat next to the Captain, leaving me to seat myself next to the other officer. I poured myself a cup of coffee, and then set the pot in front of Lynn. I started to savor it as Lynn briefed the two officers on the results of the test.

"Master K____ has just checked him out and has signed off on him. He's a little tall, but otherwise perfect for Operation Drag-net. He's got the defensive skills, no close social ties, and the right mind set. I say we give him a try."

"Whoa, what's this Operation Drag-net, Captain?"

"We have a problem concerning a recent rise in muggings and rape. We have had to pull to many officers off other assignments to patrol and catch the perp in any given hot spot. That leaves too much of the city without adequate protection for an unknown length of time. And with the budget cutbacks we just don't have the money for additional officers. What we do have, is enough money from drug property seizures for bounties. That's where you come in. We send you into a trouble spot, dressed appropriately, to draw out the suspect. When successful, you signal Lynn and her partner, who will come in and make the arrest. When the suspect is convicted and in jail, you will collect the bounty.

"Um, what do you mean 'dressed appropriately'?"

"Usually that means dressed and made up as, a woman."

"Wait, isn't that something the police are already doing?"

"Yes, but only a few have proven suitable enough to be effective, and they have been used so often that they are being spotted. We need fresh faces. So, are you in?"

"I'd have to think about it. And just out of curiosity, what kind of numbers are we talking about?"

"It depends on the case. The more difficult and dangerous the suspect and the more urgent it is to get him off the street, the bigger the bounty. But you can figure on this range, with some reaching this level."

The Captain wrote some numbers on a napkin and slid it across the table to me. I looked at it in a state of astonishment having instantly compared it to what little my job paid. I folded the napkin in half and stuffed it into my left back pocket. And with that, the meeting was over. Everyone got up and headed out the door. Outside the shop, Lynn pulled me off to the side out of hearing of the Captain and Lieutenant who were engaged in conversation.

"What's to think about? You will actually get to wear skirts similar to the ones you were daydreaming about. And the makeup artist we hire on an as needed bases, will make sure you look like you should be wearing a skirt."

Once again Lynn shocked me and all I could do was stare at her. My inner something seized the moment to force upon my thoughts the idea of being made up to actually look like a woman. For some reason, I seemed to thrill at the idea and started to drift off into a daydream. But I was instantly brought back to reality by Lynn. She was intently smiling at me, but again, it wasn't entirely friendly. No, it was more along the lines of someone who had stumbled upon some forbidden secret she could use to advantage.

"Look, you have the opportunity to make a difference, to make life a little less worrisome for the women of this city. Besides you still 'owe' me, so come in to the station tomorrow when you can, and ask for the Captain. There's some paperwork to fill out and you will need to be briefed on procedures."

"What you are asking of me is far more than waving some jaywalking fine."

"True enough, but that's no longer a factor. There's more at play here and you know it. It's obvious to me that deep down inside, you want to do it. I dare say that you relish the idea of not only dressing the part, but looking the part."

Lynn smiled at me a friendly reassuring way, but the thought of her possibly knowing my secret, was to embarrassing and I couldn't look at her. Instead, I just looked down and gave an affirmative nod of my head.

"Excellent. It's just as I thought earlier. You ARE perfect for Operation Drag-net. Now, are you working tomorrow? Yes? Then I'll inform the Captain that you will be in directly after work."

Lynn reached out, placing her fingers under my chin. She gently coaxed me to lift up my head and look her in the eyes. She was smiling, but it quickly changed into a leer. Lynn turned away and headed for the Captain, leaving me to stare at her in shock. I slipped into a daze as I headed off to cross Linux and turned up street to my car. I remained in a daze as I drove home, walked to my apartment, and eventually made ready for bed. Sleep didn't come easy as there was just too much running through my mind and all of it was overshadowed by the potential of some sort of extortion if I tried to back out. Would Lynn, a police officer, actually resort to that? It was not a thought one could drift off to sleep on.

Things didn't improve much the next day. I headed off to work, sore, restless, and still in a daze, and stayed that way to the end of my shift. It wasn't until well after work, with me staring at the entrance to the police station, that the reality of what I was about to commit to, managed to bring me back to the conscious world and I froze, unable to move.

I stared at the entrance for what seemed like an eternity but was actually less than ten seconds. My hesitation wasn't due so much as to the danger involved, but more to being dress in women's clothing in public and surrounded by many who would know I was a man. I was at an impasse until that something inside me rose up and took control. Suddenly, the entrance became closer and larger. I watched my hand reach for, and seize, the door handle. The door was pulled open and my inner something dragged me through. One of two officers behind the front desk looked up at me.

"Can I help you sir?"

"Yeah, um, I'm Jeff D____, here to see Captain S____. He's expecting me."

"Yes sir. I'll need to see some ID and you will need to fill out this security form."

I pulled my wallet from my back pocket, took out my driver's license, and handed it to the officer. He looked it over and handed it back to me. It was put back into my wallet which was returned to my back pocket. As I filled out the form, the officer called the Captain and informed him that I had arrived. Just as I finished the paperwork, a security door just to the right of the front desk buzzed and opened. It was the Captain carrying a folder with some papers in it.

The desk officer took the form from me and issued me a visitor's badge, noting its number on the security form. As I clipped it to the front pocket of my shirt, the Captain ushered me through the security door. The door closed behind us with the sound of a massive deadbolt being electronically thrust into a locking receptacle. A feeling that there was no turning back swept over me.

The Captain led me to the briefing room with floor to ceiling windows along the front. Inside, there were rows of tables with chairs, all facing to the left end of the room. At that end were a podium, an overhead projector, and a view screen. The Captain handed me the folder and ushered me through the door.

"Have a seat Jeff; you have some paperwork to fill out. Now, even though you are not a police officer, or even an employee of the police department, there are rules and regulations that govern our actions that you will need to be aware of, as well as procedures you will have to follow in the course of drawing out and apprehending a suspect. An instructor from the academy will join you shortly and will fill you in. I'll see you at the end. Welcome aboard."

Great, more paperwork. It took no small amount of time to fill out all the forms, with each one being more invasive of my personal life than the one before. The last one was a questionnaire that delved into my psychic. I had yet to finish when the instructor entered the room. We exchanged greetings before he laid another stack of papers in a binder, in front of me. He setup a few papers of his own as I finished off the questionnaire.

As soon as I finished with my paperwork, we started on the instructor's. There was a lot to cover and it quickly became apparent that I was getting a general overview of something that a police cadet would have to spend days, if not weeks, learning. Some of it made sense, while some of it seemed to be handicaps imposed by the courts. It all came down to officer safety verses the suspect's rights and the documentation of all that transpired and how much of it would apply to me even though I was an outside consultant, of sorts. When all was said and done the instructor led me from the room to the Captains office which was close by.

"All done? Thanks for coming in Tom. Okay, Jeff, I'll be reviewing the paperwork and Tom's assessment. The questionnaire will be reviewed by the department psychologist. If he signs off on you, then everything goes to the Commissioner. When he signs off, Lynn will then be able to call you in when needed. She is the primary field officer for this operation and has the final say on who, when, where, and so on. You should hear from me one way or the other within a week. I'll see you to the front desk."

We walked back the way we had come with the Captain pointing out different departments and other things. The impromptu tour ended when we reached the front security door. The Captain nodded to an officer in a glass booth off to the side. A buzzing sound came from the door as well as the heavy thud of a dead bolt being electronically pulled back. The captain opened the door for me and I slipped through. We wished each other a good night before the door once again closed with the ominous sounds imposed by a needed security. I checked out with the same officer at the front desk and then departed the station, got in my car and headed for home to wait out the decision on my fate. Four days later, the Captain called me after work. I was in.

Note Worthy Case no. 1

My first case came in the late afternoon of the very next day. It had been a miserably boring and physically exhausting day at work. I had thankfully made it home in one piece and had just collapsed onto the sofa to try and recover, when the phone rang, annoying me to no end.

"Yeah?"

"Jeff? It's Lynn."

"Hey Lynn, what's up?"

"An urgent case. It's low risk and should be perfect for you to start out with. The university over on the west side has experienced three rapes on campus in the last five weeks. Needless to say, they don't want there to be a fourth."

"Understandable, but can the police afford to get involved when the attacks occur so infrequently? Surely campus security can increase patrols where the rapes have occurred."

"A pattern has emerged that makes the attacks predictable but that knowledge comes with a couple of manpower problems for campus security. First, the attacks have only occurred during well attended, on campus, sporting events in virtually deserted areas of the campus. During these events, security is so swamped with traffic and crowd control that it doesn't have sufficient personal or budget to adequately patrol the deserted areas, where no one has any business being alone in the first place. It's likely that the suspect has observed what patrols there are long enough to know when he has a safe window to operate in."

"Hasn't the administration issued a warning to avoid that area?"

"They have, and that brings up the second problem. The corridor where the attacks have occurred is a convent route between the southern apartments and the commercial part of the campus. Normally, there is enough security personal as well as student traffic to ward off any trouble, so the students have pretty much ignored the warning."

"So, prevention has failed and it's time to ferret out and remove the problem. I'm in."

"Excellent. I'll call in Elaine, our makeup artist. On your way in, you are going to have to pickup a suitable outfit. There's an open mall close to the station with a couple of stores that work with the department. Have you got a pen and paper handy? I'll give you their names, who to see, and a code for billing the department."

"Um, jus' a sec… Okay, ready."

Lynn dictated the info as I wrote it down.

"Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Excellent. Oh, and not to worry, the stores personal are used to helping officers who have drawn mugging duty. They are very supportive of the work our officers do. You can rest assured that there will be no jokes or laughter during or after your visit. Their professional mannerism should lessen any embarrassment you may develop from having to select and try on women's clothing. Of course, that's assuming you don't have something suitable in your closet you can press into service. Be at the station by six."

Once again, Lynn had shocked me speechless, but before I could recover and give protest she had hung up. An image of her sitting at her desk, looking at her phone, and chuckling to herself filled my mind. There was nothing I could do about it, so I shifted my thoughts to what I needed to do before leaving for the station. Considering the day I had, a shower was in order and I would need to shave, and not just my face but my legs as well. Of course I could wear thigh length opaque stockings instead, but that was something a male officer would do. The suspect might consider that in his selection of a target. I wanted him to choose me and that meant eliminating anything that would hint of my being a decoy. With a game plan in mind, I forced my self up off the couch and headed for the bathroom.

As I entered the bathroom, I started to strip off my clothes, hanging them on a hook on the back of the door. Shaving my face was first on the list and was done at the sink as usual. Next were my legs, something best done in the shower. I lathered up, grabbed the razor and got in the shower. I turned on the hot water valve just enough for a trickle to come from the shower head and got to work. It wasn't long before my legs were silky smooth. All that was left was to clean the rest of me.

I was about to turn up the shower when another potential of blowing my cover came to mind. It concerned the soap. The soap was grabbed from its holder and brought to my nose. It had a slight masculine fragrance. This was the one time when smelling like a man in public would not be a good thing. Fortunately, there was an alternative at my disposal. About a year earlier, I had purchased a "luxurious pampering home spa" soap that has the fragrance of baby powder and flowers. I used it on dress up nights when I had the desire to feel extra feminine.

The soap was retrieved from a small sealed container under the sink. Upon opening the container I was immediately hit by the fragrance and my thoughts turned to it being too feminine for a man, after all, I still had shopping to do. That something inside me didn't care and it willed me to put it in the showers soap holder. I complied, but resolved to use it sparingly. The shower was turned up and I stepped in. As I lathered up and rubbed the soap across my skin, the fragrance filled my nose.

The purely feminine scent turned my thoughts to what I would wear on the assignment. An image of the clothing store display window where I was first confronted by Lynn materialized in front of me. In my mind, I again looked down at the five mini skirts on the floor. The turquoise and gray plaid pleated mini skirt jumped up at me and filled my field of vision. As I slipped back into the same daydream I had back then, I came to realize that it was the perfect outfit for the assignment, not my version, but that of my inner something. It wanted that outfit, and I wanted it too, as soon as possible. A new energy surged through me and I quickly finished up all I had to do in the bathroom.

I got dressed in fresh clothes and headed off for the kitchen. Once again, soup was the sensible choice. A large bowl was pulled from a drawer and set on the counter. A stale half loaf of French bread was retrieved from under a cover at the back of the counter. A thick slice was sawed off using a serrated knife and placed in the bottom of the bowl. I selected a can of chicken and vegetable soup from the overhead cabinet. It was opened by the pull tab on the top of the can and the contents were pored over the bread in the bowl. The soup was warmed up in my microwave oven and then quickly consumed while standing at the counter. I didn't bother to clean up; I just left everything where it was and headed for the door, grabbing the list I made, still by the phone, in passing. Getting to my car and then to the mall was uneventful and made without any delays.

At the mall, I started to drive along the front of the stores trying to spot the ones on my list when I noticed a couple of college aged girls excitedly entering a store displaying a youthful look in the front windows. It was on my list and I quickly parked in front of it. I sat there, staring at the entrance knowing what I had to do, but quickly realized that if I started to think about it, I probably couldn't do it. So, I took a deep breath and opened the car door, slipped out, shut the door and made a beeline for the store entrance, all in one non stop motion. I was determined to enter the store and head straight for a saleswoman. A good plan, that went out the window the moment I stepped inside. That's when I noticed it was a women's wear only store and I instantly stopped dead in my tracks. Needless to say, I did not fit in with the few customers that were browsing through racks of clothing. That didn't go unnoticed and a saleswoman quickly approached me. She came up close to me and addressed me in a low voice.

"I'm Gwen, may I help you sir?"

"Um, yeah, um, I'm on assignment with the police department, and I ah…"

"Oh, I see. Forgive my saying, but you don't exactly fit the profile of a police officer."

"I'm not. I'm more of a bounty hunter that the police have brought in for a particular case."

"Well, this is different, and we certainly want to help. What type of look are you in need of?"

"A female college student."

"Oh yes, I have heard that there has been a couple of incidents at the university. We get quite a few students and have dedicated a sizable area to them filled with the latest fashions for a young woman. It's right over here. "

One look in the direction she was moving in with me following slightly behind her, said it all; there was nothing that would come anywhere close to the image in my mind. I started to look around as I followed her, slowly falling further behind as I did so.

"These have just arrived. This section down here is geared to the college … um, sir…"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, nice, but someone wearing the latest in fashion would be someplace where she could show it off to the most people. The suspect is prowling the more deserted areas of the campus. I'm thinking something more dated but still attention grabbing."

"I see. With those criteria, your choices are going to be limited. I think that the best chance of finding the right look will be in our closeout section. It's over this way."

I followed Gwen around circular racks of clothing to the other side of the store. Projecting out from the wall were hanging bars for all of the outgoing fashions. Gwen went straight for a section near one end. She pushed some clothing to the end of the rack and some more to the center isolating a group of clothes that were styled to appeal to the tastes of a college aged girl. As she started to spread out the isolated group of clothes, I spotted it, it being a pleated mini skirt in a red and pink plaid.

"There! Um, I believe this one should fit in with the current campus atmosphere."

"Quite right, and as I recall, this style was rather popular early in the school year and should still carry some favor with a sizable portion of the student body. Now, given your height, I would suggest an athletic look. We do have sweat shirts in the school colors with graphics that would imply that you are a member of one of the women's teams."

"A good idea, except there's a game on tonight. Anyone involved with school sports would definitely show support by being at the game. I'm going to be in an area about as far as one can get from the game and still be on campus. Do you have a pullover turtleneck sweater in white?"

"Yes, but I think pink will be more your color with this skirt. We have that in stock. It's over this way."

Gwen had lifted the hanger with my skirt choice off the bar and was already heading off for parts unknown. I followed her to another part of the store to a table display where she grabbed, in passing, a pink turtleneck sweater. She then headed for a changing area in the back of the store. I instantly became apprehensive at the thought of having to try on women's clothes in public. I knew I had to, I just didn't think I could, after all, the other customers had probably seen me pick out the skirt as well as being led to the dressing rooms. It would be easy to assume that they had put two and two together.

Gwen passed a row of stalls down to what looked like an aisle way at the end. It turned out to be another stall but it was recessed back about ten feet creating a very private changing area. That feature and the realization that there was no one else in the changing area, yet, eased my anxiety. As I turned the corner, Gwen leaned in to whisper something to me as she handed me the clothes.

"I'll stand guard here, and if it won't embarrass you, I can offer my opinion as to how close you've come to the look you require and make any need suggestions."

I gave her a slight affirmative nod of my head and headed down to the changing stall. My inner something wanted to sprint down to the changing room and it took all I had to keep from doing so. Still, once safely in the room, I hung the clothes on a wall hook and then stripped to my shorts as fast as I could. I looked at the skirt hanging up on the wall. It began to call to me, willing me to wear it. I obliged. The sweater quickly followed.

Turning to a full length mirror that was on the wall opposite of the wall I had hung the clothes on, I gave myself a good looking over. That something inside me wasn't satisfied with my just standing there. It quickly took over and I found myself striking pinup girl type poses. One was quickly followed by another until I remembered that the saleswoman was waiting for me and I reined in my inner something as best I could. Still, I couldn't resist one last look. It was a youthful, sexy look, but it was falling short of my vision. It needed a belt and I quickly thought of a reason for one. With a deep breath and a visibly shaking hand I opened the door and stepped out.

Gwen, upon hearing the door open, turned to face me. She looked me over from head to toe and back. She then had me turn around and continued her inspection. I began to feel like a freak on display. As I came to again face her, she gave an affirmative nod of her head and then started to walk toward me. She came up to me, leaned in, and addressed me in a low voice.

"This outfit works for the look you want and you wear it well, you should be a most appealing target. The only addition I would recommend would be tennis shoes. They will make any confrontations with an assailant easier to handle."

"Good idea. I would also like a thin belt, so an assailant coming from behind can't pull the bottom of the sweater up above my head, restraining my arms and blinding me."

"A precaution I would not have thought of. You are quite the professional; I can see why the police have called you in. I'll get the shoes and belt while you change back into your clothes."

Gwen looked at my feet before heading back to the display area. I backed into the changing room and proceeded to change back into my clothes despite my inner something's wishes to the contrary. Gwen soon returned with three pairs of white tennis shoes and a thin red belt. I tried on the shoes and selected a pair that fit perfectly. Gwen gathered up everything as I put my own shoes on. It was on to the register.

Gwen rang up each item and then brought up the total. She keyed in a discount before asking me for the billing code. I showed her the paper I had written it on. She copied it onto the stores copy of the receipt and placed it in a special drawer under the register. She placed the clothes and my copy of the receipt in a large bag with the stores name and logo on it. As she handed the bag to me, she leaned slightly towards me.

"Good luck and may your hunt be successful."

I gave Gwen a quick nod of my head as I took the bag from her. I made for the front entrance in as manly a gate as I could, in anticipation of drawing stares from some, if not all, of the people in the store. I got to my car in short order and as I slipped into the driver's seat, dropped the bag onto the passenger seat. It was off to the station.

At the station, I checked in at the front desk as before, but was issued a slightly different badge. It read: Unescorted Visitor. The officer informed me that I was to proceed to the briefing room. He pushed a button and the security door was unlocked, allowing me to enter. I knew the way, and it wasn't long before I arrived at the briefing room. The Captain, Lynn and another officer were looking over a map of the campus and discussing a tactical plan with the head of campus security by phone.

"Hi Captain, Lynn, Officer."

"Jeff, you're early, excellent. Meet my partner, Pete. Pete, this is Jeff, he's tonight's decoy."

"Welcome to the team Jeff, I've heard about your karate prowess from Lynn. Looking forward to working with you. I see you've done some shopping. Come on, I'll show you to the locker room where you can change.

Pete ushered me out of the room and turned up the hallway with me along side of him. We engaged in some more welcoming small talk before the conversation turned to the job at hand.

"So, have you done anything like this before?"

"Nope, this is definitely a first."

"Not to worry, Lynn says that you can handle it. Besides, this is a really low risk case. There are no weapons or other paraphernalia being used by the suspect, at least, not so far anyway. Here we are."

We entered a large square room near the right side wall. Directly opposite in the far wall was an opening to what looked like the bathrooms, and showers beyond that. To our left were the lockers. There was a row of them against the front and far walls with a double row down the center of the room stopping short of the left hand wall leaving a gap wide enough to allow the passage of a person. There was a long, narrow, continuous bench in front of each row. Up against the left side wall between the first two rows of lockers, was a tall double door cabinet.

There were a couple of officers changing clothes and Pete introduced me to them. They had heard about a new decoy joining the Operation Drag-net team, saw my shopping bag with the stores name prominently displayed and put two and two together. They started in on some good natured ribbing. I tried to laugh it off, but inside my anxiety level was going ballistic. Thoughts of having to put on women's clothing in front of these guys, (and anyone else that should come into the room) were quickly turning into a hellish nightmare. I felt like a freak being forced to perform for the amusement of others. Pete led me down to the cabinet at the far end of the first aisle.

"This is our general supply and mugging duty accessory cabinet. In here you will find breast prosthesis, wigs, purses, and a few other things we have accumulated over the years. You are free to make use of anything in there you think will aid in the capture of the suspect. And, over here, is your locker."

Peat had slightly turned from me and was indicating with an open left hand, a locker near the end of the center row. There was a brass plate pop riveted to the door at average eye level, just like all of the other lockers in the room with one little exception: my name was engraved on the plate.

I cannot begin to describe the feelings that welled up inside me. May it be sufficient to say, that for the first time in my life, I didn't feel like an unwanted outsider, or a freak, that didn't fit in. Instead, I felt like I was part of a team, a member with a special skill, and would be using that skill in unison with the other team members, each employing there special skill, for some greater good. The trauma of dressing in women's clothes in a room full of men evaporated. I could do it, and the ribbing that would surely come, would be nothing more than an initiation rite into an elite group.

"I'll leave you to it. Elaine will be waiting for you in the little room directly across the hall. See you back in the briefing room."

"Thanks Pete, I'll rejoin you as soon as I can."

I opened up my locker and spotted a couple of hangers, hooks, and a small metal tray attached to the right side wall. I put the bag on the floor and started to strip to my shorts. Silence, so far so good. After hanging up my clothes and placing my shoes on the locker floor, I reached into the bag and pulled out the mini skirt. That’s when the ribbing picked up again. I shall skip over what was said, as well as my less than witty comebacks.

The ribbing didn't last long and I turned my attention to getting dressed. I took a deep breath, and as I exhaled, stepped into the skirt, drawing it up my legs and fastened it around my waist with the side button and zipper. Turning to the cabinet, I opened the doors and had a look see. My immediate need was something that would give me a woman's chest. I spotted the breast prosthesis on one of the middle shelves. I picked it up and examined it. It looked similar to a strapless bra except instead of cups, it had hollow, breast shaped, hard plastic forms. I was about to put it on like I would with any bra when the thought that, that might not be such a good idea in front of the guys. After all, I didn't want anyone to know that I actually had considerable experience in putting on a bra. Instead, I put it on backwards, fastening the two hook strap in front of me, then twisting it back around and up into place.

The turtleneck sweater was pulled from the bag. I held it by the bottom hem, shaking it open before slipping my arms inside and into the long sleeves. I ducked my head down, and as I raised my arms upward, slipped the sweater over my head. I pulled it down into place, straightening the bottom over my skirt. The belt was retrieved from the bag and fastened around my waist. I picked up the bag and dumped the shoes out in front of me, folded up the bag and stuffed it in the locker. I put on the shoes before turning back to the cabinet. I looked through the wigs that occupied one of the upper shelves, grabbing one with long wavy hair that came close to the look of the girl in my inner something's version of the daydream.

There was a small mirror on the inside of the locker door and I made use of it to set the wig on my head. Once I was satisfied with the fit, I checked the effect it had on my appearance. I was far from looking like a desirable woman. My chances of being an effective decoy were not good, unless Elaine could work some kind of magic. It was time to find out if she could.

I reached into my locker and took my badge from my shirt. It was clipped to the turned down collar of my turtleneck sweater. The locker door was closed as I turned to the cabinet once more. I spotted a black clutch purse on a middle shelf and grabbed it. Of course, a red one would have been more suitable, it just wasn't an option. The door was closed and I turned to face the guys, expecting all kinds of whistles and crude comments. I was in for a surprise.

"Sexy with a touch of trash, that'll work."

"If the perp is out tonight, you won't have any trouble luring him into action."

"Definitely, but hey, don't take any unnecessary risks. Your primary goal is to make it home alive, bring in the suspect is a bonus. Remember that."

"You've got a great team to back you up, just keep in mind that it will take time for them to come to your aid."

"Thanks guys, but unless it's a really dark night, the suspect's liable to pass on me, I look more like a man than a woman."

"So, do you think I would make a decent looking woman?"

"Wow, you've done this?"

"I was doing it back in the early days, when we did our own makeup. I wasn't very good at it, but I was still able to fool my share of suspects. But eventually the suspects wised up and we had to take things up more than a notch or two. That's when the decision to bring in a professional makeup artist was made. Elaine has worked wonders with many an officer."

"I guess there's a chance for me then. If you will excuse me, I have a date with Elaine."

"Luck and success."

My confidence level shot up, at least among the officers, the general station populace was another matter, one that made its presence known as I made ready to leave the shelter of the locker room and enter a public area. Wanting to minimize my exposure to anyone in the hall, I made as dignified of a dash across the hall as I could, surprising Elaine in the process who was seated at a small desk filling out some paper work.

"Oh! Well, you must be Jeff. Hmmm, I have said that I do like a challenge."

Elaine put down the pen and rose up out of her chair. She pointed to a small table with a chair sitting parallel to it, tucked into a corner of the room that was out of sight from the hallway. Sitting on one end of the table was Elaine's makeup kit; a large tool box with a hinged lid and assorted drawers down the front.

"Have a seat at the table and get comfortable, this will take awhile."

"I'm kinda curious as to how you can make ME look like a woman. Men and women have different facial structures and I find it hard to believe that you can alter masculine features to appear feminine with just makeup."

"I can't really, but I can minimize male characteristics by using light to dark shades of a foundation that matches your facial skin tone to alter the way light reflects off of your face. It's more of a matter of creating an overall look and feel and not letting the eye dwell on any particular part of the face long enough to see that something isn't quite right."

"Sounds fascinating, and if it's alright, I would like to somehow watch you work."

"You know, you're the first one who has wanted to watch. What the heck, sure you can watch. Let's see, I've got a hand mirror in one of these drawers, ah, here it is. Here you go. Hey, if you are really interested, I can do a play-by-play as I go."

"Yeah, that would be cool."

Curiosity wasn't the only reason I wanted to watch. I wanted to learn how to properly apply makeup, something that has haunted me from my earliest childhood attempts. I also wanted to find out just what types of makeup I would need to achieve a convincing feminine look. Such knowledge could transport my dress up sessions to a whole new level and who knows where beyond that. I took the mirror by the handle and sat down in the chair.

Elaine pulled open the top drawer and took out a few bottles of flesh colored liquid makeup. She held each individual bottle up to my cheek in succession before eliminating and returning all but two bottles back to the drawer. The last two bottles were held up to my cheek together. She moved them around to other parts of my face before returning one to its place in the drawer. I tried to spot the name of the color she had selected, but it eluded me.

Having decided on the base foundation color, Elaine got to work applying it to most of my face. She then started to apply lighter and darker shades to various features of my face, explaining what she wanted to accomplish and, more importantly, how she would do it. I watched her work intently from beginning to end, committing everything to memory.

The end result was astonishing. I was far more feminine in appearance than I thought I could ever be. The male features I had developed over the years were still there, but my eyes refused to focus on them. As amazing as that was, the best was yet to come.

Elaine started to apply details to various parts of my face, starting with my eyes. Her explaining the reasons behind the type of makeup, the color selection, and the technique of application were invaluable. I watched intently as Elaine added details to the parts of my face that people would take note of. The end result was that of a young woman with minimal makeup, but with a couple of accents to attract the attention of young men.

"You're all set. Good luck out there."

"Wow, this is the perfect look for the assignment. You are a master of your profession. The suspect isn't going to have a clue until it's all over, thanks."

Either forgetting (or may be not caring) that I was wearing women's clothing; I strutted out of the room and into the hall where the realization of where I was hit me. But luck was with me as that section only had a few people moving about and I made it back to the briefing room without incident. That's when my luck ran out as the Captain and Pete razzed me but good. Lynn didn't say anything; she just stared at me lustfully, slightly biting her lower lip. She then picked up an object that was on the table in front of her and reached out to hand it to me.

"Here, slip this over your left hand and close it around your wrist."

The object turned out to be a thicker than normal chrome bracelet that was about an inch wide. It had a flat oval shape and I realized that it was in the open position. I slipped it over my left hand, positioning it over my left wrist. Pressure applied to the two halves forced them to slid together and close with a click.

"The bracelet contains a transmitter. You will be required to wear it on each assignment and is to be kept in your locker when not in use. It's activated by placing your fingers outside both edges and squeezing. I, Pete, and the head of campus security, will have a receiver and will come on the run when you signal. Give it a try."

I squeezed the bracelet as instructed and the room was instantly filled with multiple beeping sounds from Lynn and Pete's receivers. They both reset their receivers before Lynn continued the briefing.

"Now, as to tonight's game plan, I'll drop you and Pete off in the campus commercial area. You will proceed as if you had just finished eating at one of the restaurants and are returning to your apartment on the other side of the campus. As you enter the first trouble zone, Pete will hold back out of sight of anyone in the zone until you reach the central lawn. He will then start following you. Campus security will be stationed at the bottom edge of the lawn between the two trouble zones and will join Pete in following you. I will have driven on to the opposite side of the campus and will be out of sight at the far end of the second trouble zone. Any questions?"

"None."

"Excellent. Let's saddle up."

"The three of you be careful out there, you especially Jeff. This isn't a friendly match at a karate dojo. This is for real and the suspect won't be following any rules of engagement."

It was a sobering reminder of the potentially lethal dangers I could be facing. My mind quickly filled with all of the possible outcomes of the night's activities to the point where the only response I could make to the Captain was to nod my head in acknowledgement. The three of us exited the briefing room and headed down the long hallway that would eventually end at the station's back entrance. Looking ahead I could see that the hallway was filled with people who were coming, going, crossing, or standing around engaged in conversation. I quickly became intimidated and the hallway turned into a gauntlet of torment that stretched to infinity. But as we moved down the hall, nothing happened. Either no one knew I was a man or they were so used to men in the guise of a female decoy that it had become a non event. What ever the case, it was a welcome relief.

Eventually we made it to the back entrance and strolled out into the night. Lynn's cruiser was close by and we piled in with me in the back. The trip to the university was, for the most part, uneventful, although I did get some stares from passing motorists. Perhaps they thought I was some bad girl under arrest. It was a thought my inner something seemed to like and my mind started to fill with scenarios along those lines. For reasons unknown, I was powerless to resist. Oh well, It was a way to pass the time.

As we arrived at the campus commercial area, I removed my badge and put it in my purse, then looked out at a sparsely populated scene. Lynn dropped Pete and me off at a spot out of sight of the few students who were moving about. As she drove off, I headed for the first target area with Pete holding back until there was enough distance between us that no one would think we were together. The route I took was virtually deserted, making things easier on my mind. I made it through the commercial area without incident and came to the start of the southern academic part of the campus.

I entered the first problem area and strutted down the path, imitating the walk of a woman as best I could, while at the same time, trying to be observant of my surroundings. It wasn't long before I came to a spot where on my left was a knee high block wall with a bench like top. There was a lawn between the wall and empty classrooms on the left. No place for an attacker to hide. The right side was a different matter. There was a line of chest high bushes with a narrow lawn between them and more empty classrooms on the right. There were gaps in the bushes at regular intervals. A tailor made spot for any assailant, and I shifted the bulk of my attention accordingly, but I passed through without incident. A less problematic area about twice as long as the previous then presented its self. This too was negotiated without incident.

As I came to the southwest quadrant of the central lawn, I had to pause. The openness of the central lawn was intimidating and there I was, a man dressed in women's clothes, makeup, and a wig, for all of the world to see, with no place to hide or take cover. But I wasn't going to collect a bounty by standing there, so I mustered up the courage and strolled into the open. As I nervously crossed the central lawn, I became aware of the cool night air caressing my exposed legs. A mild breeze kicked up sending the coolness up my skirt and onto my shorts. A shiver spread through my body but not from the cold. It was from the shock of a totally new sensation, the likes of which I had never come close to experiencing before in any of my dress up sessions within the confines of my apartment. That something inside me thrilled at the new experience and wanted more. It started to take over my actions and thoughts. I surrendered to it and let go of all inhibitions, allowed my movements to be even more feminine, if not mildly exaggerated, and quickly forgot that I was in a wide open public space. I willingly slipped into a dream world. But it was not to last as I was jolted back to reality by voices.

A small group of young men and women had emerged from the darkness coming down from the top half of the lawn. Their path put them on an intercept course with me at the mid point of my path. Panic took hold, I wanted to turn and retreat to the relative safety of where I had come from. My inner something said that wasn't going to happen and willed me to continue on. My confidence was all but gone as I meet the group of young people. They crossed in front me without taking any adverse notice and continued on to the southern edge of the lawn where campus security would be. My mind looked on the event as having passed for a woman (whether I actually had or not) and my confidence level shot upward. I continued on in the unmistakable gate and air of a young woman.

Having crossed the lawn, I entered the second problem area trying to act like I was unaware of any hidden danger. The area appeared to be a mirror image of the first problem area. The fairly secure part didn't present any problems and I was soon faced with having to pass through the much more hazardous portion. If the suspect was out and about, this is where he most likely was. Once again, I dismissed the left side with its knee high block wall and directed my attention to the right side focusing on the first gap in the bushes when suddenly, from behind the short wall to my left front, up popped a muscular young man of average height. He wore an executioner's mask that covered everything but his mouth and lower jaw. Grinning at me with pure malice in mind, he placed his right hand on the wall and hopped over it with his left hand reaching out towards my face. It was clear that he intended to rush me, cover my mouth with his left hand, and as he slipped behind me, wrap his other arm around me to facilitate dragging me through the gap in the bushes to do as he wished with me. I wasn't about to give him the chance.

Before his feet could hit the sidewalk, I had dropped my purse and turned to face my attacker, stepping back with my right foot into the standard tee formation. Bringing my hands up in a karate defense posture, I gave voice to a loud kiai. My, would be assailant, pulled up short staring at me wide eyed and in shock. Having turned the tables, I fixated his attention on my eyes by staring back at him with malice of my own, and then delivered a right front kick to his groin. He didn't see it coming.

The young man grabbed his crotch with both hands and slumped to the sidewalk on his knees. I squeezed the sides of the bracelet and then stared down at the suspected rapist and watched him roll onto his side as I retrieved my purse. Lynn came on the run from the east end, with Pete and another man coming in from the central lawn. Lynn, having the shorter distance to cover, arrived first with the glaring look of a lioness protecting her cub. She relaxed upon seeing the suspect laying on the sidewalk in a fetal position. She bent down and, with some difficulty, pried the suspect's hands from his crotch and cuffed them behind his back. She was reading the suspect his rights as Pete and the other man arrived. Pete gave Lynn a hand in lifting the suspect to his feet before removing his mask. The unknown man reached out to shake my hand, which I readily took.

"You all right? I'm Lance, campus security. This is definitely our guy; he matches the victims' descriptions. It doesn't look like he gave you any trouble. Nice work."

"Thanks. No trouble, although he did surprise me and that brings up a change in landscaping I'd like to suggest. This, and an identical spot in the first problem area, is the perfect setup for a mugger or rapist. Anyone walking through here on alert to danger is going to be concentrating on these gaps in the bushes, and not peering over this wall, as it's doesn't appear to provide enough cover for any would be assailant. That was exactly what I was doing when this guy sprang up from behind the wall. His mistake was coming at me from in front of me and not from behind me. My guess is that he gets some kind of thrill at seeing terror on his victims' face. With my defensive training, that gave me the edge and, well, you can see the results. Anyway, to make this area safe, most of these bushes have got to go."

"I'll include that in my report to the dean."

"And you have a report of your own to make, Jeff."

"JEFF?! You telling me that’s a dude? That can't be, I watched her walk in from the lawn, just like a girl would, and as she got closer I could see every subtle movement of her body, I could even smell her and it wasn't perfume but still feminine. It all said that it WAS a girl. That's just not…"

"Hey, I said you have the right to remain silent and we prefer you do so."

We all exited the area the way Lynn had come in to the waiting cruiser. Lance shock hands and thanked each us and then watched us get into the car with Pete and the suspect in the back, me in the front passenger seat, and Lynn behind the wheel. He waved us a final goodbye as Lynn drove off.

Just before we reached the station, I retrieved my visitors badge from my purse and clipped it to the turned down color of my sweater. We exited the cruiser with the suspect in Pete's control and entered the station. Security checked us in before the suspect was escorted to the processing area by Lynn and Pete. I headed for the locker room. As I moved through the station, I noticed that it was mostly filled with new faces, people who hadn't seen me with Lynn and Pete and probably didn't know that I was a decoy. The most attention I received was from the men, but they weren’t looking at me as a man in drag, they were staring at me as they would towards a woman they had interest in. It was both disturbing and thrilling and it wasn't long before that something inside me was willing me to remain dressed.

As I came to the briefing room, I gave serious thought to filling out the paperwork before changing clothes, but quickly ruled that as a bad idea given Lynn's jabs alluding to her knowing of my secret hobby. I moved on to the locker room which was thankfully vacant. I changed clothes as fast as my inner something would allow, pulled open the bracelet with some difficulty, slipping it off and putting it in the tray on the locker side wall, and then headed for the bathroom. There I found things that would aid in the removal of my makeup. Still, it took some time before I was able to remove all traces of Elaine's handy work. I looked in the mirror at the real me, and a feeling of emptiness swept over me. Was I missing my other persona? It was neither the time nor place to dwell on it as I still had a job to finish in the briefing room.

My timing couldn't have been better. Lynn and Pete had just arrived and were pulling various forms from open vertical holders on the far wall. Lynn pointed out the forms I would need and both Lynn and Pete helped me in filling them out. It was a lengthy process and by the time I was finished with the nights work, it was well after midnight. I wished Lynn and Pete a good night and headed for the front desk. There I checked out before heading out the door to my car. The trip home was uneventful and I was soon dragging my tired self through the front door of my apartment. My day job would be waiting for me in the morning so I made ready for bed.

I fell into bed, but sleep wasn't fast in coming. My mind was filled with what the suspect had said of my performance and referring to me as "she" and "her" even though I had been reveled as a man. And then there was the reaction of the men at the station. I really had passed as a woman, and not just in looks, but in movement and attitude as well. That something inside me thrilled at the thought, while I found it a bit unsettling, after all, I had never before thought of being a woman, just dressing like one, and looking somewhat feminine, and only in the safety of my apartment. That latter thought brought back to mind my experiences in crossing the central lawn. I couldn't help but wonder what other sensations I was missing out on by being confined to my apartment. There would be more thoughts on that subject in the days to come.

Note Worthy Case no. 2

Being the new man on the team, it would be some time yet before the criminal element would come to know of me and become more cautious. It was something that was not wasted on Lynn and she took full advantage of it and me. In my first two weeks after my initial case, I was called in on no less than seven cases. They were a hodgepodge collection of muggings, purse snatchers, flashers, and molesters. All were very low risk cases and consequently didn't come with much of a bounty. But that was okay, as any supplement to my low paying job was welcome. There was also no real opportunity to really put my martial arts skills to use, something that started to bother me with each successive case. Still, I was gaining the needed experience required to draw a higher risk case where my skills would come into play. Another element that was lacking, was the chance to work side by side with Lynn, during which time she would be able to observe first hand just what I was capable of doing in drawing out and apprehending a suspect, hopefully to my advantage when she had to choose a decoy for a high risk case. It was an annoyance that grew with each case until it became an obsession. But no sooner then when my desires to work with Lynn peak, did I receive a call one night just after arriving home from work. It was Lynn with a case tailored to fit my desires.

“Hey Jeff, Lynn here. I've got an unusual and problematic assignment for you. A tennis club over in the wealthier side of town has a sexual assault problem. None of the victims, save one, can give any kind of a description of the assailant as the attacks are always from behind and extremely silent. None of the victims knew they were about to be attacked until they were seized from behind with one hand holding a foam pad over their mouth or pushed in the back over or into something that would muffle their screams and would be held in to it with one hand on the back of their neck. With the free hand he would use some kind of tool to slice open their clothing over the area he wants to assault. Once he has access, he does what ever he can before somebody can happen upon the scene and compromise his identity. All the victims were too occupied with trying to keep from being suffocated to resist being molested. One woman was able to recover from the shock and regain her breath enough to slightly twist around as he released her to make his escape to see that he was wearing high end running shoes and a hooded sweatshirt that she thinks was drawn tightly in around his face.”

“Boy, that's not much to go on. I don't suppose any of the staff are in the habit of wearing a sweatshirt, are they?”

“Nope, and neither are the outside services or the club members. We also don't know how he selects his target as there is no common trait among his victims. The places of attack are as varied as his victims.”

“So we have nothing. How do we proceed?”

“What we can surmise from the interviews with the victims is that the assailant is very weary and easily spooked, so the usual officers and decoy isn't going to do it. You and I will be going undercover as close friends and new club members.”

“Wait, just the two of us? Pete's not going to be in on this one?”

“Haven't decided on that yet. The sudden appearance of three new members in the form of one of the standard police mugging teams of two female plus one male might tip off the attacker. So, for now its just you and me, and I've informed the club's president of that. I've also arranged for us to take tennis lessons from the club pro. That should help us to establish ourselves as legitimate members. Once we become above suspicion, we can try to entice the assailant to act.”

“Wow, this one sound like it's going to take a lot of time to pull off.”

“You've got that right. Tomorrow after you get off work, pick up a woman's tennis outfit and meet me at the station. We'll go to the club in my personal car.”

“Understood, see you tomorrow.”

My inner something wasn't about to wait twenty-four hours before shopping for female attire. I had yet to empty my pockets after arriving home so could depart at once. My inner something was pleased and willed me out the door. I didn't have to consult my list of stores that Lynn had dictated to me for my first case as the store I had purchased the outfit for that first assignment would most likely have what I needed. No time was wasted in getting to my car or getting underway. I was soon once again parked in front of that store, but this time there was no hesitation, no mustering up the courage to leave the safety of my car and enter the store. Once inside, I directed my attention to finding the same saleswoman who assisted me on my first visit. I saw her near the close out racks where I had gotten my first outfit. Gwen spotted me, stopped what she was doing, and came straight for me.

“Welcome back sir. Called in for another bounty hunt I assume?”

“Yes. This time I am in need of an outfit for women's tennis.”

“That's an easy one. Tennis dresses are over this way.”

“Um, yeah, um, a dress really isn't going to fit the assignment. I want to be able to transform my outfit at the right time from something appropriate for tennis to something far more risque and therein be more in keeping with my goal of the suspect choosing me as his next victim. I can't do anything with a tennis dress, but with a mini skirt and a button front shirt I can go from common to standing out just by undoing the upper buttons of the shirt, or undoing the lower buttons and tying the lower half into a knot.”

“Hmmm … yes, I can see it now ... and I believe we have the makings for the right outfit over this way.”

I followed close behind Gwen as she quickly wove her way around circular racks of clothing. We had crossed over more than half of the store when we came to a table with bright halogen lights shinning down from above. The table was covered in women's sports wear in shorts, skirts, skorts, and dresses, all in a multitude of fashion colors. But I was only interested in the white mini sports skirts and one in particular stood out from all the rest. The intense lighting made it as blindingly white as the skirt I saw in the custom clothing stores display window. This one had the added advantage of being very flared making it perfect for a tennis outfit. I slipped past the saleswoman and grabbed it. The waist band was elastic which meant that it would fit me without having to try it on, and being sports wear, the underpants were an integral part of the skirt, so I wouldn't need to acquire women's panties. While I salivated over the skirt, the saleswoman had proceeded on to a rack of sports wear shirts and was pulling out a white one that would easily fit the duel role needed for the assignment. All that was left was to settle up the bill and head home as quickly as traffic would allow.

The trip home took the usual time, but the aroused state my inner something was in, made it seem to be more than twice as long. I finally made it back to the apartment complex and quickly parked my car in my assigned spot. I grabbed the bag containing my new outfit and headed for my apartment at a faster than usual pace. Upon gaining entrance to my apartment, I made a beeline for the bedroom. The bag was dropped onto the bed in passing as I made for the closet. The only thing need to complete my outfit was a pair of white low top sneakers, something I had acquired for a previous assignment. They were quickly retrieved from the closet floor and I turned back to the bed. Once the shoes were added to the bag, I would be all set for the next days assignment.

Of course I just HAD to try on my new clothes, so instead of adding the shoes to the bag, I dropped them on the bed and seized the bag by the bottom corners. The bag was lifted up and my new outfit spilled out onto the bed. I quickly stripped naked, tossing my clothes towards the hamper in the bathroom. Putting on my female attire was just the opposite as my inner something willed me to explore each piece. In good time the deed was done and I started to pose in front of my full length mirror, mimicking various tennis postures I would be making during my tennis lessons. When the “lessons” were over, I undid the upper buttons and examined the effect that had on my outfits overall look. I then buttoned the shirt back up and pulled the shirt tails out of the skirt, unbutton it up to where my breast would be and tied the tails together. The new look was not only examined on it's own, but was compared to the previous look. Both looks worked, but my inner something wanted me to go with tying the lower half in a knot. While I was in favor of that, I figured it would be better to wait until I could scope out the tennis club to decide on which look to go with.

Having settled on my game plan, my thoughts turned to dinner and the rest of the evening. Thoughts of changing my outfit so as to not risk spoiling it during the fixing and eating of dinner failed to materialize, although precautions around food (and everything else) were taken in earnest. I remained dressed until bed time. Surprisingly, my inner something didn't make my changing clothes for bed difficult. My shoes were dropped into the bottom of the shopping bag. My tennis outfit was folded and placed on top of the shoes. The bag was lifted from the bed and the hand loops were hooked on the closets doorknob. As I slipped into bed, my mind turned to the coming assignment and the thrills that would come with it. In spite of the excited state I was in, sleep wasn't long in coming.

The next morning found me bounding out of bed before the alarm clock went off. My morning routine and breakfast were completed by the usual time. The only difference in that mornings routine was to pick the shopping bag off of the bedroom closets doorknob before heading off for my day job. I intended to go straight to the police station after getting off work. Work itself, was the usual mind numbing repetitious tedium that I was always glad to see come to a days end. Once free of the bedlam of everyone trying to get out of the company parking lot at the same time, I could shift my thoughts to my assignment with Lynn and my spirits began to lift as I headed off for the station.

Having to cross the city during rush hour was always a hassle, but I arrived at the station none the worse for wear. I quickly parked my car, grabbed the bag with my outfit, and made for the station door. I checked in with the officer on duty and headed straight for the locker room. The aisle in which my locker was located was devoid of officers. I was able to strip necked, put on the breast prosthesis, and my tennis outfit without any “spirited” interruptions. The special bracelet I was required to wear on all assignments was lifted from the tray attached to the inside wall of the locker and slipped onto my left wrist. I closed the locker door and turned to the mugging duty cabinet where I obtained a long blond wig and a white shoulder purse. A visit with Elaine was next.

Elaine had arrived while I was busy changing clothes and was just starting to set up to work on me. Outside the usual greeting pleasantries, there really wasn't any need for conversation. My outfit dictated what needed to be done. With the makeup, Elaine went with a minimal look, and I watched her work with the aid of a hand mirror as usual, adding to my mental notes. When Elaine had reached a point where she was satisfied with her work, she fitted the wig to my head. She fussed with it until she was satisfied with the way it fit and secured it in place. She then gathered up the long hair into a loose knot at the back of my neck. The finished look was perfect for the wealthy tennis club. One could call it sophisticated casual. The briefing room was next.

I entered the briefing room and found Lynn already there along with the captain. She was wearing a white tennis dress and canvas shoes. The form fitting skimpy dress really showed off the muscular physique she had acquired at the police academy, and she was surprisingly quite hot, kinda of in that Amazon woman sort of way. But what really caught my eye was the bracelet on her left wrist. It was identical to mine. On the table were two receivers and I quickly worked out what was going on. Without a second officer to pair up with, Lynn might come under attack and I would be her only backup. It was a tremendous vote of confidence in my apprehension skills by Lynn and I was determined to not let her down, not that failure was an option to begin with mind you. On the table was a large aerial photo of the club grounds.

“Hi Captain, Lynn.”

“Jeff, you're here sooner than I was expecting. Excellent. We were about to do a tactical workup. Come, join in.”

“Yes, by all means join us. You can help Lynn locate where each attack took place on the photo. If you can spot a pattern or any commonality, don't be shy, just shout it out.”

“Will do.”

As the Captain read off a list of the places where attacks occurred and what the attacker did, Lynn and I scoured over the photo, with Lynn affixing a small round color coded sticker on the photo when we both were sure of having found the right spot. It was a tedious process that took some time to complete. In the end, the photo had seemingly random stickers all over it, but the color coding suggested a couple patterns. Lynn was quick on the pickup.

“What I'm seeing is the minor groping attacks are occurring anywhere there's a convenient hiding place from which an unobserved attack can be made, along with a fast unobserved escape route.”

“I see it too. I can also see a lot of places that fit that scenario, enough so that the attacker doesn't have to use the same spot very often. The two of you will have your work cut out for you.”

“Yeah, the success rate isn't going to be high. Jeff and I may have to take a far more dangerous line. Notice that the more serious molesting and the rare rapes all took place in very secluded locations where the chance of a witness happening upon the scene during the time needed for the attack were virtually nil. Very few locations fit that scenario.”

“I really don't like where you're going with that given that there is just the two of you. You are going to have to come up with something better before I sign on. You are also going to have to work out how the attacker chose his victims and what he decides to do to them.”

“I've got a crazy idea on the latter Captain.”

“Lets hear it Jeff. We'll take anything at this point.”

“Okay. I get the impression that this attacker doesn't have a specific goal in mind. He could be letting the victim dictate the assault. Suppose he follows the victim and takes the first opportunity presented by the victim to launch an assault. Or perhaps he's studied the victims routine long enough to see a pattern and takes a position ahead of the victim. In both cases the location of the assault would then dictate what the attacker can get away with.”

“Damn, that's it! I'm sure glad it's you I called in on this one. Excellent!”

“Great call Jeff, but that's just one problem solved. We still have to discover how he chooses a victim and come up with some suspects.”

“Shouldn't take Jeff and me more than routine investigative work to ferret that out, once we get established as new members.”

“All right then, it's game on. You two get a move on, and be careful. I really don't don't like the idea of there not being other officers around.”

“I don't either, but this guy is just too easily scared off.”

Lynn and I picked up our receivers and tested them as we exited the briefing room. Of course that alerted everyone in the station to our presence. Both of us were the recipients of assorted wolf whistles and catcalls as we headed out to where Lynn's car was parked. Just before we got underway, Lynn and I both put the receivers and our badges into our purses.

The trip to the tennis club was a long one, during which Lynn hit me with a question that left me scratching my head. She asked: what female name would I like to be called by? It was not something I had ever thought about, not during my dress up sessions or on any of the assignments I had been called in on. Up until that moment there simply hadn't been any reason to have a female name as I had been acting alone. This assignment was just the opposite as I would be spending a lot of time with Lynn and other club members. I had to think about it and finally came up with Joyce, but don't ask for a reason, I haven't got one. Another question that came up pertained to my using a female voice which was also something there hadn't been a reason for. For the rest of the trip, I experimented with different pitches to my voice with Lynn critiquing and giving advice. I soon had a new voice that met with Lynn's approval, although I was going to have to be very conscious about using it. I imagined that it would take some time before it would be natural for me slip into.

We arrived at the tennis club well ahead of our court time and amused ourselves with stretching and warm up exercises until we got our court call. We met the club pro who introduced himself as Liam. To me it was obvious that he was European. Lynn picked up on his accent and combined that with his name to peg him as Swiss. Liam was a strong and handsome man with the perfect touch of outdoor ruggedness. I couldn't imagine him having any trouble finding women who would sleep with him. I quickly dismissed him as a suspect. Lynn put him far down on her list.

Liam took both Lynn and I on at the same time. He really put it to us and worked us to exhaustion. We should have been, at the very least, some what peeved at him for such a grueling first lesson, but we weren't. Liam had a charm and sense of humor that totally disarmed any ill feelings. I even found myself looking forward to the next lesson. With the lesson over, Lynn and I strolled off together to seek refreshment and make a few contacts. We also did some reconnaissance together of a few areas where attacks had occurred before heading back to the station. Back at the station and with the Captain joining us in the briefing room, Lynn laid out a game plan with the aid of the photo of the club grounds.

“For the next lesson we will proceed as we did today. The third lesson is when we make a change to the routine. At the end of the third lesson, I'm going to get friendly with Liam for a while and see how much info I can extract from him. Jeff, while I'm with Liam, you will head off to the club house by this route. At the club house you will chat with club members and the staff. Being a new member, they will want to fill you in on all of the pleasures to be had at the club, who to become friends with, and on who you will want to avoid, and more importantly, WHY they should be avoided.”

“I'll give it my best shot.”

“Excellent. After I leave Liam, I'll take the exact same route and meet up with you in the clubhouse. This way if either of us should come under attack, the other will know where they are and can quickly come to their aid.”

“Understood”

“Let's call it a day then.”

The first few tennis lessons were spread out over a couple of weeks and as per Lynn's game plan, we split up after the third lesson to canvass for suspects separately. It was at that time when I changed my routine as well. As I left the tennis courts, I altered my outfit by undoing my shirts upper buttons. From my observations of female club members, I felt that it would allow me to standout and yet fit in with the upper class atmosphere of the club. Men started to take notice of me. Women took notice of me as well and while some snub me out of jealousy, a few warmed up to me and advised on who NOT to flaunt myself in front of. It was exactly what I wanted and I made a list. Lynn's plan with Liam and others around the tennis courts was bearing results as well, and she was making her list, but we held off comparing our lists until Lynn felt we had the majority of possible suspects. That time came at the end of a day with no new leads for either of us. In the briefing room at the station with the Captain, Lynn put her list of suspects on the table. I didn't need to be prodded as I was anxious to show Lynn my efforts at “basic police work” and quickly put my list next to Lynn's. All three of us spotted and shouted out at the same time the one name that was on both lists: Juan A____. We had our suspect.

“Juan isn't someone I've met. Jeff, what can you tell me about him.”

“Not much as I haven't had any contact with him. I do know what areas he works in and have briefly observed him. Juan is your basic Latino staff employee. Nothing separates him from any other Latino staff employee except possibly his shoes. I didn't get a good look at them but I think they are running shoes. Also, several of the club members have advised me to watch out for him, claiming that he has stared lustfully at them as they passed by, with a couple adding that he started to follow them. Other than that...”

“That's good enough. The shoes and his behavior make him the lead suspect. Here's what we are going to do. We will proceed as we normally do after a lesson except I won't be far behind you. When you get to the club house, seek out Juan and engage him in a conversation on some pretext, but don't come on to him. Act totally disinterested. Do it long enough for me to catch up with you. Once I'm with you, I'll suggest we have a drink at the outdoor bar before we leave. You will say that you have some business to take care of at the club office. I'll say that I have something to do as well in a very public area and will meet you in the lobby afterwards. That should make you Juan's only safe choice and take a hiding position ahead of you along the only route to the office from the outdoor bar, that's assuming he's interested and sticks around to eavesdrop on our conversation. I'm also going to call in Pete. He will be undercover as the date of a club member and will be waiting for her in the lobby.”

“Understood.”

“Excellent.”

“This plan is the safest you've come up with given the layout of the grounds and the suspects weariness, but Lynn, with you at one end of the attack zone and Pete at the opposite, you can still come under attack. I do not want that, understood?”

“Understood. I'll stay in public view at all times.”

And with that, Lynn and I headed off for our respective locker rooms to change clothes and head for home. For me, it would be a long drive as there was just too much on my mind. The game plan, the risks, the layout of the club grounds, and all the unknown variables ran through my mind in a multitude of combinations causing nothing but worry. The next couple of days would pass slowly, but pass they did. Finally, it was game day.

Game day arrived like any work day with my being rousted out of bed by my alarm clock. But it was far from being the typical work day morning. My mind was commandeered by the assignment and my morning routine and getting to work were done by habit with little comprehension. The same can be said of my performance on the assembly line at work. It wasn't until I was parked at the station that my mind focused on the real world. From that point on I was in attack mode and worry was left outside the station entrance.

The procedure inside the station had become routine during the course of this lengthy assignment. Everyone involved had become well practiced with their part, and Lynn and I were quickly ready and on our way. Pete was briefed on the route from the outdoor bar to the office and would arrive at the club just after our tennis lesson would come to the days end. Events at the tennis club followed the usual line and we were soon wrapping up the days lesson. I put my part of the game plan in motion and headed off to seek out Juan. I was not quite out of hearing when I heard Lynn apologize to Liam, saying that she couldn't chat with him due to having to take care of some club business.

As usual, I followed my routine of undoing the upper buttons of my shirt and sashayed off to the clubhouse. I entered the club house and scanned the area for Juan, but without success. It looked like he was working a different area. I headed out for the outdoor bar and made for a point where I could scan the whole area. I didn't see him, but he saw me. Juan came out of the shadows to my left. I spotted him out the corner of my eye and quickly turned my head in his direction.

“Oh, my, um, you startled me.”

Juan acted apologetic and started to smile, but quickly changed to acting shy so he could drop his head to look me over. As Juan partially raised his head, I could see his smile turn into a leer. I had his interest, and conversation with Juan wasn't going to be necessary to keep him around until Lynn could join me. He wasn't going anywhere, besides, Lynn had just emerged from the club house and was looking the area over. I turned away from Juan and waved to catch her attention. Lynn spotted me and waved back. She quickly closed the gap between us and greeted me.

“Well I finally caught up with you Joyce. I'm tired and parched, what say we get some refreshment before we head for home?”

“I'm all for it Lynn, but I can't do it for long as I have to take care of some business at the office before it closes.”

“Perfect. Something has come up and I've got to reschedule our next lesson. We'll just meet in the office lobby.”

Lynn and I moved away from Juan who was still close at hand, working on some piece of equipment. We took a seat at a small table in front of the outdoor bar. After we each ordered something nonalcoholic to drink, I covertly looked over to where we had left Juan. He had disappeared. Lynn didn't have to turn around to know that the game was afoot, she could read it in my face. We finished up our drinks and parted company.

My trek to the office started out with enough people around to ward off an attack, but that quickly changed as I left the social areas of the club grounds for a path less traveled. I was about half way to the office when my right wrist was grab by a strong hand from behind and to my right. I was quickly yanked into a remote side chamber. From my study of the aerial photo, I knew I was in a hidden grounds maintenance yard, where one of the serious sexual attacks had occurred. My attacker easily spun me out of view and up against a waist high planter. He then grabbed the back of my neck and forced me to bend over at the waist. He pushed my face down into some ground cover between a couple of bushes as he wedged his feet in between mine. As I fought for breath through foliage and dirt, I reached for my bracelet and squeezed it. My attacker slid his right foot outward, forcing me to spread my legs open. It was clear as to what he wanted to do to me.

What my attacker wanted was certainly not what I wanted, but my means of fighting back were limited by the situation. He was inside my legs and up against the planter, so I couldn't counter attack his lower legs or feet. My only option was to try and bring one of my legs up onto the planter, hopefully bringing my foot up past his body. I could then twist onto my side and slam my foot into his rib cage while swinging a forearm against his arm that was gripping the back of my neck. I quickly put my option in action, but my attacker countered by pressing his upper body down onto my back. It was going to take some work and time to get my foot into position.

While I was busy with my plan, my attacker was busy with his. I suddenly felt a pointed plastic object being inserted into the fabric of my skirts built in panties just inside the reinforced leg opening. He started to pushed the object across towards the other leg opening, slicing my skirts panties open. My attacker's attention shifted to gaining access to my private parts giving me the freedom I needed to engage my plan of attack. I reached forward and grabbed the trunk of a small tree. Using the tree as an anchor, I was able to pull myself up into the planter far enough to be able to draw my leg up and in front of my attacker's body. I quickly twisted onto my side and thrust a side kick into his stomach sending my attacker staggering backwards. As I started to push myself out of the planter, I could, for the first time since the assault began, see my assailant. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood drawn tightly in around his face so that only his eyes were visible and he was wearing high end running shoes. There was no doubt: this was our man.

My attacker had been momentarily stunned into inaction by my fighting back. That moment was used to take a tactical assessment of the situation. I spotted another way out that would take the suspect away from Lynn and Pete. Before I was fully out of the planter, I quickly twisted my body in the direction of the better escape route intending to cut off the suspect. My attacker realized what I was up to and instead quickly turned and headed out the way he had dragged me in. I was out of the planter and in hot pursuit just as quickly, but my attacker had a good head start and was very fast. My mind was caught up in the moment and all sort of tactics raced through it, including the amount of time that had elapsed since I had activated the bracelet. Both Lynn and Pete had to be close at hand. I suddenly realized that I could alert them to what was happening and yelled out at the top of my voice where the suspect was, and as he turned onto the path I had been on, that he was headed in the direction of the office. My tactics had worked, for as the suspect came up to a large tall bush next to the path, he was met with a bear hug by Pete, who had heard my call and had hid behind the bush. Pete slammed the suspect to the concrete walkway, knocking the wind out of him. All of his flight and fight left with his breath. I came to a stop just short of him with Lynn coming up behind me.

Pete did the arrest while Lynn opened up the hood of the suspect's sweatshirt, pulling it back off his head, revealing ... Liam! Lynn and I were both stunned speechless. The immediate question on my mind was why did he, of all men, have to resort to molesting women? If he wished, he could spend every night with a different woman and never have any trouble in finding one who would willingly hop into bed with him. Come to think of it, why wait until night? Liam could find sex virtually anytime he wanted. And why me, given that he had been socializing with Lynn and knew her habits? I really wanted to ask Liam those questions, but this was an arrest and it was forbidden for me to interact both at the crime scene and at the station. Answers would have to wait.

The unanswered questions continued to fill my mind as we escorted Liam to the office and out to a waiting police cruiser Pete had call in when he got my signal. The questions persisted during the trip back to the station, the changing out of my clothes and makeup, and the filling out of the paper work. I managed to get everything done in a little more than the usual time, but Lynn and Pete had yet to join me. That wasn't normal. A thought suddenly occurred that maybe they were interrogating Liam. I quickly decided to stick around and wait for them, hoping they could provide some answers to those questions that still nagged me.

It was some time before Lynn and Pete joined me in the briefing room. They had indeed been in on the interrogation of Liam by the Captain. Lynn assessed the situation along with the inquisitive look on my face to put me out of my minds misery. Liam had broken down during questioning and fessed up to why he was attacking women. Lynn was limited in what she could divulge but she was able to say why Liam had chosen me to assault. With Lynn being friendly with Liam, he felt he would have no trouble in getting her to sleep with him, but with me it was totally different. I had not shown any interest in Liam what so ever and that, he simply couldn't handle. He just HAD to demonstrate what he could do with me, and Lynn had given him the opportunity to do so when she couldn't stick around after the lesson and chat with him. Liam had followed Lynn on a parallel course until she meet up with me. He was able to work out that we would split up after our drinks and used that time to retrieve a hidden stash of clothing, change, and get into a position to intercept me. Liam's confession blew me away. To think a man of Liam's desirability would want me to the point of … well, let's just say, that the different ways the assault could have gone filled my mind for some time. Oh, and the tool he used? It was a compact, razor blade, letter opener. The pointed plastic part was the blade guard and was to be inserted into the end of the envelope flap, guiding the blade as it cut the envelope open.

Note Worthy Case no. 3

In the fortnight that followed, I drew a couple of mugging assignments and a rapist that was targeting joggers at dusk. The assignments didn't present any problems nor did they present me with the opportunity to dress in something really feminine, just jeans and sweats. Disappointing, but that was about to change, big time. It started one morning with the phone ringing just as I finished getting ready for work.

"Hello?"

"Oh good, I got you before you left for work. We've got to talk."

"Lynn? I'm running a bit late. I really should…"

"We've got an assignment for you in the financial district. It's at a parking structure that serves a business and office complex. There are at least two suspects and possibly more. They drug and kidnap their victim, take her to a house in an unknown location where more men await. As the victim recovers from the effects of the drugging, the suspects take turns raping her over a period of several hours. They then drug her again and take her back to where they kidnapped her, dump her, and take off. None of the victims have been able to describe the vehicle or the house and the number of assailants seems to vary. Also, they hit any given location once, and then lay low for six to eight days before hitting a new location. That means we have to predict their next likely target locations and cover all of them and hope we get lucky. So far, we either haven't been in the right place or they can spot cops as decoys and move to a new location. We've needed a break and a new game plan to go with it.

"The break we may have gotten last night. Two men were spotted sitting in a van backed into a parking space in a parking structure by a lone woman as she entered. She became apprehensive but didn't panic. Instead, she smartly made like she had forgotten something, and retreated back to the place she works at where she reported the incident to security and they contacted us. An undercover officer was sent to the scene but the van was gone. We're hoping they don't know that they were spotted, or will think having been spotted that we will assume that they will try else where and will try again tonight at the same location figuring we will cover somewhere else. As to the game plan, officers have been ineffective so we need someone new who can handle possible multiple attackers, and that means you. Jeff, this one is really risky, in more ways than I would like think about. I really wanted you to have more experience before calling you in on a case like this."

"Hang the risk, these bastards have to be stopped and the only experience I can get is on the job. I'm in. When do you want me to be at the station?"

"Five. The attacks have occurred after most of the people have left for the day. They're looking for stragglers with no witnesses."

"No problem. I'll come in directly from work."

"Scratch that, call in sick. You need to get a top of the line business suit and usually that means it will have to be altered to fit and that takes time. You will have to be at the store when it opens, select something suitable, and talk them into having it ready by this afternoon."

"I see, consider it done. What can you tell me about their target selection?"

"Not much, except that all the victims have been executives or executive secretaries with no pattern in looks or clothing other than sophisticated and expensively dressed."

"I wonder if it's a movement or attitude that's the trigger. Well, I will dwell on that later."

"Excellent. Oh, and there is no limit on the expenses for this one. Get whatever you need to make it work."

"Understood. See you at five."

I depressed and held the switch hook, and then released it to call in sick at work. With that taken care of, all that was left was to take a seat and wait for the hour the stores would open. With the free time, my mind naturally turned to what I would like to wear. I leaned back, closed my eyes, and drifted into a daydream. I found myself back at the custom clothing store and once again staring down at the five mini skirts. This time, it was the beige mini skirt that jumped up at me still begging to be paired up with a suitable jacket. My mind quickly obliged and assembled the perfect outfit.

Oh how I wanted to wear that outfit, and the thought that might I soon be doing just that, combined to cause time to slow down, making my wait painfully long. I could no longer sit still and began to pace the room, but that only made things worse. My inner something came to the rescue by transporting me back to the boardroom I entered in the daydream I had back at the custom clothing store. The long wait became more bearable.

Finally the time came when I could leave and arrive at the store when it opened. I grabbed my wallet and keys and sprinted out the door, filled with anticipation. I got in my car and headed for the open mall. My target was a store of an upscale clothier anchoring the prominent end of the mall. It wasn't on my list but I didn't care, it was the best chance of having exactly what I desired. I quickly parked in front and for once, luck was with me as a saleswoman was in the process of unlocking the door. There was no hesitation in getting out of my car and making for the store entrance. The woman had turned away and was heading off for parts unknown when I reached the door and entered.

"Excuse me . . . I need a skirt suit that speaks of power, wealth, and sex … in my size."

"Um, what? I'm sorry; did you say a, skirt, suit?"

"Yes, I'm on assignment with the police department. We're after a rape gang with high tastes, and I'm the bait."

"Oh, well, this is certainly a first. How soon do you need the, um, suit? All of our clothing is altered to precisely fit a client and that can take a week."

"Yeah, I figured as much, but off the rack isn't going to draw these bastards out. The problem is, this gang only strikes once in one place before they go back into hiding for a while. We got a break in the case and may have an opportunity of apprehending them to tonight. I'm afraid that’s going to require that the suit be ready by this afternoon, before five. Can it be done?"

"Oh my, well, we certainly want to help the police capture these horrible men. Let me see what we can do. In the mean time, our executive line is over this way. Please look it over to see if anything will fit your requirements. I will rejoin you momentarily."

The saleswoman headed off to a backroom. I busied myself in quickly scanning over a group of mannequins dressed in various styles of skirt and pants suits, coming to rest on a beige suit consisting of, a wool skirt with an inch and a half wide waist band and a hem falling an inch above the knee. The matching jacket was form fitting with princess seams. The color was perfect, the cut of the skirt was exquisite and sophisticated with a tapered look ending in a slight flair at the bottom, but the hem line was way to long for the look I so desired. That would have to be changed.

I began to alter the hemline in my mind, then slipped into a daydream in which I was wearing my version of the suit altered to fit me perfectly, showing off every feminine curve I only wish I had. I strutted through a pair of massive mahogany door and into a boardroom filled with powerful men lusting after me. It was a dream I wanted to last forever only to have it shattered by the return of the saleswoman.

"I have wonderful news. I have explained the situation to Vivian, our head of alterations, and she is thrilled at the chance to assist the police in such an important task. It will be put ahead of everything else and WILL be ready for you by the hour you need it. Have you found a suit that will meet your needs or may I be of assistance in selecting one."

"This suit is an eye catcher, making it perfect for the job at hand, except that the skirt is too long."

"No problem, we can shorten it to any length needed."

"Yes of course. But I need a mini skirt and I fear that there won't be enough material left to maintain the lines and style of the skirt, as well as the way it hangs on the body."

"Not to worry, our people are the best in the business. If anyone can pull it off, they can. Now, I have found an area in the back where our seamstress can fit the suit to your body in complete privacy. If you will just follow me sir."

The saleswoman led me deep inside the store. As we approached the entrance to the backroom, I spotted, spread across a section of the back wall, a flat display of silk blouses with long sleeves ending in two button cuffs. A bright yellow one grabbed my attention, overshadowing all of the others and I figured it might have the same effect on the suspects.

"Oh hey, wait a minute. This yellow blouse should work well with the suit and could be just the attention grabber needed to get the suspects to choose me as their target."

"Yes, indeed, it really stands out. And you are right; it will pair up beautifully with the suit. You have quite the fashion sense. I can see why you have been chosen to be the bait."

"Thank you, but it's more a case of studying the victims and trying to spot what triggered the suspects."

"Yes, that would account for most of it, but not all. I think you may have a talent that you are either not aware of … or don't want to admit to. Now, I suspect you will be in need of a few accessories to go with your suit. If you will permit me, I will gather what I believe will complete the outfit."

I was a little shocked by her little hidden remark and could only nod my head in favor of her offered assistance. We reached the area in the back that the saleswoman had found for the fitting of the suit. It turned out to be where the seamstress and her assistants ply their trade. Brief introductions were made and then the saleswoman gave the name, model, and color of the skirt suit to Vivian. She pulled a tape measure from her pocket and started to wrap it around various parts of my body, calling out numbers as she went. An assistant wrote all down on a pad before heading of to multiple racks of clothing, quickly returning with the skirt suit of my dreams in my size. The saleswoman took note of the measurements of my upper body before departing for the public part of the store.

I was shown to a nearby, out of public sight, fitting room where I was able to strip and put on the suit, then return to the seamstress. The saleswoman had returned but once again departed after having dropped off a yellow blouse. The fitting of the suit and blouse went the same as for any mans suit and shirt except for setting the hem of the skirt. Due to its flared styling, the hem couldn't simply be folded under and pined. Instead, the middle of the skirt had to be gathered up all the way around to raise the flared hem to the desired length. Given the proximity of my, shall we say, original boy's equipment, that job was given to me. It took no small amount of time for Vivian to adjust and readjust the panels of the skirt until it hung on my body, in a shortened version, the way it was originally designed to. All the while, I was employed in constantly hiking up my skirt like some sex pot, something that seemed to please my inner something.

Eventually, all of the markings and pinning needed to make the suit and blouse fit me were completed. I changed back into my clothes and handed off the suit to the seamstress so that the alterations could begin. It was then off to find the saleswoman and take care of the bill.

I found her at the register, with a matching beige leather brief case and a pair of matching low heel pumps. A quick look around showed that there was no one in the store as well as an absence of foot traffic outside, so I slipped off my shoes and tried on the pumps right there at the register. The shoes fit my feet almost perfectly; the saleswoman had hit it on the first try. I looked at her with a smile of surprise and nodded my head in appreciation of her expertise. She seemed to be quite pleased.

"Will you be requiring anything else, sir?"

"No, I think this will do it."

"Okay then, I'll just bring up the total. I've keyed in the employee discount. I imagine the police budgets are rather tight in these economically troubling times. Still, the final tally is substantial. Um, how do you wish to address the total?"

"Oh, um, there's a way of billing the department. You can call Captain S____ at the station. He will fill you in on the procedure and give you a billing code."

"The Captain and a code, my, this is becoming rather exciting. I beginning to feel that I'm part of some secret mission."

"Actually, a high degree of secrecy is required, as it is imperative that we eliminate any chance of tipping off the suspects."

"Not to worry, we are used to high profile clients and are most discreet in the handling of their accounts. Well then, if we can be of no further service, we will see you latter this afternoon."

On the way home, I stopped at a video rental store to pickup a couple of movies that had women executives in them as a training aid. I reasoned that it wasn't going to be enough to just dress, look, and walk the part; I would need to have the attitude as well, and I didn't exactly know what that was. Back at my apartment, I dropped the videos and my keys beside the video player and headed for the bedroom. I figured that it couldn't hurt to change the mind set by changing into a mini skirt. My meager inventory gave me two to choose from; a very short purple mini flip skirt, and a longer but really tight white spandex mini skirt. The latter was pulled from the back of the closet and quickly changed into. I also took off my shoes and slipped on a pair of black heels, the only pair I had.

I strutted back into the living room and quickly inserted the first video into the player. Taking the remote, I stepped back a few feet from the TV. I pressed play, then fast forwarded to the first scene with a well dressed, woman executive in it. Pressing play once again, I proceeded to watch her intently, observing how she held her head, her hands, as well as her stance when standing. I watched her walk, turn, and sit. I took note of how she entered a room, interfaced with those in the room, and how she left a room. Then I began imitating her, trying to do everything she did and in the manor she did it. This procedure was repeated again and again with other scenes until it was lunch time.

A meager lunch was assembled from some leftovers in the fridge. While my lunch warmed up in the microwave, I grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and took it to the living room, placing it in front of the TV. A fold up tray was retrieved from the coat closet next to the front door and setup in front of the chair. By that time, the microwave had completed its task and my warmed up lunch was retrieved and placed on the tray in the living room. There would be no eating at the kitchen sink this time as I had something else in mind.

I swapped the video in the player with one that I knew had a scene of an executive woman at a business lunch with a man she had interest in. Just like in all of the other scenes I had observed, I imitated her every move and attitude, even the way she talked and flirted. Of course, my actions had no use in the performance of my assignment other than a way to better understand the type of persona I was soon to slip into. At least, that's what I kept telling myself. After lunch, it was back to practicing things that actually would be used in my assignment.

Time flew by and an instinctual glance at the clock showed me that I had to be at the station in an hour, plenty of time. But I needed extra time to pickup my suit on the way, and there was no telling what that would involve. The decision was made to leave right then and there. I moved to the video player to turn it off, pickup my keys and head for the front door. I had just cracked open the door when a gust of wind pored though, caressing my bare legs. That's when I realized that I was still wearing a skirt! The door was slammed shut as I ran (which reminded me that I was also wearing heels) back to the bedroom to change. After a quick inspection to make sure that nothing else was amiss, I was once again headed out the door and soon on my way to the open mall.

The trip to the store was thankfully uneventful and finding parking near the store entrance wasn't a problem. As soon as I entered the store, the saleswoman caught my attention and motioned me to the backroom. The look of pride on her face said that all was ready. It was indeed the case, for upon entering the back room, I spotted the suit and blouse on hangers on a portable rack. Vivian lifted the clothes from the rack and headed for me. She ushered me to the same changing room I had used that morning. She hung the clothes on a wall hook and left me to change. Given the slight time restraint I was under, I ignored my inner something's desires, and quickly changed clothes.

The fit and feel was like nothing I had ever come close to experiencing before. As I turned to look in the full length mirror, my ears were filled with a wondrous rustling sound that instantly transported me back to my childhood and my first experience wearing a dress. There was no way I could keep from slipping into character even though I wasn't made up as a woman and I didn't try. Instead, I came out of the changing room in full character and sashayed up to Vivian with an arrogant attitude. She in turn stuck up her nose and with a flippant wave of her hand, had me turn around. I did that, and more, for I took a couple of steeps away from her before turning and striking a pose I had learned from the videos.

Vivian motioned for me to walk back to her, watching how the suit conformed to my body as I moved. She was not totally pleased. She had me turn to a full length mirror that was off to the left rear of her sewing desk. As I looked at the image of me, she bent down, grabbed both sides of the skirt and gave it a twisting downward tug. She then slightly adjusted the coat on my shoulders before smoothing the sides from just under the armpits down to my waist with her hands. It was a dramatic improvement. The fit and the look were now perfect and I took note.

Vivian positioned herself behind and to my right. She stared at my image in the mirror and again stuck up her nose, then made a quick affirmative jerk of her head and shot me a look that shouted, "Take THAT mister got to be ready by five!"

With a big grin, I nodded my head several times in acknowledgement of her efforts and retreated to the changing room in my usual manly gate. I changed clothes, hanging the suit and blouse back on their hangers. I emerged from the room carrying the clothes by the hangers. An assistant reached out to take the clothes from me. As she threaded the hangers up through a large plastic bag, I thanked Vivian and her assistants all for their efforts in getting the job done. The assistant finished pulling the bag down over the suit and blouse and handed it back to me along with a large bag containing the brief case, shoes and the receipt. They wished me success as I headed out of the backroom and hurried out the front door. I wasted no time in getting into my car and making for the station.

At the station, I parked as close to the entrance as I could, grabbed the bag, and walked briskly to the door. After the usual check in, I was let in through the security door. I headed straight for the locker room. The locker room was deserted, a rare event that I took full advantage of. After quickly stripping to my shorts, I then slowly got dressed, savoring the fit and feel of each item of clothing before putting on the next item. The last two items were taken from the bag, the shoes and the brief case, both of which were set on the floor in front and beside me.

I was slipping on the shoes, when two officers entered the locker room. Upon spotting me, they let forth the usual hoots and wolf whistles. While the officers had their fun, I picked a short haired wig from the supply cabinet and aided by the small mirror on my locker door, affixed it onto my head, tucking my long hair up under the wig. A bit of finger combing was applied before closing up my locker. I clipped my badge to the collar of my blouse, straightened my skirt and jacket, picked up my brief case, and started to head out. The way the suit hugged my body, combined with the sound generated by my movements, caused me to slip into character once again. A mistake, for as I slipped past the officers, my unmistakable gate of a sophisticated woman showed it's self to its best advantage, much to the delight of the officers who really gave it to me. Once that got out, there would be no way to live it down.

I quickly left the locker room and crossed the hall to the room where Elaine would hopefully be waiting for me. Just before entering the room I heard Elaine call to me from down the hallway. Being still something of a gentleman, I waited for her to come up to me and followed her into her little room. She put her kit on the table before looking me over from head to toe and back.

"Nice suit, ritzy. So, anything special need in the finished look?"

"Yeah, a sophisticated and powerful, upper class business woman."

"Hmmm, it's doable."

Elaine handed me the hand mirror and got to work. It was a longer and even more startling transformation than ever before. When she had finished, I had the required look. It was a look I absolutely loved for reasons unknown and that something inside me seemed to tolerate, although, I got the impression that it would soon demand changes. Elaine scrutinized her handiwork with a critical eye, fixing anything that wasn't perfect as the needed look demanded that everything be in place, be it clothing, makeup, or hair. It was the latter that seemed to present a new problem.

Elaine looked at the wig I had selected, but just shook her head no. Without saying a word, she plucked the wig from my head with the fingertips of her right hand. As if to add emphases to her actions, she paused before unceremoniously dropping it from a height just above my head into my lap. She then took a large comb and a small spray bottle from her kit. She misted my hair with what I think was water, although it may have had something else mixed in. Using the comb, she drew my long hair back from my face, styling it into a small bun at back of my head. From the bottom drawer of her kit came a short strand of pearls. This she fastened around the base of the bun. A matching strand of pearls was fastened around my neck. Simple clip-on pearl earrings completed the look.

I thanked Elaine for her incredible efforts, plucked the wig from my lap, and returned to the locker room to return the wig to the cabinet. There were a few officers engaged in sports talk, but became dead silent as soon as they spotted me. They just stared at me as I replaced the wig back in the cabinet and headed back out. I can only imagine what was said after I left. It was on to the briefing room.

In the briefing room I was greeted by a large number of officers with comments of astonishment rather than jokes, a change I seemed to relish for some unknown reason. It wasn't long before we got down to business. Simply sending in officers to arrest the suspects and hoping that one or more of the victims could identify them was iffy at best. Better would be to apprehend them in the act of kidnapping a victim, me in particular. That was assuming that they had returned for another attempt. But verifying that they were there by sending in an undercover officer to spot them was out of the question given the wariness of the suspects. So, the tactical plan was for each company in the complex to form its people into groups according to where they were parked so that they could watch each other as they made for their cars. Once the vast majority of people were safely on their way, the few who remained would be held back so that I could make my trip to the parking structure and hopefully lure the suspects into action. The ease of containing and apprehending of the suspects would depend on the layout of the parking structure and the surrounding area.

A tactical analyses of the parking structure revealed that it consisted of two floors plus additional parking on the open roof. There was an entrance/exit off the street that led into the complex with an exit only on the opposite side. The ground floor would be where we would focus our attention as all previous attacks occurred on a floor with a quick exit. The upper floors still presented a problem in that the suspects could be using them to observe women, selecting one that fit what ever criteria they were using, as well as scan the area for police. The latter meant that Lynn and backup officers would have to setup some distance from the structure and out of direct sight, increasing the danger level for me. And as for me, I would drive my own car into the complex parking in front of a building with an entrance that was out of site of the parking structure. There I would wait in my car until I got the signal to move out on a portable police radio tuned to a tactical channel not available to those with police scanners. With the plan set it was time to head out.

Lynn, Pete, and backup officers headed off for the back entrance, while I made for the front entrance carrying the portable radio. Of course I had to explain myself to officers on both sides of the security door. All were at first confused, and then shocked and astonished as they realized who I was. I rather liked it and my mind focused on why. That something within took advantage of the diversion and seduced me into slipping back into character yet again. The officers behind the front desk were left to stare at my backside with their mouths hanging open. I knew I would pay for that the next time I came in and I didn't seem to mind. With a smug and snobbish air, I slipped into my car and was soon headed for the office complex.

The trip to the complex was uneventful outside of some stares from passing motorists, not unexpected given my looks verses my car. I entered the office complex by way of a trucking access road, out of sight of the parking structure. From what I could see, the complex was devoid of activity except for a couple of groups of office workers headed for the parking structure. I proceeded on to my tactical position and parked. There was nothing to do but kick back and try to relax. Ten minutes later, Lynn's voice disturbed the silence.

"All units check in."

"Backup one in position."

"Backup two approaching position."

"Backup three in position. Traffic barriers are being deployed."

"Jeff, in position and ready."

"Security has given us the signal that the area is clear of people and all remaining employees are being held back. Jeff, move out."

"Understood."

"All units, heads up. Jeff is on the move."

I extricated myself from my car to the stares of a few curious onlookers that had accumulated in the office lobby I was parked in front of. Paying them no mind, I straightened out my skirt and jacket, as Vivian had done, before making for a path that would take me to the parking structure. Emerging from between a couple of buildings, I came in sight of the structure and possibly in the view of the suspects, if they had returned. There was a park like zone between the office buildings and the parking structure. As I started to cross, I took off the jacket and slung it over my left shoulder. I gave a slight toss of my head, positioning it to add a superior air to my sophisticated look. If the suspects were surveying the area for a target, then I would definitely have their attention.

It took a little bit of time to reach the parking structure, time I absolutely savored as I fully loved my new and very different persona. I sashayed into the parking structure without looking around, trying to give the impression of being a powerful person that nobody would mess with, ignoring any impending danger. A little more swing was added to my hip movement and it wasn't just to make me a more tempting target, no, it was more for my inner something that seemed to crave it. It wasn't long before I heard a car engine being fired up.

The vehicle began to move and sounded like it was headed for me from behind. The vehicle pulled up along side me but not far enough for me to see what it was in my peripheral vision. I then heard the side door slide open, telling me that it was a van. It looked like the suspects had indeed returned and had just taken the bait. As I readied for action, there came the sound of shoes hitting the concrete floor directly behind me. I instinctively moved away from the sound but was quickly overtaken. From behind, the assailant wrapped his left arm around me just under my "breasts". I could tell that he was about six inches shorter in height than me, but that didn't deter him in the least. Before I could "scream for help", he raised his right hand up to my face. It contained a wadded up piece of cloth which he pressed over my mouth and nostrils.

"Well, if you ain’t the quintessential stuck-up rich bitch. You need to come down off your high horse girly, and mingle with those not so fortunate, so we're going to take you to a party, and YOU’RE the entertainment!"

A chemical smell invaded my nose and my vision began to blur. It had to be either chloroform or ether. I was in big trouble and I knew I had to send out a signal for help before I became too incapacitated to do so. My arms were free enough that I could reach and squeeze the bracelet and did so. But it would be some time before help could arrive, I had to counter and fast. My initial struggles resulted in no change to my situation, suggesting that my assailant was well practiced and knew what to expect and knew how to counter. By doing the opposite of what was expected, I could possibly throw him off his game, leaving him open to making mistakes. Quickly, I bent backwards and pushed with my legs forcing my upper body to slide up and over his. With the back of my neck pushing back against my assailant's forehead and my shoulders pushing down onto his collarbone, I forced my assailant to bend backwards to the point of losing his balance. He was indeed taken by surprise and rational thought gave way to instinct. He refocused his attention to trying to keep from falling backwards on to the hard concrete floor, instead of countering by twisting to one side allowing me to fall to the floor with him on top of me. The mistake I was looking for.

With his attention diverted, I turned my head into the bend of his arm, freeing my mouth and nose from the anesthetic infused cloth. Before he could refocus and move his hand to again cover my mouth, I shot my left hand up onto his right elbow, pushing it up and allowing me to duck under his arm and slip out of his grasp. I was free and ready to go on the offensive. I spun to my left, and being taller than him, easily delivered a left back fist over his arms, to his jaw. My attacker staggered back and turned away from me. I charged, wrapped my arms around his upper body and drove him forward, slamming his face into the side of the van, a windowless cargo van. All the fight left him and I released him to crumble down onto the cold hard concrete floor.

Even before my assailants knees buckled, I was on the move, jumping into the van through the open side door, I gave a quick check of the cargo area for another suspect. Not seeing anyone, I continued on to the driver. The driver panicked and took his foot off the brake, moving his foot toward the accelerator, but before the driver could hit the pedal, I was on him. I swung the outside of my left forearm up under his chin and into his throat, pinning his head back against the headrest as I twisted and threw my body up on top of his. The van had started to creep forward, but I stopped it with a right side kick to the brake pedal. Keeping the pedal depressed gave me extra leverage in my efforts to keep the second suspect under control. Just then the parking garage was filled with the squeal of tires making a sharp turn on the concrete floor. Red and blue flashing lights bounced off of anything reflective announcing Lynn's and Pete's arrival. Police sirens were heard, indicating that backup officers were approaching the parking structure.

Lynn spotted the van with the side door open and put the cruiser on an intercept path, coming to a screeching stop behind the van. More screeching noises signaled that the entrance and exits were being blocked. Lynn and Pete bailed out, slamming the doors shut as they made for the van. The action brought the first suspect to his senses. He staggered to his feet and took off on the run with Pete in close pursuit. Lynn came up to the driver's door with gun drawn and fire in her eyes, but relaxed when she saw that I had the suspect pinned to the seat. As she holstered her gun, she opened the driver's door. She grabbed the suspect's left hand and slapped the handcuff around the wrist. Lynn twisted the suspects arm giving her control over him. That gave me the chance to back off the suspect in order to put the shift lever in park, turn off the ignition, and apply the parking brake. Then, working together we were able to turn the suspect enough for Lynn to seize his right hand and finish cuffing both hands behind his back. Lynn was then able to manhandle the suspect out of the van without any help from me. With her right hand gripping the handcuffs and her left hand maintaining a firm grip on the suspects left shoulder, she guided him to, and around, the front of the van.

I then took the chance to put myself back together. With use of the rearview mirror I was able to adjust some errant strands of hair. My makeup needed some attention, but I wasn't equipped for that. The best I could do was to fix some smudges with my fingers. Moving into the cargo area of the van gave me the room and privacy needed to hike my skirt and pull down the blouse tails. The skirts hem was tugged down back into position followed by my smoothing it out with my hands. As I made for the open side door it suddenly dawned on me that I was acting just like any woman would in that situation. And I had no need too as my part in the apprehension was over. It had been automatic as if my mental process had switched from male to female. My realization of what I had been doing switched my mental processes back to male. It was something I would have to explore later.

As I exited through the side door of the van, Pete arrived on scene with the first suspect in custody. Seeing that all was in hand, back up officers holstered their guns and began migrating to the crime scene. Both suspects were told to have a seat on the floor with their backs against the van where they were read their rights. The suspects were helped back up onto their feet and put in the back of Lynn's cruiser. The van was secured and left for a police tow truck. Gradually, everyone piled back into their cars and began moving out, except for me. I had to walk back to my car.

I strutted out the way I had come in a normal manly stride, that is until I cleared the parking structure and was no longer in view of the officers. A quick scan of the area around me showed that it was void of people, so I figured it couldn't hurt to slip back into character. It was a thrill that increased with each step I took. The sound of high heels on the concrete walkway, the feel of the setting sun on my body, the warm fresh air brushing gently across my face, were all something I could never experience in the confines of my apartment.

I had nearly reached my car when people began to emerge from the surrounding office buildings. The all clear must have been given. I was pretty much ignored until I came to stand next to my aging VW bug. My look of wealth and power was countered by the poverty and low status suggested by my car. That's when many guessed that I was not as I appeared but was in fact a decoy the police had employed in the operation. Hushed comments started to flow through the crowd and soon all began to stare at me. I should have felt like a freak on display, but didn't. And instead of looking for a place to hide, I began looking back. A sort of thrill came over me as I noticed that the men were looking at my face and body with various levels of desire written across their faces, and the women were looking at my suit and the way it fit my body with either jealousy or envy written on their faces. I was so absorbed in observing others as they passed me that I failed to notice a slightly geekish man at the back of the pack approaching me on an intercept course.

"Excuse me; are you the one the police used to draw out the rapists? Yeah? Wow, that's really something. Say, would you like to celebrate your success by going out to dinner with me? There's a five star night club near by that caters to those of us in management."

"Um, I'm not a woman."

"Ah, yeah, well, I thought that might be the case. I can't imagine the police using a woman in these situations, although I was hoping it would be different. I mean, you really come off as a very desirable woman, one I would think many a man would like to be seen with. Well, actually, I'd LIKE to be seen with you. Hey, women are going to look at me, then look at you and get jealous. They're going to want to find out just what it is that I've got that a woman of your stature and class wants. They might even slip me their phone numbers."

"An interesting theory, but I've got a lot of paperwork to fill out. Besides, to be effective as a decoy I have to limit public exposure. Sorry, but hey, thanks for the vote of confidence."

I quickly got into my car and headed back to the station. The man's comments filled my mind. Once again I had actually passed as a woman and I liked it even more. Somehow I was able to include driving in my thoughts and safely made it back to the station. The routine at the station was the same as always, that is until I strolled into the locker room. There were only a few officers either getting ready for their shift or coming off duty. It was one of the off duty officers who responded to me first as I made my way to my locker.

"Whoa Miss, wrong room."

"Very funny."

"What do you mean … wait, JEFF!?"

"Yeah, like, who else would I be?"

"Hey, sorry. But no kidding, you had me completely fooled. Seriously, I thought you were one of the women in upper management."

"Thanks, credit Elaine's talent and a high end clothing store."

"Oh it's more than that. It's the way you carry …"

Just then a couple of the backup officers burst into the locker room in a loud celebratory mood.

"Hey Jeff, congrats on a great bust. Officers have hit the suspect's home and found four men in various states of undress with sex paraphernalia, drugs and other crap. Man, what these bastards were doing to women makes me sick and mad as hell."

"Yeah, but can any of them be convicted? They weren't caught in the act and their victims were dazed by drugs. A defense lawyer would use that to discredit their testimony."

"They all match the descriptions given by their victims, but you're right. To counter that, they will be isolated from each other so that none will know what the others are saying or doing. As each suspect is interrogated, they can be played one against the others. Trust me, suspicions will build in their minds until one cracks and tries to cut a deal by turning on the others."

"Don't worry; they will get what's coming to 'em. But hey, this calls for a celebration, what say guys, beer and pizza?"

"Yeah, that's always good."

"Hey Jeff, don't change clothes, go as you are. After all, you're not only the man of the hour, but the WOMAN as well!"

That set everyone off. The jokes were non stop. I even got a couple of date proposals. For some reason, I loved it all and really wanted to remain dressed as well as stay in character, but I knew it would not be a good idea. That something inside me was not happy and wasn't about to go down without one heck of a fight. It made the removal of my skirt suit and my makeup sheer torture. But I endured, and forced my inner something to surrender. I put on my street clothes without any further problems.

Paperwork was next on the agenda and was completed in due course. I was then free to join the celebration while Lynn and Pete still had to change clothes before joining. I had been given directions to the pizza/beer joint and easily found it. Upon entering the place I was greeted by cheers and raised mugs of beer, a lot of hand shaking and pats on the back. An ice cold, thick walled mug filled to the top with beer was thrust into my hand. I readily took it and raised it in a toast to all before drinking it all down in one pass to the cheers of all. I quickly melded into the celebration and became one with all of the officers.

Lynn and Pete soon arrived and received a greeting equal to my own. The celebration soon turned to story telling, comparing note worthy busts of the past with the current one, as well as the trials and tribulations of those officers who had drawn mugging duty in the past. These were stacked up against my efforts, a comparison that inwardly pleased me. In the end, a great time was had by all, for it was a chance to put aside, for a brief moment, the stress and depression that comes with the job of being a police officer. It was just after 11:00 pm when the celebration came to an end and everyone headed home.

In the days that followed, my mind was naturally filled with the details of the assignment. But it wasn't so much my success, but the dangers I had face for real and the way I had handled the situation. I had reacted in a calm, methodical manner using rational thought without a hint of panic. I became convinced that I could handle a life threatening situation and wanted to show Lynn that I could. That opportunity was not long in coming.

Note Worthy Case no. 4

It was a warm evening and I was relaxing in front of the TV after a meager dinner. Given the day I had had, lying around in my underwear staring at some totally forgettable mindless entertainment was quite appealing. I had just found a comfortable position when the phone rang. I let forth a groan as I reached for the phone, thinking to myself "No, it can't be, not this time." It was.

"Jeff? Lynn. We have a case that's got an extra danger factor to it. It's a mugger who targets women and is packing a gun, and it's not for show. He used it on a victim who decided to fight back. Fortunately her wound was minor and she managed to escape."

"That shouldn't be a problem. I've got training in defending against an armed adversary."

"Not this time. I don't know how your skills will stack up against a gun and I'm in no hurry to find out. We'll talk about the tactical plan and a special purse you'll be carrying when you get here."

"Um, okay. So, what's the location?"

"An older park that has lacked in maintenance due to budget cuts. It's overgrown, dark, and cooler than the streets, which means that it attracts people on warm and hot nights despite it being a perfect environment for muggers. Hot nights also mean trouble all over the city. We are spread pretty thin trying to keep a lid on things and haven't been able to address all of the muggings. But the shooting has put this guy at the top of the priority list. We have to take him out. He operates during late evening when everyone is abandoning the park and heading elsewhere. Be at the station by 8:00 tonight."

A feeling of disappointment filled me. I had the skills and I knew how to use them. It was an opportunity to show that I could handle a greater range of situations. All kinds of thoughts filled my mind, mostly of the speculative kind, including one on Lynn not trusting in my abilities. It was depressing, calling for the usual cure, a trip to the mall, but not the big one. This trip would be different as I wouldn't be window shopping, but shopping for, and buying, a new outfit for the night's assignment. I could have made due with some outfit from a previous assignment, but deep down I wanted something more provocative and sexy, something that might provoke the suspect into doing something more then steal my purse, forcing me to defend myself. I got up off the couch, put on some suitable clothes, grabbed my wallet and keys, and headed off for the open mall.

During the trip to the mall, I thought about what would most likely accomplish my goal. It quickly dawned on me that the assignment was the perfect opportunity to dress in another mini skirt that would come close to one of the five mini skirts I had daydreams about at the custom clothier. It was the denim mini skirt I now craved, and I knew which store in the open mall would most likely have it, even better, the store was on my list. It wasn't long before I had reached the mall, found parking, and entered the target store.

I didn't seek out a saleswoman, but headed straight for the women's sportswear section. I quickly spotted a rack of denim skirts in several lengths and came to stand in front of the mini skirts. I selected one in my size, pulled it from the rack, and looked it over, comparing it to the one in my daydream. It matched my dream skirt except for the hem. This one had the normal turned under hem. I really wanted a turned up hem, but none of the skirts had one. I peeked under the hem to see how it had been formed. It wasn't as wide as the hem of my dream skirt, but it was reversible, and I had the time to do it. Then the thought occurred to me, why not get a longer skirt, alter it to a mini skirt, setting the hem the way I want in the process. I replaced the mini skirt and sidestepped to a section with skirts that had a hem two inches above the knee.

Not wanting to waste time by having to seek out a saleswoman, explaining the situation, changing into the skirt, and so on, I decided to check the fit right where I was, something that would have horrified me not all that long ago. A covert glance around showed that all of the other customers were engaged in their own pursuits and none had a direct line of sight at my lower body. I removed the skirt from the hanger and held it in place against my body, quickly checking the fit at my waist and hips. I could tell from my past experiences that it would be a tight fit, but that would be in keeping with my goal. I looked around for the next needed item.

A rack of checkered shirts was spotted nearby. As I approached it, a section of blue and white checkered shirts seemed to jump out at me. One in my size was quickly located and pulled from the rack. I held it out at arms length as I gave it a critical looking over. It matched my daydream perfectly. I couldn't believe that for once, fortune was with me. There was no need to check the fit as I wouldn't be buttoning it up but tying the ends in a knot. It was off to the register.

I laid the skirt and shirt on the counter in front of the saleswoman. She stared at me with a less than approving look, until I showed her the billing code. She looked a little surprised, and then nodded her head as if to say she understood and rang up my purchase. She bagged the clothes and handed the bag to me with a friendly smile that seemed to wish me success. I made a quick exit, and headed for home. I had some sewing to do.

Home was reached as quickly as traffic would allow. I quickly parked in my assigned spot and then practically ran to my apartment. It wasn't so much as to avoid contact with people that could become awkward given what I was carrying, as to simply wanting to modify and experience all the sensations offered by my new outfit. After gaining entry to my apartment, I headed straight for my bedroom where I had a small desk that had my sewing equipment. The skirt was pulled from the bag which was then dropped on the bed. I took the skirt to my sewing desk where I pulled out a chair. As I sat down in the chair, I pulled open the center drawer. A seam ripper was retrieved and put to work cutting and removing the stitching that was holding the folded under fabric of the hem in place. The hem was reversed folded and moved up to the length I desired. I determined the width that would match my dream skirt and folded the excess in between the hem and the skirt. A regular seam stitch was used to attach the hem as an exposed hemming stitch would be vulnerable to being easily broken by any physical contact. Next, an iron and board were pulled from the closet and setup. When the iron was up to temp, it was used to press the fold that defined the hemline. The skirt was finished and ready to be tried on. It fit just like in my daydream.

It was time to head for the station. It was off with my skirt and on with my pants. The bag with the shirt was picked from the bed and the skirt was stuffed back in the bag as I made for the front door. I would soon be at my locker in the station. I just couldn't wait.

After the usual routine at the station, I did indeed find myself in front of my locker ready to strip off one persona and slip into a new one. By that point in time, everyone had become accustom to my being a decoy. The jokes had died off and were replaced with critiques of my fashion choices, something that I came to enjoy more and more. I had soon changed clothes and headed out to my appointment with Elaine amidst rave reviews and the odd date proposal.

As to my session with Elaine, a minimal makeup look was in keeping with the part I was to play. I really wasn't going to need anything more than hiding what little masculine features I had. The session went quickly and I was soon headed for, and entering, the briefing room where the Captain, Lynn, and someone new, were waiting.

"Hi all."

"Jeff, meet Hank. He's my partner for tonight. Pete's down with the flu. Hank, meet tonight's decoy, Jeff."

"So you're Jeff. I have been hoping to meet the man who has been racking up some very impressive numbers, and I'm beginning to see why!"

"Thanks, but I don't think I've done much more than anyone else. I'm just doing a job as needed."

"No need to be modest. You're the talk of the station."

"Alright, alright, let's get down to business. Jeff, this is the shoulder purse you will be carrying, it has a hidden tracking device. As to the plan, it's nothing more than dropping you off near the park entrance and waiting for your signal that the perp has taken your purse. DO NOT offer any resistance. And DO NOT try and follow him. Just return to the car. Leave him to us. Understand?"

I nodded my head in the affirmative, but inside I was fuming, after all, if Lynn really felt that I had the karate skills to do the job she had coursed me into doing so long ago, then she should let me do said job. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became, almost to the point of bursting into a confrontational argument. It was something that started to translate into unconscious body movements. Lynn picked up on that and shot me a look filled with warnings. I snapped out of my thoughts and took a deep breath. As a diversion, I reflected on my being part of a team, an experienced team on which I was still a rookie and still gaining experience. I backed down and resigned myself to doing what was required of me.

The briefing was wrapped up and we headed off for the back entrance to Lynn's waiting cruiser. I got into the back seat with Hank jokingly opening and closing the door for me. Lynn seemed to be a little miffed for some unknown reason but said nothing. We made the trip to the target area mostly in silence, which seemed to make the time to get there longer than it actually was.

Upon arrival, Lynn parked back from the park entrance well out of view of any one there. I got out of the car, adjusted my skirt, slipped into character, and walked along the sidewalk to the park entrance. I turned onto the main path that wound its way through most of the park in a grand loop. Foot traffic was mostly couples, young and old, and a few single old men. All were leisurely making for the entrance. The further I went the fewer people I came across, until finally I was totally alone and in the most overgrown area of the park. It was the perfect scenario for a mugger. I continued on, scanning the area in front of me, tensed and ready for a man with a gun to jump out of the bushes some where in front of me. It was not to be.

Instead, from behind, there came a rustling of bushes, but before I could turn, a large muscular arm quickly materialized at my left side, wrapping across my body at mid torso pinning my left arm to and slightly behind my left side. The attacker's right arm came over my upper right arm, pinning it to my side as well, with a large meaty hand coming to cover my mouth. I overcame my initial surprise and began to struggle, trying to free myself from my attacker's grasp. But he was far too strong and I quickly realized that my struggles were futile. I changed my tactics to trying to reach the signaling device on my left wrist. But I couldn't move my arms towards each other enough to be able to reach the bracelet. He then started to drag me into the bushes. That was a place I didn't want to go. Given my slim build and being so under weight, the dense vegetation would severely limit my mobility. The chances of escaping his grasp and turning on him would be virtually nil. I had to go on the offensive and fast.

I lifted up my right foot and first slammed the side of it into the front of his shin, then pushed it down his shin onto his foot with all the power my leg muscles could generate. Pain shot up his leg causing him to relax his hold on my right arm. That was all the opening I needed. I quickly moved my right arm out and up to force his right arm up and away as if I was trying to slip under it. He responded by trying to force my arm back down to, and against, my body, but that was what I wanted. I combined his strength with my own to propel my elbow down and back, burying it deep into his ribcage, bending forward as I did so. The blow knocked the wind out of him, but not enough to cause him to loosen the grip of his left arm. Not a problem.

I straightened back up, throwing the back of my head into his face. My assailant staggered back dragging his left arm and hand across my body. Going with the force, I twisted to my left, freeing me from his control and leaving me facing my nemesis. He was unarmed and clearly not the person we had come for, which meant that Lynn's non confrontational orders were no longer in force, something that pleased me immensely. I selected and locked on to my target, and then delivered a spinning, right back fist, to his temple. He dropped like a huge bag of … manure, and was down for the count. All that was left was to signal Lynn and Hank.

Both came sneaking into the area following the signal emitted by the tracking device in my purse with their hands on their guns ready to draw. They were straining their eyes to penetrate the darkness trying to spot an armed assailant before he could spot either of them. They soon spotted me standing on the path and quicken their pace towards me pulling up short of the unconscious mass on the ground. They stared down for several seconds before looking up at me with a look of disbelief, for while the perp was my height, he was at least four times my mass and five times my strength. Lynn stared at me with her mouth open slightly, shaking her head and pointed at the suspect.

"How?!"

"It'll be in my report."

"Wait, this isn't the guy we came here for. Oh my…. Do you know who this is? This has to be the Bear Hug Rapist. He has terrorized half a dozen places here in the east side for months. He has brutally raped dozens of women while avoiding every officer in the department we've sent out in the guise of a decoy, and given his size and strength, we did not dare send out a female."

"Maybe your guys just aren’t man enough to be woman enough to draw this guy out."

"So it would seem."

"Well, whatever the reason, an objective has been satisfied. I guess we'll have to address the original one another time. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to head back to the car. I need to freshen up and readjust my accoutrements."

My inner something thrilled at the thought of my having achieved what other male decoys could not. I was more than a decoy; I was a female impersonator and a damn good one. My inner something loved it, and it wanted more. It forced me to continue my guise of a woman, although force wasn't necessary as I willingly came along. My performance drew stares from Lynn and Hank.

"Oh that just isn't right. You sure that's a guy Lynn?"

"Yeah, but I'm beginning to wonder. On the other hand, you can't argue with success."

Note Worthy Case no. 5

The month that followed didn't bring much in the way of police work and the cases that I had been called in on were on the level of my first case. It was easy money, but nothing to write about. It was disappointing, but the biggest disappointment was that there was no chance to add to my small police required wardrobe. I was always able to put together an outfit from a previous case or cases. It wasn't all bad though, and one of the more pleasant things to happen was bounties from my earliest cases starting to show up in my recently opened bank account.

The money was more than welcomed and was immediately put to work stocking my pantry, improving my living conditions, and upgrading my car, the latter coming about as the result of a police drug property seizure. I was able to negotiate a deal where the car was payment for a few cases. It was a perfect deal as I didn't have to wait for an auction and the car fit my look when on assignment. That was something that had become more and more needed, for I increasingly had to arrive on scene in my own car instead of with the police due to word being spread throughout the criminal community that the police had a new, and very effective, decoy. The car I choose was a sports car, a convertible, in red with a black interior with a few years on it but still stylish enough to fit the type of woman I usually took the persona of.

With all of the necessities addressed, I could turn my attention to my hobby. My first thoughts were to hit the open mall, using my being a police decoy as a plausible excuse to try on and purchase women's clothing. But that eventually got overruled. While I could limit my purchases to stores where the saleswomen already knew I was a decoy, and still come away with some nice outfits, most of what I desired didn't fit in with the type of police work I was doing, especially lingerie, for which there was no need. There was mail order, but that could be painfully slow, and besides, I would have to order a lot of catalogs and that could bring some unwanted attention. An ideal solution seemed to be out of reach and depression started to take hold. It was time for the usual cure: a trip to the big mall.

On the way to the mall, I spotted a large computer and electronics store with large ad banners covering the front. One of the ads was on something pertaining to the internet. And then it hit me; the internet was the perfect solution. I could carouse an unlimited number of stores in total anonymity with no need to order any catalogs as the inventories were online. There would be no processing delays, postal time would be cut in half, and packages would arrive in a discreet manner. I made a hard right turn into the parking lot at the next available drive way, quickly threaded my way through the lot and parked as close to the entrance as I could.

The store was huge containing virtually everything in the way of consumer electronics and parts. I threaded my way through the maze of aisles arriving in a roundabout way at the computer section. What lay before me was overwhelming to say the least. I had no idea as to what I needed to get online. A salesman spotted me in my state of bewilderment, figured that he could talk me into buying more than I really needed, and quickly approached me with dollar signs in his eyes. I could tell by his phony smile that he did not have my best interests in mind. To possibly counter that, I explained that I worked with the police and needed a basic system to expand my search for suspects to the internet. That reined him in and it wasn't long before I had a slightly better than basic system with some future expansion capabilities, along with an internet package deal. He also showed me how to hook everything up and installed the browser and security software for me. I paid for it with a newly acquired credit card (my first one!) and push it all out to my car in a shopping cart. The boxes were large, but I somehow got it all to fit in my little sports car and headed home.

Getting everything into my apartment took a couple of trips between the car and my living room. I decided to set my new computer on an ell shaped students desk I had salvaged from a dumpster outside of the university apartments at the end of the school year. It was back when I had just gotten my apartment and needed everything on the cheap. One would be amazed at what gets tossed out as the campus closes for summer vacation and the students have to vacate their campus apartments. I had stuck it into a corner of my living room where it has sat pretty much unused. It has turned out to be the perfect setup for my new computer.

Mastering this new (to me) technology took awhile, but soon I had a feeling that I knew what I was doing. It was then time to address my hobby. I started with stores that I was familiar with from my trips to the mall. The fashions they offered had not improved any since that fateful day some time ago. I was slipping into the same feeling of disappointment and depression that I had back then. Escape was imperative.

I switch to a search engine and after several failed tries, found a site that had a list of boutique clothing stores. Each stores site was visited in turn. There was much that appealed to me, and I quickly became immersed in all the beautiful things I could at long last afford. Actually there was too much and having to settle on one outfit (to see how the system worked) was going to be more of a nightmare than a pleasure. I was busy noting my favorite outfits and who had it, when I brought up a site offering fashions for an evening out. The clothing being offered ran from sexy to outright trashy and while I did find a couple of items of interest, the vast majority did not appeal to me. Just as I was about to close that window and bring up the next store on the list, my inner something spotted a skirt that it just had to have. A feeling that I had seen a very similar one before, swept over me. It didn't take long to realize that it was at a very familiar store, one that I had revisited in my mind from time to time. My inner something brought to the forefront the same daydream I had when I first saw that similar skirt. I indulged my inner something for what seemed a long time before forcing an emergence from my dream world.

To my shock and surprise, I found the skirt in an online shopping cart. I then watched helplessly as the on screen cursor position itself over a matching jacket that was then added to the cart. The image on the screen inexplicably changed to one displaying purses. The cursor quickly moved to a matching clutch purse. That too suddenly appeared in the cart. Checkout was next on the cursor's agenda. I sensed my hands reaching out for something. I stared down to see my fingers dancing across the keyboard, giving out my personal information and then my credit card number. I was not in control, but merely hanging on for the ride. Then suddenly things came to a stop, but the ride was not over.

The cursor invited a new site to join in. The new site quickly displayed its offerings: lingerie. The allure of something so purely, and exclusively, feminine drew me in. I slowly scanned over each image, one by one, line by line, page by page until one image reached out and grabbed me. It was a matched set of lingerie that was more than feminine, it was sexy but with class. It wasn't designed to be covered up by some dress, but to be seen, and just by an audience of one. I desired it and willed the cursor to purchase it. The cursor complied, and sensing victory, brought up other sites from which more purchases were made until a complete head to toes outfit with accessories and makeup had been assembled and bought. All that was left to do, was to wait.

After about a week, packages started to arrive, but I didn't open them. Instead I took each one to my bedroom closet and placed them on the floor off to one side. I would wait until all had arrived before opening, and then only when depression had me in its grip, needing a cure that only a dress up session full of new wonders could provide. That day wasn't too far off and would prove to be the most pivotal day in my young life.

That day started off ominously enough with my being awakened by the sun streaming through the bedroom window instead of by my electric alarm clock in the dark. I glanced at the clock for a clue as to what had happened only to be greeted by a blank screen. Great, a power failure. I leaped out of bed and hurriedly got dressed. There was no time for breakfast as I had to get to work as fast as possible. That was not to be, for even through I now had a fast sports car, every traffic light in my corner of the city was dark and every controlled intersection became a four way stop. It took forever to get through the black out zone to reach work which, naturally, was outside the black out zone.

My boss was none too happy about my being late even though it really wasn't my fault. But it didn't matter as my position on the line had to be filled and my boss had shifted a lot of people around. He was in no hurry to shift them back again just to accommodate me. So, for the remainder of the work day, I was assigned to a maintenance and clean-out crew, arguably the worst job in the company. After what seemed like an eternity, the end of shift whistle loudly announced the end of my ordeal. I headed for my car and home, tired, sore, filthy, and reeking of things not to be desired.

I drove home in a daze, not being able to recall just how I got there, nor how I came to be standing in my bathroom, staring at a pathetic image of me in the mirror behind the bathroom sink. That image needed to be changed. I started the transformation by stripping off my filthy, smelly clothes, dropping them on the floor right where I was, and made ready for a shower. But a hot shower wasn't going to be enough, it would need help, I knew just what was needed. From under the sink I pulled out the small sealed container with its special treasure within. This time it would not be used sparingly. It didn't take long for the bathroom to become filled with a very feminine aroma.

With showering out of the way, it was time to get dressed. I walked out of the bathroom completely naked headed for the bedroom closet. From the closet I retrieved the packages that had come in the mail not all that long ago and piled them on the bed. A razor blade was retrieved from my sewing table and I approached the pile of packages on the bed with desire clearly written across my face. The one I wanted first was quickly spotted, seized, and placed in front of me. The tape that sealed it closed was cut with the blade. Then it was slowly opened so that my anticipation of wonders yet to be explored would build. A couple folds of tissue paper were peeled back revealing the treasures within.

Out came a bright red bustier with black lace trim and tiny black bows. There were at least a dozen hook and eyes for closer in the back. As I wrapped the garment around my torso and started to fasten the hooks from the bottom up, I could tell that I would be a tight fit and combined with having to reach around back, it would get more and more difficult to make the hook and eye connections as I moved up the back to the point where I had to literally wrestle with myself to get it completely hooked up, and I loved every exquisite second of it. I retrieved a pair of breast forms I had carved out of a foam cushion found in the trash and inserted them into the bustiers cups. Matching panties were then pulled from the box and slowly slipped on. I explored the fit and feel of this totally new experience, even putting on a little show in front of my full length mirror. The look was elegant in spite of the sexiness of the red color. I loved it, but that something inside me didn't, it wanted a change and it wanted it now, but I wasn't about to give in, and didn't. My inner something was down but definitely not out for it had an ally, the packages on the bed, and they were calling.

The sirens call soon won me over and I was back at the bed tearing open a small heavy shipping envelope. Out came a pair of self supporting, black, fishnet stockings. I knew the detrimental effect they would have on the look I had, and liked, but for reasons unknown, I slipped them on anyway. The effect was as feared, for the look had gone from elegance to flat out sex. I stared at the image in the mirror, telling my self that I didn't like it, but I couldn't tear my eyes from it. It seemed to me, that deep down, I liked that look, and wanted more. I found myself moving back to the bed.

I watched my hands reach out and take hold of a small flat box. It was cut open as before. Slowly I extracted a white silk, sleeveless, pullover top with a Mandarin collar and closure. I savored the cool smoothness as I slipped my hands, and then arms, in through the bottom opening of the garment. The sensations continued as I lifted my arms up over my head, letting the top slip down my arms and over my head. Slowly, I lowered my arms, then took hold of the bottom of the top and pulled it down into place. The bottom of the garment came to just below my waist line. There was a short slit in both sides telling me that the top was to be worn out over a skirt or pants. It took a little time to figure out how to close the odd fasteners stretching across my shoulder. I eventually succeeded and as a reward, played with the top awhile before again turning to the packages on the bed.

The largest of the boxes was dragged to the edge of the bed in front of me, and slowly opened. Out of the box emerged a small, but heavy, dark red sequined mini skirt. It had an Oriental look to it with a slit on both sides that reached more than half way to the waist. It was a real eye catcher and trashy as all get out. I unzipped the back zipper, lowered it down in front of me, and stepped into it. As I pulled the skirt up my legs, I rocked it side to side causing the hem to smack my legs. That triggered a hip wiggling dance that continued as I teasingly pulled up the zipper. It was trashy and sexually suggestive. It was a turn on, and for reasons unknown, I wanted more.

I refocused my attentions, and reached back into the same box. Out came the matching red sequin jacket. It too, was heavy, and I enjoyed the effort of working my arms into the sleeves and setting the jacket onto my shoulders. I struck a couple of poses in front of the mirror before reaching into the box to retrieve a matching red sequin clutch purse. That was set off to the side as the now empty box was cleared off to make room for the next box.

The new box was the size of a shoebox, very fitting as it contained a pair of shoes. The box was slowly cut opened, a fold of tissue paper was peeled back revealing a bright red, four inch spike heeled pump. I lifted it from the box and looked it over, bringing it up close to my eyes. As I did so, the smell of new leather filled my nose, something that I had not experienced before. I loved it, as with all of the other new sensations and feelings all ready experienced, and that triggered thoughts of why. Was it a girl thing, something they alone enjoyed? Did that mean I was more of a girl than a man who liked all things feminine? Could it mean that deep down, I wanted to be a girl and just never wanted to admit it before? These thoughts scared me and I wanted to rid them from my mind. I forced my attention back to the shoe I was holding in my right hand.

It was the left shoe, and I bent my left leg up and across in front of me to slip the shoe on. It was a woman's action, not that of a man, reinforcing my thoughts. I tried to ignore them by peeling back the paper in the shoe box to expose the other shoe. Seizing it with my left hand, I slipped it on in the same manor as the other. It was on to the next box.

I had to pause before opening this box as its contents promised a whole new experience, one that would take my dress up sessions to levels I could only visit before in my daydreams. I took a deep breath and slowly let it out to try and calm myself, for my heart was visibly pounding with excitement and anticipation in my thin chest. As I drew in a fresh breath, I reached for the cutter. With a slightly shaking hand, the box was cut open. Inside were all the various types of makeup a woman would use to detail her face, in colors that would set off my outfit. Beneath that was a sample kit containing a dozen small bottles of foundation makeup. It was the perfect way for me to determine which shades and colors worked best for me without having to risk exposing myself in the makeup aisle of some store. I couldn't wait to put what I had learned from watching Elaine to use. The box was taken to the bathroom and placed on the vanity top. Everything was removed from the box and set in a line near the back of the vanity top, except for the foundation sample box. That was placed front and center and opened.

I looked over the small bottles of flesh colored makeup, marveling at the magic they contained. Who would have thought that something so small could change a person's apparent gender, to give someone a whole new persona, and in the process, allow that person to enter a world befitting that new persona? I certainly would not have believed it given my less than feminine features, had I not witnessed the transformation preformed before my very eyes, upon my very self. With that thought in mind, it was time to attempt the transformation for myself.

I reached into the kit and removed a few of bottles. I then started to hold each individual bottle up to my cheek in succession, just as Elaine had done at the beginning of our first session back in her office in the police station. I was able to eliminate all but two of the bottles. These final two were moved around my face as I observed how they blended in with the color of the various parts of my face. It was a difficult choice, but I made my selection and returned the other bottle to the kit. I noted the color name before drawing from the kit lighter and darker shades. Mimicking Elaine's handiwork as best I could, I began visually reshaping my facial features, highlighting this, while reducing that. It took no small amount of work, and rework, (and more rework) before achieving the desired results of my efforts. While I had a ways to go to equal Elaine's work, I had done damn well on my first try. Feeling rather proud of myself, I marveled at the emerging woman in the mirror for some time before glancing down at the cosmetics lined up along the back of the vanity top. It was time to complete the emergence.

The second half of the transformation began by picking up the eyebrow pencil. I stared at the pencil while running through my mind each and every movement of Elaine's hand as she stroked the pencil across my brows. Finally, I got to work, and while it took me a lot longer than Elaine, my eyebrows became more pronounced and had a definite feminine curve, sweep, and taper. A kind of thrill shot through me, and while what I had just done was very simple and easy compared with what was to come, it gave my confidence a needed boost. Without any hesitation, I picked up the mascara and began applying it, drawing on my observations of Elaine's expertise as to how. And so it would go with every cosmetic needed to give me the look that I inexplicably seem to desire, right down to the final application of lip gloss to my bright red lips. The end result was astonishing as it was clearly a painted woman that stared back at me from the mirror. I couldn't help but turn my head one way and back the other again and again. But soon there came a call from my bedroom, telling me that it was time to open the last package.

I tore myself away from the mirror and returned to my bed. The only unopened package was pulled from the debris of all the other packages and set before me. I savored the opening of this box more than the others, for it was the piece that would complete my transformation and signal the start of a completely new adventure. It was a bleached blond, china doll styled wig, normally a cute and innocent style, but the bleach blond color took the look in an opposite direction, one befitting my outfit and makeup.

The wig was lifted from the box and inspected. It was slightly mussed up from its trip through the postal system and I did a little finger combing as I headed back into the bathroom. The wig was worked over my own bunched up hair and set in place upon my head. With the aid of the bathroom mirror, it was further set to order with my comb. Having finished with the wig, I was free to take in the whole image in the mirror. I was nowhere to be seen. No one would suspect that the woman in the mirror was in fact me. I marveled at my handiwork once again, striking different poses, and taking it all in. Soon, a desire to see the entire head to toes picture swept over me. It was to the full length mirror once again.

The image reflected back to me was hot, it was trashy, it was sexy, it was of a bad girl looking for fun, and I loved it. But why? It was so not me. Something else, something rooted deep in my primitive desires was at work. I tried to tell myself that I did NOT like what I saw, but couldn't resist striking pose after pose, each one being sexier and more suggestive than the one before. This continued until I had seemingly exhausted all possible poses. Still, I wanted more. I wanted something else.

I backed away from the mirror as far as the room and furnishings would allow. Then, I came at the mirror in my idea of a sexy walk. It was a failure. My lack of experience paired with having only having enough room for a couple of steps didn't allow me to develop the walk I wanted before having to stop. Considerably more room was needed, so I turned away from the mirror and made my way out of the bedroom into the hallway.

Upon entering the living room, it quickly became clear that I wasn't going to find the needed room there, or anywhere else in the confines of my apartment. Dejected, I lost interest in my play. An unconscious glance at the clock showed that it was well past my usual meal time. Hunger then let its presents be known, and I made for the kitchen where I assembled a dinner from leftovers of previous dinners. It was an eclectic mix but it managed to draw me away from my sadness. Soon, my attention was redirected back to the problem of finding more room. A thought came to me that additional space could be added to the living room by starting in the hallway, and even more by starting in the bedroom and finishing in the kitchen. I couldn't wait to give it a try and sprang from the kitchen table, leaving the remains of my dinner where it lay.

It was a good idea, but it only took a couple of passes to see that it wasn't good enough. To get the walk I wanted, I need a long enough straight line to get the right swing of my hips, the best placement of my feet, the right amount of twist of my upper body, and lastly, the uppity attitude I seemed to desire for some reason. There were far too many turns and detours imposed by the confines of my little apartment to accomplish my goal. Still, I spent considerable time working on my walk and managed to extract a significant amount of pleasure as I made each pass, to where I slipped into a daydream in which I was a celebrity at some event before fans and the media. The daydream was reinforced on each return pass as it ended in front of the mirror. There I would pause to strike a pose for the cameras in my mind. I was having the best dress up session of my life, only to have it brought to a halt by the phone ringing. I reluctantly deviated from my intended path to answer the phone. I snatched the receiver from the cradle and brought it to my face figuring, or more like hoping given the late hour, it was a wrong number.

"Hello?"

"It's Lynn. We've got one that can use your talents."

"What, at this hour?"

"Sorry, but yeah. The suspect is a flasher and a groper who has been playing cat and mouse with us all evening, while accosting any woman he comes across. We have been able to chase him off before he can do any real harm, but we haven't been able to catch him, he's got too many escape routes for us to cover."

"All right, I'm … I'm in. What about Elaine?"

"She won't be needed. The area is dark and poorly lit. No one will tell you're not a woman until they are in your face. But even that won't matter. It's a business district situated where an old industrial section, a sizable working class neighborhood, and a small neighborhood popular with the gay, shemales and transvestites, meets. It has a high proportion of bars, night clubs, and gaming centers. Scattered through out are a few bars that cater to the gay community, so no matter where you are, you will fit in. So just wear an outfit from a previous assignment and get over here as soon as possible."

Wear something from a previous assignment? My inner something said nuts to that. I had spent a lot of time perfecting my makeup and dressing in a complete head to toes outfit that my inner something had willed upon me. I was hot and reeked of trashy sex. The thought of removing any part of my new look repulsed that something inside me and it prepared for battle. This time, I would be the one to surrender.

"Ah, yeah, sure, um, where do you want me to meet you?"

"The best thing for you to do, is from your place, go east to Unix, then south to Lisp Avenue, then turn east to the checkpoint. The situation is constantly changing, so I'll relay instructions as to what I want you to do at that time."

"Understood. I'll be on my way shortly."

"Excellent."

I could have left right then and there if not for one little concern. While I had given in to my inner something by going on assignment dressed as I was, I didn't want anyone to see me dressed around my apartment, even if I didn't look like me. I retreated to the bedroom for a solution that would satisfy both me and my inner something.

From my closet came a pair of baggy pants and a hooded coat. These were slipped on over my outfit. My wallet and keys were added to the purse as I picked it up from the bed and that in turn was stuffed into an inside pocket of my coat. I pulled the hood up to cover as much of my face as possible and headed for the front door. But before opening the door, I slightly pushed the curtain that covered the front window aside and covertly looked out. No one was about, and after taking a deep breath, I exited my apartment and made for my car.

I reach my car without incident and quickly slipped inside. By good fortune, the top was up and I was able to pause for a moment to collect myself, experiencing something of a thrill out of what I had just done before getting underway. I left the apartment complex, turning on to streets that were lightly trafficked. They became nearly devoid of traffic as I turned onto Lisp and headed into the industrial section. My trip came to an end at the police roadblock at the intersection of Lisp and an unknown cross street. There was a small group of cars being denied access and in the process, effectively blocking the road. It looked like I was going to have to walk in. I pulled over to the curb and parked. As I got out of my car, I took off my coat and dropped it onto the driver's seat. I dropped my pants and added them to the coat. My purse was plucked from the coats inner pocket before locking up my car. I came up along side of the stopped cars to an officer that appeared to be in charge.

"Sorry Miss, no admittance to anyone at this time. The area is closed."

"I'm Jeff. Lynn called me in."

"Oh, um, right."

The officer reach up to a microphone fastened to his uniform up near his left shoulder and squeezed a side button.

"West check point to Lynn."

"Lynn, go ahead."

"Jeff is here."

"Excellent. Jeff, there's a backstreet about fifty yards up from your position that will get you to where I want you to be without being seen. It's a little more than a quarter of a mile long ending at the top of a parking strip on a main street with a few bars. Work your way through the parking lot to the southern most bar. The suspect is on the move and appears to be headed for that area. If you don't run into the suspect, then I'll meet you at the last bar and we'll go from there."

"Understood."

As I started up the cross street, the night air caressed my exposed legs, bringing to mind the sensations I felt on my first assignment at the university as I crossed the central lawn. I wanted to experience that again and tried to come up with an excuse that would justify my having to slip into character long before I needed to and failed. My inner something said screw that and I sashayed away from the checkpoint in the gate of a woman. I could feel the stares of the officers and the people stuck in their cars all the way to the backstreet, and I liked it.

The trip down the backstreet promised to be long, lonely, and boring. My mind quickly drifted off the business at hand and slipped back into the dress up session I was enjoying before Lynn's call. I once again tried to imitate a walk befitting of the way I looked. This time there was plenty of room to work on it without being constantly interrupted by the confines of my apartment. I didn't have the same degree of security my apartment offered but the uninhabited feel of the back street came close enough. I was able to let myself go and it wasn't long before I felt that I had achieved my goal. I was feeling proud of myself and wanted more, but I had a job to do.

An assessment of where I was revealed that there was still a third of the back street left to traverse, and I thought why not continue my roll play and take in all the pleasures and experiences that being outdoors at night had to offer. While the area was deserted, I was still out in public, and that meant there was the possibility of being caught in the act, something that would have horrified me just a few weeks ago. Now, I didn't care. In fact, I WANTED to be seen. But there was more to it, I wanted feedback, and the more sexist the better! I strutted on with a whole new attitude, one fitting of the way I looked and walked, all the way to the intersection with the parking strip and the main street.

Reaching the end of the backstreet signaled that it was time to refocus on the job at hand, but it was not the end of my performance. The disguise and act more than fit the situation and I turned into the parking strip unabated. The parking strip didn't offer anything more outside of a small group of men on the outer edge leaning against a couple of cars or sitting on the pavement with their backs against a car. I altered my course and headed for them telling myself that the suspect might be among them or close by. Of course the real reason was that I wanted to see how much of a rise I could get out of them. But as I approached them, I could see that they were dressed in filthy, wrinkled work clothes, unkempt, and too drunk to even look in my direction. I became disgusted with just the thought of them lusting after me. I veered off and pushed on, still with an unexplainable inner desire of men wanting me.

My new course temporarily pointed me at a night club in the middle of the row. There were placards across the front advertising shows featuring female impersonators and one in particular caught my full attention. It claimed that it was open armature night. That was it. That's where I would find exactly what I craved. My inner something seized upon that and I found myself headed straight for that club. I quickly came to the edge of the parking area and scanned the street for traffic. But as I looked down the street, I spotted a police car in front of the last bar. It reminded me that I still had a job to do and there was no telling how long it would take. My inner something argued that the competition could end at any time, closing my window of opportunity and there was no way of knowing just when a new one might open, if ever again. But abandoning my assignment would certainly close the window on a terrific job, not to mention the much needed income. It just wasn't worth it, so I shrugged off my inner desires, and headed back into, and on down, the parking strip.

I soon came to the end of the parking strip without being approached by the suspect. A feeling of failure swept over me that not even thoughts that the suspect may not have been in the area could shake. Doubts about my looks and action filled my mind and depression took over. It was all I could do to cross the street and prod on to the bar at the end of the row where Lynn awaited me. She was easy to spot. As I moved toward her, my mind filled with unrealistic thoughts of her chastising me for not being an appealing enough target to do the job. As she spotted me approaching, a look of surprise flashed across her face.

"Is that you Jeff? Damn! Will you look at you! Wait, where'd that outfit and wig come from? I don't recall you wearing either one on any previous assignment. And full makeup? Elaine wasn't called in and you didn't have time to do that, which means that you must have… Oh ho! So, just what have we got going on here Mister? Or should I say Missy?"

The only thought that filled mind was "Oh s____!" This was something I hadn't figured on when I surrendered to my inner something's desires. How could I have been so blind to think that Lynn, who I had worked so close with on all of my assignments, wouldn't notice that I was wearing a full make up job, as well as a bright red sequined skirt and jacket that was far beyond what any previous assignment had required? I was found out and there was no escape. My thoughts turned to "And just what do I do now?" I had to come up with something and fast, but Lynn was staring at me with a triumphant grin, and I couldn't focus my mind away from her. Indecision started to sweep over me, causing my mind to go blank. That's when my inner something rose up with its own idea of a rescue.

"It's nothing that you haven't already suspected from when you first confronted me in front of that custom clothier."

I could not believe I had said that. My mind quickly filled with ideas on how Lynn would respond and none of them good. I brace for the worst. But it didn't come. Instead she ran the tip of her tongue under her upper lip as she stared down at me with lust in her eyes, nodding her head as if to say "yes, Yes, YES". It was becoming increasingly obvious that she desired me, but in what capacity?

"Well, be that as it may, it is all for naught. About five minutes ago, the suspect doubled back, slipping past officers in pursuit. He was captured by an officer who was holding back, just in case."

"So, I won't be needed?"

"Yeah, you're free to go. But you know your efforts don't have to be a total waste. Why don't you come by my place later? We'll spend the rest of the night exploring this, enticing, side of you."

"Wow, that's unexpected, and for reasons I can not for the life of me figure out, I find rather intriguing. I'd like to say that you're on, but I want to check out a night club up the street. It features female impersonators and its open armature night. Something inside me wants me to join the competition."

"Too bad I have to return to the station and fill out the usual paperwork. I would love to see you perform."

"No problem, I can give you a private show at your place sometime."

Wow, another "I can't believe I just said that." moment. Just where are these words coming from and why? I nervously looked at Lynn, fearful of her response. She stared back at me with a big smile that said that she loved the idea. She reached out to touch and gently caress my cheek with her fingers. Her touch was magical, a sensation the likes of which I had not experienced before radiated from the point of contact and spread throughout my body. And with it, a new feeling of calm swept over me, for my secret was out and it didn't mater, at least with Lynn anyway. As I reluctantly turned away and headed back to the nightclub, my inhibitions and fears disappeared. That something inside me was no longer needed as I slipped back into character all on my own. Suddenly, I heard a loud wolf whistle coming from behind. I quickly whipped my head around and shot Lynn a look of feigned surprise. I slightly stuck out my tongue, wiped the tip my right index finger down it, and then applied the moistened tip to my lower posterior accompanied by a loud hiss. Lynn was beside herself and was clearly turned on.

There were a lot of thoughts rushing through my mind as to just what was going on with Lynn, thoughts that I suddenly had a desire to explore to the fullest. But I had another desire, a much stronger one, one that forced my mind to refocus on the nightclub with visions of my doing well enough in the competition to being offered a gig as a female impersonator, performing regularly in front of a packed house of sex crazed men lusting after me for real and no longer being confined to daydreams influenced by some inner something.

It was a path I would love to travel down in the evening, wanting of desire, and returning back from in the wee hours of the morning, satisfied to the max.