Chapter 3
At the Races

It has been a while since the last chapter, so here is a quick recap to refresh your memory.

Transgender Detective Sergeant Julie Rowntree and Detective Constable Trudy Terry had been thrown together by North Yorkshire Police to form a specialist team based in York. Despite lack of collaboration from other colleagues, the pair were proving successful in dealing with the cases that were thrown their way. Their latest cases are to investigate a spate of muggings and robberies at racecourses, and to find out what had happened to elderly inmates missing from a nursing home. If you still can’t remember, or missed the earlier stories, chapters 1&2 are still available.

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Trudy had now settled into the spare room at my city-centre flat and seemed to have given up the idea of finding somewhere for herself, which was ok with me as I enjoyed the company and chore-sharing after months of living alone after my transition adjusting to my new life. Although I was her boss at work, at home we were just two friends flat-sharing.

Over breakfast we decided two things; today’s visit to the races on the Knavesmire on the outskirts of York, was not the dress-up Ladies Day big event and that we would just go to carry out our surveillance for muggers and robbers in practical casual gear, dress trousers, shirt, light jacket, and flats, rather than the full glam look that was to be saved until tomorrow; secondly we decided that we needed extra pairs of eyes, as the main CID team had offered no assistance and been very dismissive and we would have to call on some civilians that we knew might help. We had been told by DI Wainwright “Go off and have a girly day all dressed up and enjoying yourselves while the real detectives do a proper job, I’m not going to waste the time of my team chasing rainbows with you two.”.

“Hi Michael, do you fancy a few days at the races, we need extra feet on the ground for surveillance? I know that you are still not working and it would be a big help to us, obviously all at no cost to yourself.” Michael Metcalf, an actor looking for a serious role, moonlighting as either street-entertainer ‘Mick the Mime’ or drag-artist ‘Lola Luscious’, had been assaulted and injured and we had caught his assailant last week.

“ Sounds fun, what do you want me to do?”

“ Tomorrow is Ladies’ day, and Trudy and I will be dressed in style as ‘Real housewives of Yorkshire’, it would be in character if you were to come as a ‘Hooray Henry’ escorting his arm-candy for the day, does your acting repertoire run to that?”

“ I can manage that, believe it or not I was RADA trained.”

“We are going to race the meeting on the Knavesmire today, but that is much lower key, if you want to come to get a feel for what goes on we’ll meet you at the entrance to the County Stand at 11:30, just wear any smart casual clothes, no need for anything fancy.”

“See you there, I look forward to it”

Trudy and I thad a long serious discussion before my next phone call as using a known criminal on a case carried a lot of risks and was totally against protocol, rules, and regulations.

“ Hi Josie, would you like to help us, it would mean that we could put in a good word for you with the court when your shoplifting case comes up, but no promises that you will not get punished. You might also have a bit of fun as well.”

“ Anything I can do to reduce the risk of going to prison is worth a try. What can I do?”

“ We are going to the races today and the rest of the meeting to keep an eye out for any criminal activity. Despite getting involved with your mother’s shoplifting schemes, we believe that you are a sensible and honest person at heart, and we need an extra person to keep a lookout for criminal activity, and you should be good at seeing people acting shifty, you’ve had a lot of practice yourself. Dress in something smart casual for today, skirt and top and jacket, or trousers if you prefer, which I somehow doubt since you have now come out as a cross-dresser. For tomorrow, which is the big social event Ladies Day, you need to dress up a bit, something classy, perhaps some of the top-brand stuff that you and your mother stole.”

“I’ll see you later, I’ll go and have a rummage through my wardrobe for something for Ladies Day.”

After we had made all the arrangements Trudy and I talked through our plans for the day while we were getting dressed and made-up.

“ I can see the point of using Michael,”said Trudy,” but I am still not sure what use Josie will be and how much we can trust hi….her.”

“ Like we agreed before, we need support , the two of us cannot look everywhere at once. You and I will be the ones making the running and decisions, the other two will help us blend in better. You pair up with Michael and play the parts of girlfriend and boyfriend. and I and Josie will pair up as mother and daughter. Couples will look less out of place than two individuals wandering around.”

“No disrespect, but I am not sure that I can fit comfortably into the role of girlfriend to a man who wears women’s clothes and make-up.”

“ Don’t be daft, you know that he is an actor playing a role on stage, just as he will be tomorrow as an upper-class creep. We will all go in together then go off in our pairs to get a feel for how the place operates. I think that today there will just be normal low-level crime, pickpockets, con artists, and such like, tomorrow and Saturday will be when the high-rollers and socialites will be out in force and that’s when anything serious will happen. So today just wander around, you’ll soon learn to easily pick out the type of person who is just ordinary having a day out for a bit of fun and probably losing a bit of money, and the type who look like they could be up to mischief.”

We arrived at the Knavesmire racecourse, collected our ‘all-areas’ passes from the ticket office and waited for Mick and Josie to arrive. As expected Josie turned up looking very much the stylish young woman in a tartan mini-kilt, scooped scarlet top and a leather blouson jacket, but with sensible wedge heel shoes. Not as expected, Mick arrived in his tomorrow’s role as a ‘Hooray-Henry’, but instead of the formal suit he would have on tomorrow, he was sporting a set of country tweeds, Tattersall check shirt and cravat. and brown Oxford brogues, looking like was going out on a grouse shoot.

“Hi Guys,” I said with a welcoming smile, glad you both could make it, and I see you have both entered into the spirit of things, love the outfits. Thanks for offering to help us, we need extra pairs of eyes and none were available from the station. Mick this is Josie, and Josie meet Mick”

Over glasses of wine in one of the bars Trudy and I outlined our plans to Mick and Josie for the day. “ Today is really a recce exercise, we will just wander around looking for any suspicious or threatening behaviour, we’ll stay in pairs, Josie with me, and Mick with Trudy. Trudy and I will direct where we go and what to do and keep in touch with each other, Josie and Mick just stay close to us, act normal and follow our leads, do not try to intervene if you see anything, just tell Trudy or me. Let’s meet up back here in a couple of hours, unless anything urgent comes up earlier”

The weather was glorious, just right for enjoying a day out, the sky was clear, the sun was warm and hazy but not overpowering, the ground was dry and firm and the racecourse and stands were full almost to capacity. Josie and I wandered around the stands and paddocks soaking up the atmosphere and even had a couple of small bets on the races.

The first race Josie picked an outsider ‘Lucky Lady’ because she liked the name, and I backed one of the favourites. Standing at the rails near the finish line the roar of the crowd cheering on their selections and the pounding of the horses’ hooves on the ground were deafening and when Josie’s horse somehow managed to cross the line just a nose in front of my choice she was jumping up and down really excited over her 22/1 win. Despite my words of caution all her winnings went on the next race, again on a choice where she liked the name ‘My Princess’ that also came in first at 28/1 and she was almost overcome with excitement. She needed to calm down.It was almost time for us to meet up again with Trudy and Mick so we went to collect our winnings, in her case well over £1000, and in my case an awful lot less, talk about beginners luck !

After collecting our winnings, on the way back to the bar Josie waited outside while I went into the ‘Ladies’. When I came out she was struggling with a man who was trying to snatch her bag, but when he saw me approaching he quickly ran off. Although she was physically unharmed Josie was obviously a bit shaken and she had managed to hold on to her money. An elderly lady came over and asked if we were alright and if we needed anything, and produced a small bottle of gin from her handbag. “Don’t worry, it is watered down with tonic, it might help to calm your nerves.” Josie took a small sip saying that she was not used to strong drink, thanked the lady, and we made our way into the bar, where we managed to find a table as someone was just getting up to go back out to the course for the next race.

A few minutes later Trudy and Mick came in smiling and holding hands and I thought to myself ‘Maybe she has got over being out with a drag artist.’

After Mick had got the drinks for us, which Josie insisted on paying for out of her winnings, we told them what had happened.

“Obviously the attacker saw Josie getting so excited at the end of the race and followed her when she went to collect her winnings. that must be how they operate. Let’s keep an eye out for anyone who looks like they have had a big win and follow them for a bit” Trudy said, echoing my own thoughts.

“Hello again girls, are you both ok now?” was shouted at us from across the room, by the elderly lady who we had met earlier, who was coming over to us with a few equally elderly friends. “ We are having a super time, winning a bit, then losing it again, but it is a lot more interesting than sitting around all day staring at the walls. Is there enough room for us to join you at your table, there are no others free.”

“Yes sure we can all squeeze over. Are you all visiting York for the races for the day?” questioned Trudy, while Mick went to the bar to help one of the group get their drinks.

“No we all live just nearby, at Copmanthorpe, sharing rooms in my house. We met in what was supposed to be a care home, but was turning us into bored brainless shells so we left and are learning to live again.”

“Were you in Rose-acre?”

“Yes that’s right, do you know it? Horrible place ! The managers are only interested in getting their exorbitant fees and keeping everyone quiet and controlled, Care is not high up on their list of priorities, so we decided to make our escape and along with another four who are not here today have now settled in together in my house, which luckily had not been sold yet”

“You do know that everybody is worried about what has happened to you, don’t you, you just disappeared. your families are very concerned? I’m Julie Rowntree and this is Trudy Terry, we work for the police and have been looking for you, but don’t worry that we will make you go back, we didn’t like Mr and Mrs Rose either. Why don’t you at least tell your families that you are ok.”

“They are more worried about the monthly charges and whether they can sell our houses for their inheritance, rather than how we are feeling, but you are probably right, we should call them. But there is no way that we will go back there, we are now leading full lives again, we are all fit and well, we have no need for medical care and have each other for company.”

“You all seem to be up for an exciting time, would you like to help us on a case? You saw the attempted mugging on Josie earlier, we think that is typical of a whole string of similar attacks and we are out to get the people doing this.” I said having quickly made a decision. “The attacker has seen Josie and me and will run a mile if they spot us, but who would suspect that they were being followed and spied on by a bunch of 70 year-olds.”

“ That sound like a lot of fun, I always watch the crime programmes on TV and fancy myself as another Miss Marple.” said the leader of the group, the lady with the gin bottle, who introduced herself as Jane Stuart and her companions as other ex-inmates of Rose-acre, Betty Cartwright, Joe Riley and Charles Madeley. What do you want us to do?”

We gave them a brief low-down on what we were looking for, with strict instructions not to intervene if they saw an attempted mugging, as they had no authority and were not in the best physical condition to overcome anyone.

We had all missed one race while we were in the bar, but went off in our separate groups back to the stands for the next race. Jane and Joe paired up with Trudy and Mick, Betty and Charles came with Josie and me, both sets of us looking like family groups on a day out.

We did not have any more luck looking for muggings, although Josie’s luck with the horses continued and after the final race she was over £4500 up, from her point of view a really successful day.

Trudy and her team had better luck, Jane spotted the man who had attacked Josie, lurking near the betting kiosks waiting for any people collecting big winnings. Rather than identify themselves Trudy found one of the police constables on general crowd management duties, identified herself, agreed to get formal witness statements for the earlier attack, and left him to make the arrest. He was probably not one of the ‘Mr Bigs’, but at least it was one nuisance out of the way, and it proved my point about involving the group in our operation.

While Trudy took Betty, Mick, and Charles to a nearby hotel to relax and have a drink, Josie, Jane and I went down to the station to make our formal witness statements about the attempted mugging, identifying the attacker, who it turned out had a string of similar charges on record. I also arranged for another four ‘all-areas’ passes for Jane and her friends

On the way out of the station I was spotted by Inspector Wainwright who waved me over, so telling the others just to wait outside I went over to him.

“ I have heard what you have just reported, I suppose you think that you have done well ! Two detectives all day just to catch a known petty criminal, bit of a waste of scarce resources, don’t you think?”

“ Look Wainwright, you just get on with your job and leave me to get on with mine. You passed this investigation over to me because you and your team did not know how to handle it, my team has got a result, so let’s leave it at that, shall we? It would have been good to have had a bit of cooperation from you and your team, but you are more interested in point scoring and seeing me fail”

“ All right deary, don’t get your knickers in a twist and start crying, when you have to resort to that you have lost your argument."

I stormed off before he had a chance to continue, and before I said something very unladylike or slapped him.

By the time Josie, Jane and I met up with the others I had calmed down and was in quite a good mood.

‘My thanks to you all, you made the job a lot easier for Trudy and I, we wouldn’t have got the result without you all. Are you all up for a repeat tomorrow at ‘Ladies Day?”

“ You have to be joking to even ask, of course we will be delighted to help again, it has all added to the excitement of the day out.” said Jane on behalf of all her friends.”

“Ok then. a quick drink to celebrate today's little success, then let’s all get home and have a good sleep ready for tomorrow. If you four can find your own way home, we’ll drop Josie and Mick off in town and all meet up again here tomorrow at 11:00 to agree how we are going to play it.”

It took a bit longer to get ready in the morning, today was Ladies’ Day at the races and most of the racegoers, especially the women, made extra effort to dress up in their finery.

After a fancier hair-do and a lot more daytime makeup than usual, and wearing my best lacy undies to get me in the mood, I put on my white cocktail dress, bolero, pill box hat, and a totally impractical pair of 4” stilettos which would be difficult on the grassy areas around the rails, and for the first time really felt myself to be a glamorous attractive woman.

Trudy looked absolutely amazing in her new silk cornflower dress, pashmina and fascinator. I still hadn’t fully come to terms with my sexuality after my transition, and thought to myself that if I had met her before it all that things may have turned out differently.

Looking as we did there was no chance that anyone would consider us to be undercover police officers, we would just be another couple of excited ladies at the racecourse as much to parade around and show off our outfits as to actually be interested in the races.

We met up with the others in all bar at the Mount Royale,, which is a popular hotel with the racing folk, trainers, owners and top jockeys and pundits, and there were many well-known faces around.

Although the bar was busy we managed to find a space on the garden terrace and sat down for me to brief them at what had to be done today.

Jane and her friends were all very well turned out, the two women hadn’t gone as far as Trudy and I but looked very attractive for their ages in smart skirt suits, the two men were wearing lounge suits and collars and ties, and Charles looked very dapper with his carved oak walking stick. Josie arrived and found us, looking every inch a stunning young lady in a chiffon waterfall dress from a well known designer house, and matching 2” block heel strappy sandals, getting lots of admiring looks, her mother had a very good eye as to what to shoplift.

Mick was the last arrive, a true actor, making his late big appearance in a navy herringbone cashmere suit, white collared shirt with gold links on the cuffs, and a cornflower blue cravat and breast pocket handkerchief which were a perfect match for Trudy’s dress, carrying a couple of shooting sticks in case anyone needed to sit for a while.

“ Oh hello darlings, you are all looking gorgeous today, as always, I’m delighted to be with you all, you put poor drab me in the shade.” he gushed , and I thought “for God’s sake I know I said to be a ‘hooray Henry’, but don’t overact too much.”, but he brought a smile to all our faces.

At the course we spit into the same groups as the previous day and drifted around the stands for the first warm-up races, keeping each other at a distance but still within sight, and agreed to meet up again for the the feature race of the day ‘The Yorkshire Oaks’ one of the flat-racing Classics of the year. We all made our selections for the afternoon’s races and placed our bets, on my suggestion they were all doubles, trebles or accumulators where the winnings from one race are automatically added to the bet for the following race.

My group won a few of our doubles and trebles, but lost out for the accumulator on the third race, but between us we were doing ok. Trudy’s group appeared to be doing much better, at the end of each race Betty was seen to be jumping enthusiastically, cheering on the winner and telling everyone that her horse had won. For the main race, The Oaks, we went up into the Ebor restaurant in the main Grandstand, one of the more exclusive and expensive areas where a lot of the moneyed class were to be found.

As the horses were running up the finishing straight, even in the grandstand we could see the sweat on their backs and the breath coming out of their nostrils, and hear the pounding of their hooves on the turf.

“ That’s another winner for me, all my horses have won, what do I do now.” Betty jumped up and shrieked with a big smile on her face.”

“ Calm down Betty, you’ll give yourself a heart attack. Let me have a look at your betting slip and we’ll try and work out what you have won.” advised Trudy as she guided her back down into her seat.”

“ The accumulator looks like it is about £25000, and the various doubles and trebles will be about another £15000, it’s your lucky day, that should keep you all going for a while. That’s the main race of the day, so there will be a bit of a rush at the bookmakers, let’s sit and have a drink while the crowds thin down a bit and we will go down for your winnings in a while. Put your betting slip in your bag for safety, so you don’t lose it.”

When the crowds had thinned a bit we all went down to collect our winnings. Trudy and I led the way and the others followed a few yards behind. We heard a scuffle behind us and turned around to see a man struggling to run with Betty’s handbag, but he couldn’t get very far with Charles’s walking stick handle hooked around his ankle, fell flat on his face and was immediately sat on by Mick. They had the situation under control so we kept well back from them, and called up help from the course stewards and the duty constables for an arrest.

We did not want to be listed as witnesses, there were plenty of other witnesses around anyway. A good defence lawyer could argue that we set up the situation as entrapment, which it actually was, we had set up a trap and the robber had fallen into it.

We all met up later at the Mount Royale, Trudy and I had gone ahead and found a table in the garden and ordered drinks for us all. A bit later they all arrived, buzzing with excitement, more police had arrived and taken the robber back to the station to be charged, taken all their names and details, they had all collected their winnings and were ready to celebrate.

That all worked out well everybody and Betty should have won enough to keep you all for a while, how did you actually do?”

“ As you told us, we exaggerated a wee bit, I didn’t get the accumulator, I lost out on the fourth race, and my initial stake wasn’t that high, but I still walked away with just under £10,000, not bad for a £20 set of bets.”

“ Don’t forget, when you come down to the station tomorrow to give your witness statements, bend the truth a little bit, don’t mention that Trudy and I were with you, it was just you four and Mick and Josie who took him down when he tried to rob you, and when you see us down at the station you don’t know us, right !. See you all Saturday, we have to go and sort out the formalities for all this.”

Trudy and I left them there to celebrate, went home to get changed into our normal business clothes, cleaned off our makeup down to the usual bare necessities, became unrecognisable as the well-dressed pair that had been at the races, and went down to the station to interview the mugger. He vaguely fitted the descriptions we had on record from previous incidents and with being caught red-handed we had enough of a case to keep him locked up overnight for further questioning.

Friday we formally took witness statements from ‘our team”, and from other people who were there at the time. Before interviewing the mugger we had confirmation of DNA matches for the previous cases, and had got confirmation from other victims that his photograph was definitely their attacker, The case was virtually all wrapped up and he confessed to a whole string of similar attacks in most of the other racecourses in the area. As he would be pleading guilty it would not be necessary for all the witnesses to go to court and so our use of our decoy team would not be made public.

Feeling rather pleased with ourselves we were getting ready to leave when our ‘favourite’ colleague Inspector Wainwright breezed into the office.

“ I hear you got beaten to solving your case by a load of pensioners, an upper-class twit and a young floozy, Rowntree. You wasted two days of your time, you may as well have left it to the public, i hope you don’t expect to get the credit for all this.”

“Thank you for your supportive team spirit Wainwright, but for your information, we had spotted the suspect following people who were celebrating a big win and picking their pockets for the betting slips, and were already on to him, and when he made his attack it was us that called in the officials and police. We did not make the arrest ourselves as we didn’t want to break our cover as general racegoers, so I think that we will take the credit, thank you. By the way, the people involved in this attack are some of those missing from Rose-acre, they are all safe and well, so that is another case off your books. If you have nothing useful to say, we are leaving, goodnight.” Pushing him out of our office, we locked up and he stormed off muttering to himself in rather colourful language.

As our passes were still valid, we all arranged to meet up on the Saturday for the final day of the meeting and the big race, The Ebor Handicap, as spectators, off-duty. Trudy had a word with the course security people and told them to watch out for excited big winners and discreetly make sure that they at least got away from the course safely, and the rest of the day was ours to enjoy, with our new friends, particularly for the close friendship that was forming between Trudy and Mick.

All in all it had been successful week, two cases cleared, three enjoyable days with people we have come to think of as friends, the likelihood that with a good reference from us that Josie would get off very lightly, and with all of us, particularly Josie and Jane, making big winnings on the races.

To be continued