 There is a serial killer at work, and Detective Inspector Bruce Appleby has only one lead, there is a common link to all the deceased men. The Candy Cane Club. This is a private and exclusive TG club in the heart of Reading, and he finds it resistant to any form of intrusive investigation. No females are employed in the club, and only males of a certain persuasion. All the staff are transgendered in some way, and Bruce has to try to unlock the intelligence which can only be inside, either from the clients or the staff. The only answer is to get someone inside, but what cop would ever volunteer for such an assignment? One did, and for Police Constable Nick Winton, a whole new life is opened up. The question is: where will it take him? |
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The Legal Stuff:The Candy Cane Club ©2004 Tanya Allan
This work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright in relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Any adaptation of the whole or part of the material for broadcast by radio, TV, or for stage plays or film, is the right of the author unless negotiated through legal contract. Any commercial use by anyone other than the author is strictly prohibited.
This work is fictitious, and any similarities to any persons, alive or dead, are purely coincidental. Mention is made of persons in public life only for the purposes of realism, and for that reason alone. Certain licence is taken in respect of medical procedures, terms and conditions, and the author does not claim to be the fount of all knowledge.
The author accepts the right of the individual to hold his/her (or whatever) own political, religious and social views, and there is no intention to deliberately offend anyone. If you wish to take offence, that is your problem.
This is only a story, and it contains adult material, which includes sex and intimate descriptive details pertaining to genitalia. If this is likely to offend, then don’t read it.
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Chapter 6
Nicole rang the bell at the main door of the Candy Club. She had settled into her flat with no problem, where she met her two colleagues, Jenny and Pete. Both were completely amazed at the degree of transformation in Nicole, and Pete kept shaking his head.
“You look completely convincing. If I didn’t know, even I’d fancy you,” he had said with a grin.
“Am I supposed to be flattered?” Nicole came back at him.
Jenny observed the Met officer, and was concerned at the degree of change she saw. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. As she watched Nicole, there was nothing in her behaviour, mannerisms, or speech, which indicated that she was anything other than a normal girl. And, certainly physically, there was no evidence of who or what she really was.
The flat was a small two bedroom flat, on the first floor of a converted town house. There were three floors, with two flats per floor. Jenny and Pete had the use of the one on the same floor as Nicole, and the club was five minute walk away.
Bruce had given her a mobile phone.
“This is a real Nokia 3310. However, when it’s in the off position, it’s a radio transmitter/receiver that transmits when you press the central blue button down at the same time as the ‘c’ button. Release the blue button to receive, keeping the ‘c’ button held all the time. It goes through to the set that Pete or Jenny will monitor, okay?”
She dressed in a white top and a tight dark skirt that came almost to her knees. She had her nice black shoes, the same ones she wore for dinner in Henley. She had her wig on, and was impatient for her own hair to grow out so she did not need to wear it all day. She had taken a good deal of time and trouble over her make up, and had put on the false fingernails. She walked the short distance from the flat to the club, and was now waiting a reply.
The small flap in the door opened, through which an eye looked at her. The door opened and a very large man in a dark suit stood there.
“Can I help you?”
“Hi. I’m here for an interview.”
He frowned, and Nicole noticed the scar on his hand. This was John, the police officer, who was also undercover.
“Sorry, you must have the wrong address. This club doesn’t employ girls.”
She smiled, as her confidence rose sharply.
“Yeah, I know. But I’m a sort of girl with a difference,” she said, to which he had the grace to blush.
“Oh, you’d better come in. What’s your name?” he said, stepping back and allowing her to enter.
“I’m Nicole. What’s yours?”
“John,” he said, as he checked her name on a list that was by the door.
“Okay, I’ll take you up to the manager’s office.”
She followed him through the club. It was huge. They passed several floors, with two enormous bars with a stage in one and a dance floor in another. There were many small rooms, and there were a few people about. The ‘girls’ were all very attractive, and some were topless. The members she could see were mostly dressed in normal male attire, but she was aware that there were changing rooms for anyone who wanted to become ‘female’ for their time here.
John knocked on the manager’s door and left her as Sean opened the door.
Sean looked Nicole up and down, immediately liking what he saw.
“Nicole, is it? Come in, take a seat.”
She sat on a leather sofa, looking about her.
It was a large and expensively appointed office, with another door leading off from behind the large mahogany desk. All the furniture was expensive, either antique or reproduction. There was a lot of dark wood and red leather. A glass-fronted bookcase ran along one wall, and several erotic pictures adorned the walls.
Sean was a good-looking man with a shaven head and a single earring in his left earlobe. He was wearing black, and over the next few weeks and months, Nicole never saw him wear any other colour.
“I read you application form. You’ve done bar work before?”
“Sure, in Canada and over here.”
“Well, we’ll take you to the bar in a while, and just let you show me what you can do. But I need to ask you a few personal questions first, okay?”
“Sure.”
“How did you get to hear of the club?”
“I surf the web and I came across your website. I wasn’t interested as far as membership was concerned, but I thought it would be somewhere I could work, as no one would give me a hard time because of what I am.”
“How would you describe yourself, in that context?”
“I’m a pre-op male to female transsexual. I live as a girl twenty-four/seven, and I have a hormone implant in my thigh.”
Sean nodded, as here was a very convincing girl, who would have good pulling power for the punters.
“How far down the line are you?”
“I will be having breast implants within a few weeks and full SRS when I can afford it.”
“You have to realise that certain attributes are more, how should I put it, ah, attractive to our members, and so I need to know what sort of time frame you are working with.”
“You mean the members like the chicks with dicks?”
He laughed. “Yes, that’s a crude, but accurate assessment.”
“I can’t see me having SRS this side of Christmas.”
“Fine, who’s your doctor?”
“Dr Hepburn.”
“I know of her, a few of the girls have been through her hands. She seems to be very well thought of.”
“I hope so. It is quite a big thing in my life.”
“Okay, how do you like to be known, Nicole, or Nikki, or what?”
“Nicole is fine. Some of my friends call me Nikki.”
Sean asked her several more questions and found her to be bright, intelligent, relaxed and very natural. He liked her a lot.
“Fine, let’s go down to the bar and you can show me what you can do. What type of bars have you worked in?”
“There was the pub, here in England. That was basic, very few imaginative drinkers there. But I worked in a cocktail bar in Toronto, and that was cool.”
They went to the bar where the stage was. It was shut at this time, so half a dozen of the ‘hostesses’ were relaxing around a large table.
Sean showed her where everything was, including how the payment system worked. The members used their cards as credit cards, and paid at the end of an evening at one of the three special computerised tills. There was one in each bar and one by the main reception desk. Any extra’s, such as a private dance session, or the hire of one of the rooms, went on the card automatically. The girls would get their payment at the end of each week, in cash. The staff were paid by pay slip, directly into their bank accounts. Any tips were at the discretion of individual members, and each girl kept any cash tips they received. It was up to them if they declared them for tax purposes, few did.
Sean called the group of girls over.
“This is Nicole, she’s joining us as a new barmaid, and I need to know how good she is. So, I’m offering you one drink each, on the house. It can be anything, the more exotic the better. And I want you to all order at once.”
This was quite a popular announcement, so Nicole was bombarded with requests. From Moscow Mules to Black Russians, Harvey Wallbangers and Red Ladies.
Once she memorised where all the bottles were situated, she only had to hear it once, and she was off. The bar she had worked in Toronto had been a busy Yuppie cocktail bar, so she had learned all the tricks. She could mix two cocktails simultaneously, and was expert at throwing the bottles around.
She made all the drinks, with umbrellas, fruit and sugar frosting, in a very fast time, with no spills and no wastage. Sean grinned, as not only did she look good, but she worked better than anyone he had ever known.
“Nicole, the job is yours. When can you start?” he said, with a smile.
“I’m free now,” she said, so he nodded.
“Okay. I need to get some details, such as national Insurance, and your bank details for your pay. So we’ll sort that in the office, and you can start this afternoon.”
She grinned, “Great.”
So, as the afternoon wore on, Nicole found herself in full employment amongst people with whom she had quite a bit in common. There were two staff rooms, one for the paid staff, and one for the girls who paid the club to work as hostesses and performers.
The group of girls with whom Nicole found herself were, by and large, all transsexuals who were travelling the same route that Nicole now found herself travelling. A couple, Caprice and Tanya, had been with the club for nearly two years, and both had completed their SRS and were legally female. Both had been staff, and then changed to being performers, but after the surgery had reverted to staff again.
They specialised as waitresses for the private rooms, and actually were more or less doing the same job as the performers, but on less money. As their surgery was over and paid for, they were happy just to be in work, in a friendly and safe environment.
Sean gave Nikki the Revue Bar as her domain, when things got busy, one or other of the cocktail waitresses would be able to help her out, but she was seen as so proficient as to be trusted to work the bar single-handed.
On the subject of dress, Sean had been quite specific.
“We don’t have uniforms for the bar staff, the waitresses have a uniform of sorts, and they are free to use their imagination. However, we like the bar staff to be sexy, but looking professional. No trousers please, the members want to see legs and boobs. If you have tits, then feel free to show what you have. There are no restrictions as far as breasts are concerned, but keep the lower part covered.
“The private rooms are private, so what goes on in there between members is a matter for them. CCTV monitors all the staff, and the performers. This is a respectable club, and there will be no sex or dubious behaviour on the premises involving any of our girls. The members can do what they like in the privacy of the rooms. They pay for the privilege. If any of the girls arrange to meet members outside, then that is their affair, but if we hear of money changing hands, we will terminate any employment or contracts.”
Nicole was more than happy with the arrangements, and was actually quite impressed with the security and other safeguards that the club had in place for the protection of the girls.
“There is a very strict ‘no touch’ policy in respect of staff. Any member who physically interferes with staff is warned and then thrown out with his membership withdrawn.” Sean told her.
“How many types of member are there?”
“Just two, full members and temporary members.”
“What are temporary members?”
“The club has six or seven sister clubs worldwide, and we offer their members full access for as long as they want. They show us their card, we check to make sure that they are paid up and legitimate members, and give them one of our temporary cards. They are the same as the main cards, but have a red ‘T’ across the front.
“We also offer a two-week free trial membership for prospective members, and they have the same card. These cardholders are not held in the system, so need to be checked manually through me each time. I keep the list in my office.”
“Oh,” said Nicole, as this would be news to Bruce.
“Anything else?”
“I was curious, the Revue Bar holds revues, how do the girls get paid for it?”
“Anyone who wants to watch the revue, swipes his card, and the girls get a cut of all the card swipes. So if ten people watch, and five girls do a turn, they each get forty quid. A revue is £20 a time, and they don’t put on a show unless there are more than ten people watching. A private room can be booked by a girl, and will cost the punter £100, and then she will charge them her fee on top. So Mandy, for example charges £100 per session, her member will pay us £100 for the room, and her £100 for the session.
“If a member wants a room for his private use, it still costs £100 per session. The club is a business and is very profitable. Its success is that it is 100% legitimate, and clean. The board of directors are all anonymous, so I work with the secretary to the board. Even I don’t know the board members.”
Nicole smiled. “About days off, do we get any?”
“The club is closed on Mondays, and I will work out from the schedule which other day you will get. It will not be a Friday or Saturday, as those are our busiest days. There rota means that you never get the same day off every week, that way one week you will have Sunday, Monday off, the next it will be Monday, Tuesday, then Monday, Wednesday, and so on. So I will let you know tomorrow after I have had a chance to look at the pattern, okay?”
“Thanks, if I think of anything else, can I ask you?”
“Anytime, I like to think we are a big family, as everyone enjoys working here. One thing though, there was a recent incident, where a member was murdered. Various people may ask you questions about the club, the staff and the members. We run a very strict rule on confidentiality, regarding our girls and our members, so if anyone does ask you anything, just don’t say anything and let me know. That includes other staff or members. Okay?”
“Sure. Aren’t the police dealing with it?”
“Yes, but there’s the problem, they want information that our members are unwilling to supply, so we have to be very careful.”
“Okay, I don’t know anything anyway.”
“Yes, I know, but someone may ask you to find out something for them.”
“No problem, if they do, I’ll play dumb and tell you, okay?”
“Brilliant. I can see we’re going to get on very well, Nikki.”
She smiled and went to her bar. She used her mobile phone and called in to Pete. She told him she had the job and was starting immediately. She thought she would not finish until the wee small hours, so she then rang off.
She rearranged some of the bottles, to make things easier and more efficient, and logged into the payment till system using her small electronic fob.
The bar opened at four pm, so she was ready when the front door was opened by one of the door staff.
The first thing that struck her about the members was the ordinariness of them all. They seemed just like the average bloke who popped down to his local for a quiet pint.
One man, dressed in a pinstripe suit, about fifty, with greying receding hair and spectacles came to the bar, and sat on one of the stools.
Nicole put down a small bowl of nuts on the bar, and smiled.
“Hi, I’m Nicole, how are you today?”
“Hello, Nicole. I’m fine thanks.” he said.
“What can I get you?”
The man seemed almost embarrassed, but he smiled shyly.
“What would you recommend?”
“Oh, that depends on your tastes and your mood. Are you a sweet guy, or a dry guy?”
“Dry, I think.”
“Okay, have you had a good day, or a real bummer?”
“Sort of in the middle. It started well and went downhill, but recovered at the end.”
“Okay, so you need something to give you a little kick, and to help cheer you up. I thing a real dry Martini cocktail is just the ticket for you. The 007 Special. Shaken not stirred.” she said.
“That sounds nice, what is in it?”
“Gin. Dry Martini, ice, a squeeze of lemon and a twist of peel.”
“Fine, one of them please.”
“Okay, comin’ right up.”
Nicole went through her routine with the shaker and the bottles, making a little show of it, and throwing the ice up and catching it in the shaker. Several men wandered over and watched.
She shook the shaker, while with the other hand, put some lemon juice around the rim, and dipped it in sugar, giving it a frosted appearance, then she poured it out and it exactly filled the glass. She speared an olive on a stick, and plopped it into the glass. She placed a paper coaster on the bar and put the glass down.
“Voila Monsieur.” she said.
The man smiled, handing over his card.
“Thank you, my dear, that was very nicely done,” he said, relaxing visibly.
“Why, thank you sir.” Nicole said, giving him a little curtsey. Sean was watching, and he smiled, the girl was a born showgirl, so he was pleased he had hired her.
Nicole worked her buns off. The men had seen her work, and took it as a challenge to see if she knew all the cocktails. She knew about eighty, so was not caught out by any of them, except when she found that they didn’t have the correct ingredients, so she made up new ones as she went along. She took the trouble to make a note of stuff they lacked and of the recipes of those she invented, along with the names she had given them. There was the ‘Dyke’s Delight’, the ‘Tranny’s Treat’, and her own speciality, ‘Naughty Nicole’s Nipple Number’, with two cherries balanced on the rim.
At about eleven in the evening, the Revue Bar was fuller than the Dance Bar, even though the next revue was not due until midnight. Although she was busy, she didn’t want or need help. The men were happy to wait and she managed to mix three cocktails at once. She kept a delightful patter going, and never appeared to be flustered. Her strongest point was her memory, as she recalled what everyone had ordered, being able to put faces to cocktails. So, when someone said, “same again, please.” she knew exactly what they wanted.
The crowd were predominately dressed in male clothing, but about a quarter were transvestites, having utilised the Members Dressing rooms and changed on the premises. Some were very obviously male, but a few were actually very elegant and attractive.
The atmosphere was very sexually charged, and the private rooms were in constant use by the members, for the members by the hostesses. Nicole was propositioned more times than she cared to remember, to which she was polite but very firm.
“Oh, gee, I’m sorry, but I don’t do personal services, nor do I date any members,” she had said many times over.
She was given a break at midnight, as the revue was in full swing, and one of the waitresses took over for half an hour, so she went to the staff rest room. On her way, she stopped and watched the staff at work in the dance bar. There were three of them, and they were not as skilled she, she smiled, the crowd was less than the one she had just handled. She looked on the dance floor, and watched the dancers. Most of those in female attire were the hostesses, but there were several transvestite members.
The latter were particularly promiscuous in their dealings with their male-attired partners, and Nicole found it faintly distasteful. Several members approached her, having taken her for a hostess, so she politely turned them down. She realised that in the space of an hour she could make the sort of money that the club paid her for the whole evening.
She made her way to the rest room, where she grabbed a sandwich from the kitchen hatch on the way. A few of the waitresses were also relaxing, so she sat down, took her shoes off and put her feet up. The other girls all left, except one.
“Is it always this busy?” she asked.
The girl, a slightly built oriental, came and sat beside her. She was totally convincing, as her frame was very feminine, and she was very attractive, with long jet-black hair.
“Saturdays are very busy. You are new here?”
“Yeah, I’m Nicole, I work the Revue Bar. I started this afternoon,” she said.
“I am called Yo Ling. You are very pretty.”
“Thanks Yo Ling, so are you.”
“You are American?”
“No, Canadian. Have you worked here long?”
“Nearly one year. For transsexual, this is good place to work. I make enough money to have my operation soon.”
“Yeah, that’s why I’m here too.”
“Are those your own?” the girl asked, pointing at Nicole’s chest.
Nicole looked down at her breasts and smiled.
“Not yet, but soon. You?”
“Yes, I had implants a month ago. I am much happier now. I am nearly a proper woman.”
“How long did you take to recover?”
“Only a few days, but bruising took over a week to die down. I worked, but they were a little sore.”
“I don’t know how the right size to get.”
“Are you on hormones?”
“Yeah. I have an implant.”
“I’m on my second implant. The hormones make them bigger, but I don’t think really big ones would suit me. I am quite small. You are a bigger girl, but slim. Too big would be a mistake, I think.”
“I agree, as they’d only get in the way,” Nicole said, and they both laughed.
“So why don’t you become a hostess?”
“I like my job, I don’t want to dance for men, and I don’t want to have sex.”
“You don’t have to have sex if you don’t want to.”
“I know, but that is where the money really is. The parties that members have. All the girls make much money at the parties, and they have sex at the parties.”
“Oh. I don’t think I want that either.”
“Have you had sex?”
“With a man?”
“Of course, with a man?”
“No. I don’t intend to, until I have my SRS,” Nicole said, and realised that she actually meant it.
“I am the same. I do not have a big anus. I tried it once, and he hurt me very much. I cried for a long time.”
“Have you anyone helping you through this?” Nicole asked, sensing that Yo Ling was very lonely.
“I had a boy friend, but he got tired of waiting for me. He found someone else and has moved to London.”
“Have you any family?”
Yo Ling laughed, but without humour.
“I am Chinese. My father told me that if he sees me, he will kill me, and as far as they are concerned, I am already dead. The Chinese still kill their girl babies, so what do you expect?”
“I am sorry, Yo, it must be really hard.”
“How about you? Do you have a boyfriend?”
Nicole thought of Jamie.
“Yes, sort of. He doesn’t know what I am though,” she said, with a smile.
“I can believe that. You look like a girl.”
“Thanks Yo, so do you.”
“Have you family?”
“No, my parents are dead. I have a few cousins, but they don’t know of me. I guess I’m alone too.”
“Nicole?”
“What?”
“Will you be my friend?”
“Of course, Yo, but have you no other friends?”
“Not really. I do not like most of the things they like. I like a quiet life, and I just want to have my surgery, then find a husband I can look after.”
“I need all the friends I can get. So I’d like to be yours.”
Yo Ling smiled and gave Nicole a big hug.
“I come and work in revue bar, then we can talk when it is quiet,” she said.
“Okay, that sounds good to me.”
The girls went back to work, until the bars closed at four am. Nicole was totally exhausted, but she tidied up and collected her bag from her locker.
She was very glad that the bar staff didn’t have to wash the glasses. The waitresses collected empty glasses and took them to the kitchens. A huge dish/glass washer cleaned them, and they were then returned to the bars. The kitchen staff kept themselves separate. They were just ordinary people, having little or no dealings with those club or any of the staff. The glasses were pushed through a hatch, and were cleaned and pushed through another one. Meals were not an issue, as only snacks and light meals were ordered and delivered through a similar system. If anyone wanted to eat a substantial meal, then they did not come to the club.
The hostesses had all left, and gradually the staff drifted out. Sunday was a good day, the club didn’t open until 6 pm and closed at midnight. Nicole found Yo Ling waiting for her.
“Do you live close?” Yo asked.
“Not far, a few minutes walk. You?”
“I get taxi. I have a bed-sit. I do not like it very much, but it is hard for me, most of my money goes for my surgery, so I only have a small amount to live on.”
Sean was standing by the door. He saw Nicole approach with the Chinese girl.
“Nicole, have you got a sec?”
“Sure. Yo, I’ll see you later okay?”
“Okay. Bye Nicole.”
The small girl left, and Nicole decided that she would see if it was feasible to get her in to share her flat. Sean took her to one side.
“Nikki. I just wanted to say that your first day was really successful.”
“Thanks, it was tiring, but I enjoyed it.”
“Are you aware that the Revue bar takings were up by 30% over every other Saturday?”
“No, is that good?”
“Very, and wholly down to you. Did you check your tip box?”
“No, where is it?”
“Come, I’ll show you.”
She followed him to the Bar, and just on the customer side of the till was a small black box marked, ‘Bar staff gratuities — if you value the efforts of your bar staff, please show your appreciation. If not, tell the manager.’
He took the box, opened it and showed her the contents.
She took out a large handful of £5, £10 and £20 notes.
“Shit. Is all this for me?”
“Yup.” Sean was laughing, she seemed totally unaware of how much of a show she had put on.
“But there is over two hundred pounds here,” she said.
“And worth it, the bar made a profit of nearly two thousand pounds tonight.”
“No shit? Really?”
“Really. I was watching you, and it was a most impressive performance. Could you teach some of the other girls?”
“Sure, for a small fee,” she said, smiling.
“I haven’t a problem with that. Why not start with little Yo Ling, she seems to like you, and I think she could do with the extra cash?”
“Okay, I will. Thanks.”
Nicole was pleased, and she went back downstairs to go home. John saw her out, and was surprised when she said, “Bye John. Take care now.” She was the only one who had remembered his name.
It was nearly 5 am when she finally got in, and she was completely drained. She stripped off, put her wig carefully on its stand, and went and had a shower. Before stepping in, she cupped the breast forms. She smiled, as she would have her own soon. She used some of the liquid that Rachel had given her, removed them, wiping them down carefully, and replacing them into their box. She had a shower, and gently probed her own breast area. Her skin was slightly sensitive to the touch, and she thought she could feel some growth behind the nipples. She wondered what else the hormones were doing.
She dried herself off, put on her nightdress, and went to bed, where she crashed out, falling asleep almost immediately.
The ringing woke her, and she came awake rather confused. She looked at her clock, it was 2pm. It wasn’t her alarm, as she hadn’t set it. It was her mobile, the special one.
She fumbled for it, and answered it.
“Nicole? Are you alright?” It was Bruce.
“Yeah, look, I didn’t finish work until after four this morning, give me a second.”
She sat and woke up a little.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“We were worried about you. Is everything okay?”
“Sure, look I told Pete what I was doing. I had a long hard night, but I made over £200 in tips.”
“I’m sure you earned them. How was it?”
“Pretty good. Sean is quite a sweet guy, and they really look after their girls. I found out a few things though. Most of the girls make their extra money attending parties at Member’s homes. And there are two types of members.”
She went on to tell him about everything she had discovered, and then she broached the subject of Yo Ling.
“Look, there’s a girl who has been here for a year, she knows a lot, and I’ve been friendly to her. I think I may be able to get more from her, but I think she is having financial difficulties. If she shared my flat, it would look a logical answer, and I could see if I could get more intelligence from her in a more casual environment, with no one listening in.”
“Sounds reasonable, do you trust her?”
“She’s just another lost soul seeking her own solutions. She’s fine.”
“All right, but be careful.”
“I will.”
She got up and had a bowl of cereal. She realised that she hadn’t eaten properly since the dinner that Jamie had bought her. She smiled and logged in to her emails.
Needless to say, there was one from him.
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She smiled. He really was a soppy sod.
She composed a reply:
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She sent it, realising that what she was after was impossible, but it would be fun for a while.
She went and had a hot bath, and washed her hair. The wig made it itch and it was so hot and uncomfortable. She got out and wrapped her self in a big towel. Then she looked her reflection in the mirror, tucking certain appendages away out of sight between her legs.
She noticed slight changes to her body. It could have been her imagination, but she felt her hips were slightly wider, and waist was narrower. She tried to will her breasts to grow, but failed to make an impression. She thought that her nipples were slightly more prominent though. She smiled.
“Wishful thinking,” she told herself aloud.
She carefully applied the fixative to the breast forms, and using the mirror, placed them carefully on her chest. Then she lay on the bed for a few minutes and let the fixative dry. Using some of the foundation, she masked the join where the breasts ended and the rest of her began.
She dressed in a tight blue skirt and a denim shirt, which she tied under her breasts, leaving her tummy bare. She wore stockings and suspenders, and shorter boots with little chain type spurs on them. Lastly, she brushed out her wig, placing it carefully on her head. She would wash it tomorrow, she thought.
She put on a pair of Nike sunglasses, slung her shoulder bag over her shoulder, and left the flat, locking up as she went. The time was 3 pm, as she went to explore the neighbourhood where she found herself.
She walked up the road and saw the Gables flats. She stood on the other side of the road, trying to sense what had happened there a few days ago. Then she kept going up the road. It was a nice area, with lots of expensive homes, all with big gardens with a Mercedes or Range Rover in the drives.
There was a church on the right hand side, and there appeared to be some form of event in the church yard. She was curious, so stopped to watch.
There was a group of young lads playing modern music, with a crowd of about a hundred people watching, clapping and singing along.
“Hello,” said a voice.
She jumped in surprise, seeing a man in jeans and a white tee shirt sitting on the wall. He was in his late twenties and was quite good looking.
“Hi,” she replied.
“You can come in, it’s free,” he said with a smile.
“What’s it for?”
“Youth outreach. The young people of the church want to try to make the Christian faith relevant for their own generation.”
“Oh yeah? It seems to me they’ve taken on a hard task there.”
“Why is that?”
“People today want instant satisfaction, instant results. They don’t take to promises of the dubious by the unseen about the improbable,” she said.
To her surprise, he laughed heartily, jumping down to stand beside her.
“How refreshing, someone who is able to express their opinion without disguising it with claptrap,” he said.
“What do you mean?” she asked, she hadn’t been prepared for him to agree with her. To her mind, God had made a mistake, and she now had to make good that mistake.
“Everyone blames God when things go wrong. But when things go right, they don’t thank God, they take the credit themselves, or start believing in luck. Likewise, if you want something today, you go out and get it. If you can’t afford it, you borrow, or steal. But just think, somewhere up there is a God who so loves his children that he has left them alone to do their own thing. When what he really wants is to wrap them in cotton wool, and make sure that no one ever suffers any ill, any pain, any wrong. He wants us to turn back to him, and say, “I’ve had free will, can I have yours back now?”
“We live in such a selfish world, that we believe that God is responsible for everything, good and bad. Forgetting that this is not a perfect world, and the sin that was brought out of the garden, damages even the baby in the womb. Yet we blame God, instead of the evil that pervades every facet of this world. So, pretty lady, where do you stand?”
Nicole was stunned, he had identified exactly what she felt. Inexplicably she felt tears forming in her eyes, so was grateful that she had sunglasses on.
“I, I’m a damaged baby.” she heard herself say.
The man sensed that she was on the verge of tears, so led her through the gate and into the back of the church. They sat on two chairs, where she started to sob. She tried to stop, but it was as if something had taken control, and wanted her to purge herself of everything.
The man stayed, but went to the door and waved and a lady appeared. She was about the same age, and Nicole realised that they were probably married. She just cried and cried, until, eventually there was nothing left.
“It’s okay, that’s just all the muck being rejected.” the man said.
“I’m sorry,” she said, scrabbling for a tissue in her bag.
“I’m David Hemming, and this is Carol, my wife. I’m the Youth Pastor of this church. What’s your name?”
“Nicole.”
“Okay, Nicole. Whether you have a faith in God or not, I believe that God brought you here today for a reason. I sense that your life needs something. We might be able to help. Why don’t you tell us a little about your life?”
Nicole started to laugh.
“Tell me David, you see me, what do you see?” she asked.
“I see someone who is hurting. Someone who needs to be set free from her past, and everything that has caused her pain. I see a girl who needs Christ in her life,” he said.
“David, I’m not what I appear. I’m one messed up, fucked up, sorry excuse for a human being, not even God can help me.”
“I think you would be surprised, Nicole,” said Carol.
“Surprised? I’ll give you surprised. My real name is Nicholas, and I’m a boy, so where was God when he handed out the genitals? Where was God when the genders were decided in the womb? Why have I been living a lie for twenty-three years? Why have I got to pay for doctors to put right the wrong that was done me, and why have I got to take hormones that screw me up, just because I want to be what I should have been?” Nicole said, venting the hurt that had been brewing for so long, even she was surprised at the depth of feeling that came out.
David and Carol looked at each other. Surprise was an understatement, never in a million years did they anticipate that this pretty girl was anything other than what she purported to be.
“I’m sorry. I don’t really know where that came from, I didn’t mean to be so bitter. I’m actually quite cool about who I am, but I was cross at the expectations that a word about religion will heal all ills. It doesn’t work that way I’m afraid,” she said.
“What would you like to be called?” Carol asked.
“I’m Nicole, some of my friends call me Nikki. Don’t let me fool you. I am a girl, it’s just my body is not yet convinced,” she said, smiling.
“Do you have a faith, Nikki?” Carol asked.
“I don’t know. I think I used to, but I must admit, it’s not something I have thought about recently.”
“Do you blame God for who or what you are?”
“Not really, I don’t blame anyone or anything. Transsexuality is genetic, it’s been proven that male to female transsexuals have female brain characteristics, and something went wrong in the early stages of foetal development. I was born male, but I should have been born female. I know that with such certainty, that I’m prepared to go to the lengths required to put right that wrong. I may never be able to conceive, or bear a child, but I shall be a woman.”
“Do you feel that there is a place in your life for Christ?”
“My life is so complicated, there almost is not enough room for me,” she said, smiling weakly again. “The problem with the Christian religion, is that it has Christians attached. I mean, I know what the New Testament says about love and forgiveness. I know that Jesus said, ‘Don’t judge unless you want to be judged.’ But, if you had me, and the many like me attend your services, all dressed like this, then all those good Christian folk would vote with their feet and wallets, and you’d be looking for a new job, and they would come and worship their version of their middle class, respectable little god.”
To her surprise, both Carol and David laughed.
“Nicole, you are far more astute and intelligent than we hoped. Of course you’re right in so many ways, but that doesn’t stop God from loving you, and that love from allowing you a personal relationship with the risen Christ,” David said.
“What does that mean?”
“It means, that regardless of how bad or how good you are, no one will ever be good enough for God. Not you, not me, not any of these good Christian folk, and not even the hardest criminal in prison. But Jesus died so that our badness could die with him, allowing us to be as clean as he was. Sex and gender are as meaningless as money and possessions. They are things that we pathetic people get wound up about. God just cares about your soul and spirit.” David said.
Nicole wasn’t convinced, and her expression must have spoken volumes.
“Look, it’s a lot to think about. Let us pray with and for you, and you know that if you need to talk again, we’ll be here, or on the end of a telephone,” Carol suggested.
So they prayed for her, and Nicole could not recall one word of what they said, but she had a sense of peace that she could not describe settle on her. It was as if she was being told to just be herself, and to free herself of guilt and bitterness. As they said, the things of man matter not to God. Carol gave her a card with their number on it.
She stayed listening to the concert until five o’clock, by which time they had a barbeque going, so she bought a couple of hamburgers. David introduced some of the youth band to her, and she found them delightful. She felt she was among friends, and began to relax. Then she realised she had to go to work.
“David, thanks, but I have to go. I’d rather that no one knew about what I am. I intend eventually to live as a normal woman, so the fewer people that know, the better.”
“I wouldn’t dream of telling anyone. You’re always welcome to pop in. We have a youth event every fourth Sunday. Please come if you can.”
“I will, but I work most Sundays.”
Nicole went to work feeling remarkably better, grateful that the evening was relatively quiet.
Yo Ling was pleased to see her, but was obviously facing a crisis. After getting the few drinks served, she was able to speak to the girl.
“What’s up Yo?”
“I have been given notice at my bed-sit. They know what I am, and they want me out.”
“That is illegal, it is discrimination,” Nicole said, getting angry.
“They are Chinese, if I make trouble, they will tell my family. I must leave.”
“Well, why don’t you come and share my flat? I have two bedrooms, and it would help with the bills. How much are you paying at the moment?”
“ £400 a month.”
“That is far too much. Look come and share, for your room, your share will only be £200.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, unless you don’t want to?”
“No, but I will be a burden to you.”
“No you won’t, it will be fun.”
“Thank you, you save my life.”
Nicole went and mixed a couple of cocktails for a couple of transvestites. They were both middle aged and slightly overweight. But they were wearing really sexy clothes that neither suited them nor flattered them. They were so totally camp and over the top, that Nicole teased them slightly by flattering them and asking them about the men they planned to bed.
After a while, they offered Nicole a considerable sum to join them in a private room, and she was forced (gratefully) to decline. They then offered her an even larger sum to join them at private home for a party. Once again, Nicole politely declined.
One of the pair waved her close and showed her a photograph of him, dressed in women’s clothes receiving anal sex, and giving another man a blowjob at the same time. She suspected that one of the other men was her partner tonight.
“Just a little peek at what you would be missing,” he said, as if it were some wonderful delight.
“I’m so sorry, but I’d lose my job, and I need the job,” she said.
“Who’s to know? We won’t tell. It would just be us girls together in any case.”
“Look, ladies, you are really sweet to ask me, but I really don’t do these kinds of parties. But I’m flattered that you asked though.” she said, and finally she felt that she got through to them.
The pair moved off, and she later saw them leaving the club, dressed normally an hour later. The evening wound down, and the club shut.
Yo Ling was excited at the prospect at moving in with her, so she agreed to bring her stuff at noon on the following day. Nicole saw John on the door as she was leaving.
“Goodnight John. Take care now,” she said.
“Nikki, wait,” he said.
She was surprised at being called by name.
He shrugged on his jacket, following her out, another doorman was there in his place.
“Let me walk you home?”
“Hey, wait a minute, why the sudden special treatment?”
“I thought you could do with an escort.”
“Why is that?”
“Do you remember those two trannies?”
“Yeah, the ones that wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“What?”
“They wanted me to join them for a jolly threesome. I’m not into gay sex, thanks very much.”
He frowned, “Oh.”
She laughed.
“John, you don’t know much about transsexuals, do you?”
“Bugger all,” he admitted.
“What do I look like to you?”
“A girl.”
“What do you think I want to be?”
“A girl.”
“So do you really think that I want to have guy dressed as a woman stick his dick up my ass, and then have to suck his friend off at the same time? And then change round, to do the same to them?”
“I suppose not.”
“Suppose? Shit John, would you do it?”
“Fucking hell, no way.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t like that.”
“Neither do I.”
“Oh.”
“And I don’t go down on girls either.”
“Oh,” he repeated.
“So what about the two transvestites?”
“I heard then talking. They really fancied you, and one of them is determined to take you to bed. So I thought I would just make sure you got home safe.”
She looked at him, smiling a little as she knew more about him than he knew about her.
“Why John, thanks. You are a perfect gentleman. You thought I was a real girl yesterday, didn’t you?”
“I still do, really. Oh, I know you’ll tell me that you still have your bits, but to me, you’re a girl. This is all new to me, and I’m finding it all a bit strange. I see some of the, the, well, girls I suppose, and they look like blokes dressed as girls. But I look at you and there is nothing male about you. I think you should get a job in a proper club. You are pretty enough, and no one would ever know.”
“You have no idea how much that means to me. Thanks. Okay, I live over there,” Nicole said, pointing towards her flat.
They walked together down the street. He was obviously curious about her, but felt uncomfortable.
“So, you are straight then?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“How come you are working here, then?”
“I just needed a job, and I’ve done door security before,” he said.
“You find it awkward?”
“Sometimes, but not with the, the girls, but the members, I do. There’s something a bit sort of sick about them, or something,” he said, embarrassed and tongue-tied.
“It takes all sorts. Take me, I’m a girl, yet I wasn’t born that way. But I think and feel and act and look like a girl. I need the cash for the operation, and then I can get on with my life, as a girl. The members have fitted into the neat little slot that society had made for them, and they need to escape every now and again. Don’t be too harsh, if they didn’t come here, they would be meeting in public toilets or on Hampstead Heath.”
“I suppose you’re right. But I still think you could fit in fine in the proper world.”
“What about you? I could say the same about you, there are lots of doors that need security, so why here?”
He reddened.
“It’s a long story. One day I may tell you,” he said.
“Oh, a mystery. I love a mystery.” she laughed, and he reddened deeper.
“You got a girlfriend?” she asked, to change the subject.
“Yeah. Well, sort of.”
“Shit, John, you either have or you haven’t.”
“We’re sort of having an interlude in our relationship,” he said, clearly uncomfortable about it.
“Okay, don’t sweat. Let’s just leave it there.”
“Do you have anyone?”
She laughed. “You mean, have I a partner?”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
“No, I have no partner. I have a man who thinks he’s in love with a girl called Nicole, and I haven’t the bottle to tell him he is in for a shock. I had a girlfriend before I started living as a girl, and surprise, surprise, it didn’t work out. But no partner. And before you start asking which I prefer, I actually prefer to date men, but I will not even think about sex. I’m not a gay man, I’m a girl, who needs some surgery. And until that surgery is complete, this girl is celibate.”
“I wasn’t going to ask.”
“You didn’t have to, you were thinking it.”
“True. I’m sorry, but it is all a bit freaky.”
“Yeah, I agree. It is not that easy to live through either.”
They walked in silence for a while.
“You know there was a murder of a club member a while back?” he said.
“Yeah, I heard. That was before I came. What about it?”
“I was curious, does anyone have any ideas as to who did it?”
“I don’t know, no one has mentioned it. Why?”
“No reason, I just wondered, that’s all.”
She smiled to herself. The poor man was desperate to find someone in the club to talk to him. He was obviously getting nothing.
They arrived at her front door.
“This is it. Thanks John, I appreciate the escort,” she said.
He stood and shrugged.
“No problem, I enjoyed the chat. I’ll see you Tuesday?”
“Sure, goodnight,” she said, smiling as she went in.
“Goodnight.”
He watched the door close, and she turned and waved at him through the glass.
He was confused, here was a pretty girl, who wasn’t a girl, but was. She was the only one in the club who actually acknowledged his existence, and deigned to talk to him. The other door staff were a funny bunch, and hardly friendly. Still, he was making a few bob from the job on this one, and he might get some information eventually.
He turned and walked away. His car was parked near the club, but he didn’t want anyone from the club to see it, as it was registered in his real name. His thoughts turned to Nicole. He hadn’t lied when he had said that his relationship was off. Christine was in America, and the last letter indicated that she had found someone else, so the relationship was over.
He was split over Nicole, though. His heart told him she was a girl, and yet his head told him that she wasn’t. She freely admitted what she was, and it didn’t seem to change his perception of her. He found it easier seeing her as a girl, and he wondered whether she would have the surgery soon. He wanted her to be complete, it would make it easier for him, as he realised that he found her incredibly attractive.
As he drove home, or to the supplied police quarters, he was a troubled man.
Chapter 7
Bruce loathed Monday mornings. He always had done, it meant the weekend was over, so there was always all the crap from the weekend sitting on his desk, requiring action.
He was in by 08:00, and the office was already filling up. No further information had been forthcoming from Nicole, but he was going to make an appointment with Mr Cooper sometime this week, to talk about Temporary Members.
He had one DC checking into the backgrounds of the three dead men, and two others going through the lists of ex-members and ex-staff. There were nearly eighty names to check, so he didn’t expect instant results. Two DCs were doing more door to door enquiries around the Gables, trying to locate anyone who knew Warren socially, or who was aware of his visitors.
At 09:00, the DCI wanted updated as to progress, as he was supposed to be in charge of the investigation. He was content with what Bruce was doing, so let him get on with it. Bruce was just about to phone the club, when his DS gave him the worst news he could have done.
“Guv, you are not going to like this.”
“Go on, Steve, don’t tell me there has been another one?”
“Yes and no. I was running the names of ex-members through the various intelligence systems, and apart from a few interesting characters, nothing of any value. So I whacked the names into an intelligence search, and one was a hit.”
“I’m listening.”
“Well, there was a news item, six weeks ago now, from Grampian Police. A man was found murdered in his flat in Aberdeen. There was no forced entry and nothing stolen. There appears to be no motive, and police are appealing for witnesses.”
“Cause of death?”
“Single puncture wound to the heart with a narrow bladed instrument.”
“Shit. Who was the victim?”
“A geophysicist called Adrian Tate, he worked in the petrochemical industry. Single man, aged 35, parents live in Devon, well educated and well regarded by colleagues and neighbours.”
“How long had he been in Aberdeen?”
“Only a few weeks, he had been living in Maidenhead, but his company sent him up to Aberdeen.”
“So he was the first. Good work Steve. Contact Grampian Police and either go up there or get them to send someone down here, we need everything they have, and I am sure they could do with what we know. There might just be one small thing that connects us with a suspect. Then do an NCIS check and see if there have been any other murders with the same M.O. over the last ten years.”
“Have we got anything from inside the club yet?”
“A couple of little things, but it is early days.”
Nicole was woken by the telephone. It was Rachel, and she apologised for waking her.
“I have spoken to the doctor, and she wants to see you. Are you busy this morning?”
“I have a friend coming at noon, but apart from that, not really.”
“Do you know where the clinic is?”
“No.”
Rachel gave her the address, and directions.
“If you can get there by ten, then I’ll be able to come in with you.”
Nicole looked at her watch, it was only 08:30.
“Sorry Rachel, I didn’t finish work until after midnight. I will be there.”
She dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, and grabbed a quick bowl of cereal. She put on her make up, and decided to leave Mr Wig in the wash. She looked at herself in the mirror, and was satisfied that she looked feminine enough even with her short hair.
She rode her bike, arriving at the clinic at five to ten. It was a large modern white building, and Rachel was waiting for her in the car park.
They hugged each other, and Rachel was pleased as to how Nicole looked.
Nicole spent ages fiddling with her short hair, just making it look as nice as she could. Rachel helped, and they were both reasonably happy with the result.
“I can’t wait for it to grow out.” Nicole moaned.
“Where’s the wig?”
“In the wash. I put a sachet of the blonde colouring in, so to give it that extra shine, because I’m worth it,” she said, mimicking a certain TV shampoo/colouring advert.
Rachel laughed
“How’s the job going?”
“Don’t ask, the bar work is hard work, and trying to do the other at the same time. Still, I’ve only been there a couple of days.”
“Okay, I have given Gill the assessment that Doctor O’ Flynne did on you, and spoke to her about your request for breast implants. She was not as surprised as I thought she would be. She said something like, “Ah, that explains a lot.” So, perhaps you were not the only one who was aware that you had a problem.”
“So, what did she say?”
“That you can ask her yourself.” she said, and they went into the building.
Gillian Hepburn was reading through the assessment again. A lot of things made more sense now, and she agreed with the decision that SRS seemed likely to be the most satisfactory solution. When Nicole and Rachel came in, she was surprised at the transformation of the girl in front of her.
“Hello Nicole. It is nice to see you again. It seems that we have drawn some monsters from under the bed?”
“Hi doctor. Oh, I don’t know about monsters, but things have sort of happened real fast.”
They all sat in some armchairs at the end of her large office.
“I was amazed at the assessment, normally Hillary is very reticent to suggest SRS until the subject is much further down the road.”
“It must have been my feminine charm,” Nicole said with a smile.
“Hmm. Possibly. Thinking back, how long have you felt you should have been a girl?”
“I don’t honestly know. Since before puberty, maybe even longer. But I know I was in denial for years. That’s why I became a police officer and was so determined to have girlfriends. But I ended up being more interested in their clothes than them. It was tough, because every time the feelings surfaced, I buried them as deep as I could.”
“Okay. Let’s have a look at you again. If you slip your things off.”
Nicole stripped off, and Gillian noticed that the girl had a slim but definitely feminine figure. She had not really noticed when she had last seen her, or him. But now she was looking with a different eye.
“Let’s take those breast forms off, shall we?”
She had some of the adhesive release, and was able to remove them easily.
“You’re having some swelling here,” she said, as she gently probed her chest area. “Is this painful?”
“A little. It’s very sensitive.”
“Your nipples are extended quite a bit.”
“Oh.”
“Have you noticed any loss of hair growth?”
“No, that is yes. I haven’t had to shave, and my legs and arms are still smooth.”
“I didn’t think you would actually grow fairly substantial breasts by yourself. Normally, with the amount of hormones you have in your system, I would not expect this amount of growth in only a week. Sensitivity, yes, but you have clearly a good inch of growth.”
“Oh, is that good?”
“Yes, you want to avoid artificial implants if you can. The body isn’t meant to have foreign articles stuck inside it.”
“Oh.”
“You seem disappointed.”
“I am a little, as I thought I’d look more like what I want to be.”
“Well, don’t be. I think you’ll be quite surprised at your own breasts. Certainly we can think about implants later, but let’s see what happens over the next couple of months.”
“Months?”
“I’m going to pencil you in for SRS in October. By that time, we will know how big you are going to be. Is that alright?”
“Shit. It’s June now, that soon? I don’t know if the job will be finished.”
“Well, we can have you in on the evening before, do the op in the morning, and four days later you can go home. After another week, you should be up and about. Look, I have you down for the 10th October, but you can reschedule if you want to. I would like Hillary to run a last assessment on you just before, but I’ll leave the decision up to you. The other matter we have to talk about is money, I’m afraid. I understand that you’re going private on this?”
“Money is not an issue. When my parents died, I inherited enough to cover all this, and more,” she said, glancing at Rachel.
“Besides my fiancé is a wealthy peer,” she said with a wicked grin.
“Nikki, stop it.” Rachel said, smiling.
“Am I missing something?”
“She’s teasing me,” Rachel explained to the doctor. “She met a very wealthy young man who fancies her rotten, and he even proposed to her.”
“And you accepted?”
“I’m thinking about it,” Nicole said, laughing at Rachel’s expression.
“Then you had better keep that date with us in October. We don’t want a surprise on your wedding night,” Gillian said, keeping in with the spirit of the joke.
Gillian then checked the rest of Nicole, and noted that there was some marked reduction in the size of the testes and penis. Her hips were wider than her waist. She frowned, as this was all happening faster than expected.
“Have you taken any other hormones at all, apart from the implant and my injection?”
“No, why?”
“Your body is feminising faster than I expected. I want to take a blood test.”
She took a sample of blood, and ran a quick test. She found an abnormally high level of oestrogen, and virtually no testosterone at all. Somehow, Nicole was producing her own oestrogen, and there was no way she could be, unless….
Gillian picked up the phone, and spoke to the technician who ran the MRI scanner.
“Slip this robe on, Nicole, I want to check something.”
They went down the corridor and into a large room with a huge machine.
What’s this?” she asked.
“An MRI scanner, we want to take a look at your bottom half.”
Nicole lay on the bed and it slowly drew her into the belly of the machine. It made a tremendous noise, and she had to lie as still as possible.
“There,” said Gillian. “And there.”
“Are they what I think they are?” asked Rachel.
“I think they might be. Can you go lower?” Gillian asked the technician.
“Look, it must be, it is almost fully formed, and it can’t be anything else.”
“Are you sure?” Rachel asked.
“Excuse me. I hate to butt in, but what have you seen?” Nicole asked, getting worried now.
“Nicole, I’m not sure the best way to tell you this, but it seems that you have two ovaries, fallopian tubes and an almost fully developed womb in there. I think there may be a Uterus and even a vaginal channel,” Gillian said.
“I’m sorry, did you say what I thought you said?”
“Yes, you’ve almost got the set!”
“How can that be?” she asked, feeling slightly faint.
“I don’t honestly know, but, not only do you have male genitalia, but almost a full set of female internal reproductive equipment. Your operation is not just a cosmetic and psychological nicety; it is now a medical necessity.”
“This isn’t happening,” Nicole said, as she was slowly removed from the scanner.
“I’m sorry, but it is.”
“You’re telling me that I’ve had this stuff inside me all along, and if I hadn’t taken this job, I would never have known?”
“Possibly. I think it was dormant, and may have remained so if I hadn’t given you that injection. You are now creating sufficient hormones to bring you to full female maturity. I suspect that you’re sterile as a male, so it’s up to you. I can remove either set. Which do you want to keep?”
“I’ll keep the female set, please,” Nicole said, with no hesitation whatsoever.
“Fine, then we need to book you in at the end of the week, at the latest. I will construct the vaginal lips, clitoris and labia out of your male genitalia, but I think you have everything else. I don’t know for sure, but it is possible you may be able to conceive and bear a child.”
Nicole felt that she had juts been hit by a train. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but her job instincts were in conflict.
“Not this week. I have so much to do.”
“Nicole, it must be this week. You must understand, if we don’t get in there and do something soon, who knows what sort of problems could develop. Your recovery time won’t be as bad as full SRS. You may be tender for a day or two, but you should be able to go back to work very quickly, as long as you take it easy.”
“Can we make it Monday next week? I can ask for Tuesday as well, so then I don’t have to work until Wednesday evening,” she asked.
“Fine, that’s a date. If you get here on the Sunday night, or by six am on Monday morning. No food or drink after midnight, please. So October is now free.”
“Doctor, can you give me a letter stating what you have just found. I’ll need that to get my birth certificate changed.”
Gillian laughed, as Nicole had managed to recover from quite earth shattering news, to be clinically professional and aware of legal ramifications and consequences.
“I will personally present you with a letter certifying your female authenticity after the operation,” she said, and Nicole grinned.
They went back to Gillian’s office, and Rachel helped Nicole replace her breast forms.
“You may find that in a few weeks, you will not need them.” Gillian said.
“Good,” Nicole replied.
Nicole said goodbye to the two women and rode back to Reading, arriving at her flat just as a taxi pulled up at the front door. It was Yo Ling.
The Chinese girl was surprised to see Nicole in her motorcycle leathers, and gasped when Nicole took her helmet off.
“Your hair?”
Nicole fluffed up her own short blonde hair.
“Like it? I thought I’d get cool for the summer.”
“I think long hair suit you better,” the other girl said.
“So do I, that’s why I wear a wig at work. Come on, let’s get your stuff inside.”
They carried three huge suitcases up as the taxi driver declined to help.
Nicole opened the flat door, and showed Yo where her room was. Yo was delighted, as it was bigger than her old room.
Nicole let her unpack, putting a frozen pizza in the oven. Then she went to check her emails.
There was another one from Jamie.
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She wrote a short reply:
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Yo came into the sitting room and sat on the sofa. The flat had a large kitchen/ living room, and it was decorated very basically but functionally.
“This is a nice flat,” she said.
“It’s okay. I’m only renting until I can find somewhere to buy.”
“You are very kind to have me.”
“It’s no trouble, Yo, besides, I need the company.”
“That’s a big motorbike.”
“Do you like it?”
“Yes. I had a scooter once,” Yo said, and shared a little of her life up to this point. It was a tale of confusion and pain, in which Yo struggled with family honour on one had and a powerful drive to be something she wasn’t.
Finally, with tears rolling down her cheeks, she concluded her story.
“You know, you are the first friend I’ve made,” she said to Nikki, who gave the diminutive girl a hug.
I’m so happy you came to the club,” she told the Canadian, as the latter stood up to get their food.
“Yeah, so am I,” she replied, going into the kitchen, where she extracted the hot Pizza from the oven. She cut it into segments and put it on the table.
“Help yourself, lunch,” she said, and went back to the computer.
Yo took a segment of pizza, and came and sat next to Nicole.
“Did you cut your hair?”
“No, I wear a long wig at work. I’m growing mine out.”
Another message came in on the emails. It was Jamie. She smiled and opened it.
|
There was an attachment, and she opened it. It was a photograph of Jamie, in green overalls, covered in paint, and with a silly expression on his face.
She laughed, and Yo looked at it.
“Is that your boyfriend?”
“He’d like to be.” she said.
“He is nice. You are lucky.”
Nicole realised that she was, or maybe luck was the wrong word. She thought immediately of David and Carol. Maybe a miracle had quietly just happened.
“Yo, I went to the doctor this morning. I have to go in for an operation next week.”
“Why, are you ill?”
“No, they have discovered that I’m producing female hormones, and that I may have some female parts inside me. So they are going to do an emergency operation. They think I may be completely female by this time next week.”
“You mean to have babies?”
“Yes, possibly.”
Yo gave Nicole a big hug, and was on the verge of tears.
“I would love to have babies,” she said.
They chatted about lots of things, and Nicole learned that the Chinese name systems was the reverse of what she was used to. So Yo was her family name and Ling was her given name, and it meant delicate. Her original name had been Li-liang, which meant excellent strength.
“So, would you rather I called you Ling?” Nicole asked.
“No, I’m used to Yo now, besides, I met an English girl called Yoland, and she was called Yo too.”
Then Yo started talking about some of the other girls at the club.
“I think they are very foolish, they have unprotected sex with men, and they have not had the operation.”
“Everyone is different. They aren’t all like you and me.”
“I thought Lindi was. But she went to one party, but is now as bad as the others.”
“Lindi?”
“Lindi Telford. She is one of the waitresses. Quite tall, and a little plump. She has had implants, and they are very big. She is always topless.”
Nicole could picture the girl, but had yet to speak to her.
“She was a quiet girl and was very pretty, but not into sex. Then she went to a party with some men and a few girls, and she came back with bruises. Now, she always goes to parties, and has sex with many different men.”
The alarm bells rang in Nicole’s mind.
“What men?”
“Oh, it was about two months ago. They ask me to go, and I say no. So then they ask her, and offer her a lot of money. She wasn’t going to but she was angry at her mother so she went.”
“Why was she angry?”
“Her mother used to write, and was supportive, but her father hated what she was doing. She used to tell her mother everything, and then her mother stopped writing back. So she went to the party out of anger.”
“Did she tell her mother about the party?”
“Yes, she wanted her mother to know that the men made her feel like a real woman for the first time.”
“So who were the guys?”
“Just five members, one was the man who died last week. That was before you came. Sean tell us not to talk about it,” Yo said. Nicole changed the subject, and they finished the pizza.
“I go, buy food and cook you Chinese supper. Why don’t you ask your boy to dinner here?”
“Maybe another time, Yo. I need a bit of space.”
Yo picked up her bag.
“Do you want anything when I shop?”
“No thanks. Look take a key, there’s one on the hook by the door. If I’m not here when you get back, I may just pop across and see a friend.”
“Okay. Thank you, Nikki, for being a friend to me.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you later.”
The girl left, and Nicole was at the club in no time.
The cleaner let her in, so she went to Sean’s office.
Sean was working the accounts.
“Hi Nicole, what brings you in on a Monday?”
“I have just been to the doctor. I have a minor problem, is there any chance I can have Monday to Wednesday off next week, for a small surgical procedure?”
He looked at the list.
“Hang on, this is this week’s, next week’s is in the other room,” he said, leaving her through the door behind his desk.
Nicole quickly went to the temporary members list, and found the entry. Seven weeks ago, ROBERT TELFORD attended only three times. Each time on Lindi’s day off, Nicole guessed. When Sean returned she was standing where he had last seen her.
“That’s no problem. I was going to give you Tuesday anyway. What’s the problem?”
“I have something wrong with my innards. They think I may have some vestiges of female organs in there, so they are having a look. It is all a bit weird.”
“Okay, let me know how you get on, and if you need longer, I’m sure we can handle it. You will train up Yo Ling to do cocktails, won’t you?”
“Sure. Thanks Sean.”
She raced back to the flat, ringing the bell on the next door flat.
Jenny answered.
“I’ve got it,” Nicole said.
“What?”
“A connection. Where’s Bruce?
“In the office. What is the connection?”
“One of the girls, she went to a party, and I believe the suspect is her father.”
Once Bruce got the call, he was over like a rocket.
He was surprised to see Nicole in the flat.
“Okay, what’s the panic?”
“Lindi Telford, real name Leonard, or Len Telford. Has been working at the club for six months or so. She comes from down south somewhere, Plymouth or Portsmouth. She writes to her mother, who allegedly was reasonably supportive, telling her everything. Her mother stops writing back, so Lindi gets the hump. She goes to a party, and I am guessing that of the five men at the party, the three dead men will be among their number. She gets fucked rotten and loves every minute of it. She tells her mother, really rolling it out in graphic detail, and then gets a boob job to rub it in.
“Her father is a serviceman. It is reasonable to assume that he is less than pleased with the men, so he has motive, he has the training, and he has the opportunity. He joined the club several weeks ago as a Temporary Member. He attended the club three times, and each time when Lindi had a day off.”
Bruce was stunned, it all fitted.
“Nicole, there are four dead now. One was killed in Aberdeen, and we have only just tied it in. He was the first to die.”
“Then Telford’s name could be on a passenger flight list,” she said.
“Right, Jenny can you check that? So, who was the fifth man?”
“I’ll try to get that from Lindi,” Nicole said.
“As soon as you can, as I suspect that he’s the next on the list.”
“Did I do good, boss?” Nicole asked.
“Good? You have just worked a fucking miracle,” Bruce said with a grin.
“Talking of miracles, we need to talk,” Nicole said.
“Is it about the case?”
“No, but….”
“Then later, please. I have a murderer to track,” he said, and was gone.
Jenny came off the phone.
“Well done, I think you’ve just broken this case.”
“Let’s hope we can trace him before he kills again.”
Nicole went back to her flat, where she sat and tried to relax. There was a lot on her mind, so she needed some time to think.
Bruce returned to the office, called for silence, and when he got it, he said, “Right people. My source has come up trumps. We have a suspect, his name is ROBERT TELFORD, and he’s the father of one of the transsexual waitresses in the club. We believe he’s responsible for all the killings, and that there may well be one more victim on the list. The identity of the fifth man is not yet known, but I’m hopeful to get a name soon.
“I want all checks to trace this man, and I want a history and full background and CRO check done. He is military, probably Marines or Navy if he lives in the Plymouth or Portsmouth areas. So check with the Navy Provost or MPs. I want photographs and I want the Grampian police informed.”
“Guv, DC Wyllie from Aberdeen is flying down. I’m collecting him from Heathrow in an hour.” Steve said.
“Good, then we can at least show them that we are making progress. Okay people, let’s go to work.”
Bruce went into the DCI and told him the good news.
“Excellent. You undercover chaps did well then. Was this our man, or the chap from the Met?”
“This was the Met officer, sir. She’s done bloody well, and has more to get.”
“How long has she been in there?”
“Only a couple of days. But she’s very bright.”
“You still see her as a girl?”
“That may be another problem. But let’s catch this bastard first.”
“I agree. Good work, good enough for a Chief Constable’s Commendation?”
“At least.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“Leave it for a bit, there may be a problem with the name.”
“Oh, really?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
Bruce was off, as he wanted to see Sean Cooper.
Sean had just finished the accounts when Bruce was shown into his office.
“Inspector. How can I help you?”
“Mr Cooper. I’m here to ask a favour.”
“Oh yes?”
“You see, we have a suspect, so I need to know whether he’s a member, either temporary or full. Now I respect your confidentiality but this is important.”
“Can you give me a name?”
“Telford.”
Sean typed into his computer, and shook his head.
“No one by that name is, or was a member,” he said.
“Is that full and temporary?”
“Full only. There is no database of temporary members.”
“Do you keep a record at all?”
“Yes, a written one. We get so few, it’s over there.” He said pointing to the chart.
Sean walked across the office and retrieved the clipboard.
“You see, in the last six months we have only had twelve temporary members who have not become full members after their two free weeks.”
“And Telford?”
Sean saw the name on the list.
“Yes, there is a Telford here. Robert Telford.”
“Has he become a full member?”
“No. He only attended three times. Very strange, but then our clientele are anything but ordinary.”
“May I keep that record?”
“Yes, but I’ll take a photocopy.” Sean copied the list, and gave Bruce the original. Bruce asked him to sign his pocket book, and exhibited the list.
“I suspect that this man befriended the deceased men, and at some point later killed them. He is believed to be the father of one of your staff, so I suspect his motives are related to actions that took place off this premises involving five men and his son. Four of the men are dead, and we fear for the safety of the fifth. I suspect that the girls know the man, but will not speak to me because they fear their activities may jeopardise their jobs here.
“I would ask you to do nothing, and let us run our enquiries without alerting anyone that we are aware of his identity. I’m as anxious to keep this away from the press until he’s caught. I imagine you would rather the silence continues after that.”
Sean nodded, as he saw the sense in what the policeman said. The last thing he wanted was any publicity.
“Bloody Lindi,” he said.
“Sorry?”
“Lindi Telford. It’s her father. I never connected it. She was off on all those days when he was here.”
“Do you have a shift sheet anywhere?”
“I can run that week’s off the computer, hang on.”
A single sheet of paper came from the printer, and Bruce dealt with it in the same way as the last one.
“I was surprised at the change in her, I must say.”
“Change?”
“Yes, she was very quiet and rather shy when she first arrived. But something happened and she became very vivacious and promiscuous. I had to warn her about handling the members too much.”
“Were you aware of the parties?”
“I am aware that they go to them. I can’t stop them, but if it gets out that they are paid, I sack them.”
“Would you know who the men were?”
He shook his head.
“Believe it or not, I’m not that interested. I just run the place. I live above, and keep myself to myself. I have a partner, and we don’t mix with any of the members or the girls. My partner is a post op transsexual, and she works as a secretary in a law firm. We’re very normal and respectable really. I met her here, and as soon as she had been through SRS, she left work and moved in with me.”
“Thanks for your time. If you think of anything else, call me.”
“Certainly. Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“How did you find out that this man, Telford, could be the one?”
“Old fashioned police work, and luck. Some very small piece of evidence at Warren’s flat.”
“Oh. Thanks."
Chapter 8
It was Tuesday, and Robert Telford slept on the long flight. He couldn’t concentrate on the movie, as the food gave him indigestion. He didn’t like big planes. He liked helicopters, as he was used to them. The woman next to him tried to make conversation, but he had told her to fuck off. It had worked, as she hadn’t bothered him again.
He was so nearly finished the first part of his operation now, only one to go, and then on to stage two. He would not rest until the club was burned to the ground, and all the abominations that called themselves women were no more.
He thought of little Lenny, remembering playing football with him when he was on leave. They took him and corrupted him. He was lost now, little Lenny was dead to him, while an abomination was in his place. Well, he would make them all pay.
He smiled as he realised that his weapon was safe in his case. The polycarbon blade was immune to x-rays, so he knew that he would be safe until he got through US Customs. The civvy police were useless, they couldn’t find a hen in a hen house, and he smirked with the ease with which he had achieved his objectives so far.
The fat greasy perverts had all thought he was one of them. The bastards. Well, they had stopped spoiling children now. He thought of the one he had yet to find. The man thought he could run away, back to America, where he had come from. He had been wrong, as no one escaped from a Royal Marine on a mission.
“Yes, Steve, what have you got?”
“Right Guv, Robert Simon TELFORD,” the detective said, passing round several A4 colour photographs of a tough looking man in the uniform of a Royal Marine sergeant.
“Born 4th June 1962, in Colchester. Father: Gregory Telford, Royal Signals Sergeant, British Army. Mother Hazel, maiden name Brown.
“Educated at various army schools in UK and Germany. Enlisted in Royal Marines in 1979. SBS in 1983, promoted to Sergeant 1985. Specialist weapons instructor, unarmed combat and covert operations. Saw active service with SBS and SAS in many places, and decorated six times. Wounded in Falklands, but completed tour.
“Married Mary June Campbell in 1982, two children, Leonard is 18 and Susan 16. Marriage is rocky, but she’s still with him. It’s the job apparently, not another woman. They have a house in Portsmouth. He is currently on sick leave due to stress. He did not take his son’s transsexuality well, and his Colonel has given him time to sort himself out.”
“How much time?”
“It’s been eight weeks so far.”
“Right, Steve, get down there and nick him.”
“What now?”
“Yes, now, we have enough for suspicion of murder.”
“Right, guv, on my way. Will, come on, let’s go.”
As the officers left, Bruce was aware that the Scottish officer was hanging around like a spare tyre.
“DC Wyllie, you may as well fuck off back to Aberdeen. Take the photographs, and anything else you need and see if anyone remembers seeing him up near your crime scene. We’ll keep you posted on the arrest, as and when it happens.”
“Thanks sir.”
“Roberts, give our colleague a lift to Heathrow.”
“Yes boss.”
“Right, now we wait.”
Nicole and Yo Ling were in the Revue Bar early, and Nicole was teaching Yo how to mix cocktails properly. She had a book with over 200 recipes which they kept under the counter. Nicole knew many, but occasionally had to refer to the book.
“It is 90% bullshit, so you just whack in the right ingredients, and give it a good show. Then add the right fruit and extras, and you have an excuse to charge a ridiculous amount of money for a drink.”
They were having a laugh at Yo’s attempts to throw ice and catch it. Nicole saw Lindi come into the bar. Because Yo was now on bar work, Lindi was promoted to wait these tables. The Revue Bar was the better bar to work, so she was pleased. It meant more tips, and more offers of private parties. She approached Nicole.
“Hi, I’m Lindi. I’m going to be working these tables now,” she said.
She was quite tall, the hormones had made her a little plump, but she had the height to carry it. She had very large breasts, which were exposed and had glitter spread liberally all over them.
She was over-the-top with her feminine gestures and speech, and she made it plain she was in the market for as much sex as she could have.
Yo went to get some stock for the shelves, and Nicole decided to attack from the front.
“Any parties on this week then, Lindi?” Nicole asked, after introducing herself.
“One or two, why are you interested?”
“Not me, I’ve other plans. But maybe later. Say, wasn’t the guy who got stabbed one of yours?”
Lindi looked round, as if to see who was listening.
“Shh. We don’t talk about that,” she said.
“How come? I think it is a bit exciting. Were they good parties, that’s what I want to know.”
“If you are into heavy shit, they were great.”
“What sort of shit?”
“Warren was into S & M. He liked to be beaten. Then he liked to be fucked while I beat him. I could not believe the size of Chuck’s dick. He made me very sore. I’d never had a guy before that. But once I got a taste, it’s something else. Do you fuck?”
“Let’s say I am working on it, but I am waiting for SRS.”
“If you haven’t had anal, you haven’t lived.”
“Who’s Chuck?”
“Chuckie? Oh, he’s hung like a horse. I miss him now, as he’s gone home to the States. He’d pay me loads of cash. He was wonderful.”
“What was his real name?”
“Charles something. I used to call him Charles Bronson, coz his name was similar, Ronson, that’s it. Charles Ronson. I loved him. He said he would come back and when I had had SRS he’d marry me. Shit, if I had £100 for everyone who said that, I’d be a fucking millionaire.”
Nicole changed the subject onto less specific things, but Lindi liked to talk about sex. Nicole began to feel very sorry for the girl, as she was really screwed up.
Yo came back just as Lindi was describing how she took one guy in her mouth, while the other took her from behind, and two others in each of her hands, all at the same time. She smiled, as she could imagine having five at once after she had SRS.
Yo’s face was a picture of disgust, but Lindi laughed at her and went to take some orders.
It was a busy night, but Yo did very well. At the first opportunity, Nicole phoned in the details of Charles Ronson, and went back to work.
Bruce got through to the FBI headquarters in Washington DC.
Steve had found Telford gone, together with a case and his passport. Mrs Telford had not received any more letters from Lindi since the first one, so Robert had intercepted the mail. Steve told Bruce that he had found certain interesting documents, and passed some details, and that he was on his way back.
As soon as Nicole passed through the details of the American, he called Sean Cooper who gave Bruce all he had from his membership details. They checked the airlines, who were very touchy about divulging any passenger information. Eventually he threatened to arrest anyone who obstructed him, and they hung up on him. He managed to speak to the airport police at Heathrow, and they made the enquiries on his behalf.
Telford was booked on a BA flight to New York that very morning, so they had just missed him. The flight would have landed less than an hour ago.
Bruce was really pissed off, so he’d rung the FBI.
Having been passed from department to switchboard to the cleaner to department. He lost his temper again.
“Look, I have information that a US citizen is about to be killed and I need to talk to someone in charge.”
Eventually, Special Agent Walter F. Cousins took the call. After a good twenty minutes, and exchanging Email addresses. Bruce hung up and immediately sent Walter what he knew via email, and then put Interpol in the loop.
He was summoned to see the Chief Superintendent.
“Bruce, what progress, I’m having the press officer being pestered by the media?”
“Sir, our undercover officer has discovered the identity of our suspect. She has also ascertained that the suspect has a further victim in mind, and we know he is in the United States. Our suspect had left his home address when officers attended early this morning, and it appears that he was already on a flight to New York.
“Unfortunately, we did not get the information in time, and the flight had already landed. We have passed the details of the suspect and the intended victim to the FBI, so hopefully they can locate the man before the suspect finds him.”
“What can you tell me about the suspect?”
“He is a sergeant in the Royal Marines, who has a grievance against five men whom he identifies as being responsible for corrupting his son, and turning him into a transsexual. He has killed four and seeks to kill a fifth. He is highly skilled with a knife, used to operating covertly, and is surveillance aware. He is a walking nightmare. We also believe he intends to attack the club and burn it to the ground. We’ve found documentation at his home address, in which various plans for this were sketched out, including the deaths of all the persons on the premises.”
“Let’s hope the Americans find him. Otherwise we will have a problem.”
“Yes sir. Can we keep this quiet to the press, just say enquiries are in hand and an arrest is imminent, or something?”
“I’ll try.”
“Sir, I have one very brave officer deep in the shit, if anything gets out she will be in even deeper.”
The officer in question was in deep conversation with an elderly man called Henry, who just was happy talking to delightful people. He had been a schoolmaster at a well-known public school, having retired some fifteen years ago. He had never married and missed the boys dreadfully. He had never so much as touched one, ever, but now he regretted not forming a lasting relationship with someone in his life. Henry was very lonely, but having found the club on the Internet, he now had somewhere to go where he didn’t have to hide his personal preferences.
It answered all his needs. He was surrounded by lots of pretty boys, who were nice to him, so he just enjoyed relaxing and flirting with them.
He had heard that there was a particularly striking one serving behind the bar in the Revue Bar, and to his delight, he had found two. There was a superbly beautiful one with a Canadian accent, and a delightfully pretty little Chinese one. The Canadian was obviously very professional and was teaching the little Chinese one the ropes. They were friends, he could tell that by the way they laughed and joked with each other.
There was a big busty waitress who was rather formidable, and very forthright. Henry felt a little frightened by her, particularly when she made a very graphic suggestion about what she could do with him.
He declined, so she went and to try her luck elsewhere. Henry had been to Canada, and found the Canadian very articulate and well educated. He found it hard to remember that she was a boy, because she was very feminine indeed. But his eyes kept wandering towards the little Chinese. He found his gaze returned, very coquettishly. He experienced a deep sexual urge for the first time in a long time, and when the taller Canadian went to serve some other members, he spoke to her, striking up a conversation.
At the end of the evening, Nicole and Yo left together, and John tried to make sure he was on the door when they left. It was nearly three am.
“Need an escort, ladies?” he asked.
“If you want a walk, John,” Nicole had replied, so he grinned, somehow pleased.
He walked with them to their door. Yo went in and Nicole turned to him.
“Look, about the killings. Ask the doormen about any Royal Marines. See if they remember anyone who appeared out of place.”
Then she was gone.
He frowned, but returned to the club. He got talking to some of the other doormen, about service life, as two had been servicemen.
“Do we ever get any weirdos who just don’t fit in?” he asked.
“We had this one geezer, he only came a couple of times on a T card. He wasn’t here for the girls, and he didn’t want to mix with the usual lot. He had been or was a Marine, he had the badge tattooed on his right forearm and a dagger on the left. I thought him a bit funny, but he never came back,” said Stewart, an ex-paratrooper.
Within an hour, details of the tattoos were being emailed to the FBI.
Robert Telford, dressed in smart suit, had rented a car from a small and cheap outfit some distance from the airport, using the drivers licence and credit card he had stolen from his last but one victim, Simon Harris. He had driven off the lot and down the road. Just as it got dark, he swapped number plates with a similar make of car parked in street nearby.
He changed out of his suit and into his covert black fatigues. He smiled as he drove off into the night. He had a log drive, but then he had nothing better to do. By the time the FBI were actually on the case, he’d arrived in Florida, his quarry close at hand.
The FBI contacted the Airport Police department at JFK, and all car rental agencies were asked to look out for anyone named Telford. Then the FBI office in Miami was contacted. A Special Agent was asked to trace a Charles Ronson, and eighteen were found to be living in and around the Miami area.
So began the slow process of liaison with the local police departments with a view to warning each one.
Charles Ronson was hot. His house was on a lakeside in Florida, but it was a very humid June night. He couldn’t sleep, partially due to the heat, and partially due to the beautiful she-male he was sharing his bed with.
They had met a week ago in a club in Miami, similar to the Candy Club. Brandi was a hostess in the club, and she had the most gorgeous ass. She was exactly as he liked them, a little plump, with big breasts and a large ass. He still thought of Lindi in England, and the memory of her always gave him an erection.
Brandi had shrieked with pleasure as he sank himself deep into her ass. He enjoyed bringing her to climax with his hand as he fucked her. She even licked him clean when he withdrew, and that always gave him pleasure. She knew that he would give her an extra $100 for that.
He got up, walking naked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He poured a glass of orange juice and drank it down.
He looked out across the lake, thinking of the sex he had had a short time ago. He felt himself rising once more, smiling in anticipation of waking up Brandi by ramming himself into her cute ass. He started fondling himself as he turned to fulfil his immediate ambition.
But something was not right.
Someone was there.
He turned and saw the silhouette of a man, inside his house, and close to him.
He fumbled for a light but a strong hand stopped him.
“Remember me, Charles?” said a voice. English, and not well educated. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, and he saw the other man. He recognised the voice, but could not recall from where.
“You don’t do you? Let me help you. A couple of months ago, you had a party with four of your friends, and some poor unfortunates like that creature in your bed. You fucked everyone and everything didn’t you? You have a big dick, I see, and you like to stick it where it does the most harm. Well you stuck it into my little boy, and now he is lost to me forever.
“You are going to die, Charles. Just like the other four and all the creatures that you and your sick friends have created. I should make it long and painful, but instead, I will be quick. Any last words, Charlie boy?” Robert Telford snarled quietly. He was dressed from head to toe in black. His knife was black, so only his eyes showed.
“How much do you want?” Charles asked.
“Just your life, and I have that now.”
Charles was a strong man, so he threw a punch at the smaller man. But before he knew what happened, the punch was blocked, he was spun round, feeling a sharp pain in his side. He frowned, he still had an erection, but his heart stopped and he died.
Telford lowered his victim to the floor, sheathing his knife. He went to the bedroom door. The creature was lying on its front, squashing its disgusting artificial breasts to the bed. Its bottom was uncovered, and Telford felt sick as he imagined the man he had killed inserting his large dick into the anus of this unfortunate creature. He was just considering how best to put it out of its misery when the police car arrived.
He was surprised, but reacted calmly and quickly. He left the way he had come, sliding the glass door shut and hearing the lock click. Then he made his way to the hedge and slipped through into the next door garden, along the baseline of that garden to the next. Within ten minutes, he was in his rental car and driving slowly out of the area.
“Five down, now the club,” he said to himself, giving no thought to how the police had known to come to the address.
Officer Richard Mullins walked slowly round the property and saw no signs of entry. This was some stupid assignment. It was a prime lakeside property belonging to a financial consultant with a major corporation. Who the hell would try to kill him?
He rang the bell, and he was about to leave when someone started screaming. He shouted for them to open up, and eventually a semi-naked woman opened the door. Her breasts were large and looked too firm to be real.
“He’s on the floor in there,” she said, her voice husky with sleep and emotion.
Rich had his weapon drawn, on entering carefully, he found the body in the living room. It was still warm, so it must have just happened.
He called it in, to be given a description of the suspect. A male, late 30’s, white, a serving special forces Marine from England, who was an expert at special weapons and covert kills. That was just what he needed.
He turned to the woman, who was sobbing trying unsuccessfully to get dressed. Then he noticed that she wasn’t a woman, she had a dick and balls as well as huge breasts. This was definitely not his day.
Bruce was just arriving in the office when he was told.
“Telford got there first.”
“Shit.”
“They’ve circulated his details all over the place, and all flights out are screened. They will catch him,” said Steve.
“What happened?”
“Telford managed to break in, stab the victim without disturbing the other occupant of the house. The police arrived just after it happened, the body was still warm.”
“Who was the other occupant?”
“A transsexual called Brandi Wilson.”
“Why didn’t he kill her?”
“Sir?”
“He wants to rid the world of them, why not kill her?”
“Disturbed?”
“Probably, the police arrived before he could finish the job. Still, that’s not our problem, we told them and they took too long.”
“So what now?”
“We wait. If he’s got any sense, he’ll probably head to Canada and then hop on a boat as crew. He’s a marine, so he’s boat friendly, remember.”
“Then he could arrive anywhere.”
“Newfoundland to Eire, then he is as good as in Reading.”
“Bastard.”
“Dangerous mad bastard.”
“What can we do?”
“We have to go to the press.”
Yo was up before Nicole, but when Nicole appeared Yo was excited to share what she knew.
“See the news. There’s a story about the men that came to the club and got murdered,” she told a stunned Nicole, and switching on the TV, onto Teletext.
There was a story about the killings and how the suspect, a Robert Telford was believed to be still in America having killed a fifth man. There were few details, but when they tuned into the TV news, the man’s photograph was all over the place. There was a report from Florida, where they showed footage of a body being removed from a luxury lakeside home.
“Police in America, Canada and the United Kingdom, are seeking the whereabouts of Robert TELFORD, a Royal Marine, who is suspected of being responsible for killings. There have been three deaths in and around the Reading area, one in Aberdeen, and the latest one in Florida. We spoke to the officer leading the investigation in Reading.”
It cut to a shot of Bruce Appleby in front of Reading Police Station.
“We are reasonably certain that our suspect, Robert Telford, is in the United States, and also, we are certain that it is his intention to return to the Reading Area. I must warn the public, he is a specialist at covert operations, and we urge the public not to approach him. He is very dangerous and must be arrested.”
“Inspector, these seem to be random killings, has a motive been identified?”
“Yes. The motive is believed to be connected to an event concerning one of his children. He has not coped with this event, and seeks vengeance against those he believes are responsible. The sad fact of the matter is, we believe that he is the possible originator of this particular event, and the five victims were just unfortunately caught up in the whole thing.”
“Lastly Inspector, there’s a rumour that there is a sexual connection to the offences. Is this true?”
“We suspect that the original event relates to one of gender identification, and the victims shared a specific sexual preference, but the suspect has no sexual agenda, as far as we know. You must understand that there are relatives and other innocent parties concerned in this, and rumours of such matters are harmful.”
Nicole was stunned. She had done her part, but they had missed him.
Yo was talking to her.
“I’m sorry, Yo, what?”
“I am day off today. I have been asked to go to dinner with the old school teacher, Mr Henry. Do you think I should not go?”
Nicole had to concentrate to remember who Mr Henry was. Then she remembered. He was the elderly man who just liked being around pretty boys.
“He should be fine, where are you going?”
“He take me to Japanese Restaurant. I think it funny.”
“Yes, go, have fun. You never know, you may have found your sugar daddy.”
“What is this sugar daddy?”
“A sugar daddy is an older man, who likes having a young pretty mistress or wife whom he can spoil in return for a little love and affection in their old age.”
Yo smiled.
“You mean he would pay for my SRS?”
“You never know he just might, at that,” Nicole said, laughing at her friend’s lateral thinking.
Nicole set off to work at four pm, finding the girls in the club in a right fuss.
Sean came and assured them that the club was not going to shut, but he advised everyone that it would be best to refrain from any external rendezvous for a few weeks. Also that Lindi had gone home to be with her mother at this time.
As it happened, the club was quiet and Nicole found herself in an empty bar. Sean wandered in.
“Will they be back?”
“Oh yes, it’s just a little worrying.”
“Did you know the police would go to the press?”
“Yes, the DI, the one on the telly, Appleby, phoned me and told me. He said that we should have been a bit quicker with the information. Still, I have my members to protect, and who’s to know that some demented parent is going to go berserk?”
“I’m surprised the police didn’t try to put someone in undercover,” Nicole said.
“They had, one of the doormen. He has gone now. Do you remember John? He was a copper.”
“I thought he was too bright and straight to fit in here,” she said with a smile.
“He left you this,” Sean said, handing her a small envelope.
She opened it.
|
“That’s sweet of him,” Nicole said with a smile.
“You have a way with people.” Sean said.
“What do you mean?”
“People come away better people having been with you for a while.”
“Don’t be silly.”
“It’s true. Look at the way the bar takings reflect how popular you are. I’ve had over thirty members commend your friendly and charming attitude so far. And you can’t deny that everyone seems to get on with you, because you make them all feel special.”
Nicole was stunned into silence, and Sean laughed.
“So, you haven’t spoken much about it, what’s this operation you have to go in for?”
“Well, I went for a routine check with Dr Hepburn. I was after some breast implants, and she found I had a hormone imbalance. Apparently, I had too much female hormone in my system, so she ran an MRI scan. Anyway, she thinks that I have some or all the necessary female stuff in there, as well as blokes. So she wants to see exactly what I have, what’s functioning, and what needs to be removed. If I have ovaries producing female hormones, then she will have to remove the implant in my thigh, because there is no point having it any more.”
“So you are a kind of hermaphrodite?”
“I guess so, but I only have male bits, you know, down there.”
“Will they be removed?”
“I hope so, because I really don’t need them any more.”
“Do you want to stay on here?”
“I don’t know, I hadn’t thought about leaving. But if I am a working female, then I guess I’ll have to.”
“I’d be sad to see you go. You haven’t been here long, but you’ve made your mark.”
At that point, three people came into the bar, so Nicole went and served them. Once again, Sean was able to watch her work, and she charmed the men into spending double what they intended, and tipped her generously into the bargain.
Yo Ling was seated across the small table from Henry. He had treated her with such care and respect, that she felt very tender towards him. She poured him some more wine, watching him as he ate sparingly from the exquisite dishes.
He was quite charming and attentive, asking her all about her time in Hong Kong as a child, and why she had chosen the path she was now on. He shared with her all the time he had been at the school, including the frustrations he had experienced. Recognising his particular sexual predilection, he used all his determination and will to restrain from ever committing a breach of trust.
He almost cried at lost opportunities and forbidden love. Yo Ling recognised in him a desperate loneliness, and her heart went out to him.
She laughed at his jokes, even when she didn’t understand them, and she listened to his long and rather dull stories of his youth. He paid the bill, offering her a lift home in his car. Not far from the flat, he pulled over in front of a big house.
“This is my house. Would you like to see it, my dear?
All her instincts told her to go, but she heard herself answer, “Yes please.”
He seemed very pleased, so led her up the path and opened the front door.
It was a very grand house, very tastefully decorated, as all the furniture was antique.
“It was my parents’ home. My sister lived here after they died, and until she passed on three years ago. I had it decorated after she died, but it’s too big for me. I keep intending to employ a housekeeper, but never seem to manage it.
He showed her round, it had six bedrooms. In Hong Kong where she was brought up, a hundred people could live in a house like this, with a family in every room.
She told him this and he laughed.
“Well there is just me, and I wont be long now,” he said sadly.
They returned to the kitchen.
“Would you like a coffee, before I take you home?”
“I get you coffee, you go sit down,” she said, leading him to his chair. He allowed himself to be seated, so she took off his shoes, raising his feet up onto the stool.
She returned to the kitchen, which needed a good clean. She made him a coffee, taking it into him on a tray with milk and sugar separate. He smiled as she gave it to him, “Don’t forget yourself, my dear.”
She smiled back and went back to the kitchen. She put an apron on and started to clean. An hour later, she returned to the living room and saw he was asleep. She took the mug, washed it up, and then kept cleaning. Two hours later, it was as clean as she could get it, so she hung up the apron. She went and gently woke him.
“Come, Henry. I put you to bed now,” she said, taking him up stairs. She helped him get undressed and to put on his pyjamas. She turned down his bed while he went to the bathroom. She paused and smiled. Then she undressed and slipped into the bed, so when he reappeared he saw her sitting in his bed with her breasts showing above the covers. She held up the covers, so he got in beside her.
She cradled him in her arms, resting his head against her small, but firm breasts. His questing hands sought what couldn’t be seen, and Yo Ling felt herself respond to his touch.
She let her hand seek into his pyjamas and she touched him where he so wanted to be touched. She gently fondled him as his body remembered and responded. She brought him to climax, as he almost cried at her tenderness.
He slept, so she snuggled down, holding him in her arms, dropping off to sleep with a smile on her face. She now knew what a sugar daddy was.
Nicole went back to the flat, noting that Yo was not in, so she smiled to herself. She checked her emails, and saw that there was one from Jamie.
|
He was such an idiot. What did he know about running a restaurant, and where did all the money come from?
She quickly wrote him a reply.
|
She was tired so she went to bed, falling asleep instantly.
Yo woke her up at about ten. She was all bubbly and bouncy.
“I have a new job,” she told the sleepy Nicole.
“What?”
“Mr Henry wants me as house mistress.”
“You mean a mistress or a housekeeper,” she corrected, with a smile.
“I will look after him like a wife, I cook and clean, and sleep with him, and he will pay for my SRS.”
“Will he still want you if you are a girl?”
“He says he will. I don’t care. He is a nice man, and he has such a big house. He says when he dies, I keep the house.”
“Well Yo, you be careful, make sure you get something in writing, otherwise when he dies his relatives will kick you out and leave you with nothing.”
“I am not stupid. I ask for contract.”
“Good girl.”
Nicole, dragged herself to the bathroom, intending to have a shower. Her breasts were quite painful, so she took off the breast forms, and was very surprised at the size of her own breasts. In a few days they had grown considerably. They were still not enough to fill a small size bra cup, but considering the time scale, they were significant.
She had a shower, and dried off, slinging on a pair of ordinary knickers, as the padded ones seemed unnecessary now. She went to the kitchen, where she showed her chest to Yo, who seemed very excited.
“You growing good breasts. You will not need implants,” she said.
Nicole smiled, partly at the possibility of her being right, and partly at Yo’s English, which she found highly entertaining.
They had a lazy day, allowing Nicole to do her nails and spruce up Mr Wig. Her own hair was growing so slowly she felt like screaming. Yo was obviously excited about the potential job for Mr Henry, so she popped out to see him just after lunch.
Nicole called Bruce for an update. He said he was coming round to the flat in half an hour and would see her there.
Nicole dressed for work, placing the breast forms back on, hopefully for one of the last sessions. She found that four or five days were about as long as she liked them on at once.
She put Mr Wig back on and checked her makeup. Her nails were looking good, and thought she looked sharp. She popped next door, so Jenny put the kettle on. Pete was on down-time, so had gone home for a bit. They had the worst job, particularly as the situation had changed considerably.
Bruce came in, looking concerned.
“Hi Nikki, are you okay?” he said, and then asked Jenny where Pete was.
“Bruce!” Nicole said, loudly.
He stopped and stared at her.
“I have to go into hospital on Monday,” she said.
“What?”
“Hospitals, you know places ill and injured people go to get better or to die?” she said.
“Why?”
“Because I’m not well.”
“How?”
“I went for a check up, and they have found something inside me,” she said.
“When?”
“Last Monday.
“So what is it, is it cancerous?”
She smiled and shook her head. “No, nothing like that. They think that I may have a complete set of female reproductive organs inside. So they’re going to cut me open and take a look. If so, they’ll remove the male stuff and, hopefully, leave me a normal, fertile female.”
Bruce stood there with his mouth open.
“How?”
“I don’t know, it’s all very weird. But it seems I had them all along, and the hormone injection activated them, and my ovaries started producing female hormones, so my male stuff just packed up.”
“So you will be a female, all singing all dancing and stuff?”
“Particularly stuff, I hope so.”
“Shit. Is this what you want?”
Nicole just smiled and nodded.
“Good. Will you stay in the Met?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it yet. I may apply for a transfer to the TVP,” she said half joking.
To her surprise Bruce nodded, and said, “I’d always have you in my office if you do.”
“Really?” she asked, surprised.
“You are a bloody good copper, the fact you are a stunningly good looking girl has nothing to do with it,” he said with a grin, at which Jenny laughed.
“Oh,” Nicole said, confused.
“Look, Nikki. My boss is putting you forward for a Chief Constable’s Commendation. Once this is over, all you have to do is ask, and you’ll be welcomed with open arms.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“Then I might, I seem to have made more friends down here than in London.”
They went on to discuss how they were going to handle the protection of the club and tracking Telford, should he elude the American police and the Federal Officers.
At that moment over on the other side of the Atlantic it was about ten am. Robert Telford pulled off the north bound highway through New York State. He was watching the State Troopers conduct a road check several hundred yards north, so he was now certain that they were after him.
He had driven up through Georgia, the Carolinas into Virginia and then Pennsylvania with no trouble at all. He had stopped for gas several times, but it was at the last stop that he saw his photograph on TV. He had underestimated the police, they knew who he was, where he was, and what he had done.
Still, he managed to elude the seekers and headed for Buffalo, intending to cross into Canada at Niagara. The Troopers were thorough, more like soldiers than policemen, he thought. His mind flashed to Northern Ireland, when he was manning a check-point. They had been attacked by the IRA. It was the first few seconds of total confusion and panic that he remembered the most. After that, it was instinctive reaction on what they had trained for, and the terrorists were killed.
He was mulling over what to do, when he heard the helicopter. Now these he understood, with thermal imaging and instant TV pictures back to control centres, he respected them.
He got into the car, turned and headed south once more. Then, seeing a farm road on the left, he took it and followed it for a couple of miles. He was in the middle of nowhere. There were small farms and forest everywhere, a real wilderness.
He saw a small farm just ahead, so he pulled over and walked up to it. There was a beaten up old red Ford Pickup outside, and the place appeared deserted. There were keys in the pickup, and an old baseball cap on the dash. He jogged back to the rental car, where he stripped off, putting on a pair of faded jeans and a red and white long sleeved check shirt. He kept his knife and money, credit cards, passport, and a small bag with his black clothing inside. He was wearing his well-worn and comfortable combat boots.
He pushed the car down into a well-hidden gully, and jogged back to the pickup. He jumped in, started it up, and drove off down the road. He rejoined the highway, stuck the baseball cap on, and tried to look like a redneck farmer. He joined the line for the road check. He smiled, as he had not shaved for a few days and he was very much greyer than his old service photograph.
The trooper, Vincent Carlotti, was bored. Vince had been here for three hours, and there was nothing to show for it. He had a meal break due, but his relief was late. Vince approached the local plated pickup, and the driver asked, “What seems to be the problem officer?” Another local farmer, he thought to himself.
“Sir have you seen anyone suspicious, or any vehicles that are from out of state?”
“No sir, I’ve been haulin’ logs at my brother’s place, over yonder. Who ya looking fer?”
The trooper showed him the photograph, and the farmer shook his head and sucked through his teeth.
“Say, is he a green beret?”
“Kinda sir. He is a British Marine, their special forces,” Vince explained.
“No shit. What’s he done?”
“I can’t say, but he is believed to be armed and dangerous.”
“I’ll be sure to keep my eyes peeled.”
“You do that. Thank you for your time. Have a nice day.”
Telford grinned as he drove off. Next stop Canada.
Chapter 9
Nicole arrived at the clinic at half past six on Monday morning. She had finished work at midnight, so grabbed a few hours sleep.
Yo had decided not to leave the club, but negotiated some reduced hours. She was moving in with Mr Henry, as she called him, while Nicole was in hospital. Nicole had pestered her, so the man had produced a contractual agreement, clearly stipulating that she was to be his companion and housekeeper for an undisclosed stipend and, upon his death, the title deed of the house was to be transferred to her. He had even changed his will in her favour, so as a result, she was potentially a wealthy young woman. He had even agreed to pay for her surgery, but she wasn’t to have it for six months. She was content to wait.
Nicole walked into the clinic and the taxi drove away. She had decided that if she was having surgery in that area, then a motorcycle was perhaps the least sensible mode of transport. She was wearing a summer dress, as she anticipated tight jeans would not be very sensible either.
She approached the reception desk, and it seems that she was even too early for them. However, a head popped round the corner.
“Nicole Le Fevre?” a pleasant middle-aged lady asked.
“Yes.”
“You’re expected, dear. The doctor will be in at eight, so if you go to your room, the nurse will tell you what is happening.”
“Which room?”
She directed Nicole to a room along the corridor, still on the ground floor.
She saw that her name was on the door, and Dr Hepburn was written underneath. She pushed open the door, to see a veritable forest of flowers. She was stunned, as there was over £100 worth of flowers here. As she stood there, a plump little nurse walked in.
“Hello, you must be Nicole. I’m Ruth. My, you are a popular girl, aren’t you?”
“So it seems, who sent these?”
“Well, there are five cards. The lilies are from Bruce and the gang, the mixed spray is from Sean, the carnations are from all the girls at the club. The pot plant is from Rachel, and there is a bouquet from Yo and Mr Henry.”
Nicole shook her head, feeling herself close to tears.
“Right, there’s a gown here, so get yourself undressed and into that. I have to take some blood and your blood pressure and all that. You haven’t eaten or drunk anything since midnight, have you?”
“No.”
“Good. The anaesthetist will be in at about eight, and Dr Hepburn at around the same time. You’re to be in surgery by nine. So, all being well, you should be back in your room at noon.”
“Three hours?”
“Dr Hepburn doesn’t quite know what will be needed. Yours is a unique case, so she is setting a big chunk of time aside for you.”
“Oh.”
The morning passed and Nicole was lying in the preparation room, watching the clock, having been told that she would be asleep in ten seconds. She counted to eleven, and was about to say something, when all went black.
Her first thoughts upon coming round were of her mother. She so wanted grandchildren, so it became a strong focus for Nicole as she struggled to clear her head from the anaesthetics and whatever else they had given her.
Then came a sensation of a burning pain in her groin area, and she said, “Shit that hurts. Shit. Shit. Shit. Oh shit!”
A disembodied voice said, “give her some morphine,” and the pain gradually died away, but she dropped off again. She kept coming round and dropping off, each time for a longer period.
Finally, she was able to focus, and Dr Hepburn looked down at her, she smiled.
“Hello Nicole, are you back with us?”
“I think so,” she said.
“Where are you?”
“Flat on my back in the clinic with a very tender groin,” Nicole said, and Gillian laughed.
“Okay, you’re going back to your room now. It all went very well, so I’ll come see you when I’ve cleaned up. All right?”
She nodded, laying back as she was pushed along the corridor, and then into her room. Ruth was there and smiled as she was wheeled in, and they heaved her onto the bed.
She looked down, to see a large bandaged area covering her groin, with a catheter tube coming through the bandage.
There was little pain, but she had two IV drips into her left arm, so she thought that one was probably pain relief.
She dozed, to be woken when Gillian appeared. Nicole glanced at the clock and was surprised that it was nearly 2 pm.
“Hello Nicole. How do you feel?”
Nicole thought for a moment.
“Woozy, nauseous, numb and curious,” she replied, honestly.
“The first two will be the anaesthetics, the numb will be the morphine and as for the curious. If your mother were here, I would say to her, congratulations, you have a beautiful baby girl. But she isn’t here, so I will say to you, congratulations, you are a beautiful grown up girl.”
Nicole started to cry, her mother had been with her, she was convinced of that. “Thank you, SO very much,” she said.
“I have constructed your vaginal opening and labia, and used part of your penis head as a clitoris. You had a perfect vaginal channel, uterus and womb, and your ovaries are probably going to start producing ova within the next couple of weeks. Your male genitalia have gone, and actually your testes were dead in any case. You are the first case of this type I have ever seen or heard of, so I have taken the liberty of videoing the whole operation for posterity.”
“You said ova, does that mean…?”
“Yes, you are fertile. I have completed a certificate and letter so that you can alter your birth certificate to read the correct gender. It is a very rare thing, so it gives me immense pleasure to do it.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. It’s a miracle that things happened the way they did. God knows what would have happened had you not volunteered for this particular case.”
“He does seem to work in mysterious ways,” Nicole agreed.
“Anyway, I’ll leave you to rest. The dressing and catheter stay in until tomorrow, and then we will take it all off and have a look see. You have the control for the pain relief. Just turn the knob on the drip, and you’ll get a small amount more. I recommend that you keep it as low as you can bear. Then it is less of a shock when the drip comes out. And I’ll see you after breakfast tomorrow.”
Nicole was alone with her flowers, so she dropped off again.
When Nicole awoke, Rachel was sitting by her bed reading the newspaper with her spectacles on the end of her nose.
“Hi Rachel,” Nicole croaked.
“Ah. Sleeping beauty awakes. How are you girl?”
“Brilliant. I can have babies, Rachel.”
“Not at the moment you can’t. I know, it’s unreal, I can hardly believe it. It’s all happened so fast.”
“Why me Rachel, why me?”
“What do you mean?”
“There are so many people who would sell their soul for what has happened to me. Why did it happen to me?”
“God knows, for I don’t.”
Nicole was looking at her breasts through the gap in her gown.
“They’ve grown again, Rachel, I swear they’ve grown again.”
“Let’s have a look, then,” Rachel said, opening up the girl’s gown. She was surprised as they were most definitely bigger.
“Almost respectable,” she told the girl with a smile. “I’ll have those breast forms back then.”
“I thought you might, they’re in my case.” Nicole said with a smile. All the moving about made her feel queasy, so she lay back and was still for a while. She looked at the clock. It was six pm.
“Shit, this stuff makes you lose hours at a time,” she complained.
“Gillian told me what she had done. How do you feel?”
“Numb, but excited. It’s like a whole new adventure.”
“You have to finish the old one first,” Rachel said, showing her the headlines.
Killer lost by American police. Where is he now?
She read the article, realising that Telford was on his way back to Reading. It may take days or weeks, but he was coming back to Reading, to finish what he started.
“He wants to burn the club down, and with everyone in it,” she said.
“Are you sure?”
Nicole nodded. “He had detailed plans in his house. Bruce reckons he will come by boat through Eire or Liverpool. But he will get here.”
Rachel stayed for another half an hour and left when Ruth asked Nicole whether she wanted some food.
She thought about it and decided she didn’t, but a cup of tea sounded nice. Ruth took her blood pressure and temperature, and checked the catheter and the drips.
“You have turned the morphine off, did you mean to?””
“Yes. I can’t stand being fuzzy. The pain is bearable at the moment.”
Nicole was aware of a general pain, not too sharp, rather like a big bruise, she found it uncomfortable rather than painful.
Ruth brought her a cup of tea and a couple of chocolate digestives. She ate them and found she was hungry after all.
“How about a sandwich?”
Nicole nodded and smiled, “Please, anything.”
She turned the TV on, and switched channels for a while. Then she switched it off again, as there was utter crap on the TV these days, she thought.
She looked at the flowers and almost dropped off again, but the door opened and Sean came in with a big box of chocolates. He had with him a tall, stunningly beautiful girl, dressed very nicely in an expensive black and gold dress. She had gorgeous long red hair and emerald green eyes. Ruth followed them in.
“How’s my favourite barmaid?” Sean asked.
“Fine. Thanks for the flowers. You didn’t have to come.”
“I wanted to. So you are really a girl after all?”
“So it seems.”
“This is Yvonne, my wife.”
“Hi Yvonne. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
The other woman laughed.
“I thought that my story would give them something to chase, but you’ve gone one better. Congratulations, you’re a remarkable girl.”
“Thanks, but so are you.”
This was all over Ruth’s head, so she left the sandwich and left.
They stayed for half an hour, and Yvonne had Nicole laughing with her tales from when she had her SRS. Nicole warmed to the girl, feeling that she had found a friend, another one. Sean was quiet, and so Nicole asked about the club and the scandal.
“We’ll be fine. The police have actually been bloody good, and we’ve hardly suffered. Get well and come back when you are ready.”
“Are you sure you want me back?”
“It’s up to you. I’d like you back, but I understand that this changes things somewhat. Take your time, but the job is there if you want it.”
They left and Nicole tried a chocolate. It was very rich, and she put them aside for later.
She tried the TV again, but she decided that the TV programmers were fools. She was beginning to feel rather more uncomfortable, when Bruce popped his head round the door.
“Coast clear?” he asked,
“Why?”
“I saw Sean and his woman, I didn’t think I ought to be seen visiting a member of his staff.”
“Oh. No, they’ve gone.”
“Good, here I brought you some grapes.”
“Thanks,” she said, but noticed that half were missing.
“Sorry, I had to wait in the car park for them to go, and you can’t just eat one, can you?”
Nicole laughed, but winced in pain as the action caused her severe discomfort.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m just a bit sore. But it was worth it.”
“It seems a bit drastic to me.”
“I’m what I want to be now.”
“Good, I feel a bit guilty, as we got you into this.”
“Don’t be. The doctor said if we had not done what we did, there was a worse medical problem just around the corner. All we did was bring it forward by a few months and in a controlled way. I’m actually grateful for the way everything happened.”
“Have you thought about your future?”
“A little. I don’t think I want to go back to the Met. But I want to stay in the job. Were you serious about a transfer to the Thames Valley?”
“Absolutely. Are you interested?”
Nicole thought about all the friends she had made, and the places she had got to know.
“Yes, I think I am. How do I go about it?”
“Leave that with me, I think that’s the least of what we could do for you.”
“Thanks.”
She appeared tired, so Bruce kissed her on the cheek and left her alone. She smiled, as he never kissed her before the operation.
She ate a few grapes, turned the pain relief switch up one notch, and drifted off to sleep with a smile fixed on her face.
Robert Telford was in Niagara. He saw the bridge into Canada, and drifted as close as he dared to the US border controls. He sat and watched as the cars and coach loads of holidaymakers drifted through, on the way north into Canada. He realised that he was not going to cross here. The US Immigration officers were very thorough, as were the Canadians. No one got through without ID or passports, and unless he changed his appearance drastically, he was going to get picked up eventually.
He drove the pickup out of the town, and followed dirt tracks and farm roads parallel with the river, up stream to the West. He had to abandon the pickup, and made his way on foot to the bank. The river was a long way off but he knew it was a wide and strong river, so he made his way slowly through the wilderness on a vague worn path. He was only too well aware that this was the border, so he was alert for any patrols. He found a clearing in the forest, and settled down in a secluded spot to wait for darkness. He smiled, he was in no rush, and he had a destiny to fulfil.
At that moment, the rental car was found, and the theft of pickup was reported. The State Troopers checked their records, and the pickup’s details were in the log as having passed north at the appropriate time. One individual State Trooper had his ass chewed, and the updated description of the suspect was duly passed to the border and the Canadian authorities. The net was closing in.
At seven am, a nurse Nicole had not seen before pulled the curtains in the room, so Nicole woke up. She was very stiff and rather sore. She had turned the pain killers off during the night as she was having disturbing dreams.
“Good morning Nicole, how are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better.”
“You turned off the pain relief.”
“Yeah, I was having weird dreams, and I didn’t want to get too dependent on it.”
“Fine. I’m Penny, by the way. Would you like some breakfast?”
Nicole realised she was very hungry, having not really eaten for over twenty-four hours. So, after taking her temperature and blood pressure, Penny went to sort her something.
She had some cereal, toast and marmalade, managing to eat everything, washing it down with some fresh orange juice. She was just finishing her tea when Gillian came in.
She sat on Nicole’s bed, and flicked through her chart.
“So, what kind of night did you have?”
“Okay I guess. I had some pretty weird dreams, so I turned off the pain relief, and I was fine after that.”
“What time was that?”
“About three, I guess.”
“So you’ve been five hours without any pain relief?”
“I suppose so.”
“That is a good sign, how is it?”
“Uncomfortable, but I think that is the dressing and stuff.”
“You’re probably right. Okay. We’ll take it all off and see how you’re doing.”
Nicole was very curious to see the result, so was impatient for all the dressings to be removed. When the final piece of gauze was removed, and Gillian removed the catheter, she was amazed that what she saw was actually her body. Accepting the lack of pubic hair, the stitches and reddening, it looked perfect and she broke into a huge grin.
“I’m a girl,” she said, with an edge of wonder in her voice.
“No Nicole, you’re a woman. This is not just a facsimile, or a replica, this is the real thing. You are not a transsexual, you are a woman, and if you don’t take precautions, you will be a mother.”
Nicole’s grin just got wider, and Gillian found it infectious and had to smile with her patient.
“It all looks fine. I need to know if you can go to the loo properly, so have another cup of tea or something,” Gillian said.
Nicole frowned and thought she might manage something. So Gillian helped her up, and she tottered delicately to the bathroom. As she sat on the loo, she stared at her new equipment, and the smile was fixed on her face.
“I’m finding this all rather unreal,” she admitted to Gillian through the open door.
“Why?”
“I’m not sure, I think because it’s all happened so fast. I’m looking down and not really believing what I’m seeing, or rather, what I am not seeing any more.”
“Do you miss what is no longer there?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Any regrets?”
“Only one.”
“Which is?”
“I wasn’t born like this in the first place.”
“You had no choice in that.”
“I know, but I feel I missed out a lot.”
“You also did a lot that no other girl would ever have been able to do.”
“That’s true. So I suppose it’s a case of swings and roundabouts.”
She felt the familiar sensation of passing urine, and it stung just a little bit.
“Success,” she told Gillian.
“Good. Did it hurt?”
“It stung just a little, but nothing drastic.”
She had to resist the urge to shake, as there was nothing left to shake. So she used some paper instead, very gingerly. Her smile was still etched on her face when she came back in to the room.
Gillian had a close look at her handiwork.
“Actually, this is even better than I had hoped. There is some swelling, and it will be tender for a few days. If you want a bath, don’t have it too hot for a day or too. Have one this evening, and it will help you relax. I will give you some pain killers but I’m hoping you won’t need them.
“Come back in about ten days, and we’ll take the stitches out. Most will dissolve, but the ends will need taking off. There is some scarring, I couldn’t avoid that, but once the hair grows back, no one will ever know you were ever anything else.”
Nicole just grinned at her.
“You can go home whenever you feel like. Take it easy for a couple of days, but as long as you are gentle, there is nothing stopping you going for a walk. I wouldn’t go back to work until Friday at the earliest, and still be gentle. Oh, and no sex for at least a month.”
“As if I would.”
“I have been asked, in the past,” the doctor told her.
“Really?”
“Oh yes, and some have even tried.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Bloody silly, if they are not careful, it undoes all my work, and is very hard to repair.”
“Well, I’m in no rush. I’d have to find someone first.”
“With your looks, you will never have a problem there. Which reminds me, when you come back, you and I will have a little mother/daughter type chat about contraception.”
“Oh. It hadn’t even occurred to me.”
“Well, it’s time it should.”
“Thanks for everything.”
“You haven’t had my bill yet.”
Nicole smiled, “Whatever it is, it’s worth every cent, or penny, or whatever.”
Gillian left her, so Nicole got dressed. They had given her some baggy disposable knickers with pads for the first few days, as they weren’t tight, so she felt reasonably comfortable in them. She rang Yo, and Yo said she would ask Mr Henry to come and collect her. Despite Nicole saying she could get a taxi, Yo was adamant.
She packed, and looked at all her flowers. The nurse helped her wrap them up. She walked down to reception and met Ruth coming on duty. She gave her a hug and thanked her.
She went out into the sunshine and sat on a bench with her small case and huge bundle of flowers. While she was waiting, Rachel came out to see her. She thought the Nicole was looking exceptionally happy, as the grin on her face seemed a permanent feature.
“Good morning Nikki. How is it today?”
“Brilliant. It looks wonderful.”
“Are you in much pain?”
“Not really, it is quite uncomfortable, but not painful.”
“Happy?”
“You know it.”
“I’m so pleased for you. If only everyone had a happy ending like you.”
“Oh, this isn’t the end, this is only the beginning.”
“Well you’re looking marvellous, and how does it feel to be free from all the artificial stuff?”
“Oh Rachel, it’s so nice, I can’t describe it. I know I haven’t got big boobs, but I’m happy with what I have.”
At that moment, an old Rover drove into the car park, and Yo waved at her from the passenger window.
“Rachel, thanks for everything, you’re as good as a mother to me.”
“Hell, Nikki, you were a natural, I can’t take all the credit. But, it was a pleasure. If ever you want a job, come and work with me, there are so many people who we could help together.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll stick to police work. It’s safer,” she said, giving Rachel a big hug.
Yo made her sit in the front of the car, and put all the flowers in the back. Henry put her case in the boot, and soon they were heading back to Reading.
“Mr Henry say you can stay with us until you are well again,” Yo said.
“That’s very sweet, but there’s no need. I’m actually pretty good, so I’ll be fine in the flat. But thanks all the same,” Nicole said, thinking that Henry looked faintly relieved.
“Then I stay with you for a while to look after you.”
“Yo, I am fine. I had some bits taken away, and some stuff repaired. But it is not like SRS when you have major surgery.”
“So what you had done, it was as you told me?”
“Yes, inside I’m a woman, so they made the outside match. I can have babies for sure.”
“Oh, Nicole, you are so lucky. I am so happy for you.”
“Thank you Yo, I wish you every happiness also.”
Henry was not a fast driver, but he was safe. He dropped them at the flat, and Yo helped Nicole carry in her flowers. Yo made sure that Nicole was fine, and then left with Henry. She had moved out all her stuff already, and was much happier.
Nicole put her flowers in some water and wished she was more adept at flower arranging. There were many skills that she was going to have to learn. She flopped onto the sofa and put her feet up, feeling rather tender. She took her knickers off, and let the air circulate a bit. It was much nicer without anything rubbing.
She logged onto her emails and found another short note from Jamie.
|
She picked up her phone and punched in his mobile number.
“Jamie Calder.”
“Hi Jay. It’s Nikki.”
There was a moment’s silence.
“How are you?”
“You seem surprised?” she said.
“I am, I was hoping you would call. How did it go?”
“Fine. No, better than fine, it went brilliantly. I can have children after all.”
“Is that what you wanted?”
“Yes, above everything else. I know you didn’t want any, but I do.”
“I do want them. I just said that to make you feel better.”
“Jay, you are a soppy sod.”
“I love you Nikki.”
“So you said.”
“Do you think you could ever love me?”
“Who said I didn’t?”
“Oh. I don’t understand,” he sounded confused.
“It’s complicated, Jay, really complicated. I can’t tell you now, but I’m not what I seem.”
“I’m worried now.”
“Don’t be. It may work out, but just give me a little time to sort some stuff out, okay?”
“Can I come and see you?”
“I think it best you leave it a bit,” she said, feeling awful.
“Please Nikki, I need to see you.”
“I’m a bit delicate at the moment. Do you know the Italian restaurant near the Crown Court in Reading?”
“I could find it.”
“How about dinner tonight, about seven?”
“Try to keep me away.”
“Just don’t expect much, I really am very fragile.”
“If it’s too much, I can wait.”
“No, I actually need to see you too,” she admitted, as it became clear to her that she had, indeed, fallen in love with him.
“You do?”
“Uhuh.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, I guess because you’re funny, you make me laugh, you need me to help you survive in the real world, and I think I love you.”
There was total silence on the other end.
“Hello? Jamie, are you still there?”
“This isn’t a joke, is it?”
“No, honey, it isn’t.
“Look, Nikki, where are you, I so want to see you, and I can’t wait until seven?”
Nicole thought carefully and told him her address.
“I’ll be there in seconds,” he said and was gone.
“Shit.” she said, looking at her reflection. “I look dreadful.” And then she started to laugh, how like a woman, she thought.
She spent the time putting on some makeup, deciding against the wig. Her hair was still very short, but she made it as nice as she could. She decided to tell Jamie that being in hospital was so much hassle that she had it cut, and would grow it out again.
She felt all excited knowing he was coming. She tried to be objective and sensible, but couldn’t stop smiling as she so wanted to see Jamie again. She slipped on her baggy hospital knickers, and realised that she was a little light in the bust. She shrugged, at least it was all her, and they weren’t that much smaller than the false ones.
The doorbell rang, and she smiled, he must have broken all speed regulations to reach her.
She answered the door, only to see a huge bunch of red roses with a pair of legs underneath. His face peered round the side.
“Hi, remember me?”
“No, who are you?” she said, as he took her into his arms.
He laughed, but kissed her very tenderly.
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you. It is so nice to see you again.”
“Yeah, me too,” she said, leading him to the kitchen.
“Stick them in the sink, I’ll do something with them later. They’re lovely, thanks.”
He put them in some water and turned towards her.
“You’ve cut your hair. It’s nice,” he said, his expression showing his true feelings. She laughed.
“It was too much hassle with the operation, and with the recuperation, I just thought I’d have a change, but I will let it grow again.”
“You are still the most beautiful girl in the world.”
“Ah. You are the soppiest fool I know. But I have to rest again. Too much excitement is bad for a girl.”
He reached out and took her in his arms, and very tenderly stoked her face. Then he kissed her again, so she put her hand behind his head and returned the kiss with gentle enthusiasm.
She broke off.
“Jamie, I have to sit, sorry.”
He helped her to the sofa, sitting on the floor next to her, unwilling to let go of her hand.
“Was it awful?”
“No, not really. It was just sorting out a few things. I had some stitches put in, so I’m a little tender, but it was really quick. I was only in for just over 24 hours.”
“How did you discover the problem in the first place?”
“Jay, it really is a long and rather weird story, I just don’t feel like going through it all just now. Sufficient to say, the problem is solved, and now I am just another normal girl, with the usual problems.”
“You know when I first met you, and that evening I was particularly stupid, and I asked you to marry me?” he said.
“Yes. It wasn’t the best way to hit it off on a first date.”
“It is funny, since meeting you, my life has changed completely. I have now something to aim for.”
“And what’s that?”
“To be the kind of person you could find it in your heart to marry.”
She looked at him, seeing that he was perfectly serious.
“Oh, Jamie, you still are a complete idiot. Who would propose to a girl who is still recovering from an operation, in a shitty little flat in Reading? You know nothing about me, if you did, you would run a mile. There are so many girls out there with whom you could breed lots of Marquesses, and of whom your parents would be far more accepting.”
“Nikki, you’re the idiot. Don’t you see? I don’t want them, I don’t care about who my parents accept or don’t, and I don’t actually want to know about your past. All I know is since meeting you, I have begun to live. My life was empty, a shallow pretence at an existence. My waking moments are filled with the expectation of seeing you for just a second, and having you light up my life with just one smile. I love you with all my heart and all my soul, and I will not rest until you become my wife.”
Nicole stretched out her hand and stroked his cheek. She realised that she felt deeply about him, but wasn’t certain that marriage was ever a realistic proposition.
“I love you too, you silly sausage,” she said at last, and he almost wept with joy.
“Marry me?”
“Oh Jamie.”
“Marry me, please.”
“Can I think about it?”
“That isn’t a no is it?”
“No, it is a ‘can I think about it?’”
“For how long?”
“Oh, Jamie. I don’t know. My life is very complicated at the moment. I need a few weeks at least.”
“Weeks? I was more sort of hoping for minutes.”
She laughed, pulling him closer.
“Shut up and kiss me. It might help to make my mind up.”
Jamie was rather like Tigger from Winnie the Poo. He just was so damn bouncy and cheerful. Nicole sent him out to get them some lunch, managing to catch half an hour’s snooze while he was gone.
He came banging in, so life became manic again.
“I met a weird chappie on the landing. He wanted to know what I was doing. So I told him I was your fiancé, sorry, but I think he thought he was protecting you,” Jamie said.
“That was Pete, he lives next door.”
“Oh, seemed a bit curious to know what I was up to. Is he all there?”
“Oh yes, he is very nice.”
“Have you had enough time yet?”
“For what?”
“Making your mind up.”
She smiled and shook her head.
“What have you got for lunch?” she asked, to change the subject.
“Ahah. It’s a secret, I shall go and prepare it for my angel,” he said, disappearing into the kitchen. There was much banging, clattering and upper-class cursing.
Nicole managed to doze off again, but he finally came through carrying a tray, which he put on the table by the sofa.
“For your delight, I present you with Pate de Fois Gras, with some nice French bread. Followed by a selection of cold meats with some cheeses, and some nice French bread. I have sliced some tomatoes and cucumber. I have here a chilled Chablis, and two glasses,” he announced, pouring the wine. He handed Nicole her glass and lifted his as a toast.
“To us, whenever, wherever, and however.”
She raised the glass.
“To us.”
It was a delightful lunch, and he made her laugh virtually throughout. He was just so funny. She watched him and smiled, she did love him, and she so wanted to hope that she could find a life with him as a real possibility. Sometimes you have to go for something, regardless.
He went to get another bottle from the fridge. She thought about who and what she had become. She thought about the miracle that had happened in her life. There was no such thing as luck, everything happened for a purpose. Jamie came back, his expression of tenderness when he looked at her almost made her cry.
“Have you had enough to eat, my darling?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m stuffed. It was a lovely lunch, thanks.”
“It was a pleasure.”
They just sat together, neither needing to speak for a while.
“So, have you really bought a restaurant?”
“Yup.”
“Fool.”
“Yup.”
“Oh, all right then, but only to keep you from making a complete ass of yourself.”
“What?”
“I have thought about it, okay.”
He looked stunned.
“You mean you will marry me?”
“Yes, Jamie, I will, if you will have me.”
“OHMYGOD.” he said, and grabbed her round the waist.
“Jamie, don’t squeeze so hard.”
“Oh Nikki, you don’t know how happy you have just made me.”
“Jamie, that is such a corny line.”
“Fuck,” he said, fumbling with his pockets. “Won’t be long, don’t go away.”
And with that he dashed out of the flat. Nicole heard the Range Rover start and roar off down the narrow street towards the main road.
A couple of minutes later there was a knock on the door.
“It’s not locked,” she shouted, and Pete popped in.
“Are you okay, there was a weird guy here earlier, is he a friend of yours?”
“Yes, and he thought you were pretty weird too.”
“Oh. How are you?”
“Fine thanks. Thanks for the flowers.”
“What flowers?”
She smiled. “You sent some flowers, but I guess Bruce got them on your behalf.”
“Oh. Is it right you are really female after all?”
“Yeah, ’fraid so.”
“How?”
“Beats me. I just know what I got, and now what I ain’t got no more.”
“Are you okay with it all?”
“You’d better believe it,” she said with a smile which said it all.
“So what are you going to do now?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll see this job out, and then see. The guy you met wants to marry me, so who knows?”
Pete grinned. “You didn’t hang about.”
“Ah well, I’m making up for lost time,” she said.
“Will you transfer to the TVP?”
“Why do you reckon I should?”
“Most people go the other way. The money’s better in the Met.”
“Would I be accepted here?”
“Sure, why not? We all know how much you have done in this operation, I reckon you’d get on fine.”
She smiled, “Thanks. Then I might just transfer after all.”
“Where has your bloke gone?”
She shrugged.
“He is a bit strange,” he said.
“Yup, he sure is, but that is why I like him.”
“He has a nice car.”
“What, the Range Rover?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s the top of the range.”
“Daddy is quite well off, I understand.”
Pete grinned, “You deserve a bit of luck.”
“There’s no such thing. You get dealt a deck of cards, and you play it the best you can.”
“Then, you got a set of trumps at the last deal.”
She smiled, “Yeah, I guess you could be right.”
“Okay, I’ll leave you to it. The boss is holding a meeting tomorrow, about contingencies should Telford get back to the UK.”
“Am I expected?”
“No, he’ll probably come and have a private chat with you. We all reckon he fancies you,” he said with a crude grin.
“Well, even more reason to transfer,” she replied and he laughed.
“See you, take care.”
“Bye.”
Nicole cleared away the debris from their lunch, deciding she was too knackered to be bothered to wash up. She put the kettle on and made herself a cup of tea. While she was vertical the wine worked its way through her system, so she had to go to the loo.
She had no pain this time, and just gently let her hand run over her new bits. She smiled , feeling complete at last.
She took her tea back to the sofa, and lay down and relaxed. She was still easily tired and in quite a bit of discomfort. She picked up a woman’s magazine she had bought to go into hospital with, and found herself reading about a completely different world than the one she was used to. The strange thing was she found herself reading the recipes and actually wanting to try them.
She heard the Range Rover, and smiled, as he really was a very eccentric young man. A few moments later, he was coming back into the flat, red in the face and breathing heavily.
He collapsed in an armchair, recovering his breath.
“Better now, dear?” Nicole asked, teasing him.
“Been home,” he gasped between breaths.
“Home as in the paint spattered upper reaches of Henley, of home as in the stately home?”
“The latter. Saw Dad. Told him the news. Bit of a shock for the old bugger. Enjoyed his reaction,” Jamie panted, each few words were interspaced between gasps of breath.
“Honey, you went all the way home to tell your dad that you were engaged to a mad Canadian, just for the hell of it?”
“No, had to go for this,” he said, pulling a small box out of his pocket. “It was my Grandmother’s. She gave it to me before she died. Has to go to the next Lady Calder, it’s tradition. Just as Mum’s will go to our son.”
Nicole felt her blood stop.
“Jamie, back up a little Honey. Lady Calder?”
“Yah, I’m the Honourable Jamie Calder, so my wife is obviously Lady Calder. So you would be Lady Nicole Calder. Then when I become the Marquess, we would be Lord and Lady Calder, of Bramford.”
Nicole was feeling fragile in any case, and she started to giggle.
“You have got to be kidding me?”
“No, why should I?”
“Me. You want me to be a ladyship? Come on, Honey, this is me you are talking to.”
“I know. Look, I can’t help the bloody title. I never asked for it, but I’m stuck with it. Don’t tell me that you don’t want to marry me because of it?”
“No, I’ll still marry you, but you could have sort of broken it to me gently.”
He opened the box and took out the biggest diamond ring she had ever seen. He took her left hand and slipped in onto her ring finger. It fitted perfectly.
She looked at it, and her mouth hung open. It was a huge single diamond, with sixteen small sapphires set around it. They were all set in a white gold ring, and it was very old.
“Jamie, this must be worth a small fortune.”
“Yup, it is,” he said innocently. He looked at her and was surprised to see tears in her eyes.
“Don’t you like it?”
“I love it, but I’ll be afraid to wear it.”
“It’s insured so don’t worry about it.” he said, and she kissed him.
“Thank you, it’s beautiful.”
“No more beautiful than you.”
“You soppy sod,” she said, as he took her gently in his arms and kissed her again, so she wrapped her arms around his substantial frame and hugged him.
“Just what is a Marquess, anyway?”
“A Marquess comes between a Duke and an Earl. The first Marquess in Britain was Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford, when he was made Marquess of Dublin in 1385. Sometimes it is spelt the French way with an ‘is’ on the end instead of the ‘ess’.”
“So, you have the royals, then the dukes, then the marquesses, then the earls. What comes after them?”
“Viscounts and barons. After that it is just the commoners.”
“So where does a knight come into it?”
“He is a commoner who is given a title for a special reason, soldiers who reach General rank often get them. It is not an hereditary title, so it dies with the holder.”
“Oh,” Nicole was entering a whole, new world.
They spent the afternoon talking about silly little things, and Nicole was trying to work out how she could tell him the truth about herself.
She looked at the ring and made a decision. She took it off and put it on the table. Jamie looked at her with a frown on his face.
“Jamie, it’s truth time. I need to tell you everything. I’ve taken that off so that you don’t feel obliged to still go through with anything after I’ve told you. I’ll release you from anything you feel you must do, but I need to tell you. I owe it to you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Yes, believe me, I do,” she said, pausing to try to get her thoughts in order.
“This is very hard for me, because I haven’t rehearsed this at all. I should start at the beginning, but that might cloud the issue. So I’ll deal with the present and work back.
“My real name is not Le Fevre, it’s Winton. Le Fevre was my mother’s maiden name, but I plan on keeping it. I’m a police officer, and not a barmaid. I’m currently working on a murder enquiry undercover in a club, and recently uncovered the identity of the man who is now being hunted in America.”
“I saw that, Salford, or something like that.”
“Robert Telford, yes.”
“Bugger me. No wonder you said your life was complicated.”
“Jamie, this is the simple bit, the complicated bit is yet to come.”
“I have to know, is your name Nicole?”
“Yes, it is now.”
“Now, what was it before?”
“Shit, this is so hard. Jamie, all I told you about Canada and my life was true, except that I was a kinda mixed up kid. I had a medical condition, one that gave me the appearance of being male, where actually I had all the necessary female bits inside me, and no one knew. I was brought up as a boy, and only quite recently found out that I wasn’t male. I used to be called Nick, but changed it to Nicole when I found out. The operation I had was the final one, so I am now a fully normal and fertile female.
“Now you see why I didn’t think that my past would be good for you or your family, and why I’m willing to let you walk out of my life, so that the shame and scandal will never cause you and your family any distress or embarrassment.”
Jamie sat opposite her, letting his eyes rest on her face. He realised the courage that it had taken to be so open about this, and respected her enormously for it. But when it dawned on him that she was willing to put aside her personal feelings to spare him and his family any embarrassment he became choked up with emotion.
He saw the tears roll slowly from her eyes, but she made no attempt to stop them, neither did she move. She simply stared at him. He thought about all she had said, realising that instead of shocking, or offending him, he found it highly romantic and exciting. It was like a Georgette Heyer Regency story, with disguises, footpads and duels. He stood up and walked over to the window.
He thought of the girl he met that first day in Newbury, and he remembered the evening at the pub, when she had rolled up on that wonderful motorcycle, in those amazing boots.
He thought of how she had given him that boost to leave home and try to be independent. He remembered that he thought of her every minute of every day, and even dreamed of her at night. He turned to look at the girl in whose company he had found such contentment, and the feeling that here was someone strong enough with whom he wanted to grow old with, and have a hell of a lot of fun going about it.
He smiled very slowly, returning to sit down beside her. He reached out and picked up the ring she had placed on the table. He looked at it, turning it round in his fingers.
“You know, my grandmother would have liked you a lot,” he said, taking her left hand again, returning the ring to where he believed it belonged.
She let out a sob, so he took her in his arms again. She sobbed into his shoulder, and he just held her, happy to have her where she belonged.
They spent the rest of the afternoon with her telling him all about her life, so he became more and more amazed at her. By six o’clock, she was obviously very tired, so he simply kissed her and stood up.
“I’m staying the night. I’ll run you a bath and put you to bed. And then I shall cook you probably the worst omelette you will ever eat in your life.”
He went to the bathroom and started running the bath. Then he returned, picked her up and carried her to her bedroom. He turned to leave, but she stopped him.
“You don’t have to go,” she said.
“I think you should do this yourself. I’ll be outside if you need me.”
“Thanks.”
She undressed, walked to the bath and got in. It was warm, but not too hot.
She lay in the warm water, listening to him pottering about in the kitchen. She had left the door open, hoping he wasn’t making too much mess.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“What for?” he replied as he came to the door. He could see her face but nothing else.
“Not being a perfect specimen.”
“But you are.”
She smiled. “You are very sweet, but I know I’m not.”
“Wounds heal, to me you are as perfect as I could ever imagine.”
“Are you always as soppy as this?”
“You’ll have to marry me to find out.”
“We aren’t going to rush into this are we?”
“I hadn’t thought about it. Why?”
“I think we need time to make sure we’re doing the right thing. I’m not trying to back out or anything, but this has been very quick. We’re both very young, and I just feel we need to be certain. Marriage is a very serious business, and I don’t intend to go into this lightly, neither do I intend for it to end in divorce.”
“You’re as wise as you’re beautiful, so I’m blessed indeed. Say a year, how about next June, is that long enough?”
She nodded, “If I haven’t killed you by then, June sounds fine.”
“How long before you’re fighting fit again?”
“A couple of weeks, and no, you can’t have any, not until we’re married.”
He looked so mortified that she laughed.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, then grinned. “Well maybe I’ll dream, but I’ll make no demands of you, ever.”
She laughed, sinking under the water. She washed her hair and rinsed it off.
“Towel please, Jay,” she said.
He passed her the towel, so she got out carefully, wrapping the towel round under her arms. She sat on the edge of the bath, as she felt a little dizzy for a moment.
“I love your accent,” he said, smiling at her.
“Your’s is so over the top, it’s unreal,” she said.
“I can’t wait to have you in the enclosure at Henley.”
She burst out laughing, so he realised what he had said, and grinned sheepishly.
“I mean, I’ll thoroughly enjoy taking you to the Member’s enclosure at Henley Regatta, and seeing the reaction of the crowd to your wonderful accent and colourful language.”
“I’d prefer it if you had me in the enclosure at Henley, personally, it sounds far more erotic.”
“It could be done, tricky, but possible,” he said, as she kissed him.
She waddled into the bedroom, where she put on a nightdress, slipping gratefully into bed.
Jamie disappeared back into the kitchen, returning several minutes later bearing a tray, with a single red rose in a small vase, a glass of chilled Chablis and an omelette. It was a superb Spanish omelette with all kinds of things in it.
“Jamie, you’re a brilliant cook. You fibbed to me.”
“No, I cook omelettes brilliantly, but very little else,” he admitted.
They sat and ate, sitting side by side on her big bed. She finished it, suddenly feeling very tired.
“Thank you, that was delicious,” she said, taking the rose and putting it beside her bed.
He smiled and took the tray to the kitchen. He tidied up, and returned to find her asleep. She looked so peaceful. Jamie just moved her pillows, making her more comfortable, as he did so, she snuggled down without waking up. He stood watching her sleep, thinking about everything she had told him. He smiled, never in all the years had any of his family married anyone quite so interesting.
Just as Jamie was settling down to sleep on the spare bed in Nicole’s flat, Robert Telford was climbing out of the water onto Canadian soil. He had acquired a plastic bag, which now held all his valuables, documents and clothes. He was in a seriously deserted piece of wilderness, having hiked through it to reach the river. His task was now to reach the coast and to find a boat that was crossing to Europe. He wasn’t fussy as to where, as he knew how to get to the UK very easily. However, if the boat was going to the UK or Eire, then he would be delighted.
The river was wide and the current strong, but he was good at his job, and he had done many such crossings in his time. He dried himself and put on some dry clothes and, using his small compass, he turned North East, heading towards civilisation. He had a hell of a long way to go, but he was in no rush, as this was what he was trained for. Evade, seek and destroy.
Chapter 10
Nicole was in the Revue Bar, supervising Yo mixing another batch of cocktails, when Sean came and asked her if he could have a word. It was three weeks after the operation, so she had had the stitches out nine days previously. She no longer wore her wig, as her hair had been cut professionally in a really nice style, that would grow out well. She actually found it pleasant in the summer, and most people were flattering about it. She felt so good about herself now, that her bubbly mood was infectious.
She had gone back to the club, as Bruce wanted to have her on the inside in case Telford managed to sneak past the team he had on the outside.
She went into Sean’s office and he sat down behind the desk.
“Nikki, do you remember we had a little chat about the copper who was here under cover?”
“Yeah, John?”
“Right. Well, I’ve just spoken to the Detective Inspector and it seems that this man Telford, the man responsible for the killings, has evaded the Americans, and is now believed to be in Canada. They think that he’ll try to get back here, and may even try to harm the staff and members. They actually suspect that he’s planning to destroy the club itself.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No, I’m not. Anyway, I’ve agreed to have John back. He’ll be on door security again, but this time he’ll be armed. They wanted me to close the club, but the directors refused even to consider that. So this is a compromise. Particularly as the directors have agreed to pay for the armed officer, as they’re going against police advice to close the club.”
“Really?”
“So, as you’re the only person who knew that John is a copper, I must ask you not to mention it to anyone.”
“Sure. No problem.”
“Thanks, I knew you would, but I just needed you to know the score.”
“Sean?”
“What?”
“I’ve a suggestion that may meet them more than half way.”
“Go on?”
“If this guy, Lindi’s dad, wants to shut down the club, then why don’t you move the front door down to the set of double fire doors further down the alley. The current front door and the small lobby behind you could clear, leaving the police there, looking like workmen, or something. Then the members could just walk past the old door and into the new ones further away from the main road, into the club as usual. You could put a sign up simply saying CLUB CLOSED, and email or send a letter to the members explaining the precautions, and that business was as usual. This way, you keep the club open, the police get a screening area, the suspect sees the club closed and life goes on.”
Sean stared at her for a moment and then grinned.
“Nikki, you’re a genius. Brilliant idea, I’ll get it done, then I’ll call the Inspector, I don’t know why I never thought of it.”
Nicole went back to work, while Sean rang Bruce. It took a few days to arrange, but soon everything was as Nicole had mentioned. To all intents and purposes, the club appeared closed, but for those informed members, it was business as usual.
John seemed genuinely pleased to see Nicole, particularly when she told him all about her operation, and that she now was a normal girl. He tried to figure out why she would want to stay on at the club, so she let him believe that it was the money. He was not at all surprised that she had been female all along.
“You were far too beautiful to have been a bloke, it wasn’t right.”
“I managed okay,” she replied.
“Yeah, but I bet you’re happier now.”
She smiled and nodded. “Just a bit.” she said, and went off to work with a spring in her step. John watched her go, conscious that he felt quite a strong attachment for her.
Nicole had sent her medical certification and letters off, receiving a copy of her new birth certificate through the post ten days later. She decided to keep her mother’s maiden name, as that way, there would be less chance of anyone who knew her as Nick Winton putting two and two together. She stared at the word, Female, as it appeared on the certificate and smiled. She had some certified copies made at a local solicitor’s office, so was then able to apply for a new passport, National Insurance Card and drivers licence. She found it all very exciting. After they completed several official forms, Bruce contacted the Metropolitan Police, arranging that on the next pay date, PC N. Winton resigned from the force. On the same day, PC Nicole Le Fevre transferred into the Thames Valley Police, bringing all pension contributions paid to date, with the name changed.
They even arranged the deed poll registration for her.
She contacted her insurers and changed the insurance details to Nicole Le Fevre, and likewise the registration document of the bike. Then she methodically went through everything and ensured that it was all Nicole Le Fevre’s and not Nicholas Winton’s. She found it very cathartic.
She woke up one morning, feeling really dreadful, and upon getting out of bed realised that she was now a fully fertile female, destined to have a monthly visitor for some considerable time to come. She smiled, feeling that it was worth it, so cleaned herself up.
She stayed working at the Club, as the danger was not over until Telford was taken. Bruce stood down the murder squad, hoping and praying that Telford would be caught before he left North America. Pete and Jenny were withdrawn from the flat next door, and returned to normal detective duties. There was a Support Group firearms team in the old club entrance now, so that was where he was pinning his hopes.
He turned up at the flat one day, with a civilian and a special camera unit. Nicole had to sign a small form, which was placed into the camera. Her photograph was taken, and a small laminated card appeared from the side of the machine. Bruce issued her TVP Warrant card, as Detective Constable Nicole Le Fevre. She surrendered the old Metropolitan Police card, so Nicholas Winton was no more.
“It’s now official, congratulations,” Bruce said with a grin, but Nicole flung her arms round his neck and kissed him.
“Steady on, I know you’re pleased, but it’s not that wonderful,” he said.
“It’s brilliant, as I’m now complete,” she said, re-reading the words Detective Constable Nicole Le Fevre.
Robert Telford was tired. He had managed to hitch a lift to Toronto’s suburbs on a big truck. From there worked his way to the port on Lake Ontario. Police scrutiny on all sea going vessels was stringent, but less so on the river traffic up the St. Lawrence. He cadged a working ride on a barge, which was slowly travelling East towards Montreal and Quebec. He was in no rush, as he reasoned that the longer he took, the more likely that the fuss would die down, and he would become yesterday’s news. He wasn’t wrong.
Jamie actually managed to get his restaurant up and running. It was a small but very pleasant little place at Shiplake-on-Thames. It had a beautiful river frontage, and had around forty covers. He hired an excellent chef who had just left the Army Catering Corps, so was keen to be the boss of his own kitchen, and it was making a small, but tidy profit.
July and August came and went, and September arrived. Jamie saw more and more of Nicole, as she spent most of her spare time in the restaurant helping out behind the bar, and generally just supporting him. He grew up quite quickly, and now, with the stress of having to find a suitable bride out of the way, he turned into a more confident and relaxed young man.
He displayed a side that Nicole had not yet seen. He was a natural leader, actually relating to people very well, but as now he had acquired a real, living, breathing, woman of his own, he was a changed man. He faced his parents, who wanted to know more about his intended bride. He was at a bit of a loss to know how much to tell them about her, so chickened out completely, telling them nothing.
“Jamie, you are the limit. You must know something about her background, for goodness sakes,” his mother said.
“It’s all a bit tricky, you see, I promised her that I wouldn’t tell anyone about her past,” Jamie said.
“It all sounds a bit rum to me,” his father said. “I mean this is very important, you can’t just marry anybody.”
“Oh, Nicole is anything but anybody, she is completely unique.”
“That’s what I am afraid of. When are we going to meet her?” his mother asked.
“Soon, mother, soon. She’s sort of working very hard, and can’t get away for a while.”
“Working? What as, you haven’t even told us what she does?”
“I can’t, it’s all a bit hush-hush,” Jamie said.
“Hush-hush? You make her sound as if she’s a spy. She isn’t a spy, is she?” his father asked.
“No, not really.”
“Not really? Jamie, come on, you can tell us, we’re your parents for God’s sake.”
“I tell you what, I’ll try to get her down next week-end. She’s due to have Sunday and Monday off, so you can ask her all the questions you want.”
Nicole wasn’t that pleased.
“No bloody way, Jamie. I’m just not ready for them yet.” Nicole said, when Jamie broached the subject the next time he saw her.
“Please Nikki. I’ve stalled them for so long, they’re being a real pain in the arse. And you’ll have to meet them eventually.”
Nicole looked at him, knowing she couldn’t put it off forever, but it was the one thing she dreaded, as she knew that as soon as they met her and found out all about her, everything would be ruined. She had played along with Jamie for fun, but after falling in love with the soppy sod, now she was too far in to back out, even if she wanted to, which she didn’t.
“Oh, all right. But what have you told them about me?”
“Nothing, just that your work is a bit hush-hush. Dad thinks you’re a spy.”
“Thanks a bunch, buster,” she growled at him, and Jamie felt a real coward for not having told them anything.
Saturday night had been very busy, and Yo and Nicole were rushed off their feet in the Revue Bar. They had almost devised a revue in their own right whilst mixing cocktails, by throwing ice, shakers and bottles around. Nicole had a superb patter going, so they would often draw quite big crowds. Sean noticed that there was an increasing element of straight guests frequenting the club, having been brought in by some members. He wasn’t bothered, as it was all money, and it somehow made the place a little more respectable as a trendy night spot for straights as well as the transgendered.
Nicole had finally reached her flat and gone to bed at four in the morning, and was asleep in seconds. Only to be woken at eleven by Jamie, as he let himself into the flat with the key she had stupidly given him.
“Fuck off, Jamie, I’m so knackered,” she growled at him as he tried to persuade her to get up.
“I know, my sweet, and I’m sorry, but I said we would be there for noon.”
“Be where?” Nicole asked, trying to kick start her memory.
“At the parents. We’ve got to be there for lunch.”
“Shit, I’d forgotten.” Nicole pulled her duvet over her head, hoping it was a bad dream.
She dragged herself into the shower, standing there for ages, just letting the hot water stream off her head and down her body. Her scars had healed now, and her pubic hair was growing back. The doctor had been right, as there was very little to signify she hadn’t always been thus equipped, and she loved her new body. Her breasts had grown considerably, now an ample 38C. She had been below average height as a male, but was a tall and strikingly built female.
She took time and trouble to dress well, applying her make up conservatively. She wore a pretty summer dress, and packed a black semi-formal dress for dinner. She also packed a skirt and top, and some jeans and tee shirts. She found herself very nervous and was not looking forward to the next couple of days. She brushed out her hair, which had grown out luxuriously, and looked fantastic. She sat at her dressing table, looking at her reflection. Her life had been in turmoil over the last month or so, and she desperately wanted to stop the world and get off for a while.
She put in some earrings, and looked at the huge engagement ring that she had hardly dared to take off since Jamie had given it to her. She wondered if her mother would have approved of the person she was now. It was strange, but it mattered to her. She would never know for sure, but she hoped so.
Finally, she joined Jamie, who was becoming very agitated at the length of time she had taken.
“Okay Jay, lets get this over with,” she said.
He looked at her, grinning with pride and admiration.
“You look wonderful, they’ll adore you. At least Dad will.”
“Thanks a bunch. So, how about your mother?”
“She’ll love you too,” he said, as he put her bag into the back of his Range Rover. He even opened the passenger door for her.
“No she won’t. Oh, Jamie, she’ll hate me for being a Canadian, being a police officer, and for my past. I just know it,” she moaned.
“My mother is not that bad. Hell, she’s nothing special, she had the same problem with Grandma when Dad wanted to marry her.”
“No, Jamie, I bet she didn’t come with the same baggage I have,” Nicole said, and he smiled.
“Maybe not quite so much, at least,” he admitted, as he drove out of the car park, heading for home.
“Oh, I’m sorry Jamie, but I’m not looking forward to the next couple of days, one little bit.”
“Look, I love you, and I’ll stand by you. Just be yourself, they can’t help but love you. Just don’t try and be someone you think they would like you to be, that would never work,” he told her.
Nicole went quiet, so Jamie glanced at her. She did not look happy. Jamie just drove in silence for a while.
Some few miles away, Jamie’s parents were almost as nervous at meeting their son’s fiancée. Lord Rupert was less wound up than his wife. Lady Marjorie had married into the family, so was very conscious of being from relatively humble origins herself. The daughter of a country solicitor, she had met Rupert at a point-to-point event, and things had developed from there.
Old Lady Calder, Rupert’s mother, had been a lovely woman, but Marjorie had been terrified of her initially. On their first meeting, when Rupert had brought her home to meet his parents, Marjorie thought her the most aristocratic woman she had ever met, and yet she found her ever so pleasant and easy-going after the initial few hours.
Jamie had never been good with the girls, as he consistently made a muck of things, so Lady Marjorie was terrified that Nicole was some horrific mistake.
“I must say I’m intrigued to see what sort of girl young Jamie has snagged. I had thought the silly bugger would still be living at home when he’s in his forties,” Rupert said.
“I just hope she’s not too dreadful. I can see her now, jeans and cowboy boots, and chewing gum the whole time,” his wife exclaimed with a distasteful grimace.
“I think you’re confusing her with an American. She probably wears Polar bear skins,” Rupert said, gently teasing her.
“Oh my God, you don’t think she will be, do you?”
“Marjorie, calm down. She’ll probably be utterly charming and you’ll love her.”
There was a scrunch of tyres on gravel, so he went to the window, peering down onto the car below.
“Speak of the devil, they’re here. Oh, my God, she has two heads.”
“Shut up Rupert. That’s not funny.”
Nicole was feeling even worse as the car came to a halt. Jamie had driven in through the front gates of the Bramford Estate, explaining that there were about five entrances to the estate. The gates were huge, and there was a small gate-keeper’s cottage built into the left hand gate pillar. The drive was tarmac, and Jamie told her that it was a mile and a half long, lined with trees to give travellers welcome shade and protection from the elements.
When Bramford House came into view from behind the trees, she gasped. It was simply vast, built in the eighteenth century along similar lines to Blenheim palace.
“Shit Jamie. This isn’t a house, it’s a bloody palace. How many rooms has it got?” she asked.
“I’m not sure, well over two hundred, I think,” he replied as he pulled up in front of the main steps.
“I’m not happy, Jamie,” Nicole said.
“I know, but you’ll be fine, I promise.”
Lord Rupert watched as his son got out of the car. Then the passenger door opened and the most delightful legs came into view. When the rest of Nicole appeared, Rupert began to smile. Jamie said something to her, to which she laughed and looked up at the windows. She was strikingly attractive, having the most wonderful smile. Rupert felt that this was not going to be so bad after all.
“Well?” Lady Marjorie said.
“She’ll do. Come on, let’s get this over with.” he said, so they went down to greet the couple.
Marjorie opened the front door, swallowing and praying that the girl would be reasonably presentable, at least.
She walked out onto the top of the steps and looked down at the scene below.
Rufus, the chocolate Labrador had come and greeted Jamie, so her son was bending over stroking the dog. Nicole was standing with her back to the front steps watching Jamie with a smile on her face. Marjorie was pleasantly surprised at her back view, seeing a tall girl with a lovely figure, wearing a very pretty dress. Her blonde hair was quite short, styled very neatly, so that she reminded Marjorie of Princess Diana. As Rupert walked down the steps, the girl turned to face him.
She was an exceptionally pretty girl, with crystal blue eyes, and a super smile. Her teeth were very white and perfectly aligned. Marjorie felt most of her disquiet evaporate. Rupert went up to the girl, simply taking her hand and kissing her on the cheek.
“Welcome, you must be Nicole? I’m Rupert, Jamie’s Dad, for my sins, we’ve been longing to meet you.”
Nicole smiled at Rupert as she shook his hand.
“Hi Jamie’s Dad, I’m a little new at all this, so I’m a little unsure what I should call you,” Nicole admitted, with refreshing honesty. Marjorie noticed a slight Canadian accent, but her voice was well pitched and modulated, so she sounded well educated and intelligent, without a piece of gum in sight.
“You, my dear, must call me Rupert. And this is Lady Marjorie, my wife.”
Nicole smiled a little uncertainly as she approached Marjorie.
“Hello, Lady Marjorie. I’m afraid I am a little nervous of meeting you both. It’s a little out of my league, being from the distant colonies,” she said.
Marjorie realised that the girl was almost terrified, so her heart melted, and she embraced the girl, kissing her cheek.
“Piffle. Please call me Marjorie. We’re very down to earth here. I remember when Rupert brought me to meet his mother, I was absolutely terrified too, but she turned out to be a lovely old dear in the end. So, please, just make yourself at home. Jamie, bring Nicole’s things, there’s a dear,” Marjorie took Nicole’s arm, and led her into the house. The men followed, with Jamie carrying Nicole’s bag.
Jamie looked at his father and grinned.
“She is bloody terrified, Dad.”
“Why?”
“Because of the title and huge estate I think. Be kind to her, please.”
“She’s delightful, why shouldn’t we be kind to her?” his father asked as they entered the enormous hall.
“No reason, but she just needs to be put at ease. She’s never been anywhere like this before.”
Marjorie had already sat Nicole on the sofa in the small sitting room. This room was larger than most people’s homes, but was decorated impeccably with genuine antiques. The pictures on the walls of this room alone were worth over £100,000.
“Nicole, Jamie has been an utter sod. He’s told us absolutely nothing about you. He only mentioned that your father was English and your mother was Canadian. I understand that they died a few years ago. That must have been awful for you?”
“It was, at the time. It shook me up pretty good,” Nicole admitted.
“He also told us that your work is hush-hush,” Marjorie said.
“Jamie’s an utter sod, sure enough,” Nicole said, staring at the unfortunate man.
“Before my dear lady wife interrogates you further, would you like a pre-luncheon drink?” Rupert asked.
“A gin and tonic would be lovely, thanks,” Nicole said.
Rupert smiled and prodded Jamie to get the drinks, but then he sat closer to Nicole, waiting eagerly for her to tell them about herself.
Nicole smiled, taking a deep breath.
“Okay, I’m twenty-three, my Dad was English and a University Lecturer, while my mother was French Canadian, and a teacher. I was brought up initially in Montreal, and later in Guelph in Ontario. I’m a British citizen, as well as being Canadian and so, after my parents died in a car crash, I came back here. Three years ago, I joined the Metropolitan Police.
“I recently transferred to the Thames Valley Police, as I’m currently working under cover in a nasty murder enquiry, but I can’t say any more about that at present. I am fit, healthy and fertile. But had a medical problem which was recently corrected. I ride a motorcycle, and stupidly fell in love with your son, who had the worst chat up line ever,” she said, glancing at Jamie and smiling at him.
Marjorie stared at Nicole for a moment, but then started to smile.
“You poor child, I am so sorry that we are making you go through this. I remember my first introduction to this bloody house, you must be terrified?”
“I have felt better, and I have to admit that it’s slightly daunting,” Nicole said.
Jamie handed her a glass. She looked up at him and smiled.
“Thanks honey. I need this,” she said, taking a healthy swig.
Rupert laughed. “So, you’re a police officer? Never in a million years would I have pegged you for a rozzer,” he said.
Nicole took out her new TVP warrant card, showing it to him.
“Well I never. You know, I’ve never seen one of these for real. Detective Constable Nicole Le Fevre. Your photo doesn’t do you credit, my dear.”
“It’s quite new, I only transferred recently.”
“Tell me, how did you and the utter sod meet?” Marjorie asked.
Nicole looked at Jamie again and smiled.
“I was out shopping with a friend. We stopped for lunch at this wine bar, but when my friend went to the loo, Jamie pounced. I hadn’t been aware of it, but he’d been following me all morning. He told me he thought I was a model or a movie star, it was so corny, but it kinda worked, because here I am,” she said.
Jamie nodded.
“I saw Nicole in the market and could honestly say that she was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen, so I wanted to drum up the courage to speak to her. It took me over an hour before I did. I was so tongue tied, I made a complete fuck-up of the whole thing. I had this profound speech planned, but when I opened my mouth, this mush came out. She was so gracious and kind; she gave me a second chance. I mucked that up too, proposing to her on the first date, but, well, here she is. It’s a bloody miracle, but she has made me the happiest man alive,” Jamie said.
“I can understand how Jamie mistook you for a glamorous actress or model, as do you have that look about you,” Marjorie said.
Nicole blushed, glancing once more at Jamie, who grinned at her.
“What was the medical problem you had?” Marjorie asked. The one that Nicole had been dreading.
“I had a gender defect syndrome, brought on by a hormone imbalance. I had some male characteristics at birth, which meant I was brought up as a male. But this was finally and fully corrected recently, and I am perfectly normal now,” she said, and waited for the flak.
None came. She waited, staring at Jamie, who shrugged.
“I had an aunt who had something like that,” Rupert said, much to Nicole’s surprise. “She was brought up as Anthony, but in her teens she became Antonia. She went on to get married and had about five kids. She was bloody good at cricket, if I remember. It was generally known, but seldom talked about. I still see her middle boy, Simon, he and I belong to the same club.”
“Is it a common condition?” Marjorie asked Nicole.
“Not really, I was just fortunate to have it corrected so quickly.”
“Is it genetic?”
“I have no idea, the doctor seemed to think not, but that it was just a little quirk of fate.”
“So you have seen the world from both sides of the fence, so to speak?” Marjorie asked.
“I guess so, yes.”
“Which side do you prefer?” Marjorie asked with an interested smile.
“The one I’m on now, by far,” Nicole said so enthusiastically that everyone smiled.
“I had one leg shorter than the other,” Rupert admitted. “Something to do with the hips, they said. Visited an osteopath, he twisted me about a bit, something clicked, and been right as rain ever since.”
Nicole smiled, but then started to laugh. All her concerns and worries evaporated, as these people were completely normally bonkers. She felt almost as if she had come home.
They had lunch in the kitchen, which by most standards would simply be considered vast. It was a game pie followed by raspberries and cream. It was very good, and Marjorie admitted to having prepared and cooked the lot. Nicole was surprised as she half expected a veritable army of staff.
Conversation was rather stilted at first, but as Nicole relaxed, the atmosphere changed. She found Marjorie actually very nice and sympathetic, and Rupert was an older version of Jamie, but with a charm that maturity had brought. She shared as much of herself as she felt she could, but was thrilled as they seemed to accept her for who she was, being completely non-judgemental.
Rupert served a very fine red wine with lunch, so Nicole was worried that she would fall asleep during the afternoon. She helped clear away the dishes and wash up.
After lunch, Marjorie led Nicole round the house and explained a little of the history of the place. She showed Nicole one divine bedroom that was decorated in Chinese silk tapestries and wonderful old Chinese furniture.
“This is your room; it’s called the Chinese room, for obvious reasons. Your bathroom is in there. I will ask Jamie to bring up your case later.”
“It’s a lovely room,” Nicole said, admiring a particularly striking turquoise tapestry.
“Isn’t it?” Marjorie agreed.
Nicole went and looked out of the window and saw the horses in the paddock.
“So many horses,” she said.
“Yes, my one weakness. Do you ride, Nicole?”
“Yes, I rode a lot in Canada. I haven’t for some time. But I used to love it.”
“It’s a lovely day, would you like to go for a ride this afternoon? I was going to take the Land Rover to show you the estate, but it is much nicer from horseback.”
“I’d love to, but I didn’t bring any of the right clothes.”
“I’m sure we can kit you out. Come on, let’s go take a look.”
Marjorie took Nicole and found her a pair of jodhpurs and some boots, and before long, Jamie saw his mother and fiancée trotting out across the meadow in front of the house.
Nicole had never ridden as a female, so was initially quite nervous due to her recent surgery, despite riding a motorcycle. She soon found she had nothing to worry about, so she relaxed and enjoyed the ride. Marjorie was pleasantly surprised at Nicole’s riding skills, as not only did she looked good, but also obviously knew what to do. She had a good seat, and it was apparent that riding was second nature to the stunning Canadian girl.
The estate was huge, and Nicole began to get some idea as to the scale of the place. It also dawned on her that she was engaged to the man who would one day be the owner and master of it all, and she would be in Marjorie’s shoes.
“It’s a very daunting feeling, isn’t it?” Marjorie asked, as if reading her mind.
“Very. Did you find it so when Rupert first brought you here?”
“Absolutely. My father was a solicitor, but although were we reasonably well off, nothing could have prepared me for this. I broke off the engagement twice, because I didn’t want the responsibility. Rupert was persistent, so finally I gave in. It’s not so bad, but you have to be quite a strong person. The males in this family are so bloody woolly,” Marjorie said with a smile.
Nicole laughed, finally relaxing.
Marjorie chuckled. “One of the first things my old ma-in-law told me, was that the women of this family have more balls than the men. It is the fact that the women are brought in from outside the family that gives them their strength and determination to keep the whole thing going. If was left to the likes of Rupert and Jamie, then we all might as well pack up and go somewhere else.”
“Well, you can’t get further outside the family than me,” Nicole said.
“That, my dear Nicole, is certainly a fact,” Marjorie said. “Come on, I’ll race you back.” Turning her horse, Marjorie started back towards the house. Nicole followed, and they galloped across the large open woodland and meadows.
Jamie was pacing the floor of the study, as his father sat in a large leather armchair reading the Times.
“Relax, boy. Your mother won’t harm her.”
“Oh I know, it’s just Nikki was so nervous and worried that she wouldn’t measure up.”
“I found her a charming and intelligent girl. In fact, I’m very surprised that you managed to catch her,” Rupert said.
“Thanks Dad,” Jamie said, sarcastically.
“Well, you’ve been so utterly useless with girls up to now, it makes a change to see you successful. You don’t think she’s after your money?”
“Don’t be silly. She had no idea who I was for ages. This whole place has come as a complete shock to her.”
“Good for her. Let’s see if she stays with you now.”
“Why shouldn’t she?”
“Your dear mother broke of the engagement twice because of the bloody title and everything else.”
“Really. Why?”
“Because she realised the enormous responsibility that went with being my wife. You see Jamie, I was not dissimilar to you. I had always been here, so took the place rather for granted. It was my mother that kept the place going, and her mother before her. Marjorie is the brains and power behind me, giving me the drive and direction. If I’m not mistaken, you’re the same, and that young beauty is a strong willed girl, so she’ll do fine. So, don’t let her slip through your fingers.”
“I don’t intend to. Believe me, I’d be willing to lose all this to keep her.”
“Don’t be silly, Jamie.”
“I’m not. I would be willing to go anywhere and do anything to keep her. She means everything to me.”
Rupert looked at his son, realising that he was not understating what he felt.
“Then you need to give her space, and don’t be too possessive. She’s a very attractive, independent woman, with her head screwed on straight. If you enclose her too much, she’ll leave. Mark my words.”
Jamie watched as the two horsewomen galloped across the meadow towards the stables. He smiled as he saw that Nicole was leading slightly.
“She’s beating Mum.”
Rupert turned the page of his paper.
“What with, a whip or a big stick?”
“Neither, they’re racing back to the stables. Mother always used to beat me. Do you think she is letting Nikki win?”
“No, your mother never lets anyone win, she’s too competitive.”
“Well, she just lost by a whisker. I never knew Nikki rode.”
“You’ll find that there will be lots of things you don’t know about her, but your mother will find them all out by the end of tomorrow.”
However, he was talking to himself, as Jamie had walked out, heading for the stables. Rupert smiled, as his son had grown up a lot in the last month or so.
Jamie found them wiping down the horses. His mother was telling Nikki all about her show jumping career back in the seventies. Nikki was relaxed and laughing, so he was relieved.
“Hi, did you have fun?” he asked.
“It was brilliant, Jamie. How come you never mentioned that your mother was such a super horsewoman, and has won so many show jumping events?”
“You never asked. How come you never mentioned you were such a good horsewoman, yourself?”
Nicole laughed. “You never asked,” she said.
Marjorie watched the girl as she dealt with her horse very well, leading him into the stall.
“You don’t deserve her, Jamie,” she said quietly to her son.
“What?”
“She is far too bright and beautiful for you. I don’t know what she sees in you.”
Nicole came out and heard the last statement.
“He’s a soppy sod and I feel sorry for him,” she said. “If I don’t look after him, he’ll be a walking disaster.”
Jamie grinned and held her round the waist. She kissed him.
“Phew. You smell like a horse,” he said, making her laugh.
“Do you ride, Jay?” she asked.
“I used to, if you want, I’ll ride with you,” he said.
“I’d like that.”
Marjorie smiled, leading her horse back to his stall. She had tried everything to get him back on a horse, but ever since he was about sixteen, he had refused.
She came out, noticing that despite complaining that Nicole smelled, he was not adverse to holding her close and kissing her. She smiled, watching them for a moment. They actually made a lovely couple. As Jamie was so tall, it was nice that Nicole was about 5’8” so she was not as dwarfed as some girls would be.
Marjorie mulled over what Nicole had said about her medical problem, and was pleased that she seemed to show no signs of it now. She certainly seemed well adjusted and the fact she was a serving police officer meant that she must be all right. She worried a little about the press and how horrid they could be, but that was just one of life’s little problems.
“Right, let’s go have some tea, and then you can change for dinner. Jamie, I have invited the Sandersons and Glovers for dinner, and I think your Uncle Roger and Aunt Felicity are coming too.”
“Oh, not the Glovers? You know Carol Glover keeps trying to match me off with her daughter Madeline?” Jamie said.
“Well, Carol is one of my dearest friends, and she is your Godmother. Besides, Madeline is coming too. So you can take great pleasure in introducing Nicole to her.”
They walked back to the house, while Nicole still tried to get her head around the sheer size of the place. It was truly awe inspiring, yet in very good condition, considering the age of the place. She asked Marjorie how hard it was to keep up with maintenance and restoration.
Marjorie smiled to herself. This girl had already taken stock, and was asking intelligent questions. She would do very nicely, she thought.
“There are three farms on the estate. We run one, which is self reliant; the other two, we have leased to tenant farmers, so the proceeds from the leases bring in a small income. The horses are my particular thing, as I run the stud, which is really quite successful. We also run the stables, so only about eight of the horses are ours. We have about twenty boarders, which bring in some more funds.
“The house is open to the public from Easter until September, and all year round as a conference centre. We converted the Victorian West Wing to being a self-contained conference centre and has sleeping accommodation for nearly eighty people. It was the servants’ quarters, so the rooms are smaller. It even has its own catering facilities, and Rupert runs that little venture. All in all, what with grants, donations and the interest from investments, we manage to keep our heads above water, but it’s not easy in the current climate. So many big estates have been broken up because of the crippling costs of everyday maintenance.”
Nicole was looking over the woodland and meadow area by the large lake.
“How big is the lake?”
“I think it’s nearly thirty-eight acres, why?”
“Is it deep enough for boats?”
“Oh yes, we used to run a small speed boat. It also has fish in it, but none of us fish,” Marjorie told her.
Nicole stood and looked at the whole scenario.
“What this place needs is an outdoor pursuit centre. You could have a paint-ball centre in the woods, and a quad-bike track over there, utilising that bit of scrub land. That bit there would be ideal for clay pigeon shooting, and then the lake could be used as a water-ski centre. That small hill could be used as a dry ski slope, and you would be open to do some effective business. Particularly linked with the conference centre, you could sell them as team building activities and corporate entertainment for the young and not so young executives.
“I think you could squeeze some chalets over there by the lake. You could attract the water sports fanatics or keen fishermen. If you built a small artificial lake higher up the stream, you could create a white water canoe/kayak section of water, so then you’d have something for everyone,” she said, the pictures taking shape in her mind as she spoke.
Marjorie stared at Nicole for a moment, and then looked at the land to which she referred. She smiled, shaking her head, the girl had immediately come in with a very realistic vision, as none of them had even thought seriously about any of these before.
She turned to her son.
“Jamie, if you lose this one, I will personally shoot you,” she said, and then she turned to Nicole.
“You’re wasted as a police woman, my dear. You realise that if you marry my idiot son, you’ll have a full time job here?”
“That’s becoming more obvious the more I realise the size of this wonderful place. I really had no idea at all, even though my friend mentioned that Jamie was the son of the Marquess of Bramford, but it meant nothing to me,” she said, looking around her. “But now I’m beginning to see things as they really are, and I feel completely unworthy.”
Marjorie put an arm around her shoulders. Jamie threw a stick for Rufus, which landed into the lake, followed by the dog.
“Join the club. That’s exactly how I felt nearly thirty years ago.”
Nicole turned and looked at her, as Jamie struggled to haul the wet dog from the water.
“The trouble is, I am rather fond of Jamie, and I suppose I can’t have him without the other?” she asked.
“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that. I nearly didn’t marry Rupert; he was almost left at the church, while I seriously considered buggering off.”
“Where would you have gone?”
“I dread to think, but it never happened, fortunately.”
Nicole smiled. “It’s funny, Jamie came along when I was vulnerable, and he made me smile. He was so bloody silly that he made me feel more confident about myself. Then, when I decided he was not for me, due to all this, I found I couldn’t forget him. I nearly couldn’t come today, I was so terrified,” Nicole admitted.
“I understand, but we really aren’t that different to anyone else.”
“I see that now, but I almost came to wish that I didn’t love him, and then I wouldn’t have had to come. Now, I realise how silly I was, and that it’s just as well that I love him, otherwise I would never have met you all.”
Jamie rejoined them, followed by the wet Labrador, who shook all over his legs.
“Bugger. These are my good trousers.”
Marjorie smiled and shook her head, catching Nicole’s eye, so the younger woman smiled too.
“Let’s go have some tea,” Marjorie said, so they trooped off to the kitchen.
After tea, Nicole set off for her room. The family lived in one small section of the house, while the rest of the house was open to the public from 10 am to 6 pm, every day of the week. As Nicole was wandering around one of the landings, just admiring the pictures, a small group of Japanese visitors came up the stairs.
A middle-aged local woman was guiding them, and she saw the attractive girl dressed in jodhpurs and boots. Nicole looked as if she ought to be on the cover of Harpers & Queen or Country Life. Jilly Owen didn’t know Nicole, but guessed that this must be the glamorous new girlfriend of young Jamie. Very little else had been talked about by the staff for the last few days.
“I’m sorry, are you lost?” she asked the girl.
“No, but thank you,” Nicole said, her Canadian accent confirming Jilly’s initial guess as being correct.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, this young lady is the fiancée of the Honourable Jamie Calder, the son of the current Marquess,” Jilly said, so Nicole found herself having her photograph taken by several Japanese tourists.
Nicole felt herself redden, but smiled gracefully for them, and hastily retreated to her room. She stripped off and ran a bath. It was a very old style of bath; huge, with an enormous cylindrical waste plug incorporating overflow.
She added some exotic looking bath salts, and relaxed in the warm water. Her muscles were beginning to tell her that she should ride more often. She reflected on the day so far.
Jamie’s parents were quite sweet, so she felt silly at being as worried as she had been. However, the prospect of being Lady Calder, and sharing the responsibility of managing the house and the estate seriously daunted her. She appreciated that Marjorie had been no more prepared than she, yet she seemed to have managed well.
Having come from relatively poor and humble background, she felt a little dizzy when she realised the amount of wealth tied up in the estate. She had not considered life beyond the police, but now she became aware that the police might not be a lasting occupation for her. It would do for a while anyway.
Marjorie was enjoying a similar bath, just down the corridor. Rupert sat by the bath, keeping her company. He was anxious to know of her impressions of their prospective daughter-in-law.
“She is absolutely delightful,” Marjorie said. “She rides well, she can hold a conversation about just about anything, and she has the ability to imagine sound economical ventures in respect of this bloody place.”
“Really. Like what?”
Marjorie went on to describe the various ideas that Nicole had mentioned, and added that she thought the girl was just what Jamie needed.
“She’s like a breath of fresh air, with none of the fancy ideas, airs and graces that the usual lot of girls seem to come burdened with. I got the impression she can be bloody tough when she wants to be, and, by God, that is what this place needs,” she told him.
“She is very pretty, I will admit that, which surprises me when you consider her past,” her husband said.
“She may well be very attractive, but this medical thing, she was very vague about it. She’s obviously very embarrassed about it, but, give her credit, she was totally honest to Jamie, and to us before any decisions were made. Looking at her, I can’t see it’s going to be a problem. She’s more than enough woman for Jamie. Luckily she has a bloody good brain, and that’s what really matters. I like her, much more than I could have ever imagined I could. I only hope Jamie doesn’t bugger it up, and she decides to leave him for someone else,” she said.
“Your friend Carol will be mightily pissed off.”
“Why?”
“I think she always thought that Madeline would end up as the next Lady Calder.”
Marjorie smiled.
“I think you may be right,” she said, and then Rupert realised why she had invited them to dinner.
“You have a really wicked streak in you, did you know that?”
“Hmm, but it was only that I overheard Carol telling some friend of hers that it was only a matter of time before Jamie and Madeline would get engaged.”
“Have the couple announced it formally, yet?” he asked her.
“No, Nicole is waiting until her under-cover job is over, she doesn’t want any undue publicity to interfere with her work. But she said she wants to get married next June.”
“Any idea where? Not Canada?”
“No, she didn’t say, but I expect she wouldn’t mind getting married here.”
“Really? She seems to be able to face up to the challenge, eh?”
“She asked all the right questions, and seems very astute. Far more so than I ever was.”
“You don’t think that this is planned, do you?”
“No. Absolutely not, she’s not a gold-digger, and believe me, I would know,” she told him, as she got out of the bath.
Jamie burst in on Nicole’s bath, bringing her back to reality.
“Hi Jay, what do you want?” she said.
“Sorry Nikki, but I realised that I never told you that tonight is semi formal.”
“I have a nice black dress, as long as we aren’t supposed to be wearing long dresses.”
“Thank God. Why are you so bloody sensible?”
“Because you’re a silly sod, and if I wasn’t, you wouldn’t need me so much. Now pass me the towel,” she said, standing up.
Jamie passed her the towel, admiring her beautiful body. She wrapped the towel around her.
“My God, you are so gorgeous!”
“Hmm, you still aren’t getting any until we’re married,” she said, teasing him.
“I wouldn’t dream of expecting any,” he said perfectly serious, so she laughed at him.
“What are you like?” she said, and he frowned.
“Huh?”
“Nothing, it’s just you are so old fashioned, did you know that?” she said, kissing him. He put his arms around her.
“I’m missing something here.”
“That’s why I love you. You wind up so easily.”
He frowned again.
“Jamie, do you want to make love to me?”
He stared at her. “What?”
“Jamie, we’re engaged to be married, do you want to fuck me?”
He reddened, embarrassed a little by her language, but smiled nonetheless.
“You know I do.”
“Well, I want you to, so what’s taking you so long?”
“But, you said not until we were married.”
“Jamie, you’re so stupid sometimes. You’re tender, loving, kind and generous, but you’ve never tried to make love to me. Why?”
“Well, I just thought that you wanted for us to wait.”
A sudden thought came to her and she smiled.
“I’m so sorry, I should have realised. Please forgive me, honey.”
“What?”
“You’ve never been with a girl, have you?”
He reddened again, so she kissed him.
“That makes it a first time for both of us then.”
He put his arms around her, the towel slipping to the floor.
Just then, his father called for him.
“Fuck,” he said.
“That’s life, Jamie,” Nicole said, letting him go.
He grinned, nodded and dashed off. Nicole smiled and dried her hair.
UK POLICE RANKS
The United Kingdom is divided into three Police Regions:
|
There are about 50 police forces in the whole country, and the ranks the same across the whole of the three regions. The only difference is at the top levels, as depicted below.
| All other Forces | Metropolitan Police (London) & City of London Police |
US Equivalent (More or less.) |
| - | Commissioner1 | » « |
| - | Deputy Commissioner1 | » « |
| Chief Constable | Assistant Commissioner1 | Ranks vary according to |
| Deputy Chief Constable | Deputy Assistant Commissioner | State & type of dept. |
| Assistant Chief Constable | Commander (MET) | » « |
| Chief Superintendent | Chief Superintendent | » « |
| Superintendent | Superintendent | » « |
| Chief Inspector | Chief Inspector | Captain |
| Inspector | Inspector | Lieutenant |
| Sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant |
| Constable | Constable | Patrol Officer |
Of the two forces mentioned in this work, the Metropolitan Police and Thames Valley Police, there are now 35,000 officers in the London Metropolitan Police, and 4,000 in the Thames Valley Police.
The Metropolitan Police operates within the Greater London Area, with the exception of the one square mile that is the City of London, which has its own small but fiercely independent force.
The Thames Valley Police covers the area to the west of London, covering the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. This police area has more miles of Motorway than any other force in the UK, covering the towns and cities of Oxford, Reading, Slough, Maidenhead, Windsor, Newbury, Aylesbury, Amersham, High Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Banbury, Bicester, Abingdon, Didcot, and many more.
[1] For UK Police ranks, see appendix A
Comments
Candy Cane
Sweet and lovely, you never disappoint. Thank you, Mary.
Well played Tanya
I was reticent to fully lose myself in the story, because I thought it all too unrealistic. You went for the cliche that Nicole was both genders from birth (lost some points there), but I guess it explained her fast transformation better (something that still annoys me slightly).
However, despite all this, I had real trouble breaking off at Chapter 7 (didn't want to stay up all night reading) and I was sometimes glued to my screen this morning. I love the characters, and this is beginning to look like a fairy tale with a potential dark twist (love the intrigue).
Can't wait for the next chapters.
-Christelle
"Fun-loving geek-chick looking for someone who doesn't give a damn about her past"
-Christelle
"Fun-loving geek-chick who's addicted to sunlight!"
Strangely enough
This is one of my favourite Tanya stories. It has many of the ingredients I like; police drama, believable heroine, romance, believable medical condition.
Nice one, Tanya.
Another great read
Loved the story. I enjoyed a number of your stories. You always seem to create believable interplay between the characters. It sure lighted up a dull rainy day. Can't wait for the next installment.
Hugs
Trish-Ann
Hugs,
Trish Ann
~There is no reality, only perception~