Vengeance is Bittersweet
By
Julie O
Edited by Amelia R. and Bob Arnold
Features characters from The Protector and Change of Course stories
Angel cameos courtesy of Tyrone Slothrop
Chapter 1
Detective Matt Walsh was slightly surprised when the woman had
called his station and requested him specifically by name. She
insisted that she had important information regarding one of his
cases. When he asked her which case, she refused to answer him,
insisting that he meet her in person. He looked at his watch and
asked her when she could come in to talk. It was late, and he was
hoping to get home soon to catch the last few innings of the Padres
game on TV. She insisted that he meet her out of the station.
Reluctantly, he agreed. She stated that she was presently sitting in
a local coffee house located a few blocks from the station. She went
on to say that she was sitting in a booth, wearing a ruby colored
dress, and that he couldn't miss her. He checked his watch and agreed
to meet her in ten minutes.
Matt half expected this to be a wild goose chase or a joke concocted
by some of the other detectives; still it was a worth a shot, if her
information helped him clear up one of his many cases. He checked out
of the office and headed to the coffeehouse. When he walked inside,
Matt was stunned when he saw her sitting in a booth near the back;
she was probably the sexiest woman he had ever seen.
Matt was thirty-six and had been a detective in the San Diego
Police Force for eight years. He was six-one and was a muscular two
hundred pounds. He had short dark brown curly hair, a matching
moustache and a killer smile. Because of this, his nickname in the
department was Magnum. Matt's reputation of being a ladies man was
well known in the department, but it was immediately obvious to him
that this woman was way out of his league.
Out of habit, he scanned the room as he walked towards her; it
was almost empty and he saw no signs of danger. As he sat down across
from her, he casually pulled out his badge and ID and showed it to her.
"I'm Detective Walsh, how can I help you?" he asked as he
studied her.
Matt stared at the stunningly beautiful woman sitting across from
him. Every pore of her body oozed sexuality. Living in California, he
had seen plenty of surgically enhanced and improved women. The joke
was that most such women had as much and quite possibly more plastic
in them as the average car. However, whoever had done her surgery had
been an artist. It was as if she had been sculpted by one of the
grandmasters and had come to life.
Her face had a very classic look of beauty, high cheekbones, a
perfect petite nose, and sensual lips. Her breasts were in Matt's
opinion, perfect. They were round, full, and firm. He estimated that
they were at least DD, probably bigger, and looked perfect on her
frame. In fact, her entire figure looked perfect, from her shapely
hips to her long smooth legs.
She was dressed in a red mini dress that seemed painted on her
body. Normally, Matt felt that sort of dress made the wearer look
cheap, but it worked for her. So did the four-inch heels.
Her shoulder length hair was blonde, and while Matt sensed it
wasn't her natural hair color, it complemented her looks.
"Are you through running your eyes over me?" asked the woman.
Her tone was a combination of amusement and slight annoyance.
Matt was about to say "almost," but the last thing he needed was
a complaint in his record.
"I'm sorry; it's just that I don't usually see someone like you
in my line of work. Now, how can I help you?" he asked.
"It's okay; I'm getting used to being gawked at," she said.
Her response seemed odd to Matt.
"You don't recognize me, do you, Detective Walsh?" she asked in
a soft tone.
Matt shook his head. "Should I? I'm pretty good at remembering
faces and I'm sorry, Miss, but I'm positive that I would have
remembered you."
He looked at her again and wondered if she was in show business. San
Diego was only 120 miles south of LA, and they did get their share of
celebrities, but she didn't look familiar. Still, he didn't exactly
run in those circles. When a celebrity got in trouble in San Diego,
it was handled carefully by others in the department. The only
celebrity case he'd been involved in was when one of the Chargers
linebackers beat up his girlfriend following a loss.
The woman nodded as if she expected his confusion. "My name is
Jean Logan, does that help?"
Matt cocked his head. Something about that name was familiar,
but it didn't seem to match the woman he was looking at. "Jean
Logan?" he asked.
The woman nodded. "Let me see if this refreshes your memory:
fourteen months ago, in the interrogation room down the hall from
your office, you questioned me for three hours concerning the alleged
rape of Angie Harris."
Matt shared back in disbelief. "What the fu... I beg your
pardon? That's not possible."
"You questioned me for three hours before releasing me, stating
that you didn't have enough evidence to file charges, but that I
would remain a suspect," continued Jean.
"Wait a minute, I remember questioning a man, a man named 'Gene'
Logan...." his voice tailed off. "No, you can't be him."
Jean nodded. "I was once a male named Gene Logan, but that was
what seems like a lifetime ago. Here, if you don't believe me, check
my DNA. I can give you a sample if you like. In spite of what they
did to me, it should still be the same. You can also check my
fingerprints, they haven't changed either." She held out her hands.
"That won't be necessary right now, maybe later. Why don't we go
back to my office and talk?" suggested Matt.
Jean shook her head. "I didn't want to meet you in your station,
because I don't trust everyone there. You'll understand as you hear me
out."
Chapter 2
Matt now remembered the case. A woman named Angie Harris claimed
to have been raped at knifepoint in her home. Her husband was a sailor
on one of the aircraft carriers stationed over at North Island Naval
Air Station. Angie claimed that she had been raped the night before
her husband came home unexpectedly from sea. She didn't file a police
report until two days later, and the lack of evidence created some
doubt in the initial policeman's report. She did give a general
description of the rapist. He was described as white, 5-8, medium
build, light brown hair, blue eyes.
Three days later she was out with her husband, Rod, in Horton
Plaza and suddenly began screaming and pointing at a man, Gene Logan,
claiming he had been the one who raped her. Her husband immediately
attacked Mr. Logan. By the time the police arrived, he had nearly
beaten Mr. Logan unconscious.
The story was immediately jumped upon by the local media and
Petty Officer Harris was being called a hero even as Mr. Logan was
being checked out by the EMTs. Surprisingly, his injuries weren't
that severe, and he was brought in for questioning.
Matt was assigned the case, and he conducted the initial
interrogation. Much to his own regret, Matt had got caught up in the
hoopla of the case and assumed that Logan was the rapist. Gene Logan
did fit the general description of the rapist, and Angie was
convinced he was the one. Matt figured this would be a slam-dunk, and
he could get back to his other cases. The assistant DA assigned to the
case was just outside the interrogation room, anxiously awaiting the
thumbs up to start the indictment, so he could talk to the press.
To Matt's surprise, Gene agreed to the questioning, claiming
that he was the real victim in the case. As Matt questioned Gene, it
became clear that something was definitely wrong.
Gene Logan was twenty-four and a computer systems technician. He
worked for one of the defense contractors and had a top security
clearance. Other than a few speeding tickets, he had a clean record.
Gene claimed that the night in question he had been working up
in Orange County and didn't arrive home until well after the time
Angie claimed to have been raped. Gene said he could even provide
proof. First, he said that he signed out of work just after midnight
and that he had been pulled over by the California Highway Patrol on
I-5 just north of Camp Pendleton around one in the morning for
speeding. The officer had given him a warning and let him go.
While Matt questioned Gene, other officers were checking out
Angie's story. It turned out that she had filed a similar charge of
sexual assault back in Norfolk, Virginia. The detective in change of
the case found no evidence of assault and suspected that the charges
were falsified. He wrote that he suspected that she had filed the
charges to cover up an extramarital affair, but he couldn't find
enough proof to press charges against her.
Another detective had questioned the neighbors of Angie and Rod,
who said that they fought often. They also said that Angie seemed to
have a lot of male visitors whenever her husband was out of town.
Two hours into Gene's interrogation, Matt was handed the Norfolk
file. Combined with what the other detective had told him, this
convinced him that Gene was innocent. However, by now the case had
become a media circus. It was a very slow news week, and many
television and radio stations were all camped outside the station,
waiting for news of Gene's arrest. Thanks to the spread of cable
news, the story was even starting to get national coverage, the war
hero husband returns to fight for his wife's honor. It was a great
story.
Matt excused himself from the interrogation and talked to the
assistant DA and his own supervisors.
"The guy's innocent. Besides, we have no physical proof that the
woman was even raped," explained Matt.
"That's not going to fly, Detective Walsh! Do you have any idea
how many reporters are outside? Do you expect me to go out there and
tell them that she made it all up and her husband assaulted an
innocent man?" asked the DA. "If we let this guy go, they'll eat us
alive!"
Assistant DA Dale Gold was an ambitious man, and many suspected
that he was planning a run for city council the following year. His
cases almost always seemed to get a lot of media coverage.
"Since when do we let the press dictate who we arrest? What do
you want me to do, make up some evidence? I know, I can beat the guy
up some more and make him confess; would you like that?" asked Matt
angrily.
"Are you sure about this, Matt?" asked Matt's supervisor,
Captain Ron Bolton, ignoring Matt's emotional outburst. Matt was one
of his best investigators, even if he did have a temper.
"Cap, the guy wasn't even in town when the rape was 'supposed'
to have occurred. The company's security log shows him checking out
right after midnight, and we just got the CHP report that placed him
right where he said he was. The medical report on Mrs. Harris shows
she had sex, but they couldn't determine if it was rape or not. I
have a strong gut feeling that if we investigate her, we'll find that
she's lying and probably cried rape to avoid being caught in an
affair." He then handed Ron the reports from the other detective and
from Norfolk.
"You start saying things like that, and the press will crucify
us!" yelled Dale.
"Screw the press. Look, if we charge Logan with rape, he'll not
only beat the charges, but it'll make us look really stupid in the
process. A half decent lawyer would have no trouble getting a judge
to toss the case out of court. I know the press is all behind this
woman because it's a great story, but from a strictly police point of
view, there's just no proof to charge Logan," stated Matt firmly.
"You positive about this, Matt?" asked Ron.
"One hundred percent," replied Matt.
"Shit," stated the DA. "What the hell am I going to tell the
press now?"
"What do you mean?" asked Matt.
The DA shook his head. "I sort of jumped the gun and stated that
we had a confession from the suspect."
Matt looked at Capt. Bolton and then back at the DA. "It's your
mess, you unfuck it."
"Matt! Watch your mouth!" stated Capt. Bolton.
"I'm being honest; this isn't our problem. There's no evidence
to press charges against Logan, and I'm not about to frame an
innocent man," snapped Matt.
"Okay, okay, here's what we'll do. We won't charge Mr. Logan at
this time, but we'll hold a press conference and state that he's
still a suspect. We can say that we're waiting for 'additional
tests;' yeah, that sounds good," said the DA. "Captain, have your
department run a full investigation on this man Logan, maybe we can
turn up something. Who knows, maybe letting the suspect go will be
good for the case; who knows what will happen once he's back on the
street." He then chuckled.
"You do what you feel is best, but I want nothing to do with
this," stated Matt. He then glared at Dale, "Just so you know, Mr.
District Attorney, if something happens to Logan, the blood is on
your hands, and I'll run in any vigilante who hurts him."
The Assistant DA addressed the press. Angie Harris broke down
and cried. Her husband complained loudly to the press that there was
no justice. A reporter asked him if he wanted another chance to
finish the job. Naturally, the press ate this up. An hour after the
press conference, Gene was released.
All Gene wanted was to get home and go to bed. It was after
eleven when he was released, and the police said that he would have
to find his own way home. He was able to get out of a side door and
escape the remaining press hanging around the police station. He
walked several blocks before he flagged down a cab. He was about to
tell the driver where to take him when the tranquilizer dart struck
him in the chest. The effects were immediate, and he slumped down in
the back of the cab.
Chapter 3
"You mean you were abducted as soon as you left the station?"
asked Matt, as he pulled out his notebook.
Jean nodded
"So, you didn't do this to yourself?" he asked.
"When I next woke up, I found that my life was about to change
drastically and no, Detective Walsh, I didn't do this to myself." Her
tone was suddenly agitated and bitter. She glared back at him angrily.
"I'm sorry, that was out of line, please forgive me."
Jean nodded and sipped her coffee. "Apology accepted."
"We tried to re-interview you the next day. When we couldn't find
you, we received permission from your family to enter your home. A
missing person's file was later created," explained Matt. "At first,
the Harris family and press claimed that your disappearance was proof
of your guilt, so did the assistant DA. He wanted to file a warrant
for your arrest. However, as time passed and there was so sign of
you, it became apparent that maybe something had happened to you."
Jean took another sip of her coffee.
"Personally, I thought that Harris had killed you, but I wasn't
allowed to investigate them, as they were media darlings," said Matt.
"Anyway, we can talk more about that later; please continue with your
tale."
Jean set her cup down. "Apparently, the news of the case reached
a vigilante group soon after I was brought in for questioning. They
were angered that, in spite of a positive identification by the
so-called victim, I was released without any charges being filed.
They abducted me and decided to punish me, since they believed that
the legal system had failed them. I never saw any of them, but there
were seven of them on the main committee, three men and four women.
These are the seven monsters that sentenced me to my present life. I
can remember every one of their voices, as they berated me and
discussed my punishment," stated Jean. Her voice tailed off, and for
a moment it almost cracked. However, she recovered her composure
quickly. "They said that it was wrong that I wasn't charged and that
Mrs. Harris's identification of me should have been enough. The
assistant DA's comments at the press conferences further convinced
them that I was guilty and that I would escape justice."
"He's now on the city council," interjected Matt.
"I'm well aware of that," replied Jean in a harsh tone. "Anyway,
I was tried and found guilty by the committee."
"Whoa, you mean they held a trial?"
Jean nodded. "I guess you could call it that. I was brought into
a room and listened to the charges against me. I was unable to speak
and was also blindfolded, so I couldn't see them. In fact, during my
entire captivity, whenever they talked to me, I was blindfolded. They
said that they were tired of seeing men like me commit crimes and walk
away without punishment, just because we were clever enough not to
leave evidence. They said that they had taken it upon themselves to
correct these errors and that I would pay for my crimes."
"Wait a minute, they changed you into a beautiful woman as a
form of punishment?" interrupted Matt. "That doesn't make sense."
Jean grinned slightly. "The physical changes are only part of
what they did to me. They stated that, since I obviously found women
to be just objects of sexual pleasure, I should find out what it's
like to be one. They immediately sent me off for the start of a
series of complicated surgeries. In between the surgeries, I was
subjected to what could be best called brainwashing."
"Why?" asked Matt.
"To give me strong sexual urges, cravings if you like, for sex.
I was programmed to dress and act sexually provocative and given a
body that would attract attention. The kicker is that, inside, I was
the same person, Gene Logan, a rather average heterosexual male. They
figured that the programmed sex drive for men would be the ultimate
punishment for a rapist. I was horrified by what they were doing to
me and helpless to do anything to stop them."
"So they did this to you in the last fourteen months?"
Jean nodded. "I want to tell you what they did to me and why I'm
here today."
"Okay, can I get you anything before you start?" he asked.
"Another cup of coffee would be nice, please," she replied as
she extended her cup.
Chapter 4
Jean took a sip of her coffee and then appeared to look off in
the distance, as if she was lost in thought.
"Okay, I'm ready to tell you what happened to me," she stated.
Jean started to describe how her unknown captors began to mold
her body using state-of-the-art microsurgery. Before each operation,
Jean would be told what they were about to do to her.
First they reworked her face. They removed all her facial hair
and transformed Gene's face into the gorgeous woman, Jean.
"As they were punishing me, I found it strange at first that
they were so careful to avoid any discomfort that I might have felt.
I was never in pain, even as they reshaped my body. I later found out
that this wasn't done for my benefit; they used this time to
recondition my mind," she stated. "Pain would decrease the effects of
the treatments."
"How? Did they use drugs?' asked Matt.
"Yes, among other methods. Again, I couldn't see the people
doing this to me, I could only hear them. The doctor, and I use that
term very loosely, who was in charge of my brainwashing was probably
Chinese. I have a thing for dialects, as I took four semesters of
Chinese when I was in college. From what I overheard, they used
computer programs to give me my new personality."
"This is sort of beyond the scope of this department," stated
Matt.
"I understand, but I need to start somewhere. I figured that my
showing up here would clear one of your missing person cases. I also
hope that you can direct me to an appropriate agency to take this
to," continued Jean.
Matt nodded.
Jean went on to describe how she'd lost track of time, often
waking up with new changes to her body. They'd reshaped every aspect
of her body, making it extremely sexy and desirable to men. Her vocal
cords were also operated on to give her a more feminine voice.
"You know, the more I think about it, the more you sound like
someone famous," stated Matt.
"Lauren Bacall?' asked Jean.
"That's it," he replied.
"I noticed that too. They told me that they didn't want my voice
too high pitched, but at the same time they wanted it to be sexy," she
replied.
"So what else did they do to you?" he asked.
"I found that I started having sexual desires for men. No,
that's not exactly true; I began to crave sexual contact with men. It
was horrible, as deep down I still consider myself heterosexual, in
spite of what was done to me," stated Jean. "They also changed by
body chemistry."
She then described how her captors injected hundreds of small
time-released hormone capsules throughout her body.
"They told me that it was a highly concentrated and genetically
modified hormone. It would keep my body soft and feminine for many
years. There was one aspect of the hormones they seemed extremely
proud of; that I could still become aroused," stated Jean.
Matt looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not a complete woman; they left me with my penis, although
like the rest of my body, it has been modified," she stated. "They
wanted me to be, in their words, a 'she-male slut.' I would be able
to get hard and achieve orgasm, even though my hormone levels are
female. They said that this would make me very desirable among men
who craved perverse sex, and with my modified thoughts, I would
eagerly give them what they wanted."
Jean went on to describe how her penis was smaller than before.
It was now only a few inches long when hard. Her captors stated that
they wanted her to have a constant reminder of her past life, and
that she wouldn't be a real woman; she would have to live in fear of
having her "little secret" exposed.
"I guess they did it so that I would be living with conflicting
emotions - on the one hand eagerly seeking man sexual partners, and
at the same time fearful that they might be horrified by my mixed
gender status."
"Is that all?" he asked.
Jean shook her head. "No, they also modified my... um... my
rectum. It's been surgically changed to make it not only more easily
accessed in terms of sex, but they made it more sensitive, so that I
can get off while being made love to."
"How did you get away?" asked Matt. He had thought he had heard
it all in his ten years as a cop, but Jean's story was the tops. He
wasn't sure if he believed her or not, but then, why would she lie?
he thought.
"Well, I suppose that I should thank you," stated Jean. "The
surgery was completed first, and they were about to really start
messing with my mind, when they stopped. Apparently, there was some
doubt in their minds to my guilt. I wasn't sure how much later it was
that some of the women came in and apologized to me, if you could call
it an apology," stated Jean.
"What do you mean?" asked Matt.
"One said that the police had exposed my accuser as having made
up the charges. Apparently, her husband caught her in an affair, and
her story of rape collapsed like a house of cards," said Jean. "I
later found out that you were the one who investigated her. Thank
you." She then told him the rest of the information concerning the
case.
Matt felt embarrassed. "I don't think you should thank me for
anything. I did suspect that she was lying, but I had no proof. I was
given a tip by a neighbor, and she confessed, in part to avoid being
assaulted by her husband."
"I know; they told me everything. They didn't actually apologize
for what they did, and then they told me that they couldn't return me
back to the man that I had once been. The effects of the
transformation were one-way. I was told that, on the plus side, they
wouldn't kill me or complete their original plans for me."
"That was nice of them," stated Matt.
"Yeah, I know. 'We abducted you and fucked up your mind and body, but
to make it up to you, we won't further mess you up.' One of the women
even justified their actions by saying that every man is a potential
rapist, and what they did was right, in a symbolic way. God, I hate
them!" exclaimed Jean as she banged her fist down on the table.
Jean told Matt that while the surgery wasn't reversible, they
were able to ease some of the effects of the mental changes.
"The best they would do was to make my sexual urges
'controllable.' The overall mental state they had programmed into me
stayed the same. I have feminine traits and persona. I feel a strong
need to dress the way I am now. It's like I get a sense of well-being
when I'm dressed and looking sexy. I've tried to fight it, but it's
impossible."
"Sounds like they didn't do much for you," stated Matt.
"Oh, it's what they didn't do to me that counts. They told me in
no uncertain terms that I would have been turned into a totally
sex-addicted slut. They said that I would have probably ended up on
the streets doing tricks to get a sexual high. It doesn't take a
detective to figure out that they have done this to others. I suspect
that if you check missing persons, you may find some that have fallen
into their hands," stated Jean bitterly.
Matt nodded as he scribbled some notes on his pad. "From what
you've told me, it sounds like they have quite an established
organization. I agree with you that they must have contacts in my
office, and that's frightening. So, what happened to you next?"
"Anyway, they said that they would release me when the time was
right. Without warning, I woke up yesterday morning in a suite at the
Hotel Del Coronado. It's booked for the rest of the week in my name. I
have a full wardrobe, a BMW coupe, several gold cards, and a bank
account with $25,000 in it. My driver's license states that I have a
Las Vegas address. Obviously, they have money and can afford to 'pay'
me off. That doesn't make sense to me. An organization like this is
obviously expensive, and I can't see how you can make money by
punishing sex offenders."
Matt nodded.
"I mean, there has to be another reason for doing this to
people," she continued.
"May I see your license?" asked Matt.
Jean pulled it out of her purse and handed it to him.
"If it's a fake, it's the best I've ever seen," he stated as he
examined the Nevada license. "I agree with you; there's something
missing as to why they're doing this."
"Oh, the credit cards are all real too," added Jean. "Another
thing I can't figure out is why they dumped me here. It would have
been easier to leave me in Vegas."
"I have no idea," said Matt. "So, besides clearing up your
missing person's status, what else do you want?"
"I want them," she stated firmly. "What they did to me isn't
right, and they shouldn't get away with it."
"I see," said Matt.
"I know I should let it slide, but I can't. They have a big
organization, and it scares me that they've taken the law into their
own hands."
"I was thinking the same thing. You mentioned some things to me
about the case that weren't made public," replied Matt. "But what can
you do?"
"I want to see someone, anyone, who can examine me; maybe they
can narrow down who did this. There can't be too many surgeons who
have this level of skill," stated Jean.
"That sounds reasonable," said Matt. He was impressed with her
logic.
"Look, I know that people escape prosecution all the time. You
work within the rules, and it must burn your ass to see the guilty
walk away, but we have rules to protect the innocent. Someone told
them that I was guilty and got it wrong. If they screwed this up, how
many others have been hurt?" continued Jean.
"You sound pretty strong about this. Aren't you worried that,
since they know who you are, they may come after you again?"
Jean laughed. "What else can they do to me? They've ruined my
life, turned me into a freak, fucked with my mind -what else can they
do to me?"
"Kill you," said Matt.
"So be it. Detective Walsh, I find that I have to concentrate to
not come on to you. I feel this way with every man I see; do you have
any idea what that's like?" she stated. She then smiled for a moment.
"No, of course you don't. What's scary is that I know that I will give
in eventually to someone, and I will do it again and again. I can't
sit back and let them get away with this."
"I'll see what I can do," he said. Matt found that he was
starting to like Jean, she had spirit.
"Thank you. I'll be staying at the Del through the week. Here's
my room number," she said as she wrote down the number.
"I'll call you in the next day or so," he stated.
"Thank you, Detective Walsh," she stated as she stood up. "Thank
you for believing me."
Matt smiled. "I didn't say that I believed you, but I'll make
some phone calls." Actually, he had no idea who to talk to about
this, but he felt he owed it to her to at least try.
Jean laughed. "That's all I can ask for."
"By the way, what made you think that you could trust me? I
mean, I could be in with them," he asked.
Jean shook her head and smiled. "No, you're not with them. A
couple of my captors called you a macho sexist pig who thought he was
god's gift to women, and it sounded like they meant it."
Matt smirked back. "I'm glad that they hold me in such high
regard."
Chapter 5
Jean drove back to the hotel. She knew that she was taking a
risk by contacting Matt, but she couldn't let this lie; she couldn't
let the people who did this to her get away with this. She also knew
that there were others being hurt as this very moment.
They had, for all practical purposes, killed Gene. Her family thought
she was dead, and she decided to let them continue to think so for
now. She wasn't sure how they would react to knowing that she was now
a woman, more or less. She also wasn't sure of who she was yet.
Hopefully, she would find out more of her new life when she returned
to her hotel room.
Jean returned to her room and began to sort through her
belongings. All her clothes were top quality, although most were
quite revealing. The jewelry was all the real thing too. She had no
idea how much it all worth, but she suspected that it was quite
expensive. It was strange that her captors had given her such nice
things.
She opened up one of her Prada suitcases and examined the
contents. It was filled with more designer clothes and a large amount
of high quality lingerie. There was also a leather-bound organizer.
She opened it up and found that it was filled with addresses and
phone numbers. All the people in the book were men. Next to each name
were letter and numeric codes. She paged through the book and found
the key to the code in the back. She gasped when she read it. Her
captors had inflicted one last punishment on her.
"Those fuckers turned me into a high price whore!" she exclaimed
angrily.
The codes listed the sexual preferences of the men and how much
they usually paid.
She began to look through the book and found that there were
several names in the San Diego area. With much trepidation, she
turned to the calendar and found that she had appointments with two
of those men that week. The first one was tomorrow in La Jolla with a
man called Tony, and the other one was in downtown San Diego a few
days later. His name was Lee. That's why they dropped her off here,
she thought. She was here to be a high-priced sexual plaything for
some perverts.
She then went back to the suitcase and opened it, finding a
laptop computer. The room had WiFi, and she logged on and
instinctively checked her mail. Inside was mail from potential
clients. They were forwarded from an escort service in Nevada. She
opened up the webpage for the service and found that it was protected
by a password. Without any hesitation, she typed in an alphanumeric
code, and it opened it. The site had profiles of her and many other
girls.
Jean then was drawn to a secure file on her hard drive. She
opened up the file and found detailed profiles for Tony and Lee. It
listed in explicit details their sexual desires and fantasies. She
then noticed six more files with dates for the next two weeks.
Her mind raced on about what to do; she decided to pack up her stuff
and leave. Just then, her cell phone rang, and she instinctively
answered it.
"Hi, Jean. I'm Tony, and I just wanted to confirm our dinner
date for tomorrow night," he said.
Jean was about to hang up on him, when her programming kicked
in. She felt a strange sense of calmness sweep through her. "Tony,
how nice to hear from you. I can't wait until we get to meet." It was
as if she was being controlled by an outside force. "Is there any
particular way you'd like me to dress tomorrow?"
"Yes, dress in something black and very revealing. I want you in
stockings and high heels; I want you very sexy and hot," said Tony.
His breathing started getting heavier, as if he was getting turned on.
"I have just the dress," said Jean in a very seductive tone.
"Um, one more thing, you are... um functional, right?" he asked
nervously.
"Oh, yes, I'm very functional, as you'll soon see," she replied
with a giggle.
"Great, I can't wait to see you," said Tony.
They talked for a few more minutes concerning the fee for the
evening. Jean automatically knew that she was being paid to be with
Tony as his date. She would get an automatic message on her cell
phone telling her that he had paid his fee. When she had sex with
him, he would "tip" her, making it legal.
Jean hung up the phone and cried.
Chapter 6
Matt returned to his office and checked the database of missing
persons for San Diego and the rest of Southern California. He found
ten names of men who had been accused of sexual assault on the list.
He wondered if they'd ended up like Jean, if not worse. Just on a
hunch, he shifted his search to known transgendered prostitutes in
the area. Several of the names were similar.
He was at a loss on what to do next. He drove home and hoped
that a few cold Steinlagers could help him think. He logged onto his
computer and searched other law enforcement departments. Someone must
have the ability to deal with a case like this, he thought. He
gradually moved up from state to federal.
It then hit him; there was that fed that he had dealt with a few
years earlier. He searched his memory until it came to him: Special
Agent Steve Williams. He looked at his watch; it was after one, and
he doubted that even a Fed would be in his office at this hour.
Still, it wouldn't hurt to leave a message. He found the main number
on the website and dialed it. The operator politely asked him who he
wanted to speak to.
"Special Agent Steve Williams, this is Detective Matt Walsh, San
Diego PD," he stated.
"He's not in his office; would you like his voice mail?" she
asked in a matter-of-fact way.
"Yes, please," he said.
"I'll connect you, Detective Walsh," she said.
Matt heard the standard greeting, and after the beep he left a
message. "I doubt if you remember me, but my name is Detective Matt
Walsh, San Diego PD. I have a case that I think falls into your
jurisdiction. I would appreciate if you called me back at my cell
number and not at the station."
Matt left his number and hung up.
Chapter 7
It was a little past six when Matt's cell phone rang. He fumbled
for it and answered.
"Detective Walsh, this is Special Agent Williams; how can I be
of assistance?'
Matt sat up in bed. He hadn't expected so fast a response.
"Thanks for getting back to me. I doubt you remember me, but I worked
with you a few years ago out here in San Diego. Anyway, I have a
rather unusual case, and I was hoping that you could assist me."
There was a momentary pause on the other end. "I remember you,
Detective Walsh, go ahead."
Matt told Steve about Jean. "I know this sounds crazy, but I
believe her."
There was another long silence on the other end. "Who else have
you talked to about this?"
"No one," replied Matt. He was taken aback by the sudden
seriousness of the tone of the Fed's voice.
"Good, keep it that way. I'll be out there tomorrow; I'll call
you when I arrive," Steve stated.
"That's it? You're not going to tell me anything else?" asked
Matt.
"Nope," replied Steve. "See you tomorrow. Also, do nothing
concerning this case; stay out of your database and any files
regarding the case."
Matt was very surprised by this reaction; at best, he thought he
would be politely jerked around by the Fed and never hear a thing from
him again. The fact that he was actually flying out to San Diego told
Matt that this case was more serious than he'd thought.
"Okay, I look forward to seeing you," replied Matt.
Chapter 8
Jean sauntered into the restaurant wearing a tight little black
dress. It was low cut, and her cleavage was very prominent. She had
tried to fight her programming, but it was impossible. In some ways,
she felt as if she was a puppet. The dominating thought on her mind
now was pleasuring Tony.
Her date for the evening was an overweight balding man in an
expensive Armani suit. She knew from her notes that he was in real
estate.
Jean greeted him as if she had known him for ages.
He got up from the table and kissed her on the lips. "It's good
to see you, Jean. You're even lovelier in person; your photos on the
website don't do you justice."
Jean suddenly recalled the website for the escort service she
worked for and made a note to check it out when she got back to her
room.
As they ate dinner, she could tell that he was getting off by
just being seen with a sexy woman like her. The fact that the woman
had a cock only increased the eroticism of the event for him. She
instinctively knew that this was all part of his fantasy.
For her part, Jean acted as if she was having the time of her
life. She couldn't help but notice the eyes of the other people in
the restaurant. The men were drooling over her, and the women were
viewing her with scorn. When Jean glanced over at one woman, she saw
the woman mouth the word 'whore' at her; she was so right, thought
Jean.
Not surprisingly, the actual sex was over pretty fast. The fact
that Tony's fantasy had been played out exactly as he had planned was
too much for him, and he climaxed very soon into the sexual act. Jean
played along and told him what a wonderful lover he was.
Tony also insisted on giving her oral. For Jean this was so
bizarre, but she went along, as he was paying for it. She also knew
how to pleasure him. Her programming had turned her into an expert in
sex. She should have felt revulsion, but instead she found that she
enjoyed it. She worked his cock in her mouth to get the maximum
response from him and was rewarded by his climax.
Later, as she dressed to leave his hotel room, he told her that
she was incredible. Jean was tempted to ask him how he'd got her
number, but she knew she couldn't.
Tony opened up his wallet and handed Jean her tip for the
evening. It was $2,000. Jean smiled, kissed him, and took the money.
It wasn't until she got to her car that the tears started. She was a
whore, and there was nothing she could do about it. As she wiped her
tears away, her rage grew; she would get those people who'd done this
to her, if it was the last thing she ever did.
Chapter 9
While Jean was pleasing Tony, Steve arrived at Lindbergh Field
and called Matt as he stood in line to get his rental car.
"Matt, this is Steve. I'm staying at the Omni in the Gas Lamp
District, can you come over here?"
"Sure, I'll be there in thirty minutes," said Matt.
A short time later, Matt was sitting across from the Federal
agent.
"I must admit that I'm surprised that you flew out here; to be
honest, I would have been surprised by a return phone call," said
Matt.
"Well, don't let others know, I'd hate to lose our reputation
for being uncooperative. Actually, we've dealt with other
organizations like this in the past. There's a huge market for sex
slaves in the world. This sounds like it may be another supplier,"
said Steve. "A pure vigilante organization would just kill the
suspect. Why spend thousands of dollars just to change their bodies
and then release them? No, there's something more to this. To be
honest, I'm sort of surprised that they let Jean go."
"I was thinking that there had to be something else to this, but
sex slaves?" asked Matt.
"It's a huge business," replied Steve. "Now, have you talked to
Jean today?"
"No, I have her number at the Del if you want it," replied Matt.
"Call, and see if she's in," said Steve.
Matt dialed the number. He shook his head and then left a
message.
"Obviously, she's not in. Well, hopefully she'll call you back.
I had my office access missing persons reports for Southern
California, Arizona, and Nevada and compared them to suspects in
criminal cases," stated Steve.
"What did you find?" asked Matt.
"A higher number than one would expect. We also found that a
large number of male sex-offenders who served minimal sentences also
had gone missing. It appears that this started at least three years
ago; we're checking to see if it goes back further."
"But couldn't they just be men hiding from the law?' asked Matt.
"Maybe they were really guilty and decided to run."
"Some probably are, but many on the list left suddenly, leaving
behind money and other valuables. They also fit into the same range
of physical appearances. Most are young, thin, healthy, and free of
addictions."
"You were able to do all this is one day?" asked Matt.
Steve shook his head. "My head computer tech came up with it in
three hours. Granted, I cheated a little and had the search narrowed
to those men who could be more easily transformed into women."
"Still, there can't be that big of a market for transgendered
sex slaves, right?"
Steve shook his head. "We broke up a major ring a few years ago
that supplied transformed teen slaves to the rich and powerful all
over the world. Even then, we knew we were just scratching the
surface. Now the missing aren't teens, but neither is Jean."
"Okay, so there's a market for sex slaves out there, and they
decide to grab males accused of crimes; why them?"
"Maybe that way they can justify their actions, who knows? Could
be they think that no one will be looking for them. Maybe that's why
they let Jean go, as it violated their code. We won't know until we
start searching," said Steve.
"So where do we start?"
"With Jean - I've arranged for her to get a very through
physical exam. I'll also question her and hopefully we can get some
clues on where to start," said Steve.
"I wish you good luck," said Matt.
"Whoa, you're not walking away from this," stated Steve,
"What do you need me for? I mean, I'm just a local detective; I
have no experience with this sort of stuff," replied Matt.
"First off, Jean trusts you. I imagine that she's doesn't trust
many people right now. Also, I could use some help in dealing with
the locals. If I start asking questions, it might tip them off," said
Steve.
"I have a pretty big workload right now."
Steve smiled and pulled out a piece of paper. He handed it to
Matt.
Matt read it and stared back at Steve. "Is this real?"
"Yep, you've just been recruited for the duration of this case.
I can also tell you, Matt, that, should you wish, this can become
permanent. This letter will be on file with our local office; if
there are problems, we'll show it to your superiors. For now, I'd
like to keep your cooperation a secret - at least until we uncover
the leak."
Matt cocked his head. He had thought about applying to the
agency a few years ago; it would be a big career jump.
"I also checked out your record. You're an above average
investigator, very clean, and ethical, but you'll never rise above
your present rank here because you often don't know when to keep your
mouth shut. You also refuse to play political games," stated Steve.
A smirk grew on Matt's face. "I'm flattered."
"I understand about fighting BS and politics; we can always use
another good agent. When this is over, we'll discuss it, if you want."
Matt nodded.
Chapter 10
Jean arrived back at the Del and saw she had a message. It was
nearly two in the morning, and she decided to wait. The one thing
that couldn't wait was a bath; Jean needed it badly to wash the smell
of sex from her body. As she soaked in hot bath, she replayed what had
happened over and over in her mind. She cursed her programmers for
what they had done to her.
After her bath, she slipped on a silk nightie and feel into a
deep sleep.
Mid-morning, Jean called Matt's cell phone and was relieved to
hear his voice.
"Hi Matt, this is Jean," she said.
"Thanks for calling. I have a friend here who wants to help
you," said Matt. He then asked her if she wanted to meet Steve.
"Do you trust him?" she asked.
"Yes, I do," he replied.
"Okay, I'll talk to him," she replied. "Thank you for taking me
seriously."
They talked for a few minutes and set up an appointment.
Chapter 11
Jean was sitting next to Matt as they drove to meet Steve. She
was wearing a floral pattern satin dress. As with her pervious
outfits, it showed off her curvaceous body. Her hair and makeup was
also perfect.
"Do you always look so... nice?" asked Matt as a grin appeared
on his face.
Jean smiled back softly. "I can't dress down; I don't feel
comfortable unless I'm looking my best. My programming doesn't seem
to allow it."
She hadn't told him yet about her meeting with Tony. She decided
to wait until she talked with the federal agent. Jean was a little
nervous about meeting the agent, as she wasn't sure how he would
react to her. She was slightly suspicious of government agents, but
she was willing to overcome these feelings to get the people who had
changed her.
They pulled into an industrial park filled with offices and
warehouses. It was pretty nondescript, thought Jean. They walked into
an office marked Regent Marketing. The front door was locked and Matt
pressed the button next to the intercom.
"This is Matt Walsh to see Steve Williams," he said.
The door buzzed and they walked inside. There was a desk with a
receptionist sitting behind it. The receptionist didn't say a word
and just motioned for them to sit down. A minute later, a large man
in a navy suit stepped out of one the offices.
What struck Jean was how average he looked; he was a pleasant
looking man, but there was no really distinctive aspect of his looks.
He could blend in anywhere unnoticed. He had short brown hair and was
clean shaven. She noticed that, even in his suit, he was obviously in
very good shape.
He smiled as he greeted Matt and then turned to Jean "I'm Special
Agent Steve Williams; I'm pleased to meet you, Ms. Logan."
His pleasant smile made Jean feel immediately at ease; she felt that
she could trust him.
"Pleased to meet you too, Agent Williams," she replied.
"Please call me Steve," he said. "Now, let's go back to my office and
talk. Would either of you like something to drink?"
"Coffee would be nice, thank you, Steve, and please call me Jean,"
stated Jean.
Matt nodded. "Coffee would be fine."
"Three coffees, please, Grace," said Steve as he led the others into
his office. "Please sit down."
Steve sat down behind a desk. Matt and Jean sat down in plush leather
chairs across from him.
"I know this seems a little cloak and daggerish, but I didn't want to
bring you into our main office downtown. Matt told me your suspicions
concerning the local authorities, and I agree with you."
The receptionist walked in and set down a tray with mugs of coffee
and departed.
""Where do we start?" asked Jean.
"Tell me your story," said Steve. "Now, just so you know, I'll be
taping this. I'll also be asking you a lot of questions. It's not
that I doubt you, it's just that I may want a more detailed
description of something."
Jean nodded. "Fair enough." She then began to tell Steve her story.
"When the dart hit you, did you pass out immediately?" he interrupted.
Jean nodded. "Yes, I was out immediately. Is that important?"
"It shows that someone planned the abduction. For a drug to work
instantly, the dose needs to be set for the victim's weight. Too
much, and it will kill; not enough, and they might have time to
scream or escape. Please continue."
Jean began to describe the meeting with the people she called the
committee.
"Can you provide us with descriptions of each voice?" asked Steve.
"Yes. I've always had a knack for voices and languages. It's sort of
a hobby of mine," she replied.
"Excellent, I'd like you to provide as detailed as possible a
description of each person," said Steve.
"Right now?" asked Jean.
"No, but can you tell me a little about them?" asked Steve. "What
stands out?"
Jean thought about it. "There were three men and four women. Man One
had a New York City accent; he was the oldest one. There was a slight
click when he talked; I think he may have dentures. Man Two was also
from back east, highly educated, spoke in perfect English, no slang
or curses. He used many legal terms and was very precise in his
terminology. Man Three didn't speak much. Judging by his language
skills, I would say he was the least educated of the three. I think
he was from Philly or South Jersey, and I think he was the one who
abducted me."
"Did you get a look at him?" asked Steve.
"Just a quick look - he had a dark complexion with a thick moustache
and dark curly hair. I initially thought he was Mexican-American, but
now I think he might be Italian-American; it would match the accent
better," she replied.
Steve nodded. So far he was impressed with Jean's memory. "Please
continue."
"Women One had a slight French accent. Still, she spoke English in a
very proper and formal manner. She was obviously well educated and
had a medical background. She was the one who briefed me on each one
of my many surgeries. Woman Two was Chinese, and she was the one who
brainwashed me. Woman Three had the same sort of pretentious form of
language as Man Two, and Woman Four also had a slight French accent.
I think she may have been from Quebec though. I can give you more
detailed descriptions later."
"Good. This is a great start, Jean."
Jean smiled and continued telling Steve about her transformation.
"So you believe that when you were recovering from your surgery they
conducted the programming?" asked Steve.
"Yes. Woman One would brief me on what they were about to do to me
and how I would be more feminine when I would wake up. She took great
joy in seeing me squirm. When she gave me my breast implants, she told
me how they would attract men and how they would be big enough that a
man could fuck them, shooting his cum into my eager mouth. She
obviously saw me cringe, and she laughed, saying that soon I would
crave the taste of cum. She laughed telling me how I would soon be a
total slut, and that she loved doing this to me. I hate her."
"Sounds like a real bitch," said Steve.
"She is," replied Jean. "Anyway, when I woke up from my breast
enlargement surgery, I was totally healed, very little pain. I began
to think about how nice it would be to pleasure a man, to have him
fill my mouth with his seed. The thoughts were very strong, and it
was as if I had always had them. It was this way with each round of
surgery."
"I've heard of this kind of mental programming," said Steve. "It's
very difficult to counteract, especially if it is enforced using
chemicals. When we do your physical, we'll analyze your body's
chemistry. If drugs were used, they should still be detectable."
"I need to tell you both something now. I wasn't released scot-free.
I'm a working escort," confessed Jean. She then told them about the
information in her calendar and computer and her rendezvous with Tony.
"That may explain why they let you go here," said Matt.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you immediately," said Jean. Tears began to
roll down her face.
Matt reached over and took Jean by the hands. "It's okay. I
understand that there's nothing you can do about it. I don't think
any less of you."
"Jean, you're a victim; and this is just part of the process. I'm
sorry that they did this to you, but it may lead to their undoing,"
said Steve. He handed her a box of tissues.
"What... what do you mean?" she asked.
"You say that you work for an escort service; well, this may lead us
back to the people who did this to you. No legitimate service would
just put you on their payroll, especially sight unseen. I'll have my
computer people see what they can find, and I'll start an
investigation of the service," said Steve.
"I suppose that I should just keep working for them, so that they
don't get suspicious," said Jean.
"There has to be another way," said Matt.
"I'm open to suggestions," replied Jean. "Look, if my doing this buys
time to find the monsters that did this to me, then I'll do it.
Besides, until there's a way to reverse what's been done to my mind,
I really don't have a choice."
"What happens if they grab you again?" asked Matt.
"We can track her," said Steve.
"How?" asked Matt.
"There are ways. We can take care of it tomorrow," said Steve.
"Do you really think that this is that serious?" asked Jean.
"Yes, I do. From what you've told us, this is a well-funded and
highly organized group. They have no regard for the rights of others
and seem to take perverse delight in hurting others. From past
experience, I doubt if they're limiting their abductions to adults,
as teens and children are even more profitable," explained Steve.
"My god, you don't think that they would do this to kids?" asked Jean.
"I've helped break up other groups that have done things like this,"
said Steve. He looked at his watch. "It's getting late; I think we
should end this for today."
Jean looked at her watch, it was almost seven. "I had no idea we were
here so long."
"I'd like to see you back here tomorrow morning, Jean. I'd like to
continue our interview. My medical team will be here in a few days
and will conduct a physical. Is that okay with you?" asked Steve.
"Absolutely," she replied.
"Um, when is your next client?" he asked.
"Not until tomorrow evening. I expect to hear from him tonight," she
replied.
"Can't you find a way to get out of it?" asked Matt.
Jean smiled at his gesture; it was obvious that he had compassion
towards her. "I can't, Matt. I can't fight the feelings inside me.
They're too strong. Besides, if I cancel the appointment, it might
tip off the people who did this to me."
"Isn't there anything you can do for her?" asked Matt.
"Not until we figure out the process; even then there's no
guarantee," answered Steve.
"It could be worse," said Jean.
"How?" asked Matt.
"I don't know; I just wanted to sound positive. Look, my clients are
all high rollers; as much as I hate doing it, I doubt I'll be in any
danger," she replied.
"I'll drive you back to your hotel," said Matt.
"No, I'll do it; it's best that you're not seen with her in public,
Matt. In fact, don't come back tomorrow; I'll brief you on everything
later," stated Steve. "You two shouldn't be seen together."
"Okay, you're right," said Matt. He knew Steve was right. He looked
over at Jean and thought he saw something in her eyes as she stared
back at him.
Chapter 12
"So tell me about yourself, Steve," asked Jean, as they drove towards
Coronado. "I noticed that you're married."
"Yep, and I love it. Maggie is also in the agency, but she's on a
leave of absence since our son was born," he stated as he held up his
hand, exposing his wedding ring.
"That's nice. Do you only have one child?" asked Jean.
"No, we also have a daughter; she just started her freshman year at
Penn," he replied. "Her name is Beth."
"That's amazing," she replied. She noticed the sense of pride in
Steve's voice when he talked about his daughter. "Why so long between
children?"
"Beth is adopted," explained Steve. "Not that it makes any
difference; we both love her as if she was our own."
"Oh."
"It's a long story, but she's the reason Maggie and I first met,"
said Steve.
"Why do I have the feeling that there's a very interesting story
behind that?" said Jean.
"There is," replied Steve. "It all started not far from here."
"But you're not going to tell me everything, right?" she asked.
"Not right now," he answered. "I will tell you one thing; Beth was
once abducted by an organization that turned teens into sex slaves.
We knew she was targeted, and to make a long story short, we got her
back unharmed and recovered dozens of kidnapped teens. Many were
recovered from the sick bastards who had bought them. We also
destroyed the organization that was responsible."
He then gave her a short version of the raid on Margo Simon's farm.
"Did you get all the teens back?" asked Jean.
Steve shook his head. "We broke up the ring, but not all survived.
Even some we physically recovered, we never really got back, if you
know what I mean."
"Why didn't I hear about this? I mean, it sounds like this would have
been a big deal. Did it happen while I was being changed?"
"We kept it low key, partially to protect the teens and their
families; they had suffered enough. I can't imagine what the press
would do with a story like that," said Steve. "Most of the people we
arrested copped a plea; the last thing they wanted was a public
trial."
Jean thought about what Steve had said. "I understand. So this isn't
just a regular investigation to you."
Steve glanced over at her. "That's right. After seeing something
really vile, it's hard to ignore it. I take this sort of thing rather
personally now, as it's affected my family and people very close to
me."
Jean could tell that he wasn't telling her everything, but she also
knew that she could count on Steve to protect her.
"We'll continue talking about your abduction and transformation
tomorrow. My medical team will be in town the following day to
examine you," said Steve. "Whoever did your surgery was a specialist;
they had to learn their skills somewhere. Hopefully, our medical
experts will be able to get some clues as to where they learned them."
"She said that if she had kept me longer, she had other operations
that she wanted to perform on me," said Jean.
"Like what?" asked Steve.
"She wanted to make my breasts even larger. Right now they're 40-F;
she wanted to make them huge - rather make that really huge. She also
said that she wanted to make my waist smaller, sort of like a living
Barbie," explained Jean. "I think she got off on molding other
people."
"I've met a few people like that," stated Steve.
Jean sighed. "Do you think that they'll leave me alone?"
"I don't know," replied Steve. "I do have something that might put
your mind at ease; we have a device that can be planted in your body.
It's a bio-electric tracker. It runs off your body, and we can detect
your location from five miles away."
"Really?"
Steve nodded. "I'll have our medical people implant one in you. It's
painless and will last for sixty days. It's also biodegradable, so it
will just be absorbed by your body."
"I'm sorry," said Jean.
"For what?" asked Steve.
"I always thought you feds were a waste of tax dollars. I had no idea
that you were fighting these sorts of crimes."
Steve laughed. "Thanks for being honest."
Chapter 13
Jean had dinner in her room, as she didn't feel like eating alone in
the dining room; she also didn't want to be stared at. She wondered
if she would have friends like Steve and Matt when this was all over,
if it ever ended.
Her phone rang a little after ten; it was Lee. He was a
Korean-American businessman. From her files, Jean knew that he liked
oral, both receiving and giving. He also liked to have sex in public
places. Jean shrugged her shoulders, thinking it could be worse.
They agreed to meet for drinks at the Prado Restaurant in Balboa
Park. Jean knew it well, having eaten there several times on dates.
She figured that he picked it because it would give him a large
selection of places to have sex. He said that he wanted her dressed
in pink. Jean agreed.
After she hung up the phone, she poured herself another glass of
wine. She knew that tomorrow night at this time she would be having
sex with Lee; she shivered involuntarily at the thought. She prayed
that Steve and Matt would be able to do something to prevent this
from becoming her life. The idea of being a high priced escort for
the rest of her life was nauseating. Jean knew that if they failed,
it would be her fate. She debated taking her own life and knew that
she had been programmed not to. They had thought of everything she
thought, but then again, maybe they hadn't. The tears began to roll
down her face, and she cried herself to sleep.
Chapter 14
Jean was wearing a white floral sundress with spaghetti straps,
drinking a cup of coffee as she told Steve the rest of her story.
"How many applications of the hair removal solution did they use on
your body?" asked Steve.
"Two," replied Jean. "I'm completely hair-free from the neck down.
They used laser and electrolysis on my face."
"Interesting, Margo Simon used a similar solution on the teens she
captured. Beth had one treatment, and it took nearly three months
until she had hair growth again," said Steve.
"That sounds about right," said Jean.
"Now, you said that you were programmed to dress as you do, but how
did you learn to do your hair and makeup?" asked Steve.
"The first time, I woke up in my room and found the cosmetics on my
makeup table. I was directed how to apply them. I never saw anyone
while I was in captivity. I would apply my makeup and receive
comments from a speaker located above the mirror. I spent several
hours a day practicing my makeup and hair skills. The programming
made me complacent and obedient," explained Jean. "I feel naked
unless I'm made up."
"So you were never threatened or hurt?" asked Steve,
"No, not once. It made my submission more humiliating, as it made me
feel as if I gave up without a fight," she replied.
"Do you still feel that way?" asked Steve.
"Deep down, I know I didn't have a chance, but I still feel the pain
of submission to 'them.' I guess that was part of my punishment," she
replied.
Steve looked at his watch. "I think we should cut this short today. I
don't want you to be late for your appointment tonight."
Jean laughed. "I never thought a law enforcement officer would say
something like that."
Steve smiled. "I've had to do some strange things in my line of work.
How's the leg?"
She glanced down at the small Band-Aid on her right ankle. "It
doesn't hurt anymore. I can't believe how small the bug is."
"I feel better knowing you have it," said Steve.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she stood up. "Don't worry about
me, I'll be okay. I guess I'm going to have to do some strange things
in my line of work too."
Steve called Matt's cell phone number after Jean left. Matt was
presently driving back from a crime scene.
"You sure she'll be okay?" Matt asked.
Steve nodded. "She'll be fine. Look, I'm not any happier than you are
about her going off, but if she doesn't, then her captors might notice
and go deep. I want to nail them badly."
"Okay, so what happens now?" asked Matt.
"We're working on a database of criteria and compar