Secrets and Lies

The moment I was inside my room I closed and locked the door, then peeled off everything I was wearing and stepped straight into the shower.

I needed at least a good twenty or thirty minutes under the hot water before I finally started to feel clean. When I eventually emerged and dried off there was a brief moment of indecision as I considered getting dressed again. It was well past dinner time and I hadn't eaten anything since lunch. And with a pub right across the road it wouldn't have been a big deal to pop out for a bite.

In the end though I realized I wasn't ready to face either the noise or the crowd, so I decided to call it an early night and pulled on my nightgown. I still had some snack food left over from earlier visits to the local grocery, a granola bar and a couple cookies made for a small but satisfying meal washed down with a bottle of spring water.

Before climbing into bed I started gathering my clothes up off the floor, and that's when I realized my favourite hoodie was still coated in the disgusting slime. That led to me spending another half hour in the little washroom as I attempted to clean the garment in the sink, but I had a feeling it was probably ruined. The gunk seemed to leave a permanent stain in the material that wasn't coming out.

I finally left the hoodie hanging in the shower to dry, then flopped into bed with my phone. I spent the rest of the evening scrolling through social media and reading, to try and keep my mind off the horrific impossible experiences I'd been through only an hour or two earlier.

Sleep didn't come easily that night, and like I'd predicted that monster turned up in my dreams more than once to startle me awake again. Even so, I managed to get up in time for Mrs. Whitmore's breakfast service Friday morning. I dressed casual again, in sneakers leggings and a tee, and stained or not I pulled on my trusty hoodie as well. Then with my phone in my purse I made my way downstairs to the dining room.

I'd only just got started on a delicious plate of toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs when my mobile started ringing. I was alone at the table though so I didn't have to worry about seeming rude when I pulled it out and answered, "Sharpe here."

"Good morning detective," a young woman's voice responded. "It's PC Blake calling, sorry for bothering you so early."

I replied, "That's fine Mary. What's up, is everything alright?"

She sighed, "I'm just a little worried about Inspector Carter? I received a text message from him this morning, advising that he was taking a sick day today. Nigel said he last saw you and the inspector going off with a couple suspects last night though, which got us worried. I called the inspector back to try and confirm he's ok, but he's not answering his phone. Do you know if he's alright?"

I had another sip of my coffee while the constable was speaking, then quickly decided how to handle her question. I didn't want to lie, but I also didn't want to violate the inspector's privacy. He obviously wasn't prepared to deal with his staff yet, and it certainly wasn't my place to reveal anything on his behalf.

So I responded, "We had a bit of a rough night, but he told me he was alright when he dropped me off here at the B&B. I know he's been burning the candle at both ends for a while, I'm sure he's probably just tired. I'll give him a call though, after I've finished breakfast."

"Thank you detective, I appreciate it!" PC Blake replied. "If you hear anything please let us know."

"Will do Mary. Talk to you later," I told her. Then as soon as we'd disconnected I sent Carter a text asking how he was doing, and let him know his staff were worried about him.

With that out of the way I got back to enjoying my breakfast, but it was only a couple minutes later when my phone buzzed with a message. Sure enough it was from the inspector, asking if I'd be available to meet him in front of the B&B in thirty minutes. I texted back that I'd be there, and after that I was able to get through the rest of my meal without any further interruptions.

When the time came I was waiting on the sidewalk, and just half a minute later Carter's antique Rover pulled to a stop in front of me.

"How are you doing this morning?" I asked as I climbed up into the passenger seat.

The inspector got us moving again the moment I'd closed the door. Then he replied, "Better. I still have a great many concerns, but for now I have a plan of action and I'm hoping I can count on your assistance?"

"Of course," I nodded as I got my seatbelt secured.

Hearing his new voice again this morning was another shocking little reminder of how much he'd changed, and as soon as I was settled in I finally turned to properly focus on my temporary boss.

Now that I could see Carter in full daylight his physical changes were even more jarring than his voice. And I absolutely hated the fact that the first word to pop into my mind when I saw him was MILF. It was true though, even without make-up and in ill-fitting clothing he looked hot.

His long silky hair was a rich chestnut colour, and it hung down well past his shoulders. It looked like he'd done a good job brushing it this morning too. His face was oval-shaped, with high cheekbones and smooth fair skin. His eyes were a beautiful bright hazel, with numerous flecks of green and gold. And his full pink lips were wide and seemed to have a slight natural pout to them.

The inspector's outfit was different this morning too, he had a pair of grey sweat pants and a matching jumper on top, and sneakers on his feet. Nothing fit quite right, but his new feminine figure was a lot more noticeable now than when it was hidden under his beige trench coat.

When I finally got over the various surprises from his new appearance I realized we were heading east, which meant we were travelling the opposite direction from the local detachment office.

"What's the plan?" I asked. "Are we going back to Ainthorpe, to speak with Campbell and Smith?"

Carter nodded, "We need to get their statements. I don't imagine there's much point trying to arrest them, even though we know they've committed several crimes over the past week. I doubt we'll have much luck convincing a judge of any of this, but we still need to do our part."

"Yes sir," I nodded in agreement.

It was only another minute or so before we reached the little village, and not long after that we pulled up in front of the rental cottage. There was no sign of Campbell's Grandland though, and I hadn't noticed it by the pub when we passed through Ainthorpe. That left me with a sinking feeling, as Carter and I approached then knocked at the door.

There was no answer, and we couldn't see any sign of either Martin or Phoebe when we looked in through the windows.

"Looks like they've buggered off," the inspector sighed. He didn't seem surprised, but he did sound disappointed.

Meanwhile I was a little more annoyed. I scowled, "They promised they'd stick around."

"Not much we can do about it now," Carter shrugged as we headed back to his Rover. "We know where to find them, if needs be I'm sure the police in Cardiff can follow up with them."

As we climbed back into his vehicle I remembered I'd told Mary I'd check in with her so I asked, "Do you mind if I let PC Blake know you're alright?"

"And is there anything you want me to tell her?" I added. "Or anything you don't want me to say?"

He grimaced slightly, "I'm not ready for them to know what happened to me. Maybe just tell her I'm alright but need a day to unwind and sort myself out?"

"Of course," I nodded.

The inspector was quiet while I made the call, which only took a minute or two. That was enough to assuage the constable's concerns, then once I'd disconnected Carter started up the old Rover and we got moving again.

"Where to now?" I asked as I noticed we were heading east again.

Carter sounded a little unsure of himself as he replied, "Into Whitby, if you don't mind? I uh, need to get myself some new clothes. And I hope this isn't too great an imposition, but I thought perhaps you might be able to help me figure that out."

"I'd also like to see Maureen," he added nervously. "I still don't know what to tell her though."

"Ah," I nodded slowly. "Well I can definitely help with the first thing. And while we're doing that we can try and figure out the second thing."

Then after another hesitation I asked, "How are you feeling about all this? I don't mean to pry, but I haven't forgotten what Phoebe and Martin said, about how the effects might manifest. I haven't forgotten Phoebe's decisions either, regarding her name and pronouns."

Carter didn't reply right away, and we ended up spending the next several minutes driving in silence. In fact we were probably more than halfway to Whitby when he finally spoke up again. And when he did, he sounded almost embarrassed.

"I probably spent two or three hours staring at myself in mirrors, between last night and this morning," he confessed. "Not to mention the ordeal of showering to get that gunk off."

The inspector took a deep breath then let it out in a long sigh, "I suppose I've gone through quite a bit of soul-searching and self-discovery over the past twelve hours. I have to admit it's difficult to talk about this, but I know I can't put it off indefinitely. And no offence Trillium but you're probably the best and easiest person for me to try this out with. So here goes."

After another deep breath Carter announced, "Going forward I'd like to try using the name Jenny, rather than James. And I'm also going to try using she-her pronouns."

"Having said that," she added quickly, "I'd appreciate if you could forward me the details on that spell of yours? I'd like to have a look at it, and have it available incase I change my mind."

Hearing all that filled me with some conflicting emotions. If she was a trans woman I'd be happily congratulating her on coming out. Knowing how this came about though left me feeling a little uncomfortable, and I really didn't know how to respond. What I needed to know was how she felt about her situation, but she hadn't actually answered that question. So I decided to ask again.

"Jenny's a cute name," I replied cautiously, "I think it suits you. And of course, I'll forward you a link to that spell today. Can I ask though, how do you feel about all this? If you were trans I'd be congratulating you for getting through a big milestone, but in this case I'm not sure if that'd be appropriate."

The inspector seemed to think that over for a half minute. Then her expression shifted to a hesitant smile as she admitted, "I feel a lot better now that I've finally made the decision and said it out loud. Like a huge weight's just been lifted."

"I'm Jenny Carter," she added with a little more confidence. "I may not have been a woman yesterday, but I am today. And every time I say it I feel a little better about myself."

I nodded, "Alright Jenny. In that case congratulations, I'm glad you're feeling better. And I'm happy to help you find some new outfits. As for breaking the news to Maureen and the rest of your colleagues, we can figure that out together."

We spent the rest of the drive discussing styles and looks and things like that, which to her credit Jenny handled with only the occasional blush. It wasn't until I started talking about bras and the importance of getting properly measured and fitted that the inspector's cheeks seemed to take on a brighter shade of pink.

Once we actually got started shopping though her confidence seemed to return, and there were even times when Jenny seemed quite happy as she tried on different outfits and ensembles.

Her ill-fitting track suit and shoes were discarded within the first half hour. Now she was rocking a pair of low-heeled dark brown ankle boots, tight navy blue pants with a matching jacket, and a pretty pale yellow blouse. The outfit perfectly accentuated her new curves, from her legs to her behind, narrow waist to moderate bust. She finished it off with a cute new beige overcoat that was an obvious replacement for her 'trademark' trench coat.

And that was just what she chose to wear today, there were many more bags full of clothes that ended up in the cargo area of her old Rover. She had a few more 'business' outfits appropriate for work, but she also picked up plenty of casual items too. I even splurged on a new hoodie at one point, then bid my stained and desecrated former-favourite garment goodbye. The new one was a dark charcoal grey, and was even more comfy than its predecessor. It had nicer pockets too, with zippers so I wouldn't risk losing things in there.

We were some ninety minutes into the shopping expedition when Jenny decided she had enough new clothes, and now it was time to focus on the other reason she'd wanted to come to Whitby.

"I've been thinking about how to explain all this to everyone," she commented as she gestured towards herself. "I'm not sure people would believe me if I told them the truth, and for that matter I can't help thinking someone up the chain of command may well decide the whole situation needs to be classified or something?"

I nodded, "That crossed my mind as well. I could see them wanting to keep a lid on it, rather than risk some sort of public panic."

She agreed then continued, "So we know the full moon's today, I could claim to have used the spell. Tell everyone I was part of the seventh wave. It might be easier for people to accept that, than the idea of supernatural monsters roaming the moors."

"Maureen will know the truth though," she added quickly. "I can't keep something like this from her. I just need to figure out how to explain it."

I thought about that for a moment then suggested, "It's almost lunchtime. Why not invite her to meet you somewhere? I can be there too, for moral support. And I can vouch for you if necessary, that you're really you and that I was there when it happened."

Jenny considered that for a few moments then nodded, "Alright. That's probably better than just turning up at her office and trying to convince her while all her staff are snooping around."

"I can't comment on the rest of her staff, but I certainly wouldn't want to have that conversation while Sally Stewart was in the building," I commented with a grimace.

The inspector rolled her eyes and suppressed a shudder, then pulled out her phone and sent off a couple text messages. That process took a few minutes, but by the end of it the arrangements were made and the two of us set off to the restaurant she and Maureen picked.

And despite it seeming to me that every other restaurant in Whitby was some manner of fish and chip shop, we actually ended up in a nice-looking Indian place just across the street from the train station. That was only a short walk from Dr. O'Conner's office, and it turned out she'd beat us there by a minute or two.

Jenny's confidence wavered slightly as we approached the table where her friend was waiting, and she grew a little more nervous at the doctor's surprised expression when she noticed the attractive brunette standing next to me.

"Hello detective Sharpe," O'Conner greeted me. "Is James out looking for somewhere to park that rolling antique of his?"

Carter took a deep breath then introduced herself, "Maureen it's me. It's a long story which Trillium and I can share if you're willing to listen. But in short, I'm going by Jenny now, rather than James. May we join you?"

The doctor's eyebrows almost launched themselves clear off the top of her head as she stared in shock at her friend. It took her a few seconds to get past the initial surprise, then she slowly nodded as she looked Jenny up and down. "Of course. It seems like the two of you have been through quite the adventure. I'm looking forward to hearing about it."

"Thank you," Carter replied as the two of us sat down opposite Dr. O'Conner.

Over the next hour or so we quietly explained what happened, while the three of us enjoyed a large lunch of Murgi Masala, Tandoori King Prawns, and a spicy Lamb Vindaloo. Partway through the meal Maureen texted her office that something had come up and she'd be taking the rest of the day off. And by the time we'd all had enough to eat I could tell my assistance was no longer required.

So I left some cash on the table to cover my share of the meal, then quietly excused myself and slipped away while the two gal pals continued getting reacquainted with each other.