[bbettyblambabam]

Thanks for the kind words! Have another chapter!

"You look rather chipper today." Alan said to Kirstin as they rode together towards U of M campus.

'Hmm?" Kirstin wasn't paying attention, she was too busy thinking about Sakeena and what she said the night before.

"Just knock next time..."



"Oh, uh, I guess I just got some good sleep." she said, laughing nervously as she parked the car against the sidewalk. "The past couple of nights haven't been great if you know what I mean." she didn't like reminding her peers about her embarrassing night, but Alan was unlike most of the others in that he didn't stare at her with lust filled eyes.

"That's good. So how do you want to handle this?" he asked as he unbuckled his seat belt.

"Just keep an eye on her and I'll do the talking. I want to see how she responds, my guess is if she did know anything she's going to be highly anxious about us."

"What makes you say that?"

"If you were in another country whose laws you didn't entirely know and the police approached you about a dead body would you be able to keep cool?"

"Good point." Alan held his hands over his eyes as he surveyed the area outside of the Education building. Located on one of the busier streets in Ann Arbor, University Ave, the sidewalks were already overflowed with students walking to their next class. "So the good news is that there was only Helena with a last name that sounded French, the bad news is there's a good chance that it could be the nine other Helena's enrolled at U of M if it isn't her."

"What's the last name?"

"Delaforge"

"Well at least we have her picture." Kirstin said, looking down at the copy of the profile pic they printed. She looked up to Alan and leaned close to his ear, "You didn't...tell anyone where we were going right?"

"No, wwwhy?" he asked slowly, raising an eyebrow as to why she was being discrete all of the sudden.

"Hillier again." Kirstin said with a roll of her eyes. "I think she's trying to beat us to it, so this being on the down low would be best for us." and for Kirstin. Alan approached her early with the list of names and Kirstin felt if they left now, Hillier couldn't grill her for details. Besides, hopefully after today, the blackmail scheme would be a thing of the past.

Alan raised his eyebrows as he shook his head. "Seriously, the less she has to do with homicide the better. Bad enough she racially profiles black people for drugs, I don't even want to think what happens when she wants to arrest them for murder. She has to be the only cop in Ann Arbor who gives a shit about people smoking pot."

"When their not white though correct?" Kirstin chimed in as they walked towards the Dept of Education building.

Alan nodded. "Mmmhmm." he mused, "Little Miss Confederate, savin' Ann Arbor from one pot-smoking criminal at a time." he said with a laugh.

Kirstin chuckled as well, stepping past Alan as he held the door open for her. The sight of students in their 20s brought Kirstin back to her own time in college, making her think again of all the interpersonal connections she missed.

Ahead, they spotted campus guard dressed in a dark blue uniform leaving a nearby cafe. he was in his mid 40s, black hair turning grey and gut starting to hang over his belt. He had a cup of coffee in his hand. Kirstin nudged Alan and then walked up to the man who blew on the top before taking a sip. "Excuse me, officer, do you regularly patrol this area?"

The man stopped and nodded as he stared at Kirstin and Alan. "Yes I do, may i ask who you are?"

Kirstin reached for the badge on her belt and said, "I'm Detective Delaney, this is my colleague Detective Howard. I won't take up too much of your time, I was just wondering if you have ever seen this student around campus?" she held up the photo of Helena.

The officer leaned closer, squinting his eyes as he got a look at the picture. "Hmm...I believe I've seen her around maybe. I dunno, they all look the same to me you know?"

Sighing, Kirstin nodded. "Indeed sir, her name is Helena. We believe she might be a first year student. Do you have an idea where we might be able to locate her?"

The officer held his free hand on his belt. "That depends, may I ask what this is about?"

"We were hoping to ask her some questions pertaining to a case that is involved on campus. She is not a suspect, just a person of interest."

"It's the murder that happened two nights ago isn't it?" he asked as he drank his coffee, watching Kirstin nod her head. He looked away from them, weighing his options in the ethics of giving away a students' whereabouts. "Well if she is a first year, she's probably in the Kaufman-Gail Residence. That's an all women's dorm. She's bound to be in and out of there if you wait outside. At the very least, one of the RA's could point you to her."

"Where is that dorm located?"

"Off of State Street." he set down his coffee and pulled out a notepad. "Let me get you the address." he scribbled it down and handed the note to Kirstin. "Good luck.

Kirstin and Alan had to walk across town to Central Campus where the dorm was located. It was a three story building, a clash of light blue paint and bricks, while new, still gave the dorm its old look, hundreds of years of history standing still while places around it rose and fall.

Kirstin held the door open for Alan as they stepped inside. The faint sound of a piano could be heard in the distance and Kirstin was reminded of a private school as she looked at the hardwood floors and old portraits from the 1800s on the wall. Two hallways stood on either side of Kirstin and she nudged her head towards the side where the source of the music came from.

The music got louder, the keys striking in an upbeat motion, the notes cutting off so fast that it didn't seem like it was a classical piece. They stopped at the end of the hall, staring at the open room where several couches and chairs were laid out in a semi-circle. On the other end was a large Steinway piano, the lid left open to showcase the hammers striking the strings.

Sitting in front of sat a woman wearing a long black skirt under a brown knit sweater. Thick, black rimmed glasses sat atop her face and her curly brown hair was tied in a bun. Upon standing several feet away, Kirstin could see freckles across the front of her face. The student looked up and adjusted her glasses, "Um..hi?"

"Hi there. Sorry to bother you." Kirstin began. "We were wondering if you could help us locate a student." she held open her jacket to showcase her badge.

"What for?" the student asked, her body frozen as she stared at the badge.

"Just to ask some questions, she's not in trouble."

WIth a shrug, the student said, "I can try."

Alan produced the picture and handed it to the woman. She took one look at it and bit her lip. "Umm..that's my roommate. Why do you want to speak with her?"

Kirstin took a deep breath to contain the excitement from her luck and said, "We're investigating the murder of a student and we're trying to investigate who may have had contact with him. Do you know if she's home?"

With a sigh, the woman handed the photo back. "She might. you're sure she's not in trouble?"

Both detectives nodded. Kirstin said, "We just have a few questions to ask her, if we had reason to believe she was, we would have came in with a warrant." Kirstin watched as the student's agitation showed, her slumped posture and foot that started to shake as it was crossed over the other.

"Okay, let me take you to our room." she said in a dry tone. She bent down to pick up her bag and stood up from her bench. She led Alan and Kirstin down the hall towards the other end of the dormitory where a flight of stairs led them up to the second floor. The halls became narrower as they were only corridors bridging the distance between each room.

The student, whose name was Maggie, stopped at a door on her right. "hang on just a second." she grabbed her keys and unlocked the door while Kirstin exchanged glances with Alan, a tacit reminder to their original plan.

"Helena? You home?" Maggie asked. No response came and she gestured for the two officers to come inside. She led them down a small corridor that opened up into a small kitchen adjacent to a tiny living room space.

Watching Maggie walk into the living room and turn to the left, Kirstin could hear a squeal and then a loud thud, causing both Alan and her to rush into the room. "Oh! There you are. Did i scare you?" Maggie asked .

Kirstin rushed in to see a small room containing two beds on either side along with two desks. Laying down in the bed on the right was a young woman with long jet black hair, the top of a white t-shirt peaking out above a red bedsheet that was gripped tight under her fingers. She had a look of terror on her face as she looked from her roommate to Kirstin and Alan. Sitting on the floor in front of the bed was a laptop, the lid open with a black screen. Kirsten could see a crack form on the back of the screen, even at small distances they were useless in withstanding impact.

"Wh-what is this about? Who are they?" the student asked. The accent and the appearance made Kirstin happy that they had found their mystery student, but it didn't explain why she had a slight shade of pink to her face.

"These are cops. They said they wanted to ask you some things."Maggie assured her. She turned to Kirstin and Alan, "She's um nervous, she's actually a student from France so she's not used to talking to police in America.

"That's understandable." Kirstin said as she held up a hand before addressing the nervous woman in bed. "Helena? I'm detective Delaney, you aren't in trouble, my colleague and I just wanted to ask you some questions. Is it okay if we do that?"

With wide eyes, Helena looked from Kirstin to Alan. "What is this about?"

"Just about a student we'd like to know if you had contact with. Are you...okay? You seem upset." Kirstin asked, wondering why Helena's hands were shaking, as if letting go of the covers would result in loss of life.

"Could you give me a moment?" Helena asked.

Looking to Alan, Kirstin raised an eyebrow and turned back to Helena, "I suppose so."

With a scoff, Maggie reached forward and grabbed the covers. "Helena just get out of bed and talk to them."

"No don't!" Helena cried but it was too late. The bedsheet was ripped off, exposing the rest of her body. Her shirt was rolled up, revealing a taut stomach and long pale legs under a pair of white panties with bunny rabbits printed on them. They were slightly curved, not a full bikini but not exactly boy briefs.

While the panties were white, Kirstin noticed a darker shade form around the base of the crotch, a stain spreading out over the rest of Helena's vulva. She was not entirely without pants, her jeans were pooled down around her ankles. "Oh no!" Helena cried as she folded both her hands over her underwear, turning her head away to conceal how red it was turning. "I'm ..sorry!"

The three of them gasped as they were at a loss for words, but it Maggie who broke the silence. "What were you doing in here?"

"I-i was just...I'm sorry, I thought I was alone." Helena whimpered, her legs rubbing against each other as the embarrassment made goosebumps form over her skin. Her right leg bent as it slid over the left, doing what it could to maintain modesty. She had nothing to be sorry for, but lying there with her pants down in front of authority figures made Helena feel more ashamed, like the U.S. Government was staring at her state of undress, wondering why an adult woman would wear something so infantile.

Maggie's face scrunched up as she stuck her tongue out. "Ugh, Helena...TMI! Okay, yeah pull your pants up and then talk to these guys!" she turned to leave the room but not before whispering, "I'm sorry."

With her mouth open, Kirstin felt her own face get warm, not at all suspecting she would be walking in on an undressed college student, particularly one so attractive. "Um..sorry ma'am." she said after clearing her throat. "We'll give you your privacy." she turned and walked into Alan who was still frozen as he looked at Helena's bare legs. "Oh come on! Give her some privacy!" she shouted as she pushed Alan into the hall.

As she pushed her partner away from the room, Kirstin could hear Helena and her roommate arguing over the lack of boundaries. While they argued, Kirstin could hear the rustling of clothes, the metal teeth of a zipper meeting again as the metal buckle of a belt fastened to keep tight. The sounds reminded her of a morning after sex, slipping back into reality one pant leg at a time.

While they waited by the door, Alan smirked and gave a whistle, which resulted in receiving a slap on the face by Kirstin. It was at this time that they saw Helena standing in the hall, jeans covering her rabbit printed underwear. "My laptop is broken. It fell off the bed." she said, one hand holding the others' wrist as she felt awkward standing up for herself.

"Oh..I...sorry.' Kirstin said looking to Alan. "Um, Detective Howard, would you try to see if you can get it working again while I ask Helena some questions?"

"Sure." Alan said, nursing his cheek as he passed by.

Kirstin waited for him to be out of sight before smiling at Helena and saying, "I'm sorry for barging in like this. I assure you this shouldn't take long. I actually wanted to ask you about this gentleman." reaching into her pocket, she held up a print out of Matthew Varnes' profile picture. He was sitting in a kayak on the Huron River, smiling as he held up his oar.

Without taking two seconds, Helena's eyes widened as she said, "Oh him, I know him on okcupid." the excitement in recognizing the familiar face faded when another realization hit her. "He...he was mentioned in the news? He was killed?"

Nodding, Kirstin said, "Yes ma'am that is correct. We had reason to believe you two were planning on meeting for a date the evening he died?"

"Yes we were." Helena said, folding her arms as she looked away. "We were to meet up at a bar but....I don't remember what else happened that night."

Kirstin almost laughed, she refused to believe she had gotten this far just to hit an absolute road block. "You mean you don't remember whether or not you met up?"

Helena shook her head, "No, it's strange. I remember texting him to confirm the date the night before, and going to class during the day. But nothing about that night. My roommate asked me how it went and I was puzzled because I couldn't remember at all."

"So your roommate can't corroborate whether or not you were here or out meeting Matthew Varnes?"

Helena avoided eye contact as she shook her head again. "She had a night class. I'm sorry I can't remember." her hands touched both sides of her head, "I don't know why everything is a blank. does that mean I'm a suspect?"

Kirstin bit the inside of her cheek. "Not exactly ma'am. While it would be important to establish where you were the night of the murder, not remembering where you were doesn't mean you were there. Are you certain you remember absolutely nothing? No text from him saying that he cancelled? Where you two were planning on meeting?"

"Again I'm sorry but no. We were going to meet in the Diag and go from there. But I'm not sure if he cancelled or not."

It took everything Kirstin had not to rest her head into her palm. the Diag was a walkway from one part of downtown Ann Arbor to the other side of town. Many people walked through that area as a shortcut. This meant it would be next to impossible to place Matthew there if he did in fact show up. "Have you had problems with remembering events before?"

"No, that's why it's so strange, I've never just completely forgotten an entire night."

Kirstin's head tilted as she leaned closer to talk in a quieter voice, "Do you recall drinking or taking any medication that night?"

"No. I was in class all day so I don't think I would have drunk anything and I'm not on any medications."

By now Kirstin couldn't resist scratching her forehead, her nails sliding across her brow to take the edge off her frustration. Her eyes remained on Helena and not once did she see the European woman steel her resolve. There was a nervousness in her posture but not from fear of being caught. On the contrary, Helena seemed more distraught by her loss of memory than Kirstin was.

"Let's try this then." she said with a sigh, "Do you recall what Matthew was studying or if he had a job? I trust you talked a little bit more deciding to meet in person."

It was the first time Helena nodded, her head bobbing up and down in a fast manner as she was relieved she had an answer. "He mentioned working at the Football Stadium in the box office. He was studying business."

"Did you talk about anything else?"

Helena's cheeks turned pink as she smiled, turning away to hide her embarrassment. "We...did but I don't feel comfortable talking about it."

"I understand that it's personal miss, but anything you can offer even if it seems minor could be helpful in finding his murder, particularly since we can't establish where you were." Kirstin said in a dry tone, losing patience at her only witnesses lack of memory.

Helena looked back towards the room where her roommate and Alan were and then she leaned closer to Kirstin, "We were talking about...the stories I write and what...makes..me feel good." By now her face looked like she had a fever based on how red it was. "I write erotic stories and so he asked about them. That was all, he just said he liked the ideas I had."

Kirstin didn't realize it but she too was blushing, the close intimacy of officer and citizen sharing the most basic of secrets was enough to give her the sense that this was inappropriate and it almost made her forget that this was all part of the job.

"I...see." Kirstin said, "Well then...um...unless there's anything else, I'll give you my card and if you happen to remember anything about the night of the date, please let us know." She pulled her card out of her pocket and gave it to Helena, who was still so uncomfortable that she couldn't look at Kirstin as she accepted the card.

"Okay, again, I'm sorry I don't remember, I'll try really hard to think and get back to you." Helena said as she pocketed the card.

"Well the Ann Arbor police and Matthew Varnes' family would appreciated it. Alan?" she called down the hallway.

"COMING!" Alan shouted, so loud it made Helena and Kirstin jump. He hurried down the hallway, face dark red as he said, "You're um, laptop is fixed. The screen was just out but I managed to get it to come back on. I didn't mess with what you were working on."

Helena smiled as she said, "Thank you for fixing my laptop. You have no idea I-" she paused and then held her hands over her mouth has she blushed again. "Y-you didn't look at the screen did you?'

Alan lowered his eyes and mumbled, "I did but..it was only a quick peek I swear I didn't read anything else. Sorry."

With a raised eyebrow, Kirstin exchanged glances with Alan, wondering what it was he saw. His eyes shifted to the door and rather than grill him in front of Helena, she said, "Well we should get going. Ms. De La Forge, thank you for your cooperation. Please keep in touch."

Helena was so embarrassed, she didn't speak, only nodding as she held open the door for them. With a forced smile, Kirstin waved goodbye and waited until they were outside of the dormitory to ask, "What the hell did you see? Anything important?"

Alan laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "It er...no not really. Just some story she was writing about women losing their clothes. Kind of ironic considering how we first met her huh?"

Kirstin didn't answer, she was too distracted at the horror of her past nights, wondering how something like that could be a form of entertainment for people to read. She wasn't the only one who lost her clothes and that reminded Kirstin she had another person to report to. "I'm going to talk to Dr. Fakhouri again."

"Why?' Alan asked, "I thought you said she couldn't share anything with you."



"She can't. But I want to pick her brain about how someone just forgets a whole night because I'm a little skeptical of Helena's story.

****
Despite being told to "just knock," Kirstin still felt it was important to properly give Sakeena a heads up about meeting. After texting her for her availability, Kirstin was surprised that the psychologist suggested that the two of them meet in the evening again, at her place. Given the circumstances of her last visit, Kirstin wouldn't have wanted someone returning to the privacy of her own home, especially after being seen naked.

At the same time, the thought of the Sakeena, naked and pressed against her made Kirstin's pulse rise. She wasn't aware that she was going ten miles over the speed limit as she rushed to Sakeena's house. With any luck, she might be able to catch Sakeena in another half dressed state.

Kirstin parked behind Sakeena's silver Tesla and could see from the driveway that the lights were on. Before stepping out of the car, she made sure that her hair was neatly held back in her ponytail. She jogged up the steps and pulled the screen door open, knocking on it twice.

"Coming!" Sakeena's voice called, the gentle hum of her voice could be heard on the other side getting louder before the door was pulled open. "Good evening Detective." she said as she stepped away to let Kirstin inside. To her disappointment, Sakeena was dressed, wearing a cream colored sweater over a long floral printed skirt.

"Hello Dr. Fakhouri."

"Oh you can call me Sakeena, would you like to come in? I made some tea."

"That would be nice, I have a few things to go over with you." Kirstin said as she stepped in. She took her shoes off and followed Sakeena into her kitchen. It was strange to see one so large for just one person. She had a four burner stove, a counter that contained a set of kitchen knives and a toaster oven. A kettle sat on the lower right burner. The table was long, large enough for a family. Kirstin wondered why Sakeena would pay for something so large but figured that perhaps it was also Melissa Watkins who had a part in this location.

Sakeena grabbed the kettle and poured the water in two porcelain cups. "Hope you like Earl Grey tea." she said as she carried them to the table where Kirstin sat.



"That's fine, I like any kind of-" Kirstin said as she took the cup, she was about to take a sip when she looked at the liquid and hesitated. She remembered feeling comfortable before and what happened after.

"Is something wrong?"

"Just a little hot that's all." Kirstin said as she set the cup down. "I wanted to share with you an update on the case."

Sakeena sat in the chair adjacent to Kirstin, sipping her tea just to test the heat. "Go on then."

"We met Helena on campus.She did confirm speaking with Matthew Varnes and setting up a date, only..." Kirstin held the cup tighter as she contemplated the right words.



"...only?"

"She doesn't remember anything that happened the night. Nothing at all. She remembers going to class but anything from the afternoon to the evening is completely gone."

With her legs crossed, Sakeena's brows furrowed as she waited for a punchline to a joke that never came. When she realized that Kirstin's stone face was not going to falter at the delivery of the news, she sighed. "Did you ask her if she was on anything?"

Kirstin nodded. "No alcohol or drugs. I can usually sense when someone is using something and this woman was clean. She was as perplexed about it as I was, like she just realized a whole chunk of her life was missing."

Leaning forward, Sakeena stared into Kirstin's eyes and repeated, "Missing?"

"Yeah, like someone stole her memory. The only other thing I could think of was a random fugue state. Is that possible?"

Sakeena averted her gaze for a moment and didn't bother to look back at Kirstin. "Perhaps...I feel like someone would have reported her to campus safety if she had experienced a fugue state. She would have also forgotten who she was and would have wandered aimlessly . I'm not so sure that's the case here."

"What else could explain how she forgets that?"

"I..don't know, I'll have to consult with someone about it." Sakeena drank from her tea and kept her eyes off Kirstin. That didn't stop Kirstin from staring at her.

"Is this person Melissa?"

Like steam out of the kettle, Sakeena hissed as she finally looked at Kirstin. "Yes it is. Please don't ask about it."

"Why the secrecy?"

"Because she's asking me to keep it secret I would appreciate it if you respected that." Sakeena's voice was getting louder.

"Oh like the respect you gave me when you knocked me out and stripped me?"

Sakeena's fingers wrapped tighter around the mug. "If you recall, you weren't the one dangling by your underwear for a bunch of frat boys to see."

"That's what you get for blackmailing a police officer." Kirstin smiled as she nodded to Sakeena's crotch. "Sounds like you got a little pleasure out of getting wedgied."

The flaring of Sakeena's nostrils was the last thing Kirstin saw before the mug exploded into several shards. drops of hot tea splashed Kirstin in the face and she jumped out of her seat as she heard Sakeena curse from the pain. "Are you okay?" Kirstin asked as she held her hands up.

"I'm fine." Sakeena said as she examined her hand. Smoke rose off of her flesh and bits of porcelain stuck in her palm. Her sweater and skirt were also stained with Earl Grey tea. "Shit!" she spat as she stood up and ran to the sink.



Kirstin planted her face into her hand, resting on her elbow as she felt her temples burn from the awkward exchange. She listened to the water run from the sink and then hear it shut off Sakeena returned with a towel. "I'm...sorry." she said as she watched Sakeena mop of the tea.

"It's fine." she said as she held her non burnt hand up, examining her ruined clothes. "I have to change out of this. Um, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure." Kirstin said, staring at Sakeena and wondering to what limits her strength had.

Sakeena pointed towards the doorway. "If you head out and make a left, there's the laundry room at the end of the hall. Hanging up should be my nightgown, if you could bring it up to me while i get out of these that'd be great."

"No problem...again, I'm sorry." Kirstin said as she got up from the table. Despite what was done to her, she did feel at fault for Sakeena's pain which was something that could have been avoided had it not for Kirstin's loss of composure. She stood out in the hall and turned to the left, identifying a room where she could see the end of a large white washing machine.

As she made her way to the laundry room, Kirstin could hear Sakeena's footsteps as she went up to her bedroom. It was when the noise stopped that Kirstin felt like she had a limited time to act and search the house for some clue as to Melissa's whereabouts. The problem with 21st century technology was that it brought the end of the personal phonebook for people. This meant Kirstin had to think of another place where Sakeena might have hidden contact information.

Turning back to the front door, KIrstin could see Sakeena's coat hanging on a hook. She tip toed towards the coat, tilting her head to keep her ears open in the event that Sakeena would return. It wasn't actually the coat Kirstin was interested in, but the purse that she was relieved to see sitting under the coat.

It was a black Coach tote bag with the zipper already left open. Biting on her lower lip, Kirstin bent down and reached inside, rummaging through the items like keys, chapstick and a metal case for her credit cards to look for any pieces of paper. All that she was able to find were several business cards to other psychologists, a dry cleaner tag and then a rewards card to Starbucks. She was about to give up when she ran her finger against something soft.

Upon pulling the purse open some more, she could see a small black velvet bag with a drawstring pouch. Checking once more behind her shoulder, Kirstin pinched the sides of the bag and opened it. Inside, the light from the room bounced off of the black finish of several small orbs. She reached in and pinched one of them and felt the odd rubber texture. They were firm and when she lifted one up, she pulled the others with them as they were attached to a large string. Each ball seemed to be about the size of a large gumball. The end of the string was tied into a small loop.

With her face scrunched up, Kirstin wondered why such an odd object would deserve such a special pouch. Holding the string of balls with both hands, she ran her thumbs along the smooth surface, looking again at the velvet bag. She imagined what context would require presenting the bag and lifting the balls out and that was when she dropped them into the purse. They were not balls...but beads.

The gasp in Kirstin's mouth never escaped because her hand was over it. She leaned forward to look down at the beads again, cringing at the size. She'd heard about such sexual devices from the vice detectives, but she didn't realize how large they were. She looked back to the staircase and couldn't imagine Sakeena bent on all fours, moaning as-

"Did you find it?" Sakeena called down.

Kirstin fell back onto her buttocks as she cursed. "Um--yeah I think I found it, hang on!" she called out, grabbing the anal beads and trying to force them back into their velvet home. Once the drawstrings were pulled shut, she put them back in the purse and scrambled to the laundry room.

Sakeena's white nightgown hung from a dowel rod placed under a shelf. It was relatively plain, save for the lace trim over the neck. Upon touching it, Kirstin was taken aback by how soft the fabric was, a fine thread count that she imagined touching her own body as she lay in bed.

Clutching the gown in both hands, Kirstin left the laundry room and made her way up the steps, thinking about Sakeena on the other side of her door, undressed. States of undress seemed to plague Kirstin's life lately, but when she thought about what Sakeena might look like without clothes, Kirstin's own humiliation didn't bother her as much.

Kirstin could see a closed door at the end of the hall, the light from the room leaking under the crack. Feeling her body get warmer, Kirstin reached out and grabbed the knob, wondering how fast she could turn and push the door open to get a quick glimpse of Sakeena naked.

"Kirstin? Are you out there?"

Gasping, Kirstin backed away and held her hand over her chest before saying, "Yes."

The door opened just a sliver and Sakeena's head popped from the other side. She hugged the door close to shield herself but Kirstin could see the top of her bare shoulders and collar bone. "thank you." Sakeena said as she reached for the gown. She disappeared behind the door and resumed her discussion. "Where did we leave off before I had to change?"

Kirstin rested against the wall as she folded her arms. "You said you'd have to consult Melissa about Helena's lost memories." She wanted to ask about Melissa again but felt like she had reached the limit. "How is your hand?"

"It's fine, nothing too bad." Sakeena said. The door swung open and the light from her room gave her a radiant glow as she stood in the doorway. "Was that all you had to discuss?"

Kirstin bit her lip, she had more she wanted to ask. About Melissa, about the beads, but as she looked over Sakeena something else distracted her. Sakeena's hand, the one that had crushed the coffee mug, was healed. No open cuts, no blistering from the hot liquid, it was as if she had never spilled it. Kirstin's face scrunched as she tried to make sense of it.

"Is something wrong?" Sakeena asked.

Kirstin pointed at Sakeena's hand, at a loss for words to explain the pheomena. Sakeena looked down and thought that the finger was pointed at her hips. While the nightgown covered her entire body, the thin white cotton did little to conceal the red and white polka dotted panties she wore underneath the nightgown. Sakeena forgot she had them on and immediately squealed as she folded her hands over her groin. "Oh shit! not again!"

"What?" Kirstin asked and looked down, finally noticing the cute panties underneath. "Oh my...uh, sorry."

Smiling as she held her hands over a blushing face, Sakeena retreated behind the door. "Excuse me."

"Take your time." Kirstin said as she tried to refrain from laughing. Every time Sakeena intimidated her with her strength or fast healing abilities, she always managed to fall down a peg by revealing some embarrassing part of herself. twice now it was her underwear and the third was something Kirstin was not going to tell. No matter how professional the psychologist could be, Kirstin would always have the knowledge of Sakeena inserting those beads inside of herself for pleasure, to break that professional mold.

Before she could say anything else, Kirstin felt her phone vibrate and checked it. The screen lit up to reveal the name of the person who texted and Kirstin's heart froze. The name was "Jessica Hillier." She tapped her phone and read the message and she winced. "Fuck."

"What's wrong?" Sakeena asked.

Kirstin didn't answer. She was too busy reading the message a second time, "Bumped into Alan. Told me you found something new on the case and didn't tell me. Better read the news tomorrow ."

When Sakeena opened the door, emerging from her room with yoga pants under neath her gown, she saw Kirstin with her hands on the side of her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "Kirstin what's wrong?"

Kirstin felt a hand touch her arm and she choked back tears. "Fucking Hillier. I didn't tell her about Helena and now she's going to show those pictures of me." her fist struck the wall and it made Sakeena jump. "Fucking b*tch has had it in for me and now my career is ruined.'

'Shhh." Sakeena said as she touched Kirstin's shoulders. "It's being taken care of."

Kirstin ran her hand under her nose to wipe it clean and said, "How? You don't even know where she is. She's probably going to send those pictures tonight."

Sakeena lowered her head to get Kirstin to look at her. "Hey, look at me." she waited until Kirstin did, her blue eyes shining against the light. "Just trust me, those pictures will be our secret and no one elses'."

Another secret between the two of them, for some reason, with Sakeena's arms around her, Kirstin believed that promise.

***

After her phone confirmed that the text message was sent, Jessica Hillier turned it off and slipped it back into the pocket of her black jeans. "I got you now b*tch." she muttered, her husky voice resonating off of the bathroom walls. She was in a public restroom of a hole-in-the-wall bar in Hell, Michigan. Hell was a small town by the lake where most everyone who lived there cared more about their boats than anything else.

Hell was also a town that prided in bringing in the motorcycle crowd. Every summer they hosted the "Helluva Cruise" which brought in parades of bikers. This is what led Jessica to choosing her costume for the evening. Black jeans under a black faded T-shirt with a low neckline that had an image of Charles Manson. The words" Charlie is your friend" was written in red letters.

A leather jacket was thrown over the ensemble and she threw on a pair of Doc Martens. Her black hair was untied, hanging loose over her shoulders to give of a "wilder" appearance. She opted to go without makeup and yet, she still leaned forward in the mirror to examine her look, pushing her large breasts up to augment her cleavage.

"This is Hillier. I'm going to give them five minutes before heading out." she said into the small microphone taped to her body hidden under her clothes. She had spent months getting information on the heroin source that had plagued Livingston County for years.

After the sting in Ann Arbor, she finally squeezed the name of the heroin source out of the dealer she arrested. The next plan of action was to nab his second in command and use them for more leverage. Hillier's plan was to come as the Old Lady for an Outlaw biker gang and get the lieutenant to say something incriminating. Between the success of this job as well as her blackmail on Kirstin, her career was about to skyrocket.

"All right, let's do this." she said to her reflection before the lights went out and she saw nothing but darkness. "Hey!" she called out as she tried to turn around, feeling something pull on the back of her jacket collar.

Due to going under cover, Jessica could not carry a firearm and so she was forced to ball her fists and swing into the void. Another pull at her body, so forceful it spun her around, putting her off balance and sending her on her knees as her jacket slid off her arms.

"Such an amusing facade." a light whisper hissed, "What happens when we peel it away?"

"Who is that?" Jessica called out, grunting as she felt something tug her leg, the cool air of the room wrapping around her exposed sock as her boot was pulled off. "Stop it!"

"The only 'stopping' will be your blackmail of Detective Delaney." the voice said.

"What? HEY!" Jessica screamed as she felt her boot get pulled. "Who are you and why are you protecting her?" No answer came, sound of a belt clicking as it was unbuckled. She felt the top button of her jeans pop open and then feel the front of them spread apart as the zipper was pulled down. The ice cold touch of fingers brushed against her hips before they curled and pulled down on her jeans. "AHH!"

"Who I am is of no concern. Nor is Detective Delaney. You will leave her alone, you will drop that case and you will not mention this to anyone."

"FUCK YOU!" Jessica shouted, before squealing as she felt two sharp pains across her chest and stomach. "OW! I need backup! Help!"

SPLASH! An object was dropped in the toilet and then Jessica felt something drag across her shoulders and head, forcing her hair over her face. "Consider this a friendly warning Detective Hillier. If you fail to abide by my order, I'm going to leave you with much less than I'm leaving you with now.

***
When the waiter came by to ask Willie Stanley if he was ready to order food for the third time he shook his head and checked his watch. "Where the fuck is this b*tch?" he muttered. Fifteen minutes had gone by and no sign of the old lady of the alleged "Hatchet Men" motorcycle club. He was just about to leave until he heard a door burst open followed the the sound of several customers gasping.

"Out of my way!" a woman shouted.

Willie leaned back to look down the hallway leading to the restrooms. He raised an eyebrow at what he saw. It was a woman, lips tightened as she stormed her way towards his table, her black hair bouncing with every step. Her white dress seemed to be mesh until she was closer and he realized it wasn't a dress at all, it was toilet paper.

Reams of toilet paper wrapped around her in layers, managing to cover her upper torso and most of her waist, ending just above her kneecaps. All he could see were her toned arms, clutched over her body to hold the paper in place, and her bare legs walking in a pare of Doc Martens. As he got closer he could see her face was crimson red and she forced a smile when she stood in front of him. "I'm...sorry for being late, are you Willie?"

Looking around, Willie noticed that everyone in the bar had their eyes on the oddly dressed woman and avoided eye contact with her. "I don't know who you're talking about lady."

Jessica's eyes widened as she felt the knot in her stomach tighten. "No, please, I'm Lana. Lee's old lady." she said as she leaned forward, unaware that she was giving Willie a glimpse at her cleavage. "I'm sorry I'm late...some...fucking b*tch stole my clothes." her fist clenched and Willie could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes.

"Look, I don't know what kinky shit you're into but I ain't Willie so go find some other guy." he said as he slid back in his chair.

"No you don't understand!" she cried, grabbing onto his arm. "This is a conspiracy! Someone has it in for me-"

"Let go of me b*tch!" he said as he stood up.

The noise was bringing a lot of attention and a waitress carrying a large pitcher of water stood behind Jessica. "Excuse me miss, you are going to have to leave."

Jessica felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to raise her elbow and strike the woman in the nose. "Fuck off this has nothing to do with you!"

The waitress cried as she held both hands to her nose, throwing the pitcher of water in the air. Jessica gasped as she saw the transparent liquid fly out of the pitcher before pouring all over the front of her chest. The combination of ice and water was so heavy, it tore through the toilet paper and split it in half. Jessica's held her hands up as she felt the rest of the tissue dress slide off her body just before she screamed.

Without any clothes, everyone could see the matching silk leopard print brassier and bikini panties covering Jessica's curvy body. Hugging her arms over her breasts, Jessica bent her knees and lowered her torso to shield her panties, spinning around to try and cover her backside from the audience surrounding her. "Oh my god!!"

"Damn!" Willie said, his eyes about t bulge out of his sockets as he stared at the half naked woman before him, "I didn't know you were a stripper too."

The scathing joke reminded Jessica who she stood in front of and her heart sank. With her biker gear gone, she looked like a sex worker she had arrested in a drug sting once. Jessica remembered thinking how cheap the "sl*t" looked in her skimpy undergarments, but in staring at her reflection, Jessica felt the sex worker had more dignity. She wasn't self conscious of her body the way Jessica was.

Jessica's hips and thighs had a bit more body mass than her upper torso and her buttocks was showing signs of cellulite. She saw her stomach expand, the abdomen comprised of soft muscle that had a vertical indent rising from her naval. She was fit but ounces of her baby fat was still visible with every breath. In a bikini all she'd have to do was suck in her tummy a bit to make it look like the models in Maxim, but in her state of vulnerability, it was another harsh reminder of how "ordinary" she looked.

As if her own insecurity wasn't harsh, the comments of the women around her made it worse as they giggled to their girlfriends. "Leopard print? That's reaaall classy."

"I know right?" another laughed.

"Shut up!" Jessica cried as she turned to the side and crossed her arms over her body. As she turned, cubes of ice slid down her clavicle and off her breasts. The chill made her shiver and the rest of her naked flesh jiggled.

"OOh It's cooold!" she whined. Her hair was sopping wet, dripping water all over her flesh. Her wide nipples hardened under her silk bra, rising under the fabric.

Willie was reminded of a Sports Illustrated advertisement in seeing her wet body. Laughing, he reached into his pocket for his wallet. "This shit is hilarious." he pulled out a five dollar bill, pulled on the waistband of her leopard underwar and inserted the money, letting go to let the waistband snap back.

She squealed as she slid her hand against her hip. She looked down, saw the five and gasped. "What the? I'M NOT A FUCKING STRIPPER!" She was the lead detective in a heroin case, but couldn't give away that cover and so she had no way to prove she wasn't an exotic dancer. Enraged at the lack of authority she had, Jessica stomped her feet as she cried. "It's not my fault! I was attacked in a bathroom stall!"

Before she could cause anymore of a scene, a hand gripped the back of her wrist and the other touched the small of her back. "Okay miss, we're going to ask you to leave." it was a chef, six foot tall and about three hundred pounds. He used his weight to push Jessica forward and she could do little to resist.

"Wait! Stop! Someone give me some clothes!" she cried, stomping her feet as she looked around the room for anyone that might help. She didn't see concerned faces, only amused grins of everyone who held up their phone cameras. "AHHH!" she lowered her head to shield her face under her hair, raising a leg to shield her panties. "Don't take my picture please!"

"See ya later 'old lady'" Willie said as he raised a hand to spank Jessica, feeling himself get hard as he saw her sagging ass shake.

Jessica squealed as she thrusted her hips forward, the sting sending a tickling sensation in her tummy. That was the aid the chef needed to push her out the door. Jessica stumbled forward three steps before falling to her knees. "Let me back in! Please my job depends on it!" she scereamed as she rose to her feet.

"Hillier?"

It was as if her heart stopped, Jessica recognized that voice belonging to her second in command. She slowly turned around and saw three other plain cloths detectives staring at her, two men and one woman. They stared at Jessica with tehir mouths open, confused as to why the lead detective was standing outside, wet and in leopard print underwear.

"What the hell Hillier? What happened to you?" the female detective asked, her eyes traveling from below Jessica's boots to the top of her head,"And where is the microphone?"

With her hands sliding across her chest and hips and one leg crossed over the other, Jessica bent her knees as she felt her lips quiver. Her breasts ached as she squeezed tighter with her arm and her face felt on fire with how red it turned. "It..fell in the toilet." she said in a quiet voice, her throat sore from choking back the urge to cry.

She sounded so stupid, but how could she tell them an invisible being took the microphone and her clothes? Worst of all, she knew how much planning and money was involved in setting up this scene and with no way to prove that a mysterious invisible presence did this, such a bumbling failure rested on Jessica's bare shoulders. "I....I'm sorry." she said before letting out a wailing sob as she fell to her knees. "It's not my fault! I was jumped!"

"We heard." The female detective said, "You were talking to someone but then we heard static. "Did you get a look at them?"

Jessica shook her head, she couldn't answer because she was hyperventilating.

"Well what about Willie? Did you meet him at least?"

"I tried!" she sobbed, "I couldn't go out there in my panties! Some stupid waitress spilled water on my toilet paper and they threw me out!" she got so angry she pounded the ground with her fists, not at all concerned at how silly she looked throwing a tantrum. With every swing her breasts swung wildly, almost about to break the strap to her bra. This wasn't supposed to end this way, it was supposed to be her defining moment, not her most humiliating.

The three detectives groaned as they ran their hands over their faces. "We look like a fucking joke." one of the men said.

"No, she does." The female detective said. "Let's get out of here before Willie sees us. Unbelievable Hillier. You could've stayed in there and not caused a scene."

An officer's coat was d****d over Jessica and she was led to the van. She could hear the disappointed curses from her team, adding more to the shame of her lost armor. She stepped into the bar as a leader, and left feeling like her hated rival, stripped of her authority in front of a suspect.

In that moment, Jessica wanted to run home, never to leave her bed for fear of facing the looks of her department. Like Kirstin, she knew gossip of her stripped state would be shared and nothing could stop it.

"Hillier?" the female detective asked as she helped Jessica into the van.

"What is it?"

"Is that a five dollar bill in your panties?"