What Life Throws at You

Kind of funny what life throws your way. Some times fate can be a fickle bitch. My name is Rick Tyler and I'm a cop. Well, detective actually. At least I was until 30 seconds ago. I dropped my badge and gun on the desk of the idiot that pretended to be my boss. Baker looked at me with distain. We had disagreed on almost everything and I was tired of his bullshit and politics.

"We got files and cases backing up. What am I supposed to do now Tyler? "

I shrugged," I guess you could go fuck yourself." and I was gone. I didn't need this crap. I sold my dad's company for eight million dollars after he died. I only stayed working to keep boredom from sinking in. If Baker had any ability and people skills at all, I'd still be doing the job I thought was entertaining.

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Four months later, my old job was starting to look pretty good. An old buddy of mine from the 8th precinct gave me a buzz. "Ricky boy, What's shaking?" Shane Beal's name popped up on my caller ID.

"Not too much Shane. You know, living the good life. Heard that Baker got caught on the take."

He laughed." Did you know that a bomb took his car out with him in it. Guess the mob didn't like the idea of him squealing." Shane had no use for Baker either.

"Damn. That's a shame. That was a nice car!"

He laughed again. "Heard that the brass was looking for someone to fill his shoes, Ricky."

"Sorry Shane. Still don't like department politics."

"Kinda figured you'd say that." There was a pause. " If you ain't too busy I was wondering if you could look into a missing person's case for me? It's a little cold."

This intrigued me. "I thought you were on Major Case Shane? What does this MP have to do with you?"

"The vic's name is Lee Dumont. He was a accountant for a firm that dealt with the Pascorelli family. Supposedly his car that went over a cliff and into the ocean up state. It was 2 yrs ago and his death was ruled a accident."

"I take it that you see it another way, Shane?"

"Everything was too pat. There was no connection to Pascorelli family as far as we could see, but it was still suspicious."

"I think I remember it. Talk about a cold case. Maybe you're just tilting at windmills, Buddy."

"I don't know Ricky. We found the car but there wasn't a body to go with it. MC closed the case determining his body was thrown clear and was swallowed up by a rip tide. Dumont had no record, in fact he seemed to be clean as a whistle. No enemies whatsoever."

"What makes you think he's still alive?"

"Just a hunch, Ricky. Dumont and his sister Kelly lived 15 miles from where his car went in the drink. Rumor is that his boss Bobby Greco run off with 2.5 million that belonged to Pascorelli." He coughed. "Greco was found dead in a warehouse on 8th street. Lead poisoning!"

"Whew! Was the money ever recovered?"

"Funny thing. The guy looked like he had been tortured before he cashed in. My guess is that he didn't have the loot and it's still up for grabs."

"Maybe Dumont has it?" This was starting to show some promise.

"That could be the case, Ricky. That is if he didn't die in the drink. His sister Kelly would be the first stop if you are interested." He gave me her address and warned me to stay low on the radar. Never know who's still sniffing around.

Three hours later I was ringing Kelly Dumont's doorbell. When it opened I did a double take. Ms Dumont was probably the most beautiful Asian woman I have ever seen. She stood about 5 ft 7 inches and could probably go 135-150 gorgeous pounds. She was bustier than most women of the Asian persuasion I have met and had long blonde, streaked hair. Her blue, gray eyes danced under perfect eye makeup and she smiled when I stammered a greeting.

"M--Ms Dumont?" I can't remember the last time I was this rattled.

"Can I help you Mr.--?"

"Tyler. Rick Tyler. I am a private investigator and I'm looking into your brother's death again for the insurance Co. It's a follow up investigation" I showed her my brand new PI license.

Her mood darkened a bit when I mentioned her brother, but she was still hospitable. "It's been so long. I don't know how I can help you, but come in Mr. Tyler. I was just about to have a cup of tea. Would you join me?"

As she walked down the hallway her ass attracted my complete attention. I was thinking that I would love to hold it and her. I sat down at a small kitchen table, while Ms Dumont took two mugs down from a cupboard. She set them on the table and poured from a teapot setting there. She caught me looking at her.

Her smile lit up the room. "You're probably wondering. My brother and I were adopted by our parents, the Dumonts. Lee and I came from Taiwan. Growing up, most people were confused about two Asian kids with a French last name."

"It was a pleasant surprise Ms. Dumont." I assured her.

"Please. It's Kelly." Was she blushing?

"My friends call me Rick. My parents called me Richard. Take your choice."

Her smile was really starting to get to me. "Ok; Richard it is then." She held up a tin of cookies. "Biscuit?"

I took a cookie with a smirk. She blushed again. "I spent some time with my parents in England."

My smile broadened . "I think it's charming Kelly." I thought that I could really get use to this. "Can I ask you some questions?" She nodded as I took a sip from my cup.

"Even though your brother wasn't found, The police still ruled him deceased. Did they tell you why?" I knew the answer to this one, but I wanted to know if she knew.

"I was told that DNA evidence in Lee's vehicle showed that he was in the car when it went over the cliff. The impact alone would have killed him. His car was a convertible and the roof was down. Either a rip tide or a shark must have carried him off. We had a memorial service for him, three months after the accident."

She seemed cool about her brother's death. Too cool. "Were the two of you close?"

"I knew him about as well as I new myself." She stated flatly. "We were very close. I mourned his loss. He and I were almost 6 when we were adopted." She paused, "Growing up in an orphanage, we both understood that life was cruel." A single tear appeared on her cheek. She was either very good or telling the truth. "I had to move on."

"What kind of a brother was he?"

"Lee protected me before we were adopted. We were inseparable. After our parents brought us to America, we developed relationships with different people and we weren't as close, but he still continued to watched out for me."

"Since his death; have you noticed anyone unusual in your life or maybe items or possessions of his that came up missing?"

"No, Richard I haven't." She swiveled in her chair. "Why do you ask?"

"Just routine questions. Want to make sure you're safe. Some people prey on surviving families after an accidental death." I wanted to make sure she didn't know my ulterior motives, by throwing up any red flags.

We chatted a bit more, but I found out nothing that was useful. "Here is my card Kelly. If you can think of something else or if you see anything unusual; give me a call. I will probably be around in a few days, if any more leads turn up."

"Give me a little advance warning and I'll cook you dinner Richard."

On the way out, I shook her hand. I really wanted to take her in my arms, but that wouldn't have been very professional. Fuck professional; I wanted to take the log to the beaver. "That's what I get for watching 'Grumpy Old Men' last night." I said to no one in particular. Come to think of it; it has been a long, dry spell.

Over the next few days I backtracked information on brother Lee and Kelly's slimy boss. Then I checked the link between the Pascorreli family and Greco. I netted a big zero for my troubles. I finally dug up some dirt, via one of my old stooges. Rumor was that the Pascorreli's gave up hunting for the money, three short weeks after Dumont's swan dive. 'Now that was odd' I thought. Shane must not have heard about that. Usually these people hold a very long grudge. Something must have called the dogs off the money trail.

I was running out of leads and I really wanted to get back to Kelly. I gave her a buzz. She sounded excited when she heard it was me. Maybe she was as attracted to me as I was her. She told me to come over so she could cook for me. I took a rain check. After this was over thought I could take her out to dinner, or do something that would involve eating. Ya know, for a rich Guy, I got damn little pussy!

I needed to know why the Pascorelli family laid off the missing 2.5 mill. I was hoping I wasn't going to have to do this, but it seemed inevitable. I found myself in Gina's Place. The restaurant was dark, so it took a moment or two for my eyes to adjust.

"Rick Tyler. What brings your cute ass in here?" Gina Pascorelli; all three hundred and twenty five pounds of her, jiggled my way. "Heard you gave up the force, Ricky. "

"Got tired of the crap Gina." She had been trying to get me in the sack since we were in High School. "You been keeping clean Angel? Been staying away from firearms?"

"I'm being a very good girl, Ricky. My parole officer is very pleased with me." She eyed me up and down. "Of course if I wanted to have my way with you, I wouldn't need no stinkin gun."

'No, you'd need a canon' I said to myself. I was desperate; but not that desperate. "Need to know why your Uncle wrote off the 2.5 mill that Bobby Greco took."

She brightened up. "What's in it for me, Sugar?" She licked her lips.

This wasn't starting to look good. "How about my respect and admiration Gina?"

"How 'bout you respect and admire me, naked in my bed upstairs?"

I shuttered. "You might want to wait till I get over this case of the clap." It was the best lie I could think of on short notice.

"I'll take a rain check Sweetie." she pouted. "So why do you want to know?"

"My buddy, Shane up at the 8th precinct Said the money might be still up for grabs."

She laughed. Well, it was more like an earthquake. "He's blowing smoke up that cute ass of yours, darling. Father Paul from St Mary came to visit Uncle Vince, shortly after Greco tripped and had his accident."

"Tripped over what Gina, a machine gun? Heard there was enough lead in him to use him for an anchor."

"Don't know anything about that Ricky." She responded. "Anyway, the Padre told my Uncle that the two million dollar donation he made to the church was too much. He was grateful but gave more than half of the money back. Somebody must have donated it in my uncle's name."

I had to take time to digest this. "What about the 500 g's left over Angel?"

"He wrote it off on his taxes, Sugar." She eyed my crotch. "Let me know when you get over being indisposed, Ricky. You owe me big time."

As I walked out I thought, "That's a bill I'm never going to pay."

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So the money angle was a wash. I was beginning to think Dumont's death was an accident. I had one more stop to make before checking back in with Kelly. An hour later I was knocking on the door of one of Kelly's old neighbors. I explained who I was and asked Mrs. Myers about Lee. She used to be the kids daycare a while back and since everything was a dead end anyway, I thought I get a better read on Dumont.

"Why I haven't seen Lee or Cali in about 5 years or so." The elderly woman was spry for her age. "Beautiful kids though; nice and polite. The only contact we have any more is the Christmas cards they send me." She started rummaging around and pulled some cards from and old china hutch. "Here are the ones they sent me last year. Cali has a family of her own now; such sweet children."

"Cali, not Kelly." I asked; puzzled.

"Yes her name was Cali. Well actually Calista. She got married and moved to Europe about three and a half years ago. She still sends pictures with her cards." Something didn't add up. "Here is the one Lee sent me last year. He is really more cute than handsome. He must have favored his mother."

I looked at the photo and suddenly everything came into focus. The bottom seem to drop out of my heart. I thanked the lady and returned to my car. I sat there for a while thinking it over. I could see lee in Kelly's eyes. Kelly was really Lee! He, or should I say she was still alive. Love at first sight is a stupid notion but damn, there it was. Now I find out she's a guy? Was it I was that desperate or she was that beautiful?

'What the fuck was I going to do now? She didn't keep the money, even if she had ever had it. I could have her arrested for faking her, I mean his death. But she had a good reason. I could not bring myself to think of her as a guy. She was so beautiful and feminine! What would she do if I told her I knew her secret?' I rung her number.

"Kelly, can we talk? I have some things to discuss with you? Ok I'll be there in an hour."

On the trip over, I weighed the situation in my mind. I had already decided that Shane didn't need to know about her. I made a quick call and told him about the Pasorelli's money trail. I told him I was against a brick wall and that sort of ended the case. He thanked me for my time. He wanted to slip me some cash and I told him that he only owed me a beer. He told me to come over some time to catch up. Shortly after, I arrived at Kelly's front door.

"Hey handsome. Hope you don't mind spaghetti. Best I could on short notice." Her smile was dazzling! We sat down at the table and she poured me a glass of wine. " You wanted to talk?"

"Hit some dead ends on the case Kelly. I'm sorry I wasted your time." I gulped most of the wine in one shot.

"I'm not Richard. I got to meet a very charming and very handsome detective." She was radiant! "I hope that we can still see each other occasionaly."

Fuck! What was I going to tell her? 'I know you faked you own death and you're really a guy?' She was too beautiful! Maybe I should just let it go. No harm; no foul.

The phone rang in the other room. Kelly excused herself and returned ten minuets later. She looked crestfallen. I could tell that she had been crying. She took my glass over to the counter and refilled from the wine bottle. She hesitated a bit and returned to the table. She set the glass in front of me and did her best to look happy. She failed. I gulped it down and wondered what was wrong.

"It's ok Richard. I just heard that a friend had died." I knew she was lying! She took my hand. "I'm sorry baby. I truly wished that this could have worked out."

We both stood up and she kissed my cheek. I didn't care who she use to be, I still wanted her. I felt dizzy all the sudden. My head swam. "Kelly, I know that you're r----." The floor rose up and Bam!

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When I regained consciousness I found myself tied to a bed, with a rag of some sort stuffed in my mouth. After a while I rattled the bed and Kelly walked in. Oddly enough, the expression on her face showed sadness.

"I am so sorry Rick. Mrs. Myers told me that you had seen her this morning. I should have guessed that you would figure it out. You are a real smart guy. I put knock out drops in your wine." She sat on the bed next to me. "I will call a neighbor after I leave so you won't be confined long. I just wanted to give you an explanation before I go."

"My transition to Kelly wasn't so I could hide. I have wanted this for a long time. I always felt like a girl trapped in a boys body. My sister Cali married her husband and moved to England. I started buying women's clothes for myself after they left. For the first 6 months or so I would go to work as Lee and then change to Kelly at home. As time passed I realized that it wasn't enough. I wanted more and more. Lee started to disappear and Kelly started to take on a life of her own. I grew my hair long and got a prescription for hormones. I was careful not to reveal the changes going on inside me to my boss Bobby Greco; the slime. I wore baggy clothes to hide my breasts and the curves I started developing. Greco was gone from the office a lot, shmoozing with the Pascorelli's so it was easier to keep a low profile.

One Saturday I stopped off at work to pick up some papers. I thought that no one would be around and since I was dressed like Kelly anyway, I took a chance. I was just leaving when Greco walked in. When he realized who I was, he grabbed my ass and said that if he had known what I was into we could have been having fun all along. I wanted to vomit. I mean I knew that I liked guys, but he was a filthy animal. Greco said that he had some business to attend to but he warned me that I had better start dressing like this all the time. He stuck his tongue down my throat and left. That was the last time I saw him. Monday when I came into work, I found out that he was murdered over the weekend.

I knew it had to be the Pascorelli Family. I was afraid that I'd be next. I grabbed some papers out Greco's desk and never looked back. I went home, packed some belongings and hightailed it with what little money I had. Since I only took female clothing I knew that it would be harder to track me. I was passing really well by then so I got a motel room and hid out. Going through Greco's papers I found a locker key to a downtown bus station. Inside the Locker I found almost two and a half million dollars in cash. I kept some of the money but gave the rest to charity in Pascorelli's name. I staged my car 'accident', even putting some of the money in the vehicle. I used some of my hair so the police had a DNA match and took on my sister's identity. I ran with the story that I had just moved back from England. Since Lee was legally declared dead I was left alone. I moved back into my house and been here for the last two years." She sniffed. "Damn! Now it looks like I'm going to have to vanish again."

I listened to her story and already figured out that she was blameless; except for faking her own death. My plan was never to arrest her. I just wanted to hear her side of the story and fill in the missing pieces. But unfortunately since I was gagged, unless I could get free, she would never know my intent or what I felt for her.

"I really wish it could have been different Richard. It would have been easy to fall for a nice guy like you. I promise I will call to get you free soon." She looked at me with tears in her eyes. She kissed my cheek and rose to leave. I thrashed on the bed a bit to get her attention and groaned around the gag. She sat back down next to me. God she was so beautiful!

"I hope you don't mind. I have to do this. Please don't yell out." She untied the gag and kissed me. I could taste her lips, mingled with her tears. I leaned in and the simple kiss exploded into a passion that I had never felt before. When it ended we were both left breathless.

I finally found my voice and I smiled. "I'll give you two hours to stop that Kelly."

She smiled slightly. "Please don't be angry with me Richard. I wish it could have been different."

I laughed and rattled the bed. "I like fore play as much as the next guy Honey, but I never intended on arresting you in the first place. I'm not even a cop anymore." Confusion knitted her features. "I just wanted to get your side of the story. As far as I'm concerned you are blameless and still the most beautiful woman I know."

"But, you know I use to be Lee, Richard."

"I know baby." I smiled. "I don't care!"

"You mean I'm not in trouble?" I shook my head.

"And you're not angry at me?"

"I will be if you don't kiss me again." Kelly squealed and kissed me, but this time her tongue played a major part. She pulled back. "You know if you were to untie me we could get down to business beautiful. "

She reached for the rope on my closest hand and paused. Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "I've another idea." She reached down and stroked my cock through my slacks. "What do we have here handsome?"