Making Crime Pay

"Leave the kid out of it I said."

"But he's the key! Just look at him and think about it, would ya?"

He turned to look and as much as he hated to admit his former partner in petty crime was right, the truth of the matter was he had a valid point.

"Okay. So it might work. But I'm not putting my nephew at risk. I told my brother I'd look out for him after he died and getting him involved in something like this isn't looking out for him."

"He's 19. He can decide for himself. Hey, kid? What do you think?"

Jason Delaney turned 19 three months ago after finishing his first year of college. His Uncle Kyle had been his legal guardian from the time his dad died when he was 14 until he came of age a little over a year ago. His father knew his brother had a shady side, but he was strong and fearless and there was no one else he could trust to raise his son. The fact that he was even willing to take on the responsibility of raising a teenager had sealed the deal and before he got too ill to make a legal decision, his dad put the guardianship request in his will. When he passed away three months later, Kyle became legally responsible for Jason.

To his credit, Kyle stayed on the straight and narrow working hard at various jobs to feed and clothe him and keep a roof over his head. He'd even chipped in to help the kid get through a year of community college, but now his old friend was pressuring him like never before to help him pull off a big job, and Kyle had to admit he was more than a little bit interested. But involving Jason was out of the question.

"I said leave the kid alone. He's not doing this. I don't care how much money's involved. If we get caught, he goes to prison just like us and...sorry kid, but it's true...he ain't cut out for prison. As you said, just look at him."

Jason was an adult but he was also small, thin, and frail-looking. He claimed he was 5' 8" but he was just a shade over 5' 7" and he might be a buck twenty-five soakin' wet. He'd been picked on all his life. Well, at least until Kyle entered the picture. When he found out who was giving his nephew the worst of it during the tenth grade, he'd waited to catch the ringleader, Nathan Jeremy, by himself. When he did,he beat him to the point he'd never touch anyone again but no further. He was sending a message not trying to kill the kid. Ironically, he ended up becoming Jason's protector his last two years in school and the two of them had become inseparable friends. In fact, Kyle often wondered if this friendship might be something more than just...friendship. He'd never actually caught them together in bed or anything. It was just they way they laughed and looked at each other or the way Jason often stood way too close to Nate who never seemed to care. Even after high school graduation, they did pretty much everything together to include taking the same classes in college.

That struck Kyle as all the more strange because Jason always had girls flirting with him. Not the super-hot cheerleader types, but cute girls nonetheless. He seemed to attract the brainy, nerdy type and Kyle had thought about hitting on a couple of them himself as he was only 35 and not a bad looking guy. But the age difference was just too much so he stuck to older women who liked bad boys like him and he did pretty well for himself in that department. But Jason never showed any interest in any of them. No one, in fact, except for Nate. Strangest of all was the sudden absence of Nate. He hadn't been around—at all—and Jason had been in the worst kind of funk Kyle had ever seen. His nephew, who was always happy and upbeat, barely spoke and rarely went anywhere.

He shook his head as he realized he was so lost in thought he hadn't heard a word. "Just tell me this. Who can you think of who could pull this off better than old Jay bird over there?" Ralph Granger had been Kyle's partner in crime since they were teenagers. The two of them had stolen cars, robbed liquor stores, broken into scores of homes and stolen everything from cash to flat screens but had never been caught. Ralph was itching to pull the biggest heist of their lives after (even more ironically) spending five years working for a rival of Wells Fargo, transporting large sums of money and other securities between banks. With no criminal record, both of them looked great on paper and had no trouble getting hired.

Kyle knew he was right, but it was still out of the question.

"What would my cut be?" Jason asked.

"Whoa! Hold it right there, Jason," Kyle said. "This is non-negotiable. You're goin' back to school next month and you're NOT getting involved in this. Period. Is that clear?"

"One-third," Ralph told him.

"And what's the expected take?" Jason asked.

"Three million, give or take. And that's our cut after we fence the goods. Bearer bonds. They'll all fit in one leather bag. All you gotta do is know where to be and when."

"But I gotta dress like that to do it?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, no one's ever seen you look like that and no one ever will after. So any surveillance footage will show a person who never existed and a pair of sunglasses will keep anyone from being able to use facial recognition software. You could do this, kid. Trust me."

"So a million bucks?"

Ralph looked at Kyle who was shaking his head at Jason. "Okay, I'm in."

"Yeah! That's my boy!" Ralph said offering Jason a high five.

Kyle walked over and said, "If we get caught...."

"I understand, Uncle Kyle. It means 10-15 years in prison. And yes, I know how big I am. Trust me on that."

"Are you sure? Have you really thought this through?"

Jason had thought about little else but how to repair things with Nate since finally telling him how he felt about him. He knew Nate liked girls, but he couldn't help but think he maybe he just might feel the same way about him as he did about Nate. He'd been in love with him for the last year or so and thought he probably was even before that. He'd just never said anything about it until....

After the end of their first year of college, they'd gone to a party together and Nate had a way too much to drink. He had his arm around Jason and was telling the other guys how this was his best buddy, his best friend, how they did everything together and how much he loved this little guy. He even pulled him close and kissed him on the cheek at one point.

Later that evening, when they were all alone, Jason finally got up the courage to tell Nate he loved him. Nate was too drunk to understand and said, "I love you too, big guy." And that's when Jason kissed him. Not on the cheek, but square on the lips. When Nate didn't initially pull away, Jason felt happier than he'd even been in his life. But even drunk, Nate realized what was going on and pushed Jason back. Hard. Hard enough to send him flying into the wall behind him. "Get the fuck off of me, you faggot!" he screamed.

"I thought you loved me, too," Jason said, tears welling up in his eyes.

Nate was heavily slurring his words as he said, "You look kind of like a gurrlll, dude. But you're not a gurlll and I like gurlls. Unner-shtand?" He was so upset by what had happened, he started crying, too. The way a drunk person cries. "Look man, I want to love you like that, bro, but I need you to be a gurll. Do you unner-shtand? I can't love you like...that," he said loudly waving his hand at Jason's male body. Jason could barely understand him as he said, "You need to have boobs and wear makeup and pretty dresses and shit." He got up and staggered over to Jason and said, "You need to be pretty for me, dude. I need you to be a gurll. Then I could love you." He pulled Jason close and put his hand behind his head and held it against his broad shoulder. "I need you to be a gurll, Jashhon. A pridddy...gurrrll." He let go of him then sat back down before laying down and passing out.

The next morning Jason was waiting for him when he finally woke up. "Fuck! My head is killing me," Nate said.

"So you don't remember what happened last night?" Jason asked hopefully.

Nate forced himself to sit up and said, "I was shit faced, but I still remember. Everything. Look man, you need to go home, okay?" He wouldn't look up at Jason. He just held his head between his legs and said, "Go on. Get the fuck out. I ain't no queer."

"But what if I could...be a girl for you?"

"You can't so just get the hell out, okay? I don't want to talk to you. I don't even want to see you so just go!" He looked up and saw Jason bending down and looking at him. He lifted up his head and yelled. "Get the fuck out! Now!"

Jason's eyes welled up with tears again as he stood. "I love you, Nathan. Please don't do this."

"Jesus Christ! What the fuck is wrong with you? I told you I ain't no fucking faggot. So just fucking...go!" Nate didn't want Jason to see he was crying, too. He refused to look back up and let him know he was as Jason turned around and slowly walked away. They hadn't spoken to one another since.

"So who's gonna help me with the disguise?" Jason asked.

"You let me take care of that, kid. I got the perfect person for it—an old girlfriend who owes me big time. All you gotta do is do exactly what she tells you and we're all gonna be rich."

"Or in jail," Kyle said as they went their separate ways.

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Two days later all three of them drove up to the cabin Jason's dad once owned and had willed to Kyle. There was a green VW beetle parked in front as they pulled up.

"Come on. I got someone I want you two to meet," Ralph said. "Oh, and this place is gonna be your alibi, kid. Anyone asks where you were, you tell 'em you came here to go fishin', got it?"

They went inside and saw a woman who was about 30 or so sitting in the only chair that wasn't made of all wood. She had bleached blonde hair and wore too much makeup but was otherwise reasonably attractive.

"This here is Tina. Teenz? That there is my friend, Kyle, and this sweet little thing here is Jason."

"Please to make your acquaintance," she said to both of them as she snapped and popped her gum. She looked Jason up and down and said, "You were right. He's a doll. This is gonna be a piece of cake." Jason noted she had a very annoying kind of nasally New York/New Jersey accent, but no one else seemed to care, especially Ralph who also talked the same way.

She stood up and walked around him in a circle. "Oh, yeah. This'll work out just fine."

She ended up back in front of him and said to Ralph, "See here? Look at those cheekbones. I wish I had those! And those eyes? Oh, my God, they're beautiful!"

Jason felt like a horse being sold at auction when she grabbed his chin and said, "Let me that smile, cutie." Jason smiled and she said, "Oh, yeah. He's perfect."

"How much time will you need?" Ralph asked her.

"That depends," she told him.

"On?" he wanted to know.

"Just doing the outside stuff is easy. I can do that in a couple of hours or so. It's everything else that's gonna take time and a lot of practice."

"Like what kind of 'everything else'?" Ralph asked wanting specifics.

"Like walking and talking. It ain't easy bein' a girl, you know. You don't just put on a wig and some lipstick and turn into one. You gotta be believable, you know what I'm sayin'?" Tina asked almost rhetorically.

She turned to Ralph and said, "For instance, I could work on you until the cows come home, Ralphie, and no one would EVER buy it. You couldn't even pull of the external stuff. But this kid? Oh, hell yeah! All I need is a couple of days to practice with him." She turned to Jason and said, "You're gonna have to really pay attention kid, because I can turn that pretty face into a beautiful girl in no time, but if you can't be a girl in every other way, then your cover is gonna be blown before you ever get started."

Jason learned Tina had no idea exactly what they were doing. She only knew she'd be paid $50,000 for her end of the deal which included not asking any questions. Ralph had scraped together five grand so she could buy whatever she needed to get started and as a partial down-payment. Fifty grand was more than Tina made in an entire year so she was more than eager to help out. "Besides, this is gonna just be SO much fun," she said as she squeezed Jason's cheeks again.

"So...how about you two take a hike for the next two or three days. When you come back, he'll be ready IF he can be made ready."

"Well if he ain't, you ain't gettin' another dime," Ralph told her. "So you better make sure he is. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah. I understand. All I'm sayin' is a lotta this is up to the kid. But if he works hard it can be done. Now go! Out. Shoo fly!" she told them.

Ralph slapped Kyle on the arm and said, "You heard the lady. Let's roll. We got a ton of planning left to do and just three days to get it all done." A packet of bearer bonds was being moved temporarily to a local bank in Richmond, Virginia where they lived and they had to be ready before then.

Jason stood there in the middle of the room waiting for Tina to tell him what came next.

"So, I'm assuming Ralphie told you what he wants me do and that you're okay with that right, hon?"

"Yes," was all he said.

"You don't sound too enthused," she told him.

"I just have a lot on my mind. That's all. I promise I'll work as hard as I can because I not only don't want to go to jail, the person I love is depending on me to get this right. That person just doesn't know it yet."

"Oh! Who's the lucky girl?" she said as she continued sizing him up.

"It doesn't matter," Jason told her. "I just need to get this right for more than the job."

Tina threw her hands up and said, "Stop! Don't say a word about the job. The less I know the better. As far as I'm concerned, everything I'm doing is perfectly legal." She tilted her head toward Jason and said, "And between you and me, a whole lot of fun." She smiled at him and said, "Okay, I think we're ready to get started. Come on. Follow me, kid."

Jason watched her disappear into the larger of two bedrooms then turn and wave at him. "Come on already!"

Jason walked in, took a quick look around and said, "Whoa!"

"It's very pretty, huh?" Tina said. "We gotta get you in the mood and keep you there so I kinda fixed up the room to um...set the stage."

The walls had been painted pink, the curtains on the one window were very frilly, and the small, twin-sized bed had a pink comforter on it along with some soft, fluffy pillows. There was a full-sized mirror on the wall at the foot of the bed, a table with a mirror and a ton of makeup on it in one corner, a desk and chair in another corner, and a rack with clothes hung on it with shoes and other items next to it.

"Okay, so my first question is let's see which of these wigs looks best on you." Jason saw one that was long and full, another that was about shoulder length, and a third that went to just below the ears. Tina took a long look at his face and said, "Oh, yeah. This one will be perfect for that gorgeous face of yours," and set the longest of the three aside.

"So...before we can turn you into a beautiful young woman, we're gonna have to get you out of those boring, drab clothes. I'll give you a minute to put them away and slip on this white robe and then we're gettin' to work."

Jason peeled off his tee-shirt, jeans, socks, underwear, and shoes and set them in a neat pile in the one free corner. He put on the robe and felt ridiculous when he saw himself in the large mirror. "I look like some kind of freak," he told himself as he saw a boy in a girl's bathrobe.

"Okay, I'm comin' back in," she said tapping on the door. She took a look at him and said, "Perfect. Have a seat for me over here okay, hon?" She pointed to the little desk with the mirror and the makeup on it and Jason did as he was told.

"Oh, before I forget. We need a new name for you. Jason just isn't gonna work for the person you're going to be in a couple of hours. Any preference?" she asked him.

He hadn't really thought about it in terms of a name. Yes, he'd thought of himself somehow becoming a girl, but a name hadn't been important to him until now.

Before he could suggest something, Tina said, "Let's see. You're a Jason so how about Jennifer or Julia or Jenna or Jane or...."

"I like Jenna," he said.

"Jenna it is then, Jenna. Jason is now dead, okay? From this moment on until whatever you're doing is over, your name is Jenna so start thinking like Jenna at all times. Got it?" Jason/Jenna nodded.

"So...a couple of days from now I need you to look like a young, sophisticated, well-dressed young woman for whatever it is you guys are doin'. So..." She looked over at the rack of clothes and said, "I have this really nice-looking business suit or this fancy white blouse with the pretty black skirt or...let's see. Oh, yeah. I've got this very dressy looking, short knit dress in black. One piece. Very sheik. All of them are short enough to walk in and run if you have to. I guess we should hope you won't have to."

"I like the black dress best," Jenna said.

"Yeah, it's nice. Very classy. It says 'money' without being pretentious and it's the right time of year for something like this. Okay, so that's our goal to work toward for the day of the actual job. In the meantime, we need to find something comfortable to wear that we can practice in. So how about a nice-looking sleeveless knit top like this...." She held up a rib-knit sweater in a light blue, "and maybe this..." she said pairing it with a navy-blue skirt.

"You ready?" she asked.

"Ready or not, right?" Jenna said.

"That's my girl. It's show time! All you gotta do is sit there and let me make you beautiful, okay?"

"Um...would it be possible for you to teach me how to do this instead of just doing it?"

"I can but it'll take more time," she said. "I don't see no reason to do that unless you're plannin' on living in drag or something."

"I just like to be thorough, that's all," Jenna said not wanting to get into it.

"Suit yourself," Tina told her.

For the next hour, Tina started by explaining how to prepare her hair with a wig cap and tape in order to wear a wig convincingly. "I'll show you how to place it and tease the roots to give you a natural-looking hairline, but first you gotta know how to pull your eyebrows up and tape this baby on." It took her about 20 minutes to explain and properly prepare Jenna to wear a wig.

"Wow! My eyebrows are really up high," she said.

"They're supposed to be, hon. That's one of the first critical elements to turning a boy into a girl. Of course, I gotta have something to work with and lemme tell you, you got the face for it. Now Ralph or Kyle? Ha! Forget about it already."

Tina spent the next hour and a half showing Jenna how to makeover her face starting with the right foundation. "I'm guessing you already shaved but I really can't see any hair follicles anywhere." She stepped back, looked very carefully, then asked, "Do you even shave yet, hon?"

Jason had always been embarrassed that he really only needed to save once a week and that was just to get rid of the thin hairs that grew out here and there. "Not really," he told her.

"That's a good thing," Tina said. "So we start with this foundation to match your skin tone and apply it like this." Tina showed Jenna how to use a makeup sponge and the correct way to apply makeup. At every step, she took great pains to show Jenna not just what she needed but how to properly apply it. "Even the best makeup in the world will look like shit...pardon my French, sweetheart...if it's just slopped on. You gotta think of yourself as an artist, painting a masterpiece on a beautiful canvas."

Jenna's eyebrows were carefully shaped and sculpted before being filled in. Then Tina went to work on the eyes. "The eyes are everything," she said looking at Jenna and tapping a brush to get her attention. "You're gonna be out during the morning so we can't put too much makeup on, but you can still wear enough to make those beautiful eyes of yours really pop. Let me show you how, okay?" Tina started with eye liner, then went to blending shadows, then finally to some false eyelashes which were long, but not overly glamorous.