The Hunter Ch. 02 - Chicago Mission

She nodded and said, "I will." I nod, hug her, turn around, and go back upstairs. LoLo is sitting on the couch and sipping her drink.

It's been a while since I had one of these. Compliments to the bartender." she commented. The conversations remained light-hearted, and we talk about what is next. We need a trial run of the drag queen disguises in case we need to adjust or get some supplies. We don't have much time before Tuesday. We laugh and joke for a while. The conversation starts to wind down and by the time the G&Ts are finished they are both yawning and head for bed.

I fix me a sandwich and then go take a shower. I watch the monitors and play on the ol' interweb. I let Ashley sleep in until10:00AM before I woke her. LoLo was asleep when I went downstairs. I grabbed Ashley's toe and gently shook her foot. She groaned and stretched, her first words, "Damn, I was sleeping soooo good!"

"What, no morning lover?" I asked.

She laughed, "Not this morning. You're just some shit head that woke me up from a good snooze!"

"That's right." I said, "Now it's my turn." I pulled the covers off of her body. Admiring the view and not really wanting her to leave, my words were in opposition to my thoughts, "Go on git," I said, "I need some shut eye."

"Keep barking mister, you are liable to need more than shut eye." She said, all the while giving me the stink eye and leaving the bed. I disrobed and jumped in the bed. She saw me watching her and she disrobed in an erotic manner and then slowly got dressed for the day. Occasionally she would peek at me in the mirror smiling at herself in knowing that she was driving me crazy. She left the room finally, and it took a while for me to doze off.

I was awakened to the sound of two female voices, "Pauline....Pauline... it is time to get up!" The two voices giggled and then repeated "Pauline....Pauline... it is time to get up!"

I groaned and I said, "I hope you two are having a good time." I peeked out over the covers. The vision that was waiting for me was LoLo was in a chartreuse dress about 4" above the knee. The neckline was modest, no cleavage. She was wearing a green bob cut wig. Her make-up was thick with exaggerated eye lashes and plenty of mascara. She wore green lipstick and dark green sparkly eye shadow. She had elbow length white gloves and white panty hose/ stockings and white lace up knee-high go-go boots. Her breasts seemed enhanced. Only by process of elimination did I know it was LoLo. She was not recognizable. I pointed at her and asked, "Penelope or Patty?"

She smiled and said., "Patty."

"Damn Patty, you go girl." I said. "You look really good. OK let's see the walk." I sat up in the bed smiling from ear to ear. She walked back and forth across the bedroom with a controlled turn at each end. She friggin owned it, baby she owned it. She winked and smiled. "Ok, Penelope, let's have a look at you. Penelope had a fuscia dress it was about 6" above the knee. The neckline on her dress was also modest, no cleavage. She wore a bubble gum shoulder length wig. She had thick makeup with a little rouge on the cheeks. She had long thick eyelashes and pink glittery eyeshadow. She wore strawberry shiny lip gloss. She wore white elbow length gloves. Her breasts also looked augmented. She had pink tights and white lace up knee-high go-go boots. "Alright Penny, let's see what your walk is like?" I asked. She strutted her stuff back and forth across the bedroom and stopped next to Patty. "WOW, you both look fantastic." I said, "I'll be the comic relief of this trio."

They turned to leave and as they were leaving, one of them said, "Get up, we want to see you in drag, mister." They were in LoLo's bedroom getting out of their disguises. They came out and still had a lot of makeup on. They went to the bathroom to clean the makeup off. They came out looking like LoLo and Ashley.

I asked, "How long did it take you to get into drag.

They looked at each other and said, "A little over an hour, count on an hour and half". They laughed LoLo said, "Before we start with you, we have to shave your body!" She was laughing as she said it and almost didn't get body out of her mouth.

Ashley piped up, "I can help with that! Hahaha."

"I think I can get most of it myself." I stated

Ashley backed off, "Ok, but you need to be shaved, not butchered. Have you ever shaved your legs or underarms before?"

"No." I stated.

"Then you might swallow what little pride you have left and accept out help. I mean It's not every day you get the opportunity to be shaved by not only one but two women! But, it is up to you, it is your ass!" she laughed.

"Damn you are so funny when you are right. Where do you want to start?" I submitted. Two hours later, except for my pubes and my head I was as hairless as a newborn.

The two Ps could hardly contain their laughter and spouted, "You look different already!" As they fell laughing hysterically into a pile on the floor. I flushed in embarrassment. I looked in the mirror and my face was as red as a razorback jersey.

"I hope I don't have to do that again anytime soon. I think next time I will try hair removal cream if I should ever have to cross this bridge again." I said every time a said something and looked at the Ps they busted up laughing.

"Last thing." Ashley said.

"What else is there?" I interrupted.

"Eyebrows." She laughed.

"Damn it" I said. About 30 minutes later my eyebrows were deemed acceptable. First I put on a silicone upper half. For the first time in my life I had boobs, beauxdacious silicone tatas. I then put on my heavy-duty flesh colored tights, making sure I had the proper tuck. The dress they selected for me was a knee length azure blue dress with a high neckline and long sleeves. The sleeves had a thumb hole for maximum coverage. I had feminine low wedge tennis shoes. The Ps put on my makeup blue eyeshadow and lipstick with a platinum beehive wig. Hell between the wedge shoes and the beehive hairdo I must have been close to 6' 8". I finished with a 2 1/2 in wide metal lace choker that hid the neckline of the silicone vest. When I was completed, I had to work on the walk. The giggles and laughter continued. I said "Go ahead, get it out of your system. Come Tuesday you both are going to have to keep it together. Go ahead and laugh now funny girls." They did and I was embarrassed to high heaven. But with the make up on they could not see me turn red. All in all, it was going to take about 3 hours for the three Ps to get in disguise. Tuesday was going to be a long day.

I took off the wig and makeup then got undressed. I was hungry and needed to eat. LoLo had cooked everything to make burritos. "Thank you LoLo". I said.

"You are welcome, Penelope." she laughed. We ate and kidded, soon the yawns hit and the girls were ready to go to bed. I bid them good night. Ashley went about two steps down and stood there facing me. As soon as LoLo's bedroom door shut, she motioned for me to come towards her. She took my hand and led me to the lower bedroom. She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a toe-curling good night kiss. She winked when we broke the kiss and whispered, "Good night lover."

I told her "Good night, sweet dreams." and left the bedroom.

I spent the rest of the night playing on the ol' interweb and monitoring the exterior cameras. I ate a sandwich about 4:00 AM. There was no traffic to speak of in the neighborhood until about 4:30-5:00 when the early risers started getting up and about.

I didn't wake Ashley until 8 AM. I grabbed her toe and said, "Penny... Penny it's time to rise and shine". She responded with a groan. She reluctantly got up out of the bed. I asked, "Would you like some breakfast?"

"No." she replied in a grumpy manner. She learned up against me. I gave her a hug and a swat on her ass.

"I need you to call Vivian Miles today or remind me to do it after you wake me. We need to report the damage to the rental property. Wake me at 2:00. I am wiped." I said. I moved her to the side and undressed and went to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

It seemed that I had just closed my eyes when I felt my toes being shaken. "Penelope... Penelope it's 2:00 PM and time for all good witness protectors to get up." I cracked open an eye and there was a vision of loveliness standing at the foot of my bed. She spoke, "Come on handsome get your ass up. Let's fix a good dinner tonight." I smiled and got up out of the bed.

I got dressed and went upstairs to get a glass of ice water. LoLo was on the couch. There was a weird vibe in the room. I know LoLo was bored out of her gourd. Both ladies seemed a little off. Mabey it was getting a little too real. Tomorrow was the big day. We would be walking into the belly of the beast unarmed with only our disguises and our wits. "Ashley did you call Miss Miles?" I asked. She shook her head. Well then, I need to get that out of the way. You guys decide, if you haven't already, what you want for dinner." I went to the monitoring room and called Vivian Miles. I told her about the shooting and that we had a police report number. I could send her pictures of the damage for insurance purposes if she liked. I told her that I had patched a few of the bullet holes on the interior of the house already. She said had read about the shooting and hoped that there were no injuries. She would contact the insurance company and they would send an adjustor over later in the week. I told her I would be leaving later this week. She told me to leave the keys on the kitchen counter when we leave, and she would get them. I thanked her for her understanding and apologized for the damage. She understood that I didn't cause the damage and explained that was why the made insurance. I thanked her again and hung up.

A few minutes after I can back into the living room, Ashley came up from the lower bedroom. She said, "I just got off the phone with Roberto. He was busting me about being an easy mark and picking up strays and a soft touch blah, blah, blah. I didn't throw you under the bus. After he got through ragging on me. He said he agreed with your assessment of LoLo's situation. He had called around and he talked with some friends of his and there were several entry-level jobs available. If need be, she can work at VC until something better comes along. She could work with the janitorial staff or in the cafeteria. So, LoLo if you want, you can start fresh in Atlanta."

LoLo smiled brightly and nodded, "Thank you, Miss Ashley and Mr. JJ. Thank you very much, I know you didn't have to do this, I appreciate it very much. I am looking forward to starting fresh." she said.

"Alright ladies what have you decided for a dinner menu?" I asked. "What sounds good?"

They looked at each other and pleaded to go out to eat.

"How about we go out to eat tomorrow after court". I suggested, trying to make a compromise.

They weren't having it. They pouted. "Why not both?" they argued.

"We still must be on alert. We are still in danger here. If something doesn't look right, or feel right, then it probably isn't right." I said. We decided to go over to Gary IN and dine in a soul food restaurant. By the time we were dressed and out the door, we arrived at the restaurant about 5:00 PM. We were all starving. We made small talk about tomorrow and made plans for a timeline that would get us to the court room at 10:00 AM. We would need to get up at 4 AM eat and then become the 3Ps. We had good conversation through diner and ended up making it back to our safe house about 8:30 PM. We all turned in about 10 PM.

Ashley's alarm went off at 4AM. I went upstairs and knocked on LoLo's door. She said "I'm up."

"Just making sure" I said. I turned on the burner phone and messaged the Prosecutor. 'Plan to have the package there at 10. Any changes?' Two hours later I got a thumbs up.

"What sounds good for breakfast?" I asked.

"Cheesy eggs, bacon, and toast," Ashley said.

"I'm on it." I said as I got out a couple of skillets. Breakfast is ready in no time. The morning mood is solemn. Each person is playing their version of the day ahead in their own mind. "What are you thinking?" I said at no one in particular just trying to break the silence.

LoLo solemnly spoke, "I am scared shitless."

I said, "That is LoLo talking. Patty is going to have a great day. She is going to strut her shit and is going to bust Marquel's balls. I can only imagine the look on his face when you walk up and take the stand. I wish I could take pictures."

She smiled and nodded. "Are you sure you couldn't recognize me as Patty?" she asked.

"Not a chance." I stated. LoLo and Ashley began their journey to Patty and Penelope. I couldn't help them much, so I decided to start my journey into Pauline. I shaved my face and put on my silicone upper form. I got my leggings on and my dress. By that time Patty came to my rescue and helped me finish my make up and wig. We were awesome, not thinking of possible down the road consequences, we posed and took pictures individual and group for future reference. We took turns strutting our stuff relaxing and blowing off steam before we had to head to the courthouse.

I had to scrunch down while driving. Between my natural height and the beehive wig, I finally had to recline the driver's seat to keep from mashing the wig. We parked a couple of blocks away. As soon as we exit the car, we immediately get the lookers and blatant stares and gawkers and even a couple of pointers. Mothers gathering their children a little closer. Some people just shook their heads. After we strutted our stuff a while, we did get a couple of high fives. It was right at 10:00 when we entered the courthouse. We went through security and asked which courtroom was being used for the Marquel Russel trial. We were the center of attention. I guess it is not every day three queens go to the courthouse, even in Chicago. We kept getting the looks all the way to the court room. The outside bailiff let us in the courtroom. When we entered, damned near every eye in the court room was on us. Judge, jury, bailiff, lawyer, and spectator all stopped momentarily while we found a place to sit.

The prosecutor was just starting her opening statements. She was laying out the case. You will hear testimony that Marquel Russel is the leader of a criminal organization known as the Vice Lords. You will hear testimony about the various criminal enterprises that this criminal organization (A.K.A. The Vice Lords) is involved. Prostitution, drugs, protection rackets, extortion, and murder to name a few. You will hear testimony from eyewitnesses, police, forensic accountants, and the cook county coroner. I doubt that Mr. Russel will testify. It is his right not to testify and for him to exercise his right cannot be held against him. We have video evidence of this organization performing illegal activities. The defense will counter with a few bad apples defense. We, the prosecution will demonstrate through police records and forensic accounting that the money generated through street level activities is filtered up higher and higher within the organization. We will show through testimony and evidence that nothing goes on in this criminal organization without Mr. Russel's knowledge and approval, even while he is in the cook county jail.

It was pretty thorough and damning opening statement. The defense was going to have to rely on trickery and technicalities to even have a chance. The defense started off painting Marquel as a misunderstood and mis identified robin hood of the neighborhood. The defense continued to paint as Marquel a victim of an overzealous criminal justice system. OMG, I damned near had a tear (one) in my left eye. The defense lawyer finally tired of his own voice and sat down.

The judge asked the prosecution to call its first witness. The prosecutor stood and said, "Your Honor, the prosecution calls Loretta Gonzalez as the first witness." There was an instant buzz in the courtroom. Patty squeezed my hand, and I held her still. The bailiff opened the door to the courtroom and in the hallway just outside, he announced Loretta Gonzalez. He came back inside alone and Marquel instantly was grinning as wide as any man could. He gave a little fist pump and I let go of Patty's hand and told her to go get the SOB. She Stood and the buzz grew. The prosecutor, Marquel, the defense attorney, the judge, the jury, everyone in the court room was shocked to see a drag queen making her way to the witness stand. Mouths ajar and eyes bugging with every step as Patty strutted her stuff all the way. The judge gaveled the court room to silence.

The bailiff swore Loretta Gonzalez to testify to the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The defense lawyer immediately stood shouted, "I object to this witness. This witness is not Loretta Gonzalez". He then proceeded to describe Miss Gonzalez. He further stated, "This person cannot be Miss Gonzalez and I implore the prosecution to produce the real Miss Gonzalez."

The judge asked Patty, "Are you Loretta Gonzalez?"

"Yes, your honor, I am Loretta Gonzalez. She explained. "I have been hiding in witness protection. I am wearing this disguise so that I would not be recognized by persons that want to do me harm." She looked Marquel squarely in the eyes when said the last sentence. The color drained from Marquel's face; the smile no longer present. His fists were clenched in anger. He was about to explode. "I have my driver's license and you can finger print me if you need to."

The judge said, "I believe you are Loretta Gonzalez and based on the defendant's response, so does he. Madame prosecutor, you may proceed."

"Thank you, your honor." the prosecutor started. "Miss Gonzalez do you know the defendant?"

"Yes," she stated, "he was my boyfriend for four years. Until I was no longer important to him."

"Please tell us what you know of Marquel Russel's business affairs?" she led her on.

Patty went on and testified for the next two and half hours. She outlined Russel's control of the Vice Lords and how certain people reported to him and how he directed business activities. Who would report to him for the different facets of the business this guy for prostitution, that guy for drugs, another for protection activities etc. exposing the guts of the organization. She also testified about Marquel directing Big D to murder three people. She went to tell tales of bribery of the police from street cops to gang unit detectives. She stated that she personally delivered envelops to certain law enforcement individuals. The defense had numerous objections all of which we overruled. When the prosecution completed, the defense tried for about ten minutes to trip her up and twist her words. Patty quickly corrected any misquotes and stood her ground. Getting nowhere, the defense gave up on this witness. The judge asked both the prosecutor and the defense if they planned to recall this witness. Both stated they saw no need to recall at this time. The judge then excused the witness and called for a recess for lunch. When the courtroom cleared out, the 3Ps went to talk to the prosecutor.

The prosecutor was ecstatic. She was wearing the biggest smile imaginable. "WOW," she said "Kudos on the disguise. I believe with Loretta's testimony and with the rest of the evidence Mr. Russel's time on the street is over. Thank you, Loretta, and thank you Jed and Ashley."

"If Loretta is not needed further, then VC has met our business agreement. We delivered her safely to court to testify. Would you agree? I asked.

She nodded, "Yes, Thank you all again." We shook hands and left the court room. We went out the back of the courthouse to avoid being seen as much as possible. We made it to the car and took a long way to our safe house. We were not followed. We got home about 1:30 PM.