Round five was not really that spectacular but it didn’t matter. The crowd was now so worked up the level of excitement just continued on. Missy danced around out there and Kalinda never had any serious chance to upset her. When the five minutes ended, Kalinda stopped in the middle of the ring and just stared at Missy. She nodded her head, acknowledging the amazing performance Missy had given and there was a lot of respect in her eyes. Missy had clearly beaten her, fair and square. There had been no fouls and no penalties for either side.
For Missy, winning the MMA Amateur Women’s Middleweight trophy was almost anti-climatic after all the playful strutting and preening she’d done all day. The bout had been a good one and Missy had put on a nice show, making sure Kalinda got in some decent strikes and blows, with a lot of grappling. She wasn’t trying to make anyone there look bad and so she’d kept things exciting, making it appear close. It’s what she’d been doing all year with the guys in her club, after all. As she’d done for most of her bouts that day, she’d won this one by decision rather than by knockout or submission. It was a unanimous decision by the judges and she was the clear winner. From the crowd’s reaction, it was a popular decision as well.
Missy had accomplished her goal and made a real spectacle of herself. She’d brought glory to her club, beating the best of the best. Her Sensei and all the guys were ecstatic. She was approached by a lot of people after that but told them all the same thing. She was now retiring from any further MMA competitions and would only be working out back at her club in the future. She didn’t bother mentioning there were no women in her club and only a few articles written about her included that info. Many of the writers didn’t bother to research her background all that much since, if she wasn’t going to continue competing, they didn’t see much value in that. The photos and videos were plenty for the stories they turned in that day. Then, it was on to the next big event.
But there were several writers who did take note. Missy had really impressed them and they believed she was someone pretty special. Coming in and easily dominating all the top competitors that day? And, looking outrageously spectacular as well? They were convinced Missy was indeed someone they’d want to keep tabs on. And, when they did research her background? What they learned only further convinced them of that. They added her as one of the athletes they intended to keep following.
She did keep seeing some of her best photos long afterwards, showing her in all her magnificent splendor. Some were enlarged and prominently displayed in various places. Her club of course put up two life-size pictures, each under glass and in a heavy frame. In one she was holding her first place trophy and someone had positioned her cape in the background, with the club lettering clearly visible. In the other she was giving her most intimidating look, with her eyes blazing and a fierce expression on her face. This photo showed it all: her heavy makeup, her well oiled body, her silvery shoulder scars, her pumped and flexed muscles, a curvy hip thrust forward and it was even angled so her sports bra revealed plenty of cleavage.
Her gym was another place where a full sized photo of her appeared on the wall. She did convince her instructors over at her karate school not to put any pictures up. But there was no stopping all the photos being taped inside many of the lockers at her school. Some were taped up inside lockers at various other schools as well, as word of mouth quickly spread her fame. And, long afterwards, several YouTube video clips were still out there on the internet, where anyone could watch her in action. That fourth round of her final match was especially popular. Missy had thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and really didn’t mind. She’d had fun. And, her club would be famous for years, long after she’d grown up and moved on.
Meanwhile, life went back to normal. And, after three weeks of a regular diet and several planned activities, Missy’s weight was down to 135 pounds and she looked pretty much back to normal. Being voluptuous and then being ripped and shredded had all been great fun, but she was much more comfortable with herself the way she’d been before.
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There was one disturbing item, however, that upset Missy a great deal. A week before Christmas her brother John called her on the phone. “Hey, did you hear about that waitress? I recognized her picture in the newspaper and the article even mentions that restaurant we went to in Lynn. About a year ago. I’m sure she’s the one you talked to. About her dad and Alice and stuff, remember? Roseanne something-or-other. She got upset about something you said and just walked away. You never did tell me how you knew her.”
“Sure, Roseanne. Her father is Alice’s stepfather, Tony. What about her?”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right. Well, she’s dead. You may want to tell Alice, then. Drug overdose. The article says she had a history ... they don’t know if it was accidental or suicide.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jan 2017
“Hey, Missy? Heather’s on the phone.”
Her mother was in the kitchen and Missy was just walking in at the back door. Dinner was almost ready and smelled really, really good. It was Friday the 13th and it had been a busy week, the first full week after the holidays with all five days back in school. She’d had a good workout at the gym and now she was starved, as usual. “I’ll get it upstairs, Mom!” she called as she raced by, heading for her room so she could dump her gear and change. She hung up her coat on the way to the stairs, which she took two at a time. Picking up the extension next to her bed, she answered, “Hello, Heather! Miss me already?”
They hadn’t talked since just after New Year’s when her sister had returned to school. Heather had again lived at home during her co-op assignment at the jet engine factory over in Lynn, only fifteen minutes away. They’d grown pretty close these past few months and Missy had enjoyed having her around. Now Heather was back in Boston where she shared an apartment off campus with Bethany. They’d found this place two semesters earlier and during the months they were away on co-op work assignments, their friends Lisa and Marie stayed there. Many co-op students at the university did this, alternating back and forth, trading places for their work/study cycles. So far, the arrangement had been just perfect.
“You know it, Missy! Everyone back here is so dull and boring. No fun. Not like all the interesting, exciting stuff you’re always getting involved in, now that you’ve finally caught up with all your school work. That first year back? You were way too intense with all that home study stuff. But ever since last August? Much more fun. You know. Ever since you ‘let the cat out of the bag’ and spilled all your secrets, right? I can say that, can’t I?” Heather started laughing hilariously, once again kidding Missy about being a cat. She delighted in doing that, every chance she could, but only when no one else could possibly learn about Missy’s secret. “Actually, about that? It’s kinda why I’m calling. I want to check something with you. About what you maybe can do, okay?”
Missy was giggling at her sister’s joking around but then she caught something in Heather’s voice at the end which sounded a little serious. “Sure, sure! Anything for you, you know that. Always. Now, what’s going on?”
“Can you get away? Maybe even come in here tonight? Beth and I found some things. Some cameras, actually. I don’t really know if you can, you know … can you help us figure out who might have put them here?”
“Hey, I’ll drive in right after dinner. Be there in less than an hour, no problem. I’m sure I can help with whatever it is. But, tell me more about these cameras. What do you mean by someone put them there?” Missy emphasized these last words. She was getting a bad feeling about this.
“Well, we got this call today. From Lisa and Marie. They were really upset and told us to check. And, sure enough, just like they thought, there are video cameras. Three so far, but we’re still looking. Someone got in here and placed them so they could spy on us. They obviously know girls are always living here.”
“Wait a minute, are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Missy was getting the picture all right. “Sp
y cameras? Taking videos? Let me guess. Bathroom and bedrooms, right?”
“Yeah. We found wireless transmitters inside the ductwork along with motion sensors. We want to find where the signals are going … probably a laptop somewhere in our building. That could then link to the internet so whatever’s getting filmed can be downloaded anywhere. Lisa and Marie just found out and … this is really terrible, Missy!” Heather paused. “There are videos of them on one of those porn sites. Someone recognized them and told them to check and, sure enough, the videos are showing them right here in our apartment.”
“Umm, what about you and Beth? Are you saying …”
“I think we’re mostly okay,” Heather said, interrupting her obvious question. “We don’t think these cameras were here until a few months ago. And, Beth and I don’t think anything which may have been filmed since we’ve been back has been very … revealing. Or, compromising … you know. Even the camera in the bathroom … maybe me naked for a few nano seconds, hopping into the shower? But, I doubt that’s enough to interest anyone. Still … gives me the creeps. Such a violation! An invasion of privacy like this can really mess with your head.”
“What about Lisa and Marie, then?” asked Missy. “Have they had guys staying over and … you know …”
“Worse than that, Missy. Ahh … you see … they’re actually a couple. They’re gay. And, a few times … with all the lights on in Lisa’s bedroom? They told us they can get pretty uninhibited and …” Heather sighed. “Even when they’re alone, they each …it seems there’s still lots. Dildos and stuff. You know.”
“Were they maybe targeted, then? Do they have any idea who might have done this? Someone planned all this and if there are several cameras and other equipment? Who have they allowed in there? Or, was the place broken into?”
“That’s the thing. And, why I was asking if maybe you can help us figure out who might have put them here. They do have a list of possible suspects. Lisa and Marie even included addresses for most of them. But, what can we do? There probably are no fingerprints and tracing the equipment isn’t likely to help much.”
Missy’s thoughts were racing. “Let me help you search. First, let’s get all the equipment which is in your apartment. Then, if we can find that laptop you mentioned? Somewhere in the building? Hopefully, from all this stuff I can get a good enough scent. Then, we can check out each of your suspects. I’ll know who it is by their scent.”
“Really? I wasn’t sure, but I was hoping there might be some way … you know, you having special powers, right?” Giggling, and greatly relieved, Heather said, “If you can stay the night, we’ll see how far we can get with all this by tomorrow afternoon. Lisa and Marie will be here then.”
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Two hours later, Missy was sifting and sorting through all the stuff the three of them had ended up finding. Five cameras with microphones, three motion sensors, two wireless transmitters and, from an alcove under the stairs going up to the roof, a laptop. This was inside a backpack which Missy found, in spite of it being very well hidden under some old clothes. Now that she had that, she had a very clear scent. One person had done this and the backpack material held that person’s scent especially well. She would know who he was once she found his scent.
They were now discussing the list of suspects. Heather was pretending to Bethany that her sister was psychic and able to determine who the guilty guy was merely by touching all these items. And, if they went around to each suspect’s address, Missy might “get a vibe”. Bethany was looking at the two of them like they were crazy but, at this point, she was desperate and willing to grasp at anything. “Sure, you guys go ahead. I’m going to see what I can learn from this laptop. Maybe I can crack the password.” Looking at Missy, Bethany asked Heather, “Can your sister get any vibe which tells her what the damn password might be?”
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After staying overnight, sleeping on the living room couch, Missy was up early the next morning and in the kitchen making breakfast. When the others joined her at the table, she served them first and then sat down to her usual huge meal, which was enough to feed a small army. Knowing this was the first time Bethany had ever seen Missy eat, Heather started to explain things. “About all this food, Beth. My sister works out a lot. She does sports at school, goes running every day, does karate and martial arts, plus at the gym …”
Bethany laughed. “Relax. I know all that. When my friends found out that I was sharing an apartment with you, they all started asking me about your famous sister. Thanksgiving weekend? When Missy won that big trophy? Amateur Women’s something-or-other in martial arts? It was all over the internet. YouTube videos and all those photos. Wow. Those were really some big, scary photos.” Turning to Missy, she said, “You looked a lot bigger, somehow. Have you actually lost weight since then? Eat up, girl! Have all you want!” Everyone broke out laughing at that.
Heather and Missy then went out and canvassed the area. Lisa and Marie had provided fifteen names on their list, so far, and were still trying to think if any more should be added. While there were a few workmen, who’d been in once or twice to install or repair something, most were other students they’d invited in for some partying. Evidently, they were very popular girls and their being lesbian lovers didn’t matter very much. So, they had a lot of friends and there’d been some wild parties. No drugs but plenty of alcohol. First, they’d made a list of everyone they could remember having ever come to any of their parties. Then, they’d crossed off those they were positive would never have done this. But, if the search through the fifteen names didn’t result in anything turning up, they would think again about all those friends and whether to maybe add some names back on the list again. They were standing by, waiting for a progress report.
While it was tedious going around to each of the addresses, it was a really beautiful day in Boston; crisp and cold but very sunny. A recent snowfall had covered all the usual city dirt with an inch of snow, so it was now a winter’s wonderland. Heather had wondered if that would affect Missy’s being able to scent things, but Missy assured her she’d know when they found the right address. And, just before noon, they did. When they entered the foyer of a large apartment building which was on the list, she knew immediately. The guy they were after had been there. She could tell he’d definitely been inside this building several times.
They waited in the foyer until one of the tenants came out and then slipped past him through the open door, entering inside just as though they lived there. Getting into these old apartment buildings was not very difficult. Just as it probably had not been much of a problem for this guy to get into Heather’s apartment while Lisa and Marie were living there. Going door to door on each level, they found the guy’s room on the fourth floor. Room 410, in a corner at the rear of the building. The scent was much stronger than in the foyer and hardly anyone else had been going into this room, so it had to be his. Missy got down on her knees to sniff under the door and inhale the air from inside the room. He wasn’t home today but he’d been there not that long ago.
His door was very solid and had two locks on it. These locks were not the usual type for such places but instead had been installed special. This guy obviously was concerned about his security. Picking these locks would probably not be possible. There was an outside fire escape which could be accessed through a window at the end of the hall. But, that didn’t go anywhere near the windows for his room. It looked like it did go up to the roof, however, which was up a few more levels.
They went back down to check names on the mailboxes. It turned out this guy wasn’t even on the list. Jonathan Baxter. Nope, not on the list. But, William Fallon in room 402 was on the list. Perhaps William had brought his friend Jonathan along to one of the parties. He might not even know anything about all the spy cameras which Jonathan later went back and installed. Or, maybe he did. They’d find out.
First, they needed a plan. Knowing Jonathan Baxter had done this was one thing. What to do about th
at was another. Back at Heather’s place, the three of them discussed things for over an hour. Over lunch. Another big feast for Missy which was sent up by the local deli -- a huge chicken Caesar salad with lots of turkey lunchmeat and Swiss cheese on the side. Heather and Bethany each had some fruit, yogurt and a small salad.
As they talked, the mood really lightened up. Since Bethany wasn’t too sure about Missy truly being a psychic, she thought at first they were not being serious. Then, as their various plans became more and more outlandish, she was positive. They absolutely couldn’t possibly be serious. Could they? They were all getting a little giddy from laughing so much. Missy kept saying how they had to have a Plan A and a Plan B. Heather turned to Bethany and said, “You don’t even want to know about her Plan C, Beth. No, no, no. Trust me on this. Please don’t ever ask her.”
Missy then said, “You know what Granddad McCrea always says, right?”
Heather broke out laughing and said, “Oh, yeah, I know that’s where you get all this stuff from. You listen to all his crazy Army stories and then you love to get all military.” Looking at Bethany, she said in a deep voice, “Plan your work, then work your plan!” More laughter.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jan 2017
Lisa and Marie arrived just after three in the afternoon. They were both exceptionally beautiful girls and Missy learned they’d been working as models for a few years now. They’d met while on a photo shoot when back in high school and had ended up together now in college. Lisa was studying criminology and planned to join the police force when she graduated, just as many from her family had done. And, Marie was a computer science major. This creep Jonathan Baxter had definitely messed with the wrong girls.
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