March 30, 1935:  New York City, New York:

Detective Kinney walked through the saw horses that had been set up to keep onlookers, reporters, and unnecessary folks away from the crime scene and entered the ornately carved oaken door that led into the murder room of the ostentatious mansion.  As he stepped in he was momentarily blinded by the flash of the bulb from the police photographer's camera as the man took his various shots of the slain victim.  Brian could see his Captain, still wrapped in his heavy overcoat and holding his hat, standing over to the side of the busy scene in deep conversation with a pretty young thing in a tidy black maid's uniform with a crisp white apron around her waist.  She sniffled several times while talking and dabbing carefully at her runny nose with her handkerchief.  She let out a shuddering breath every few moments as emphasis of her distress while she told her story to the raptly listening Police Captain.  Brian removed his own hat and loosened his coat.  He should have known the Captain would come out on a case that involved such a prominent citizen.  Horvath wouldn't have been here for a derelict lying in the street, no doubt.  

Brian took in the scene quietly as he waited for Captain Horvath to notice him.  When the older man spotted his number one detective, he acknowledged his presence with a nod of his head and pointed over to the body.  He then turned his attention back to the maid, as she continued to describe the horrible events of the night.  Brian walked over to the body stretched out on the rich carpeting that Brian instinctively knew had probably cost more than every piece of furniture he owned at home.  Someone was going to have a devil of a time getting that large crimson stain out of the carpeting, Brian thought to himself casually.... not that the owner of this place would care anymore.  

Brian bent down and took a closer look at the victim.  The entire left side of the man's smoking jacket was covered in blood and it had spread across most of his upper body and down his side to form a pool of sticky red.  The elderly man was rather stocky with a thick head of salt and pepper hair now plastered to his scalp.  He had the surprised look of a man who was most definitely not expecting to meet the Grim Reaper plastered on his face, with his eyes staring into nothingness.  There were no other signs of injuries to the man.  He was dressed elegantly, which befitted his status as master of the house.  Brian had enough experience with human nature to know that wealthy men usually left behind a slew of people who felt they had good reason to do away with the rich bastard.  Brian wondered what skeletons he would discover when he entered Mr. Vanderbeke's closets.  Brian looked up in time to see one of the uniformed officers leading the still sniffling maid out of the room, leaving the Captain free to talk.  Brian hurried over to Horvath's side.

"So Cap, what's the scoop," Brian inquired.

"Well it looks like we are lucky enough to have a witness on this one, Kinney.  Should make your job a lot easier, I imagine.   Miss Magillucuddy... that's the house maid unlucky enough not to have the night off... walked in within seconds after the shooting and saw the killer standing right there with gun in hand.  She doesn't remember his name but she says he has been here before and that she knows that Mr. Vanderbeke's friends know who the young man is.  She thinks he is one of the old man's artists.  Apparently he gets his kicks out of supporting young up-and-comers in the art world.   She says his private secretary will have a list of names of people we can interview, and maybe even the killer's name too.  Young guy... maybe twenty years old or so, real blond, kind of short, slender, and she says he is really cute.  Couldn't be more than a half million, give or take, of those in New York City.  Should make our task a lot easier, wouldn't you say?  Of course it will be a lot easier once we get the name."  Brian nodded in agreement.  "Anyway, she says that the kid ran out the patio doors and that's the last she saw of him.  I need you to go out there and see if you can find any evidence.  The uniforms have made a sweep of the area but you know how they sometimes miss the obvious.  I'll wait here until she comes back with the secretary's address."

Brian nodded and turned towards the large glass doors leading outside.  On his way outside he made a bet with himself.  He had been a detective for nearly five years now and a uniform officer for nearly four before that.   Brian was a pretty good judge of situations.  He decided this case should be settled in less than a week.  After all, they probably already had the necessary info on who committed the crime, so now all they needed to do was locate him.  From the maid's description this young man would be hard to miss.  

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March 31, 1935:  New York City, New York:

Justin took another look into Daphne's bathroom mirror and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  The blonde wig she had purchased fit his scalp perfectly but the long spit curls looked ridiculous, at least in his eyes.  It made him look like a kid, not a grown woman who could travel alone.   Luckily she had also purchased a completely different style of wig.  He took the second wig from the box.  This one had lots of waves and finger curls and looked much more sophisticated.  Justin pulled off the first wig and tried on the second one.  Now, that was much better.  At least with the second one he was certain he'd be allowed to board the train without someone questioning him as to where his parents were.  

Just then Daphne entered her bathroom.  She stopped dead and looked at Justin's reflection in the mirror.  She did her best to stifle the laugh that quickly threatened to bubble up as she handed over a ladies makeup bag full of her new purchases.  Justin looked in horror at the bag as he started pulling out items and lining them up on the sink.   There were several tubes of lipstick, a powder puff, a round silver holder for face powder, an eyebrow pencil, and a small round container of rouge.  He gave his best friend a pleading look.

"It's the only way to go unrecognized Justin, and you know it.  The police will be checking the bus terminals, train stations... even the airports for you as soon as they know who they're looking for, and that shouldn't take long.  You said the maid saw you standing there with the gun in your hand and she knows who you are.  Plenty of people know who you are by name, since the old man kept putting it out there."

Justin nodded his head.  He could always stay in the City of course, but that would put any friend who helped him at risk.  Daphne was right.  Justin knew he had to get out of town until the heat died down.  Once it did he could more easily try and find out who really killed his benefactor, or if he was lucky the police would do their job right and find out for themselves who was guilty.  After all, he reasoned, he had never owned a gun in his life.  He realized he had made a mistake picking the damned thing up and leaving his fingerprints on it, but the police would surely track down the owner of the gun and then figure out that he himself couldn't have used it to shoot Oscar.  Time, that was all he needed.... time to let the case turn cold or be solved.  Once the heat was no longer on him, he could come back.  He would let his Mom know he was safe through Daphne, and she could also pass on any messages.  They had already worked on a code that they would use to communicate after he left.

Having resolved to accept his fate, Justin sat himself down on the little stool in Daphne's bathroom and allowed her to apply makeup to his face, while he held up a mirror so that he could be instructed on how to apply the makeup on his own.  He felt ridiculous.  He knew he was homosexual but he had never had an effeminate thought in his life, so he wasn't exactly comfortable in the new role he was about to play.  He also knew his very freedom would depend on his ability to succeed as a woman, so he stiffened his upper lip and concentrated on Daphne's instructions.  When she was finished with her ministrations she stood back and admired her work.  I'll be damned, she thought to herself, he is one pretty young lady.  Of course she didn't dare voice her thoughts.  Justin stood up and looked in the larger mirror so that he could get a full view of his entire head and shoulders.  He wasn't wearing a shirt and his smooth flat chest belied the face, but with the blonde wig and makeup Justin realized he looked very much like a female.

"Damn!  If I didn't see it for myself I wouldn't have believed it," he exclaimed to his best friend.  "You've worked miracles.  Now if I can just look right in the dress, I do believe I might get away with it, Daph.... at least long enough to get out of New York.  So I might as well bite the bullet and see the dresses you picked out for me."

Daphne laughed out loud.  "Well don't expect anything fancy.  I do try to stay within my budget, and I won't be buying a new wardrobe for myself this Summer, but I guess you're worth it.  Oh, and I got some of the best foundation garments for you that I could find, but I really had to guess on the size.  I'm not used to buying undergarments for fellas, you know.  I bought plenty of cotton balls for you to stuff them with too.  No one would suspect anything since a lot of gals travel with a big supply of cotton balls.  They come in handy in a lot of ways.  And I also got some nail polish for you.  I'll have to give you a manicure before you leave. "

Justin felt that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach again.  Damned if it wasn't going to be a whole lot more work pretending to be a woman than he originally thought.  It flashed through his mind that he was awfully glad he was a guy and not a gal.  The two left the bathroom and entered Daphne's bedroom, where she had several big square boxes and round hat boxes laid out.  She began opening the boxes and started pulling out various articles of clothing.  Justin walked over and proceeded to help her in opening boxes, pulling out their contents.  Soon everything was laid out neatly on the large bed.  There were a few simple bias cut dresses with V necks and sleeves that reached just above the elbow.  They came in lovely floral prints of rayon material and included a simple navy blue cotton dress that was a little more formal.  Each dress was designed with a cinched waist which made Justin glad that he had always possessed a rather slender waistline.  One simple print dress came with a bright bold red belt that was at least two inches wide.  All the dresses ended with a slight flair from the waist down to inches below the knee.  One dress was obviously meant to be a cocktail dress.  It was a tailored black dress with a row of tiny pearl-like and crystal beads sown around the neckline. The flared skirt was elegant in its simplicity.  

After checking out the selection of dresses, Justin noticed that Daphne had even considerately included a simple pleated black rayon crepe skirt and a couple of lovely print button down blouses to go with it.  She even included a pair of high-waisted slacks and a pair of simple short shorts to go with the blouses.  Daphne had thoughtfully bought Justin two pink lace and satin one piece foundation garments with garters, a couple of soft cotton petticoats, and a silk nightgown that was floor length and would easily disguise what Justin didn't want seen in case he was unlucky enough to be spotted in the nightwear.  As a final touch Justin noticed a box on the floor and opened it to find two packages of nylon stockings and two pairs of low heeled shoes.  

"I got the thickest heel I could for you so it would be easier for you to walk in them," Daphne informed Justin, proud of herself for thinking ahead about the difference he would feel in his ability to walk in women's shoes.

Justin was in shock.  He couldn't believe Daphne had bought him so many things and done so with such thoughtfulness.  He dropped the shoes on the bed and gathered his friend in his arms.  

"I love you Daph.  I don't know what I would do without you.  You've thought of everything."  He gave her a peck on the cheek.  "I just hope I can pass for a woman long enough to make it to California.  If I do, I'll owe it all to you."

"You'll do fine.  I have faith in you.  You're a wonderful observer of human beings...probably the artist in you....so just pay attention to the women in that band and copy their behavior.   I called the train station and told them that you were a last minute substitute musician for the band and needed to make one more reservation on the same car if possible.  I acted like I was the band manager, and I must have sounded real because they didn't hesitate for a second.  You have an upper berth in the exact same car that the majority of the band is riding in.  Now all you have to do is finish getting dressed while I pack up your things and I'll get you down to the station."

Justin looked in awe at his best friend.  He had always loved Daphne but never more than he did right then.  She had thought of everything and was  the only reason he wasn't in jail right this minute.  He knew he would never be able to repay her.  He gave her another peck on the cheek and looked over the dresses again, finally picking the one that looked most comfortable.  He grabbed it, a petticoat, and the undergarment and went back into the bathroom to get dressed.  Daphne followed with the cotton balls to fill out the bra of his one piece and then hurried back to the bedroom.  She got out her best piece of luggage and began packing the bag with all the goodies she had purchased.  She laid an envelope on top of the garments and closed the bag, snapping the locks.  Justin would find out later that she had put several hundred dollars... more than half of her savings... into the envelope to help him on his journey.  It wasn't as much as she would have liked to give him but with prices so low right now she knew he would get by until he could find some work in California.  She finished up by packing the small makeup case, that had been a gift from her Mom, with all the female tools Justin would need to complete his disguise.  She closed and locked the case and crossed her fingers while saying a silent prayer for her best friend's journey.

A couple of hours later, Justin... now Justina... was standing in his print dress, wide brimmed hat, low heels, and wig with a train ticket and clutch purse in one hand and his suitcase in the other.  Daphne stood next to him on the train platform holding the makeup case.  The train conductor began walking along the platform announcing last call for boarding the train for departure.  As he called out 'All Aboard', Justin gave Daphne one last hug and took the makeup case from her.  

"Wish me luck, Daph," he begged.

"You know I do."  She let out a small sob and a tear escaped down her cheek.  "Oh God, Justin, please take care of yourself.  Don't get into any trouble.  And don't forget our code.  I want to know how you are doing as often as possible, and I'll keep an eye on the progress the police are making on the case.  Now, you'd better go or you'll miss the train."

Daphne pushed Justin away.  It was so obvious he didn't really want to leave, but he knew he had to.  Justin got a firm hold on his new things and quickly stepped over to the steps leading onto the train.  He stepped up and then looked back.  In a matter of moments the train began to move.  Billows of smoke bellowed out of the engine's stack as the train gathered steam and pulled away from the station.  Justin sat his suitcase down behind him and waved farewell to his friend, to New York City, to the only life he had ever known, and maybe even to his future.  The world had changed for him all in one night and now he would have to look to a whole different future in a different world altogether.  He wondered if he would ever see his home or his family or his friends again.  He wondered if he would ever be free of the threat of arrest.  But now was not the time to think about things he couldn't do anything about.  Now was the time for him to start playing the part he had set for himself.  It was time to become Justina for real.  He hadn't failed to notice the dozen or more police officers at the train station this evening, and it was obvious they were looking for someone.  Not one had cast an eye in his direction.  Daphne had been right, but now the real work was beginning.  He had to live among people and convince everyone that he was Justina, or else someone might get curious as to why he was in disguise and report him.  Then it would all be over.  With that last thought in mind, Justin squared his shoulders, gathered his suitcase back in hand, and moved into the rail-car.  He needed to locate his berth and get settled in.  It was going to be a long journey to California and tonight was only the first step.

To be continued..........................................