by Ann Bloxwich
‘Does Mr Jackson manage Mr Diamond?’ Les asked.
‘Ray is freelance same as me, but he used to be managed by Steve Gifford, the original owner of Bulldog Promotions. It used to be called something else back then. John changed the name after Steve died but he kept most of the original acts. John gave the company a proper shake-up, he fired a few guys and some jumped ship. Ray left when Steve was still in charge. He does do the odd show for John, but John tends to use his own guys wherever he can. It puts Ray’s nose out of joint, but there’s not much he can do about it. Not that it stops him trying,’ Des said.
‘In what way?’ Mo asked.
Des looked uncomfortable. ‘Well, I don’t want to slag him off, but he can be a bit childish sometimes. He’s been known to poach jobs from other strippers. He’ll ring a venue up and tell them that the guy they’ve booked is ill, or double-booked, and when they start to panic, he’ll say he can cover it, but his price is higher. They don’t want to cancel so they agree to pay him.’
‘I see,’ Les said, chewing the inside of his cheek to stop himself saying what he was thinking. ‘What happens when the original stripper turns up for the job?’
‘Ray’s clever, he’ll get one of his girlfriends to ring them and tell them the job’s off. Nine times out of ten the poor stripper never questions it – people get ill and venues pull out occasionally, it’s just one of those things. I only found out about it a couple of months ago when Si, Chad and I went out for a curry. Ray got even more hammered than usual, and he started bragging about it. When he admitted he’d poached a big job out from under Si’s nose. Si flew at him, and we had to get between them to stop Si killing him. Si said if he ever found out that Ray had ever nicked any more of his jobs, he’d make him wish he’d never been born. Ray just sat there, laughing to himself until he passed out.’
‘Okay, let’s move on. What do you know about Vicky Wilson?’
‘I’ve not worked with Ray for about a month, so hadn’t seen her before. She seemed nice, not his usual type. He normally goes for skinny women with small boobs and short hair, but Vicky was shapely with big boobs and long hair. She reminded me of Jessica Rabbit. She was like a kid in a sweet shop. She was all over Ray like a rash. She went out through the fire exit a few minutes after Ray called her through, and he followed her out ten minutes later. When he came back in about half an hour after, he was alone. He said he’d fucked her brains out, gave us all the gory details. An hour later he was chatting up some women at the bar, but I left just after that. I helped Michelle with Ray’s gear, he always leaves her to carry it and she was struggling. She did shout for him to come and give her a hand, but he pretended not to hear her.’
‘Did Michelle leave at the same time as you?’
‘Yes, we put the gear into the boot and she drove away. Ray’s car was still there, he quite often turns up separately. Don’t ask me where he’d been, but he was in a really good mood. Michelle seemed pissed off with him all night, although she refused to say why. It must have been something major, he treats her like shit most of the time, and she just takes it. This is the first time I’ve seen her angry with him.’
‘Why does she stay if he’s horrible to her?’ Les asked.
‘That’s the question we’d all like to know the answer to. She started working for him around five years ago. He brought her along to a show one night and introduced her to everyone. He just said that she was his new assistant. Not long after that she moved in with him. We thought he was sleeping with her, but she soon put us straight on that score. Since she’s been around he’s looked a lot smarter on stage. She persuaded him to get new costumes and start looking after himself properly. I’ve seen him throw the nastiest abuse at her, but she just takes it on the chin.’
‘Has anyone ever had words with him about it? Or maybe spoken to Michelle?’
‘There’s no point talking to Ray, he just laughs at you. As for Michelle, we’ve all talked to her, but she says it doesn’t bother her. Me and the lads spend time with her when Ray’s not around, take her for a meal or pop by and check in on her. We look upon Michelle as a little sister, but we know she can handle his sarcasm. If he ever hit her though, we’d break his neck.’ Des looked at his watch. ‘Is there anything else? I’m working in Manchester tonight and I need to sort my gear out.’
‘I think that’s all for now, you’ve helped to fill in some of the gaps,’ Les said, closing the folder.
Des got up, pulled his jacket on and shook hands with both officers again. He tucked his book into his inside pocket and picked up his crash helmet.
Mo nodded at the helmet. ‘What bike have you got?’ she asked.
‘A Honda Fireblade, it’s awesome,’ Des replied. ‘Do you ride?’
‘Not for a few years, but I’ve been thinking about getting another bike for a while,’ Mo said.
‘You should see her car,’ Les added.
Mo grinned as she pulled out her phone and thumbed through her photos. She held the phone up for Des to see the sidelong image and he gave a low whistle.
‘I’d love a classic car, but I prefer bikes now. I’m after a Harley Davidson next, my parents live in Kent and it plays havoc with my back being hunched over on the Fireblade for so long. It’s great for speed, but Harleys are better when it comes to comfort. If you’re ever in the market for a bike, give me a call. I can recommend a few good garages.’
‘Will do, but I’ll have to ask for a pay rise first.’
Mo smiled as she walked with Des back to reception.
‘Well, he was pretty helpful,’ Mo said when she re-joined Les in the interview room. He was going through his own notes as he couldn’t read Mo’s.
‘Yes, he was. I wonder why Ray Diamond went for Vicky if she’s not his usual type.’
‘I’m wondering what hold he has over Michelle that makes her stay. I wouldn’t put up with that crap.’
‘Maybe she owes him money and is working it off, or he could be blackmailing her.’ Mo checked the time. ‘I’m heading to the canteen, are you coming?’
‘No, I want to chase up forensics again. They seem to be on a go-slow because it’s Christmas.’
‘Okay, see you in a bit.’
Mo turned the opposite way at the top of the stairs and Les headed back to the office. Alex was having a stern conversation with someone on the phone, so Les waited until he’d finished before going in to tell him how the interview with Des Carter went.
‘The other two strippers are coming in after lunch,’ Les said, looking at his sheet of names.
‘I haven’t had Ray Diamond’s statement yet, who interviewed him this morning?’
‘I booked him in for 9 a.m. as requested, but he never showed up.’
‘I see. What time is Michelle Simmons coming in?’
‘I booked her in for 10.30 a.m.’ Les looked at his watch. ‘She should be here any minute.’
‘What are you doing now? If you’re not busy, get your coat on. I’m going to Ray’s house, and I’d like to catch him when he hasn’t got Michelle Simmons to hide behind.’ Alex pulled his jacket on and looked for his keys.
Gary knocked the door frame. ‘Boss, Faz says can you pop over? He says he’s got the preliminary post-mortem findings back and there’s something you need to see.’
‘Great, just what I didn’t need. Tell him I’m out, but I’ll catch up with him later.’ Alex turned back to Les. ‘Ask Dawn to find out from Michelle Simmons if Ray Diamond has a bolt-hole we don’t know about, or anyone he would stay with when he’s not at home. I’ll meet you in the car park in ten minutes.’
33
Dawn and Mo arrived in reception at the same time as Michelle Simmons. She looked troubled but had a genuine smile for the two officers. They went through to the interview room and sat down around a scarred grey table.
‘Michelle, thanks for coming in. We were going to ask you for a statement about the night Vicky Wilson was killed, but you’ve sa
ved us the trouble of calling,’ Dawn said. ‘Is that why you’re here?’
‘Not exactly. I mean, that’s not the reason I’m here.’ Michelle seemed nervous and didn’t seem to know where to look.
‘It’s okay, anything you tell us is confidential, so don’t worry,’ Mo said, trying to put her at ease.
‘It’s Ray,’ Michelle said after a long silence. ‘I’m worried that he’s done something bad, but it might be nothing and I don’t want to accuse him in case I’m wrong.’
‘Why don’t you tell us what’s on your mind, and we’ll sit here and listen? Ray won’t know you’ve spoken to us.’ Dawn wished she would just say what was weighing so heavily on her mind.
‘He will know, because he threw it away. He’ll know I took it back out of the bin,’ Michelle said, with a wobble in her voice.
‘Michelle, we can’t help you if you don’t tell us,’ Dawn persisted.
Michelle closed her eyes briefly and swallowed hard. She reached into the pocket of her jeans, pulled out a silver bracelet and placed it on the centre of the table.
‘I found this under the lining in Ray’s work bag,’ she said.
Dawn gently moved the object around on the table with the tip of her pen, noticing the broken links where some of the charms should be. ‘Who else has handled this?’
‘Just Ray as far as I know. It was clogged up with mud when I found it, so I ran it under the tap. Ray came down just as I was patting it dry. He took it off me, said it must have been from one of his fans and dismissed it as cheap rubbish before dropping it into the kitchen bin.’
‘What made you take it back out and bring it to us?’ Mo asked.
‘It was his reaction when he first saw it. It’s hard to describe, but it was almost like an “Oh Shit” moment. He thinks I didn’t notice, but I can read him like a book. I thought maybe he’d stolen it.’
‘You didn’t find any loose charms, did you? It looks like there’s a couple missing.’
‘No, I emptied the whole bag out to give it a thorough clean. That was caught in the threads under the liner.’
‘I see. Thanks for bringing it in, we’ll get it to forensics to see if they can pull anything off it, but it’s unlikely, seeing as it’s been washed. Don’t look so worried,’ Dawn added, seeing Michelle’s expression. ‘Like I said earlier, if Ray hasn’t done anything wrong, he has nothing to worry about.’
‘That’s his problem, he doesn’t worry about anything at all, it’s one of the many things he leaves to me,’ Michelle replied. ‘I’m supposed to be his housekeeper and assistant, not his bloody mother.’
‘Let’s talk about the night Vicky Wilson was killed,’ Mo began.
Michelle gave them a rundown of the evening. It tallied with what everyone had said, but with one slight difference.
‘Ray said you drove him home, but other people said you didn’t. Can you clarify what happened?’
‘I don’t know how he got home,’ Michelle said. ‘I took the bag and left him there. He was talking to some women at the bar. He waved me away when I told him I was leaving so I assumed he’d pulled. The car was outside the next morning when I got up, so I figured he’d driven himself home.’
‘We understood that he was dating Vicky. Did he cheat on her?’ Dawn asked.
‘Ray has never been exclusive to anyone, that’s why his marriage failed,’ Michelle said. ‘He married Angie because she was pregnant, but it didn’t stop him playing away. Once she had the baby, she divorced him and moved to America. I don’t think he’s had a serious relationship since then, but I’ve not known him that long.’
‘When did you start working for him?’ Dawn asked. ‘How do you get a job like yours?’
‘I was working in a pub in Birmingham, and Ray used to come in on a regular basis. One night he was in by himself and we got chatting. He said he’d just moved into a big house just outside Wolverhampton, I joked that if he needed a live-in housekeeper I’d be interested, and he said that would solve all his problems. I didn’t think he was serious until he turned up again a few nights later and asked when I could start. Within a week I was living there.’
‘When did you start going to shows with him?’
‘It was quite early on,’ Michelle said. ‘His car had broken down one evening, so he asked me if I’d give him a lift to work. Once we were there, he introduced me to the other people he was working with. After a while he was asking me to go with him every time.’
‘Can I ask if there’s ever been any romantic involvement between the two of you?’ Mo chipped in.
Michelle looked horrified. ‘There’s no way I’d go out with him, he’s old enough to be my father! He’s never made a move on me, I’m sure he just sees me as the hired help. He used to bring women home overnight, but then one of his watches went missing. He assumed that she had stolen it, so he made sure that he stayed with them after that.’
‘Why do you stay? It’s been indicated to us that Ray doesn’t treat you very well,’ Dawn asked.
Michelle’s eyes glazed over. ‘That old chestnut again? Look, Ray can be brusque and filthy to say the least, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. When he’s on his own he’s different, but it’s kind of like an ownership thing with him. He likes people to see that he’s the boss, so he lords it over me. Trust me, I get my own back.’
‘In what way?’ Mo asked.
‘Nothing you’d find interesting, just the odd lost message from women he gave his number to, or a job that gets cancelled,’ Michelle smiled at them both. ‘Now, was there anything else? I have to go to the supermarket.’
34
Alex pounded on Ray’s front door but there was still no answer. Ray’s car was parked in its usual manner, halfway across the balding lawn, but of the man himself there was no sign. He peered in through the windows but couldn’t see anyone. Les came trudging back round from the rear of the house, his breath making little clouds in the cold air.
‘Nothing, boss. Either he’s not here or he’s being bloody quiet.’ Les cupped his hands to his mouth and blew into them to warm them up.
‘Right, let’s get back to the station. We’ve got enough work as it is without chasing around after Ray Diamond!’
Alex stomped back to the car, trying to get some feeling back in his toes. It was bitterly cold, and the grey clouds overhead threatened a downpour. The journey back to the station took a long time. The streets through the city were heaving with last-minute Christmas shoppers, and Alex swore more than once as other drivers tried to cut him up.
‘For crying out loud, get out of the way! Bloody hell, anyone would think it was the end of the world! Look at that woman,’ he complained, as an old lady struggled to push a shopping trolley laden with food across the crossing. ‘Does anyone seriously need that much bread? She must have at least six loaves in that trolley.’
‘You’d be amazed, boss. There’s only four people in our house, but it soon gets eaten. Ruth is on first-name terms with our Sainsbury’s delivery driver.’
Les took a packet of mints out and offered them to Alex before popping one in his mouth and crunching it noisily.
‘My point is that the shops are only shut for one day, two at the most,’ Alex said, as he swung the car into the car park. ‘Yet people stock up as if their lives depended on it.’
‘Nowt as queer as folk,’ Les agreed. ‘I wonder how he affords that big house – Ray, I mean. It’s prime land around there. It’s got to be worth at least a million, and there’s loads of land at the back.’
‘Dawn said it’s not his, it belongs to Glyn Mason. He’s godfather to Ray’s daughter. Ray’s living there while he’s abroad.’
‘I wonder what he’d make of the state of it. It’s not been looked after has it?’ Les punched the code into the keypad and they hurried inside where it was warm.
‘I know. I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes when Glyn sees it, he’ll have him kneecapped.’
‘Kn
owing his luck, he’d talk his way out of it. Our Mr Diamond seems to have a touch of the blarney about him.’
‘Trust me, he won’t,’ Alex said, as they walked up the stairs to the office. ‘I went to school with Glyn Mason, he was one of those kids that was always in trouble, even when it wasn’t his fault. The teachers seemed to take a dislike to him, probably because he came from a rough family but in truth they were no rougher than the rest of us, they just weren’t afraid to challenge authority. Old man Mason could break someone’s neck with one hand while stroking a kitten with the other. He was old-school and believed in fighting for what you wanted. He brought his lads up to be the same. Glyn’s done well for himself, he started his business from scratch and got into the casino game well ahead of the competition. If Ray is living in his house, he will expect Ray to treat it with respect. If he doesn’t, Glyn will hit him first and ask questions afterwards.’
‘He sounds like a decent bloke . . .’
‘He is, until you upset him.’
‘Is it worth contacting him to see if he’s heard from Ray?’
Alex shook his head. ‘Definitely not. The last thing we want at the moment is finding Ray Diamond hanging from the nearest tree. Michelle Simmons is our best bet, I’ll get Dawn to ring her, unless she’s still downstairs.’
They walked into the office and spotted Dawn and Mo in the kitchen area. ‘Ah, she’s obviously been and gone. Dawn, can you come into the office please?’
***
Dawn looked up at the sound of Alex’s voice. She put her hand on Mo’s arm. ‘I’d better go and give him the latest news.’
‘Good luck.’
‘Cheers, I think I’m going to need it.’
35
Ray sprawled back on the bonnet of the car, eyes closed as the young woman leaned over him. There was nothing quite like getting a blow job in the open air, especially on a cold day like this. He glanced down, amused to see the little clouds of her breath that escaped as she pleasured him. She was certainly skilled, with a hot body and an even hotter mouth.