by M A Comley
The office was a tip, cluttered with rails of costumes and T-shirts emblazoned with the club’s logo across the front and boxes spilling advertising leaflets over the stained grey carpet.
Lorne shuddered at the thought of working in such a confined space, fearing that claustrophobia could strike any moment.
Katy didn’t waste any time asking her first question while Lorne prepared to note down Norton’s answers. “Can you tell us what happened during Noelle’s last shift at the club?”
“The normal—she turned up, danced, and left. It’s the same answer I gave last time. Nothing has changed.”
“I know this is strange, Mr. Norton, but please bear with us. The reason we’ve reopened the case is because the original detectives are on suspension.”
“Whoa, bent coppers. Who’d have thunk it!” He roared with laughter, leaned back in his chair, placed both legs on his desk, and crossed his ankles.
“I never said they were bent. Going back to that night—can you tell me if Noelle had any problems with any of your customers?”
He pondered the question for several seconds before responding. “Problems? Apart from the normal behaviour our girls are subjected to?”
Katy tilted her head. “Depends what you’re referring to as normal, Mr. Norton?”
“Well, sure they get heckled, and most nights, some idiots try to cop a feel, but the security guys take care of clowns indulging in those antics. Cut the crap before it gets a chance to escalate.”
“And did someone try to ‘cop a feel’ that night during Noelle’s performance?”
He hitched up one shoulder. “Not that I’m aware. Mind you, it was my night off. I had a date with a hot bird.”
Katy blew out a breath. “Who do you leave in charge on your nights off?”
“My assistant manager. I’m training him up. He’s just out of nappies. Thought he’d grow up quicker in these surroundings than standing around, pulling pints behind a regular bar, deluded idiot.”
“This assistant, does he have a name?”
“Ty Dolan. He’s on duty now. You can’t talk to him until he’s finished in the cellar, though. I need those kegs attached and ready for when the punters want to spend their dosh.”
“We’re willing to wait for the right information. Do you have CCTV footage at the club?”
“Outside, yes. Not really inside, if that’s what you’re getting at. I think your lot took a copy of the discs. Didn’t they hand them in?”
“I’ll delve into that when we get back to the station,” Katy said. “Will it be convenient for us to question some of the girls, or all of the girls on duty that night?”
“If you must. You’ll have to make it quick. I do have a business to run, ladies, as I’m sure you can appreciate.”
“We do. If you can’t add anything further about that night, maybe we can speak to some of the girls while we wait for Mr. Dolan to become free?”
“Sure.” He removed his legs from the desk and stood up. “I’ll take you into the dressing room. A word of warning—some of the girls won’t take kindly to the intrusion at this time of night.”
“We’re prepared to take that risk in order to get the answers we need to help find Noelle, Mr. Norton.”
He tutted, and the three of them left the office and entered the adjoining door on the right. The instant they stepped into the room, Lorne felt every eye turn their way. Some of the looks dished out by the half-clothed girls were enough to put the fear of God into anyone other than Lorne or Katy, who succeeded in combatting the evil stares with their disarming smiles.
“Listen up, girls. These detectives are here to ask you all some questions about Noelle Chesterfield. Let’s do what we can to help, okay?” Norton nodded at Lorne and Katy and left the room.
Some of the girls began circling the detectives as if they were some kind of prey, but neither Lorne nor Katy flinched or offered the girls any fear to feed on.
“We’re only interested in the girls on duty during Noelle’s last shift.”
The only noise that filled the room was the music from outside. Then one of the smaller girls moved between Lorne and Katy. “I was here that night,” she said, jerking a thumb at her chest.
“And you are?” Lorne asked, taking the notebook from her pocket.
“Calinda Foxton.”
“Do you want to run through what happened that night? I mean, do you recall if anything out of the ordinary occurred that night?”
“Thinking back, I seem to recall something. Give me a minute or so, will you?”
“Take your time, Calinda,” Katy said, smiling.
“Not too long, Cal. You’re up first, remember?” one of the other girls reminded her.
“Crap, so I am.” She clicked her fingers. “Usually, the punters generally behave themselves. Of course, we get the odd tosser who chances his arm, but mostly, our crowd know what’s expected of them.”
“Which is?” Katy asked.
“To watch and not tamper with the girls. Well, I think there were two or three guys who set out to bend the rules that night. Most of us were back here at the time. Noelle was on stage, doing her act. She was great at her job, got the most tips out of all of us. Anyway, I think the security had to throw one of the guys out for jumping on the stage.” She paused to search her memory.
Katy prompted the young beauty to continue, “And?”
“Well, while the heavies were escorting the guy out, two other men jumped up on stage and started touching Noelle up. She screamed, but by the time help arrived, the two men had pawed and grabbed at every inch of her. She managed to get away and ran back here to escape them. She was pretty shaken up, too.”
“Did she go home?”
“No. She stayed until the end of the shift. We did our best to make light of the event, and by the time she left that night, she was virtually back to her old spunky self. Noelle really wasn’t one for taking crap from the customers.”
“No one thought to leave with her? Just in case one of the men who groped her was waiting outside for her to leave?” Katy asked, scanning the crowd.
Many of the women bowed their heads and avoided eye contact.
“Wait a minute, we’ve all got our own lives to lead. I think the security guys watched her from the back door for a while. You’ll need to ask them that question. It ain’t our job to look out for one another once we’re off the premises.”
Katy nodded. “Okay, we’ll have a word with the security guys. Maybe if there is any kind of trouble in the future, you guys should consider leaving this place in pairs for safety reasons.”
“Whatever,” a pretty black girl called out from the back of the group.
Katy took a few paces towards the woman. “Doesn’t my suggestion make sense?”
The woman shrugged her slender shoulders, folded her arms across her scrawny chest tucked into a gold-lamé bikini top, and turned her head away. “Like I said, whatever. In case you ain’t noticed, honey, we don’t work in a toy shop! Weirdoes kind of come with the territory.”
The other girls mumbled in agreement.
Lorne frowned. “Which is why you should reconsider your regime at the end of your shift and look out for one another as the inspector just pointed out.”
The woman laughed. “It ain’t always that simple. Anyways, you’re wasting your time.”
“We are?” Katy asked with a frown of her own set firmly in place.
“Yeah. If Noelle was abducted or attacked after her shift, then fair enough, but if my memory is correct, she wasn’t. Didn’t she go missing a day or two after her last shift here?”
“You’re right. But someone attacked her at her flat before she was abducted. And, given her choice of career, it seems likely that the person who attacked Noelle at her home could have followed her home from here. All we’re trying to do is make a possible link. Maybe that was their intention, not to make a move that night, to avoid any awkward questions from the police. Have you thought about it
that way?”
Silence filled the room and eyes looked away from Katy.
“Look, I don’t want to come across heavy-handed, ladies. All we’re trying to do is find out the actual facts of what went on during Noelle’s last shift. Is there anything else you think we should know about these men? Can anyone put a name to any of these men, for instance? Anything at all would help at this stage of the enquiry.”
Calinda spoke up for the group after a moment’s hesitation. “Gary, I think I heard one of the security guys call one of them. Ask them, they’ll tell you. I need to get ready now.” She waited for Lorne to dismiss her.
“We really appreciate your help. I’ll leave a card for each of you, and if anything else comes to mind, please contact me. Day or night, okay?”
Katy and Lorne left the dressing room. By the time they walked back into the bar area, the place was almost full.
“Jesus! This place fills up quickly—early, too,” Lorne stated. “I was thinking back there, you don’t suppose one of the other girls could be behind Noelle’s disappearance?”
“Why do you say that, Lorne?” Katy asked, casting a watchful eye on the customers.
“Well, they all seemed a little sheepish when Calinda mentioned that Noelle was popular and that she obtained more tips than anyone else. That could be seen as a motive. Envy can be a dangerous motivation, as we’ve both witnessed over the years.”
“Maybe you’re onto something. I’ll track down the manager and see if I can get the girls’ details while you have a natter with the security blokes. How’s that?”
“Makes sense. I’ll keep an eye on the punters at the same time. We stick out like walking beacons in this place—that’s bound to spook anyone with a guilty conscience.”
“Be back in a few minutes.” Katy turned and walked towards the manager’s office.
Lorne tucked herself behind a large column and discreetly surveyed the excited crowd. A shudder ran through her when she realised how respectable the patrons seemed. She hadn’t really known what to expect because she hadn’t visited many clubs before. She didn’t see anyone who looked like an obvious weirdo, despite what the dancers had said. Maybe the real misbehaving happens once the entertainment begins and the instincts take over? After locating two security men wearing black suits lingering by the bar, she crossed the room to talk to them.
The giants glanced down at her five-six frame with amusement stretching across their scarred features. She quickly flashed her ID and tucked her warrant card back in her pocket, hoping none of the customers noticed. Standing inches in front of the men, she beckoned them to lean in, so she could be heard above the music, which had been ramped up in the last few seconds, intimating that the start of the show was imminent.
“I’m here with my colleague—she’s in there talking to the manager now—and we’re investigating a missing person. Noelle Chesterfield. Do you remember her?”
“Yeah, I remember her. She was a beautiful girl, smart kid. Dave wasn’t here then,” the older of the two men replied.
“Great, and you are?”
“Mitch Edmonds.”
“Nice to meet you, Mitch. I’ve just been talking to the dancers, and they told me there was a bit of trouble during Noelle’s last shift. Can you shed any light on that?”
Mitch’s head bounced up and down as if he were a puppet on a string. “Yeah, there was a bit of bother that night, unusual for around here. Our presence usually deters the punters from overstepping the mark. Not sure what happened that night. Things seemed to get out of control quickly.”
“Do you know the names of any of the men involved in the commotion?”
“I seem to recall Gary chanced his arm that night. He’s a regular. He’s not all there. Reckon he’s got more than a dozen screws loose, that one.”
Lorne noted the name in her notebook. “I don’t suppose you have a surname or a possible address for this Gary?”
“Christ, lady. You don’t expect much, do ya?”
“Worth a try.” She shrugged. “He’s a regular, you say? Do you have some kind of membership at this club? Would his details be on record somewhere perhaps?”
“Nah, we don’t hand out memberships. They just come and go as they please as long as they can afford to pay the entrance fee.”
“Which is?” Lorne asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.
“Thirty quid. Not that expensive, given the talent on show.” He dug his colleague in the ribs and laughed raucously.
“That seems pretty darn expensive to me. If, as you say, this Gary has learning difficulties, how does he come up with the entrance fee, do you suppose?”
“Did I say he had learning difficulties?”
“You mentioned he has a screw loose. Were you indicating something else then?” Lorne asked.
“All right, you’ve got me there. Listen…” He moved in closer. “Some of the guys feel sorry for him and allow him in for nothing.”
Lorne’s eyes bulged. “You’re kidding me? Do you recognise how irresponsible that is?”
The brute shrugged, and his lip curled up. “Hey, call it community service. Guys like that need to get their kicks somehow. They’re not likely to get their hands on any real pussy anytime soon if we don’t lend them a helping hand.”
Lorne was appalled by the man’s admission. She shook her head in disgust. “So, if you’re doing him this big favour, you must know something more about him, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t put the girls in jeopardy like that?”
“What are you talking about? What jeopardy? The guy sits at the front, having a wank while he watches the shows. So what? So do half the punters who pay the entrance fee.”
Lorne’s fury rose, and she could feel the heat settle in her cheeks. “What jeopardy? How can you ask that when the man ended up on the stage, groping one of the girls? A girl that just happened to go missing. You don’t think that’s a tad irresponsible for you to think the man’s actions were entirely innocent?”
“Hey, get off my case, lady. He wasn’t the only one playing up that night. Why pick on him?”
Lorne sighed heavily. “Because he’s the only one I have a name for at present. I’m not picking on anyone. I’m merely trying to work through the unfortunate events of that night that might have contributed to Noelle going missing—being abducted for all we know. Understand?” Lorne bit her tongue for letting her impatience show at the end of her question.
“Yeah, I understand, lady. I understand you’re intent on picking on this guy just because he has a few fantasies. Who said that was against the fucking law, eh?”
Lorne chewed the inside of her mouth in anger. “You’re being pretty naïve if that’s your interpretation of events, Mitch. Hey, a word of advice for you—never apply for a job with social services.”
The other security guy laughed as Mitch’s face dropped. “Ha, bloody, ha. You wanna stop flinging insults around until you get the facts you’re after, lady. That would be my advice to you and your smart mouth.”
Lorne smiled and winked at him. “You either give me the information you know, or I’ll haul your bloody arse down the cop shop before you’ve had a chance to finish your OJ!”
“Yeah? Under what charge?”
“Obstructing an investigation, wasting police time, harbouring a criminal—take your pick.”
Mitch pushed away from the bar, puffed out his chest, and towered over her. His colleague pulled at his arm. “Back off, Mitch. I get the impression she’s the type not to mess with.”
“What the hell is going on here?” Katy approached and squeezed between Lorne and her tormentor.
“This guy is teasing me with vital information to the case, Inspector,” Lorne told Katy, staring the man down.
“Is that right? Then let’s take this down the station and sort things out, shall we?” Katy turned her head away from the goon and winked at Lorne.
The goon’s arms rose then slapped down at his sides. “Can’t you tell when someone’s wind
ing you up? Jesus, someone needs to take a chill pill or something! Right, all I know is the guy lives on a nearby estate. Medway Estate, I think it’s called. There, that’s all I can tell you. I can do without this shit. I don’t take kindly to threats, lady.”
He snarled at Lorne, and she smiled back at him. “No, I hate dishing out threats in order to get information. Maybe you should consider that the next time a copper asks questions relating to a very serious case.”
The music grew louder, and Lorne and Katy turned to watch Calinda take to the stage. She gyrated and bent in awkward positions around the pole to rapturous applause and cheers from the rowdy men seated around the stage. “Christ, Tony would have a heart attack if I performed like that in front of him even in the privacy of our bedroom.”
Katy chuckled. “You’d probably end up in casualty after pulling a muscle in your back.”
Lorne turned to look at her. “I fear you’re right. What do you want to do next?”
Before Katy could answer, one of the performers swept past and motioned with her head to one of the customers: a young man in his mid-twenties, who was watching Calinda’s performance rather too eagerly for Lorne’s liking. “He’s one of the guys,” the girl said before she moved towards the other end of the bar.
Katy clutched Lorne’s forearm, apparently sensing that she was about to approach the man. “Let’s just watch him for a few minutes, eh?”
Lorne did as Katy requested. All the while, her stomach churned as she watched the man’s head swivel this way and that while he focused intently on the dancer’s gymnastic performance. As if sensing he was being watched, the man turned their way and narrowed his eyes as he assessed them. After seemingly losing interest in the entertainment, he walked briskly across the room towards the men’s toilets.
“Quick, let’s follow him. I’m getting the distinct impression that he’s going to take off once he’s out of our sight.” Katy casually walked in the same direction, with Lorne close on her heels.