“You’re in demand?” asked Reymond with some disbelief.
“Yes, mainly on the alternative circuit. I’m a little too avant-garde for the mainstream theatre generally. I do overseas as well, but only if I’m really strapped for cash as the bureaucracy on international transportation of bodily fluids is a pain.”
“But why human blood?”
“Nothing feels or tastes or smells like human blood. It complements my theatre as a total sensory thing.”
“And how does this involve Malcolm Venn?”
“It doesn’t really. We were mixing a batch when he got a call and rushed out. The mixing can get a little messy, but he left just the same.” Angie didn’t wait to be asked to explain. She laboured a deep breath and continued. “I get a number of bags of blood product, expose it to air for a while, mixing constantly and just as it starts to congeal, I add a little sodium citrate to stop the clot and then re-bottle it. Genuine stage blood.”
“Can I take a sample? Just in case,” Detective Reymond asked. It took him a moment to remember that Angie was not in need of an alibi. Weighed against what the hospital had reported when Venn was admitted, Angie’s story was undeniably plausible, but it wasn’t what he’d expected.
“I’ve done nothing wrong, and I’m not even a suspect in any crime, so why would you need a sample?” replied Angie defensively.
Reymond changed direction, not wanting to labour the point. “I’ll do my part for his discharge. I’ll pop in for a chat while you’re in hospital.”
“Do we have anything to talk about?” Angie asked.
“My job is hospital liaison, and there’s no way that any medical practitioner will ignore your current state without getting me involved.”
“Just tell Malcolm where I am,” Angie said.
“That, I will do, Angie.”
Chapter - 15.
There was no work being done when Ikel and Devlin returned to the building. The mood was decidedly casual as Lori, David and Glen all shared a drink, sharing a joke and laughing in the kitchen. Ikel helped himself to a beer from the fridge and another for Devlin. Lori and David gave sincere welcoming gestures before continuing their conversation.
“Calmed down a bit?” Glen enquired. “I’m not a complete charity, you know. I pay well because this is a stressful job, but I guess you’d never have guessed would you?
“We all get stressed at times. It’s just something that you accept. You also need to understand that it will get worse, not better. You’ll read worse than you read today, and you’ll feel just as helpless, if not more so.”
“I don’t believe that no-one takes matters into their own hands.”
“Just accept that there’s a greater good,” Glen replied. “How you believe this greater good comes into being is much less important.”
“But …” Devlin persisted before being interrupted.
“Relax and don’t worry about it.” Glen had a way of talking that Devlin was beginning to understand. There was something amazing in his tone that conveyed what he was thinking. It was clarity of communication at its best. Devlin understood that it was time to leave it alone, and Ikel and the others knew that it was now time to change the subject.
“I have a confession to make,” Lori took command of the conversation. “I’m terminally curious and I looked in your backpack while you and Ikel were gone.” Smiling, her confession was not one of regret, but more of a statement of fact.
“You’re unbelievable!” Ikel laughed. “I should have known you wouldn’t be able to help yourself. Sorry Devlin. I should have expected it and warned you. Maybe I was expecting David to keep her honest.”
“You know how devious women are!” said David as he wandered off towards the bunker.
“It’s all right. There’s nothing in there anyway.”
“I’m curious, sure, but I’m not a thief. Your pictures, change of underwear and a t-shirt are still there,” said Lori a little defensively. “Do you know where you’re sleeping tonight? And no, I’m not offering.”
“It’s not a problem. Really,” Devlin replied, genuinely not fishing for offers, but receptive to any raised. “My plan for the day just didn’t extend to the need to find a home.”
“Glen?” Ikel questioned.
“I couldn’t let my latest employee sleep in a park or something, not that you would with cash in your pocket,” Glen said. “The hotel is just around the corner.”
“I’m capable of sorting myself out. I’ll be OK.”
“Yes, you are capable, but it’s part of the deal. Lori or Ikel will show you the way.”
Devlin didn’t put up much of a fight. “But I can find my own way there I’m sure.”
“Suit yourself,” said Glen, turning to Ikel and Lori. “Make sure you let Devlin here find his own way to the same hotel that you stay at.”
Devlin rolled his eyes for his arrogance.
“Anyway. I’m out of here,” Glen announced. “Get some rest, clear your head. Work starts tomorrow. Ikel and Lori will fill you in. You good?”
“You bet I’m good!” Devlin replied, a little deflated when he saw Glen shrug, turn and head for the door. He followed not out of obligation, but out of appreciation, desperate to convey his sincerest thanks away from the others. Judging by the effort he was making to leave, it seemed that Glen was equally keen to shun the appreciation. “Thank you. For everything,” he said after almost needing to hold the door closed to prevent Glen’s escape.
Glen looked at Devlin with some annoyance. “When, or if, I do something for you, then, and only then, will I accept, but not expect, a thank-you. So far, I’ve done nothing.”
“But …”
“So far, I’ve done nothing. Trust me,” Glen continued. “When you learn about yourself and your life, that will be something. And you will.”
Devlin felt like a child. “Thanks for the beer then.”
“Go and have another, but not too many and I’ll see you tomorrow.” Glen left without waiting for any acknowledgment.
“Care for another?” asked Ikel on Devlin’s return, pointing to an unopened bottle of beer in his hand.
“Ikel! I want to go,” complained Lori as she put on a jacket in preparation to leave.
“I’m just being social. One more won’t take long,” replied Ikel. “You could always go yourself.”
“You know I hate being on the street on my own,” Lori whinged like a child. “One more then,” she huffed, walking off. “Men!”
Ikel and Devlin shared a jovial drink, but they both felt a certain obligation to finish quickly. Theirs was a pyrrhic victory. Lori returned soon after and started hinting heavily to leave.
“Let’s go,” said Ikel.
“Finally!” said Lori, marching for the front door expecting the others to follow. Devlin and Ikel obliged. “Bye David! Wave guys!” she said, directing Devlin’s attention to a camera above the door.
“Dave’s got the night shift!” said Ikel. “You’ll get to enjoy the night-shift too, once you’re settled in.” Ikel ushered Devlin outside to join Lori before securing the door shut.
“Nobody said anything about shift-work!” said Devlin. “What other nasties are involved in this job? And why is a night shift necessary?” he asked as they walked along the street.
“It’s not a big deal,” replied Ikel. “We all take turns, even Glen. Actually, it’s pretty cool with the place to yourself. You should hear that sound system when it’s arc’d up!”
“But why?”
“Most of the time you’ll just end up watching TV or movies,” Ikel replied.
“Actually, it’s mainly for security,” Lori corrected. “Glen insists that the building is almost permanently occupied.”
“More security!” laughed Devlin mockingly. “I just don’t see the big deal. If he’s, sorry, you’re all that fanatical about security surely a lone person won’t do much. I couldn’t offer that much to secure the premises and a little old building between a few brothe
ls doesn’t seem to provide that much security anyway!”
Lori sighed. “The building is secure. Very secure. There’s only one point of entry and all access via that door requires an access code. Any breach, or attempted breach, of the building will result in specialist attention within a few minutes apparently, but I’ve never seen it. Apparently attempts do happen. Irregularly, but they happen from time to time. And Glen also performs drills.”
“I’ll bet it looks pretty cool when it happens. Did you see the movie ‘SWAT’?” Ikel added.
“Anyway,” Lori continued, clearly not appreciating Ikel’s interruption. “There’s automated facial recognition software controlling access to the building. There’s touch sensors on all the door handles for fingerprint cross referencing to your image for the other software. All Glen’s design and implementation. Of course, this can be over-ridden if someone is in the building to buzz you in.”
“You’re crapping me!”
“Not at all. We should have checked it on the way out, but Glen obviously thinks it can wait until morning.”
Devlin was still incredulous. “I haven’t had a photo taken yet.”
“You’ve already touched the main door and the bunker door and your photo would have been taken from the building security system. Glen would’ve checked that it was all in order while he left us for a time in the bunker.”
“The work room is a different matter. We call it a bunker for good reason. Nobody’s getting in there, except us. Without sanctioned access, there isn’t even any mains power to the entire building, until it’s reset. The building itself is locked down with its own independent power.”
“If people were that desperate to get in, surely they’d, I dunno, blow up the entrance, or the whole building for that matter.” Devlin looked for a flaw in the rampant paranoia evident in what he was being told.
“Ever heard of a brothel being destroyed?” Lori asked.
“Not lately,” said Devlin thinking hard, still somewhat distracted by the revelations of security.
“Not lately. Not ever. Not anywhere,” Lori made her point. “I’ll bet that George W. Bush himself could visit the ‘Baghdad Bordello’ confident he’d be safe inside!”
“Of course, as soon as he left there would be crowds waiting to off him, but that’s another matter,” Ikel added.
“Anyway,” Lori continued. “Glen chose his location with care. He’s smarter than anyone could give him credit for, except perhaps us. Now come on, I’m cold and I want to get home.” She broke into a brisker walk expecting the others to follow.
“Lori. Why are brothels secure?” Devlin asked after jogging a few steps to walk next to her.
“Ikel invariably knows better than me. Just because Glen outed me as a former prostitute doesn’t mean that I know everything about the subject.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. I’m just curious.”
“I’m not offended. My past makes me who I am and in this case it funded my education. I don’t know the business, only the trade. I do know that when I started, they took the time to tell me how safe I was and how my safety was paramount. In retrospect, I can see that my safety and customer security and discretion all amounted to good business.”
“And customer satisfaction!” added Ikel.
“Thanks Ikel,” Lori said cynically. “To answer your question, I think you have to think a little of who is inside. Any violent attack on a brothel is just as likely to endanger a single mum making ends meet, or a politician, an underworld figure, the coach of the local football team, a parish priest. Anyone.”
“Collateral damage is one thing, but there would be consequences,” Ikel said, finally being constructive.
“Ikel’s right. Brothels give exposure, excuse the pun. With exposure, the potential for justice goes up substantially. Someone will pay. Glen’s just using this simple fact of life.
“I might add that we readers are only effectively quality control and there’s no physical data storage at LastGasp’ that I know of. All of that is surely stored in some thermo-nuclear, war-proof data repository. The legal face of the business is some other entity entirely, but they have no idea what goes on, intentionally. And the monkeys who look after customer interaction and support are elsewhere too, god knows where. They only have access to billing information, which is a single payment up-front, with no means of relating payment to messages. Glen’s probably the only one who knows anything about how it’s put together. Trust me. If you aren’t supposed to have access, you don’t have access.”
“We can continue this at dinner if you like.” Ikel brought attention to the fact that they’d arrived at the hotel.
Lori waved to the staff at the front desk as she passed heading for the lifts at the far end of the lobby. Ikel ushered Devlin to the desk where the staff were waiting attentively. “Hi Morris. This is Devlin. Glen’s sorted out the booking.”
Morris was seasoned in his role. He had the look of a hotel manager who’d been in the hospitality industry for a long time, but the perpetual niceness had not taken its toll. His greeting and demeanour seemed genuine as he handed Devlin a card key and beckoned for an attendant. “Nigel will show you the way, unless you’d prefer for your friend Mr Donovan to direct you?”
“I’ll sort him out. His room is with Lori and me anyway.” Ikel assumed the role of escort. “Come on.”
“This place isn’t bad,” Ikel started to explain in the lift. “Actually, it’s pretty good! The food is excellent, the rooms are nice and big and they’re quiet. So you won’t hear the street below. We’ve ordinarily got the entire floor to ourselves so you can just sing out if you need us.”
“Sounds fine. For at least a little while.”
Ikel laughed. “I thought the same thing at first, but I’m more than comfortable here now, especially while Glen pays! You could settle in, but as that won’t take you long, we might as well just have a drink.
They headed to the bar adjacent to the hotel restaurant as they waited for a table. Ikel ordered the beers and they sat in an unobtrusive area hidden from the greater restaurant. Initially both Ikel and Devlin were silent; Ikel because he was parched from the volume of talking he’d done escorting Devlin on his brief tour of the hotel facilities, and Devlin just digesting everything.
Devlin sat with a contented smile enjoying the beer and the moment. His day had come full circle. From waking almost destitute, being assaulted by ‘friends’ and being robbed, he was now employed, well paid and the guest at a nice hotel.
“What do you think so far?” Ikel asked after watching Devlin as he sat with an almost blank, vacant expression but a relaxed smile.
“About what? I like the hotel, and the beer is good.” Devlin replied cautiously.
“And LastGasp’?”
“Do you want me to be honest?”
“I like honest. Save your subtlety for someone else. It’s wasted on me!”
“OK. LastGasp’ seems good. It seems like a good job, for at least a little while.”
“That’s honest?” commented Ikel disappointedly. “I thought you were going to say something interesting.”
“Alright. Honesty,” Devlin took a deep breath. “LastGasp’ seems like a crock of shit, but hey, I can do anything if I’m getting paid for it. You seem like a nice guy and I can see that we’ll get on OK. Lori seems nice, but I’m interested as to why she’d look in my bag. Women would chuck the shits if they knew a guy went snooping in their handbag, so yes, I’m a little put out by that. David strikes me as a bit of a prick, but perhaps we’ll get used to each other. As for Glen? I’m appreciative for him giving me a job.” Devlin waited for Ikel’s reaction.
“Great,” replied Ikel simply.
“Is that all you’re going to say?”
“You want my opinion on your opinion?” Ikel teased, taking another drink of his beer. “LastGasp’ is alright, so you’re wrong, but maybe this is something that you need to discover for yourself. David is a bit odd, but
he’s OK once you get to know him. He has trust issues too, so you should understand him better than most.”
Ikel writhed in his seat, standing to remove a vibrating phone from his jeans pocket. He checked the caller I.D. on the display and answered. “We’re in the bar.” He ended the call and looked to Devlin. “Lori’s going to join us.”
“Did you and Lori join LastGasp’ together?” Devlin asked, looking to learn more about her.
“No, Lori met Glen through me a bit after I joined. I knew her from years back and we bumped into each other in the street. Then Glen recruited her. That’s mainly what he does.”
“I thought I was just filling a recent vacancy, or that Glen was just doing me a favour.”
“People come and go, so he just keeps bringing newcomers on board.”
“I’m just thinking,” Devlin hesitated. “I was just thinking about everything I know about LastGasp’ which, admittedly, isn’t much. I’m interested in why people wouldn’t stay. Doesn’t that interest you?”
“Not really.”
“Pay is good. Conditions are good. I’ve known people to stay in crappy jobs for ages, so I just find it interesting that there are no staff who’ve been around for longer than a few months.”
“I asked Glen about Derrell, and why he quit,” replied Ikel. “Derrell was another reader who left before my time. But Glen used to talk about him often.
“I thought you said you weren’t interested!” sniped Devlin.
“Well yes. But anyway, Glen just said everyone leaves for a reason and when they’re ready. Clearly I’m not ready and so I’m staying.”
“Have you ever heard the expression ‘if something’s too good to be true then it probably is’?”
“Yes. So?”
“So I’m looking for a catch.”
“There’s no catch,” Ikel replied succinctly.
“Given my recent history, I’m very mindful of keeping my nose clean.”
“LastGasp’ isn’t illegal. Even Lori told you that?”
“That wasn’t what I asked.”
“LastGasp’ doesn’t demand anything illegal, and neither does Glen for that matter. You have my word on this. Happy?”
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