some people as
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seems to get their pleasure out o' beating other people, instead o' what any natural man would. You should see some o' the women we get, and no more'n bits o' kids, lot o' them- younger than my wife was when I married 'er, and she was seventeen. Then, o' course, some o' them girls gets beat by their own pimps, if they've bin 'olding back on the money. AH that, and wot with the tides and knockin' around the bridges, some o' them yer'd 'ardly recerni/e as they was 'uman bein's. I tell yer, it'd fair make yer weep sometimes. Turns me stomach, it does, and it takes a deal ter do that.'
'A lot of brothels in the docks,' Pitt said quietly after a moment's silence while they pursued their private memories of horror. It was more an observation than a question.
' 'Course,' the constable agreed. 'Biggest port in the world, London.' He said.it with some pride. 'What else d'y'expect? Sailors away from 'ome, after a long spell at sea, and the like. An I s'pose when yer gets the supply o' women, and boys, fer them that's that way inclined'-he grimaced- 'then it's natural yer gets others come in from outside the harea, knowin' as they'll find whatever they wants 'ere. There's a few times yer'll see some smart gents get down from a cab outside some very funny 'ouses. But then I reckon yer knows that fer yerself, bein' near that kind o' harea, too!'
'Yes,' Pitt said. 'Yes.' Although since his promotion to inspector he had had to do with more serious cases, and the ordinary, rather pedestrian duties of keeping a modicum of control over vice had not fallen his way.
The constable nodded. 'It's when I sees children involved that I gets the sickest about it. I reckon most adult people can do as they wants, although I 'ates ter see a woman lower 'erself- always make me think o' me muvver-but kids is diff rent. Funny, yet know, they was two ladies-and I mean
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don't already know about it! Still, yer can't tell ladies as their own kind does that kind o' thing, can yer? I never saw them meself, but Constable Andrews, as was on duty at the time, 'e said they wanted ter look at the corpse what was brought out o' the river-the one as yer come about. White as sheets, they went, but never lorst their nerve, nor fainted. Yer've gotta admire them. Just looked and thanked 'im, polite as yer like, and went out again. Yer've got to 'and it to 'em, they got spirit!'
'Indeed!' Pitt was startled. Half of him was furious, the other half idiotically proud. He did not even bother to ask if the ladies had left any names, or indeed what they had looked like. He would reserve his comments on the matter until he got home.
'Reckon as yer'd like ter see Sergeant Wittle?' the constable said matter-of-factly, unaware of Pitt's thoughts, or even that they had left the immediate subject. ' 'E's just up them Stairs, first door you comes to, sir. Can't miss it.'
'Thank you,' Pitt said. He smiled and left the constable, who picked up the mug of tea again, before it lost the last of its warmth.
Sergeant Wittle was a sad man, with a dark face and remnants of black hair draped thinly across the top of his head.
'Ah,' he sighed when Pitt explained his call. 'Ah-well, I don't think we'll get much there. 'Appens all the time, poor sods! Can't tell you 'ow many I've seen, over the years. O' course, most aren't murdered, leastways not directly-just sort o' sideways, like, by life. Sit down, Mr. Pitt. Not that it'll do you any use.'
'It's not official,' Pitt said hastily, pushing the chair closer to the stove and settling in it. 'The case is yours. Just wondered if I could help-off the books?'
'You know suffin', then?' While's eyebrows rose. 'We know where 'e lived, but that don't tell us anything at all. Anonymous sort o' place. Anyone could come or go-part o' the whole thing! Nobody wants ter be seen. Who would- frequenting a place like that? An' all the other residents pretty much mind their own business. Anyway, they're inside
