‘I do.’
‘That’s not the point. We’re here to check out the place, not offer a comment.’
Isaac looked for the man from before. ‘Up front,’ he said.
‘That’ll cost you.’
‘Okay, put it on the card.’
Hastily moved to the front, the two men sat perilously close to where a woman rotated around a pole. ‘It’s a meat market,’ Isaac said.
‘It’s where you’re meant to be enjoying yourself. You’ll have to stop scowling.’
‘What if we’re recognised?’
‘How? I can barely see you in here. The women are well lit, though.’
‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’
‘I’m enjoying seeing you squirm. She’s not a bad looker, the one on the stage. How much do you reckon? A hundred?’
‘Are they all available?’
‘Most would be, but Daisy said that Helen wasn’t.’
‘How could she not be in here?’
‘Helen was a rare beauty, everyone’s told us that. She’s the drawcard, the others are what’s available. What did you reckon to Daisy?’
‘She’s had a tough life.’
‘Helen would have if she had stayed here. But then, she was a smart woman. Even if men had not taken her seriously, seen her as a plaything, it’s hard to understand what brought her to a place like this.’
The two men’s conversation was disturbed by the female from the pole coming in their direction. Larry slipped a five-pound note into her bra; she went away looking for someone more generous. She found him and sat on his lap, continuing to gyrate. Larry watched the action; Isaac pretended not to.
‘You don’t like the women?’ the man from before said.
‘Yes, we do,’ Isaac said.
‘Then don’t go skimping on the tips. She’s worth more than a measly fiver.’
It’s a rough place,’ Isaac said when the man had gone away.
‘How can we claim this on expenses?’
‘With Richard Goddard, it wouldn’t have been a problem. Caddick may not be so easy.’
‘It’s still a legit expense.’
‘Don’t worry, he’ll sign eventually. His sort of place, I would have thought,’ Isaac said.
‘What are you going to do about him?’
‘We ride out the storm. The man won’t last forever.’
‘Hey, look at her. She’s better than the other one,’ Larry said as another female walked onto the stage. Around the two men, the other patrons were clapping.
‘Some of them would be in here every night,’ Isaac said.
‘And around the back.’
‘It’s not licensed for prostitution.’
‘What does it matter? It goes on. These women work on tips, and what they can make on the side. Even then, the management will take a percentage.’
‘I still find it hard to believe Helen Langdon worked here.’
‘You think there was another side to the woman before she gave up on being an accountant?’ Larry said.
‘It’s possible.’
‘We’ll check it out.’
‘This is not my kind of place,’ Isaac said. ‘Let’s go.’
***
Isaac, not feeling pleased with himself for enjoying the cavorting females at the Dixey Club, although he’d not admit it to his DI, was in the office early the next day. He had dwelt on what they had seen at the club, reflected on the woman that Helen Langdon had been. Isaac was convinced she wasn’t as chaste as she had been portrayed.
The team were in the office; Larry, not an early morning person, arrived last.
‘We checked out the club last night,’ Isaac said.
‘Did you enjoy it?’ Wendy asked.
‘Not particularly,’ Isaac said, not wanting to admit the truth. It was as if entry somehow detached the patron from the reality of the outside world. A place where the basest desires were permitted, even encouraged. The men in the audience, what little he had seen of them, had been nudging each other, pointing at the women, making suggestive gestures. The women looked annoyed, yet moved in their direction, allowing them to sample the goods, ensuring that the men stuffed random notes in their underwear.
‘Are you going back?’ Wendy asked.
‘Ben Aberman, any more updates?’ Isaac asked.
‘I found records of Helen working there, Daisy as well,’ Bridget said. ‘The dates correlate with Aberman’s disappearance, although Helen left two days after the man disappeared. Daisy stayed for another three months.’
‘Any more about what Helen did there? From what we could see, all of the women were willing to let the men paw them.’
‘Helen must have,’ Wendy said.
‘Daisy said she didn’t and she wasn’t into selling herself.’
‘Aberman’s disappearance and Helen leaving the club two days later is more than a coincidence. Daisy must know more than she told us.’
‘We need to talk to her again. Would you like me to deal with it?’ Wendy said.
‘Take her for a meal. She looked as though she could do with one. Talk to her woman to woman,’ Isaac said.
‘I know what to do, guv.’
‘Aberman’s house, do you have an address, Bridget?’
‘It’s in the country. I’ll give it to you.’
***
‘What do you hope to gain from this?’ Larry said as he and Isaac drove out to Aberman’s house.
‘Helen Langdon’s story is a lie. As though she orchestrated this whole subterfuge.’
‘But why?’
‘I don’t know, and that concerns me. If she could maintain a cover for so long, what else is she capable of?’
‘Gerald Adamant?’
‘What if she did kill him, and not in self-defence?’ Isaac said.
‘The woman admitted to killing him. She served time in prison.’
‘She was even the one who phoned the police to give herself up, which tends to destroy my argument.’
‘I can see what you’re getting at,’ Larry said. ‘Ben Aberman.’
‘What if she killed him? We don’t know how and why, and maybe it’s a red herring.’
‘If she’s working in the club, and the men are keeping their distance, and she’s not selling herself, it can only mean one thing.’
‘She was Aberman’s woman.’
‘Too many loose ends. She was an accountant, a reputable
