‘Helen?’
‘Never in this club. She played her part, that was all, and she was good.’
‘Did you like her?’
‘Everyone liked Helen, and now she’s dead.’
‘So is Daisy.’
‘Daisy was always going to end up that way.’
‘You knew about Helen marrying, and then killing her husband?’
‘We knew.’
‘What did you think?’
‘She wasn’t the sort of person to kill anyone.’
‘But she could strut herself here, bait the men.’
‘It doesn’t make us all murderers, does it?’
‘I’m trying to understand the woman.’
‘Mind you, her becoming involved with Ben Aberman was not expected.’
‘Why?’
‘Aberman, he owned this place.’
‘And he disappeared,’ Wendy said. ‘What’s the full story?’
‘Helen wanted more than this club. She told us she wanted to find a decent man to look after her.’
‘A sugar daddy?’
‘Not Helen. She was good at detaching herself. In here, she’d play the tart, outside she’d not want to associate with us.’
‘What can you tell us about Ben Aberman?’
‘He was a rogue, but he was a decent man, and he treated the girls with respect.’
‘Were they living together?’
‘We knew Helen would spend the night with him sometimes, and he was really keen on her.’
‘And Helen?’
‘She said she didn’t love him, and it was just a business partnership.’
‘What do you think she meant?’
‘No idea really. She wasn’t even escorting, and she could have made plenty of money. We never really understood why she was here.’
‘Aberman disappeared,’ Wendy said.
‘We were told he went overseas.’
‘And Helen’s reaction?’
‘She was ambivalent, told us not to worry, and that he would turn up in a few days.’
‘And then Helen left.’
‘Two days later, she’s gone, never even said goodbye.’
‘Did you look for her?’
‘We did for a few days, but she’d left where she was living, never left a forwarding address. We assumed she was with Ben, but then, not long afterwards, she lands herself a rich man and marries him.’
‘Did you ever speak to her again?’
‘None of us did. She was the one that got away.’
Chapter 11
Out front in the club, the manager stood with Isaac and Larry. ‘Ben Aberman, before my time,’ he said. ‘Sorry, can’t help you.’
Isaac had met his type before: only interested in a profit, not caring how it was earned.’
‘Your name?’
‘Barry Knox.’
‘You’re soliciting on these premises. We know it, so do you. What do you want? This place to be closed down, or do you want to cooperate?’
‘I’ll need my lawyer here.’
‘That’s up to you, but you’re opening up in sixty minutes. You’d better get him here fast.’
‘You can’t close me down.’
‘You’re up to your neck in crime. I was here the other night with DI Hill. We saw what was going on.’
‘Harmless fun.’
‘Are you dealing in drugs here?’
‘We’re clean. The place is legit, more than I can say for two undercover police officers casing the joint.’
‘It’s called policing. If you try it on us, I’ll haul you down the police station and throw you in a cell for the night.’
‘You can’t talk to Mr Knox like that,’ the tattooed man, who had been there on Isaac and Larry’s first visit to the club, said.
‘We can. And as for you, back off,’ Isaac said. ‘Do you have a record, been involved in any crime lately? And what do you know about this place, have you taken any liberties with the women?’
‘You’ve no right.’
‘I’ve every right. I need answers as to what happened to Ben Aberman, and what about Helen and Daisy, and don’t make out you don’t know who I’m referring to. Men like you don’t move far. You would have been here then, so would your manager, or if he wasn’t, he’d know people who were, people who know the true story.’
‘Okay, you’ve made your point,’ Knox said. ‘It’s best if you come into my office.’
The four men walked the short distance to the office. In the room, a monitor showed the stage, another showed the patrons, and another the room where the women gave the patrons individual attention.
‘You’ve got a licence for that?’ Isaac asked, pointing to the bed in the bare room.
‘It’s our first aid room,’ Knox said.
‘Knox, you’d better start talking.’
‘Ben Aberman, I knew him, so did Gus. He wasn’t pulling in the money, and his lenders were anxious. I came in to run the place and make it financially sound.’
‘The lenders?’
‘You don’t go to the bank to open a strip club.’
‘Loan sharks?’
‘Businessmen. It’s all legal. Aberman signed the documents, agreed to the terms and conditions.’
‘Back then, you had Helen and Daisy, the double act. This place must have been making money.’
‘Maybe it was, or maybe Aberman was creaming more off the top than he should have.’
‘Which is it?’
‘Aberman, he owned this place, but he wasn’t honest with his financial backers, delaying the repayments.’
‘Are you one of the backers?’
‘Not me. I’m just the person sent in to make it pay.’
‘Is it now?’
‘We get by.’
‘Which means it is, but you don’t declare it.’
‘Inspector Cook, we’re a business. We make money, we spend money. How we structure our finances is not your concern. You’re after Aberman, am I correct?’
‘What about Gus here? What’s he got to do with Aberman?’
‘I did nothing with the man. He was my friend,’ Gus said.
‘Where’s Aberman?’ Isaac asked.
‘I don’t know, and that’s the honest truth.’
‘We know that Aberman does not own this club. Was the signing over of the business legal, or was his arm bent?’
