‘Good money for you?’
‘It’s good. The women aren’t complaining either. I expect the best, I pay the best.’
‘They weren’t bad-looking, the two out front,’ Larry said.
‘They’re not. I’ve brought in some new women.’
‘Slater was shot just as he was about to give us names,’ Isaac said. ‘Names you know. There’s no window here, so nobody’s going to take you out. It’s either here or Challis Street.’
‘These people don’t mess around. If I tell you any more, I’m dead.’
‘And if you don’t, you’re in jail.’
‘Okay, Slater’s death has got us all jumpy. Gus, he’s taken off, trying to get some distance. I told him he’s wasting his time, but then, he’s not very bright.’
‘What are you going to tell us?’
‘Ugly Pete frequents a pub in Kensington, the Finborough Arms.’
‘What does he look like?’
‘I told you before. He’s ugly, like a mongrel dog. And don’t ask me any more. I still value my life, worthless as it may be to you.’
Chapter 17
Isaac realised that the murder enquiry had taken a turn for the worse. Before they had been looking for the murderer of two people in a hotel room, one a moral crusader, the other a former prisoner. Since then, a prostitute had been murdered, as well as a solicitor and his receptionist. And now there was the complication of the discovery of another body, Ben Aberman.
Isaac met his former senior not far from Scotland Yard.
‘Public Relations isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,’ Richard Goddard confessed.
‘Davies didn’t put you there to enjoy it,’ Isaac said. ‘He wanted you out of the way. It looks as though he’s succeeded.’
‘His time’s coming, but that’s not why we’re meeting, is it?’
‘I need to run the case past you.’
‘Caddick?’
‘The man’s a fool. His advice is worthless.’
‘What have you got?’
‘Helen Langdon, four years in prison for killing her husband, subsequently acquitted. James Holden, moral crusader, member of parliament. The two of them are found naked in a hotel room, a bullet in the head each. Another prostitute, Daisy, a former work colleague of Helen’s when they were both stripping, also murdered. Daisy was also meeting with Holden for the purpose of prostitution. We’ve assumed that Helen did not know about this.’
‘That’s three.’
‘We discover the body of Ben Aberman, the owner of the club where the two women had worked. He was also Helen’s lover during that period. Aberman’s house has been empty for a long time. Helen had been looking after it, along with a solicitor who was paid by Aberman. We were with the solicitor when he was killed. His receptionist, young and new at the firm, walked in the door and was shot too.’
‘What’s the common thread?’
‘Helen Langdon, but she’s dead. We’ve been looking for a murderer amongst Helen’s circle of acquaintances, but now we’re dealing with organised crime.’
‘Is there any possibility James Holden was the primary target, and the subsequent deaths have been an unfortunate consequence?’ Goddard said.
‘It was a consideration initially. Holden was critical of the amount of dubious material that could be downloaded from the internet. He was a vocal supporter of tightening censorship guidelines, applying restrictions.’
‘Are you suggesting a rethink?’
‘Not totally. The discovery of Aberman’s body has brought in an added complication. The earlier murders were the work of an individual, the later murders, as well as Aberman’s, have the hallmarks of a crime syndicate.’
‘The crime syndicate is more immediate. They don’t mess around, could even take you out if you get too close,’ Goddard said.
‘What can be done about Caddick? He’s a liability to Homicide and the ongoing investigation.’
‘Davies will play his hand at some stage. The man knows Caddick is not up to the task. His strategy now is to bring back those who are. He’ll make the normal platitudes about staff rotation, multitasking, and so on, but we’ll know what it is.’
‘A stalling tactic?’
‘Davies may outlast us all.’
‘A dreadful thought,’ Isaac said.
***
Nobody expected Gus, the Dixey Club’s bouncer and doorman, to walk into Challis Street Police Station. It was nine in the evening, and the team in Homicide were wrapping up for the day.
For three days, Caddick had not been seen: a training course for senior police officers. Larry had offered a comment when he’d heard about Caddick and training. Isaac had told him to be careful what he said and to whom.
‘I’ve come to give myself up,’ Gus said as he sat in the interview room.
‘Do you need legal representation?’ Isaac asked.
‘Not this time.’
‘What are you confessing to?’
‘I was there the night Aberman died.’
‘We’ve no one who can identify you. Why are you here?’
‘They killed Slater. They’ll kill me.’
‘Did you kill Aberman?’
‘No.’
‘Did you bury him?’
‘Yes.’
‘What crime did you commit?’
‘I helped bury the body, didn’t tell you the truth. I was at Ben Aberman’s house that night. They were upstairs with Aberman, working him over, trying to get him to sign over the clubs.’
‘And you were downstairs watching the television.’
‘Something like that.’
‘Gus, you may fool others, but you don’t fool us. Roughing a man up is one thing, shooting him in the head is another.’
‘It was more than roughing him up.’
‘The full story. We’ll be recording this,’ Isaac said.
‘As long as you protect me.’
‘Your full name?’
‘Guthrie Boswell.’
Once Gus had been cautioned and advised of his rights, Isaac addressed him.
‘In your own words.’
‘Ben wasn’t a bad man. He’d been running Dixey’s for a few years. He treated the women well, especially Helen.’
‘Were they lovers?’
‘Yes. Ben was an ambitious man, wanted to do more. He borrowed money, gets into trouble.’
‘How do you know this?’
‘I was
