In the courtyard, only one car remained of the workers’ vehicles, an old yellow Toyota Corolla. It didn’t look like the kind of car Grace would have expected Marie Li to drive and she guessed it to be Lynette’s. She took a quick note of the registration number and went to her own car, which was parked at a distance from the building. She didn’t start the engine but looked back, waiting. This side of the building was in darkness; all the house lights looked out onto the front street. There was only the white gleam of the fluorescent tube over the back door. Suddenly Kidd stepped out. He looked around but didn’t seem able to see her in the dark. Then his phone rang. He answered it, turned and walked back inside. The door closed and she could no longer see him. She waited a few minutes longer to see if he would come back. She was about to ring in for a registration check on the Corolla when Lynette, wearing a leather jacket over her dress and with her bag in hand, came running out and went to the car, yanking the door open. Grace watched her start it and then drive away at speed.
She gave a quick glance at the back door to see if Kidd was following, then drove after her. Out on the road, she called in to the Orion control centre with the details of Lynette’s car’s make and registration.
‘Owned by a Jacqueline Ryan,’ the operative said. ‘Her address is the Royal Hotel on Victoria Road, West Ryde. She must be a long-term resident. Do you need backup?’
Grace felt the pressure of her firearm against her ribcage, just under her arm.
‘Not yet. I think we need to pick this woman up. Can you log that as an urgent request, please?’
‘Just a minute. There’s a call coming through to you. Do you want to take it?’
‘Yes. Log the number and put it through, thanks.’
‘Is that Grace?’ the caller said.
‘Yes. Go ahead, Lynette.’
‘I will talk to you but only if it’s tonight. Like now. As soon as you can.’
‘Where do you want to do that?’
‘Do you know the Royal Hotel? It’s on Victoria Road. Can you meet me in the bistro?’
‘I’ll be there as soon as I can. Does that suit you?’
‘I’ll be waiting. I want this over and done with.’
Grace didn’t doubt it. The woman’s voice was shaking with fear. As soon as she’d cut the connection, Grace was back at the control centre.
‘Did you get that?’ she asked.
‘We did.’
‘I’ll report in when I’ve seen her. I think we’ll still need to pick her up but I’ll confirm that after I’ve talked to her.’
‘We’ll be waiting.’
Grace hadn’t been to the Royal Hotel before but it was easy enough to find. A renovated brick building, it had the look of a popular local watering hole with several bars, gaming and a restaurant. The sign said it offered long- stay budget accommodation. Was this all Lynette could afford? Or was she saving her money for a rainy day?
She was in the bistro, drinking a glass of white wine. This late on a week night, there were few diners at the tables. Grace bought a mineral water and went to join her. Lynette looked tired, and the jacket robbed her of whatever glamour she’d had in the brothel.
‘I know it’s not that warm but do you want to go outside?’ she said. ‘That way I can smoke.’
‘Sure.’
‘Don’t you drink?’
‘Not when I’m working,’ Grace replied, this being the easiest explanation.
‘What about a cigarette?’
A former smoker, Grace mentally gritted her teeth. ‘No, I don’t smoke,’ she said.
‘You’re healthy.’
Lynette bought a half-carafe of house white and they went outside. The beer garden was empty. Lynette lit her cigarette with relief. Grace smelled the smoke and was glad she’d said no.
‘How did you get away tonight?’ she asked.
‘I rang what’s-her-features upstairs and told her she could close up, I was going home. She screamed at me! Said she had the police there and she couldn’t do it. I said she’d just have to cope. I won’t have a job as of now but it doesn’t matter. I’ve had enough. As soon as I can book one, I’m getting on a flight to Perth.’
‘Why Perth?’
‘My son’s in Western Australia, working up north with Woodside Petroleum. He’s been asking me to come out and see him for a while. I will now. With a bit of luck, I might be able to get some work over there. There’s a lot of single men working up there besides him. Someone must need a receptionist somewhere.’
‘Some details, Lynette. What’s your real name?’
‘Jacqueline Ryan. Before you ask, yes, I live here. It’s cheap. I’ve got money but I don’t spend it if I can help it. When I quit the business, I’ll buy my dream home.’
‘Who owns the brothel?’ Grace asked.
‘Don’t have a clue and I don’t care. I deal with the accountants. Stamfords. They’re in Parramatta. They do everything. If you want to know more, go talk to them.’
‘Marie’s new, isn’t she? Where did she come from?’
‘Stamfords.’ Lynette blew out smoke. ‘They rang one day and said she was on her way. She was the boss and I had to do what she said. Fine. Why should I give a shit? Look, I don’t ask anybody any questions. In this business, you don’t.’
No, you just did what you were told by a hysterical girl half your age without a murmur, Grace thought. The same way you took on an illegal and unwilling sex worker without batting an eyelid. Whatever’s in the pay packet must be good.
‘Coco,’ Grace said, pushing along. ‘When did she arrive and did she come alone?’
Lynette shook her head over her glass. ‘No. She turned up with Marie, about two months ago now. When I heard she was dead, I didn’t know what to think. I honestly don’t know anything about that.’
‘Marie brought her down by the fire stairs,’ Grace said without pity. ‘You handled the bookings.’
‘I did not handle the bookings. Whatever that nasty little cow says, she did it all.’ Lynette took another mouthful of wine. ‘Cheap white,’ she said with a grimace.
Grace could guess what it tasted like. Alcohol was a caustic poison moving at the edge of the blood, twisting your mind into such a disfigured shape you couldn’t recognise yourself. Others could drink; she could not.
‘What about the other workers? Didn’t they know she was there?’
‘That’s what I used to say to
‘How did the customers find out about Coco?’
Lynette looked at her sharply. ‘You know, don’t you? No condoms if you didn’t want to. On the fucking net!’
‘Yes, I know about that. How did you deal with it?’ Grace asked. ‘Normally you’d never do that, right?’
Lynette wouldn’t meet her eye. ‘There’s plenty of men who don’t want that. They like the protection themselves. I couldn’t help her. I wasn’t the boss any more.’
‘It can’t be good business to do something like that. Didn’t Marie know that?’
This time Lynette did look at her. ‘Anything that gives the clients what they want is good business. There’s a fair few arseholes out there, you know.’
‘Who put it on the net?’
‘Marie. It said
Marie was the front. Possibly even the sucker. The one pushed out there to do the dirty work. From Lynette’s description, she’d got a kick out of it.
‘Marie isn’t a big woman,’ Grace said. ‘How did she control Coco?’
‘She had someone to help her. Some guy, I don’t know who he was. He used to bring her down and take her up.’
‘Can you describe him?’
‘I hardly ever saw him. He was a big guy, black hair, Italian probably. Head like a bullet. Never washed. You could smell him before you saw him. I stayed out of his way.’
