Tainted Lives

by Mandasue Heller

  Taking a couple of deep drags on the smoke, John held it out. ‘Here, have a toke. It’ll sort your head out. The last thing you wanna be doing is freaking out. It’ll only make you fuck up, and you need to keep a cool head for shit like this. Work out what they’re gonna do before they do it.’

  ‘Who?’ Harry squinted up through the smoke.

  ‘Hawaii.’ John took the spliff back. ‘They’ll come back, but when they do, you just come down here. Sarah show you the fire escape?’

  ‘No.’ Harry shook his head.

  ‘Well, it’s in her flat, comes right down the side of the house. All you have to do when they turn up is nip down and bang on my window. You can hide in here till they’ve gone.’

  ‘Yeah?’ Harry felt a giggle creeping into his throat.

  ‘Yeah.’ John grinned, his face widening before Harry’s eyes, his eyes growing smaller and redder. ‘Can’t let them get a grip of you, can we, mate?’

  Sarah was arranging an appointment with a new client over the phone when the intercom buzzed at three-thirty a.m.

  Coming back to the desk with two cups of coffee, Jenny pressed the button. ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Police. We’d like to speak to the manager, please.’

  ‘There’s no one from management available right now.’ Jenny waved for Sarah to radio the bouncers to alert them that something might be about to kick off. ‘Could you tell me the nature of your call?’

  ‘It’s a missing-person inquiry, but I’m not prepared to go into it out here. Could you open the door, please?’

  ‘One moment.’

  ‘What is it?’ Sarah asked. ‘What do they want?’

  ‘No idea. Something about a missing person.’

  Sarah felt sick. They were looking for Harry, she just knew it.

  Pulling her head back, Jenny squinted at her, suspicious of her sickly expression. ‘This got something to do with you?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Sarah murmured. ‘I think so.’

  ‘Bloody hell, you dozy cow!’ Jenny tutted. ‘Well, whatever’s going on, they’re coming in. What do you want to do?’

  ‘Can you tell them I’m not here? . . . Please?’

  ‘Okay, but don’t think I’m making a habit of it. And I want to hear every single detail as soon as they’ve gone, ’cos you’ve obviously been holding out on me, lady! Right, go to the whip room. There’s no one in there. But you’d best hide in case they decide to check the place out.

  ‘Dozy cow!’ she said again, pressing the button to release the door to the massage mile – the corridor only those who had paid were allowed to enter. ‘Gaynor would scalp you if she was here. You’d better hope she doesn’t find out.’

  West’s eyebrows crept up as he gazed around Silva’s reception area. It was by far the classiest of the parlours they had visited tonight, most of which had been the usual cheap, thrown-together fronts for the real business at hand. There was real money invested in this place, and it showed. The bouncers looked pro, and the receptionist was a bit of all right, too – pretty, polite and with a nice figure.

  ‘You say you’re looking for someone?’ Jenny twirled a pen between her fingers as she stood in front of them.

  ‘That’s right,’ Vine confirmed. ‘A sixteen-year-old girl called Sarah Mullen. We have information that she’s working in one of the parlours. Do you have anyone of that name?’

  ‘Sarah Mullen.’ Jenny repeated the name thoughtfully. ‘No, I don’t think so.’

  ‘Are you sure? She’d have only started in the last few months. Maybe she works a different shift?’

  ‘I’d know her if she was here. I organize the rota. Have you tried Lulu’s on Peter Street? They’re always taking new staff.’

  ‘Been there.’ West leaned an elbow on the counter. ‘They sent us to Honey’s, Honey’s sent us to Topaz, and Topaz sent us here. And they all said the same thing.’ He smiled with his eyes.

  Holding his gaze, Jenny’s lips twitched. He was coming on to her, she could smell it. Horny toad! Not bad-looking for a copper, though. Sexy eyes, nice smile, lovely thick hair. Bit podgy, but she’d soon ride the excess pounds off him.

  ‘Sorry.’ She deliberately lowered her voice to a more sexy register. ‘I can’t help you.’

  Vine had taken Sarah’s photograph from his pocket. He held it out.

  ‘She could be using a different name. You might recognize her from this.’

  Jenny peered at the picture for a moment, then shook her head. ‘Sorry. Very pretty, though.’ She flicked a slow glance at West. ‘Looks sweet.’

  ‘Mmmm, well, thanks for your time,’ Vine said, aware of the sparks passing between Jenny and West. ‘Sorry to disturb you. We’ll see ourselves out.’

  ‘No problem.’ Smiling, Jenny walked them to the door. Holding West’s gaze again as he went out into the corridor, she said, ‘Any time.’

  ‘Thanks, Mrs . . . ?’ He looked at her questioningly.

  ‘Ms,’ she corrected him flirtatiously. ‘But you can call me Jenny. Bye-ee.’

  It didn’t register until they were outside. Turning back halfway to the car, Vine said, ‘Did she say her name was Jenny?’

  ‘Yeah, why?’

  ‘That was the name of Sarah’s friend, wasn’t it?’ Taking the letter from his pocket, Vine held it beneath the light from the street lamp. ‘Yeah, look.’

  Snatching the letter, West read it for himself and slapped the paper with irritation. ‘Damn.’

  ‘Bit of a coincidence if it’s not the same one,’ Vine said. ‘And Sarah said her boss’s name was Bernie, and this is one of Bernie Silva’s premises. You think she was lying back there?’

  ‘Hell, no! I think she’s a straight-up Catholic girl with morals!’ West snapped, annoyed for having let Jenny’s charms distract him. ‘Come on, Einstein. Let’s go see if we can’t persuade her to confess.’

  They pressed the buzzer a number of times to no avail. They weren’t getting back in there tonight, no way, no how. And a warrant was totally out of the question because no one in their right mind was going to give them the authority to search the place on the strength of such a weak suspicion. They could hang about waiting for someone to enter or leave but that meant staying close enough to get to the door before it shut – they would be too visible. The men who frequented these places bolted at the sight of a uniform. And waiting in the car was just as bad. No man in his right mind was going to approach the place with a squad car in plain view.

  The car radio crackled to life behind them, the operator putting out a call for assistance for officers attending a gang fight outside one of the city centre’s gangster-frequented casinos. Letting out an exasperated sigh, West jerked his head and strode towards the car.

  ‘Come on. We’re only five minutes away. We’ll make inquiries about this place when we’re done – find out what time the staff change shift. See if we can’t catch her coming out in the morning.’

  Jenny was not amused. In fact, she was blazing. Sarah was well out of order. She knew they were in the adult industry and Bernie would lose his licence if the police found a minor on the premises.

  Telling the bouncers not to open the front door under any circumstances, Jenny went to confront Sarah and find out what the hell she thought she was playing at.

  ‘Right, you!’ She threw the door open, startling Sarah who was hiding behind a rack of assorted whips and lashes. ‘What’s going on? And don’t give me any bull, ’cos I think you’ve done enough lying already. Start by telling me how come you never mentioned that you’re only sixteen?’

  ‘I’m not! I’m eighteen – honest.’

  ‘I said no bull! Don’t push me, girl. You’re in the right place if you’re asking for a beating!’

  ‘All right, it’s true,’ Sarah admitted, gazing shamefacedly down at the floor. ‘You’re not going to tell Bernie, are you?’

  ‘Are you crazy? Do you know what would happen if they caught you here? They’d close us down like that!’ Jenny clicked her fi
ngers sharply.

  ‘But I’m good,’ Sarah argued. ‘And I don’t look my age. Nobody’s ever said anything, have they?’

  ‘Only the goddamned police!’

  ‘Yeah, but they’ve gone now.’

  ‘Oh, you reckon, do you? So how come they’ve just been ringing the flaming buzzer off the wall trying to get back in?’

  ‘Please, Jenny . . . Don’t tell Bernie. I really need this job.’

  Sighing heavily, Jenny closed her eyes and chewed her lip. Much as she liked Sarah, her loyalty had to lie with Bernie and the girls. Not to mention herself.

  ‘Go home,’ she said at last, folding her arms to steel herself against Sarah’s forlorn expression. ‘The police have got you down as a missing person, and they’ll be back. What you on the run for, anyway? What have you done?’

  ‘It’s not me. They’re after someone else.’

  ‘They’ve just told me they’re looking for you. Shit, girl, they had your photo. Stop lying.’

  ‘I’m not! I swear it’s not me.’

  ‘Who, then?’ Jenny was losing patience now. ‘Your twin sister, who just happens to have the same name?’

  ‘It’s my friend Harry,’ Sarah told her quietly. ‘He’s from the home I was in.’

  Jenny pulled a disbelieving face. ‘You were never in a home. You told me how you grew up, remember? With your mum and sister in Stretford. Your mum got married and moved to Wales. You think I’m stupid, or something?’

  ‘It wasn’t true,’ Sarah admitted. ‘My mum put me away when I was seven. I only came out a few months back. I met Harry last year. He’s only eleven, and he’s had a really rotten time. He ran away last night and turned up at my flat.’

  ‘You stupid idiot. No wonder the police are after you.’

  ‘What was I supposed to do? Kick him out?’

  ‘Well, yeah! Rather that than the shit you’re in now. You’ve practically lost your job, and you’re sure as hell gonna cop it from the police. If I was you, I’d get my butt home and send him packing.’

  ‘But he’s in trouble.’

  ‘All the more reason to get rid. Let the home sort him out. You don’t need to get involved.’

  ‘Jenny, you don’t know what’s going on,’ Sarah sighed. ‘It’s because of me that he’s in a mess. He’s been taking revenge for . . .’ Pausing, she looked at her hands, then murmured, ‘Something that happened to me.’

  ‘No shit?’ Jenny peered at her concernedly. ‘What?’

  ‘This man at the home kind of did something to me.’

  ‘Kind of?’

  ‘All right,’ Sarah looked up now, her eyes ablaze with shame. ‘He got in bed with me when I was drunk! Satisfied?’

  ‘And you let him?’

  ‘I didn’t even know!’

  ‘Oh, Christ,’ Jenny murmured, sitting down heavily. ‘That’s awful. Did he – you know?’

  Thoroughly ashamed, Sarah nodded.

  ‘But you didn’t know anything about it?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘That’s rape!’ Jenny exclaimed. ‘Didn’t you do anything about it?’

  ‘Yeah, I reported him.’ Sarah swiped at a tear trickling down her cheek. ‘But he got away with it.’

  ‘And this Harry, what’s he been doing?’

  ‘Wrecking the guy’s car. He’s been at it for months, but he got caught this morning.’

  ‘And he ran away to tell you about it?’

  ‘No, he wanted to warn me that the man knew I’d been talking. He thinks he’s going to come after me to shut me up.’

  Worried now, Jenny said, ‘Do you think he will?’

  ‘Who knows?’ Sarah shrugged.

  Jenny mulled over what she had just learned. She felt truly sorry for Sarah, but whichever way she looked at it, she had to get her out of here. The police had obviously smelled a rat, and if they had tracked Sarah down to Silva’s, they probably had her address by now, too. Sarah needed to go home and get the boy out of her flat before she got arrested for kidnapping him. And then she needed to get herself out of harm’s way in case the man came looking for her.

  ‘What about Bernie?’ Sarah asked when Jenny told her what she thought. ‘Are you going to tell him?’

  ‘Get the police off your back and I’ll think about it,’ Jenny said. ‘Go and get your stuff together. I’ll get the lads to check the cops have gone. Is there anywhere you can go and stay until you know you’re safe?’

  ‘No. I’ll just have to keep my head down.’

  ‘I’d have a real good think if I were you,’ Jenny said grimly. ‘Believe me, if the police can find you this fast, anyone can. I’d let you come to mine,’ she said then, smiling regretfully. ‘But I’ve got the witch-bitch staying.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it.’ Standing, Sarah walked resignedly to the door.

  Following her back to the reception area, glad that it was a slow night and there were no clients hanging about, Jenny arranged for a cab to take Sarah home.

  Five minutes later, one of the bouncers popped his head around the door to tell them that it was here, and that the coast was clear.

  ‘Don’t mess about,’ Jenny warned as she walked Sarah to the door and gave her a hug. ‘I’ll say you went home ill for now, but you’d best ring me in a couple of days and let me know the score. If you’re not sorted by then . . .’ She shrugged.

  The flat was in complete darkness when Sarah let herself in. It was almost four-fifteen, so she wasn’t overly concerned. Harry was probably asleep.

  She panicked when she saw that the bed was empty, the quilt exactly as she had left it. The police must have found him. They had wanted her, then – to arrest her. What was she going to do?

  First off, she had to find out exactly what had happened.

  Harry was asleep on the couch, a smelly tweed overcoat covering him. John put his fingers to his lips as he led Sarah in.

  ‘He’s only been out an hour or so.’ He waved her to take a seat. ‘He was in a right state, thinking you’re gonna kick off at him for bringing the pigs round. I told him you wouldn’t get mad, but he was proper freaking out. You want a tea, or something? You’re not looking so hot yourself.’

  ‘Yeah, thanks.’ She nodded, sitting on the edge of the couch by Harry’s feet. ‘So what happened? Did they come in here?’

  ‘Nah, I went out to them. It was lucky Harry had come down for a chat. He’d have crapped himself if he’d been up at yours on his jack. They were knocking for ages.’

  ‘What did they say?’ She gazed at Harry’s sleeping face. He looked exhausted, his eyes sunk deep into their sockets.

  ‘Just wanted to know if I’d seen you, did I know where you worked – shit like that. I said no, and they pissed off.’

  ‘Did they speak to anyone else?’

  Nodding, John poured boiled water into the cups and gave them a quick stir. ‘Tony,’ he told her, handing a cup across. ‘They told him to keep his shit down. Hear how quiet it is?’

  ‘I hadn’t even noticed.’ Sarah cast a glance at the ceiling. ‘I must be getting used to it.’

  ‘You’re lucky you’re not right under him,’ John muttered, sitting down to roll up. ‘I don’t just get the shite music, I get him walking about all night. Squeak, squeak, squeak on the fucking floorboards. He drives Dave’s dogs mental. Haven’t you heard ’em kicking off?’

  ‘I thought they just did that anyway.’

  ‘Well, yeah, but he really winds them up.’

  ‘Did the cops see Dave?’

  ‘He let ’em in. But don’t worry, he didn’t say anything.’

  ‘Does he know about Harry?’ Sarah’s eyes widened with alarm.

  ‘Yeah. He saw him coming down to mine. But he won’t say owt. None of us is exactly squeaky, in case you hadn’t noticed.

  ‘So, what you gonna do about this situation youse have got yourself in?’ John asked then. ‘Harry filled me in a bit. Sounds tricky.’

  Sarah frowned, wondering exactly how much Harry had
confided to his new friend. He’d better not have told him the whys and wherefores. It was bad enough John knowing the police were after her without him knowing her personal history as well.

  ‘I’ll have to talk to him,’ she said, shaking her head when John offered the spliff to her. ‘Persuade him to go back before we get into any more trouble.’

  ‘You know he don’t want to go back, don’t you?’ John peered up at her through his hair. ‘But he don’t want to get you in lumber, either. He thinks the world of you.’

  ‘Me, too,’ she sighed. ‘That’s why I have to get him back before it gets any worse.’

  ‘I don’t think it could get any worse for him. All he wants is to be with you. Isn’t there any way?’

  ‘No. And after this, I doubt they’ll let us see each other again.’

  ‘You could always take off,’ John suggested. ‘Go somewhere no one knows you, say you’re brother and sister, or something.’

  ‘We don’t look anything like each other.’

  ‘Cousins, then.

  ‘It wouldn’t work.’

  ‘S’pose not. So what are you gonna do?’

  ‘What can I do?’ She looked at him with an expression of helplessness.

  Shrugging, John picked up his cup and took a noisy sip. This wasn’t his problem. He was willing to let the kid hide out here, but more than that – forget it!

  West and Vine had a busy few hours. After dealing with the fight, they were called to assist with an overturned petrol tanker on the Mancunian Way.

  It was coming up for seven when they headed back to the station. En route, West decided to pass by Sarah’s house one last time on the off chance. It was a lucky decision.

  Sarah and Harry came out of the gate at the exact moment West and Vine turned along the road. Deep in discussion about what Harry would say when he got back to Starlight, they headed for the bus stop at the opposite end. Neither saw the car or heard it easing up alongside them. The first they knew about it was when the doors flew open and the policemen leaped out.

  ‘Sarah Mullen?’ West gripped her arm.

  ‘Get off her,’ Harry squealed, fighting to get free of Vine. ‘Leave her alone! She hasn’t done anything! She was out! I’ve been in the backyard all night! Tell them, Sarah, tell them!’