‘I had a look into him. He owns a lot of property in the area, most of it is showing up as unoccupied. They’re not just sitting empty though, are they?’
‘No. That’ll be where they’re working then. But the girls have wised up. They know the law. You’ll find they’ll work in a place one at a time and they’ll move it around to save drawing any attention to the place.’
‘One at a time?’
‘Yeah. There was a law change recently. One prozzy on her own ain’t going to get her collar felt but you get two together and then it becomes a brothel. You can get nicked for that.’
‘So there aren’t any brothels anymore?’
‘There never has been officially. It’s not like you put something out on TripAdvisor when you’re done.’
‘I know that, Vince. Help me out a little, though, will you? Prostitution legislation isn’t exactly my strongpoint. Do you know any girls?’
Vince grinned. ‘I know a lot of girls, Maddie, I’m a popular guy!’
‘Is that why you grew the beard? To get rid of all the attention?’
Vince’s hand lifted to pat his facial hair. ‘You really don’t like it?’
‘I really don’t care! The girls, Vince — the working girls . . . who do you know?’
Vince eyed her. ‘Come on, Mads . . .’
Maddie waved him away. ‘I get it, they don’t like coppers. I’m not about to go knocking on their doors and ruining their day. I just need to find out something about Holly Maguire. Right now I’ve got nothing.’
‘Holly, yeah . . . She was one of them.’ Vince’s smile was all gone.
‘One that you knew?’
‘Yeah. She’s been around a while so most of us old sweats do. I met her a couple of times when we did some drug warrants a few years back. Since then I’ve met her a fair few times. I stopped her a few times in the dead of night when she was the only thing moving. Then I helped her out when a trick got a bit heavy. She always called me Big Vince. It stuck with some of the others too. You can imagine I had to explain to crewmates a few times why a known sex worker was referring to me as Big Vince!’ His smile was back; it was genuine, too. ‘She was a nice girl, a good heart and doing what she needed to survive — just like we all are. A bit messed up.’
‘What about her girlfriend? Did you know her?’
‘Girlfriend? Nah, I knew she batted for the other side—’
‘Vince, Jesus!’
‘What?’
‘Is that the politically correct term?’
‘Is it not? I ain’t got no issue! Live and let live I say! But no, I know she was mates with another girl who was running one of the houses but I didn’t get that they were a couple. They had a big falling out anyway. I don’t know the ins and outs. Probably over money.’
‘A madam?’
‘Yeah, that’s what you call them, innit? The head prozzy?’
‘I think they prefer madam. So there was a brothel?’
Vince reacted; Maddie could read it instantly.
‘There still is, isn’t there?’
‘Come on Mads, I dunno . . . these girls . . . they’re spot on for info. I use them a lot. There’s not much about the street they don’t know. My first call if someone’s wanted and playing hard to get is one of the girls. I don’t wanna risk—’
‘I get it. Do you have a change of clothes?’
‘A change . . . You mean do I have something a bit more comfortable to slip into?’
‘No. Something that doesn’t have police written on it?’
‘Jeans and a t-shirt.’
‘Perfect. Fancy giving me an introduction?’
‘Introduction? You mean to the head prozzy?’
‘To the madam. I promise I’ll be careful with her. I just want to ask a few questions. I’m not looking to cause her any issues.’
‘I dunno, Mads. She won’t like a knock on the door. We’re not supposed to know it’s a knocking shop. It’s like an unofficial standoff, you know, unless they call us.’
‘But if we were just knocking on all the doors in the area because we’ve had a few burglaries and we needed to offer security advice? See if any residents have seen anything sus?’
‘She’ll see straight through that. Don’t underestimate these girls. They read people. It’s like some sorcery shit.’
‘Of course she will. So then she’ll know that we’re not there to cause her any issues, that we’re trying to keep her off the radar.’
Vince huffed. Maddie could see he was weakening. ‘You want to go now, don’t you? I’ll have to check with my skipper, Mads. He had taskings for me this morning.’
‘Tim Betts, right? I’ll go see him now and let him know that I need you. It should only be half an hour.’
‘I’ve heard that before! Fine, then. Get your coat, Maddie Ives, and be prepared for the jealous stares. It’ll look like you’ve pulled a cracker!’
‘Really? With that beard I reckon I’ll look like I’m moving on the homeless.’
* * *
The woman took so much time answering the door that Maddie had to snatch her arm back from a follow-up knock. She stepped back too, from a door that was pulled inwards. It was only a few inches. A young, timid-looking face peered out.
‘Can I help you?’ the girl said. Maddie reckoned she couldn’t be much older than eighteen.
‘I’m DS Maddie Ives and this is PC Arnold. We’re knocking some doors in the area due to a spate of burglaries. We’re offering security advice and we wanted to ask if any residents had seen anything suspicious.’
The girl glanced from her to Vince. There was no reaction in him. Maddie was pretty certain this was not one of the women Vince knew.
‘Is Marlie about?’ Vince said.
‘Marlie?’ The girl’s anxiety seemed to increase.
‘It’s okay. I know her. Maybe you could let her know that Vince is at the door and would like to talk to her. Tell her it’s nothing to worry about but I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important.’
‘She isn’t here.’
‘Okay. When are you expecting her back?’
‘I don’t know. She should be here. I don’t know where she is. She never came back after . . .’
‘After? After what?’ Maddie tried to keep her tone comforting, encouraging the girl that it was fine to speak to her.
‘It doesn’t matter. She isn’t here.’
‘But you’re worried about her?’ Maddie had read it into her expression. ‘Maybe I can help. Off the record, if you like? Just tell me what’s happened.’
‘It’s fine. I’m not worried. She’s her own woman.’
‘It’s out of character, though, right? She runs a tight ship and she isn’t here. You would have tried her phone and she didn’t answer. And she always answers. Am I right? How long will you leave it before you call the police? And what then? Uniform officers, maybe a marked car parked outside. That will cause all sorts of issues.’ Maddie stopped. The young woman was visibly shrinking in front of her under the pressure. She seemed to check behind her. Her face appeared back at the door.
‘I need to take her dog out for a dump. She goes to the grass on top of the viaduct.’
‘I know it,’ Vince said.
‘I’ll leave in a minute.’ The door pushed shut. Maddie stepped back. Vince was already walking away.
‘She’s worried about something,’ Maddie said.
‘I saw that. I have a number for Marlie. I’ll give it a go.’ Vince was holding his phone to his ear when they got back to the car. By the time she found her place in the passenger seat he was already pushing it back into his pocket. ‘No answer.’
When the young woman appeared, it was in a coat that didn’t look like it belonged to her. It was two sizes too big at least. The sleeves covered her hands and she had just pulled the middle together rather than attempted the zip. Slim, bare legs showed from under it and her pedicured feet were pushed into flip-flops. The dog was small, a terrier of some sort
, and it quickly set about cocking its leg against anything upright. It suddenly looked smaller still as it took on a thick-trunked tree that jutted from a grassy expanse and held them all in its shade.
Maddie smiled. ‘Thanks for agreeing to talk to us.’
‘I didn’t agree to anything.’ She wasn’t so timid now. It seemed she had used the time since closing the door to harden her resolve.
‘That’s right, you didn’t. And you don’t have to talk to us. But I can tell you’re worried. When did you last see Marlie?’
‘Lunchtime yesterday. The others . . . they’re out looking. I shouldn’t be talking to you. What you said about how long we would leave it before we called the police . . . we would never call you.’
‘Maybe we can help?’
‘If you wanted to.’
‘You think I’m just here to enjoy the view over the town and the faint smell of dog shit?’
The girl’s eyes hardened and her tone was now laden with sass. ‘You came to the house because you knew she was missing, did you? Because you wanted to help us find her?’
‘No. I came here because of Holly Maguire. I thought Marlie might know something about her because right now there’s just a black hole where her life and memories should be and I don’t think anyone deserves that. Did you know Holly?’
‘No. I’ve heard people talk about what happened a few days back.’
‘And what was that?’
‘She threw herself off a cliff.’
‘And what do they think about that? The girls who were talking about it?’
The girl shrugged. ‘Shit happens. In this job it’s more likely. Someone had some stats about it. Cheerful stuff.’
‘She didn’t work with you, then?’
‘No. She worked with some of the girls before, but they said she ain’t been part of the scene for years. What’s this about? No one reckoned you lot would give a shit about all this. Some working girl throws herself off a cliff? Ain’t nothing to you lot.’
‘Well, I think she died for something and I want to know what that was. I care about her and I care about Marlie. If you want, I can care about you, too. But you need to be a bit more open about what’s going on.’
The girl shrugged and her eyes fell back to watching the dog.
Maddie didn’t say anything. She was aware of Vince off to her right, clearing his throat as if feeling awkward. Maddie wasn’t, she knew she needed to let this woman be the next to speak and silence was often the most effective pressure — especially on the young. A breeze blew across them and roused the surrounding trees to a chorus of white noise. They were high up, elevated over the town of Langthorne on a path that ran alongside the viaduct. Trains still rattled regularly between its ancient walls. Maddie had been told it was the oldest viaduct in the country, a national treasure. From here she could barely see a piece of wall or fence that wasn’t daubed with some sort of graffiti. If it really was a national treasure, it didn’t appear that the locals were giving it the respect it deserved.
‘She went out. Some guy turned up. Before you ask, I don’t know who he was, but the other girls — the older ones, at least — they all seemed to. They were proper scared. Not of him, though. They said it was of who he worked for . . . the guy who owns the house. Marlie went with him.’
‘He worked for the guy who owns the house we just came from?’
‘Yeah. That’s what I said,’ she snapped.
‘I just want to be clear.’
‘Anyway, this guy was only at the house, like, two minutes. Not much else I can tell you.’
‘So this is unusual?’
‘I ain’t been there long. Not long enough to talk about what’s usual.’
‘The other girls . . . you said they were talking. They said it was unusual, right?’
‘Marlie, she don’t leave. She runs it tight there. Sometimes she don’t give you room to breathe, you know? It can be a bit much.’
‘And when she isn’t there, she’s quick to answer the phone.’
‘Always. It’s a standing joke. She’ll go out to cash in at the bank and we have bets on how soon she’ll call someone. It’s never more than, like, twenty minutes.’
‘How did she look?’
‘Look?’
‘Yeah, was she joking and laughing when she left? Was it like she was leaving with a mate?’
The girl hesitated now. She took a moment to fix on the dog. Maddie waited. ‘She looked scared, okay. And she never does. Someone asked her if she was okay and she didn’t even look at them. She picked up her coat and a bag and just left.’
‘And this was yesterday lunchtime?’
The girl shrugged again, her bottom lip now jutting out like she was sulking at being spoken to sternly. It served to remind Maddie of just how young this girl was. She didn’t want to ask her age; that might start a line of questioning that could put the barriers up completely.
‘Lunchtime, yeah. We hadn’t had no work in so it must have been early.’
‘What time does that start?’
‘Eleven-ish some days. Usually midday though.’
‘And the girls are still trying to get hold of her?’
‘Yeah. We’ve all tried what we have. The girls are out at her haunts, but we’ve done texts, Instagram, WhatsApp— the lot. She’s not replied. We’ve put word out and no one’s seen her. One of the girls has a number for the guy she left with. They tried calling him, too. There was a bit of a drama about that . . . some of the girls said not to. They’re all shit scared. He didn’t answer anyway.’
‘And no one said a name? For this guy, I mean? Even a nickname?’
The girl shrugged. ‘No. And I don’t know people. I’ve not been here long. That’s why they left me here to watch the dog go toilet while they all went out to see what they can find. I don’t know no one.’
‘And did you see this guy?’ Maddie pressed her.
‘Briefly.’
‘What did he look like?’
‘Dunno.’ Again there was a sulky lift of the shoulders.
‘You know how important that is right? This guy she left with holds the key to finding her — you get that, right? Why wouldn’t you tell me what you know?’
‘The girls . . . they all said not to. They said they would sort it.’
‘But here you are. You’ve told me this much and it’s obvious why. You’re worried and you know that your mates should have found her by now. Or at least had contact.’
‘You don’t talk about these people — they all said that. I shouldn’t be here. I had to bring the dog out. I can’t help who talks to me but I ain’t talking to you no more.’
‘Until when?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You won’t talk about this guy. You won’t talk to us anymore today. Until when? Until Marlie’s missing for a day? Two days? A week? Or maybe until someone gets hurt? Or turns up dead — would that be enough?’
‘Well she ain’t, has she?’
‘Turned up? No, she hasn’t. Isn’t that why we’re all worried?’
Vince stepped forward. ‘I know Marlie well. She’s always been good with me and I’ve returned the favour. I’m the reason we knocked right on your door today because Marlie likes for me to know where she lives and works. She’s moved a couple of times and she always tells me where in case she ever needs me to know. I think you know what I mean by that. We’re not here to cause a problem, we’re not writing anything down or reporting back. We’re just worried. I’m worried. Just like Marlie would want me to be. Who was this guy she left with?’
The girl chewed her lip. She seemed to take Vince in, her eyes dropping to his feet and then slowly lifting up his bulk. They seemed to linger on the Velcro nametag that read: ‘PC Vince Arnold: Response.’
‘You’re Big Vince,’ she said, eventually. It made Vince break out in a smile.
‘I have been told that!’ he chuckled. Maddie rolled her eyes. Even now in this situation, he couldn’t resist. The
girl didn’t return his smile.
‘You’re in the manual. Says you’re alright. For a copper.’
Maddie knew what the manual meant. It was more street slang that she had heard before. Brothels kept a book of visiting clients. The examples she had seen had been meticulous. Each client would have notes that included what they liked, who they liked and how they treated the workers. It was a key part of making sure that clients were treated right and regulars were looked after. The turnover of staff in a brothel could be high, girls were often moved about and it was an important part of the fantasy that a new girl could still treat a regular client like an old friend on their first meeting — and she would already know what he wanted. The manual made this possible.
‘You have ugly mugs in there too?’ Maddie rushed her question; she couldn’t hide the sudden excitement in her voice.
‘What?’ The girl had heard her; she was stalling.
‘Ugly mugs. The list. Is it in the manual? They were always kept in there when I worked one in Manchester.’
‘You worked a house?’ The woman now looked Maddie up and down.
‘I was sent undercover. Someone was going around the different houses in the North West beating on the girls bad. I was there to protect them.’
‘Yeah, the manual’s got the ugly mugs in there.’
‘Can I see it? The list I mean?’
The girl shook her head vehemently. It seemed to have prompted her to make a decision. ‘I shouldn’t even be up here! I can’t tell you what happens if I was to show the manual to a copper!’
Maddie plunged her hand into her inside pocket where she kept her cards. ‘Put this number in your phone. Just take a picture of the ugly mugs page. Please. I don’t need the list of initials — I have that. I need the names. I know they will be in there too. It might really help your friend.’
‘Initials . . . ? How would you know that?’
‘I told you . . . I used to work in a house. Sometimes we had them listed as initials in case someone was taking them out of the door. But I know there’ll be names, too — somewhere. I could really do with them. Please, think about it. It might really help your friend.’
He Knows Your Secrets Page 19
