The girl took her card. ‘I can’t promise anything.’
‘Please try. Like Big Vince said, none of this is on record and you can trust him. Your manual says that!’
‘It don’t say trust! It don’t go that far.’
‘Who was this guy?’ Vince tried again. The girl was squatting down now, trying to reattach the leash on the dog. She straightened up and dragged the dog towards the same steps from which she had emerged. She stopped at the top of them. Her shoulders dropped like she had sighed.
‘I think someone said Benny. I don’t know no more and I didn’t see what he looked like.’ She continued towards the steps, walking quickly. Maddie watched her until she was out of sight.
‘Benny is another name I keep hearing. An associate of Freddie. They’ve been stopped together a few times. I met him yesterday and he did all he could to get me away from a flat in Truro House — one of Freddie’s. You don’t think she was in there, do you? This Marlie?’
‘She could have been,’ Vince said. ‘But she’d probably have wanted you to go away just as much as this Benny fella did.’
‘I knew I needed to get in there, I just couldn’t. They’re worried, to be out looking. This has to be out of character. Girls like that are a tight group. They know when something isn’t right.’
‘So where do we go from here?’
‘This whole time I’ve been wanting to meet this Freddie. I think that’s become my next priority.’
‘You can’t talk to him about any of this. You have to—’
‘It’s okay, Vince! This isn’t my first day. You really care about these girls, don’t you? I’m seeing a whole other side to you.’
They walked back towards the car and Maddie looked over and smiled at him. She was sure Vince would have sensed it, but he kept looking forward.
‘They’re the most vulnerable people we have in our community. I’ve heard some horrible things, Mads, but never official. Some of these girls get a real shit deal and we never hear about it. Instead it’s left to people like Freddie Rickman to sort.’
‘Maybe that’s the best way sometimes? If a client gets out of hand, I imagine that street justice is a bit more satisfying than what we can manage at times.’
‘Maybe. But what if it’s not a client? Who polices Freddie? Officially or unofficially, he’s a violent piece of shit. A real short fuse, too, I’ve heard.’
‘I guess that’s us, then.’ Maddie said. ‘We’ll head back in and do some subtle digging. I need to meet this Freddie. We’ll find your friend, too.’
Vince was still looking forward but a faint smile flickered across his lips. ‘I know you will,’ he said.
Chapter 24
‘Still ignoring your phone, DS Ives?’
Maddie lifted her head to Harry Blaker’s growl. She was back at her desk on the Major Crime floor. She had spread out even more; exhibits and paperwork were now on at least four desks as well as the floor. Harry was casting a look over it all. He didn’t seem impressed.
‘Did CPS call you again?’ she asked.
‘Well, yes, actually. They wanted some sort of commitment to getting an update by the end of today, but that—’
‘What did you tell them?’ Maddie cut in. Then took a breath. She was frustrated with them, not Harry.
His reply was deliberate. ‘That they’re asking the wrong person. That trying to tie Maddie Ives down to one investigation at a time is like trying to herd cats.’
‘And what did they say to that?’
‘I didn’t give them much of a chance to continue the conversation.’
‘Sorry. I wish they wouldn’t call you.’
‘They probably won’t again. Now’s the time they might start going higher up the chain.’
‘Understood.’
‘Well I can see you’re no closer to wrapping this up. You’ve spread out further?’
‘Do you remember this?’ She lifted an exhibit bag with a piece of lined paper in it and he took it from her.
‘Ugly mugs,’ he read the handwritten title on the page. ‘Sure, these are the initials of bad clients.’
‘Right. I went down to a brothel in Langthorne, somewhere Vince knew. The madam there knows the street scene well. I was going to ask her about Holly.’
‘A brothel? And we know about this, do we?’
‘Well, off the record we do. There’s an agreement in place. We don’t bother them, they don’t bother us type thing.’
‘Is there? The last thing the police need is anything kept off the record in my opinion. Do you know who sanctioned that?’
‘Please, Harry, don’t focus on that. We need them talking to us, the last thing I need is to upset them. For now at least.’
‘Was going to?’
‘What?’
‘You said you were going to ask this madam about Holly?’
‘She wasn’t there. There was only a young girl, new to the house I think. She sent me this.’ Maddie clicked her mouse to wake her computer. A mobile phone screenshot of a piece of lined paper was enlarged in its centre.
‘It’s the same.’ Harry said, referencing the exhibit he still held in his hand.
‘Identical. I didn’t look at it too closely before, but now it’s easy to see that what we have is a photocopy. And then she sent me the next page.’ Maddie clicked the mouse to reveal a list of names. The handwriting looked the same, as was the lined paper.
‘Am I missing something?’ Harry said. ‘So what?’
‘Why take the time to write a list of initials on one page, then have the full names on the next?’
Harry shrugged. ‘You’ve got me.’
Maddie slumped a little in her seat. ‘I don’t know either. But Holly wants us to know, or at least she wants us to go looking. What are we supposed to be finding, Harry?’
‘You think it’s Freddie Rickman.’
Maddie shrugged. ‘I do. His name does keep cropping up. This brothel today, Freddie Rickman owns the building. When we went down to the house the girl there said she left this morning with a man called Benny, the same guy I met at another flat owned by Rickman. And our madam is still missing.’
‘Missing?’
‘Well, not reported. But it was made very clear that the girls would never report her missing. Seems prostitutes don’t have a very high opinion of us — not enough to ask for our help, at least.’
‘Do we have anything other than the fact that a man linked to the landlord turns up at a house and leaves with one of the residents? And in full sight of other people there. What is it that makes them so worried?’
‘She’s not back. She’s not contactable. And, according to the girls, they never see anything of anyone linked to Freddie. Unless that is, something is very wrong. We know he distances himself from his enterprises.’
‘But this wasn’t him. We don’t know he sent this Benny to do anything on his behalf?’
‘We don’t. But I think he did. I think something drastic must have happened for this Benny to turn up and knock at that door.’
‘Like a car going over a cliff?’
‘Maybe. We’ve been to his business and I’ve knocked on a few of his doors. Word will have got back to him that we’re sniffing around. Maybe he wants to make sure that no one is talking to us about him. That makes sense to me.’
‘It’s all conjecture, though, Maddie. I mean, yes, it could make sense, but what evidence do we have to support it?’
She gestured at the exhibits stacked around her. ‘It’s here, Harry, I know it is.’
‘It might be. Or this is just a collection of items that a known sex worker had in her possession when she died in an unforeseen incident. She also happened to have a list of bad clients in her bag that she copied from the local brothel. Maybe they all carry one when they go out for calls. That would make sense to me.’
‘She wasn’t a prostitute. Not at this house, anyway. They know of her from old but she’s not a prostitute. Hasn’t been for ages, apparent
ly.’
‘The intelligence on our systems says different. And, again, what do we have? So she doesn’t work there? Someone at the house knows her from back in the day and is looking out for her, sharing the list of bad clients in case she gets booked by someone particularly undesirable.’ Harry gestured at another piece of paper that was sealed up in a bag on the desk. ‘She also has a few addresses where she meets clients on her . . . what else do we have?’
‘I can’t shake this gut feeling, Harry.’
‘I know that. I can see that. And I know what that’s like. But it can only take you so far.’
‘I need to speak with this Freddie.’
‘Then let’s go and speak with him.’
‘I would, but no one seems to know where he is.’
Harry grinned. ‘If you would have let me speak when I first came over here, I would have told you that he’s at the front counter. They’ve called your desk phone, your mobile phone and sent you an email. Do you have any idea how overpaid I am to be your PA?’
‘He’s here? You’ve got him here?’
‘He just turned up. He has a solicitor apparently. Asked for you by name. You said that he would know you were looking for him. Seems he wants to offer you some answers.’
‘And you tell me now! Why didn’t you interrupt me?’ Maddie stood up and searched the mess around her, tried to work out what was relevant enough to take with her. ‘There’s so much here. I need time to prep, to work out what I should take down . . .’
Harry held up his hands. ‘Pen and paper, that’s all you need. And I wouldn’t recommend you get that out to start with. He’s come in to see you. My bet, he’s trying to work out what you know, so give him nothing. And take your time. He can sit and stew in a police station for a while. That was one of the reasons why I didn’t interrupt you.’
Maddie took a long gulp of air. She felt calmer, instantly. Harry had that knack when it suited him. ‘One of the reasons?’ she said.
‘Yeah. The second is that you don’t interrupt Maddie Ives when she’s got her teeth into something.’
Maddie smiled. ‘Okay. And there’s a third?
‘I wanted you to bring me up to speed a bit, so I could come down with you.’
* * *
Maddie immediately felt like she had met Freddie Rickman before. She hadn’t of course, not in person, but she had certainly met his type before. The expensive, fitted suit, the solid gold watch that moved freely about his wrist and the handshake designed to intimidate rather than greet. He was the carbon copy of heads of crime gangs and the numerous wannabes she had met in her time working close to criminals when she was undercover. The arrogance was present and correct too, as was his attention on Harry; his expectation was already set that the male officer would be the one doing the talking, despite Harry sitting himself back from the table and flicking idly through his phone.
Freddie Rickman was a big man. He shifted his bulk in his seat to lean forward and his watch dragged against the surface as he did. He was wearing a flat cap that loosely matched his suit but Maddie thought it looked ridiculous. Finally, Rickman seemed resigned that he was going to be speaking with the woman and he turned his attention to her. She felt as if his eyes were scouring her body until, finally, his gaze seemed to settle just below her eyes. It made her feel uncomfortable.
She glanced away to take in the man who had followed him in and now sat next to him. His build was far slimmer, his suit a little cheaper. At least he was looking her in the eye, albeit over the top of a pair of glasses. He introduced himself as Darren Harvey and described himself as a ‘solicitor of law’. He hadn’t needed to; everything about him had already told her that.
‘Detective Sergeant Maddie Ives . . .’ Harvey spoke first. He slid his glasses off his face and gestured with them. The use of her name and rank was classic solicitor. ‘My client made contact with me and requested that we attend your police station this day to discuss matters with you directly.’ He sat back, his attention moving to a briefcase that rested on the floor. He pushed his glasses back on his nose. A notebook appeared and then a fountain pen that scratched out fervently across the page: Detective Sergeant Maddie Ives. The whole room watched it: classic power play. Harvey was taking the time to remind her that he was here as formal protection and that, should anything step out of the framework provided by UK law, there would only be one person to blame. He underlined her name firmly. Twice.
‘These places are all the same, no matter where you go!’ He flashed Maddie a yellowed smile. She waited for it to fall away and for him to continue. ‘Yes, well, the matter in hand . . . My client is aware that efforts are being made to speak with him. As a result of this and to save you all time and effort he has graciously appeared here today to answer any questions that you may have.
‘Very gracious.’ Maddie said.
‘Indeed. We are all for saving you time, you see, and you can be sure that any pursuit of my client is a waste of your time. Mr Rickman is a prominent businessman in this area and has assisted police before when activities have been alleged at one of his numerous properties that were considered to be overstepping the mark of legality without his knowledge. Are we to assume this is a similar matter on this occasion?’
‘I wouldn’t call it a pursuit. I have a dead girl that worked for Mr Rickman and, seeing as no one else seems to know much about her, I thought it would be a good place to start.’ Freddie had been staring at her the whole time. She could feel it. She turned to him when she mentioned his name. His only reaction was to lick his lips.
‘Worked for?’ Harvey said.
‘Does he speak?’ Maddie still looked directly at Freddie. It prompted a response.
‘I speak.’ There was aggression in those two words.
‘Holly Maguire?’ Maddie said.
‘Now, Mr Rickman,’ Harvey said, ‘you will remember our conversation before we came in here. You’re not under any caution right now, so anything you say right here is just conversational. I would advise you not to talk about anyone else specifically, just about yourself. You’ve done nothing wrong. I’m sure the officer here will caution you and remind you that you have the right to leave, that you don’t have to answer her questions?’
His words were to his client but it was clear they were for Maddie’s benefit. She leaned back and crossed her arms.
‘That doesn’t sound like advice to someone who has done nothing wrong, Darren.’
‘Surely Mr Harvey is a more suitable level of formality? Or have standards slipped since I was ACC? I would have ensured my officers addressed fellow professionals correctly in this context.’
Maddie couldn’t help but smirk. It was right at Darren Harvey, too. Now he had made sure she was aware he was ex-police, and a former senior officer, too. She made sure she ignored that completely.
‘Well, Darren, my understanding of this context is that you and your man here walked in unannounced and expected me to drop everything to come down and speak to you. A formal interview where I remind everyone of their rights and use formal names . . . that’s for people who are being talked to with regard to a possible offence. It’s a little odd to come in here telling me how your man here has done nothing wrong and is an honest businessman and yet you wish for him to be cautioned like someone being investigated? Should I be investigating him?’
‘Well, no . . . I mean there is a protocol—’
‘Was it honest businessman? Were those your words?’ Maddie had her own notebook out now, she had written Freddie RICKMAN — honest businessman at the top. She underlined it.
‘Well, I think I said prominent, but—’
‘So not honest.’ She crossed out the word and looked over at Freddie. His mouth was curled up in a grin. She spoke to him directly.
‘Mr Rickman, I have an impression of you, that you are a direct man who does not appreciate playing games. Prominent businessmen are very busy, I’m sure. Your solicitor here would have us playing games all day. The fact he ha
s made sure I know he was previously a senior police officer causes me more concern, as one thing I know about some senior officers is that they are very good at getting nothing achieved from long meetings.’ Maddie paused for just a second. She was desperate to look over for the solicitor’s reaction but she stayed fixed on Rickman. ‘Holly Maguire . . . tell me about her.’
Freddie sniffed. ‘She worked for me, sure.’
‘Now Mr Rickman, I will remind you—’ Harvey was rattled, his cheeks suddenly a shade of red, he stumbled over his words as if he wasn’t used to being spoken to like that. Maddie had attacked him on purpose; if you let solicitors walk all over you, their clients think they can do the same.
‘She’s right and I ain’t got all day to be playing no games on notepads. She worked for me, okay? Holly did. Sure.’
‘As a prostitute?’ Maddie said.
‘Prostitute? You lot think I’m some sort of pimp?’ His chuckle caught her out. He moved away from her to look over at Harry.
‘So what did she do for you?’ Maddie said.
‘She was a cam girl. All above board, okay? I run a few and they’re all very happy.’
‘Cam girl? Tell me what that is.’ Maddie said.
‘A cam girl gets up in front of a webcam and she gives the men what they want, you know what I mean?’
‘Humour me. What men?’
‘Subscribers. I provide videos to a website. People — mostly men — pay their money and they get access to a members’ area. From there they can watch live webcams of my girls or they can access the archive of snipped videos. Those are just the best bits,’ he was watching her closer now, desperate for a reaction maybe. She gave him nothing. ‘When they watch it live, though, they get to interact. So they’ll type something out on the screen and the girls see it. Normally it’s a request, or a compliment. Or both. Sometimes you need to be nice to get what you want.’
‘And what do these men ask for?’
Freddie leaned forward, his face beaming. His bottom lip was trapped by his teeth before he released it to speak. ‘They might ask her to slow it down a bit, you know? Or a different position. Or maybe even speed it up, we’re all on the clock.’
He Knows Your Secrets Page 20
