by anna snow
"I was hoping to ask some of the dancers about the nights Kiki and Tammy were killed. Do you happen to know when they might go on break?" I asked and motioned to the ladies still gyrating on everyone in sight.
"That's Marla and Lindsay," she said and shook her head. "Those girls dance nonstop. They took about a five-minute break just before you came in, and they probably won't take another one for a few hours. That's how they make so many freaking tips. I don't know how they just keep going."
There was no way I was going to wait for a few hours until the Energizer Bunnies decided to take a little rest. I just didn't have the time. I looked around, and Kelly caught my eye as she discreetly waved me over. I looked back at Sandy as she slid a beer to the rather rotund man at the end of the bar. She wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know, so I decided to try my hand elsewhere. Hopefully Kelly was having better luck than I was.
I eyed the man at the end of the bar for a short moment. He was a rather thin man with dark hair, caramel-colored skin, and a head of thick black hair. What struck me as odd was the fact that he was more interested in his drink than he was in the girls shaking their business.
I hopped off the tall barstool, moved to the one next to him, and took a seat.
He barely spared me a glance as he finished off his drink.
"This place is pretty busy," I said in an attempt to make small talk.
His response was a grunt.
Lovely.
I had never been one for small talk, so attempts were always pretty lame. This conversation was no different.
"So, do you come here often?" I said and cringed the moment the words left my mouth.
This time Mr. Grunt-In-Response looked at me, and the corner of his mouth tilted up. "No. Not really," he said in a surprisingly deep, smooth voice.
"Oh, I see." If he didn't come to the club often, there was an extremely small chance that he could give me any much needed information. "Me neither," I replied. "I'm Barb."
"Chad." He tilted his head in greeting. "Why are you here?" he asked with a curious expression. "Is this your type of thing?" He waved, glass still in hand, toward the women on the stage.
"Not really." I chuckled. "Just checking out what this place is like. Just curious. That's all."
"You know what they say. Curiosity killed the cat." He grinned and waved Sandy over for a refill.
"Especially in this place, I suppose. I was a little afraid to come in after I heard about those girls getting murdered here."
"Sad business," he said and set his glass down. "I only come in every now and then, but I had seen those ladies a few times when I was in here. They seemed nice. Not too pushy."
"What do you mean pushy?"
He took a drink and placed his glass on the bar. "Some of the ladies in these places get a little pushy. They offer a lap dance, you say you're not ready for one, and they don't want to take no for an answer. Now, it's not like that with every lady in here, but there are a few in every club." He shrugged. "Those girls, they weren't like that."
"I see." I nodded. "Did you know them well?"
"Nope. They danced for me a few times, but that was all. We weren't even really on a first name basis. I heard about their deaths from a friend of mine who comes in here whenever he's in town on business. He had to describe them to me before I realized who he was talking about."
"It's sad. They were so young," I said and meant it. "I wonder who did it. I mean, why would someone want to kill them?"
"Who knows?" He finished off his drink. "But if I had to guess, I'd say it was that guy who was arguing with one of them the last time I was in here."
My interest was officially piqued. "Who was the guy?"
"I don't know who he was. I'm not even sure which one of the ladies he was arguing with, but they were going at it pretty hard out in the parking lot. I didn't catch all of the argument, but I heard something about other women and money."
"Wow, that's crazy." And it was, but who in the hell was the guy one of the girls was arguing with? Without a name I had diddly-squat. "That had to have been scary for her."
"He was a big fella, but she didn't seem afraid."
"Did you see what he looked like? The police might need to know in case he's the killer."
"I'm not a big fan of the cops, but yeah, I saw him. He was tall, dark complexion, dark hair. Wore a real fancy suit and had some guys waiting by a black car nearby. Now, you can tell the cops what I told you if you want, but count me out. I'm back on the plane heading home in half an hour." He tossed some money on the bar, stood, and pulled his jacket on. "Take it easy." He saluted me with two fingers against his forehead and left without another word.
I didn't know for sure what Fernando Valenzuela looked like, but from the description I was fairly certain Chad had seen Kiki and Fernando arguing.
I waved Sandy over and leaned forward. "Can you tell me what Fernando Valenzuela looks like?"
"Sure. He's tall, dark hair and skin, always has some creepy guards with him eyeing everyone and everything."
Bingo.
"Thanks, Sandy. I hate to run, but duty calls." I slid some cash underneath my glass. "If you need anything or can think of anything that might help me get to the bottom of all of this, anything at all no matter how small you think it may be, please don't hesitate to give me a call."
"Will do." She waved. "Take it easy, Barb. It was a pleasure meeting you."
"The pleasure was all mine," I said, smiled at her, and hopped off the barstool. I joined Kelly and the ladies with her. The three had moved from beside one of the tables to stand in the shadows by the entrance of a hallway that led to the restrooms I'd found on a previous visit, the manager's office, and the entrance to the dressing room.
"Barb, this is Jeanine." Kelly motioned to a tall brunette with long curly hair, mile-long legs, and a figure I'd give a couple of toes for. "And this is Lilly," Kelly said and nodded toward another tall, leggy woman with black hair and brilliant blue eyes. "They knew Kiki and Tammy."
"I see. I'm sorry for your loss," I said gently.
"Why?" the taller woman Kelly had introduced as Jeanine asked. "We knew who they were, but it's not like we were close or anything."
Harsh much? I was a bit taken aback by her callous response. I didn't know if she was just that much of a witch or if she just really didn't like either Kiki or Tammy, but with that kind of response, I was definitely going to do my best to find out.
"Don't get us wrong," Lilly chimed in quickly with a softer tone. "It's sad that they were killed. It's horrible, really, but none of us here were particularly close to either one of them. Beyond the hi, how's it goings, and the see ya laters, that's about the extent of our relationships with Kiki and Tammy."
I glanced at Kelly, wondering why she'd wanted me to join her, because other than Jeanine's attitude, these girls weren't giving us any useful information, but then Kelly spoke up. "Tell Barb what you told me about Kiki's boyfriend."
"Oh, right," Jeanine said. "Fernando was his name. From what I understand, they split up a few months ago, but he still comes around. I was working the late shift one night when Fernando came in. He went up to Kiki and was all smiles and everything. She practically melted into a puddle right there in the middle of the floor." Jeanine rolled her eyes. "Then a few seconds later they went to the back. I thought it was kind of strange because they were supposed to be broken up and all, but when they came out of the backroom, they were both smiling. He kissed her on the cheek all gentleman-like then left."
Could what Jeanine saw have been Kiki and Fernando getting back together after the fight Chad had seen in the parking lot? Or did the argument happen later?
"How do you know they were broken up if you didn't talk to them on the regular?" Kelly asked.
"Because Kiki moped and whined to Tammy loud enough for us all to hear about how much she missed her man, how she loved him more than anything, and blah, blah, blah." Jeanine waved a hand of dismissal in the air. "It
was enough to drive a person insane. In that moment I was glad we weren't close because I don't think I could take all that whining."
You and me both, sister. I didn't do well at all with whiners either.
"Do you think they got back together?" I asked, trying to figure out where this story was leading.
"Maybe." Lilly shrugged. "But it was the next night Kiki's body was found."
"Do you think he killed her?" I asked.
"Who knows." Jeanine shrugged and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "All I know is that Fernando comes in here, tips exceptionally well, and never starts any trouble."
My suspicion of Fernando was starting to rise. Just because he never started any kind of trouble in the club, with the exception of the parking lot argument, doesn't mean he wasn't a jerk of epic proportions outside of it. What if he lulled Kiki into a false sense of security in order to gain access to the dressing room where he then killed her? But why? What reason did he have to kill Kiki, and what about Tammy? My sprouting theory had more holes in it than Swiss cheese.
"What about Tammy?" I asked. "I heard her boyfriend was obsessed with her. Do you know anything about that?"
Lilly nodded. "That guy was a total whack job." She swirled her finger in the air around her temple. "But he hasn't been back in here since that last time when the cops hauled him away, and that was weeks ago."
"What happened?" I asked.
"Well," Lilly said in a tone that made me wonder if she was settling in for a long, drawn-out story. "Tammy's boyfriend came in here and started yelling her name. He was staggering and acting like a complete fool. Then when she didn't just appear out of thin air, because she was hiding in the back—he liked to get rough with her, from what I understand—he got angry and started calling her all kinds of names and broke a few glasses on the bar. It was only a few minutes later that the police showed up and hauled his crazy ass out of here."
Hello, suspect number two.
She glanced at the door then back at me. "Listen. We have to get back to work. But if you need us again, you know where to find us. See you round." They gave us a halfhearted wave then hurried off in the direction of a group of well-dressed businessmen who had just walked in.
I needed to talk to the club owner, but I'd worked a case back in the summer that had ended up in the Double Trouble Gentlemen's Club. Needless to say, the owner wasn't my biggest fan, seeing as how I had brought some unneeded negative attention to his money pit. He'd banned me from the club simply because I'd caught my crook at his place of business.
Ungrateful bum.
"Do you think we could get to the crime scene without being noticed?" I asked.
"It's still sealed up," Kelly said.
"How do you know that?"
"While I was talking to the ladies, Jeanine told me the cops weren't releasing the scene for another two days. She said that right now the ladies are using one of the spare office rooms as a makeshift dressing room until the backstage area is unsealed."
So much for snooping through the women's lockers and the crime scene.
"It's locked up tight?" I asked, hoping the barrier was nothing more than a little crime scene tape.
"I'm afraid so, and there's a guard at each entrance to ensure no one enters," she said.
"We'll just have to come back in a couple of days," I said. "We really need to talk to Roy, the club owner, but he isn't my number one fan."
"I'll take a crack at him. Is he here?"
"He wasn't a minute ago, but I can find out. Just a second." I spun away and hurried over to the bar.
"Back so soon?" Sandy grinned.
"Sort of. Do you know if Roy has come in yet?"
"I'm not sure. He usually enters through the back, but I can find out real quick. I'll just ring his office and see if he answers."
"Thanks. I appreciate it. And um, if you don't mind, could you leave my name out of it?"
"Not a problem." Sandy winked at me as she grabbed the phone from beneath the bar and hit a couple of buttons. A moment later she said, "There's someone here to talk to you. Do you have a minute?"
She ended the call. "He's in his office."
I turned in my seat and nodded to Kelly who was waiting by the entrance of the hallway. She took my cue and headed toward the offices located at the rear, near the back door.
While Kelly was in the back talking to Roy, I decided to talk to some of the customers. I didn't know if any of the guys waving their money around today were regulars, but asking around was worth a shot if they could tell me a little bit about the girls or if maybe they had seen something that could help point me in the right direction.
I scanned the room. Lunch hour was almost over, and the crowd was thinning out quickly. I figured a group of guys would be easier to get some info out of, especially if I did my dumb-blonde routine. I'm not sure why that ploy always worked so well, but it did. If I were a man, I'd prefer an intelligent woman. To me the dumb act wasn't cute. But what did I know?
I caught sight of one small group of men clustered around the end of the stage and decided they were my best bet. The all looked like they might have had one too many lunchtime cocktails, and that meant loose lips.
I fluffed up my wavy blonde hair and plastered on a fake smile then attempted to saunter over to the fellas.
Halfway across the floor I tripped over my own two feet and bumped into a waitress, who then bumped into another waitress. Fortunately, we all kept our footing, but the full glasses on the trays they carried tipped over and crashed to the floor. Booze and glass went everywhere. The two ladies gave me the worst looks I think I'd ever gotten in my entire life.
"I'm so sorry," I tried to apologize, but they waved me off. I felt terrible and was now the center of attention to the men I'd wanted to question.
"Oh, honey. Don't feel bad. Those girls drop stuff all the time." One guy wearing a dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar called over to me. "Why don't you come on over here, and we can have a little chat." He waved me over with a charming smile. His buddies seemed to agree and joined in on the waving and smiling.
A chat was exactly what I wanted, but not the kind they were anticipating.
I smiled and joined them at the stage.
"I'm Billy Joe, that's Ted, Mark, and Jose." He motioned to the men with him. "And you are?"
"Barb," I said in a bubbly tone. "I'm just checking out the place. What are you up to in here on a workday?"
"This is our lunch hour. We figured we'd come in, get away from the wives, and show these girls some love."
Blah. I had the urge to smack him and tell him to go home and take his wife some flowers while he was at it, but I refrained.
The lady who had been dancing on the stage stepped off and moved out of sight.
"Are you checking out the place for potential employment?" the bald man Billy Joe had introduced as Ted asked. "Because I sure can picture you working here."
I grinned and twirled a lock of hair around my index finger. "Well, I sorta was, but then I heard about the"—I looked around dramatically then lowered my voice—"murders. I'm not sure I want to work in a place where people are getting killed, you know what I mean?"
"I don't think you should worry about that," the man introduced as Jose said and took a drink from his glass. "That was probably just some kind of one time, or two time in this case, deal, you know? Probably a pissed-off boyfriend or something." He shrugged. "That one girl's man was a real piece. You know?"
I saw my opening.
"Which girl? What guy?" I asked with enthusiasm and leaned toward him and widened my eyes.
"Tara, Tiffany?"
"Tammy," Billy Joe spoke up. "Her name was Tammy."
"Did you know her?" I asked. "That would be, like, totally sad if you did." I placed my hand on his forearm.
He smiled. Tiny little lines formed at the corners of his eyes. Were he not giving me the impression that he was a pig, I would've considered him handsome.
"I didn't know h
er personally, but she danced for me a couple of times. Her boyfriend came in here once or twice while I was here. He was loud and obnoxious."
"I seen some bruises on her once," Jose said. "She danced for me, too. She was nice, you know? But I didn't really know her. You could tell she and that other girl, the other one who was killed, were close. They were like two peas, you know?"
I was beginning to think it was Jose's thing to end every sentence with you know? It was starting to bother me because no, I didn't know for sure. If I did, I wouldn't be asking.
"Did you know the other girl, too?" I asked.
All the men shook their heads this time.
"Nah, she wasn't really my type," Billy Joe said.
"I didn't know her, but I seen her with that one guy, Fernando. He's bad news, you know?" Jose said. "My cousin used to know a guy who worked for Fernando. Said he was into something illegal, but he refused to say what. I think he was afraid of him. But I keep my nose clean, you know? I don't know the guy, and if what my cousin said is true, I don't want to."
The lights dimmed a little, and another woman stepped onto the stage. A moment later a bluesy song filled the air, and she started doing moves that would leave me in traction for the next month or more.
I had officially lost the guys' attention as they began cheering and catcalling the lady.
"See you guys around," I said as I stood to leave, but it fell on deaf ears. There were boobs on stage. I couldn't compete with that.
As I was approaching the bar to wait for Kelly, she came out of the hallway and met me halfway to the bar.
"What did you find out?" I asked.
"I'll tell you in the car. Let's get out of here. After talking to that guy I feel like I need a shower."
I'd met Roy, so I knew exactly how she felt.
We both headed for the door.
The sky had gotten darker, and it had started to sprinkle while we were inside the club. It looked like the meteorologist on the evening news had gotten his forecast right for once. Kelly and I got into the car and fastened our seat belts as I started the ignition.
"Well, I'm not sure I learned anything we didn't already know," Kelly said while fishing two pieces of gum out of the console then handing me one.
