“Same time?” Priscilla asked.
“Yes ma’am. I’m thinking if we give it a few days and word spreads, we might be able to get your name up on the digital board outside. It would bring people in that’s for sure.” Nina answered.
“Okay, see you then. Thanks again for the ride.” Priscilla told her.
As Nina pulled away from the curb, Priscilla started into her building and up the old wooden staircase. She noticed the scurrying roach on the wall and shuddered. She could handle a lot, but bugs were not high on her list of tolerable things. That’s when she noticed the dirty, black boots standing at the top of the stairs. Bill Wiley.
CHAPTER THREE
“Mr. Wiley, what are you doing up here at this hour?” She asked him.
“Well, well, well. I could ask you the same thing now couldn’t I? His words were slurred when he spoke and she could smell the alcohol on his breath.
Thinking quickly, she said, “You need to go back to your apartment. It’s late and I’m tired.”
“You owe me rent.” His words coming out garbled by alcohol.
“Yes and I have until nine in the morning to get it to you.” She said firmly.
“Or you could pay up now. Hell I’m in a good mood, I wouldn’t even make you pay cash.” He smirked at her.
“No, you can go home now and get out of my way, or I can kick you in the fucking nuts and move you out of the way myself. It’s your call, Mr. Wiley.” She told him blankly.
He looked at her as if he were testing her words. The expression on her face let him know that she wasn’t playing with him. “This isn’t over and if that rent isn’t paid before one minute after nine, you can pack your shit and go.” He responded.
Part of her wanted to see him fall down the stairs as he left. He made her uncomfortable and was always trying to get her to have sex with him. She wasn’t about to even consider it. Suicide was an option before screwing that disgusting human being. As he made his way down the stairs he turned to look up at her. “You best remember not to threaten me ever again.”
“Yeah and you better learn to not try and extort me for sex.” She spat. “Seems like a fair trade if you ask me.”
Turning her key in the door she pushed it open and closed it behind her. Once she was inside the safety of her apartment, she locked both of the security deadbolts and the regular lock. There was something about him that she didn’t trust. As bad as the neighborhood was, it was someone in her own building that frightened her more than the streets.
When she had relaxed for a couple of minutes she decided to jump in the shower. It was late, everyone was asleep, so there was a chance she would have actual hot water. As hot as it would get at least. She wasn’t wrong. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she took a shower hot enough to steam up the mirror in the tiny bathroom. The water eased her tired, aching muscles quickly. It felt great. All too soon it was over. She felt the temperature of the water drop drastically. It was time to get out before she froze. The one good thing about West Palm Beach, even in the winter it wasn’t that cold.
Before making her way into the bedroom, she grabbed the money out of her bag, counted it out again and spread it across her bed. Laying on top of it, all she could do was laugh. It wasn’t a large sum of money, but it was a lot to her and it meant that she could stay one more month in what she called home. Gathering the bills from the bed, she carefully placed them in an envelope and shoved them in the freezer. Maybe she had watched one too many movies, but she was going to try to keep it safe. Her real goal was to hide it from that rat Bill Wiley, while she was gone.
Priscilla’s eyes closed when her head hit the pillow. Her mind started to wander for a minute but was quickly reined in and she was out. She didn’t dream, she didn’t wake, she didn’t talk, all she did was sleep. It’s what her body needed. She had worked it hard and knew that she was going to have to keep in shape and work her ass off. Now that she was in and saw the cash exchange, she was determined to stick it out for a while and get out of the hole she was in.
The ringtone of her phone jarred her from her peaceful sleep. Answering it without looking, she managed to get out the word, “Hello.”
“Hey, I know it’s early but I didn’t want you to oversleep and not pay that pervert, Wiley.” Megan’s voice came from the speaker.
“Oh God, what time is it?” Priscilla scrambled from the bed. It was lighter outside than it should be for an early morning.
“Eight twenty. Didn’t you say you had to pay him before nine?” Megan questioned.
“Yeah, his drunk ass was up here when I got home from the club. Talking about paying him without cash. I can’t stand that man. I have to find a new place to live, no one should have to tolerate that bullshit.” Priscilla said.
“He is a nasty man. I wouldn’t ever tell him where you are working. I’m sure he would be there.” Megan said with a laugh.
“I’d walk out.” Priscilla said, with laughter in her voice. “He needs to find some other nasty, female slumlord to hook up with.”
“Girl, you know that’s right.” Megan said. “By the way, last night was amazing. You did great.”
“It was interesting, I’ll say that.” Priscilla told her. “Hey, let me call you back. I have to get dressed and run this money downstairs. I think I’m going to surprise him and just pay next month’s at the same time. It’ll give me at least thirty more days in this dump.”
“Do what you have to do. I have a doctor’s appointment or I wouldn’t be up this damn early.” Megan said.
Throwing on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, pulling her hair into an old hair tie, she made herself as presentable as she had to be to go see this fool about her rent. Knocking on his door, she could already smell the stale cigarette smoke. It was enough to make her cough. “How could anyone live in that?” She wondered.
“Who the hell is it and what do you want?” Came the old tired voice from behind the door.
“It’s Priscilla Barnes from number four. I came to pay my rent before nine, like we talked about.” She replied. This wasn’t how she wanted to spend her morning.
She could hear the locks release from the inside and then the door swung open. The stench of the smoke and old beer almost made her puke. Her stomach turned and she thought she was going to be sick before she got it under control.
“You made it I see.” He said sarcastically.
“Yeah, I did. I want to pay next month’s while I’m here also.” She told him.
“So you went and found you a man with money?” He laughed. While he thought he was being funny, Priscilla was getting angrier by the second.
“No. I went to work and earned damn good tips. It doesn’t matter where the money came from, I’m here to pay my rent for this month and for next month.” She replied. “I will need a receipt for both of them also.”
“I don’t know if I have a receipt book. You have my word. I know you paid.” Wiley told her.
“Oh hell no. I want a receipt, I don’t care if it’s written on a paper bag.” She stated.
Complaining about having to do extra work because she thought she was special, he went and found a receipt book. Writing it out for the correct dollar amount and the months it covered, he came back to the door and told her that he wouldn’t take any late payments again.
Taking the receipt, she turned away from his door and walked down the hall. She hadn’t heard the door close behind her and now she knew why. “We can work other things out. Remember that.” Came the gravelly voice from the open door. She didn’t respond and kept walking, as she went around the corner and put her foot on the first step, she knew, “I have to get out of here.”
Walking into the club she noticed that there were more cars in the parking lot and the place was much busier than it was the night before. She spoke to the other girls as she came in and they were all excited about her coming back.
“This is crazy.” Diamond told her. “We are never this busy on a
Thursday night. Girl, you’re gonna make us all some extra money.”
The other girls laughed at Diamond’s statement, because they knew it was true. These men weren’t here to see them, they were here to see Ms. Pris. It would however flow down to them. If it helped their earnings they were all for it. Last night’s events with Yvette had gone unnoticed by Abi and the other dancers, leaving them in the dark as to where Yvette was. She never missed.
“I think there was a problem between Nina and Yvette.” Priscilla told them. “I don’t really know what happened.”
Some looks were exchanged around the dressing room and she could sense that tension again. This time it wasn’t a fighting type of tension, it was stress though.
“She had it coming if Nina let her go. Nina is good and will hold on to good talent, but she won’t tolerate bullshit.” Abi said.
Abi picked up her shoe, slipped it on and walked out on stage. She was the first dancer of the night. While she didn’t particularly care to go first, it gave her a feel for how the night was going to be for all four sets. Priscilla watched from the stage curtain. She had to learn some of the tricks of the trade and then personalize and perfect them.
She could hear the hushed whispers coming from behind her. Knowing they were about Yvette and not herself, she didn’t pay extremely close attention to them. It didn’t affect her other than the woman’s jealousy issues. She was here to do two things. Dance and make money.
One by one the girls took to the stage, the men getting worked up more and more. By the time it was Priscilla’s turn out there, they were whistling, yelling, drinking and trying to prove why she should pay attention to them over anyone else.
Tonight she had decided to change up her costumes. She was still using Megan’s things until she had enough cash to go shopping. The money last night was all but gone after her rent, but it was a priority that she had to take care of. Before she got lost her in her thoughts, the music started to play, cueing her entrance. Taking on an entirely new persona as a temptress, she worked the stage as if she had owned it for years. They loved her. If they were yelling and cheering before, the entire building had escalated into a roar. Cover charges collected were up and people were still filing in, bar sales were up, and this was a Thursday night. If Priscilla was pleased with herself, Nina was ecstatic.
Sitting upstairs in her office overlooking the stage, Nina told Megan, “This girl was the best thing you have ever brought in to this club. Look at this. The numbers alone don’t lie and I’ve never seen tips like this for a new girl.”
“I told you she would be good if she came onboard. Had no clue it would be this good.” Megan shook her head in amazement. “She’s had a hard time lately, but she’s dedicated.”
The two women watched the scene downstairs unfold. The money piling up on the floor, the men pushing their way closer to the stage bar. There was a five foot gap between the stage and the bar, these men were fighting their way to get as up close and personal as they could. Ms. Pris was going to be a star. This small club on the upper end of the strip was just a spring board for her, even if she didn’t see it. Nina was brainstorming ideas on how to promote both Priscilla and her club. She would bounce a few ideas around before taking them to Priscilla. She knew that this girl was smart, both book smart and street smart. It was a lethal combination and she had to play her cards right.
With her first dance of the night behind her, Priscilla took the money that security had helped her gather up. There was too much for her to try and get it herself when she was done. She straightened it and put it in her locker. No time for counting it right now, that would have to wait. She had to prepare herself for the next set. Talking with the other girls while she was getting ready, they made it clear that they were happy she was one of them now. The shyness of changing in front of a group of people had started to wear away. Slipping the thong over her legs, she changed into a more innocent look. It was the only way she was going to learn what would sell and what wouldn’t.
As the women were sitting in the dressing room, Abi was onstage. She had been right. The tips were better for all of them. It made Abi relax a bit. She was a single mother, working to raise her kids while she was going through school. Like Priscilla, it hadn’t been her first choice, but it was a logical solution for her financial crisis. Nina watched as Abi used her belly dance lessons for good use. All of the girls that Nina employed were phenomenal dancers. She wouldn’t accept anything but the best. The girls that came to her looking for anything other than dancing were shown to the door with a quickness. The ones that had been with her and then decided to make it prostitution were also quickly removed from her club. She had worked many years to get where she was. She had a name in good standing with the community, as well as with law enforcement. There was no way she would let any one of them bring her down.
Having a no call, no show girl tonight, they were having less time between numbers. Things were rushed behind the curtain just to make sure there was a girl onstage at all times. These nights made it more of a necessity to get off the stage, change and get ready again. Priscilla would learn that this happened frequently. Girls would come and go, some never bothering to use common courtesy and tell someone. It was the lifestyle. While it made it a tighter schedule, they learned to adjust and move forward. It was a product of the environment. Sometimes, there was a revolving door attached to the club. Many girls had been in and many went out.
Priscilla’s innocent pink and white costume and dance sent the place into a frenzy. From the pig tails in her hair, to the big, colorful lollipop in her mouth, they loved it. She knew that she had to play off of these men’s fantasies. Some she didn’t like, but she would learn in time how to play to the crowd even more effectively. For a start, she wasn’t doing too badly at all. She was a quick learner and she put that to use. With her first two sets of the night completed, she added even more money to her locker. Counting tonight would be interesting. From the looks of things, she already had more in two sets than she had all the night before. There was great incentive to keep doing what she had been doing.
There came a time in every woman’s life when she had to make a change. Priscilla’s time had come when she was fighting being almost homeless, hungry and unemployed. She was thankful that Megan had called her to offer a chance. It wasn’t what she had wanted to do, but with the steady cash flow, it wasn’t that horrible. No touching, not completely nude, and hordes of half drunken men willing to spend their money on a woman they thought they might stand a chance with. Their stories were different but their thoughts were the same. If she used her body to profit from those thoughts, that was their problem, not hers.
Megan and Nina were sitting in the office, the music somewhat muffled from the sound barrier walls that been installed, when the phone rang.
“Nina’s.” Nina answered.
“Yes sir. This is Nina Powalski.” She said to the unknown person on the other end of the phone.
“Yes we do. No, she was here last night, but tonight she didn’t show up. What is the problem? If she’s in some sort of trouble I would like to know. I try to keep that out of here.” Nina went on.
The color drained from Nina’s face as she sat silently listening to the voice at the other end. She managed to whisper, “Thank you.” Hanging up the phone, she looked at Megan who sat wide eyed. “They found Zena Wilkins. She’s dead.”
CHAPTER FOUR
As the club came to a close for the night and the last of the clientele had left, two detectives from the West Palm Beach Police Department entered the building. Nina met them at the door and offered to be of as much help as she could. They introduced themselves as Detectives Mike Ward and Beth Tony. She introduced herself, “I’m Nina Powalski and this is Megan Dryer.”
“Ms. Powalski, I need to ask you a few questions and perhaps my partner could speak with your employees?” Det. Ward said.
“That’s fine. They should all be in the dressing room right now, with the except
ion of Dale, our bartender and Leon and Ed who are security.” Nina offered.
“Det. Tony, if you want to start getting statements from them before they head out for the night, I’ll start here.” He said to his partner.
“The dressing room is off to the left of the stage, you can follow the walkway all the way back.” Megan told the female cop.
“Now, when was the last time that you saw Ms. Wilkins?” He questioned the two women.
“She worked last night and left here just after two in the morning. She was gone first I believe.” Nina answered.
“And you Ms. Dryer? When was the last time you saw Ms. Wilkins?” He asked.
“I left early last night, so it was around midnight or a little after.” She replied.
“Were there any issues between our victim and any of the employees here?” He continued questioning.
Nina spoke up first, “No, Zena was well liked by everyone. She minded her own business and kept to herself a lot. Never had problems with other staff or clientele.”
“Zena was the most well liked girl here. She was kind and sweet, she took care of herself and this was her job. She didn’t see it as anything but that.” Megan added.
“Do you happen to have any closed circuit television tapes of last night? That could have maybe picked something up in the crowd that went unnoticed to the human eye?” He inquired.
“Yes, you can see Leon about that, he has all the tapes for the last thirty days. We keep them in case there is an issue.” Nina told the man.
Writing feverishly in his notebook, he took down names and statements, any details they might provide.
In the dressing room, Det. Tony knocked on the door. When she introduced herself and explained why she was there, you could hear the audible gasp from everyone. Priscilla looked up in disbelief. “I have to ask everyone a few questions. First I need to know when the last time each of you saw Zena Wilkins or spoke with her.” The detective told them.
Abi spoke up first, she was in tears. “Who could do something like this to Zena? She wouldn’t ever hurt anyone.”
Dancing In Darkness Page 3
