Midnight's Door

by Robert F Barker

  The police turned up around nine, led by Carver, accompanied by Jess. By now everyone knew the drill and my team left them to do their thing, handing out appeal leaflets, speaking to customers, giving reassurance where it was needed. Not that there's much of that you can give when there's a nut-case killer on the loose and you've no idea where, when or how he'll strike next. Apart from a quick word with Carver when he first arrived we didn't speak much - we both had things to attend to - though his cryptic, 'I could do with a word later. Something I need to run past you,' left me wondering. I found out an hour later when he caught me in the office as I was changing a duff radio battery.

  'That quick word?' he said.

  'Go.'

  'This theory of yours, about all the victims being good dancers.'

  'What about it?'

  'Jess and I have been giving it some thought. We think there may be something in it.'

  'Okay.'

  'We'd like to try something.'

  'Such as?'

  'Running bait.'

  'What sort of bait?'

  'So far the killer seems to be sticking with the bigger clubs. Stacy's, YoYo's, here.'

  'Right.'

  'We're thinking, if we could pick out one or two girls in each club who are known for their dancing, bring them in, give them a brief and let them do their thing. Then when they leave the club we put them under surveillance and follow them home to see what happens.'

  'When you say, 'what happens' I take it you mean you hope the killer might have a go at them and you'll jump out and arrest him, right?'

  'Something like that. What do you think?'

  'I think it's a good idea. When are you thinking of starting?'

  'Right away. The sooner the better.'

  'I agree.'

  'So. Who can you suggest for here?'

  'Now you're asking, but I'm not sure that's my department. You're probably best speaking with the likes of Tony, or maybe Mickey, the DJ. They'd know better than me.'

  Carver looked pained. 'I'd rather keep all this as tight as possible. The fewer who know about it the better. Can't you think of anyone?'

  I gave it some thought. Truth was there were a couple of names I could have thrown at him, but though they had what was needed in the dancing department, I couldn't imagine either managing to keep their involvement with the police quiet for more than, oh, about thirty seconds.

  'Anyone?' Carver prompted.

  I was about to tell him I'd think abut it and get back to him when Vicki came in.

  'Just who we need,' I said. 'Vicki will know. '

  'What?' she said.

  I let Carver outline his plan, though he went overboard giving me credit for coming up with the 'dancer' theory in the first place, I don't know why. When he finished I said, 'We were talking about who we could use here, but I'm struggling to come up with anyone off the top of my head.'

  'No problem. I know the ideal person.'

  We both brightened and together said, 'Who?'

  She smiled. 'Me.'

  I guess the way we both froze and said nothing for what must have seemed to her like an age, told her something was wrong.

  When I looked at Carver he was looking at me in a way I had no trouble reading as, Your shout. He had seen how I was when I thought she'd been taken. He wasn't about to say anything until he'd heard what I had to say. It probably came as no surprise when I shook my head.

  'No.'

  'WHOA,' Vicki said, grabbing my arm so I had to look at her. 'What do you mean, 'No'? What's wrong with me?'

  I looked at Carver. I had no qualms about putting him in a bind on this one. Not after what I'd been through the last two days. Payback time. I glared at him. Back me up on this, or...

  'There's nothing wrong with you, Vicki,' Carver said. 'And thanks for offering. But I think maybe we'd be better with one of the regular girls. It's less likely to arouse any suspicions.'

  Not bad for spur of the moment, I thought.

  But Vicki wasn't for having it. 'What's the difference? And why should the killer be suspicious just because it's me? If he's into dancers, he's into dancers. I work here and I'd prefer that I take any risk than you approach one of the girls. They're supposed to be our customers.'

  I turned an imploring look on Carver. Think of something for God's sake. Tell her you won't allow it.

  'We-ell,' he said. He glanced at me.

  Don't you fucking dare...

  'I don't know. What do you think Danny?'

  I stared at him. Bastard. I turned to Vicki. I was remembering her reaction the last time we spoke about her dancing, knew I needed to be careful. I took a deep breath. 'I agree with him. If it's you, the killer may think something's going on and go elsewhere. Better you stay out of it. Besides, you've got your own work to do.'

  'Bullshit. You just don't like the idea of me getting up on the podium.'

  'It's not that. I just happen to think we'd be better off with someone else.'

  'Like who? Go on, suggest someone.' She stood there, glaring at me, her face reddening. I was aware she was tapping a foot. I had to come up with a name.

  'Jade what's-her-name. She's a good dancer.'

  Vicki looked incredulous. 'Jade?' She guffawed. 'You must be joking. Ask her to do something like this and before you know it, it'll be all over Facebook.'

  'Okay, Maxine then.'

  She didn't even reply to that one. She just stood there, looking unimpressed. Eventually she shook her head. 'Get real Danny.'

  'Well you suggest someone. There's got to be someone here can do the job.' I was beginning to feel desperate, probably sounded it.

  'There is. I told you. Me.'

  I turned away, chewing my lip and took a deep, calming breath. When I turned back, they were both staring at me, waiting. Carver said, 'I hate to say it Danny, but I think she may be right.'

  I looked at the ceiling.

  FUCK.

  The conversation we'd arranged to have 'later' never materialised. Whether she was pissed at my objection to her volunteering, or whether we both sensed that maybe we needed to cool off before we spoke again I wasn't sure - both, probably. After Carver's less-than-helpful turn-around I had tried putting up a fight, but even as I groped for reasons why it was a bad idea to use Vicki - Who'll cover the VIPs? 'Miranda.' - You're not paid to dance. 'I'm sure Frank won't object.' - I sensed the ground sliding from under me. Eventually I had no choice but to cave. 'Fine,' I said. 'If it's what you want to do, then get on with it.' I turned to Carver one last time, and this time my finger was in his face. 'You better make sure this is done right, or so help me, I'll-' That was when I thought I better go and do my rounds, and left them to talk about what they needed to talk about.

  I spent the rest of the night keeping busy with other things and trying to keep out of her way. Those times I did see her - when she came in with her VIPs, a local girl group that had done well on some TV talent show, and then later, having a coffee with Frank up in the lounge - I pretended I'd forgotten all about our little difference of opinion and had moved on. I suspect I wasn’t particularly convincing.

  Apart from our dispute, the rest of the first part of the night went more or less as planned. Numbers were still down but Carver got up and made his appeal again. Unlike the previous Saturday, it was met only with sombre silence. I was next to Frank when he did it. He wasn't happy.

  'There's a limit to how much of this people will take. They come here looking for a good time, not to be scared shitless.'

  And though I didn't like the sentiment behind his remark, I couldn't fault his reasoning.

  As it happened, Yashin and his guys didn't show that night and despite me geeing my team up to stay alert, the night passed off without incident, apart from the usual bits and pieces. I did get to spend some time alone with Winston, talking things over, sounding him out. He said he would put out feelers and come back to me.

  'We're on a really tight timescale with this, Winston,' I reminded him as he ros
e to get back on the door.

  'Wit' you, Baasss. Leave it wit' me.'

  I also kept an eye out for Elvis, intending to apologise for spoiling his fun. But he didn't come in that night. Strange.

  By closing-up time, Vicki had already gone and, unusually for me, I could hardly wait to get off home. For once I went straight to bed, though I can't say I slept well.

  CHAPTER 38

  Friday

  The next morning, Laura and I finally managed to get down to Stoke to see Dad. Grant stayed at my house, working on his laptop.

  As we walked up Dad's path, Alison-next-door made a point of coming to the window to adjust her curtains. I couldn't ignore her so I nodded and gave what I hoped was no more than a neighbourly smile. The way she didn't return it but just stared out at me made me wonder if she could be a bit of a stalker which, the way the week had gone so far, would be about par.

  Dad was okay but I could tell he was anxious as to why we'd both come to see him.

  'Is it about your Mother? Has something happened?'

  'No, Dad,' Laura said. I could see she was shocked by the change in him in the three months since her last visit. 'Mum's been gone four years now, remember? I've just come to see how you are.'

  'That's nice. I have to say, you're looking well, our Laura. Isn't she Dan? You married yet?'

  'No Dad, I'm not married.'

  'Engaged?'

  'No, I'm-'

  'Not even a boyfriend?'

  'As I was about to-'

  'You should have a boyfriend, a nice girl like you.' He nodded at the photographs on the wall. 'You've your mother's looks. You should be making the most of them. Clock's ticking if you're going to give us a grandson. How old are you now, our Laura? Twenty-four, five?'

  'Thirty-six, Dad.'

  'Thirty Six? You sure? You better get a move on. The way you're going you'll end up having to adopt, won't she Dan?'

  'Dead right, Dad.'

  As Laura turned to me, I gave her my sweetest smile. It said, Now's your chance to ask him about putting the house in trust and him moving into a home.

  We stayed a couple of hours. He made a pot of tea and we ended up watching a recorded episode of CSI that I'd already seen half-a-dozen times. He used the oxygen a couple of times while we were there, but only after he made himself breathless by insisting he go out to the kitchen to get us some biscuits. On the way back, Laura barely spoke. An hour after arriving back home, she and Grant were packed and a taxi was at the end of the path.

  As I bent down so she could kiss my cheek, I saw that her eyes were glassy. 'I'll call you twice a week,' she said. 'To see how he is.' I nodded. 'And I'll try and get up every other weekend and see him.'

  'He'd like that.'

  As the taxi disappeared I set myself a mental reminder to get something to give her the next time I saw her. For Christmas.

  The Friday night was set to be much the same as Thursday, although Carver and his team weren't due as they were doing Stacey's that night. That afternoon I'd had a message off Carver confirming that Jess had met with Vicki and some girls from a couple of the other clubs and briefed them on the details of what would happen when they left to go home. I wasn't part of it and didn't want to be, though I couldn't stop thinking about the what-ifs. I just hoped to God that Carver had worked everything through properly. I knew that Vicki had already squared her dancing with Frank - and through him, Mickey the DJ. Her story was that seeing as her previous appearance had gone down so well, she wanted to keep it going for a while - in the interests of encouraging the punters. Frank had asked her how I was with it and when she told him I'd not objected, he was very much in favour.

  One good thing. Eric showed up, right arm in plaster from wrist to elbow. Despite what I'd said in the hospital about getting back soon, I tried telling him he ought to be at home, but got nowhere.

  'I can cover the cameras, if nothing else,' he said. Which suited me fine. Eric's a whizz on the CCTV.

  During the early part of the evening, Vicki and I managed to not bump into each other any more than we had to. When we did, neither of us said much beyond mumbled words about, 'Having to speak sometime,' though neither of us tried to pin it down. Still, I asked her about her role in Carver's plan.

  'You sure about all this?'

  Her response was an impatient, 'I'm a grown woman Danny. If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't be doing it.' I didn't take it further.

  Truth was, for all that I'd lain awake most of the previous night rehearsing what I'd say to her when we did eventually get together - as I hoped we still would - as the weekend loomed my focus was increasingly elsewhere. Specifically it was on Yashin. Where he was, what he was up to, what he was planning. And though looking back I hate to admit it, the fact that girls were being abducted, raped and murdered, wasn't at the forefront of my mind as much as it perhaps should have been.

  That changed just after eleven o'clock when Vicki appeared for her first podium session. I tried not to look, but couldn't stop myself. Big mistake. As I watched her go through the routine she'd rehearsed with Mickey-the-DJ that afternoon, and saw the crowd responding as they had the previous Tuesday, I had a flashback. Suddenly all the worry and fear I'd gone through that night swooped back in and I found myself experiencing something close to another panic attack. I had to leave the floor and go outside for some fresh air and to slow my breathing. I remember thinking there was no way I was going to able to go through this night after night and that something better happen soon or I'll be a basket case.

  I'd just returned inside when Eric radioed for me to come to the office. I found him and Winston staring at the main screen.

  'Winston clocked these two at the door,' Eric said, pointing.

  I came round to see the camera on the Dusk-Till-Dawn bar zoomed in on two men I'd never seen before. Swigging from bottles of Bud, they were tall, dark and swarthy. They had buzz-cuts and were wearing black leather jackets.

  Winston said, 'It was da accents I picked up on, when dey was at the box office. One o’ dem East-Europe places. Could be Russian, though they all sound the same to me.'

  'What're they about?' I said.

  'Not clubbing, that's for sure.' Eric said. 'See the way they're clocking everything? They've been doing that since they came in.'

  As I peered in close, I could see them looking in all directions, heads turning first this way, then that, with each sweep.

  'Where've they been so far?'

  'Up to the Early Hours, then they did a circuit of the floor before coming back here. I think they're clocking the cameras. Probably doing a head count on us as well.'

  'Hmm. Things are quiet at the moment. Tell the extra staff we put on to make their way to the staff room and stay there. Tell them to do it quietly, so no one notices.' I turned to Winston. 'Well spotted, Win.' Then to Eric, 'Let me know when they've gone.'

  I made my way back to the front entrance and stayed there, backing up Eve and Chris. Less than twenty minutes had passed when Eric's voice in my ear called my name. 'Looks like our visitors have seen what they came to see. They're heading for the front. Out in about ten seconds.' Chris was across the lobby nearest the main entrance. I nodded to him, Outside. He returned the nod and went out.

  It was the busiest time of the night on the door so I made sure I was paying attention to the entrance queue with Eve when the pair came through the doors and into the lobby. They didn't hang around but went straight out. I waited a minute then joined Chris. 'Where did they go?'

  'Round the corner onto the car park. There was a black four-by-four waiting with its engine running. They jumped in and it went off towards Winwick.'

  I nodded. 'Shout up if it, or they, come back.'

  Ten minutes later, bang on midnight, I was still in the lobby when Yashin's black Mercedes limo pulled up out front. First out were Misha and Sasha - who I now saw in a different light since hearing Frank's story about Lily. Alexei was next, doing his Personal Protection thing, looking stern and checking ar
ound for ninja-assassins or whatever he looks out for, before leaning back into the car to tell his boss it was safe to come out. Then came Yashin himself. He paused only to link arms with the women either side before striding, confidently, towards the door. In the early days I'd tried pointing out that if he was worried about his personal security, a quiet entry through the back door was a safer bet, but he ignored it, preferring a big entrance that made people ask, 'Who's that?' I positioned myself just inside the front door, where I'd be the first person he'd see.

  As he came in his gaze stopped wandering and fixed on me. The smile never wavered as he said, 'Good evening Mr Norton. Everything is well with you I trust?'

  Since the attack on Eric, I'd thought of several super-cool things I could come out with at our next meeting. I'd even spent time imagining myself squaring up to him and either saying something so chilling he'd turn pale, or showing such a casual disregard over what had happened it would make him think that maybe this time he'd bitten off more than he could chew. Like James Bond does when he meets his arch adversary for the first time. But when the moment came, I settled, as I'd always known I would, for a rock-steady stare, and a pointed, 'I'm good, thanks.'

  He waited a second, like he was expecting more. When it didn't come he turned towards the door leading up to the suites. 'Perhaps you wouldn't mind asking Mr Johnson to come up and see me, when he has a moment?'

  He didn't wait for a reply and I didn't give one. But as Alexi went ahead of him I noted a large bruise on his right cheek and that he seemed to have suddenly developed a limp. I remembered the man on the bridge Gol had put down and who couldn't decide whether to hold his arm, leg or head.

  As the party disappeared upstairs Eve materialised at my shoulder.

  'One day, I'm going to have that bastard,' she snarled.

  I turned to her. 'You'll have to wait in line.'

  Her dark eyes sparkled under the lights. 'I can live with that.'

  I went to tell Frank he'd been summoned.

  Like the night before, the rest of the evening was routine. For the first time I could remember, the rest of Yashin's retinue didn't show and he spent the night up in his suite with only the two women and Alexei for company. I read it that after the thing on the bridge, he wanted to avoid exposing his usual party guests to possible trouble, though as far as Yashin himself was concerned and until next time it was, 'business as usual.' It was the 'next time' bit that was keeping me occupied.