she had been sick, she didn’t know how much longer she could keep going. The girls she stayed with kept changing and they never spoke. There were fourteen of them living in a large damp room in a tall building. They each had a mattress and sleeping bag but that was all. They allowed them out at night for half an hour but they were told not to disappear, not to speak to anyone or their families would pay the price. Poor Kovan. Where was she now – dead maybe or left to rot somewhere. Oh god no, please not that, please let my baby be OK.
Arbogast parked a couple of blocks away from Devil May Care. There was a good chance the car would get broken into but it was a chance he was willing to take. Across the road from the nightclub was a gap site. The building had been a well known department store in its day but had burned down about 35 years ago and had never been redeveloped. This part of town remained quite unfashionable despite the fact it was only two minutes walk from the city’s main shopping precincts. He waited at a safe enough distance so that he would not be seen by the bouncers on the door. The girls arrived in a mini bus at 10:00pm. They all wore long coats so he assumed they were already ‘dressed’ for the night. ‘It’sanother way of keeping them on the leash,’ Rich had said once. He thought the girls were coming in from Eastern Europe. Arbogast saw one girl who he thought fitted the bill. She looked familiar. The club opened at 10:30 and was open until 3:00. It was midweek and he wondered how busy the club would get. People drifted in and out until he spotted his chance. A large stag party of around 25 boozed up blokes turned up ready for their titillation. It had obviously been an all day session but the management had let them all in all the same after a quick grilling. ‘There is nothing as stupid than a drunken man with a cash card,’ Arbogast thought as he filed in behind them, an anonymous friend.
“It’s the business this eh,” he said pretending to be one of the lads, “Best part of the night mate best part of the night. It’s just a shame you can’t take them home but you never know eh?” It made Arbogast ashamed of himself. He had been here himself barely able to stand just the other day and he’d been just the same, thinking he owned the girls, that he could paw them. Inside he bought himself a drink and sat down. He was wearing a suit jacket, a striped white shirt, and jeans. He couldn’t see his target yet and would have to bide his time. He paid a girl for a dance and was back at his table in a few minutes. This endeared him to the crowd with the stag saying to him, “You don’t mess about you dirty bastard – It’s my stag you know. It’s supposed to be me first.” Apparently he thought he was with him. And then he saw her and rather than waste any more time he made his approach. Arbogast had to admit this was a good looking woman. Tonight she was wearing all white lingerie – she looked like something out of a 1980s porn film, which appealed to his baser instincts. She looked at him with fuck off eyes and said “Shall I dance for you?” She took him by the hand and they left the bar and into the corridor which led to the parlour. He couldn’t remember having seen that before. She stopped and turned to face him.
“You were in here the other night. I remember now –
you tried to touch me, to feel me. You’re supposed to be barred. In fact I think it’s time you left – wait here.”
This was his moment, “Hanom?” he said. He knew from her reaction that she was the one he was looking for, “I can’t speak for long but I’m with the police. A girl has disappeared and I’ve been told you might be the mother?”
Hanom moved back a step “Who are you. Is this some kind of joke?”
“No joke – I’ve spoken to Mary.”
“We cannot speak here there are cameras,” she said looking around to see if they had been noticed, “Speak to me while I dance,
Arbogast parked a couple of blocks away from Devil May Care. There was a good chance the car would get broken into but it was a chance he was willing to take. Across the road from the nightclub was a gap site. The building had been a well known department store in its day but had burned down about 35 years ago and had never been redeveloped. This part of town remained quite unfashionable despite the fact it was only two minutes walk from the city’s main shopping precincts. He waited at a safe enough distance so that he would not be seen by the bouncers on the door. The girls arrived in a mini bus at 10:00pm. They all wore long coats so he assumed they were already ‘dressed’ for the night. ‘It’sanother way of keeping them on the leash,’ Rich had said once. He thought the girls were coming in from Eastern Europe. Arbogast saw one girl who he thought fitted the bill. She looked familiar. The club opened at 10:30 and was open until 3:00. It was midweek and he wondered how busy the club would get. People drifted in and out until he spotted his chance. A large stag party of around 25 boozed up blokes turned up ready for their titillation. It had obviously been an all day session but the management had let them all in all the same after a quick grilling. ‘There is nothing as stupid than a drunken man with a cash card,’ Arbogast thought as he filed in behind them, an anonymous friend.
“It’s the business this eh,” he said pretending to be one of the lads, “Best part of the night mate best part of the night. It’s just a shame you can’t take them home but you never know eh?” It made Arbogast ashamed of himself. He had been here himself barely able to stand just the other day and he’d been just the same, thinking he owned the girls, that he could paw them. Inside he bought himself a drink and sat down. He was wearing a suit jacket, a striped white shirt, and jeans. He couldn’t see his target yet and would have to bide his time. He paid a girl for a dance and was back at his table in a few minutes. This endeared him to the crowd with the stag saying to him, “You don’t mess about you dirty bastard – It’s my stag you know. It’s supposed to be me first.” Apparently he thought he was with him. And then he saw her and rather than waste any more time he made his approach. Arbogast had to admit this was a good looking woman. Tonight she was wearing all white lingerie – she looked like something out of a 1980s porn film, which appealed to his baser instincts. She looked at him with fuck off eyes and said “Shall I dance for you?” She took him by the hand and they left the bar and into the corridor which led to the parlour. He couldn’t remember having seen that before. She stopped and turned to face him.
“You were in here the other night. I remember now –
you tried to touch me, to feel me. You’re supposed to be barred. In fact I think it’s time you left – wait here.”
This was his moment, “Hanom?” he said. He knew from her reaction that she was the one he was looking for, “I can’t speak for long but I’m with the police. A girl has disappeared and I’ve been told you might be the mother?”
Hanom moved back a step “Who are you. Is this some kind of joke?”
“No joke – I’ve spoken to Mary.”
“We cannot speak here there are cameras,” she said looking around to see if they had been noticed, “Speak to me while I dance,
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