Page 7 of Death of a Courtesan
‘She was in great demand. You have no idea how many men enjoy pain, and Adelaide was very experienced when it came to dishing it out. She knew exactly how far to take matters.’
‘Was she ever required to be on the receiving end?’ Riley asked.
‘Never. Adelaide wouldn’t countenance such treatment.’
‘Did her family ever try to find her?’ Salter asked, frowning. He was a family man with a twelve year old daughter so it wasn’t hard for Riley to surmise the direction his thoughts had taken. The next time he and his daughter didn’t see eye to eye he would worry about her wandering alone through London and being taken in by a convincing person of Mrs Sinclair’s ilk. This was definitely going to be a difficult case for Salter to look at objectively. Riley, on the other hand, was willing to concede that the woman supplied a service to a niche market and had her standards, after a fashion.
‘Not as far as I am aware, sergeant. She settled here very quickly and took to the work like a natural. She never spoke of her family to me again.’
‘But she wasn’t popular with your other women?’ Riley suggested.
‘She had her faults, as we all do.’
‘What faults?’ Salter asked, looking as though he could think of a dozen off the top of his head. Riley made a mental note to have another talk with Salter and warn him to keep his personal views to himself. Mrs Sinclair knew how to interpret a man’s expressions. It would have formed part of her training. Her girls would be just as adept in that regard and they wouldn’t get much cooperation if Riley and Salter were seen to be passing judgement.
‘One of Adelaide’s worst failings was not caring what anyone thought of her. She was beautiful, wilful and flaunted her success in front of the others, sometimes enticing their regulars away from them simply because she could, which resulted in disputes. I had to speak to her about it on several occasions, but she knew her own worth and took little notice of anything I said to her.’
‘You didn’t consider dismissing her if she was causing disharmony amongst the others?’ Salter asked.
‘Heavens, no! In this business, sergeant, it is every woman for herself. We don’t form sisterly bonds, if that’s what you suppose.’ Mrs Sinclair seemed amused by the possibility. ‘I was aware that Adelaide would be snapped up by another house if she became dissatisfied here and if that happened I would have had a hard time replacing her. Besides, she had regular clients who worshipped the ground she walked on, and if she left they would have followed. I couldn’t take that risk and so I’m afraid I rather let Adelaide have her way.’
‘You were protecting your asset,’ Salter said scathingly.
‘Of course, sergeant,’ she responded in an unruffled tone. ‘Think what you like of me, but I am first and foremost a businesswoman.’
‘If Adelaide was so popular,’ Riley mused, ‘I’m surprised one of her devotees didn’t attempt to set her up as his exclusive mistress.’
‘You imagine there were jealousies amongst her clients that resulted in her being killed?’
Riley nodded. ‘The possibility crossed my mind.’
‘You are thinking like a rich man, Lord Riley. My clients are well-to-do but they are not in your class.’
Riley conceded the point with a wry smile, aware that Salter was looking at him with undisguised amusement. It was, he realised, just about the first sign of amusement his usually pragmatic, unshockable sergeant had shown since entering this house.
‘You have one male employee,’ Riley said. ‘What are his duties?’
‘Tennyson is responsible for welcoming our guests.’
‘Can anyone walk in off the streets?’ Salter asked. ‘Sorry if that’s a stupid question but we ain’t all accustomed to the way things are done in these places.’
‘And you don’t approve.’ Mrs Sinclair flashed a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. ‘Clearly you love your wife, sergeant, and don’t feel the need to stray. You are very fortunate.’
‘Here, how did you know I was—’
‘I wouldn’t be very good at my job if I didn’t. Anyway, to answer your question, we are quite selective about whom we allow through the doors.’
‘You have a membership list?’ Riley asked. ‘It’s a club of sorts, I presume.’
‘Something along those lines. New clients can only be introduced by existing ones and must obey my house rules. We remain more select that way. Anyway, Tennyson checks them in, makes sure they are known to us and have no outstanding debts to settle before they are allowed through the doors. Some forget to pay us in their excitement, you see, but they always come back and set the matter straight.’
‘I shall have to see Tennyson’s list of names,’ Riley said, expecting an argument and getting it.
‘I have been frank with you, inspector, because I want Adelaide’s killer brought to justice. To that end I will supply you with a list of the people who were here last night but I cannot see why you would need my entire client list. If word leaks out that I have given you access to it, my business would be ruined.’
‘You don’t get to tell us—’
Riley held up a hand to stem Salter’s angry tirade. ‘Very well, for now we will make do with a list of last night’s guests. If it proves necessary to extend our enquiries, I will talk to you about the matter again.’
