Page 71 of Death of a Courtesan
‘Here, you can’t come in here, throwing your weight about and destroying things,’ Tennyson protested.
Salter stood very close to him and poked his chest with his forefinger. ‘I think you’ll find that we can. What’s more, we can arrest anyone who stands in our way and throw him in a cell. Think on that before you start telling us what we can and can’t do.’
Tennyson looked down at Salter’s finger, as though giving serious consideration to the idea of snapping it like a twig. Common sense prevailed and he moved away with an angry snarl. Meanwhile the two uniformed constables lumbered up the stairs in their heavy boots, making enough noise to wake the dead. Riley had the satisfaction of hearing doors opening on the top floor and female voices demanding to know what was going on.
‘Rustle up some tea whilst we wait, Tennyson, there’s a good chap,’ Salter said.
Tennyson scowled, then shrugged his massive shoulders and stomped off towards the kitchen, muttering under his breath.
They had just been served with their tea by a nervous-looking Lily when Mrs Sinclair appeared on the stairs, impeccably attired as always.
‘Lord Riley,’ she said, descending slowly, one elegant hand sliding along the polished bannister. ‘This is an unexpected pleasure. Do you have news of the investigation?’
‘We are making steady progress.’
‘I don’t suppose you can tell me much. But still, it was kind of you to permit us to reopen our doors. Life must go on. Understandably, business is slow and the girls are on edge. None of us will feel safe until Adelaide’s killer is found.’
She took the chair across from Riley and he resumed his own. ‘As I say, we are making headway, which is what we came to talk to you about.’
‘I will gladly do anything I can to help but I have already told you everything I know.’
‘Tennyson is asking the other girls to come down. Once they are all here, I will explain what point we have reached, which will save me from having to repeat myself.’
‘How intriguing.’ Mrs Sinclair folded her hands in her lap. ‘I assume you have a suspect.’
‘Oh yes,’ Salter said, more loudly than necessary since the rest of the girls were now straggling down the stairs, unable to avoid hearing every word that was spoken. Mirabelle, Riley noticed, was standing apart from the others and paying particular attention. She also looked distinctly uneasy.
‘Come and join us, ladies,’ Salter said, standing and giving them an exaggerated bow. ‘It ain’t like you’re shy now, is it?’
‘Salter,’ Riley said in a mildly castigating tone.
Riley’s sergeant shrugged and resumed his seat. The ladies wandered into the space normally used for a very different form of entertainment and settled onto various chairs. Mirabelle, usually in the thick of things, selected a single armchair apart from the others and curled her feet beneath her bottom. She looked unnaturally pale, but whether that was because she had just got out of bed or because she was worried about Riley’s sudden appearance, he had yet to decide. She caught Riley watching her, lifted her head and tossed her black mane over her shoulders, giving him a challenging look that was better suited to her profession than to a murder investigation. Riley looked away first and cleared his throat. As he did so, he noticed a tiny smile briefly touching Mirabelle’s lips, as though she thought she had tempted Riley with her wiles. Nothing could be further from the truth but he was becoming increasingly suspicious of Mirabelle, and it suited his purpose for her to think that she held the upper hand.
‘Good afternoon, ladies,’ he said. ‘I apologise for this disturbance at what must be an early hour for you. However, I know you are anxious to learn what progress we have made with our investigation into your friend’s death.’
Riley noticed Mirabelle’s upper lip curve derisively. Ruby, on the other hand, clutched a handkerchief tightly in her hand and dabbed at her eyes with it.
‘Were you aware, any of you, that Adelaide saved almost every penny she earned?’ All of the girls shook their heads, with the exception of Mirabelle, who looked bored. ‘She actually managed to amass a small fortune.’
‘There is a small fortune to be made in this business, inspector,’ Mirabelle said scathingly. ‘Providing you know what you are doing.’
‘But it must be unusual for almost all of it to be put aside,’ Salter reasoned. ‘Do any of you save your income with a view to your future? For when you are, excuse me, too old to attract custom?’
The girls looked at one another and again shook their heads.
‘There are always things that I need,’ one said.
‘I have debts to settle,’ said another.
Mirabelle remained silent, which didn’t suit Riley’s purpose. ‘You claim there is a small fortune to be made in this business, Mirabelle,’ he remarked. ‘What do you mean by that?’
She shrugged. ‘We don’t do it for the dubious pleasure of our clients’ company. We literally sacrifice our bodies on the altar of their collective perversions. I think we deserve every penny we extract from the idiots who frequent this place.Thatis what I meant. Besides, like you say, it’s a young woman’s game so what we earn now will have to see us through the rest of our lives. Looked at like that, our income isn’tthatexcessive.’
‘You say you sacrifice your bodies,’ Riley replied, watching Mirabelle closely, ‘but Adelaide became a wealthy woman without actually doing so.’
Mirabelle dismissed Riley’s claim with a sneer. ‘Don’t be naive, inspector. I can see that the little flirt has captivated you, despite the fact that to the best of my knowledge you only ever saw her after she was dead. She might have learned the art of domination and she might have been handy with the whip, but she still had to give her clients the ultimate satisfaction through copulation, just like we all do.’
‘Actually she didn’t.’ Riley allowed a significant pause, aware that he had the complete attention of everyone in the room. ‘She died a virgin.’
