Read Online The Labyrinth of Drowning by Alex Palmer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alex Palmer
Ads: Link
Grace mentally gritted her teeth. ‘No, I don’t smoke,’ she said.
‘You’re healthy.’
Lynette bought a half-carafe of house white and they went outside. The beer garden was empty. Lynette lit her cigarette with relief. Grace smelled the smoke and was glad she’d said no.
‘How did you get away tonight?’ she asked.
‘I rang what’s-her-features upstairs and told her she could close up, I was going home. She screamed at me! Said she had the policethere and she couldn’t do it. I said she’d just have to cope. I won’t have a job as of now but it doesn’t matter. I’ve had enough. As soon as I can book one, I’m getting on a flight to Perth.’
‘Why Perth?’
‘My son’s in Western Australia, working up north with Woodside Petroleum. He’s been asking me to come out and see him for a while. I will now. With a bit of luck, I might be able to get some work over there. There’s a lot of single men working up there besides him. Someone must need a receptionist somewhere.’
‘Some details, Lynette. What’s your real name?’
‘Jacqueline Ryan. Before you ask, yes, I live here. It’s cheap. I’ve got money but I don’t spend it if I can help it. When I quit the business, I’ll buy my dream home.’
‘Who owns the brothel?’ Grace asked.
‘Don’t have a clue and I don’t care. I deal with the accountants. Stamfords. They’re in Parramatta. They do everything. If you want to know more, go talk to them.’
‘Marie’s new, isn’t she? Where did she come from?’
‘Stamfords.’ Lynette blew out smoke. ‘They rang one day and said she was on her way. She was the boss and I had to do what she said. Fine. Why should I give a shit? Look, I don’t ask anybody any questions. In this business, you don’t.’
No, you just did what you were told by a hysterical girl half your age without a murmur, Grace thought. The same way you took on an illegal and unwilling sex worker without batting an eyelid. Whatever’s in the pay packet must be good.
‘Coco,’ Grace said, pushing along. ‘When did she arrive and did she come alone?’
Lynette shook her head over her glass. ‘No. She turned up with Marie, about two months ago now. When I heard she was dead, I didn’t know what to think. I honestly don’t know anything about that.’
‘Marie brought her down by the fire stairs,’ Grace said without pity. ‘You handled the bookings.’
‘I did not handle the bookings. Whatever that nasty little cow says, she did it all.’ Lynette took another mouthful of wine. ‘Cheap white,’ she said with a grimace.
Grace could guess what it tasted like. Alcohol was a caustic poison moving at the edge of the blood, twisting your mind into such a disfigured shape you couldn’t recognise yourself. Others could drink; she could not.
‘What about the other workers? Didn’t they know she was there?’
‘That’s what I used to say to her ! They had to see her taking the customers down there. She just laughed at me.’
‘How did the customers find out about Coco?’
Lynette looked at her sharply. ‘You know, don’t you? No condoms if you didn’t want to. On the fucking net!’
‘Yes, I know about that. How did you deal with it?’ Grace asked. ‘Normally you’d never do that, right?’
Lynette wouldn’t meet her eye. ‘There’s plenty of men who don’t want that. They like the protection themselves. I couldn’t help her. I wasn’t the boss any more.’
‘It can’t be good business to do something like that. Didn’t Marie know that?’
This time Lynette did look at her. ‘Anything that gives the clients what they want is good business. There’s a fair few arseholes out there, you know.’
‘Who put it on the net?’
‘Marie. It said Ask Marie .’
Marie was the front. Possibly even the sucker. The one pushed out there to do the dirty work. From Lynette’s description, she’d got a kick out of it.
‘Marie isn’t a big woman,’ Grace said. ‘How did she control
‘You’re healthy.’
Lynette bought a half-carafe of house white and they went outside. The beer garden was empty. Lynette lit her cigarette with relief. Grace smelled the smoke and was glad she’d said no.
‘How did you get away tonight?’ she asked.
‘I rang what’s-her-features upstairs and told her she could close up, I was going home. She screamed at me! Said she had the policethere and she couldn’t do it. I said she’d just have to cope. I won’t have a job as of now but it doesn’t matter. I’ve had enough. As soon as I can book one, I’m getting on a flight to Perth.’
‘Why Perth?’
‘My son’s in Western Australia, working up north with Woodside Petroleum. He’s been asking me to come out and see him for a while. I will now. With a bit of luck, I might be able to get some work over there. There’s a lot of single men working up there besides him. Someone must need a receptionist somewhere.’
‘Some details, Lynette. What’s your real name?’
‘Jacqueline Ryan. Before you ask, yes, I live here. It’s cheap. I’ve got money but I don’t spend it if I can help it. When I quit the business, I’ll buy my dream home.’
‘Who owns the brothel?’ Grace asked.
‘Don’t have a clue and I don’t care. I deal with the accountants. Stamfords. They’re in Parramatta. They do everything. If you want to know more, go talk to them.’
‘Marie’s new, isn’t she? Where did she come from?’
‘Stamfords.’ Lynette blew out smoke. ‘They rang one day and said she was on her way. She was the boss and I had to do what she said. Fine. Why should I give a shit? Look, I don’t ask anybody any questions. In this business, you don’t.’
No, you just did what you were told by a hysterical girl half your age without a murmur, Grace thought. The same way you took on an illegal and unwilling sex worker without batting an eyelid. Whatever’s in the pay packet must be good.
‘Coco,’ Grace said, pushing along. ‘When did she arrive and did she come alone?’
Lynette shook her head over her glass. ‘No. She turned up with Marie, about two months ago now. When I heard she was dead, I didn’t know what to think. I honestly don’t know anything about that.’
‘Marie brought her down by the fire stairs,’ Grace said without pity. ‘You handled the bookings.’
‘I did not handle the bookings. Whatever that nasty little cow says, she did it all.’ Lynette took another mouthful of wine. ‘Cheap white,’ she said with a grimace.
Grace could guess what it tasted like. Alcohol was a caustic poison moving at the edge of the blood, twisting your mind into such a disfigured shape you couldn’t recognise yourself. Others could drink; she could not.
‘What about the other workers? Didn’t they know she was there?’
‘That’s what I used to say to her ! They had to see her taking the customers down there. She just laughed at me.’
‘How did the customers find out about Coco?’
Lynette looked at her sharply. ‘You know, don’t you? No condoms if you didn’t want to. On the fucking net!’
‘Yes, I know about that. How did you deal with it?’ Grace asked. ‘Normally you’d never do that, right?’
Lynette wouldn’t meet her eye. ‘There’s plenty of men who don’t want that. They like the protection themselves. I couldn’t help her. I wasn’t the boss any more.’
‘It can’t be good business to do something like that. Didn’t Marie know that?’
This time Lynette did look at her. ‘Anything that gives the clients what they want is good business. There’s a fair few arseholes out there, you know.’
‘Who put it on the net?’
‘Marie. It said Ask Marie .’
Marie was the front. Possibly even the sucker. The one pushed out there to do the dirty work. From Lynette’s description, she’d got a kick out of it.
‘Marie isn’t a big woman,’ Grace said. ‘How did she control
Similar Books
