Hidden Lives

It was nearly eight, so the pair decided to call it a day. Walking to the cars Terri asked casually, "Want to come round for a quickie?"

"Not tonight if you don`t mind. I`m beat. Plus I want to save all my energy for tomorrow," he joked with a broad smile. Hopefully it will be a night of celebration if we can get Fabricio to give up Rizzo to save his own skin."

"If we can get him for Cheryl`s murder I will give you and Lee a night between the sheets that neither of you will ever forget!" Her exaggerated wink still had him chuckling as he got in his car and followed her Volvo from the yard. Terri turned left, and he turned right. Twenty minutes later he was walking into his empty flat.

His smoke saturated clothes were thrown straight into the machine, and he put it on a quick programme. A long shower followed as he scrubbed his hair twice with apple scented shampoo until he couldn`t smell any cigarette smoke. A cheese and pickle sandwich followed. He ate it in front of the TV with a can of beer as he watched the second half of a Chelsea-Liverpool cup tie. Tiredness overwhelmed him and he was in bed by eleven and asleep by two minutes past.

Chapter 6

Peter woke up to an empty bed. It was already seven, and normally Lee would have been home. His heart missed a beat as he imagined all the bad things that could have happened. Top of this list included Lee leaving him. He checked his mobile and breathed a huge sigh of relief when he read her message. "Sorry. Staying late. Sick calls. See you tonight. Confirm dinner when you can. Love you more than anything xxx."

He was in the office early. Mainly to make up for his tardiness yesterday, but also because he wanted to get an early start. He was making a coffee when Terri walked in. Today was a casual look with a tight pair of pale blue jeans that clung to her lower body like a second skin. Her baggy Carhartt sweat shirt and trainers, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail made her look much younger.

Terri gulped down a coffee as they decided on their plan for the day. Silvia Watson first, Chris Woakes, then lastly Gary Trent. An hour later they were pulling up outside a terraced house in Lambeth. The door was opened by the same woman that had received Terri`s clothes at the club on Saturday night. "Silvia Watson?" Peter asked.

"Yes. What`s all this about?" Watson apparently didn`t pay much attention to the comings and goings at the club because she didn`t recognise Terri.

"Mum where are you?" came a shrill cry from inside the house, and a second later a young girl around eight appeared behind Watson, peering around her to look at the two detectives.

"Can we come in Ms. Watson?" Peter said after the usual introductions and the presentation of their identification.

"Why? What do you want. I haven`t done nothing."

Peter had printed out a very good photo of Watson from the video. He showed her that and Watson went white, gripping the door frame to stop from collapsing.

"Mum. What do they want."

"Shut up Lisa. Go upstairs and play in your room while Mummy talks to these nice policeman." The girl disappeared up the stairs as Watson held the door open and Terri and Peter walked in. The house was neat, tidy and spotlessly clean. They followed Watson into a tiny kitchen. "Tea?" she asked.

They both said yes and sat at the table in the middle of the room. Watson fussed around with teabags and boiling water, and soon all three were sitting with mugs of steaming tea before them.

"Let`s cut to the chase Ms. Watson," Terri opened. "We know that you work at Dante`s Inferno. We also know that you have not committed any criminal offence up until now. That could change depending on how you answer our questions. You do understand that?"

A fatalistic nod from Watson.

"Were you working the night Chelsea Hargreaves died at the club?"

Again, the same defeated nod. Watson couldn`t maintain eye contact, just stared at the table.

"Just tell us what happened," Peter asked kindly.

"I don`t know really. I was at my counter by the front door. Tell the truth I have never been into the club any further than that, and that suits me just fine. Them people are weird." She stopped and took a large slurp of her tea, "But it pays well, and I`m a single mother, so I ignored all the kinkiness and just kept my head down."

"Tell us what you saw or heard." Peter was exuding kindness and calm now. He had done hundreds of interviews like this. Hard working people who just wanted to feed their family but were on the fringes of what was considered legal or not.

"Was a normal night, then people started leaving in droves. It had never been like that. I was rushed off my feet for twenty minutes. Then one of the owners came and told me to go home."

"Ms Anderson?" Terri asked.

The look of shock on Watson`s face when they called Anderson by name was every policeman's dream, and Peter knew that everything she told them from then on would be the truth.

Her eyes were still wide in disbelief that they knew names as she told them, "No, she had left earlier in the rush. Fabricio."

"What did you do?" Terri asked and placed a comforting hand over Watson`s.

"I went home. There was no one left in the club then apart from Gary and Fabricio. Chris was outside."

"Did you see this man?" Terri showed her a photograph of Danilo.

"Yes. He came in as I was leaving. Chris must have known him as he didn`t try to stop him."

"Do you know his name?" Terri replaced the photograph in the folder.

"Dani they call him. Works for Fabricio. Picks up the whores when the rich freaks want some fresh meat." She studied her nails before adding, "Am I in trouble? I can`t go away, Lisa needs me."

Terri`s hand never moved as she said compassionately, "I don`t think there will be any charges for you, but please find another job, the club is not going to be open anytime soon. We will need you to make a formal statement at one point, but that will be later. Until then sit tight, love your daughter and we will be in touch."

The relief on the woman`s face was palpable, and she gabbled, "Thank you. I`m so sorry about what happened. I knew Chelsea Hargreaves from the very beginning. I couldn`t believe it when I saw she had been found dead."

Terri`s face turned to stone as she said, "What do you know about the murder of Cheryl Shaw?"

The puzzled look on Watson`s face just couldn`t have been an act, "Who?"

Again Terri flashed a mug shot of Cheryl. " I see her at the club. She was one of the regular whores they brought in for special nights. She`s dead?"

Terri nodded sternly, "Yes. Killed on the way to the club."

"Oh Fuck. I did hear a whisper that Dani had done for one of the working girls, but I never really pay much attention to gossip so thought nothing of it. That`s the best way in places like Dante`s. See nothing. Say nothing. Hear nothing. Those were always my mottos."

Terri urged, "Can you recall who whispered it?"

"Chris I think, but I couldn`t swear on the bible."

Peter and Terri stood up. Terri placed everything back in the folder as Peter said politely, "Thank you for your assistance Ms. Watson. Hopefully we will not have to bother you again, but it could be possible that we will need to come and take a formal statement in the future. Please do not contact anyone associated with the club as this could constitute a criminal offence, and I am sure that none of us want to go down that road. I wish you a pleasant day."

Terri and Peter left the woman sitting anxiously at the kitchen table gnawing on a finger nail and drove to the address on record for Chris Woakes in Streatham. The terraced house was in a nice street and the garden of his house was filled with brightly coloured flowers. The man they were seeking was in the garden pruning a rose bush as Peter and Terri pushed open the small iron gate.

"Mr Woakes?" Peter inquired flashing his warrant card.

The man paled noticeably when he saw Terri. He apparently had been paying more attention than Silvia Watson when Terri had visited the club.

"You`re Old Bill?" Woakes directed the question at Terri.

"Yes Mr. Woakes. So we can cut through all the bullshit about you don`t know anything about a club called Dante`s Inferno."

"Come inside," He turned and led them into the house.

"Anybody else here?" Peter said peering into a front room full of computer equipment, gaming consoles and screens.

"No. I live alone. Tea? Coffee?"

Both declined his offer as Terri took the lead. " We are investigating the death of Chelsea Hargreaves. As far as we can tell you have done nothing wrong, so let`s try to keep it that way. Tell us everything you can remember about the events of last Monday evening."

They were still standing in the small hallway, and nobody moved as Woakes began. "Was just a normal night on the door. I never actually go into the club unless they want someone chucked out, and that hasn`t happened once in the last ten years. People came and went as usual, then all the members rushed out in a wave. At first I thought that there was a fire or something, but then one of the senior members told me to go home."

"Fabricio?"

"Yes. He said the night was over and I could go. Me and Silvia grabbed our coats and walked down to the bus stop together."

"Did you see this man?" Terri asked, showing him the picture of Rizzo.

"Yeah. Dani passed us as we walked down the alley."

"You know him well?" Terri was staring at him intently.

"Just for work. He is always bringing Mr. Fabricio or picking him up. Also he does the pickups and drop offs for the working girls when they want them. Sometimes we share a fag break together, but that man is cold. Hardly says a word. To be honest I always thought it was because his English is shit, but the more I think about it he is just a mean, miserable bastard."

"What do you know about the murder of Cheryl Shaw."

"Who?"

Terri flashed him Cheryl`s picture. "I`ve seen her. I think she was one of the regular prostitutes they used, but I haven`t seen her for ages. Must be six months."

"She`s dead Mr. Woakes. Found in a river after being last seen on her way to the club where you work, and after supposedly being picked up by this man." Peter took up the reins of the interogation.

"Fucking Hell! I had nothing to do with any murder. I heard Danilo had done a number on one of the girls from a couple of the others, but I never would have got wrapped up in murder."

Peter gave Woakes a similar speech to that he had given Watson. "Thank you for time Mr. Woakes. We will be in touch if we need a statement from you. Please look for another job as I cannot envisage the club will be reopening any time soon. Lastly, please do not try to contact or warn anyone you may know from the club as I assure you I will arrest you if that happens. Have a pleasant day."

"That leaves just Gary Trent as the person who shoved that card into Chelsea`s snatch," Terri said crudely as they drove towards Trent`s house in Sydenham.

His house was bigger than the other two they had visited previously, and Trent opened the door before they could ring the bell. Both Terri and Peter were stunned when he said, "About fucking time. I never thought it would take this long for you to connect all the dots. Come inside. Then he paused as if his brain was only just computing what his eyes had seen. Turning to Terri he said, "Fucking Hell. Bacardi and Coke girl is a fucking Rozzer." He smiled broadly at her as if remembering how had last seen her dressed.

He led them into a spacious lounge. He had obviously knocked two rooms into one and Peter stared out of the large patio doors at a small neatly kept garden.

"Want something to drink?" Woakes asked as he lit a cigarette.

Both declined before Peter began the interview, "From your reaction can we assume that it was you that placed that card in Chelsea Hargreaves vagina?"

Trent nodded and took a long drag on his cigarette.

"Can I ask why?" Peter was speaking as Terri just stared.

"I have seen a lot of shit in that place over the last years, but people dying wasn`t what I signed up for. Another thing. I am only working there until the end of the month. Me and my brother just bought a bar in Benidorm, so that`s me done with those rich nuts. I thought if I left you a clue you would eventually find the club and shut the fucking place down. If I`m honest, I hoped you would find it when I was pouring cocktails in the sun, but life is not always what you want it to be,"

"Tell us what happened," Peter encouraged him.

Trent sat in one of the armchairs and indicated that Terri and Peter should sit on the sofa opposite, and they did. "It was a normal night. People getting their rocks off and me pouring drinks. Then I heard a few screams and people were running for the doors. It was like a stampede. Fabricio came into the bar and told me he needed help. I went to the punishment room and saw Chelsea Hargreaves lying on the floor. I`m no expert but I knew she was dead. Fabricio gave me the ticket for me to get her clothes from the cloakroom. Silvia and Chris were already gone when I took them, and Danilo walked in as I was walking back to Fabricio. Together we redressed Chelsea. Whilst doing this her membership card fell out of one of her pockets. As I told you before, I had had enough anyway, so I thought a bit of the dramatic would get the cops running. As I pulled on her panties I pushed it inside her."

"It certainly did that Mr. Trent." Peter appeared to congratulate the man on his ingenuity.

"Once she was fully dressed me and Danilo carried her to the car. The people we passed just thought she was drunk. Then Danilo sped off and I went back inside. Fabricio gave me a grand and told me to clean up the bar and go home. That`s what I did."

"So you admit helping to dispose of a body?" Peter told him solemnly.

"Yep. I helped, but I also helped you to find who done it, didn`t I?"

"Yes you did Mr. Trent. Will you make a statement about everything? We can use that to mitigate your offence down to a fine or probation rather than jail time."

"I`ll tell you anything you want to know and more." He pulled open a drawer on a little table next to where he was sitting. "Here, take this. It`s a fifteen-year memoir of my work at Dante`s. Names, incidents and lots of other things. Take it and do what you want with it. I`ll plead guilty to the charge, and even testify against Fabricio and Danilo. They are really evil cunts that definitely need locking up."

Peter handed the book to Terri and then said Gary Trent I am arresting you for unlawful disposal of a body." He continued with the full description of his rights as Terri flicked through the thick file that Trent had given them. Some of the names she saw where like a volume of "Who`s Who". There were footballers past and present. Actors and actresses. Politicians from both sides of the house, and a few leading lights of the business World that she recognised.

"Stop!" Terri yelled, "What about Cheryl?"

Peter asked Trent, "What do you know about the murder of Cheryl Shaw?", then showed Trent the photo.

"I know nothing about any murder. I`ve seen her at the club, but not for a long time. Wasn`t she one of the escorts they used to abuse occasionally?"

Terri couldn`t hide the disappointment in her voice as she said quietly, "Yes she was. We have reason to believe she was murdered by Danilo Rizzo. Can you tell us anything about that?"

"I heard one of the other girls talking at the bar. She said that Danilo had beaten up one of the girls as she had a bug in her shoe, but that`s all I know, and that`s the truth."

They led Trent out and placed him in the back of the car. Back at the station Terri processed him into the system, before taking his statement. While she was doing this Peter briefed Smithers. Nearly all was the truth apart from telling his boss that an anonymous tip off had led them to Sabine Anderson`s house. The tip off came in the form of a video that had been left on a stick under his windscreen wiper. Charlie Smithers seemed to buy the crap story even though Peter didn`t believe it himself.

When he finished with his boss he texted Lee to say that they would be fine for the meal.

They bailed Trent to appear at court next week, then decided to call it a day. It was six thirty when they went their separate ways, agreeing to meet at the restaurant at seven thirty.

Once he got home he found the flat empty and a note on the kitchen table, Picking it up he read what Lee had written in her neat handwriting. "Running Late. At hairdresser. See you at the restaurant. Love you x." Underneath was a PS, "Cannot wait to see you (both)" this was accompanied by a little cartoon prick with two balls. There was even a dotted line arcing away from the tip to signify come spurting out of it. Peter laughed out loud and went to get ready himself.

He had called the Chinese from the house to reserve a table for three and was rapidly shown to the table by the genial waiter on his arrival. He was the first one there so ordered a bottle of wine. The wine had just arrived when Terri walked in looking gorgeous as always. The jeans and sweatshirt replaced by a thigh length dress in pale green. Her legs encased in light grey nylon and on her feet were four-inch strappy heels of pale green leather. He also detected a splash of lip gloss and thick black mascara, but Terri`s flawless features didn`t really need makeup. Her Hair was freshly washed and cascaded onto her bare shoulders in the strapless dress. A matching pale green, suede handbag that could have hidden Shergar was slung casually over her shoulder.

They had just filled their glasses with wine when Lee walked in. Peter couldn`t help letting out a low, "Wow!" as his wife walked towards them. Her black dress was low cut and exposed a good amount of her cleavage. The pleated lower skirt finished at least eight inches above her knees. The sheer black nylon covering her legs were definitely stockings after what Terri had told her the last time. Peter was amazed to see the shoes of shiny black leather with a gold heel that must have been a minimum of five inches tall. Terri rarely wore anything more than a one-inch heel as her feet were constantly hurting after her long shifts at the hospital.

Her hair was in a new style. The same inky black colour but in a youthful spiky style and held in place with gel. There were also faint reddish-brown highlights. Her lips were painted bright red to match her finger nails, and her dark eyes were highlighted by pale grey eyeshadow. Peter fell in love all over again, Lee was truly a stunner. "Sorry I´m late," she mumbled as she sat next to Terri with Peter opposite. Lee kissed Terri on the cheek and then leaned across the table to peck Peter`s lips. "Hope there`s some wine left for me?"

Peter poured her a large glass as he just stared in stunned silence at his beautiful wife. "You look fantastic," Terri said, "I love the new hairstyle. Very young and frisky, and I cannot wait to see what you have underneath that fabulous dress." Peter couldn`t see it but knew Terri had put her hand on Lee`s thigh as Lee tensed for a second.

"You look amazing Terri. That makeup just highlights your exquisite features. Let`s order I`m famished. I`ve been running around all day and had nothing to eat and this wine is going straight to my head."

After getting the girl`s agreement Peter ordered the fixed menu for three and another bottle of wine. The place was very quiet as it was a Tuesday and it wasn`t too long before their table was full of tiny dishes and a big, steaming bowl of rice. The conversation was easy with much laughter and sexual inuendo. They all realised the meal was just an appetizer as the main course would be delivered in Peter and Lee`s bed later.