There was quite a crowd at the club when they got there; Friday afternoon and men starting the weekend off early. Groups of office workers or sales reps, be-suited but already dishevelled, their jackets discarded and ties loosened or removed. The crowd looked particularly young, early twenties Janine guessed, and half-drunk. Probably not stop boozing till Sunday night. Weekends spent smashed in an attempt to escape the stress of the working week. Could be a stag night, she thought.
Andrea was dancing, though her eyes flew to them as soon as she realised they’d come in. Harper was seated at a table, playing host to a couple of customers. He made an apology to his companions and stood up to meet Janine and Richard.
‘Not again,’ he thrust his hands in his pockets.
Janine smiled; there was no warmth in it. ‘James Harper,’ she said, ‘I am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Rosa Milicz.’ A wave of disquiet travelled round the club as people sensed the change in atmosphere. Andrea stopped dancing. ‘You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Is there anything you would like to say?’
‘You’ve got it all wrong.’ Harper was pallid with shock. Tremors worked in the muscles round his jaw line. He spread his arms out, palms up; look no tricks. ‘I don’t know anything about it.’ He turned to the tables behind him as if recruiting them to his side, ‘This is complete lunacy.’
*****
Shap followed Andrea through to the changing room. She looked shaken. Understandable. Not a nice thought that your boss might be a murderer.
‘We’ve been to the brothel,’ he said. ‘You know much about it?’
‘Nothing,’ she said flatly.
‘They’re all illegals – girls from Poland.’
She bit at her lip, looking anxious.
Shap slid his backside onto the corner of one of the tables. ‘Andrea, you told us Rosa didn’t have a boyfriend.’
‘She didn’t.’ She looked confused. ‘Not that she told me about anyway.’
‘What if I told you Harper and Rosa had a thing going on.,
She gave a sharp laugh, humourless. ‘They didn’t.’
Shap nodded slowly. He saw the disbelief alter Andrea’s face. She blinked a couple of times, laughed again. ‘Honestly? You really think he…’
‘We don’t know yet but we have our suspicions.’
‘The bastard,’ she whispered. ‘How could he do that?’
‘Allegedly,’ Shap said. He offered her a cigarette, lit one himself.
