In a World They Forgot

Is That The Way To Live Your Life

It had gone past 8am when we arrived back at the club, the morning sunlight was floating in the sky and, normally, we’d all be turning into our beds at this time. The case was flowing nicely though and we needed to get the club processed before it was foolishly cleaned by the owner or the dancers.

"I've told you people already! I paid the rental fee, the company lost it!" A middle aged business man yelled as he opened the door to us.

"We're not here about your rental fees." Greg held up his badge.

"We're here to search the dressing rooms of your dancers." I handed him the search warrant.

"Well they'll be in soon and they won't be happy when they find you snooping around there." He said stiffly, handing the warrant back to me.

"Maybe you don't understand the situation fully. Last night a young boy was found murdered outside of your club. We have evidence that links one of your dancers to the victim. Now, you can let us in and your dancers can make do with the toilets to get ready in, and no one will ever know we've been...or we can do it the hard way and come back with more of Las Vegas PD and make this very big and very public and you will be unable to open your club until our search is completed." I said, finishing with a sweet smile.

He mumbled something that I didn't catch and stepped aside to let us in.

"The dressing rooms are through that door and go down the corridor to the fire exit." He said closing the door with a bang and storming back to his office behind the polished bar.

"Wow. You've done this before haven't you?" Greg asked, looking impressed.

"I just know how to deal with ego maniacs like him." I shrugged opening the first dressing room door. “My old boss was one.”

"Meet in the middle?" Greg asked me.

"Of course." I smirked, snapping the glove against my wrist.

"Okay, so three of the dressing rooms I've looked in have had pots of the purple make-up that we found on, and in, the vic." Greg told me as we both started examining the final room.

"Two of mine have too."

"So, we need a list of the dancer's names and find out which ones get ready in the 'purple rooms'." He said, looking around at the room so identical to the others.

"I'll go and ask the owner, you finish processing this room." I pushed myself up from the floor and stretched my locked knee out before moving.

"Yes Miss Romani!" Greg saluted me and then sank to the floor, torch in one hand, tweezers in the other.

"Excuse me." I walked into the main bar area where the owner was practically tearing his hair out.

"What?!" He spun around angrily.

"I need a list of all of your dancers." I said calmly, leaning on the bar, probably like so many of the punters did nightly.

"Why?"

"Because it's highly likely that we'll need to talk to them about the murder."

"Do you think one of my girls did it?"

"We can’t say that right now, but we have evidence that can connect our victim to one of your dancers and by finding out which one it is, it may help our investigation and your club by ending this quicker." I said coolly as he sifted through papers, clearly focused on something else.

"Here, and I want you to know, my girls are good, they are all here legally."

"I never said that they weren't." I stated taking the list from him, and flicking my eyes down to the inked names

"I just wanted to get things straight before you go around pointing fingers." He explained, still not acting friendly.

"Carry the eight across." I said nodding towards some equations he had on a piece of paper. “Then you’ll get a positive profit.”

He looked at the paper and then back at me, gobsmacked, and I walked back into the room where Greg was.

"Nothing of interest in this room." He told me packing up his case.

"Do you think Catherine will let us go home now?" I asked glancing at the clock that was almost at noon.

"Not a chance. She's on a roll with this case."

"Eurgh!"

"How about Starbucks on the way back? My treat." Greg grinned as we left the club.

"Right now, caffeine is my heaven!" I said leaning back in my seat and trying to keep my heavy eyes open.