Free Abducted: A Jake Badger Mystery Thriller by Glenn Rogers Page A

stages, sometimes swinging around the poll in the center of the
stage. Men sat around the edge of the stages putting dollar bills on the stage for
the girls to collect. Further away from the stages and throughout the middle of
the club, sat small round tables with one or two men at each table. Waitresses
wearing a G-string and high heels circulated among the tables taking drink and
food orders. Several were giving lap dances. Susan gaped at the scene in
stunned amazement.
    A very well endowed waitress
came and asked us if she could show us to a table.
    “The bar will be fine,” I
said.
    She led us around the edge of
the club to the bar where there were a few open stools. I thanked her. She
smiled and moved off into the maze of tables. Alex and I scanned the club
patrons. As we did, our eyes inadvertently strayed to the girls on the stages.
I glanced at Susan. It was clear that she was not prepared for the
gynecological display on the stages or the ten sets of bare breasts circulating
among the tables.
    An attractive female
bartender wearing the same uniform as the waitresses came down to us.
    “What can I get you?”
    “Got Coke Zero?”
    “Just Diet Coke.”
    “Three,” I said.
    When she sat them on the bar.
I gave her enough for the drinks and a tip and said, “We need to talk to a guy,
Al Humphries. Is he here?”
    Without hesitation, she shook
her head and said, “Not here today. He's over at Tops and Bottoms.”
    “Thanks,” I said. I looked at
Alex. He nodded, took a sip of his Coke and smiled at me. We each took our
drink, turned toward the stages, and began watching the girls on the stages.
Susan looked from me to Alex and back to me. She shook her head, said, “I'll wait
in the car.” Alex and I laughed and followed her out.
    As we got in the car, Susan
said, “That was a disgusting display.”
    “What was disgusting,” I
said, “was how much they charged for a Coke.”
    “That's what you thought was
disgusting,” she said, “the price of the Cokes?”
    “Yeah.”
    Exasperated, she shook her
head.
    “Are you under the
impression,” I asked her, “that men find female nudity to be a disgusting
thing?”
    “Do you approve of that sort
of thing?”
    “Do you disapprove of it?”
    “Yes.”
    “Why?”
    “Those women are being
exploited. Put on display for the depraved pleasure of those men.”
    “Those women,” Alex said,
joining in, “are making more money than you will make as a forensic
psychologist working for the FBI. No one is making them do what they're doing.
I'm not sure the charge of exploitation is valid.”
    “I can't believe you two
think that sort of thing is okay.”
    “I don't recall either one of
us saying it was okay,” I said. “We're just responding to your allegation that
the women are being exploited.”
    “Well, I think it's
disgusting,” Susan said.
    “You want to wait for us in
the car when we get to Tops and Bottoms?” Alex asked.
    She frowned. “No. I'm here to
observe.”
    “That’s all we were doing
when we were in there,” I said. “Observing.”
    Alex chuckled.
    “Ha, ha,” Susan
said, sarcastically.

 

 
    Chapter 13
    Wednesday Afternoon

 
    I gave Alex directions to
Tops and Bottoms. The parking lot was full. Alex paid the ten-dollar cover
charge for each of us and we went in. The layout of this club was different.
Here, a long stage ran down the middle of the club with seating at the stage
running the length of the stage on either side. Four girls danced, each displaying
her wares to the side of the stage generating the most tips. Further away from
the stage were small tables with two or three chairs at each table. Some of the
men at the tables were eating burgers and fries as they watched the dancers.
Throughout the club, waitresses were providing lap dances for those willing to
pay extra for a more up close and personal performance.
    As before, a waitress in a
G-string offered to take us to a table. She was tall with an athletic