Free No Questions Asked by David Menon

University where I’m studying to be a nurse and most of the girls here are doing it for the same sort of reason because few of us come from wealthy backgrounds and if we do then we’re here because our parents have disowned us for some reason and that’s normally to do with their problem and not ours and … I’m going on a bit, aren’t I? I’ll get the manager’.
    The hostess led them down the side of the bar to a door which led onto a narrow staircase. Joe went up first followed by Adrian and at the top they turned to the left and went into a small office. The floor was almost shaking from the music below and sitting behind the very grand looking out of place desk was a guy of about thirty with a completely shaved head but stubble growth on his face and chin. He was in a light blue suit with an open necked white shirt.
    ‘I’d just like to say gentlemen that we run a very legitimate establishment here’ he said. ‘Any funny business and they’re out the door before you can say 999’.
    Joe noted the heavy Liverpool accent. ‘And you are?’
    ‘Brett Collins’ he answered. He stood up and shook their hands. ‘I’m the manager here’.
    Christ, thought Adrian. Talk about stereotypes. The guy looked just like the sort of lowlife who’d be running a lap dancing club. He’d probably done time as well and no doubt he thought he’d landed on his feet finding a job like this. He was the small fish in a big pond but if he was the manager then who owned this sordid den of iniquity?
    ‘I expect you’re here to talk to me about our Lucy?’
    ‘Our Lucy?’ Joe questioned.
    ‘The girls here are treated like family, detectives’ said Brett with a seriousness that made both Joe and Adrian smile although Brett didn’t notice. ‘It’s terrible what happened to poor little Bradley. My heart goes out to her it really does. We sent her a bunch of flowers and a card, you know. Nobody should have to go through that, especially not a girl like Lucy’.
    ‘How do you mean?’ asked Adrian. ‘A girl like Lucy?’
    ‘Look, Lucy isn’t the best at what we do here’ said Brett. ‘In fact compared to some of the other girls she wasn’t up to much at all. She wasn’t the best at putting herself forward if you see what I mean? She didn’t do herself any favours. Some of the girls get way more in tips than she does’.
    ‘And do all of them get asked for extra more private services?’ Adrian asked.
    ‘As a club we don’t get involved with any of that, detective’.
    ‘Oh come on’ said Adrian who didn’t believe a word of it. ‘Are you really expecting us to believe that you don’t cream off some of the extra cash the girls might make?’
    ‘That’s exactly what I’m expecting you to believe because it’s true’.
    ‘Tell us why we should believe you?’ said Joe.
    ‘Because I’m a man of my word, detective’ said Brett looking straight into Joe’s eyes with way more steel than his earlier casualness. ‘And I take great exception to the truth of my word being challenged’.
    ‘Well a swift trawl through your books will sort that out one way or another’ said Joe who hadn’t warmed to this Brett character at all. Did he really expect them to believe all the shit that was coming out of his mouth? He’d rather believe a politician when they’re making some kind of commitment. ‘I assume you’ll make your books available to us without us having to raise a warrant? I’m sure that if what you say is true there’ll be no cause for concern especially as you’re a man of your word’.
    ‘That will be no problem at all’ said Brett, flatly.
    ‘Why have you kept Lucy Thompson on if she wasn’t so good?’ asked Adrian.
    ‘Lucy has this way of making you feel sorry for her. She gets to you. I didn’t have the heart to get rid of her and she did bring in some punters’.
    ‘But I wouldn’t have thought that a place like this would’ve been able to afford or even be willing to carry someone who