Chapter 22
The fact that both victims in the Taser robbery had been stripped naked was thought to be a result of the killer’s particular proclivities, but now it seemed likely that it had something to do with the stripping profession.
The fact that the police had checked up on both victims and neither of them had been in the profession didn’t really fit Luke’s assumptions.
Luke can only consider from other perspectives, in the computer search for a map of Los Angeles, to find the two victims encountered robbery location, from the map to see the two locations are not far away, only a few blocks away.
Using the two crime locations as his origin, Luke searched for strip clubs within three kilometers, and there was a similar club at the intersection of the two circles – Club Poe.
Luke guessed that the ‘taser robbery’ might be connected to this club.
Guessing wrong would be a good way to see the world, he hadn’t really seen this kind of show before.
Luke took his cell phone and made a call, “Hey David, asleep?”
David said, “Sleeping.”
“Come on, got something for you, go out for a drink.”
“Where to?”
“The Ballroom Dance Club ……”
Luke had just finished speaking when his cell phone hung up.
“What a boring old man.” Luke grumbled and dialed the number of the little black Marcus again.
A voice with its own rap beat came from the phone, “Man, say what’s up.”
“Got a minute? Go out for a drink.”
“That’s the first time you’ve invited me for a drink, where to?”
“The Ball Club.”
“Wow, that’s a nice club …… You boys have class.” Marcus gave a bad joke.
Luke said, “Drive and pick me up in front of my house in twenty minutes.”
“Your treat?”
“Sure.”
Ten minutes later, a black Ford pulled up in front of the door and Marcus waved at Luke through the window, “Come on man, I can’t wait.”
Luke got into the driver’s side and asked, “You ever been to the Poe Club?”
“Been there once or twice before. The venue is a good size, black chicks, white chicks, Asian, Mexican.” Speaking of which, Marcus tapped Luke on the shoulder and
“Hey, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“Just drive properly.” Luke didn’t care about him.
If this bastard was a cop in the country, he would have been arrested by the bureau as a typical case.
Marcus put the car in the parking lot near the club and the two of them walked to the entrance of the Poe Club on foot.
A lighted sign hung above the door, accepting bitcoins.
“There are two types of dance clubs, those that don’t charge admission and those that do, and this one falls into the latter category.” Marcus made a please gesture, signaling Luke to walk ahead.
There were a few big men standing at the door checking IDs, not old enough to be allowed in.
Luke showed his driver’s license and entered the front door of the club, there was a ticket counter on the right hand side with a sign standing for $20 for admission.
Luke didn’t pay and just pulled out his badge, “I want to see your boss.”
The person in charge of ticket sales was a middle-aged woman, looking at Luke a little confused, “What’s the matter?”
“Are you the boss?”
“No…… our boss is not at the club right now.”
“That’s okay, I can wait.”
Luke swaggered into the club.
Marcus, who was off to the side, was surprised, “Whoa whoa, what’s going on now? Did you come to watch the show or to investigate the case.”
“Watching the show before investigating the case.”
“You suspect this club is connected to the Taser robbery?”
Luke asked back, “What do you think?”
Marcus didn’t answer, his eyes had been drawn to the stage in the lobby.
A couple of dancing girls on the stage to be exact.
White and South American mostly, mostly lace, some topless, some not, but all wearing thongs – thongs.
Some were extremely fit and some were slightly chubby or flat.
Whether this club had anything to do with the Taser robbery or not, Luke hadn’t come for nothing this time.
It had been a long time coming.
Luke ordered two beers for ten dollars each.
Sitting on the bar around the stage, he drank while enjoying the dancing.
What surprised Luke the most was the fact that there were quite a few teenage guests on the floor, watching even more than he was.
Marcus touched Luke’s arm, “Dude, which one do you like? I like the one next to the iron pipe.” Marcus pointed to a black girl, “She’s really good, I’d like to see her solo.”
Luke took a look at the black girl, she was average looking, ok proportions, on the fat side, and disagreed with Marcus’ taste.
Half an hour later, a black man wearing a gold necklace approached, “Officers, our boss invites you backstage.”
“OK, you lead the way.” Luke had seen about as much as he could, this stuff went back and forth, it wasn’t much fun to look at it for long.
“Marcus, get to work.”
“Yay, good times are always short.”
The black man led the two backstage, where there were a number of partitioned cabins, where you could watch a separate show if you were willing to pay for it, which was legal in Los Angeles.
There were a number of teenage dancers backstage applying make-up and changing clothes and Marcus grinned widely and said, “Wow, this place is better than the stage.”
The two were led to a round table next to a middle-aged man with long hair, red lips, eye shadow and nail polish, looking a little girly.
“Sir, I’m Paul, the owner of this club, and I heard you guys wanted to see me about something.”
“I’m Detective Luke, this is my colleague Marcus, we’d like to ask you about two people.”
“I may not be able to help, but I’d be happy to ……”
“Thanks.” Luke pulled out a picture of Tony, “Ever seen this guy?”
Paul pinched the photo with two fingers and looked at it, then put it back on the table, “Who is he? Any relation to our club?”
“We’re investigating a robbery, the man in the photo is the suspect being investigated, he’s probably a regular here.”
“SORRY, I can’t possibly know every guest that comes here.”
“Please ask your staff to assist in the identification.”
Paul, the owner, handed the photo to a henchman aside and whispered a few instructions.
After a few minutes, the photo came back and Paul said, “My employee doesn’t recognize the person in the photo, so I’m sorry, it doesn’t look like I can help.”
Luke put the photo away and continued, “How many female dancers do you have at your club.”
“Almost thirty or so.”
“As the owner you should be well aware of the number of employees.”
Paul pondered for a moment and said, “This job has certain peculiarities, there is a great deal of mobility, many people are part-time, they come today and leave tomorrow, they come when they’re happy, and they may not come when they’re unhappy. The number of dancers is often variable.”
“I’m looking for someone in her mid-thirties, white female, long blonde hair, around 170cm tall, most likely a female dancer for the club.”
Paul asked, “Why her? Is she a suspect in the robbery too?”
“No, she’s not a suspect.”
“Then why are you looking for her?”
Marcus said, “Hey, it’s not good for you to know too much, you do what we tell you, and it’s in everyone’s best interest that we wrap this up quickly, OK?”
Paul bristled, his head cocked to the side as if pondering if there was anyone similar, after a moment he barked at his men, “Get Kylie over here.”
“Kerri is the only dancer we have here that meets your criteria, she’s hot, you’ll love her.”
Soon a blonde girl in a bikini came over, “Boss, you wanted to see me.”
“No, it’s these two officers looking for you.”
“Wow wow, you’re beautiful.” Marcus stood up and glanced around the blonde, “Are you the resident dancer here? What days do you perform?”
Callie said, “I’m here Tuesday through Friday, Sir, what can I do for you?”
Luke flashed Tony’s picture again, “Recognize this guy?”