Blood Red Roses Read Online Free PDF Page B

drink to an empty booth close to the office door. She didn’t get to stay alone for long. A guy watched her slide into the seat and immediately came over.
    â€˜Can I join you?’
    She looked him up and down. ‘I’m waiting for someone.’
    His face darkened. ‘Who? The invisible fucking man?’
    She glanced pointedly at the closed door. ‘The boss.’
    He muttered something obscene under his breath and went back to join the crowd round the pole dancer.
    When Belcher emerged, he had three middle-aged men with him. Rhona recognised one face. From where she wasn’t sure. Then it hit her. The guy was something to do with football.
    She stared at her drink as Belcher passed. The three guys were set on a private showing. When they disappeared through the baize door, Rhona took her chance.

 
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
    Once inside, she shut the office door and locked it.
    It was a large room. In the centre stood a massive oak desk like something out of a Hollywood mafia movie. Belcher, she realised, had ideas above his station. The scent of expensive aftershave and cigar smoke hung in the air. On the left hand wall was a painting hinged back to reveal a two-foot-square screen. Something Bill hadn’t found in his search of the premises.
    On the screen was a clear image of a room in the green corridor. The room was lit by a flashing red light. A young woman stood open-legged above one of the three men Rhona had seen follow Belcher. There was no sound, but Rhona sensed the beat of the music the girl moved to. The girl lowered herself, pressing her crotchagainst the man’s face. Then the image changed. Another room, another girl, another dance.
    Rhona stood, her heart thumping. Belcher, a voyeur, watched everything from here. Which meant he probably knew who Donna’s regular visitor in the ‘Rose’ room had been.
    Before she left she tried a quick look inside the desk. Only the top drawer was unlocked. In it was an open packet of condoms and an inhaler.
    Rhona stared, the full impact of the discovery hitting her like a sledgehammer. She had Belcher marked as a voyeur, a sleazy creep who exploited young girls. But a murderer?
    She left the inhaler where it was and shut the drawer. She took a quick glance round before she emerged from Belcher’s office.
    The barman called to her as she walked casually past.
    â€˜Any luck?’
    She shook her head. ‘Too busy with his important guests.’
    â€˜Leave your name and contact number,’ he said. ‘I’ll tell him.’
    She wrote a made-up name and number on the pad.
    â€˜I finish at two thirty,’ he offered.
    She smiled an apology. ‘Some other time.’
    â€˜Your loss,’ he called after her, as she made for the Ladies.
    This time the toilets were empty. She dialled the number the taxi driver had given her. She must have sounded rattled because he said, ‘I’ll be there in five minutes.’
    She waited for three minutes then walked purposefully out. The doorman gave her a look but said nothing. One of the three middle-aged men was getting into a fancy black car. She found a pen in her bag and wrote down the number. Maybe Bill could use it to find out who Belcher’s important guests were. As for Belcher...
    The taxi arrived and she climbed gratefully in.
    â€˜Didn’t find him then?’
    â€˜What?... no,’ she shrugged.
    â€˜Where to now?’
    She gave him the address of the jazz club. ‘I need a couple of minutes there, then home.’
    â€˜He’s a jazz lover then?’
    Rhona didn’t answer.
    The club was still open, the sound of music and voices drifting out. She hesitated at the top of the stairs, recognising the notes of his saxophone.Sean was still performing. That’s why he hadn’t come.
    She turned and climbed in the taxi.
    â€˜Change your mind?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    She gave him her address and leaned back, feeling foolish and