Anna asked Williams how he and Josh had met and the partnership formed. Williams told her sadly that he and Josh had been friends since grammar school and went to the same university. On graduation, Josh went to work in the City and moved up the ladder quickly, earning good money and big annual bonuses. Williams said he himself had worked for a business risk management company and he and Josh had remained best friends and regularly went ‘out on the town’ together.
‘Josh saved and invested his money wisely, but about two years ago he got made redundant by the bank and got a good payoff. He wanted to start up a small drinks club in central London, but I suggested a lap-dancing club.’
‘Why was that?’
‘Look around outside – it’s all sleazy clubs and sex shops. There was nothing upmarket slap in the middle of Soho. This place was a rundown shit-hole and going cheap. Josh was worried he might go under before he even got off the ground, so I said I would like to be his partner.’
‘You saw its potential to make money?’ Anna asked.
‘Yes.’
‘Were you equal partners?’ Anna continued.
‘No. Josh put more money in than me so we split the profits sixty-forty. He dealt with all the club’s finances and we shared the day-to-day running. We trusted each other and worked well together.’
‘Did he ever say anything about wanting to pull out or sell the club?’
‘Never, Josh was very keen to make the club work, we both were, and the pair of us put in hours of hard graft. Reality is, it has only just taken off, and if part of the reason Josh committed suicide was because he thought the club was going to fail then he couldn’t have been more wrong.’
Having got the pleasantries out of the way Anna felt it was now time to bring up Delon Taylor. She paused briefly and Dewar took the opportunity to jump in.
‘Did a Detective Simms ever take a statement off you?’ she asked.
‘Erm, Simms, no. We only spoke on the phone.’
‘Why doesn’t that surprise me,’ Dewar remarked and looked at Anna.
‘How did Josh get involved with Donna?’ Dewar asked.
‘She was one of the first dancers we hired. Josh made a bee-line for her; she didn’t stay on the poles for long. They got engaged and then married and he made her the head hostess. Josh never really liked her working here, used to get very protective as she was a very sexy lady and had a lot of admirers.’
‘How did that affect their relationship?’
‘Josh told me it caused arguments. Mixing business with pleasure is never easy.’
‘Did he force Donna out?’
‘No. Josh adored Donna and they wanted to start a family. Donna didn’t like the long days, finishing work in the early hours. She left here of her own accord and went to work for her mother.’
‘Were you one of Donna’s admirers?’ Dewar demanded.
‘She’s a special lady, everyone here liked her.’
‘How much did you like her?’
He stared at Dewar and shook his head.
‘Listen. Josh and me were like brothers and I’d never shit on my own doorstep.’
‘Delon Taylor said you did,’ Dewar remarked, hoping the mention of the man’s name would be like a red rag to a bull.
Anna knew what Dewar was trying to do and was surprised when Willams leaned back in his chair and laughed.
‘Oh, I see. Taylor’s your red-hot informant, is he?’
‘You framed Taylor because he found out what you were up to-’ Dewar accused but Williams interrupted.
‘You’ve got it all wrong, lady, Josh caught Taylor stealing money from the tills and I sacked him. And hypothetically speaking, if I murdered Josh, why didn’t I kill Taylor as well?’
‘Suicide or murder, you still benefited from his death,’ Dewar insisted.
‘No, I didn’t. I had to pay for the final refurbishment. I thought Josh had arranged the finances before he died but he hadn’t.’
‘How much did you pay Donna for Josh’s share of the club?’
‘I never approached Donna about selling Josh’s share. She shut herself off after his death. I saw her at the funeral but we haven’t spoken since then.’
‘So how did you come to buy the Trojan outright?’ Dewar wasn’t prepared to let go of this line of questioning.
‘Donna’s mother called and told me that her solicitors were handling Donna’s affairs and they wanted a quick sale so Donna could move on with her life.
‘How much did you pay?’
‘I don’t see that’s any of your business,’ Williams observed.
‘I can always ask Gloria.’
‘That’s up to you but the sale was all above board. I don’t deny I got a good deal, but I still had to pay fifty K out of my own pocket after the final refurbishment.’
‘Did you use money from a prostitution racket to pay for the club?’ Dewar said, leaning forwards.
‘No, I did not. I can’t believe you’ve been taken in by a scumbag like Delon Taylor.’
‘How did you know it was Taylor who said that?’ Dewar asked, obviously thinking Williams had slipped up.
‘Because it’s the same lie he told Josh. Do you think he would have kept me on as a partner if it was true that I was risking the business to line my own pockets?’
Dewar glanced at Anna as if looking for support, but Anna said nothing, feeling that the agent should have been more thoughtful and cautious in her line of questioning.
Stepping out to the rear mews of the Trojan club, Dewar said nothing as she got straight into her unmarked car and started the engine. Anna shouted that she would meet her in the road outside Gloria Lynne’s house, and watched as Dewar drove out, skirting around crates of empty wine bottles and refuse bins. A sweating Curtis appeared from the exit carrying a four-foot bronze statue of a Trojan soldier holding a sword and shield. He placed it down and removed a tin of metal polish from his pocket.
‘Curtis, isn’t it?’
‘Yep. Curtis Bowman. Bloody statue – unlike me, you have to polish and buff it up once a week so it keeps its colour,’ he said, guffawing at his own joke while pulling a duster from his back pocket.
‘Have you worked here for a long time?’
‘Yes, I was the handyman when it was called Doobies. Mr Reynolds kept me on when he and Mr Williams bought the place. They did it all up and renamed it – Mr Reynolds said they named it after me because I work like one,’ Curtis said with a proud smile as he started to rub the polish into the statue.
‘You must miss Mr Reynolds being around?’
‘Couldn’t believe it when I was told. He was the quiet type, you know, but always friendly and got things done. Mr Williams is a good boss as well but different from Mr Reynolds.’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Well, firing and looking out for fingers in the tills was always down to Mr Williams, he’d not take any thieving and in a place like this you got to watch out. He was the tough one of the two. Not afraid to go head-to-head with punters that got out of order with the girls. Strict look-but-don’t-touch policy.’
‘Funnily enough he mentioned that Delon Taylor was sacked for stealing.’
‘Bad ’un he was, with a short temper. Best rid, I say.’
‘Did you see Mr Reynolds the day he died?’ Anna asked.
‘A few times, but only when he asked me to do something round the place.’
‘How did he seem to you that day?’
‘Fine. That’s why I can’t believe he shot himself like that.’ He shook his head.
‘Neither could his wife. She used to work here, I believe?’
He pursed his lips and nodded.
‘Was she friendly like Josh?’
‘I don’t want to speak bad about her, but she started work here as a pole dancer, then she hooked Mr Reynolds and married him. She was always a bit hoity-toity. When she became head hostess she started throwing her weight around a bit, said she was taking over running the club. To be honest she couldn’t run for a bus, and she put a lot of people’s noses out of joint, mine included. The girls didn’t like her.’