The Red Dahlia

'Did she ever bring back anyone to the hotel?'

'No, not that I knew of, but a couple of times she was with some of the guests at the bar.'

Anna listed a few names taken from Louise's address book. Again, there was no one Mrs Ashkar recognised as ever staying at the hotel, though she did at least flick perfunctorily through the hotel register, her red nail varnish chipped, before shaking her head. Anna next showed the drawing of their suspect.

'Did you ever see Louise with this man, or someone similar? He's tall, well dressed, sometimes wears a long draped black or charcoal grey coat.'

Mrs Ashkar shrugged. 'No.' She had a thick, guttural accent.

'Do you have someone at the bar I could talk to?'

'We don't have a full-time barman. Joe works at the bar and in the kitchens; she used to help sometimes.'

'I'm sorry?

'I said, she worked in the kitchens sometimes, washing up, cleaning; she was always short of money. Sometimes she would help the cleaner in the morning make up the beds.'

'So this helped pay her bills?'

'Yes, she was moved out of one of the bigger rooms to the boxroom at the back. Joe used to get her to wash the glasses at the bar. I told all this to the other man that came round asking.'

'Is Joe here? I'd like to speak to him.'

Mrs Ashkar gave a sigh and then spoke into an intercom phone in Arabic.

'Go through the double doors, he'll come out and see you.'

'Thank you,' Anna said, disliking the woman's attitude. The so-called bar-cum-lounge was dark and dingy with old maroon velvet curtains and an overpowering smell of stale cigarettes and alcohol. There were a couple of easy chairs and a sofa, all threadbare, and a maroon and yellow carpet whose swirls were heavily stained. The bar itself was a glass-fronted, kidney-shaped counter in the corner of the room. Glasses and bottles were stacked on a shelf behind it alongside packets of peanuts and crisps in open boxes.

Anna turned as Joe breezed in. He was broad-shouldered and unshaven in a stained T-shirt and jeans; his pitch-dark hair was oiled back from his swarthy face and he had a jaded, handsome look. He smiled warmly at Anna and shook her hand. His hands were big, square and rough.

Annie went through the photographs and the names from Louise's address book. No result. When he was asked if any of the customers were friendly with her, he shrugged.

'Sure; she was always in here and if they bought her drinks, she'd sometimes stay up until two in the morning.'

'Did she favour anyone special?'

He shook his head, then went behind the nasty little bar and opened a beer. He proffered one to Anna but she refused. He took a swig then placed the bottle on a stained beer mat.

'She would sometimes go out to the station.'

'I'm sorry?

'I said she went round to the station, picked up men there.'

He gulped more beer, and then burped. 'Excuse me.'

'Did she bring them back here?'

'No way, not allowed: you get one tart and they come round like ants.'

'Did you ever see her with any regular man?'

'No, she was usually on her own; it always took a few drinks before she loosened up, then she'd be laughing and joking with us.'

Joe turned as the sour-faced Mrs Ashkar walked in, stared pointedly at them and walked out again.

'I better get back to work.' He drained his beer and tossed the bottle into a crate beneath the bar. 'I was sad to see her go, she was quite a fixture, but she'd found a flat over near Baker Street. She was excited about some new job prospect that was going to pay her a shedload of money.'

Anna at last felt she might be getting somewhere. 'Did she tell you anything about the job?'

'Not much; to be honest, I wasn't sure if it was true: she could spin some stories, especially after a few drinks.'

'Joe, it is very important that you try and remember anything she told you about this job.'

He shrugged. 'I only know she answered an advert. I think she worked in some dental clinic; she went out every day in the same clothes: white shirt and black skirt. I know she hated her job, they paid her peanuts, but she said she didn't have any qualifications. I think she was a receptionist, but she often didn't bother going; hung out here and helped change the sheets and stuff like that.'

'I know she worked for a dentist. This other job, can you remember anything she said about it?'

Mrs Ashkar walked in again; this time she said something to Joe and he looked at Anna.

'I got to go back to work.'

Anna whipped round and glared at Mrs Ashkar. 'A young girl that stayed here was murdered. I would appreciate it if you did not interrupt my conversation. I would hate to have to return here in a patrol car, with uniformed officers.'

It had the desired effect: Mrs Ashkar turned on her heel, the door swung open and shut behind her. Joe took a cloth, sprayed it with glass cleaner and began to wipe down the glass on top of the bar.

'Go on please, Joe.'

'Well, like I said, I knew she wanted to find other work; she even asked if we needed anyone here, you know, on a permanent basis, but we didn't. She was always skint and late paying her bill. One night, when she'd had a few too many, she started crying. She said she'd been to see some relative to borrow some money — she had a job interview and wanted to look good — but they'd refused to help her out. She'd called in sick at her work; she'd taken the day off to go somewhere.'

'Bognor Regis.'

He looked surprised. 'Yeah, right. I knew she'd been somewhere, because she had this big suitcase. In fact, I helped her take it up to her room. She had a couple of things she wanted me to buy.'

'Exactly what did she offer you?'

'Couple of little silver boxes and a candlestick.'

Anna asked how much he had given to Louise for the items. Joe hesitated.

'How much?'

'Twenty quid,' he said at last, somewhat embarrassed. Anna was certain the candlestick alone would have been worth a lot more, but did not pursue it.

'Was it after she came back with the suitcase that she told you about her new job?'

He nodded. 'She never said much about the job, just that she wanted to make an impression and needed money to get some new clothes. The next night she went out, probably to the station; I say that, because she had to have got money from somewhere: a few days later, she passed me in the reception and I hardly recognised her, she was so smart — a reddish coat, high-heeled shoes — when I said how good she looked, she laughed. She told me to keep my fingers crossed as she was going for the interview. I reckoned she must have got the job, because she moved out to this place she said she'd found in Baker Street a week or so later.'

Anna took a deep breath. 'Can you remember the exact date this job interview happened?'

Joe nodded and walked out. Anna heard a gabble of Arabic: Mrs Ashkar was obviously having another go at him. He returned with the hotel registry book and began to flick through it to find the date four days before Louise had left — it was 10 June.

Anna jotted the date down and smiled. 'Thank you. I really appreciate your help.'

'That's okay. I'm sorry about what happened to her.'

'Did you like her?'

He shrugged. 'She was very pretty, but there was something odd about her that sort of put you off.'