The Red Dahlia

Langton took a deep breath. 'And we are still no nearer to tracing this sadistic bastard.'

'I think we are getting closer,' Anna said.

'Do you?' Langton said, sarcastically. He stood up and stretched his arms above his head. 'There was nothing helpful from his last contact: no fingerprints, just letters cut out of newspapers stuck to the same notepaper, so we just sit and wait for his next missive. All we have is that the notes were more than likely compiled by the same person, whoever the hell he is, this Mr Edwards. I dunno; it's like we're going around in circles.'

Anna felt slightly irritated as she thought that she had done a good day's work, but she said nothing, sitting with her notebook in hand.

'How much was she paying out at the B&B?'

Anna flicked over a page then looked up at Langton. 'Almost as much as at Sharon's, but she was making money turning tricks then; I am certain she wasn't once she moved.'

'They both slept with guys for money — Sharon admitted it to me,' Langton snapped.

'Occasionally she might have, but it was by no means regular. For six months, she paid rent, went out, dated the tall dark-haired man and kept up her job at the dental clinic.'

Langton interrupted, wafting his hand. 'Yes, yes, we know all this. But I can't for the life of me think what all this gives us, Travis?'

'That she was being paid by her lover. Now, what she was actually paid for, I don't know, I'd say sexual favours. Sharon has stated that Louise offered her drugs a few times — cocaine — and she was often very distressed.'

Langton slapped the table with his hand. 'But what does this give us?'

'For Chrissakes, it gives even more on the suspect!' Anna snapped back at him.

Langton grimaced. 'In case you are unaware of it, we do not have, after two weeks, a clue as to who this suspect is. We are saying he might look like the drawing of the Black Dahlia killer, but he could not look anything like him. We have had not one positive identification or, even more important, one shred of evidence against this so-called lover of Louise Pennel. We don't even have any proof that he was screwing her, or that it was him that put the advert in The Times. We have fuck all, if the truth be known.'

Anna and Lewis were rescued by Barolli, who rapped on the door and put his head round.

'We've got lucky on the CCTV footage from Stringfellow's. It's only taken fifteen-odd hours, but we've got her up on screen now.'

Langton spread out his arms in a gesture of relief. 'Let's go.'

Langton and Anna sat in the centre, with Lewis on the remote. The room went silent as the blinds were drawn. Barolli stood next to the TV with a pencil in his hand; as the footage began, he gestured for Lewis to pause.

'Okay this is the first sighting of her. She's just walking in, edge of frame on the right. The time coder didn't work, but from Sharon's statements we've estimated it to be around ten o'clock; so this is shortly after they arrived.'

Lewis pressed Play and Louise Pennel walked into view: she looked far more beautiful than in any photograph. She was wearing a low-cut sequinned top and a denim miniskirt, both of which looked as if they belonged to Sharon. Louise had long slender legs and she was wearing very high-heeled sandals, making her even taller. She was wearing a flower in her hair; her face was heavily made-up. It was annoying to watch, as people kept passing in front of her and hiding her from the camera; in particular, Sharon seemed constantly to mask Louise.

The CCTV camera was at the entrance into the disco section and watched over the clubbers moving towards the blinking spotlights. As the camera slowly turned to look into the club's main bar and disco, the performing pole dancers were just about visible, but it was very dark. Sharon was all eyes, looking around, but Louise looked shy; she held her clutch bag in one hand and had the other to her mouth as she chewed her nails. Sharon turned to Louise and gestured for her to follow. They disappeared into the darkness.

Barolli leaned towards the TV. 'Next sighting is, we think, an hour later; this is tape ten. Again she comes into frame on your right and she's alone. Sharon is nowhere to be seen.'

Lewis pressed Play and they all watched as Louise, empty glass in hand, edged over to the bar. A stool became vacant and she moved over quickly to grab it; she sat perched with her long legs crossed as she surveyed the room. A few times, she was almost jostled off, as people in the crowd gestured for the barman to serve them. Louise opened her bag and then leaned on the counter. She said something to the barman and he nodded as she turned back, looking over the dancers. She was handed a glass of beer and she paid for it, still perched on the stool, as a young guy with long hair in a ponytail stood next to her. They had a brief conversation, but Louise was obviously not interested, virtually turning her back on him.

It was like watching a ghost. Louise was so very much alive on the tape, yet they all knew what a terrible death she had suffered three days and nights later.

Louise remained on the bar stool for another half an hour. She had another beer and was approached by a couple more clubbers; she didn't seem at all interested in being picked up, though she was sitting in a very provocative manner. She delved into her clutch bag a few times and took out a mirror, retouched her lipstick and replaced the compact. Anna noted that it was the same handbag that had been sent to the newspaper.

'I'm getting thirsty,' Langton said impatiently, as they watched Louise order her third beer. He checked his watch. They had no sound on the footage, so they all sat watching in silence, broken only by the occasional whisper. Despite the phones constantly ringing and the muffled voices from the Incident Room, everyone's attention remained on the TV. After three quarters of an hour, Louise left her bar stool and walked off. Sharon was seen passing, her young rock musician in tow. If she was looking for Louise, she didn't appear to be concerned. Lewis stopped the film and Barolli looked at his time sheet. There were more tapes.

'We have two more sightings of her; the next is at the entrance, from when she first came in.'

Louise stood looking around, very much alone, presumably searching for Sharon; this time, she had an empty champagne glass in one hand, her handbag in the other. She returned back into the dark recesses of the club and the film was stopped again.

'Okay last and, I'm sorry to say, least, we've got her passing the bar but not sitting down. This time, she's got what we think is her maroon coat over her arm.'

Louise pushed her way past the crowded bar area; she was jostled and yet ignored. The club had begun to fill up; again, she seemed to be looking for someone: whether Sharon or someone else was impossible to tell.

'So she gets her coat and returns to the bar area, say looking for Sharon, who we know has gone off with her rock-and-roll boy, so what time do you reckon this is?' Langton asked, stifling a yawn.

'Quarter to twelve, maybe eleven-thirty. What we've looked at is running on actual time.'

'I am damned sure she either met her killer in the club or outside it; what about that footage?'

'No go; it was recycled.'

Langton pushed back his chair, pointing to the screen. 'Get that barman in to look at the tape; get anyone you can from the club that night to look at it. Someone might have seen something, though at the rate we are bloody going, I doubt it.'

He rubbed his chin. 'I don't understand it; she's gorgeous, sitting propped up at the bar and we don't get anyone that even remembers her. I'd remember her, wouldn't you?'

He looked at Barolli, who shrugged. Lewis said that he probably would. Langton was just moving when Anna spoke.

'She didn't fit in. Yes she's beautiful, but she's constantly biting her nails and looking around as if she is waiting for someone. Men can detect that needy quality she has; they can also detect, in my opinion, that Louise could be on the game. We know she was when she worked at the B&B.'