He nodded. ‘A real bastard, that one.’

‘Exactly.’ I showed him my card and my PEA licence. ‘It’s a private matter. Would fifty dollars get me to her door?’

‘Yeah, sure.’

‘Would it make you piss off and keep your mouth shut?’

‘Another twenty would.’

‘You’re on. You seem to know a lot about her. Where’s she likely to be now?’

‘In another pub, playing the horses for the rest of the afternoon. Then she goes out on the street.’

I took a twenty from my wallet and balled the notes in my fist. ‘Lead on,’ I said.

The block of flats had seen better days, much better days. It was square, squat, red brick and faded, but the remnants of some sense of style were there in the balconies and the garden out front and along the side, now dying of neglect. My escort said he and Lola were on the third floor. No security door, no lift. We went up the stained concrete steps in a dim light until we reached the top landing, which would have given a view of some sort if the window hadn’t been coated with grime.

I knocked at the door he indicated and got no answer. He took out his key and held out his hand for the money.

‘Put the key away,’ I said. ‘You piss off down the stairs and don’t show your face within a hundred metres for the next hour, minimum.’

He looked hurt, but he put the key back. I gave him the money and he started down the stairs.

‘Let me hear the entrance door slam.’

I did. He could’ve been faking but I didn’t think so. To someone with a set of picklocks attached to his always-present Swiss army knife, the old Yale lock was a piece of cake.

I’ve been in prostitutes’ flats before and Lola’s didn’t surprise me. It was a tiny, one-bedroom job and it was neat as a new pin. It also smelled of cigarette smoke, perfume, room freshener and basic, underlying dirt. The double bed was precisely made with a black bedspread and a white sheet folded down at the end of the bed the way the working girls do. The decks were cleared for action. The bedside light held a red bulb; the table featured a packet of ribbed condoms, lubricant, dildos in three sizes. There was a strategically placed mirror along one wall, a small TV with a VCR and a stack of videos. The handcuffs were probably in a drawer, the lingerie in the closet.