Nancy was right. A little after an hour later, as the sun started to go down, the bar began to fill up, and with it the decibel level.
Steve was almost finished his third beer. He had shifted into the back corner of the small booth so he would have a better view of the large and crowded room, his sleeves rolled up, collar undone, his jacket and tie folded and lying on the bench seat across from him.
No one could hear the music but the heavy, pounding bass beat could be felt, and he lightly tapped the table in time as he surveyed the growing crowd. His eyes lingered over every comely young woman that floated into his field of view, not quite cursing himself for his pragmatism but accepting the inevitable. He knew that, one way or another, he wouldn't be going home alone tonight.
He smiled to himself, shaking his head. The voice in his head that was telling him that the young women he was studying were starting to look younger and younger was not his partner's but his own.
# # # # #
Mike opened the driver's door of the tan LTD and crawled inside. It was another chilly night with a stiff, Bay breeze and he welcomed the relative warmth of the car.
He sighed heavily. He was shooting blanks again. None of the girls he had approached, not even the ones he had come to know over the years, had recognized yesterday's victim. And if any of them had been deliberately lying, they had done it well; he was very good at picking out the subtle signs of lying.
Exhaling loudly in frustration, he snapped on the dome light and looked at his watch. He had time to make another stop he thought as he turned off the light and stuck the key in the ignition.
# # # # #
Nancy fought her way through the crowd, the small brown tray above her head, shaking her head and laughing as she put his fourth beer on the table. "It's exhausting but the tips are pretty great!" she yelled over the din as Steve grinned his thanks. She glanced over her shoulder at the crush of young bodies behind her then looked at the handsome young cop, raising her eyebrows with a playful, lascivious leer. "See anything you like?"
Steve looked at her out of the corner of his eye, running his tongue along the inside of his cheek, and snickered.
"Ha!" she laughed as she winked at him again and started to push her way back in the direction of the bar.
He continued to stare at the crowd, at the mixture of Haight-Asbury 'Summer of Love' leftovers and young professionals who had given up the tie-dye and Afros for suits and skirts. He was reaching for the bowl of peanuts on the other side of the table when he felt someone drop onto the bench seat beside him.
He'd had just enough beer to slow his responses so his turn to face this newcomer was a bit more languid than he had planned. It was downright sensuous, and he found himself staring into the large dark brown eyes of a brunette beauty about his own age who took his breath away. She was staring at him with a smile that told him that she had been watching him for a while and had been waiting for the right time to make her move.
And he was instantly glad that she had.
Her smile got a little wider, and she moved her head just enough to make her long shiny hair ripple. He stared at her without blinking, seemingly unable to find his voice.
"Hi," she said just loud enough to be heard over the din.
He didn't move for a beat, then shook his head almost imperceptibly as a soft smile curled his lips. "Hi," he answered.
She grinned and chuckled, and his eyes widened at the sight. "You, ah.. you looked… lonely…" She raised her eyebrows.
He laughed and looked down, self-consciously putting his right hand around the bottom of his beer glass, pulling it a little closer. "No, ah… I'm not lonely…"
She stared at him until he looked up again. "So… just alone…?"
He nodded, still smiling. "Just alone."
She studied him for a long beat, meeting his even gaze without blinking. "So… do you mind a little company?"
Slowly his eyes softened and his smile widened even more. "I don't mind it at all." He took his right hand off the beer glass and wiped it on his pants before holding it out. "Steve…"
Laughing, she reached forward and took it, returning a firm grip that both impressed and charmed him. "Nicole."
Staring at her, surprised that she had sought him out but definitely pleased that she had, he chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Nicole."
# # # # #
With a frustrated sigh, Mike pulled the left side of his topcoat open and stuffed the photo into the inside pocket before starting back down the deserted street towards the LTD. It had been another frustrating night of diminishing returns, and he was tired.
He was halfway to the car when three working girls turned the corner up ahead and started towards him. One of them, a small blond wearing a fluorescent green miniskirt and fuzzy white top, froze when she caught sight of him and started to back the way they'd come but one of the others grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop with a cackle. "Where you goin', girl?"
Even from half a long city block away Mike could hear her loud and clear. He recognized the tall striking redhead instantly and not only by the the deep husky voice.
"That's the fuzz," the first girl whispered loudly, nodding in Mike's direction as she tried to pull out of the unyielding grasp.
The other two laughed. "Well sure, he's the fuzz, but he's not Vice, he's Homicide," the third girl offered as she struck a pose, playfully batting her eyes as the cop got closer. "How you doin', Mike?" the strawberry blond asked playfully as she snapped her gum and leered at him with friendly chuckle.
With a big friendly grin, his hands still in his pockets, Mike slowly approached the three street walkers. "Crystal, Franny," he nodded to the two he recognized, "I thought you two worked North Beach?"
"We did, but we left the Beach a few months back… it was getting way too crowded, you know?" the redhead known as Franny shrugged in obvious frustration. "We can make way more money down here… even if the clientele ain't as… you know, sophisticated…" She snorted a laugh and Crystal joined her.
Mike nodded, still smiling, and turned his attention to the third girl, who looked young… very young. "And who's this?" he asked conversationally.
Her eyes snapping back and forth from Mike to Franny, the girl turned to bolt again but Franny was faster and wrapped her hand around her wrist again, holding her in place without even looking at her. "This here is Janice, but she prefers to be known as Sherry," the older woman offered, amusement at the naivety dripping from her tone.
Smiling, Mike took his hands out of his pockets and offered his right for her to shake, staring into her frightened blue eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sherry. Everybody calls me Mike."
She stared at him without blinking; Franny jerked her slightly to break the silent spell then released her arm. Sherry finally took his hand and shook it.
Continuing to smile, the cop returned his attention to the other two, who were older and had been around longer, reaching into his inside pocket and taking out the photograph. "Listen, ladies, I was wondering if you'd be able to help me out here."
"Sure, honey, what do you need?" Crystal purred, taking a half-step closer.
He turned the photo around and held it up, tilting it so they could see the disturbing picture in the nearby streetlight. "Would you happen to know who this could be?"
Both Crystal and Franny took a step forward, frowning. They stared at it in silence for a long beat before Crystal asked quietly, "Is she dead?"
Pursing his lips and briefly closing his eyes, Mike nodded.
"Was she a working girl?" Franny asked, staring into his sympathetic eyes.
He nodded again. "She was found in an alley off Eddie a couple of nights ago."
"Damn…" Crystal breathed, taking a step back. Franny shook her head.
"I know her," came a soft voice to Mike's right and he turned his head slightly. Sherry was staring at the photo through wide, terrified eyes which slowly lifted to meet the gentle and welcoming stare of the imposing man standing in front of her. "I know her," she repeated.
Mike felt his heart start to pound but he stood perfectly still and kept his voice low and even. "Do you know what her name is?"
Sherry swallowed, her eyes travelling back to the photo as if its pull was a magnet. "She said it was Charlotte but…?" She shrugged apologetically.
"Did you… work the streets with her?" he asked softly, having difficulty speaking of such matters with a girl who was probably no older than his own daughter.
She nodded, still staring at the photo. "Over on Polk, near Broadway."
Mike nodded; he knew the area well. It was a location they hadn't canvassed yet.
"When was the last time you saw her?"
She didn't move, as if she hadn't heard him. He started to put the photo back in his pocket and her eyes drifted up to his face. "I'm sorry…?" she whispered.
"When was the last time you saw her?" he repeated patiently. He knew just how rattled she was but she was also their first solid lead and he needed to get as much information from her as he could.
She bit her bottom lip nervously. "Uh, I don't know, about three weeks ago, I guess. That's when I left Polk to come over here."
He nodded. "Okay, that's good, thank you. Is, ah, is there anything else you remember about her? Was she friendly with any of the other girls?"
Sherry shook her head. "No. Those girls on Polk… they're, ah, they're… territorial…" She looked up at Crystal and Franny apologetically.
Crystal looked at Mike. "No, she's right, they're mean…" she confirmed with a sharp nod that Franny echoed with an "Umh-humh."
The cop chuckled softly. "Listen, ah, are there any johns that make any of you girls… uncomfortable?"
The three women looked at each other and three pair of eyebrows were raised. Franny exhaled loudly. "There's always a john that'll make you nervous once in awhile but…" she shook her head, "no… not really."
The other two shook their heads as well.
"Is that what you think happened to her?" Crystal nodded towards Mike's topcoat pocket.
"That's what we're trying to find out," he said with a tight smile as he reached into a pocket, took out a business card and handed it to the tiny blonde. "Sherry, if you think of anything else, please give me a call. And I promise I'll respect your privacy. Like she said," he glanced at Crystal and winked, "I'm in Homicide, not Vice."
# # # # #
The Yellow Cab turned the corner onto Union and double parked in front of the small, three-storey gray clapboard apartment building half-way down the block on the right. The back passenger side door opened and Steve almost crawled out. He turned back and extended his right hand, helping Nicole slide across the back seat and step out onto the pavement.
He slammed the door and, still holding her hand, started to lead her between the parked cars to the sidewalk. She looked up at the very attractive building with the funky staircase and pulled him to a stop. They were both swaying slightly. "You live here?" she gasped in a loud stage whisper.
"Ssh ssh ssh," he said quickly, bringing his other index finger to his lips. "My neighbors are asleep."
"But it's so cute," she giggled as she followed him to the bottom of the first set of brick stairs.
He turned back and grinned at her. "Wait till you see the bedroom."