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Tony Miro aiting for him in front of the club when he pulled up a few minutes later

It was odd to think that the club was really only a degree below plenty of the other clubs in town Even on Bourbon Street, you could find some truly sleazy down and dirty places, butBarely, Barely, Barely seeirls working the poles in the place were going to be a little harder, a little more beat-up by life, physically and mentally

He had e--it was good ood money that seemed like easys to spend it on Not that all strippers were prostitutes But in his tiirls who started out stripping on the weekend, only to discover they enjoyed the drugs they often started taking to give thes cost

He left the car on the street, his police insignia evident Tony approached hi a work suit, and when he eased a finger around his collar, Jagger realized he was uncoer asked

"I questioned everyone in the place, and I got a list of their charge custo last night, so I’ve listed thehted a few naer "--because those tere bartenders, and those tere the girls ent up right before and after Tina Lawrence, and that nas to the cocktail waitress orking the floor while Tina Lawrence orking the pole"

"Thanks Did you see anything, hear anything, a the workforce? Do we have a reason to coer asked

"No And I don’t think she was killed here," Tony said "But then again, I don’t seeed nodded dryly and said, "It’s acquired Let’s go on in"

Tony opened the door, wincing "Back into Dante’s Inferno"

It wasn’t really Dante’s Inferno It was a strip club where very little was spent on a cleaning crew and every effort was spared when it came to the decor Animal-print upholstery that looked to be from the sixties or seventies covered the ratty sofas and chairs There was awith a nues with their own dance poles, surrounded by C-shaped couches covered in the same retro animal prints

The place was dark, filled with smoke, and what seemed like a h decades of hue, while the ss" were all empty

"The bar?" Tony asked

"No, let’s check this one here, in the back," Jagger said, heading toward one of the tables with its own stripper pole

Tony, wide-eyed, looking torn between fascination and repulsion, joined hi sticky--I just sat in it," Tony said

"Is it blood?"

"Sootta live with it a bit," Jagger told hiirl over on the left is called Rosy Red Her real name is Martha Hamm And the other one, the blonde, is Jae just before Tina Lawrence--as known as Ange-dee narotesque, if you ask ht Both his parents had been born to Italian irants in an area of Boston where Italian was still the one to Loyola here in town and fallen in love with New Orleans

He was still a good Catholic Italian boy, though He had grown up quickly working New Orleans’ rough streets, but he had a pure heart that seeht

A tired, skinny cocktail waitress wearing soer wasn’t sure what, but both the tail and the ears were drooping--came up and asked the from his breast pocket and said, "Oh Cops You want soer asked her

She nodded glue Trisha Bean, orked with coffee beans, he thought dryly, and she even looked a bit like a string bean, she was so thin

"Yeah, Bean’s evenpast seeing any humor in the situation "Coffee? Speak up Believe it or not, I’ot a kid to feed"

"We’re actually off duty, so I’ll have a beer," Jagger said "So in a bottle, please," he added, as Tony held up two fingers to tell her to double the order

Trisha Bean laughed "Good call Don’t think the beer taps in here have been cleaned since year one Be right back"

"Don’t you want to question her?" Tony asked

"I will Let her get the drinks first" Jagger loosened his tie and set a foot on the coffee table "Chill Keep your eyes open Watch everyone in here I would bet money that the killer came in here to find Tina Lawrence I’o next, but I think it was a conscious decision to go with a stripper"

Tony looked at hiave serious attention to the roouys will make us for cops and be out of here in two seconds flat Ease it back"

Tony flushed and relaxed as Trisha Bean returned with their bottled beers "Here you go," she said

Jagger set a large bill on her tray, telling her to keep the change