‘The last time I was coming up these stairs, one of the teenage models was hurrying down and was so intent on keeping hold of a wad of cash she had in an envelope, she knocked straight into me and everything spilled out.’

Jane pursed her lips. ‘Why haven’t you brought this up before?’

‘To be honest, I didn’t really see the point.’

They walked out onto the pavement.

‘Well, there is a point, Spencer, particularly if Foxley was paying for these models to be a lot more than arm candy. I’ve been trying to figure out where the shedload of cash Foxley was withdrawing each week was going. I suggest you get back there and put some pressure on young Mr. Quinn.’

Chapter Twenty

CHAPTER TWENTY

In reception, Rita took a call from DC Gary Dors, asking to speak to DS Tennison. She held the line and put a call in to Simon Quinn’s phone and was told that both Spencer and Jane had already left the building, missing Spencer’s return across the corridor.

Spencer tapped on Simon Quinn’s door.

‘What is it now?’ he asked petulantly.

Spencer walked into the room. ‘I just need to straighten out a few things.’ He looked around and saw a stool, which had a stack of models’ photographs on top. He picked them up and placed them on the edge of the already cluttered desk.

‘I have answered every single question. I just don’t know what you want from me.’

Spencer took out his notebook and leaned over the desk to remove a pencil from a jar. ‘It is just to satisfy my boss. You stated that the models were hired to be – and this is your description – “arm candy” for various premieres, which were not necessarily Charles Foxley’s movies.’

‘Yes.’

Spencer made a show of flicking from one page to another, but there were actually no notes written on them.

‘So you say you paid for these girls to have taxis back and forth, and for evening dresses. How much would you say that would cost per girl?’

‘I don’t know, it depends where they lived. I mean, if they had a flat in Hampstead and were going to the Odeon in Leicester Square, we would have to book a taxi there and back.’

‘So what would you say was the usual outlay for cash for taxis? I presume you paid them cash?’

Simon sighed. ‘Yes, cash. They would come in the day after with their receipts and that’s how we paid them.’

‘What about the evening wear?’

Simon sighed again. ‘Well, sometimes they would hire an evening gown. We aren’t talking Valentino or Yves Saint Laurent. They just had to look glamorous.’

‘So, on these occasions, the girls would come in with the receipts for the clothes the next day?’