‘Yes. On a couple of occasions the hire company refused to take the item back due to a drink being spilled or a torn hem, something like that.’

‘So how much would you say you were forking out for these glamorous clothes you wanted the girls to wear?’

‘Well, it varied, but on average I would say around two hundred pounds. Sometimes they included shoes and an evening bag. I mean, some of these girls were pretty savvy, you know. It wasn’t as if they didn’t jump at the chance. As I’ve already told you, sometimes the star of the movie needed an escort, so the girls couldn’t wait to get the gig.’

Spencer made quite a show of writing down figures and totting up the amount. ‘So, shall we say when six girls were required to attend one of these first nights, you’re looking at a thousand pounds, maybe fifteen hundred payout?’

Simon shook his head, ‘No, no . . . it would have been more like five or six hundred.’

‘Do you have these receipts?’ Spencer asked quietly.

‘You must be joking. Look at the state of my office! Do you really think I can put my hands on any of the receipts? Besides, they would be handled by Julia to give to Foxley.’

Spencer nodded thoughtfully. ‘Did you ever have any problems with these girls?’

‘What do you mean, problems?’

‘Well, did any one of the girls complain or say they felt they were being taken advantage of? I mean, you said there were a lot of movie actors, producers and directors.’

‘They couldn’t wait to get there. Most of them were aspiring actresses and, as I have said before, the girls were almost fighting each other to be given the job.’

‘You didn’t actually answer my question. Did any of these girls ever make a complaint that perhaps they might have been forced into providing sexual favors?’

‘I don’t understand what you mean.’

‘Mr. Quinn, I have put it as plainly and politely as possible. I am asking you if these young girls, I would say some of them underage, ever felt obliged to go further than being simply “arm candy”.’

Quinn shook his head. ‘I can honestly say that I never had to deal with anything like that. I am sure that if there had been any instances of wrong-doing, Mr. Foxley would have dealt with it personally.’

‘Do you know if any girl was ever paid extra?’

Quinn’s face was now glistening with sweat, his cheeks flushed. He plucked a tissue from a box to wipe his forehead.

‘I’m not getting involved in any of this. I only just started to work here recently, so I can’t tell you what may have gone on before my time. I did hear a rumor that one girl had caused a lot of problems, but I don’t know who she was.’