There was a spring in Dirk Peterson's step when he arrived at The Grand Hotel that afternoon. He entered the lounge where he saw his girlfriend, Sadie Newman, and her employer - property magnate Aaron Lansdown. When their drinks arrived, Aaron Lansdown wasted no time getting to the point.
'I've got contractors waiting to start work on my new development Mr Peterson, and I need them to start by the beginning of December, which is less than four weeks away. I want those whores and winos off my land. The cops don't seem to be able to do it, and I guess the only person who can help is Falcon. So that's why I've come to you.'
'I don't see how I can help Mr Lansdown,' said Dirk.
'Of course you can. I'm offering a one million dollar reward to Falcon, if he clears those people off my land. I'd like you to publish that in your newspaper.'
Dirk was taken aback by Lansdown's words. 'I'll need to speak to my editor.'
'I already have,' replied Lansdown. 'He's a good friend of mine and he's told me you're his best reporter. I want you to run a story, telling your readers about the benefits of my new development to this city. Let them know that the police are incapable, or unwilling to take these whores seriously. Make it clear that if Falcon gets rid of them for good, he'll be a rich man.'
'I'm not sure Falcon can help. I hear he's just a fruitcake in a costume,' said Dirk.
'Fruitcake or not, I'll pay him to clear my land,' Lansdown replied firmly, bringing the meeting to a close. 'It's time we left. Goodbye Mr Peterson.' Lansdown and Sadie left, and minutes later, Sadie returned alone. She flung her arms around Dirk's neck and kissed him passionately.
'I've missed you so much,' he said.
'I've missed you too,' she replied. 'Let's get dinner.'
As they sat in a nearby bistro, Dirk looked into Sadie's eyes as he admired her beautiful face and long black hair. They talked excitedly all evening, until Sadie made an announcement. 'Dirk, I've been thinking. We can leave this city and live in my hometown in the Midwest. I've got a job lined up with a pharmaceutical company, and you could work on the local newspaper. We can start a new life together.'
'I'd love to,' he replied, then added, 'I love you Sadie.'
'I love you too Dirk,' she said, without any hesitation. 'So it's agreed. We'll hand in our resignations and move to the Midwest in the new year.' Dirk wanted to jump up and down and cheer, but he knew there was one major problem β Domino. As long as she continued to blackmail him, he wouldn't be able to leave the city.
'Yes, it's agreed,' he said.
The following afternoon, while at his desk at The Daily Chronicle, Dirk received a message that he had a visitor, and found a tall, athletic woman with auburn hair waiting for him in reception.
'Mr Peterson. I'm Police Detective Rachel Benton. Can we talk?' she said. Dirk immediately recognised her from The Palace Hotel the previous weekend. 'I've heard that Aaron Lansdown has asked you to publish a story that he's offering a reward to Falcon to clear the prostitutes from his land.'
'Yes, that's right. Is there a problem?'
'There's no law against it, but it's not something the police can condone,' she said. 'Mr Lansdown's a wealthy and powerful man. He has a lot of influence on people in high places. Sometimes men like him think they can buy whatever they want.' Rachel paused briefly, before changing the subject. 'Have we met before?'
'I don't think so,' he lied.
'I recently saw a strip-o-gram who looked like you,' she said. Dirk feigned a look of shook and Rachel realised that it had sounded like a cheap chat-up line, and felt it best not to continue. They shook hands and Rachel left.
The following evening at 10.00, Falcon arrived in the red-light district. He noticed that Aaron Lansdown's heavy plant vehicles were now all positioned within a fenced compound a hundred yards away. The compound was lit by powerful arc lights, and security guards with dogs were patrolling outside the fence. He entered Domino's lair and removed his mask, before going into the first room where he found her waiting for him.
'Good evening slave. Remove your belt,' she said. She led him through a series of rooms until they reached a door at the rear of the lair. Domino unlocked it and Falcon saw that they were in another section of the red-light district, occupied by vagrants, who were huddled around bonfires. The vagrants took no notice of them as they walked by, and they soon found themselves outside another converted warehouse with a neon sign that read, "The Kandy Klub".
'The recording is timed to be released at midnight. Although, I won't be stopping it - you will,' Domino said, holding a small bag, which she placed in a crack in the wall. 'In that bag is a cell phone with a pre-programmed phone number. When you dial it, a recorded message will invite you to enter a four digit code. This code will stop the recording being released. If you enter the wrong code three times, the phone will lockdown, so you can't key random numbers. Only by entering the correct code can you stop the recording.'
They made their way to The Kandy Klub entrance, where a doorman in a tight-fitting PVC T-shirt stood aside. 'In there are four mistresses. Each must be given a tribute and obeyed. Once they're satisfied with you, they will give you a number. When you have all four numbers, you can input the code. You have less than two hours, so good luck slave.'
'How do I know which mistresses to see?' he asked.