Mike drove through the busy late night streets. The red hot hum of the neon lights steadily invited locals and tourists alike to go in and enjoy the sheer decadence the city had to offer. A guy could find anything his heart desired in Zenith. Any worldly thing he ever wanted could be his at the touch of a button or the opening of a door. Of course that's how the government intended it.
Zenith was a party town. A special place set aside for people all over the country to come and just completely let their inhibitions go. People could come to Zenith and forget the social, political or economic problems that plagued the country. Happy people would never think to revolt or protest whatever changes they made. It was all bread and circuses on a large scale.
That night there were a lot more regulars walking the streets. State prostitutes lined the sidewalks in their government issued blue corsets. They were tethered to pay poles waiting for someone to drive up, put some money in the slot, unlock the tether and drive off to the nearby hotel. In the back, standing and leaning against the walls of buildings were the freelancers as they were called. They were a little freer to pick and choose what clothes to wear and were able to set their own prices. Some even were able to pick their hours.
Despite the name, many of the freelancers were actually members of different cat houses, whore houses and strip clubs. They pulled in new patrons to entertain. In Zenith the term became synonymous with prostitutes not affiliated with the government. There's a joke among some of the men of the city saying they were called freelancers because they were free of government regulation and they got "lanced".
That isn't to say Zenith didn't have its own independent contractors. Most of them worked on the seedy outskirts where regulations and laws were a little more lax. A few brothels and independent porn studios dotted the area but it was mainly free reign for prostitutes.
The Red Lounge was a Zenith institution. It was the first whorehouse in the city. Many of the women who worked there were ninth generation prostitutes. Their mothers made careers of sex work and, when their daughters were old enough, their daughters started their own career.
With the government promoting easy women in the name of "happiness" and complacency, prostitution in Zenith wasn't taboo. It was even glorified to a certain extent. Many streetwalkers and other types of women would give anything to be a part of the exclusive ranks of the workers at the Red Lounge. That was where Mike was headed.
The Red Lounge was a nondescript square building. The front had a big glowing neon sign with its name written in script above a red leather upholstered door. As always the parking lot was filled with cars. People lined up at the doors waiting for their chance to get in.
As soon as the car stopped she got out and walked to the front. Mike showed the bouncer his badge and was immediately let in. For a Wednesday night during the off season the place was extremely busy. Guys gathered around the center stage as a busty blonde danced and gyrated on the pole. She looked out at her audience eyeing the police officer with hungry anticipation while she sensuously ran her hands all over her body.
The officer made his way to the bar.
"Gin and tonic," he said sitting.
"I recognize that order," the woman at the bar said. She was a slender Asian woman. Probably around five feet tall. Her almond shaped eyes and thin nose gave her an exotic look reminiscent of the old geisha girls from the movies of ancient history.
"Hey Thai," Mike replied.
"Mike! What's happening? Where's Adrianna?"
"She's working on another part of the case."
"Ah yes. The recent murders."
"You sure you don't know anything?"
"I only know what I've told you. All of the girls here wanted Randall dead. They even talked about how they were going to do it. I just ever thought someone would have the guts to actually go through with it."
"What about the second guy?"
"I couldn't say. He was Stacy's client. She was the last to see him alive."
"Where is she now?"
"She's up on stage."
"That's Stacy?! What happened to her?"
"No one really knows. All I know is that she's bringing a lot of people in. That other girl, Jane, went through something too. It's weird."
"I'm going to need to talk to her."
