Chapter 18: Arrival at The Black Cat

The area is quiet at this hour of the morning and there is no sign of activity at the club. Gaining access to the club is going to be a problem we need to solve on our own. I study the door and the surrounding frame. On door frame, either side of the doors, are two dark square pads with a motif of a cat on them. The one on the right has a stalking cat, like on the card Sarah gave me. The left hand pad has a cat lying on its back, similar to the one on the card in Chloe’s possession.

Chloe tries pushing the pad in case it is a doorbell of sorts. The pad is solid so there is no audible or visible response. We wait a few moments in case what Chloe has done has summoned someone inside. However, nobody comes to the door, so I consider trying something else. I bring out my card and place it over the pad with the matching cat symbol. Success! The door on the right makes an audible sound as though a lock is being released. I push on the door and it swings open. Inside is short but wide hallway with a row of turnstiles left and right of a central column. The turnstiles are controlled by the same sort of pad we saw on the outside door. Those to the right of the column ahead of us have a symbol that matches my card, while those on the left match Chloe’s card.

We each pass through one of the turnstiles matching our respective card. Once through to the other side, we find ourselves separated by a wall. I’m now in a different corridor to the one Chloe entered, and I’m unsure how we can meet up again without reversing our route. There’s still nobody about and I’m beginning to worry about my rash choice to accept Sarah’s offer without further details.

“Are you still there, Chloe?” I call.

“Yeah. There’s a staircase going down to a lower level. I’m fairly sure this is where I was brought last night.”

“There’s no staircase on my side,” I reply. The corridor here seems to go past a cloakroom into a large room at the end.”

“Well, let’s explore our own area and see if we can find someone,” replies Chloe.

I quickly check that the cloakroom is empty before entering the large room at the end. It’s a night club, with a huge dance floor bordered by several rows of tables and chairs on two sides; a stage on the third side; and a bar next to where I have entered on the fourth side. On the other side of the bar to the entrance door is an archway, hopefully leading to an office, or somewhere that someone will be working.

I eventually find an office where a woman about my age is working. She doesn’t seem surprised to see me and introduces herself as Honeydew.

“The Bureau sent me your details but I haven’t had time to record them in our system,” says Honeydew. “If you take a seat in the lounge over there, I’ll do that now.”

“Okay,” I reply. “I arrived with another woman; Chloe. The card she was given sent her through the left hand turnstiles when we arrived.”

“She will be looked after downstairs,” replies Honeydew. “Don’t concern yourself about her.”

Honeydew’s attitude towards Chloe strikes me as odd, but I accept her assurance that Chloe will be looked after. Since Chloe isn’t a friend, I put her out of my mind for now. After about fifteen minutes, Honeydew joins me in the lounge. She hands me some documents and a card similar to the one Sarah gave me last night. This card, however, is laminated like my work permit, and has a copy of the photograph I supplied for the Argonaut on the reverse. At her request, I hand over the card Sarah gave me.

“The identity card allows you access to the club,” says Honeydew. “You’ve already discovered how it works. The documents are your terms of employment and your scheduled work hours for the next two weeks. A fifth of your earnings will be paid directly to the Bureau of Ancillary Services to repay your loan. Let me know if you ever want to make an additional payment. If you have any questions then come and talk to me.”

“What should I do now?” I ask.

“The club opens in just over an hour. Sarah will arrive just before then. I suggest you take a walk around the club and get an idea where everything is located.”