St Kilda Blues (Charlie Berlin #3)(69)

Egan slid the darkroom door closed and then turned back to face the two detectives. ‘Derek’s no friend of mine, I told you that earlier. Did you hurt your head, Mr Berlin?’

‘Had a bit of a bump, it’s nothing.’ Berlin wondered if he should just leave his hat on with the brim pulled down. ‘But right now Tim we’re interested in Derek’s background, if you can help us out. Like where he comes from, for instance.’

Egan dropped the rubber gloves into a bucket next to the darkroom door. ‘The West, I think – Perth maybe, or Adelaide. We don’t talk much about private stuff but I think he might have mentioned Adelaide once. A Croweater. Orphan too, as I recollect. Gets a bit moody if you ask him about it. More moody than usual, I mean. I feel bad saying things behind his back but he’s got a bit of a temper sometimes, he can be a bit scary.’

Berlin saw that Roberts was making notes. ‘What about you, Tim? Where do you hail from?’

‘Me? Banana bender born and bred. Family’s been Queenslanders going back three generations. Cane farmers all of them, though I guess I’m the black sheep since I took an apprenticeship with a cabinet-maker in Brisbane. Cane farming is too bloody hard. And dirty.’

‘So what are you doing working in a darkroom in Melbourne?’

‘Got bored with Brisbane and cabinet-making. Came to Melbourne and talked my way into a job here. Photographers can always use someone who’s good at building, you know, for sets and stuff. In exchange for my carpentry talents I got them to put me through the RMIT diploma course at night. Still got a couple of terms to go. The Beast seems happy enough with what I’ve picked up so far. He reckons I’m a fast learner.’

‘Bit of a difference to Brisbane, I imagine, the weather for one.’

‘Weather’s weather, no point in complaining about stuff you can’t change. Some funny stuff with language, though. Up in Brisbane if you get some ham between two pieces of bread and they slice it diagonally into four we call that four sandwiches. First day here I went to the shop and ordered four ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches for lunch and I just managed to stop the bloke behind the counter before he buttered a half a loaf of bread.’

Berlin was content to let him ramble. Seemingly casual conversations sometimes held useful information if you kept your ears open.

‘You really think Derek might have something to do with those missing girls, Mr Berlin?’

Berlin sensed something in his tone. ‘Like I said, we’re looking at all sorts of people. But if you know anything that you think could be helpful ...’

Egan hesitated a moment before he answered. ‘Derek’s here in the evenings sometimes, late, using the darkroom and the studio. I’ve bumped into him a couple of times when I’ve come in at night after class to do assignments’

‘So you both have keys?’

‘That’s right. You don’t get paid a whole lot and Mr Shapiro, I mean, the Beast, works you hard. But you get free access to practise or do your own little jobs after hours.’

‘Like Derek’s pictures at the discos for GEAR?’

‘Stuff like that, yes. He pays me a few bob to develop and proof his films, which helps with my rent, but he makes his own prints. He’s a messy bugger in the darkroom, which I don’t like, and I reckon he pinches stuff. He’s a bit of a funny one, with women, I mean. You know what his favourite joke is right now?

Berlin shook his head. ‘No idea, why don’t you tell me?’

‘What’s the major similarity between a fashion model and a ladder?

‘Okay, I’ll bite, what’s the similarity?

‘They’re both tall and skinny. Now, do you know what the difference is between a fashion model and a ladder?

Berlin waited.

‘Not everyone can get up a ladder.’ Tim shook his head. ‘That’s really shocking, isn’t it?’

Berlin nodded in agreement. ‘Young Derek’s definitely a charmer.’

‘Well, he talks a good game, Mr Berlin, but I’ve never seen him with a girlfriend – someone regular, I mean.’

‘Maybe he doesn’t prefer women.’

Egan seemed to be genuinely shocked. ‘Goodness me, I don’t think that’s right.’

It looked like he was thinking something over and Berlin waited. ‘Just a tick, I’ve got something you might be interested in.’ He went back into the darkroom and rummaged around under a bench. Luckily the smell from the sepia toner had lessened a little, the exhaust fans must have been doing their job.

Egan came back out of the darkroom with a large manila envelope in his hand. ‘Derek thinks he’s got a secret hidey-hole back there for his private stuff but he forgets I rebuilt and rewired that whole darkroom when I first starred here. I know every inch of the place.’ He handed Berlin the envelope. ‘Don’t tell him where you got these. Like I said, he’s a moody chap and he’s got a bit of a nasty temper. Derek’s not really a bloke I’d like to get offside.’

Inside the envelope were four or five proof sheets with a dozen square images on each page and about a dozen eight by ten inch prints. The proof sheets were of negatives taken with a Hasselblad camera and a quick glance showed the images were all of naked girls. The girls were posing awkwardly on a paper background and the square format showed enough details on the edge to confirm it was the Beast’s studio. The eight by ten inch prints were blow ups of some of the images on the proof sheets.