CHAPTER 3
Diamond Escort Service was located in a modern office building in downtown Bay City. The service occupied the entire third floor of the building. Although escort services weren't considered illegal they were often used as a cover for illegal activities such as prostitution or drug trafficking.
Starsky had dressed for his meeting with the owner, Sheila Brent, with a bit more care than usual. He chose a pair of jeans that weren't as faded or ragged as he usually wore and a light blue button down shirt. Starsky stepped out of the elevator into a spacious waiting area with plush leather sofas and coffee tables sitting along two of the walls. An attractive brunette with brown eyes sat behind a desk in the middle of the room. She smiled warmly as Starsky crossed the room.
"You must be David Michaels," she said using Starsky's cover name. "Miss Brent is expecting you." She motioned to a door directly behind her. "You can go on in."
"Thank you," Starsky said graciously, flashing his trademark thousand watt smile at the suddenly flustered receptionist. Starsky seemed to have that effect on women without even trying. He could generally get any woman he wanted just by flashing that smile. Receptionists and secretaries were always a valuable well of information. They always seemed to know all the office gossip.
Starsky opened the door and entered the inner office. Shelia Brent was sitting behind the desk on the far side of the room. She was an attractive woman in her mid to late forties with carefully styled blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Her gaze swept over Starsky as if she were mentally undressing him. He strutted across the room and sank down in the plush leather armchair facing the desk.
"You must be David," Shelia said in rich voice with just a trace of a southern accent.
"David Michaels," she said reading from the application Starsky had filled out the day before. "Originally from New York City." She glanced up with a smile, "What brings you out here, David?"
"Change of scenery," Starsky replied evasively. He leaned back in the chair and met her gaze with an unwavering gaze of his own.
"Have you ever worked for an escort service before?"
"No. But, how hard can it be?"
"Let me start by telling you a little bit about the agency." Shelia said obviously satisfied with his answer. "We have a regular clientele that uses our service and we use both male and female escorts. We check out anyone who wants to use our service carefully because we don't want to put our escorts in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation. It also gives us a change to get to know our clients preferences so we can suggest the appropriate escort for the evening."
She paused for a moment to see if Starsky had any questions. When he didn't say anything, she continued with her orientation, "Most of our clients are quite wealthy and they are looking for someone to accompany them to a dinner party, a formal function, or just for an evening on the town. They pay in advance and you will get thirty per cent of the fee with the agency retaining seventy per cent. The fees vary depending on the function they are requesting an escort for and the length of time that they expect the escort to stay. The client may tip you something extra at the end of the evening and that money is yours to keep."
"When do I get my cut?" Starsky asked
"You will drop by the office every day at two o'clock to see if you have an assignment for the evening and you will get your money at that time if you had an engagement the night before."
"What about sex?" Starsky asked bluntly
"Our clients do not pay our escorts for sex. They pay them for companionship. If I find out that any escort who works for me has accepted money for sexual services then that escort will be immediately terminated. I also do not tolerate the use of any illegal drugs. If I find you're using, you're out of here."
"No problem. I don't do drugs," Starsky said with a shrug. He leaned back in his chair, stretching his long legs out in front of him as the orientation continued.
"If there are any problems with any of the clients, I expect you to notify me immediately so I can take care of the matter personally. You will be expected to work five days a week and that includes Fridays and Saturdays. Those are our busiest nights of the week. The other three days are your choice. Even if you don't have an assignment for the evening, you are expected to be on call in case something comes up at the last minute. And that does happen more often than you think."
She looked at Starsky with a smile. "Now, I just need to ask you a few personal questions and then we need to take some pictures for our book. Then we'll finished. Any questions so far?"
"No," Starsky said, shaking his head. The rules that she had laid down seemed logical and designed to protect both the escorts and the agency. He smiled to himself. This could turn out to be an interesting assignment. '
"Good. First of all, may I ask your sexual orientation?"
"Why?"
"Because sometimes we do get a gentleman who wants the company of a male escort for the evening. We try not to send an escort on those assignments who wouldn't be comfortable in that situation."
"Makes sense. I like girls but I have been known to play on the other side of the fence occasionally." Starsky said hoping that he sounded convincing. That answer would also back up Hutch's cover of a jealous ex-boyfriend.
"Okay," Shelia said writing something down on the paper in front of her. "Would you have any problem if the client who wanted your services for the evening was significantly older?"
"No."
"What is your education level?"
"The school of hard knocks." Starsky said somberly. "I graduated high school and then spent a couple of years in 'Nam courtesy of Uncle Sam." When working undercover, it was simpler to keep things as close to the truth as possible. That way there was less of a chance of screwing up or making a mistake.
"Have you ever been married? Any children?"
"No to both questions."
"How long have you been in the city?"
"Six weeks, give or take…"
"Are you on any medications or do you have any illnesses that we should be aware of?"
"No."
"Do you have a vehicle?"
Yes, a 1975 Torino."
"Good. I think that's all for now. If you'll follow me, I introduce you to Lester, our photographer, and he will take a few pictures. You're free to go when you're finished. Check in tomorrow at two to see if you have an assignment or not."
Shelia rose gracefully to her feet and walked to a door in the far left corner of the room. Starsky stood up and trailed behind. Shelia led him down a short hallway to a large studio. Lester Madison, the photographer, was about Starsky's age with clear blue eyes, neatly trimmed brown hair, and deep lines etched around his mouth and eyes. After introducing the two men, Shelia returned to her office.
For the next hour, Lester took several pictures of Starsky. Some were posed shots and some were more candid shots. Each shot was designed to show off Starsky's best features.
Starsky removed his shirt for the last few shots and posed more provocatively than in the other pictures. Finally, Lester told him that he could go. Starsky buttoned his shirt and left the building with a sigh of relief. The whole experience had left him feeling like a piece of meat on display.
Starsky climbed into the Torino and drove to The Pits where he had arranged to meet Hutch after his appointment. Hutch was waiting at their usual table, two mugs of beer sitting in front of him. Starsky slid into the booth across from his partner and reached for one of the beers taking a long swallow.
"How'd it go?" Hutch asked after Starsky had quenched his thirst.
"Okay, I guess." Starsky said "I have to report in tomorrow at two to see if I have an assignment or not."
"What's your first impression of the place?"
"I think the agency is on the up and up," Starsky said as he took another swallow of his beer. "The owner seems a little reserved but the receptionist was friendly enough. I think the photographer swings both ways. We need to do a background check on all of them."
"We can stop by the station before we go off duty and give their names to Minnie." Hutch suggested.
Starsky nodded in agreement. "Let's eat. I'm starving."
"You're always starving, Gordo," Hutch teased him with an affectionate smile.