CHAPTER 6

Two days later, Starsky found himself in the waiting area with Rick Jenkins. Shelia was in a private meeting with a new applicant and Becky was running some errands. It was the perfect opportunity for Starsky to see if he could get any new information out of Rick.

"So, how long have you worked here?"

"Almost two years." Rick said in a bored tone.

"You like it here?"

"It's okay. You can make good money…even better if you have a couple of little side businesses going on."

"Like what?"

"I got me a nice little thing going selling nude pictures of myself to some of the clients." Rick told him in a whisper. "I've also acted in a couple of movies."

"Porns?"

"Yeah, what else is there?" The other man chuckled to himself at Starsky's apparent naivety. He leaned in closer and whispered "You know, you got the right look for the business. You could make a bundle."

"That's not my thing," Starsky said with a friendly smile.

"Suit yourself," Rick said with a shrug. "I was just telling you that you got what it takes in case you're ever interested."

"I'll keep that in mind. What other kind of side businesses you guys got going on?"

"The obvious…paying for a little extra attention. Of course you have to make sure you hit on the right client. You don't want it to get back to the boss about the little extra service you're offering."

"I imagine that'd be bad for business." Starsky said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Of course if you wanna play it safe, you can just bypass Shelia and set up private dates. That way the entire fee goes to you instead of just a cut."

"Sounds like you have it all covered."

"Yeah…well, in this business…it's not hard to come up with ways to make a few extra bucks."

"I can see that."

Their conversation stopped when the door opened and Becky returned from her errands. A few minutes after that, the new applicant left Shelia's office and she called Rick inside.

When Rick left, it was Starsky's turn.

As soon as he sat down in front of her desk, Shelia smiled brightly and said, "Maggie was quite taken with you. I got glowing report on the evening. I think you have a real future in this business, David."

"I aim to please." Starsky said with a satisfied grin.

"Good. I have another assignment for you tomorrow night. The client's name is Amanda Bruce and she's one of our regulars. Apparently she wants you to accompany her to an office party where she works."

"Do I need to dress up?"

"You won't need a suit and tie, but you should still dress appropriately."

"Is there anything I need to know about her in advance?"

"Amanda can be very demanding. She can also be a bit abrasive but I'm sure you can handle her."

"Where am I suppose to meet her and when?"

"At the Carlton building at eight o'clock. That's where the party is being held. You're to wait in the parking garage until she arrives so you can go up to the party together."

"Sounds good."

"Okay. That's all for now." Sheila dismissed Starsky with a smile and a wave of her hand. After leaving the building, Starsky drove to headquarters to meet up with Hutch. It was a warm spring day with a gentle breeze blowing from the west. It was a perfect day to spend at the beach. But, unfortunately for Starsky, duty called.

Hutch was sitting at their shared table space when Starsky breezed into the squad room.

He was busy sorting through some files lying in front of him. Starsky sat down in his usual seat and said, "Hey, partner."

"Hey, yourself," Hutch said with a pleased smile. It felt good to see Starsky somewhere besides that ratty apartment or on the street. "They identified the third victim."

"Yeah? Did he fit the pattern?"

"His name was Pete Reed. He was an escort but he didn't work at Diamond Escorts like the other two victims. He worked for a place called Ecstasy Escort Service."

"Yeah, but he was still an escort so there has to be some kind of connection there."

"It means our killer chooses his victims from escort services. The only question is why?"

"According to one of the guys at the agency, a lot of the escorts have their own little side businesses….porn, hustling, sexual favors, stuff like that."

"Sounds like a lucrative way to make a living."

"It can be," Starsky agreed

Hutch sorted through the files on his desk and pulled one out of the pile. "Minnie finished those background checks."

"Good. Anything useful turn up?"

"I don't know. You tell me," Hutch said as he opened the file and began to read the contents, "Shelia Brent, 40 years old, owner of Diamond Escorts. Married and divorced twice. No children. Both husbands gave her a nice settlement to end the marriage. No police record except for a couple of speeding tickets. Opened Diamond Escorts a little over two years ago."

"Did you find out about her brother?"

"I'm getting to that." Hutch said "Cody Brent, 45 years old. Works at a movie studio as a consultant. His specialty is substance abuse. Married and divorced four times. 5 children between the 4 marriages. Two from the first, a boy and a girl, ages 15 and 16, one from each of the other three marriages, all girls, aged 5, 9, and 12. He's been taken to court several times by all four wives for failing to pay child support. No other criminal record. He and his sister were both born and raised in Los Angeles and their parents are dead."

"What about the escorts?" Starsky asked a bit impatiently.

"Do you want to read this yourself?" Hutch grumbled in an irritated voice at the constant interruptions.

"No, you're doing fine." Starsky said with a grin. "Go ahead."

"Thank you," Hutch said in a sarcastic tone as he continued to read from the file "Becky Howell. 28 years old. Single. No children. Graduated from secretarial school and went to work for Diamond Escorts a year ago. Has one arrest for shop lifting when she was 19. Got probation and hasn't been in any trouble since. A Los Angeles native. No siblings. Father is dead. Mother is in a nursing home.

Lester Madison, photographer. 47 years old. Homosexual but not in a committed relationship. No marriages and no children. Moved here from San Francisco two years ago and went to work at the escort service. Works on the side taking nude shots for models."

"You'd think he'd want to stay in San Francisco since they have a more liberal attitude towards homosexuals there than they do here." Starsky commented.

"Apparently he left San Francisco after breaking up with a man he'd been with for almost twelve years." Hutch explained.

"As good a reason as any." Starsky said "Fresh start and all that."

"Right." Hutch shuffled through the file and then continued with his briefing "Ok, as far as the escorts go…Cindy Lee, 22 years old, born in New York City after her parents immigrated here from Japan. Moved to LA three years ago with a boyfriend. They broke up shortly after they arrived in the city. 2 arrests for solicitation. Single, no regular boyfriend. Worked for Diamond Escorts for 3 months.

Angela Marker, 35 years old. Divorced with three children. Moved to LA from Arizona six months ago. Lives in a rent controlled building on the east side of town. No arrests. Worked for Diamond Escorts for 18 months.

Matt King, 34 years old. Never been married but he does have a child, a boy 9 years old, that he does help support. Graduated from Bay City Tech with a degree in electronics. Worked for Diamond Escorts for six weeks. Most recent hire besides you. No arrests but several traffic tickets."

The rest of the briefing on the other escorts was more of the same. Tom Holly and Linda Arnett had both worked for Diamond Escorts ever since it opened. Tiffany Atkins had several arrests for solicitation and one for possession and Brent Walden was the only escort who was married.

After writing an update on the case for Captain Dobey, the two detectives left for the day, stopping by The Pits for a bite to eat and couple of games of pool before Starsky returned to his hotel.