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That caught my attention immediately. “Would the girl have had to sign a register or anything to go to the dance?”
Michelle Finnegan shook her head. She said, “Some of the boys were talking about the girl the next week. Apparently, when someone asked Jaden if she was his girlfriend, he said, ‘No, my brother got me The Girlfriend Experience.’”
“The what?”
“Apparently she was an escort hired by Jaden’s older brother. He’s some kind of financial analyst in the city.”
“She was a prostitute?”
“I don’t think so. More of a date for hire. I asked Alyssa if she’d ever heard the term. She said she had but wasn’t sure what it meant.”
This felt big. Huge. But I needed more. “Is there any way, short of speaking to Jaden Banning or his brother, that I could identify this girl?”
Michelle pulled her phone from a pocket of the blue sweater she had on over her blouse. She started scrolling through her photos and said, “I may have a couple of photos of them. I took about fifty that night. Mostly of decorations but quite a few of the students as well.”
I waited while she scrolled through her photos. When she held up the phone, I had to squint and lean closer to see the photo clearly.
Jaden Banning was smiling with his arm around Emma Schrade.
Chapter55
THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE.The phrase pinged around in my head. It seemed familiar but alien at the same time. I used my phone to look it up and saw that it was a TV show and used on several adult sites to describe an escort pretending to be someone’s girlfriend. Those kinds of general terms didn’t seem like they would help me at the moment.
I went to the best possible source of underground phrases: Ronald Higdon, Esquire.
When I walked into Higdon’s Pawn and Jewelry, I saw a young couple at the counter talking with Ronald. The way my informant looked up and said, “Good morning,DetectiveBennett,” told me he was warning the couple not to say anything they weren’t supposed to in front of a cop.
I was anxious to talk to him. I turned and looked at the front door. He took the hint and told the couple to come back later to finish their business.
When we were alone, I asked Ronald, “What kind of conspiracy are you involved in with those two?”
“Conspiracy? They were just looking at rings. I’m offended you’d think I’d conduct any criminal activity in my business.”
I said, “I’moffended you’d think Ididn’t realizeyou’re constantly conducting criminal activity in your business.”
Ronald put on a pleasant smile and said, “Sounds like we should agree to disagree.” Wisely, he changed the subject. “I poked around a little bit after you texted me. I think I’ve got some information on your Girlfriend Experience.”
I didn’t say anything. Sometimes silence can be a great motivator. It clearly made Ronald a little uneasy.
“A-a lot of p-people” he stammered, “use the term. But it’s also the name of a little group here in Manhattan. I don’t know how little, but it’s not widespread. A group of young ladies who make money renting themselves out as dates. Sex is not always on the table. I heard that’s negotiable.”
“It sounds a little like prostitution.”
“It’s not like the old days, Bennett. No pimps involved. Everything’s online now. Very sophisticated. Sounds like these girls run it themselves.” He looked on his phone, then said, “I’m texting you a link to the site. I also talked to some of my people on the street. They’ve heard it was going on, but no one knows any of the girls involved. It sounds like they’re pretty smart.”
I stood there for a moment, thinking about what Ronald had just told me.
Ronald said, “Think the girls who ended up dead were part of this Girlfriend Experience?”
I shook my head. “Don’t know. Maybe. Easiest way to find out would be to ask Kyle Banning directly. He’s already said he won’t talk to me. Or at least his father did.”
“You probably don’t want to involve one of your smart kids who know how to sail around the internet, do you?”
I looked at Ronald. “That’s a good idea.”
“Using one of your kids on a murder investigation?”
“What? No, of course not. But I know some pretty smart tech people who aren’t related to me. I bet I know exactly which one would want to help.” I turned on my heel and hustled for the door. Just as I opened it, I turned back and said, “Thanks, Ronald. Sometimes you’re even helpful when you don’t mean to be.”
