Ties That Bind

Chapter Seventeen.

Oscar Baron's office was on the eighteenth floor of a modern glass-and-steel office tower. The waiting area was tastefully furnished and gave the impression that Baron was doing well, but Amanda knew that he was renting space from a firm and had nothing to do with selecting, or paying for, the reception-area furnishings.

The receptionist buzzed Baron and told him that Amanda was waiting for him. After five minutes, she started thumbing through a copy of TIME . Fifteen minutes later, Baron hurried into the waiting room.

"Sorry," he said as he extended a hand. "I was talking with a lawyer in New York about a case we're cocounseling."

Amanda pretended to be impressed that Baron was working with a New York lawyer as he led her down a long hall and into a moderate-sized office with a view of the river.

"So, Robard stuck you with Dupre," Baron said when they were seated.

"I took the case as a favor because no one else would touch it. I'm surprised you aren't representing Dupre. You'd have gotten a lot of media exposure."

"Yeah. I can see it now." Baron held up his hands as if he was a director framing a shot. "oscar baron's client gets the chair." He laughed. "Or maybe, mad pimp claims second lawyer victim. Just the kind of publicity I need. Besides, he couldn't afford my fee." Baron leaned forward and dropped his voice a notch. "And between us, I'm glad. Poor Wendell." He looked at Amanda wide-eyed. "There but for the grace of God, huh? I'm telling you, I've had nightmares about that little bastard. It could have been me in that room at the jail."

"You think Dupre might have tried to kill you?"

"Who knows what that lunatic is capable of."

"Did he threaten you while you were representing him?"

"Well, no, not directly. But the guy is scary. I always felt he was ready to explode. I guess I just got lucky. So, how are you two getting along?"

"We're at the feeling-out stage. You know how that is."

"Oh, sure. That's when they don't trust you and lie to you. Then you pass that stage and they trust you and lie to you."

Baron barked out a laugh and Amanda forced a smile.

"How long have you been representing Jon?" she asked.

"It was just this one case, but I represented a few of his girls when they got in trouble."

"The women who worked in his escort service?"

Baron nodded.

"Tell me about the escort-service case."

"I can't reveal any confidences without Jon's okay."

"Of course, but I'm interested in public knowledge. Information that's in the police reports. I'll need copies from you, anyway. I thought you could give me an abridged version now."

"Why do you need the police reports from the escort case?"

"The penalty phase. I understand that Dupre was rough with some of the women. The DA will try to introduce those incidents as evidence of his propensity to be dangerous in the future."

"Right, of course." Baron paused. "You know, that's a big file. It's going to cost a lot to make the copies."

"We'll pay for the costs, Oscar."

Baron looked relieved.

"Now about the escort service, how does that work?"

"Exotic Escorts is a pretty simple operation. Jon recruits the girls . . . ."

"How does he do that?"

"You've met him. He's a stud, and he's smooth. He'll go to the clubs where young girls hang out. He likes college girls. He'll pick up a freshman who's away from home for the first time. He'll fuck her silly, give her a little coke, and let her hang out in his hot tub. She falls hard for him. That's when he tells her about his business problem. How he runs this escort service and has this very good client who's in town for the evening, but the girl who was supposed to go out with this guy is sick. He tells her it's just like going out on a blind date, then he'll show his pigeon the jewelry and designer clothes she'll wear--all knockoffs, of course."

"Do they realize that they'll have to have sex with the customer?"

"Jon will be all embarrassed when he tells them about that part. He'll admit that the guy will probably ask for sex, but he says that it's up to her. That's when he mentions how much extra money she can make by doing this little extra favor for him."

"And this always works?"

"Of course not. But it worked often enough for Jon to build quite a stable. He hooks the girls on the easy money or the coke. He's clever about not using a girl too often, unless they're really into it."

"Don't the women catch on? Don't they see he's using them?"

"Some do."

"What happens then?"

"He lets them walk away, unless they're going to cause trouble. Jon can be pretty rough on girls who get out of line."

"Is the DA going to put on a parade of women who'll testify that Dupre beat them?"

Baron shrugged.

"How bad does it get?"

"It's in the reports. Besides, they're all whores. I would have clobbered them on cross."

"How does Dupre get clients?"

"The usual way. Some of the concierges at the better hotels are in his pocket. He doesn't pay them up front, except maybe with a free sample of the goodies." Baron flashed Amanda a knowing smile, and she wondered how often he'd sampled the goodies. "The real money is in the cut they make on every customer they refer. He has the same deal with the bartenders at the strip clubs.

"Of course, the best advertising is word of mouth, but Jon also runs ads in the singles magazines. You know, 'Spend a night with your fantasy girl.' He runs this disclaimer, 'Legal inquiries only,' but there's a nude or two in the ads in a sexy pose that's worth a thousand words. Most of the time, the customers want to date the girls in the ad. Of course, they're models, a come-on. Dupre has a girl named Ally Bennett working the phones. She diverts them. She's really special. Just listening to her is like getting laid."

"Is she a business partner?"

"Jon doesn't have a partner. And, if he did, it wouldn't be a woman. He has no use for women. He despises them. I'm surprised that he's willing to have a woman represent him."

Amanda smiled but said nothing.

"So what's his relationship with Ally Bennett?"

"She's his go-between. She fields the calls, sends out the girls, and collects the money."

"He must trust her."

Baron shrugged. "As much as he trusts anyone. Ally also handles some of Jon's heavy hitters."

"Like?"

"Now there we're getting into attorney-client confidences. Jon will tell you if he wants to. You'd be surprised at some of the names."

"What's this costing the customer?"

"There's a three-hundred dollar call-out fee just to get the girl to the room. Jon made it high to cut out the penny-ante trade. Once the girl arrives, there's a fee schedule for lap dances or artistic posing. When that's done, the girl will ask about a tip. That's a cue for the customer to spell out what he really wants. That brings another fee schedule into play."

"It sounds like it can get pretty steep."

"It is. I told you, Jon's operation is strictly high-end. There's more money that way and less trouble. The cops are going to think twice before hassling a state senator or a circuit court judge, which means that there's less chance of feeling heat. And, if some crusader does make a bust, what have the cops got? Jon has Ally record all of the incoming calls, and there she is, telling Mr. Judge that Exotic Escort girls don't do the nasty for money."

"What about the girls? They can testify."

"Sure, but they don't. If they're busted, Jon pays the girl's legal fees, and the penalties for prostitution aren't stiff enough so the girls will turn."

"So how did the DA make a case against Dupre?"

"Lori Andrews. She was a single mother and the cops threatened to take her kid away."

"She was murdered, right?"

"Yeah, that was tragic," Baron said without real emotion. "When she didn't show for Jon's trial, the state had to dismiss. Of course, after what happened with Wendell, Kerrigan probably won't need much testimony to get a death sentence in this case. Then again, you might get a jury composed of people who hate lawyers. My suggestion: Tell a lot of lawyer jokes during jury selection and choose the folks who laugh the loudest."