“That said,” Jessie jumped in, “if something you tell us isn’t relevant to our investigation, we don’t necessarily have to include it in our report.”

“Um…” Jett hesitated.

Jessie could tell he needed a little push.

“Hey, Matilda,” she said to the girl, who was standing just off to the side of the group rocking back and forth ever so slightly, “I think I’d love that Perrier now. And Jack would like his tap… er, still water too.”

“Sure thing, Hunt,” Matilda said, her voice friendlier than her expression. She left, though she clearly wanted to stick around. When she was out of earshot, Jessie resumed.

“Look, Jett. We obviously know you used the service or we wouldn’t be here. And we know that the service pairs up wealthy men with young ladies who are open to all kinds of relationships, even really short-term ones. We’re not here to bust you for soliciting prostitution, if that’s what you’re worried about. We just need information, okay?”

“Okay, cool,” Jett said, running his fingers through his hair so that it jutted out even farther. “I just, okay, here’s the thing. My publicist set me up with this actress, right? It helps get good press and I have someone to take to premieres and stuff. And she’s cool and all. But we’re not like, a real couple. It’s more for show. But I still want to have some romance and stuff, you know. So a friend recommended this site and said it’s all really discreet. I tried it out and liked it. I could go out with a girl…or usually stay home with her, and not worry that the paparazzi would be all over it.”

“How could you be so sure?” Jessie asked.

“Well, I guess I couldn’t be totally sure. But my friend said the company has never had a problem like that. Most of these girls don’t work normal jobs. Their job is to date. The guys pay for all meals and clubs and sometimes a lot more, like rent and stuff. So if you’re a girl who’s looking to have fun, get wined and dined by some rich dude and not have to worry about paying your bills, it’s a pretty good gig. Why would you risk messing it up by blabbing about it, you know?”

“You felt secure based on that alone?” Dolan followed up.

“Yeah, that and the fact that all my dates pretty much proved it was true. I never had one of these girls threaten me with some video or pump me for money, probably because I handed it out without being asked. I’ve paid for rent; for plane tickets for a girl to go home for Christmas. I once even bought a girl a puppy. I have the money. It made them happy. And the happier my date is, the better time we have. I’m not saying it’s the most romantic thing in the world. But it works for everyone involved.”

It was moments like this that made Jessie glad they’d been able to keep Claire’s name out of the news. Officially it was so the next of kin could be notified. But the real reason was so that they could get genuine reactions about her from potential suspects.