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“Do you need any water or anything else before we start, Patricia?” he asks politely, and she shakes her head.
“No. I’m ready.”
“If you need anything, it’s just beside you on the table,” Kenneth proceeds.
I stay in the back for the whole ordeal. The last thing I want is to be on camera. Kenneth starts by looking directly at the camera behind Patricia’s shoulder and begins the monologue.
“Good evening. Tonight we will hear from a very special guest, my friend Patricia, who is here to tell us all about the dark side of escorting in Amsterdam, and how the practice, while legal, preys on unsuspecting women and girls. Patricia has experienced firsthand how it feels to be taken advantage of by a client, who was none less than the current Head of Global sales at Van Den Bosch Industries, Mr. Karl Townsend, all in the name of making money for an escort agency, and she’s here tonight to explain all about how this has affected her, and what we can do to prevent his tragedy from happening to other girls just like her. Patricia, thank you for being here.”
She looks at the camera behind Kenneth, giving it a quick wave. “Thanks for having me.”
Kenneth leans forward. “Patricia, how old are you?”
“Eighteen.”
“What would bring someone who has just turned eighteen to begin escorting?”
“I had a friend who was working as an escort during the weekends. She was represented by a local agency and the money was better than most salaries, even at C-levels. So one day I got in touch with the agency owner, and she booked me my first client. With class I didn’t even have time for a part-time job, so this seemed like the perfect way to earn some money while going to school.”
“And that client was Karl Townsend?”
Patricia nods. “Yes, it was. He went by an alias, though.”
“So your evening with Mr. Townsend didn’t go as planned from what I understand. Can you tell me a little bit about that?”
I can see Patricia swallow, and her hands start to fidget. “The idea was that I was supposed to go with him to an event and dinner, but that was it.”
“And that’s not what happened?” Kenneth presses.
“No…” She looks down at her feet. “I drank a few glasses of champagne, and Karl was always refilling my empty glass and making me feel special and good. After the dinner, I was feeling dizzy and drunk, and Karl took me back to his home and he… he continued to compliment my appearance, then he started kissing me, and he even said how lucky the guy who would have sex with me for the first time would be….”
I don't think Patricia notices it, but there is some shock and disgust in Kenneth’s eyes. He laces his fingers together and schools his face to look calm and understanding but his questions are anything but. Kenneth makes more questions about the evening and Patricia willingly speaks and answers all of them, but I’m getting more tense by the second, checking my watch as the minutes tick by and the interview goes deeper and deeper into detail. I really want to be finished with this. Kenneth promised not to talk about Roxanne, but I’m ready to step in the minute he decides to go against his word.
Finally, it ends, and Kenneth stands, giving Patricia a quick hug before he turns to me and offers his hand. I shake it, and he pulls me closer to pat me on the arm in a friendly manner.
“This is going to be a big deal, Andries,” he says, and I nod.
“I’m aware, trust me,” I tell him. “Thank you for your services.”
“I’ll be in touch, and you do the same if you decide you want to share anything else, okay?”
“I won’t, but I’ll keep it in mind just in case. Have a good night.”
“The same to you both,” Kenneth replies.
I gather Patricia, letting her link her arm through mine. My stomach sinks when I feel that she’s shaking, but I don’t ask if it’s adrenaline or fear. All I can do is pat her arm and tell her that it's over and she can relax now.
She’s quiet in the car, more so than she was on the way here, although she does open her clutch to look at her check a few times. We’re halfway back when her phone rings. She digs it out of her clutch and pauses.
“It’s Elise,” she tells me, sounding confused. “Did you tell her about this?”
“I haven’t told anyone. Go ahead and answer it.”
Patricia puts the call on speaker, and at first, it sounds like my sister is just calling to check on her friend, and I relax. Patricia doesn’t tell her that she is with me, thankfully, but it doesn’t take long for the call to take a weird turn.
“So, Patricia, I don’t want to pry, but people at work have been saying that you might not take the settlement?”
Patricia inhales sharply. “Uh, yeah. That’s right. I’m weighing my options.”
