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her trade in the one I tried next. Or the one after that.
    In my case, sixth time was the charm. I came in the door, and there she was, sitting with two other girls who appeared to be approximately her age. A bevy of hookers? Had I stumbled on some high school sex club? Would the girls be joined by a bunch of old lechers?
    They would not. As the previews gave way to the feature film, no one came near them. No one even seemed to be checking them out. Except me. I could imagine the projectionist watching me through the window, picking up the phone, and turning me in.
    Up on the screen, a girl’s heart was being broken because the boy she liked supposedly liked someone else, only he didn’t, he really liked her, but it would take nearly two hours before the two of them figured that out. And as the plot slowly—and not nearly as amusingly as I’m sure all parties involved intended—unwound, it gradually dawned on me that I was being paid two hundred dollars to watch a chick flick.
    It wasn’t worth it.

11
    M OMMY WAS APOLOGETIC. I T DIDN ’ T MAKE UP FOR THE chick flick, but after getting reamed out the day before, I wasn’t unhappy to have an apologetic mom.
    â€œShe wasn’t supposed to go to the movies.”
    â€œYou mean she snuck out?”
    â€œNo, she just didn’t tell us she was going. In advance, I mean. It was, ‘Where you going, don’t you have homework.’ ‘Done it, I’m going the movies, see you.’”
    â€œThat was okay with you?”
    â€œIt was better than other things she could have done. So, did you trace the car?”
    â€œJust between you and me, I think the guy in the car is a dead end.”
    â€œSo you didn’t trace it?”
    â€œI traced it.”
    I gave her the name and address.
    â€œIs that all?”
    â€œThat’s the only guy I traced.”
    â€œSurely you found out something about him.”
    â€œI did. He’s got a wife and kid. He ought to be ashamed of himself.”
    â€œWhat’s he do?”
    â€œHe’s a congressman.”
    Her eyes widened. “That’s perfect. That’s just the type of leverage we need to put the screws on.”
    â€œFor what? Odds are he’s never gonna see your daughter again.”
    â€œI know. But …”
    â€œBut what?”
    â€œI just wanna to be doing something.”
    â€œI don’t know what you can do. Aside from sitting the girl down and having a good old-fashioned talk with her.”
    â€œI can’t do that.”
    â€œSo I gathered. And hubby mustn’t know.”
    Jennifer took a breath. “Okay, here’s the deal. Sharon’s having a sleepover tonight. At a girlfriend’s house. Or so she says. It could be true, it could be just a useful excuse. I want to find out which.”
    â€œHow about calling the other girl’s mother.”
    â€œI can’t do that.”
    â€œBecause it would be too simple and direct?”
    â€œI don’t want her to think I’m checking up on her.”
    â€œYou think the mother would tattle?”
    â€œI don’t know what the mother would do. I don’t want to put myself in someone else’s hands. I want to do this myself.”
    â€œBy which you mean you want me to do it.”
    â€œYou don’t want the job?”
    I wanted the job. Despise me if you will, but I needed the money. I live in New York City, and rents aren’t cheap, recession or no recession.
    â€œWhat do you want me to do?”
    â€œIf she goes home with the girlfriend, fine. You can call it a day. I don’t expect you to sit through another movie. But if she goes somewhere else, in particular if she goes somewhere with an older man …”
    â€œYes?”
    â€œI want you to bring her home.”
    â€œHow do you expect me to do that?”
    â€œYou’re the detective.”
    â€œI’m the private eye,” I corrected. “I’m