On his way back to the front of the building Jimmy stopped when he noticed a young girl approach the front of the cage she was locked in.

"I watched you come in earlier. You are not like the others. Are you?" The young girl spoke with hope in her voice as she clung to the chain-linked fence making up the cage. "I am very thirsty."

Jimmy did not know his heart could sink any further after losing his girlfriend, Lana. He composed himself and slipped a key into the lock. "Why don't we look for some water? What is your name?"

"Lisa."

"That's a pretty name. My girlfriend was named Lana."

"She did not survive...did she?"

Jimmy tried another key and it seemed to work then softly answered Lisa. "She did not." He took the lock from the latch. "Are you okay?"

He opened the door and Lisa grabbed his shirt. "Uh-huh."

A sickening feeling came over him. "Has anyone hurt you?"

She shook her head. "They raped those girls." Lisa pointed to the next cage. "Can you help them?"

He made eye contact with the teenaged girls. The terrified look in their eyes showed a level of trauma the forty-year-old had never before seen. "I am not sure. Want to help me find the right key?"

Lisa nodded. Jimmy tried to keep her mind from the events she witnessed.

The two began a search for the key to open the lock to the next cage. When Jimmy looked up. Windy, Gennery, and another woman were nearing.

"Jimmy." Windy introduced the woman. "This is special agent Kauffman."

"A little busy, Win." Jimmy took the key Lisa had chosen and tried it in the lock. "It worked!" The little girl wanted to rip the cage door open.

"Mr. Dunn. Jimmy, reinforcements are coming to help." Gennery informed the man who looked to be in shock.

Jimmy tossed the keys to Windy. "Let's see if we can't at least get these girls some water, Lisa."

Windy caught the keys.

"Mr. Dunn, we have people trained to help victims." Kauffman wanted Jimmy to step aside.

Lisa hurried into the cage to help one of the teenaged girls. "Mister, she needs help!"

Jimmy followed Lisa into the cage to assess the girl. "Gennery, I hope the ambulances are on the way. They don't look very good." He looked at special agent Kauffman. "A little compassion can go a long way." Lisa looked at the agent and leaned against Jimmy as he crouched down.

"Mr. Dunn, step out of the way. Now!" The furious agent demanded.

Jimmy shook his head and reluctantly moved aside. "If you are here, you already know who is involved."

"What are you talking about? We received an anonymous tip by email. We never knew of this operation." Kauffman spat back tired of a civilian speaking with disrespect.

Jimmy left the cage with Lisa clutching his shirt and frowning at the agent. He opened his big hand to her. "What do you say we find some water, huh?"

Lisa simply nodded and took Jimmy's hand.

Gennery greeted Jimmy outside the cage. "You are one ballsy guy."

"What would you do if it were your girlfriend, Detective?"

"Windy told me about Lana. I am sorry for your loss, Jimmy."

"Looks like there is a much bigger problem than just Lana." Jimmy leaned in to whisper to Gennery. "Look at Lisa. She's no more than twelve."

Gennery knew there was a problem. A very big problem if the FBI didn't know this was going on. "We just don't have hundreds of missing women in what? Just the past week?!"

"You think this is a multi-city, or a multi-state operation?" Jimmy asked before he led Lisa to an office with a light on. "Let's check here." He opened the refrigerator and exposed a few dozen small bottles of water.

"Do you have kids, Mr. Dunn?" Gennery shook his head.

"No." Jimmy shrugged. "It just never happened."

"Looks like you would be a hell of a father." Gennery shook his head looking at Lisa clinging to Jimmy.

Lisa had her fill with water and began gathering the water in her small arms. "Help me!"

Jimmy looked for anything to help gather the water.

Gennery proved his worth finding a few grocery bags. "Jimmy, take these. I've gotta go. I will get the officers from the seventh precinct to collect Fromanger and his goons."

"Don't you think it's funny there is just one FBI agent here?" Jimmy questioned Gennery.

The detective just shrugged. "Want me to check it out?"

He nodded to Gennery. "Okay, what do you say we get the water out to the girls?" Jimmy watched as the young girl smiled for the first time since they met.

Lisa pushed bottled water through the links of the cage to eager women looking to survive. She watched the weak woman struggle to open the bottle. She then began to open the bottles before handing them through the cages.

"Jimmy, we need water down here, quickly!" Windy yelled from the cage where special agent Kauffman began questioning a teenaged girl.

"Will you be okay, Lisa?" Jimmy asked the young girl.

"Go, Mister!"

Jimmy took a few bottles and rushed to Windy and the agent.

The agent took the water from Jimmy. "Drink." Kauffman did not appear empathetic to the teenager's plight.

It looked as though the teenaged girl had something to say. Windy attempted to keep the girl calm. The young girl gulped the water and tried to catch her breath.

"I'm from Texas." The teenager took a deep breath then screamed. "They drugged me at a party! Bastards!"

"Fuck me!"

"Jimmy! Settle down." Windy knew he had not been able to grieve for his girlfriend yet. "Go to Lana. Spend time with her."

Jimmy made his way to the cage where Lana's body laid. "Hey Baby." He slumped down next to her lifeless body and stroked her bruised hand. "Who beats a woman like this?"

The woman now seemed to have more life in her voice. "Sometimes sex does not do it for them. Sometimes they just need to prove they are dominant."

"When did they bring Lana here?"

"Just last night. They tossed her in here like a bag of potatoes."

"Potatoes?" Jimmy shook his head. "Only a farm girl would say that."

"Guilty as charged. Idaho. Go Yotes!" The girl followed it up with a sarcastic cheer.

"How did you get here?"

"I came to New Orleans to blow off a little steam after a year from hell."

"Most of you look like college students. Except for Lana and Lisa. I bet she isn't even twelve yet." Jimmy pressed his lips together.

"I don't even want to think about what they were planning with her." She looked at Jimmy. "I'm Sue."

"Hey Sue, you said you were here over a week."

"Yeah, I went to a party Friday night and woke up here the next morning. No meal. Not even water. I am surprised I made it this long." Sue looked very sick.

"I am sure you will get good care now they secured the building," Jimmy asked one last question. "Do you know where the party was Friday night?"

"A swanky place. I forgot the address but it was a masquerade party."

"Yeah, one way to hide their identity."

"I remember the host answered his cell phone, 'yes, Mr. Governor'."

"Thanks, Sue. I think you just might have helped me." Jimmy kissed Lana again. "Anything you want me to say to the guy when I find him?"

"Just kick him in the balls! I will see him in hell!" Sue sat back.

Jimmy nodded and called out to his friend. "Win, I have a lead. You will not believe where it goes."

"I can only imagine."

Jimmy nodded and Windy knew he was ready to leave. "Gennery! Detective Gennery?"

"Jimmy?" Gennery just finished handcuffing Lawrence then stood.

"Hey, Killer. Guess where I am headed and I am gonna say you sent me." Jimmy was ready to kick Lawrence in the face but thought better of it.

"Where?" Lawrence began to laugh.

"I am going to pay a little visit to Appleton." Jimmy smiled.

The expression on Lawrence's face changed in an instant. "I told you nothing!"

"A little masquerade party, Friday night." Jimmy shook his head.

"You've got nothing. No one talks."

"Someone always talks and I will blame you." Jimmy stared at Killer.

"You better hope I don't get out, 'cause I will kill you."

"I think that is a threat, isn't it Detective?"

"I will add it to the list. The judge won't even let you make bail." Gennery looked at Lawrence.

"Then I die in prison." Lawrence looked to the heavens.

As Gennery led Lawrence to the door an automatic weapon began firing. Lawrence fell to the floor with blood gushing from his body. The detective dove to take cover away from the open door. Jimmy ran to the open door.

"Are you crazy?" Gennery screamed.

Amazingly Jimmy closed the door and barricaded it as his friend had done earlier. Windy and Lisa ran looking for Jimmy. Both breathing easier when they saw he had not been injured.

"Jimmy!"

"Win. This keeps getting weirder by the minute."

Lisa ran to Jimmy and clutched his shirt again then sank her face into his stomach. "Don't go!"

Jimmy looked at Windy who raised her eyebrows to him. "Hey hey hey." He placed his hand on Lisa's head.

Gennery handed Jimmy a handgun. "Can you use one?"

"Not as good as she can." Jimmy pointed to Windy.

Gennery tossed the gun to Windy. "Someone doesn't want us to leave here alive."

The three looked down at Lawrence's lifeless body. Jimmy walked Lisa away from the blood then sat her on a chair. "I will be right back. Okay?" Lisa nodded her head.

Windy checked the gun then tucked it into the back of her jeans. "We will need a miracle."

"What's that, Win?"

"Feels like we may not get out of here alive." Windy looked at Jimmy then at Special agent Kauffman who had her weapon raised.

"That's not a good feeling, is it?" Kauffman scoffed as she pointed her weapon at Windy.

"I wondered if you were dirty." Jimmy stared at the agent. "No one comes to the prom alone."

Kauffman stared back. "They are still wanting to blame this on you. All they need are you and your friends...dead."

"Crap." Jimmy rolled his eyes.