Whew! Here we go again...please tell me what you think, you're reviews help me get better. Oh, and Bug's bug in this chapter...the scientific and common names are correct, but I made up all of the other stuff about it. I didn't have an entomologist on hand;-). Anyway...Enjoy:-)

Chapter Ten: Praying and Persuading

Woody closed his eyes briefly and prayed. Prayed for a confession…a lead…a miracle. So far, none came. Angry with worry, Woody slammed his fist into the wall.

"Woody, stop," Garret admonished him. Standing from the computer desk, the older man put his hand on Woody's shoulder. "Beating up the wall isn't going to solve anything."

"I know!" Woody snapped. "But it's the only thing I can do!"

Garret shook his head. "What's going on with the women you questioned?" He resumed his seat and began scanning in more evidence.

"Santana is tailing her," Woody replied. "I doubt that Monica is stupid enough to go wherever they're holding Jordan, but maybe if she thinks no one is watching…." Woody trailed off with a shrug.

Garret nodded. "What else?"

Woody sighed. "Just an old lady who lives across the street from the girl's home. Says that she saw someone matching Jordan's description outside of the house earlier today."

"So Jordan was there."

"Yeah," Woody agreed. "But no one saw her go into the house. None of the girls who live there saw her, or heard the doorbell ring. I don't think Jordan went inside." At least, she had told him that she wouldn't do any more interviews without him…but then why was she missing?

"Okay. So the truck didn't leave the home by itself. Either Jordan or her assailant moved it," Garret assumed. "Bug and Nigel are running trace now…they could pick up something."

As he spoke, the computer beeped. "What'd it find?" Woody asked anxiously.

Garret shook his head. "Nothing. All the fingerprints belong to Jordan."

Before Woody could pummel the wall again, Bug and Nigel burst into the room.

"Parcoblatta pennsylvanica," Bug announced. He and Nigel looked at the other two men with expectant eyes.

"What?" they both replied.

Bug rolled his eyes. "The Pennsylvania Wood Cockroach. I found a crushed leg from one in Jordan's truck."

"So?" Woody said. "How does this help?"

"Because," Bug explained. "This cockroach only frequents abandoned places like old houses and warehouses. Jordan hasn't been near a place like that recently, so it must have come from whoever kidnapped her."

"Does the cockroach leg tell us what abandoned building she's in?" Woody pressed.

"No, love, but the dirt on the driver's side carpet does," Nigel said. Woody raised his eyebrows for Nigel to continue. "You see, there was mostly mud, but some bits of concrete mixed in. I broke down its components and cross-referenced that with concrete manufacturers in the area."

"And?" Garret asked.

"And," Nigel said, pausing for effect. "The company has been out of business for decades. Most of the buildings using this type of concrete are still fully functional or have been torn down. There are only fifteen left, seven of which are within a twenty-block radius from where the El Camino was found."

Woody pulled out his phone and began walking towards the exit. "Great, guys. Nigel, get me a list of those buildings ASAP!" At least one of his prayers had been answered.

Jordan was having problems of her own. Morrison had dumped her back in the room with the other girls, but they were still unwilling to trust that she wanted to help them.

"Look, Summer," Jordan addressed the girl who had spoken to her before—the seeming leader of the group. "I work for the government. I'm a Medical Examiner. If this drug ring is run by the government, why would these guys need to take me, too? They are threatened by me because I know what's really going on—and it's not legal or sanctioned in any way."

The other girls sitting around Jordan looked at Summer. The girl scrutinized her carefully, and Jordan didn't blink.

"Maybe you are trying to tear this thing apart—doesn't mean that it isn't the government's business, or that you're going to win," Summer said finally. "They've got you now. They'll either make you part of this, or they'll kill you."

"How do you know that?" Jordan asked.

Summer looked away. "If you don't do what they say, they beat you. If you try to run, they kill you. If you try to stop them, they kill you. That's how it is."

Jordan was quiet for a moment. "You've seen it happen."

Summer nodded. "Yeah. Just last week, too."

Jordan shook her head questioningly.

"Some boy…they have boys across the hall, you know," she explained. "This kid showed up…they didn't know why he was there, so it wasn't part of the plan. He started talking all this stuff, just like you. Said he was going to tell the cops." She shrugged uncomfortably. "One of the men shot him in the back of the head."

Jordan sucked in a breath. "Do you know what his name was?"

"One of the other boys said it was Jake."

Jordan closed her eyes slowly. "He's why I'm here," she said. She looked up, determined. "I did his autopsy. I work with the detective on the case. Jake led me here, and I'm going to get you out of this place. All of you."