'Ryan, are you settled?'

'Yes sir.'

'You can handle it, watching this interview and watching only?'

'Yes sir, I can.'

'Good.' Karpowski nodded at him as he stood beside her in Observation. 'They requested a small break after you went banana-sandwich on Creed. Claire's picking it up now with Adam. You were right, he's amazing in Interview.'

'Sir.' Ryan cleared his throat, knowing Esposito would shake his head at him. 'I apologize for losing my temper with the suspect.'

'You may have been a little more aggressive than usual, but then, we all know your hot button.' Karpowski turned to look at him. 'I remember when you took down that little punk who'd knocked Doctor Parrish-Robbins down when she was five months pregnant with her first child.'

'Still, I should have maintained myself a little better than-'

'Detective.' Karpowski turned her doe-eyes to him, gave him a look that Ryan had seen his wife give to their children. 'Let it go. You shook him up and he knows now without hesitation that he is in deep poi. You need the breather, you've been pushing at this the hardest of the entire team. Let your fellow officer represent us well to the Feds.'

'See,' Esposito murmured to him, 'you'll be fine.'

They watched through the one-way glass Claire staying out of Adam's way as Carson began to give details on what he knew about the business dealings between Match Made in Manhattan and Pure Spirits.'

We've had a look at the books, as has already been put on record. We've uncovered evidence of human trafficking and money laundering so as was previously stated, twice, it is in your best interest to be straightforward and honest with us, starting with how you came to set up the off-shore accounts.

My client has not made those records available to you, nor has there been any bench warrant or writ indicating confiscation of said files was necessary.

Roth, you work for the Pure Spirits Christian Commune, correct?

That's right.

So, you saying things like that makes me wonder one very simple thing - are you in on the scam too?

At this, the Ry-Sposito monster saw Roth poker up, confer in a whisper with Carson. 'If he is part of the problem,' Esposito observed, 'that's pretty ballsy to waltz into a cop shop and be the suspect's choice of attorney.'

'If he had a choice,' Ryan pointed out.

'Or that.'

'I'm curious to know what you learned about Claire,' Karpowski commented. 'It was enough of a shock to find out the office assistant was an undercover federal agent.'

They continued to watch as Carson began to finally give them what they needed - the information on the trafficking system.

When I came into the mix of things, they were already entrenched into a system, but basically it works that Paul has one of his citizens say that he wants a wife, so Paul would say he'd arrange it through a matchmaker. He'd go to Melissa and they would determine a suitable match for him after interviewing the man. She would find the woman and depending on the criteria she met, Melissa received a payment of anything from

How would they determine this criteria?

Paul and Jessica, they had a list they determined, like they were picking out furniture or something.

What would bring in the highest price?

White or Western European immigrants, college educated, non-smokers, interested in food, the arts, history, literature, preferably between the ages of twenty-four and thirty-one, optimal for bearing children.

'Easy, buddy,' Esposito said to Ryan when he saw the man's fist tighten so his knuckles ran white across the ridges. 'Adam will get it out of him.'

What about children? Were they part of the trafficking market as well?

No, never. Paul was adamant about that, despite misgivings from the council. Only women of legal age.

Ryan breathed a small sigh of relief when he heard it; the moment was short-lived when he heard Claire's voice, frosty as a glacier.

How do they do it, Carson?

Excuse me?

How do they convince these women, strong women, educated women, to fall for this one-big-happy-family crap?

I'm not sure I know what you mean?

Push it, Ryan thought, push him now, but Claire backed off when Adam stepped in with another more pertinent question.

Let's go back to Wednesday evening. You found Melissa having her usual working-late dinner at the Tanzania Grill. What did you talk to her about?

We were talking about the new business proposal from Paul.

Which was what?

Paul...he wanted younger girls for the needs of the young men. He was unimpressed that the girls in the commune wanted to get physical with their suitors before what the council considered an appropriate age.

What's the appropriate age?

Eighteen.

'They are doing a damn good job trying to keep their asses covered,' Esposito started, but Ryan shushed him.

'We still have heard how Claire is connected to them.'

'Just keep listening.'

So Paul wanted Melissa to find women younger than eighteen to bring in as-

Sexual companions for the boys. He thought Melissa might speak to Charlotte and she could convince some of her charges-

Charges?

She works as an after-school aupair for some wealthy families in the city. Girls like that often want to find way to break out of the rarefied world they're raised in. Paul's proposal was certainly within that scope.

Ryan could see the sickness on Adam's face even as he continued with his questions.

Let's stick to Wednesday evening. You left and returned to your office or went straight home?

Home. As I had said before, I had friends coming in from out of town and

Would these be them?

Yes, Paul Bell and Jedidiah Marks. They wanted to discuss business, if I'd been able to persuade Melissa to change her mind on the line of sexual companions.

He's talking about them like they are shoes or sports drinks or something,' Karpowski murmured. 'What kind of person does that?'

'Not a man, that's for sure,' Esposito agreed. 'Real men, they cherish their wives and don't treat them like toilet paper to be used at their convenience. Nor do they ever think they need to find a young woman to serve as a flesh-and-blood sex-droid or something.'

What next?

We did go out for dinner, as I said and had arranged to meet with Melissa on Thursday morning for a face-to-face business meeting. We're not thugs, we don't go around threatening and abusing women.

Ryan snorted, and once more to his surprise, Claire did the same thing in Interview.

You may think, Mister Creed, that because they don't get knocked around they're not being abused but the moment that money changed hands, you stripped them of everything that makes them human, that makes them women. What if one of them wanted a divorce?

Divorce is not permitted at Pure Spirits.

That's right because not only is it damaging to the spirit of the commune, it means you'd need to arrange a refund on a malfunctioning product, right?

They watched Adam open his mouth to speak, but Claire, much like Ryan, was on a roll now. He wisely closed it and let her fume and spew.

What happens when one of your perfect little Stepford wives doesn't think this country life is for her? Hmm?

They don't let that happen.

You're damn right about that. They just

At this, Roth turned an interesting shade of puce. 'Now wait just one moment, Miss-'

'It's Special Agent Claire McMurphy, maiden name Callahan. My sister was Iris Callahan-Bell, wife of Paul Bell. She met Paul through Match Made in Manhattan and interestingly enough two months after they were married, she told me she was leaving him. I never heard from her again. What do you think that means?

Ryan's head whipped around to look at Esposito and Karpowski. 'That's what you found out?'

'Yep. Watkins dug deep into Jessica and Paul, and learned that she wasn't his first wife, nor the first one that he'd met through Melissa. Claire's sister was his first wife and the first one we know of who went missing. They buried the record by having the marriage annulled.'

'Which means that if one went missing, surely there had to be more.'

Esposito nodded. 'Watkins is cross checking the client list with missing persons reports. So far nothing but that could change.'

'Yeah. Let's hope it doesn't and we don't have to break Claire's heart telling her Iris was murdered too.'