Friday 26th February
Hester Street, Chinatown, Manhattan
Eames could barely wait to get out of the wretched basement was more like a dungeon. The five Oriental girls kept down there were all wearing leg shackles, Finn and an officer from Organised Crime were cutting the chains and the stench from a john in the corner was overwhelming.
"Don't make them walk to the bus with those on" she instructed the paramedics as they entered the door now off its hinges.
A uniformed officer who accompanied them as an interpreter came over.
"Those three are Thai" he told her "Two fifteen year olds and the other is only fourteen. The other girls are Cambodian. I have a little Kmer and them some English. They are both seventeen"
"But they all look younger" muttered Eames.
One reason they were so attractive to the kind of men who got them into the country and traded them like cattle. Another was that they would almost certainly turn out to be girls from desperate families in the countryside, who had not heard the warnings about the reality of the "jobs in America" being offered to their daughters.
"We'll need interpreters then"
"Not for the kind of sexual acts they've been performing" he muttered before going to help with a girl who was getting distressed.
In the two cleaner and brighter rooms across the hall, the three men found on the premises were cuffed and waiting for a bus to collect them. Various weapons like brass knuckles and a couple of knives had been set to one side and an epithet from inside caused her to look.
An OC detective was removing items from a dresser and putting them on top. Various sex toys of the kind might be fun in a loving and trusting relationship, but not when your body was paid for by a man with tendencies towards sexual sadism. And one or two items whose only purpose was to hurt.
Seeing the bruises and at least one cigarette burn on the two older girls suggested that was their role now. Because they were getting past their appeal to men who liked them young and fresh. The result of natural ageing and the use they had been put to for who knew how long. Out on the street, Eames breathed in the fresh air and saw John Munch push through the small crowd being held back.
"How many at your location?" she asked him.
"Four and one arrested. Faith is still over there" Munch took a deep breath "One of the girls is not good... amateur abortion"
Manhattan CSU Vehicle Compound
"Hey buddy!" yelled the guard on the entrance to the driver of the tow truck.
"This is a New Jersey order. I can't sign it"
"Read what it says underneath dumbass" he shouted above the sound of the engine.
"It's registered here, got stole from here and now you got it back"
The guard muttered and allocated him a bay to leave the Lincoln. Someone might get round to processing it come fall.
Bridal Dreams, 75 West 29th Street, Manhattan
"Won't be long Finn" said Eames as she shut the car door.
As she walked in Jean-Paul gave a little scream and for a moment she thought he might faint. He quickly signalled someone to take her to "The Rose Room". In other words get her away as quickly as possible from his other, also rather startled, customers.
She supposed combat pants, her hair tied up very roughly, cuffs and a large gun were not the usual attire for a bride-to-be who dropped by for a quick fitting discussion. Looking at herself in the full length mirror, Eames concluded he should be glad the vests were so uncomfortable sitting down or she might have come in wearing that too.
When he entered with the latest version of her gown, he sniffed hard a couple of times.
"Parfum du basement whorehouse" she told him.
"Very reatthuring" he said before adding "I juth wanted you to thee thith trim I found at a little place I thumtimeth uth"
"Little place, big price I expect" Eames muttered in spite of the fact she thought it was perfect.
"Oh don't worry Mith Eamth. What do you think?"
"Actually Jean Paul" she smiled "I think it's lovely. Perfect in fact"
"Bon!" he clapped his hand with glee.
"Beth not to try thith on now I think. I'll tack it on and then we can adjuth at the final fitting"
"Great. Thanks Jean-Paul"
She left him hurrying to find a can of aerosol freshener before his next clients came in.
Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA
They had rented a cottage for the rest of their stay rather than risk the disruption to Joel of too many different beds and places to sleep. In the peace of the country, but not too far from the sea and places like the Botanic Gardens. After the trip up in the car they had borrowed from Amy, a good crawl around to explore and his lunch, he had gone out like a light.
During the drive Caro had told Goren of an idea that had been put to her before she left New York. One, with his preoccupations at the time and the strained atmosphere between them, she had waited for them to be really on their own to discuss. She had been given the chance to return to Columbia to undertake research and some teaching. It was what she had been doing on a sabbatical year from her job at Boston General when they first met.
Hour for hour it did not pay as well as the clinical sessions she was doing now, but the almost free crèche for Joel would make up for that. And, because it was a "day job" she could work more hours. It was a better option when he returned to Major Case and his hours got more erratic and when the next baby arrived.
Most important for him was that Columbia was what she wanted to do and what would make her happy.
"Want me to light the fire Caro?" he asked having emptied the grocery shopping in the kitchen.
"Not worth it Rob. Not if we go out when Joel wakes up to stretch our legs and explore a little"
"Guess not" he squatted down in front of the hearth.
"I was right you know...this is a real bearskin rug"
"Poor bear and I think I just worked out why you want to light that fire?"
"Excuse me...oh I see...no it isn't..." he thought a moment "Now you mention it. Maybe later?"
Caro laughed "Only on one condition. That you take that elk head off the wall. Can't stand the thought of suddenly seeing that glassy eyed stare"
"But they are glass eyes"
"I know that! Sheesh you can be such a pedant. Now where are you going?"
"To find some ladders" Goren called back over his shoulder.
To be continued...