Mac heard a bell at the door of his prison. He walked down the corridor to see Sarah and another woman at the door with a tray. "Here's your dinner," Sarah said.

Mac did not say anything as they put the tray through the small opening that was used for that purpose. He just took the tray and turned to go back to his room. "Don't you have anything to say?" Sarah asked.

Mac looked at her. "No," he replied and went on into his room. He set the tray on the table in the room and sat down. He propped on his hand as he played with the food with his fork. He did not think he was in much of a mood of eating. He was not even hungry anyway. He picked up a bite of food and looked at it and forced himself to eat it anyway. It tasted good.

When Mac was done eating, he went outside and climbed up to the wall and sat down. He felt depressed as he stared out across the water. The wind was blowing as he sat there. He looked up at the sheer rock face above his prison. There was no way he could climb that without a rope. It was pretty smooth and even where it looked like there were hand- or toe-holds, they looked crumbly. The way down was even worse. It was at least ten feet down to anything that looked remotely like he could climb it and it looked just about as bad as the part above his prison. Sarah had definitely done her homework when she chose this place to keep someone in. It was impossible to get out without the risk of severe injury or death. He was tired of wearing a loincloth too. It looked like it was made from animal hide, maybe a leopard. There were different kinds in his closet too that looked like they were made from different sorts of animals like tigers and zebras. He supposed it could be worse. She could have put him in there naked.

Jo and the others arrived back at the lab. It was not even lunch time in New York. She analyzed the blood stains from the carpet, but the second sample did not have enough to get a result. However, the first was definitely female but there was no match in the database. Lindsey had taken samples of the carpet fibers in Saranda Monaghan's bedroom and she compared them to the fibers that had been found in the Avalanche. "These fibers match," Lindsey said as she showed Jo the results. "They are the same kind of fibers that were found in the Avalanche. These came from Saranda Monaghan's bedroom."

Jo looked at the results. "They could say that a thousand people could have a carpet like that," she said. "We have to go over to Los Angeles to see if Miss Monaghan is over there. I just hope we can get something out of that butler."

"Hey, maybe I can help."

Jo looked to see Danny Reagan standing in the lab. "I like to interrogate stubborn people," he said. "What's going on?"

"We got the butler from Saranda Monaghan's mansion. We think he may know where Mac is."

"Hey, I'm willing to interrogate him."

"He may have a lawyer by now. I know he can afford one, and he may have contacted her."

"I'm sure she was prepared for this situation," Danny pointed out. "She's too smart not to have every contingency covered."

Jo folded her arms. "Well, we're going to have to outsmart her at her own game."

"Why would she want Mac as a prisoner?" Reagan asked.
"I don't know. We're not even sure that she's holding him prisoner."

"His body hasn't shown up anywhere, so she must have him somewhere."

Jo paced back and forth. "That butler said that she keeps animals in cages sometimes," she said. "I am thinking that she had Mac in one of those cages that were in that room at her home."

"She had him in a cage?" Reagan asked.

"That's what I think. He said she had an ape in there and a tiger in the other cage. I believe she had Mac in that cage."

"Why? He didn't do anything to her."

"Except he messed up her plans."

"She succeeded at killing John Curtis," Reagan said. "What did Mac do?"

"I don't know, but she must see him as something she wants to keep."

"Let's get down there to that butler," Jo said. "I want to know what he knows about this."

Jo and Reagan went down to the interrogation room. Don was waiting for them. "He's already got a lawyer," Don informed them. "I don't think he's going to tell you anything."

"We'll see," Jo said.

Jo and Reagan went into the interrogation room. "My client doesn't have anything to say to you," the lawyer said.

"We'll see," Reagan replied. "We're going to ask him some questions anyway."

Jo laid a picture of Mac on the table. "Have you seen that man?" she asked. "And don't say 'should I have'."

The butler looked at the picture. "He doesn't look familiar," he said.

Jo thought she would explode. She had never seen such arrogance. "Are you sure you want to be involved in the kidnapping of a police officer?" Reagan asked. "Especially one like Mac Taylor. He's the head of the crime lab."

"My client has not kidnapped anyone," the lawyer said. "Show me any evidence you have."

Jo showed her the results from the fiber test. "Those fibers we took from Saranda Monaghan's carpet in her bedroom match the ones in the Avalanche," she said.

"Do you know how many people have carpets like that?"

Jo had known that was coming. "You have to admit it is a big coincidence."

"You don't even have any evidence proving that Saranda Monaghan was the one who is involved in all this."

Jo frowned. She knew that was how it was going to go. "Then where are those animal cages?" Reagan asked. "And where is Saranda Monaghan? Why has she disappeared all of a sudden? Tell us where she is."

"He does not have to tell you anything," the lawyer said.

"What about those darts we found in her house?" Jo asked.

"She uses those on her hunting trips."

Jo looked at Reagan. They had an answer for everything. "We're going to find something that you won't have an answer for," she declared.

"You just be careful or you'll find yourself behind bars again," the lawyer warned. "I'm taking my client out of here."

Jo and Reagan sat there at the table. "She's right," Reagan said, referring to the lawyer. "We have no proof that Saranda Monaghan has done anything."

"There is no such thing as a perfect crime," Jo said. "We have to get some of her fingerprints."

"She might not even be in the country."

"Don't remind me."

Mac sat outside and watched as the day drew to a close until he heard something down the corridor. "Let me go!" someone screamed.

Mac got down from his perch and went down the corridor until he could see the door. Sarah was out in the hall, along with two men who were holding a woman who was dressed in a bikini of sorts, which was made out of animal hide like the loin garment he was wearing. "Let go of me!" the woman screamed. Sarah opened the gate and they shoved the woman in. "Let me out of here!"

"You just calm down," Sarah said. "I'm sure you'll be happy here."

Mac glared at Sarah as he realized what she was doing. "We're not animals!" he said. "You can't keep us in here like animals!"

"Yes I can."

Sarah and the two men left. The woman turned and looked at Mac and she looked alarmed. Mac did not know what to say. "I'm Mac," he said for nothing better to day.

"What is going on here?" the woman demanded.

"Well, all I can say is that we're the victims of a hunter."

The woman stared at Mac from dark blue eyes. She had long, fluffy, platinum blond hair. "How long have you been here?" she asked.

Mac considered that. "About a night and a day," he said. "She held me in a cage at first and then brought me here."

"And she put me in here to…"

Mac could see the anger on the woman's face. "I guess she thinks she is…" He did not even want to say it out loud but he knew Sarah thought she was giving him a mate. "She treats us like animals and feeds us three times a day."

"Us?"

"Well, it's 'us' now."

"Have you tried to find a way out?"

"I've looked. The only way out of here is out that door there."

The woman looked around her and then looked at Mac. "Where are you from?" she asked. "You're an American."

"I'm from New York. I'm the head of the crime lab there."

The woman's mouth dropped open. "How did she capture you?"

"It's a long story. I was investigating a murder that she was a suspect in."

"My name is Amelia."

"Well, I guess I can show you the place, although there is not much to show."

Amelia followed Mac out to the "habitat". She was amazed at the view from the place. "Where are we?" she asked.

"I don't know," Mac said. "I don't even know whether we're in the United States or not."

Amelia looked at him. "No, you're not. "You're in Italy."

"Italy?"

"Yes. I was here visiting. Too bad I came alone."

"So that's not the ocean out there…it's the Mediterranean."

Amelia looked out at the Sea. "Yes, it is."

Mac sat down on a rock. "I can't believe this," he said. "I know my team must be working all the time trying to find me."

Amelia folded her arms. "I can't believe this either. How can someone get away with this?"

"She won't. She just hasn't been found out yet."

"You think she has other people captive here?"

Mac shook his head. "I don't know. She had a tiger in a cage in the room where I was in a cage. I think she has habitats here and she just chose to make one of them for us." He looked at Amelia. "How did she come to pick you out?"

"I wouldn't know. I've never seen that woman. All I know is, I went out to my car at the hotel and she was in the back seat."

"Did she shoot you with a dart?"

"No."

"Well, that's what she did to me."

Amelia looked at Mac. "Looks like she could give us clothes to wear," she said.

"I agree," Mac replied. "But there's nothing in there but loincloths for me. They're made from animal hides."

Mac stood up and walked back into the cave. Amelia followed him. "I guess you can sleep on the bed," Mac said. "I'll sleep on the sofa."

"That bed is big enough for both of us," Amelia replied.

"You want to sleep in the bed with a strange man?"

"It would be warmer."

Just then, they heard something at the gate again. They walked around to see what it was. "Here are some extra clothes for you," Sarah said to Amelia.

"You can't keep us in here!" Amelia said.

"We're not animals," Mac added.

"Well, for now, you're my pets," Sarah declared. "You might as well get used to it."

Mac just went back into the other room. He knew that yelling and arguing with her was not going to make one bit of difference. Amelia soon came in. "Just look at this!" she exclaimed as she held up the "clothes" that Sarah had brought. "She expects us to dress like this all the time!"

Mac was tired of being mad. "I guess so," he said and pulled the covers back on the bed. "It's getting dark out there and there's nothing else to do but go to sleep unless we're going to sit out there and star gaze."

"You're just giving in?"

"What do you suggest? I can't break those bars and I can't jump out of here so I might as well make the best of it until something else happens. If we're sitting here being depressed and all, we won't be able to think clearly if the chance comes."

Mac got down in the floor and began doing pushups. Amelia was surprised. "So, you're just going to exercise?" she asked.

"I want to stay strong too," Mac replied as he was pushing up.

Amelia folded her arms but she had to admit he was right so she got down there and exercised with him. "Do you do this every day?" she asked.

"Most days," Mac answered.

When they were done with that, Mac went outside and looked up at the stars. He could see that there was a city around because he could see the lights lighting up the sky. Amelia walked up beside him. "At least we know we're not completely out away from civilization," she said.

"Too bad no one can see us here," Mac said.

"The stars are sure beautiful."

Mac remembered watching the stars with Claire. Every time he stood and gazed at them, he thought of her. He had not gotten involved with anyone else since Peyton but he had met Christine on that website and had coffee with her. They had not developed any kind of relationship and he was in no hurry to either. He had accepted his life the way it was and did not want to complicate things again.

"What are you thinking about?" Amelia asked.

Mac looked at her. "Just…everything."

"Are you married?"

"No."

"Neither am I. I was once but he died."

"My wife died too."

"So, we're both lonely. How would she know that?"

"I don't think she knew anything. She kidnapped me because she said I took her trophy away from her. See, she hired this guy to kill a rapist and…" Mac glanced at Amelia. "Well, she wanted a trophy and we deprived her of that…or at least that is what she said."

"A trophy?"

"Yeah."

"You have a hard job, don't you?" Amelia asked.

"You might say that but I like my job."

"Oh, I kinda like mine too but it does get overbearing sometimes and I have to take a vacation."

"I hardly ever take vacations. I don't like to go off somewhere alone."

"I'm a psychiatrist. I've seen people like you."

Mac looked at her and scowled. "And what kind of person am I?" he asked.

"You're afraid to let anyone into your life. You're not allowed to have fun or love anyone again because you're afraid they'll die too."

Mac frowned. "Maybe, but I'm not going to dive into anymore relationships."

"You can always take one step at a time."

"Well, I'm not in any relationships right now so I don't have to worry about that."

"So, no one misses you?"

"I'm sure my team does. I know they're trying to figure out what happened to me."

"I hope they do."

Mac looked out at the dark water. He could not see much down there but he could hear it. It sounded much like the ocean. He hoped they could find him.

Don and Danny were getting ready for their flight to Los Angeles. "Just find out if she's there," Jo said. "There must be servants who stay there even when she's not there."

"We'll find it," Don said.

"The commissioner knows about this, but you're not really in an official capacity unless you find something. He has alerted the proper authorities that you will be there."

"Good. Don't worry."

"I just hope she's not being cruel to him."

"Let's hope for the best."