It was the kind of night that you could cut through with only a sharp knife. Although not a stranger to the big city, I came here for her. One look at her and you would know why.

She goes by the name of Lia, although no one knows her real name. She is an immortal beauty, a muse to generations of writers of painters. Her beauty such an inspiration that one like her only comes along once in a generation. She was missing. I had come here to look for, and I would go through anyone who stood in my way.

The trouble had started several days ago. A mother, molly full of tears, had come to see me. When she said that her daughter was missing, I thought it was just another case of girl runs off with boyfriend, but she piqued my interest by saying the girl had disappeared while at a modeling show. Then, she showed me a picture of the girl.

Thousands of years ago, Greek writers made up legends of half human, half god, offspring of untold beauty who inspired artists and the like to create beautiful works of art.The dish in this picture ranks as one of those goddesses. I would've taken the case without a retainer, but the mother paid me two hundred dollars-which the mother doesn't know-will pay for the entire case.

My first stop is the A2Z Limo service. The service had taken the mother and daughter to the show, then was supposed to take the girl back to a hotel after the show. The mother had remained, post show, to talk to an agent, while the girl had had taken ill and wanted to go back to the hotel.

I had helped the owner of the limo service before on a case. He quickly identified the driver for me and gave me his home address. It's a short drive to a run down apartment building. A dive like this makes me feel sorry for those who live on the fringe. I find the apartment and knock on the door. An unshaven slob, smelling of cheap gin, opens the door. I show him the picture and see his eyes dance. This makes me worry. He tells me that he took the girl and her mother to the show, but he didn't see the girl after the show.

Next, I head to the theater where the show took place. I quickly hit paydirt when I talk to the hat check girl. She had been working the night of the show. Not only did she recognize the girl, but she clearly remembered her arriving, and saw her leaving-in the same limo she arrived in. "Poor thing", she said about the girl, "she was so sick."

I head back to the apartment building. The driver's eyes go saucer wide when he sees me. He tries slamming the door, but I'm ready for that. I hit the door with my shoulder, forcing it open. He tries swinging at me, but the gin has slowed him. I pull his arm, taking it away from him as my elbow finds his chin. He flies into a wall, but I'm still on the attck. My left fist, finds his solar plexus, with pronounced effect. As he doubles over, my right elbow finds that spot below his lower left rib, next to the spine. He's defenseless, but I'm not done. Taking his left arm, I make a full revolution with it, hearing that sickening "pop" as it leaves the shoulder socket. He now knows that I'm capable of taking him apart, piece by piece, if he doesn't tell me what I need to know.

I give him a few minutes to catch his breath. Then I jog his memory with the picture. He tells me he sold her to a local crime boss, after slipping her a mickey. I should beat him to death, but I might still need him. To make sure he doesn't develop any pangs of concience, I tie him up and gag him.

It's time to return to my office to do some thinking. "Fat Tony" carved out a piece of the mid city after Scarface went to Alcatraz. He operates out of a small pizzaria, but he's surrounded by lots of firepower. I'm good, but not that good. I'm going to need some help. I go through my rolodex and find a phone number. Crossing my fingers, I'm more than surprised when there is a pickup on the second ring. I identify myself and describe the situation. I had called expecting maybe a reference to help, but what I'm told not only amazes me, but assures me that this case will soon be solved.

I had first heard of the Big E Detective agency last year. Three friends who met in the military formed the agency, then took on a fourth partner. They quickly gained a reputation as problem solvers, and became the pre eminent problem solvers for big oil companies. When I called they had just wrapped a very profitable case. Because they needed a "pro bono" case to look good on their taxes, they took on my case.

Five hours later, a privately owned Ford Tri Motor plane set down at O'Hare Airport. A tall man, two medium sized men, and doll of a woman stepped off. Only a trained eye, such as mine, could see they were loaded for bear under their trenchcoats. One of the medium sized men stepped forward and introduced himself as the leader of the operation. Because names would become a liability, it was decided that the leader would be known as "E", the tall man as "K", the other man as "C", and the woman as "Double K".

E went with me in my car, and the rest went in a butcher's panel wagon I had arranged to use to help blend in. We drove towards, then past the pizzaria that Fat Tony uses as his office. A gun moll hung around outside as a trip wire, and a pair of cops sat in a black and white half a block down as extra security. So, Fat Tony had at least two cops on his payroll. There was probably more, but as I pondered it, E decided on a meeting place to discuss strategy and tactics.

Half an hour later, Double K emerged from around the corner next to the pizzaria. The gun moll instantly fixed his eye on her. As she neared him, she pretended to twist her ankle. As the gun moll bent down to help her, he found himself facing a revolver in the face. The cops couldn't see much, but as they strained their eyes to watch, they didn't see the panel wagon pull up. K and C jumped out and took the cops out with hardly a sound. Leaving the cops alive, but restrained, they dumped them in the trunk of their car. C and K then headed to the back alley behind the pizzaria. I drove up to the pizzaria and waited outside as E got out and went in with Double K.

I think E told Fat Tony that he was taking him out of there, because Fat Tony laughed. A short moment later a large gorilla of a man flew out of the kitchen and landed near Fat Tony. Tony, flanked by a trio of gunmen went for their guns. It was scary how fast the Big E group were with their guns because seconds later only Fat Tony was alive. E then signaled me to drive around back as Fat Tony was spirited out and into the panel wagon.

Minutes later, we were in a garage I knew was empty in the evenings. E had me wait in the car so that Tony didn't get a look at me-just in case the operation went south, and I still needed to live in this town. E showed the picture of Lia to Tony. I think Tony made an unkind remark because the Big E group was on him instantly, showing they were experts in dealing pain, as good as, if not better than me. With Tony softened up, and more convinced to be cooperative he gave up an address on Delancy street.While Double K babysat Fat Tony, the rest of us went for a drive.

Just like with the pizzaria, we drove past to look for any outside security. Not seeing any, we quickly huddled and made a plan. C and K were to go into the bordello and pretend to be high rollers, flashing the wads they had just hauled in for their recent work. Myself and E were to stay outside and wait exactly ten minutes.

As the minutes went by, I noticed E got more nervous. The plan was to look for a sign in a window. A hand sign, or two, would indicate what to look for inside. When the ten minutes went by without a sign, or any sound, we decided to go in.

The house was a victorian type with a thick wooden front door. We knocked and gave the password Tony had given us. We were greeted in the foyer by the madam, a fortyish woman who hadn't given up what her younger charges were selling. There was a parlor off to our right, where a party was going on. The madam was trying to get us to go in the parlor. I noticed that E was looking everywhere, and he repeatedly looked up the stairs that was to the left of the parlor. Because we had paused in the foyer, we had drawn the attention of a burly looking man who came from a room to the left of us. That's when all hell broke loose.

A pair of loud gunblasts from upstairs heralded a door, which quickly came flying down the stairs. The working girls in the parlor screamed as the music stopped and several male customers ran from the parlor towards us as K led a gaggle of scantily clad young girls down the staircase. C was at the tail end of the gaggle and he had Lia.

E had drawn a sawed off shotgun when the noise started and he quickly moved to guard the front door as the girls came down the stairs. The burly man was heading for E, but I advanced on him, landing an elbow to the neck and a knee to the groin that sent him flying on his keyster. With surprising speed, the trio of detectives from down South moved the girls out of the house and into the panel wagon. From there, it was a frenetic drive to the garage, where we went to pick up Double K and regroup.

Everyone was still on adrenaline as tale was told of how C and K, looking for young stuff, were taken upstairs and locked in an upstairs parlor with the young girls. They were told to ring a bell when they were done. They had looked for a window, but everything upstairs had been boarded up to keep the young girls from escaping. I looked in the van and saw that the girls were aged eight to thirteen. While I could only imagine what it must have been like for them, I saw Lia's eye fall on Fat Tony, still tied to a pole in the garage.

Lia's face drew up in anger as she slowly and carefully got out of the wagon. Her eyes were ablaze as she locked eyes on Fat Tony. She was only wearing a flimsy slip, and barefoot. She stood in front of Fat Tony and was sizing up the gangster, tied in a sitting position. Everyone was watching Lia, knowing she was about to say or do something. With a deliberate motion, she kicked him in the groin, then took satisfaction in the look of pain that appeared in his eyes. Quietly, she got back in the van.

It was time for the adults to decide what to do next. The girls were brought out of the van and asked how they had been brought to the house of ill repute. All but Lia had been bought from an orphanage. Lia's tale was that she had become sick at the show, then while still sick, was forced to "do things" for Fat Tony, before she was taken to the house. I needed to get Lia to her mother. E said he knew a sheriff on the Mexican border who would lock up Fat Tony on a work farm, even though his crimes weren't in the Sheriff's jurisdiction. As for the girls, Double K knew a church farm where the girls would be allowed to be girls and would be given the option of being adopted out, or staying on the farm.

While the Big E group took Tony and the girls to the airport, I took Lia to the hotel where her mother was waiting. We drew a few stares as we walked in the lobby, but I ignored the lookieloos. I was a little nervous as we went to the room. Lia gave me a look of thanks, but said nothing as we reached the room. The seconds that elapsed after we knocked, and when the door opened seemed to be an eternity. When the door opened and Lia's mother saw her daughter, her face lit up and suddenly seemed ten years younger. Mother and daughter hugged tightly.

My work almost done, I left the reunited family in the hotel room. A bit down the corridor, Lia's mother chased me down, purse in hand. She tried to compensate me, but I declined as I had been more than paid, both financially and otherwise. The mother's look was priceless and my choice of occupation, for once, was very gratifying.

I made my way to a run down apartment building. The limo driver was still trussed up, right where I had left him. I sat down and told him that I had told Fat Tony who had snitched on him. I also told him, that if he was smart, he should leave town. I then cut him loose. While he restored circulation and considered his options, I smiled and left.

The people of Fat Tony's section of the city would know peace for a month or so, until a new order installed itself. Feeling renewed, and craving a steak, I sought out a late dinner.

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