Cats, Cannolis and a Curious Kidnapping

by Cheryl Denise Bannerman

  “The last thing I remember was pulling up at the police station. I wanted to get in touch with Detective Solace,” I mumbled.

  “Well sure sweetie, there’s a detective right outside your room. He’s been waitin’ for you to open those pretty little eyes of yours, so he could get your statement,” she sang. “Let me fetch him for ya.”

  She disappeared as fast as she had appeared, and a moment later, an officer was standing in front of my bed.

  “Afternoon ma’am, I’m Officer Maddox. I called for the ambulance to bring you here after you lost consciousness down at the station. I can take your statement now if you’d like,” he said warmly.

  “Thank you so much for your kindness Officer Maddox,” I said. “I’m actually an active kidnapping case, or at least I hope I am still active, with a Detective Solace in New Jersey. He’s familiar with my case and I need to let him know that I’m okay. Also, I really need to get back to my cats,” I rambled.

  The confused officer nodded and left the room, confirming my request to locate Detective Solace, with a “yes ma’am” and “right away ma’am.”

  I pushed the nurse button and waited for assistance. The pack of crackers and water pitcher were teasingly out of my reach. It wasn’t a traditional Italian meal, but it would have to do for now.

  I felt so naked without my phone. I wanted to let Shirlene know what had happened to me. Maybe after my traumatic couple of weeks with Red-Head, Shirlene would grant me a month or two of No-Nagging coupons. Whether I am late to an event, forget to respond to emails, or whatever other ‘faux pas’ I make in the marketing and social media world, my coupons could act as my ‘get out of jail free’ card for all of them. A girl can dream, right?

  The cheery southern, and albeit stunningly attractive nurse, was back to help me. “You rannnggggg,” she sang, way too cheerily.

  It was going to be a long night.

  | CHAPTER 19

  We Got a Live One!

  I was just arriving to the dock noticing the empty slip where Talon’s missing boat was usually held, when someone ran up behind me and caught me off guard. It was one of Jose’s men.

  “Detective Solace! They may have found a survivor! They’re headed in your direction now and we have medics on the way,” he relayed excitably.

  Excellent! I wondered who it could be.

  I didn’t have to wonder long as a speed boat with flashing lights was rapidly approaching the pier. The side of the boat read “Harbor Security” and a man was lying on the back seat, covered in blankets. Security staff all wore white polos with the same Harbor Security black lettering. The driver was focused on carefully docking, while the other staff member was comforting our survivor in the back.

  I approached the boat after it had anchored, introduced myself, let everyone know the ambulance was close by, and that I would take it from here, as this was an active investigation. I could see a middle-aged man with red hair, though half-singed, laying in the back of the boat covered in soot, 2nd or 3rd degree burns, perhaps, and soaked to the bone.

  “Sir, please state your name for the record,” I said firmly.

  “Frederick Talon,” he responded with a raspy voice in between fits of coughing.

  It was the perp, Frederick Talon. The man who had caused so much chaos over the past few weeks.

  “Well, well well… Mr. Talon. You have some serious explaining to do,” I said coyly, in my best Desi Arnaz accent. No one seemed to have gotten the joke, thereby showing my age, so I pressed on.

  The ambulance was coming down the grassy hill and stopped just short of the dock. The EMTs and paramedics rushed out, stepping around me to get their transport onto the stretcher. They frantically addressed the burns with the antiseptic patches they had on hand, while also tending to the gashes in his head, probably from flying debris during the explosion. Although the blood on the back of his neck and shirt didn’t match that scenario. Minutes later, they were lifting him onto the stretcher and loading him into the ambulance.

  I yelled out to Billings and Jose, now standing on the back lawn talking, that I would be riding in the ambulance to the closest hospital, and then escorting the prisoner to our precinct in Jersey for booking. Billings confirmed he would head back and meet me there later.

  The hospital staff and their transport looked up in awe from my use of the term ‘prisoner’. I smiled and stepped into the back of the ambulance, sat down across from Talon, and pulled out my handcuffs.

  “Congratulations, Mr. Talon, you win the criminal-of-the-year award… a pair of matching bracelets!” I said sarcastically as I connected his left hand to the stretcher. “Oh, and you also have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can be used against you… ”

  * * *

  It had been a long day and the lull of the ambulance could have put me to sleep, if it was not for the incessant questions that were rustling around in my head. When Talon was coherent, I shot my questions his way in quick succession before he lost conscientious again.

  Where is Anna Romano?

  Where is your family?

  Were those your children that were found in the boat debris?

  Where is your wife?

  By the time we arrived at the ER, I had learned absolutely nothing about Talon’s reason for grabbing Anna, the ID of the other two bodies found, or the whereabouts of his wife. Oh, what a tangled web we weave. Hmmmm, it also just now dawned on me, I’d been calling the victim, Anna. When did I start identifying with her on a first name basis?

  I was stepping out of the ambulance and walking towards the ER when I ran into Officer Maddox, chugging down coffee like water and smoking a black and mild. We were good friends during our academy days. A soft-spoken, timid man, with a wife and kid here in New York. I never could understand why he chose the beat but he was a good cop, fair and honest.

  He looked up, as if he just recognized me from a line up, and stomped out the cigarette quickly. “Hey, Detective Solace! I’ve been trying to contact you!”

  “I can see that from the intensity of your puffing on that cancer stick. When are going to give those things up Maddox?” I asked with my arms out and shoulders shrugged. “They kill, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know, I know, but seriously, I was just taking a quick break. I’ve been on duty all day sir,” he said nervously. “As a matter of fact, I believe it’s your case.”

  “My case? Which one?” I asked.

  “Some lady named Anna Romano is upstairs, third floor, admitted a while ago, and said you know her case. Possible kidnapping?” he responded.

  I jumped up, startled, and yelled, “She’s alive? Oh my God, that’s incredible! Listen, Maddox, I need you to stay with this suspect here. His name is Frederick Talon and I’ve got him cuffed to the stretcher. DON’T LET HIM OUT OF YOUR SIGHT!”

  I ran, almost elated, for the elevators.

  * * *

  As soon as the elevator doors opened, I rushed straight to the nurse’s station. “Excuse me, what room is Anna Romano in?” I asked the first nurse I saw.

  “Room 312 right down the hall on the right,” she answered.

  For some reason, I had the urge to stop at a bathroom and check my appearance. I settled for just smoothing my shirt with my hands and tucking the loose parts into my pants in a rush.

  “Detective Solace! In here!” a voice called to me.

  I was so caught up in checking my appearance that I walked right past Anna’s, I mean Ms. Romano’s, room. It was her that was calling me.

  “Oh, there you are, I was looking for you,” I answered as I walked into the room with a smile.

  She returned my smile as if happy to see me as well. I guess I would be happy to see me too, if I had just been through what she had.

  “I’m so glad you’re safe. We found Frederick Talon and he is under arrest,” I said.

  “He’s alive? That’s incredible,” Anna said, somewhat perplexed.

  “Well yeah, minor injuries, but I think he’ll make
it. Why do you sound surprised?” I asked.

  “Well, I was on a boat when it exploded and he was um- er- incapacitated… by me… before the explosion… below deck,” Anna mumbled.

  “I’m sorry we took so long. We kept arriving too late at every location, and we, I mean I, took too long. I’m so sorry,” I said with my head low.

  “It’s okay detective. I’m sure you tried your best,” Anna reassured me.

  “So, are you feeling okay?” I inquired.

  “A concussion, some scratches and bruises, and a sprained ankle… but, I’m alive,” she replied.

  “And it’s a good thing too! We’re going to need your statement and testimony in court to put this guy away!” I said wholeheartedly. “Say, can you tell me who else was on that boat?”

  “I was locked up below, but I do remember hearing children’s voices above deck. Oh, I also found a body bag, wrapped in tarp, with two small corpses in it below deck when I was trying to escape! It was so gross, and the smell… Ugh!” she spewed the words so quickly she spat.

  “But no woman’s voice?” I asked with a furrowed brow.

  “Nope. Why?” Anna asked.

  “We don’t have any leads on Talon’s wife yet. And now that you’ve told me about the corpses, I’m not sure if his kids are alive or not. This case just keeps getting weirder by the minute,” I said frustratingly.

  “Well, I am happy to help in any way I can. Maybe you can pull some strings and get me discharged early? Maybe assure them I will take it easy and get plenty of rest. The food is dreadful here, and I really miss my babies,” Ms. Romano pleaded, batting her eyelashes and looking as helpless as one of her cats.

  “Let me see what I can do,” I responded blushingly.

  * * *

  “All set?” I asked, as I rolled the wheelchair into room 312.

  “Yes sir! Ready to roll! No pun intended,” she laughed aloud. It was a humble, comforting laugh that made me smile. She looked good in the police department sweat suit I brought her to wear. Her other clothes were marked into evidence and sent over to the lab for analysis. I apologized for the sewage smell and told the detective I would explain later.

  “The perp hasn’t confessed as of yet, but I’d like to get your statement and the account of events down at the station right away. If that’s okay?” I gently asked.

  “Sure! Right after we make one quick stop,” she winked.

  CHAPTER 20 |

  Now That’s Making a Statement!

  I don’t know which was more exciting, watching Detective Solace walk into my hospital room with that cute grin on his face, or pulling up to my house for the first time in days. His concern for me was obviously genuine. During the long drive back to Jersey, he told me all about breaking into my home while I was away to feed my babies. How romantic… I think.

  Detective Solace opened my door, helped me out of the car, and handed me my crutches. I had no bags for him to carry, so he steadied me with a large, yet gentle, hand on my back.

  He started to open the door when a voice from behind called out to me. “I see you’re not missing anymore. Glad you’re okay Anna.”

  I knew, from the soft hum of the motor scooter, it was Mr. Craigly from across the street.

  “Yes, thank you Mr. Craigly, I’m okay now,” I responded as I half-smiled through my teeth. He was quite the over observant one, but I appreciated the concern nonetheless.

  “I thought this fella was a burglar or something, snooping around, but he said he was five-oh. I told him where to find the key. Was that okay?” he inquired, as if asking for reassurance and gratification at the same time.

  “Yes, Mr. Craigly, he’s one of the good guys. You did great,” I replied. “I’ll fill you in later, okay?”

  He rolled off in a huff without so much as a goodbye. I guess he had more questions and was mad I was rushing him off. I’d smooth things over later with some cannoli.

  Detective Solace continued opening the door, pushing it open with one arm while using one foot to block any getaway attempts by my babies. Tiny began jumping all over him right away and Bette was circling his leg. Awwww, they like him.

  “I see they’ve taken a liking to you,” I said slyly. “I can’t thank you enough for checking in on them and caring for them while I was… um, er, away.” For some reason, I couldn’t find the word to describe my past status. I don’t think I’ve truly come to grips with what happened to me. I’ve always used my sarcasm, humor, and writing to escape tough situations, but this was different. I actually could have been gone from this earth… forever.

  “Ms. Romano… Ms. Romano… are you okay?” the detective was asking, snapping his fingers in front of my eyes to check my consciousness level.

  “Yes, yes, I’m so sorry. Zoned out for a moment,” I said as I bent down to give all of my babies the attention they were so craving. I hugged and kissed every one of them while TatorTot licked my face repeatedly. Jasmine was attempting to jump from the top tier of one of the cat towers to the top of the entertainment center. Always putting on a show. Ha!

  I headed for the kitchen to begin the chore of filling food and water bowls, and changing litter boxes. The detective was right by my side helping. The act of working together in silence was actually quite comforting.

  When we finished, he asked if I wanted to freshen up before we headed out and I accepted the offer without hesitation. I bathed as best I could, considering the pain pills were beginning to wear off, changed my clothes, put on a new ‘face’ (as us ladies say), and grabbed my crutches to head out. The detective was sweeping up in the kitchen when I approached. Based on the white cream in the corner of his mouth, he had apparently found the leftover pan of cannoli in the fridge. I pointed to the ‘evidence’ on his face, handed him a napkin, smiled, and told him I was ready to go.

  “Thanks. You’re a great cook, and I was starving. Sorry,” he chuckled. He wiped his mouth and locked up as I waved good-bye to my babies through the window.

  I was ready to make the statement of my life, knowing it would take every ounce of my courage to get through it — every ounce of my courage to live through the minute-by-minute replay of the trauma all over again.

  I had always been the type to diminish the work of shrinks, but I might be more open-minded once this whole nightmare is over.

  We pulled up to the station and headed inside. Detective Solace was leading me towards an Evidence Lockup sign. “I think there’s something you may like to have back.”

  As he strolled out of the gate, shutting it behind him, he handed me my cell phone. I never thought I would be so happy to see 32 missed calls in my life. My publicist Shirlene, my mom, and Bonnie had been worried sick about me. I’d touch base with everyone later. For now, the ringer would need to stay on silent.

  That young officer who took my statement at my house after the break-in was walking up to Detective Solace.

  “You’re back, great! The suspect is here from the hospital and waiting for you in interrogation room 4!” Billings shouted excitedly. “And nice to see you in one piece Ms. Romano! We could really use your help in nailing this creep!”

  “That’s what I’m here for,” I murmured to his back, as he turned his attention away from me, strolling away as fast as he had approached.

  I turned to Detective Solace and asked what hospital they had transported him from, and was shocked to find out it was the SAME hospital I was in. “Is that how you found me?” I asked him.

  He laughed. “Something like that.”

  We were in a private interrogation room with cameras and recorders. Both were now flashing red to signal they were recording. The detective had his notepad open and pen in hand ready to write.

  “Let’s start from the beginning. When did you first meet Frederick Talon?” Detective Solace asked pointedly. This was the first time they had been alone and making direct eye contact. It was first time I noticed his eyes were green. I wiped away the slow-motion daydream that was coming into view and
focused on my story. It was going to be a long night.

  I began from the beginning: “Well, it all started at a New York book signing event. I had on a lovely floral-patterned dress and Shirlene was in rare form… ”

  | CHAPTER 21

  Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace!

  Anna’s stories were quite animated, so it took longer than expected to gather her statement. It was after midnight when I had a car drive her home, instructing them to make sure she was safe inside before leaving. She needed to rest. Although she tried to cover her emotions with humor, it was obvious going through the story again was painful for her. Now, it was time to turn my attention towards Talon.

  I headed into the interrogation room ready to play the bad cop, but it seemed Billings had beat me to it.

  “This is your last chance Talon! Where is your wife?” he barked in Talon’s face all while slamming his fist on the table with such force his coffee tumbled onto the floor.

  This was getting ugly. I had to step in before he asked for a lawyer. I may be able to get something out of him before the lab results and his financials came in.

  “Billings! That’s enough! We don’t brow beat prisoners around here! Take a walk and cool off!” I shouted. “Mr. Talon, I’m so sorry, please excuse my partner. How are you feeling?”

  I started mopping up the coffee with a roll of paper towels I found in the corner of the room.

  “Okay, I guess,” Talon muttered almost trembling. “Is he always like that?”

  “I guess you could say this case has all of us a bit wound up,” I replied. “I’m sure you can understand why.”

  Talon put his head down and nodded in shame as I stood up and made my way to the trash can to dispose of the coffee-soaked towels. I was trying to judge his demeanor by his body language.

  I sat down close to the suspect and whispered softly, “Listen Talon, you seem like a nice guy with a nice family. I don’t know what happened to send you off the deep end, but you are facing some really serious charges here. I want to help you, maybe even put in a good word with the DA, but you gotta give me something.”