I immediately dispelled his concern for Allison’s whereabouts when I told him about the background noise on the call José placed to her captors. I told him I was about to ask him to send out an all-points bulletin from the NYPD to all first class hotels in Manhattan, with a copy to the New York City Hotel Association.
The bulletin would indicate that the police believe a dangerous organization is holding a hostage in a hotel suite for the past two or three days, and that substantial room service orders would have been made. It would ask management to check all room service orders to any and all suites. If they found an unusual heavy and expensive ordering sequence, they were to notify the NYPD immediately with Len’s number. Finally, it would assure all hotels that the information would be handled in the strictest confidence. The hotel would not be named by the police in any subsequent news story, and no police action would be taken at the hotel without the prior full knowledge and cooperation of hotel management.
Len immediately agreed to every stipulation and felt comfortable doing so. It’s not readily known to the public, but the local police and all hotel associations, city and state, have a cooperative connection of long standing. In the old days, skippers and bad check writers were of common concern. Skippers were the hotel guests, prior to the widespread use of credit cards, who would skip out on their hotel bill. Bulletins were sent to the local police departments that in turn used the information to notify all hotels in the association.
While not a major problem today, skippers are still a concern to the hotels that do not request card rebilling for multiple nights. Bad check artists have likewise been reduced by technology, but the police continue to receive notices that they too are still of mutual interest. The police are constantly on the hunt for fugitives, and any place with short-term rentals, such as a hotel, are prime locations. A hotel’s reputation is important, and if there is any hint of accommodating undesirables, they not only want to quash any problem they need the police to assist them with, but they must also be utterly discreet. Accordingly, the two groups historically have worked hand in hand.
The alert was sent to upscale hotel general managers throughout the city by fax. The personnel at the precinct were likewise briefed to contact Len or his assistant at any time of the day or night when notice was received from the hotels.
In the meantime, I contacted Margie to assure her, and any other people in law enforcement who may be calling me, that I was safe. I had left my beeper with her anticipating a pat down from José and she reported that there had been no contact. I told her she could reach me at my apartment for the rest of the day, where I could monitor the police follow-up. Len was swamped and I could do nothing further for him.
As I entered my apartment, the first stop was to check voice messages. Chief Ricco from the FBI had called. I immediately called him back.
“Hello, Kevin, Ricco. I got some good news for you.”
“Hey, Chief, after today, I’m all for good news.”
“Len sent me an answer to your bulletin a half hour after you left. A hotel on or near Central Park South came up with an immediate match to your bulletin and our people were instantly dispatched to the hotel. The general manager himself, along with his chief of security, accompanied the task force and they just notified me that they’ve got your girlfriend Allison.”
“Thank God, and thank you and your team. And she’s not harmed in any way?”
“No, Kevin, they tell me she’s in great shape. They’re bringing her back to our location so we can debrief her. It should be very helpful information along with information from your friend José. We can deliver her to your doorstep in about an hour.”
“Wonderful. I can’t wait. Thank you so much again, Chief.”
“And thank you, Kevin. We’ve been looking for these guys and their New York headquarters for a long time. You’ve allowed us to nab the top guys with a federal offense that’s going to keep them talking about their distribution system and keep them in jail for a very long time. Good luck to both of you. Bye.”
With tears of joy welling in my eyes, and relief flooding over me in a torrent of emotions, I collapsed on the couch holding my head in my hands, and though I fought it, I couldn’t hold back the sobs wracking my body. Finally, having been fully wrung out physically and emotionally, I slowly recovered and headed to the bathroom to shower, shave, and get ready for my reunion with my love, my dearest, my beautiful Allison.
Stepping out of the shower, the phone was ringing again. Must be the FBI guys, I’m thinking, and Len says, “Hey, Kev, did Chief Ricco call you?”
“Yeah, Len, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m getting ready to meet her in the next fifteen or twenty minutes. If I haven’t said so yet, I can’t begin to describe how grateful I am to everyone, but especially to you, who took the initiative, ran with it, and just did a magnificent job. You deserve tremendous credit.”
“Not only do I deserve it, but I’m getting it. Chief Jones is the happiest of all and called me in to let me know he’s putting me up for lieutenant. How about that?”
“That’s wonderful, Len, just like a movie ending. They could call it True Detective.”
“There’s more Kevin. The chief also told me that I should let you know, there will be no charges against you, and even the one that might stick, obstruction of justice, is off the table according to the prosecutor’s office. Now the only thing left to the story is that all the guys involved from our place, the DEA, and the FBI are going to be invited to the wedding.”
“Send me the list and Allison and I will get right on it.”
The outside buzzer sounds. “Yes, who is it?”
“You mentioned that I don’t have my keys,” that sweet dear voice says.
“Yes you do, to my heart, forever,” I reply. “But I didn’t think you’d be here so soon and I’m not dressed.”
“Don’t bother, that’s the way I want you.”
“Come up and never, ever leave, my darling New York forgeddaboutit,” I say as the open buzzer sounds.
~ End ~
Turbulence Page 15