by Debra Smith
Once we arrived at the station, Calvin ask to call his wife to get their attorney to come to the station. After the telephone call, I escorted him to the interrogation room. Randal, Dusty, Marshal Colter and Captain Gordon stood behind the glass to monitor the questioning. All four was in disbelief the one they were looking for was already here. Calvin sat down at the table, feeling uneasy. I excused myself from the room. I went into the conference room to retrieve a few photos of him and a few books with his name in it. The ballistics report was given to me as I walked out of the conference room. I returned to the interrogation room. Upon laying the books and photos on the table, Calvin instantly removed his hands off the table. His stomach became very queasy. I thought for a moment he was going to pass out. I asked,” Are you alright?” In as shaky voice he answered,” I thought those books were destroyed. Where did you find them? Who took those photographs?” I replied,” Calvin, it’s not important where I found them. The person who took the photos; it was the PI Jerry Lyle. You remember him?” He stared at photos of him with Mayor Cecil Brant, Heath Sander and Tomas Ruggiero at an office.
The other photos of him with Cirrillo Serjio and Heath Sander at Serjio’s Deli. I continued speaking,” You should remember the PI for it was your weapon that killed him. I bet you didn’t know Dakota Janice was Tomas Ruggiero’s nephew. He was killed by the same weapon as the one who killed Raven Ryan. For all were shot by a .38 police special including Cirrillo Serjio. I have a hunch it was you using your service revolver to do these murders. Do you agree with my hunch?” Stammering he answered, “You can’t prove any of this.” I replied,” Yes, I can,” opening the file with the ballistics report in it. I showed him the results. He said,” This doesn’t prove I pulled the trigger. It only proves the same gun was did it. Anyone could have got my gun to do this. You have no witnesses.” Not saying a word, I walked out of the room. I walked into the observing room. I asked Captain Gordon’s permission to use Dusty for the questioning. Smiling Dusty agreed to do it as did Captain Gordon. Calvin didn’t know we had a witness. Dusty and I walked into the interrogation room. Dusty sat down across the table from Calvin. I sat down next to Dusty as he asked,” Calvin, do I look familiar to you?” Calvin took a good hard look at Dusty. Suddenly, Calvin shot up from the chair like a rocket. Pressing his back against the wall, he said,” Trace, you’re dead. You died in a car accident. It can’t be you.” Calvin started trembling at the very thought Trace was alive. Trace saw every crime Calvin committed. In a harsh voice, Dusty said,” I am FBI Agent Trent McClure, who had been in hiding, waiting for the day you were arrested. Now I can inform the DA about the murders you committed to keep the bribes you were taking a secret. Fifty years, I waited for my day and now I’ll have it.” I asked,” Calvin, do you want your attorney present before we continue?” By his face expression, he looked defeated. He eased himself down into the chair. Staring at the table, he answered,” I would like my attorney present before I confess.” Not saying a word Dusty and I walked out of the room. Assistant District Attorney, Tracy Bird was waiting for us. Do to the sensitivity of the case; my Uncle Gerald decided to let his assistant take the case. He didn’t want the defense have any cause for mistrial. ADA Bird was an average height woman with her sandy brown hair pulled back, wearing a dark blue business suit walked up to me with Captain Gordon. She said,” Captain Gordon, told me everything. She showed me the conference room of pictures and books with names and money amounts. Once his attorney is here, we’ll proceed further for he wants his attorney present for his confession. Do we have confirmation the body found is Raven Ryan?” Before I could speak, I heard Doctor Bordou say,” It is Raven Ryan.
Here is the report.” At that moment, I looked at Seth. Elizabeth was holding him in her arms. Upon hearing it was Raven, Seth started weeping. For the first time, I saw a gentle side to Doctor Bordou. He walked up to Seth. Putting his arm around him, he softly said,” I am sorry for your lost. If there is anything I can do, please feel free to ask.” Captain Gordon told me to take everyone to our lounge for privacy. Calvin’s wife, Annabell and their attorney arrived at the station. A portly, older gentleman with a neatly trimmed goatee and receding hair line walked up to us. He shook our hands as he said;” I am Fritz Carter, attorney for Calvin Calouchi.” Next we walked into the interrogation room. Fritz sat down beside Calvin who seemed to be relieved to see his attorney. ADA Bird and I sat across from him. Dusty walked into the observing room with Captain Gordon and Annabell. ADA Bird asked,” Calvin Calouchi, are you confessing on your own free will?” Calvin answered,” Yes, I am.” She asked,” Where you coerced by the police in any way to do this?” Looking at her, he replied,” No, I wasn’t. I am confessing of my own free will. I have to save my family the embarrassment of my trial.” Marshal Colter gave Annabell a chair to sit down. They asked her if she was okay to hear about what her husband did. She told them she would be fine. Her husband of thirty years became a stranger. She knew the man she married. A man she couldn’t imagine committing murder. She closed her eyes for a brief second to prepare herself to hear the ugly truth about her husband’s past.
CHAPTER X
Calvin’s attorney, Fritz Carter gave us the permission to record the confession. He sat beside his client listening to Calvin’s grim account of what happen. Calvin started with the days leading to the court house shootings. He started by giving his real name was Ron Baker; Police Commissioner of Silver Springs Police Department. He went to Heath Sander’s office to get his usual amount of money. Heath was at his desk going over a shipment order for his glass factory when Baker walked in. Heath turned around in his chair to open the cabinet door to get the book out to mark Baker’s amount. He noticed the door was a jarred slightly. By the slightest touch of his hand, the door opened. He immediately noticed all the books were gone. Heath became angry. He said,” Baker, we have been robbed. Whoever took those books can put us in prison. You have to find the person that did it and have the books returned to me. I suspect my wife is involved somehow.” Baker knew he had to handle the theft personally. He ordered a surveillance detail on Clair; using two detectives he could trust. A week later the PI Jerry Lyle was seen entering the same café as Clair within a few minutes apart. Even though they were not seen together, the detectives suspected they knew each other for their timing on the same day entering and exiting was a matter of minutes apart. When Clair left, Lyle started to leave shortly there-after, the detectives arrested him. They brought him to the police station. Baker started questioning Lyle. He claimed Clair Sander had hired him to gather information on her husband. By the information he had, he could put Baker and Heath Sander in prison. Baker called Heath about PI Jerry Lyle. Heath and Clair Sander arrived at the station with their attorney; Lester Homes who denied Clair hired the PI Jerry Lyle and had no knowledge about what he was after. Lyle was arrested for breaking and entering. Ruggiero ordered the hit on Lyle. Baker stated he was only to do PI Jerry Lyle during transporting him to jail. He didn’t know shooting Dakota Janice would cause the chaos that it did. Baker was only concerned about his secret. He didn’t want to go to prison. He figured with everyone pertaining to the case were forever silenced his secret was safe and he could live out his life as a free man with the money he saved from the bribes he took. When Baker walked into the court house, he first shot the Sheriff Deputies, PI Jerry Lyle secondly, Dakota Janice, ADA Adam Harlin, Court Stenographer Melinda Gordon and finally the judge hiding behind the bench.
Baker admitted to killing Raven Ryan, Grace Pike and Marshal Dalton with the help of District Attorney Brian Dekes who was killed during the mob war turning states evidence to the F.B.I. and Attorney General. Dekes was gunned down leaving the police station with his police escort. Baker stated he killed Cirrilo Serjio out of revenge for killing his son. Baker believed Serjio was involved with his son’s death. Calvin signed his written confession under his real name in addition to his alias. His attorney was pleased with the deal of life in prison without patrol. After th
e confession was over, Annabell left the station heart broken. Ron Baker aka Calvin Calouchi was escorted to jail after processing of finger prints and mug shot.
The reunion between Jackie and Shane were to take place at Victoria’s Dinner. It would be a bitter sweet reunion with Raven gone. Victoria was surprised to see everyone walking into her dinner. She hugged everyone. They hugged her, too. The best surprise came when Shane saw Jackie. I introduced Shane to my grandmother. A smile immediately came with a warm embrace as he touched her cheek ever so gently. The years between suddenly melted. They were seventeen again. The love they shared was as strong as it was before. Words could not express the happiness and peace that came over them. He softly whispered,” I love you, Jackie. I never stopped loving you. I missed you terribly.” She softly replied,” I love you, too. My heart ached for only you. I waited for you, hoping someday you come back to me and here you are, my dearest love.” He gently kissed her lips. The chatter in the dinner didn’t matter to them for they were much too busy reliving the moment when they kissed on their first date. My mom and Uncle Gerald finally arrived. My grandmother had told them about Byron while I was in Montana. They were shocked and upset they weren’t told sooner, however, under the circumstances of what happen they understood. I let my grandmother introduce them to Shane whose real name was Byron. Shane shook Uncle Gerald’s hand grinning and he hugged my mom. Shane stood in the middle of the two beaming with pride. A lot to get caught up on. In the midst of the laughter a funeral had to be planned for Raven. Victoria called her Pastor Stanford Web to come to the dinner to meet with Seth and Elizabeth to discuss using the church for the funeral services. They were happy for Shane. Uncle Gerald loudly said,” Attention everyone.” After everyone stopped talking, the dinner became silent to listen to Gerald. He proceeds in speaking,” First, welcome home. My mother is finally going to marry her beloved Byron, now Shane. Alexandra has agreed to marry them and I am going to be giving my mother away.
Now the sad news, among the happiness will be a funeral for their dear friend Raven, who may rest in peace, because her murder is in jail; thanks to Detective Robbi Colter.” Glasses lifted and clicked to each other in unison to celebrate the good news with the bad. Grandmother insisted everyone stay at the farm until things settled down from all that happen. Pastor Web agreed to do the funeral services for Raven. Victoria agreed to sing Amazing Grace for them.
We decided to resume the reunion at the farm. A parade of vehicles drove to Alder Berry Road. When we turned onto the road, Seth and Elizabeth riding with me said,” stop the vehicle”. I pulled in front of the church. Everyone stopped with us. Once everyone was out of their vehicles, Shane said,” We’re going to need to clean this up for the funeral and wedding. The grass needs to be cut to the church needing repairs.” Dusty replied,” We can do it.” Pastor Web responded,” I know my congregation will help, too.” We continued to the farm to make telephone calls and to get prepared for the work ahead. It was well into the night when everyone went to bed.
In the morning as everyone was busy cutting grass, and, repairing the church, Calvin Calouchi faced Judge Chandler Maxwell for sentencing. By now the news of the disgraced, former Police Commissioner Ron Baker aka Calvin Calouchi was front on the page; stating Guilty of Murder. Annabell didn’t go to the court house nor did their son; they stayed at home to hide from the press. They were embarrassed and felt betrayed. At the court room, Ron Baker and his attorney Fritz Carter stood before Judge Maxwell. ADA Tracy Bird was present with District Attorney Gerald Panache. Judge Maxwell’s husky build, neatly parted white hair, trimmed mustache with dark eyes looked at Ron Baker coldly. He was infuriated Ron Baker abused his power of authority. Judge Maxwell was known as Maximum Max within the criminal element for he had no mercy for murders, especially those who abuse their authority. Judge Maxwell said,” Ronald Baker you stand before me accused of murdering the following; Melinda Morrison, Judge John Blackwall, ADA Adam Harlin, Defense Attorney Dakota Janice, Private Investigator Jerry Lyle, Sheriff Deputies Maltic and Baylor, Cirrillo Serjio, Raven Ryan, Grace Pike and Marshal Dalton. I have your written confession. This court will accept your guilty plea and being there is no objection from your attorney; I concur with ADA Bird’s recommendation of sentencing to life in prison with no patrol. You will spend the remainder of your life in prison until your death at which time your body will be released to your family. Do you agree to these terms?”
Ron answered,” Yes, your honor, I accept the terms.” By the sound of gravel, Judge Maxwell ordered him to be transported to Wexler Maximum State Penitentiary to begin his sentencing. The court was adjourned as reporters outside via to get the story of him hiding under an alias to prevent from being captured to how the detective finally cracked the fifty year old case. No comments were given. Ron Baker went to prison on Thursday and died the following Monday. The guard went to wake him for breakfast on Monday morning. The prison doctor ruled it death of natural causes. Annabell had a private funeral for him. Annabell and her son went on with their life the best they could; hoping in time their hurt will finally go away.
The church on Alder Berry Road was abuzz with life. Volunteers of all walks of life came to help. A fresh coat of paint, stained glass windows replaced, floors repaired to new doors. The grass cut with the little graveyard’s tombstones erected and fixed. The tombstone with Sky’s and Carrie’s name was removed and Raven’s was put in place of it. A picture of her sitting on the paint was put on the stone. Seth and Elizabeth decided to have the funeral at the gravesite. All who remembered her came from every direction in the country. Pastor Web gave a sermon during the funeral. He talked about forgiveness to put the hurt in God’s hand for the heavenly father can heal the hurt by believing in Him. During the ground committal, Pastor Web said,” Heavenly Father, we give to you our beloved sister Raven who was taken from us to soon. May the lost soul finally have peace with you. We take comfort in knowing we’ll see her again in your heavenly kingdom. In Jesus name we give her to you, Amen.” A gentle wind blew a crossed us as we heard her softly say,” Love you, Sky.” Among the tears Seth felt her warm embrace, a gentle touch that somehow soothed his shattered heart. A smile came to him as he replied,” Love you, too, Raven. Sis, I’ll see you someday.” A sudden relief came over him for he was finally at peace. A quick breeze, she was gone. The stillness finally brought peace to everyone. After the funeral, everyone went to Grandma’s farm for dinner. It was here Chad and Britney arrived to meet Amelia and Shane.
It was the first time they met their half- brother and step-mother. They discussed the glass factory to the mansion. Amelia and Shane told them they didn’t want the glass factory or the mansion. The four came to an agreement the shares to the glass factory would be split four ways as were the ownership. Chad and Britney want to give them their fair share for they were the original owners of the glass factory. Amelia and Shane only agreed to it with the stipulation Chad and Britney managed the factory completely without them.
They agreed to the terms of the deal. Aunt Erica, their family attorney said she would draw up the papers for everyone to sign tomorrow. They agreed the mansion would be demolished and a park put in its place. There was too much pain attached to it. It was away for them to let go of the anger, betrayal and hurt they felt caused by Heath Sander.
The following morning construction crews arrived at the mansion. The furniture and vehicles was auction off and all proceeds went to the local domestic abuse shelter that provided aid to those who wanted to get out of abusive situations. Aunt Erica and Uncle Gerald volunteered their legal services to the victims as did my mom. The crews worked three shifts to get the mansion demolished as quickly as possible. They worked non-stop until it was completed. The iron fence and gate were removed. In its place, picnic tables, flower beds and a cobble stone walk way to the bridge. The bridge was completely restored. On the bridge, a plaque was put on it. The words read: FOR ALL THE INNONCES GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. A large fountain surrounded by flo
wers and benches replaced the mansion. A playground behind the fountain were put in place, complete with a slide, swings, sand box, monkey bars and tree house with a swing ladder. A wide variety of bushes were placed all around. I stood there watching the workers.
I eventually walked over to Raven’s grave. I placed a single rose on her tombstone. Upon hearing laughter, I turned my head to see my grandmother and Shane sharing a laugh. Being the church was completed with the repairs, the decorating had begun for the wedding on Sunday, 4th of July. Streamers of red, white and blue were being hung on the front of the church. The love between them made them felt youthful.
Finally, Sunday arrived, grandma and Shane’s wedding day. The farm house came to life in the morning. Everyone running around getting ready for the big day. We went to church to do the finishing touches. My Aunt’s had already arrived with Bess arriving in a few minutes later going to grandma’s dressing room. They were the bridesmaid. My dad, my brother, Blu and my uncles came shortly there-after. They were the groomsmen. They met Shane in his dressing room. One by one everyone was coming. My mom arrived carrying her judicial robe. She was excited as were everyone here. She went to grandma’s dressing room. The guests arrived; filling up the church. Blu rang the church bells to signal it was time.
My mom wearing her judicial robe stood at the altar waiting with the maid of honor, bridesmaids, best man and groomsmen. Shane wearing a blue tuxedo and red bow tie stood at the altar. Uncle Gerald walked grandma wearing a light blue dress down the aisle. Grandma was glowing with happiness. When they stood before my mom, she asked,” Who gives this woman, Jacklyn Panache to this man to be wed?” Uncle Gerald happily said,” I do.” He then placed her hand into Shane’s hand. Once he was seated next to me, my mom continued with the vows of matrimony. My dad, the best man gave the wedding ring for my grandma to Shane during the ring exchange. Aunt Erica, maid of honor gave grandma the wedding ring for Shane. Once they said,” I do,” to each other, my mom happily told Shane to kiss his new bride. After they kissed, my mom said,” Ladies and gentleman. I now introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Shane Shelton.” Fifty years later, they were finally married. It the happiest day of their life, marrying their once and true love. The reception followed with fireworks to celebrate not only Independence Day, but their freedom to marry the one they loved. Chase had a surprise for them at the reception. She restored the Harley Davidson he wrecked. It was the same bike he took her on to get married a cross the state line when they were seventeen. Tears came to their eyes seeing the bike. It was the best wedding present they could have received. At the end of the reception, they rode the bike to Grandma’s farm.