Ruth Weaver’s graying hair was up in a tight bun, and her pleasant face was devoid of make-up, while her heavy body bulged, straining the seams of the simple black dress she wore.
She and Delaney were in a white interrogation room where a laptop sat open on the table. There was a female officer present as well, an Officer O’Reilly, and watching from behind a one-way mirror were Dr. White and Jeff Roman.
Delaney gestured at the laptop’s monitor, tapped a key, and a set of photos of the late Selena Richman appeared. The photos were all “selfies” taken with Richman’s phone, and showed her and another woman laughing, mugging for the camera, and kissing.
The other woman had gone unidentified, until now.
“Do you recognize these pictures, Ms. Weaver?” Delaney asked.
Weaver pushed her glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose and answered, “No,” even as she stared at the photos with a look of longing.
“Christy Rose paid you very little rent for her apartment, didn’t she?”
Weaver tore her eyes away from the photos and smiled at Delaney.
“I was just trying to help the girl out. This city can be very expensive.”
“That it can, and in more ways than one,” Delaney said.
“Is there anything else?” Weaver said.
In answer, Delaney typed at the laptop, and two photos appeared side by side. The one on the left was a twenty-year-old Ruth Weaver, while the one on the right was a photo of the girl seen with Selena Richman in the selfies. The two women bore a striking resemblance.
Delaney picked up a sheet of paper and read from it.
“A Ms. Carol Rowen from the Lite Lady Gym on Seventeenth Street remembers you fondly, and remarked that you were one of the most driven clients she had ever trained. She says that you lost over fifty pounds in less than two months.”
Weaver shook her head as she pointed at the laptop.
“That’s not me in that other photo. Look at me; I could never be that thin, why, even in that photo of me as a girl you can see I’m overweight.”
“Yes, and you can also see the strong resemblance. Dwayne Jones’ attorney paid to have them compared using facial recognition software, and the report that came back stated that those pictures were of the same woman, and that woman is you.”
Weaver kept shaking her head, and Delaney went back to reading.
“Heather Sharell of the Beauty Queen Salon on Mulberry Street says that she performed the makeover on you. She dyed your hair, taught you how to enhance your looks with make-up, and suggested you get rid of your glasses and switch to contact lenses.”
Delaney tapped at the keyboard again, and Ruth Weaver’s driver license photo appeared beside the photo of the woman in the selfie, a photo taken when she last renewed her license a month before Selena Richman’s death.
Heather Sharell also said that once you lost all the excess weight, that you looked twenty years younger, and looking at these photos, I tend to agree.”
“No, no,” Weaver said, while still shaking her head emphatically.
“Ms. Sharell also relayed a conversation you two had over drinks, a conversation in which you professed your love for a much younger woman. You changed to make yourself more attractive to Selena, didn’t you, Ruth?”
Weaver stopped shaking her head and stared down at the tabletop.
When she said nothing, Delaney continued.
“Christy Rose slipped a drug into Selena’s drink that night four years ago, and Selena died, and then Rose let Dwayne Jones take the legal consequences, but you blamed them both, didn’t you, you blamed them both, and you were going to make them both pay dearly for your loss.”
Weaver glanced up and tears were visible in her eyes.
Delaney shut off the laptop.
“You killed Rose to frame Jones and send him back to prison for good, but Ruth, none of it will bring back Selena.”
Weaver broke down and sobbed. When she had regained her composure, she looked over at Delaney with her head held high.
“I want a lawyer.”
On the other side of the mirror, Roman turned towards Dr. White and smiled.
“That’s my cue.”
TAKEN! Z – THE CLOSE CALL
(The following took place during the events in TAKEN! Prelude!)
Detective York gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile to Sienna Ross, as he readied the beautiful college freshman to act as bait.
By a fluke, the man who owned the business across the street from where she worked, noticed that a white van with out of state plates was often parked nearby when Sienna left her part-time job.
The man reported it to the police, and when York followed up on the call, he saw that the man was right, and that the boy driving the white van was stalking Sienna Ross.
York had only gotten a look at the boy through binoculars, but saw that he was a handsome kid, handsome that is, if you ignored the eyes, the boy had the eyes of a predator.
York considered talking to the boy but thought that unwise. If the kid were truly a danger to women, then speaking with him would only alert him to be more discreet, and eventually he would choose a new victim somewhere else.
It took some convincing, but York talked his Captain into authorizing surveillance, and he also persuaded him to enlist the aid of the boy’s intended victim, Sienna Ross.
When told about him, Ross said that she had never noticed the boy following her, but that she would love the chance to take the creep off the streets.
Ross informed York that she wanted to be a cop when she finished college, and that this experience would give her a taste of undercover work.
York liked the girl’s spirit, and thought that she would be able to handle the stress of being bait, and for the past two days, she’s done just that, as the boy in the van appeared to be readying himself to strike.
***
Sienna Ross took a deep breath, released it, and exited her part-time job, while fighting the urge to run over and stare at the boy in the van.
She had never seen the boy, but merely a photo taken under bad lighting conditions, with a telephoto lens, and the only angle of sight into the van was from across the street.
Sienna wanted to get a good look at him, but was cautioned not to deviate from her usual routine or to make eye contact.
She walked towards the coffee shop she routinely stopped at on the way home, and could feel the boy’s eyes upon her. Unable to fight the urge any longer, she thought of a way to get a look into the van.
When she was sure that the breeze was blowing in the right direction, she opened her hand and the dollar bill she carried fluttered back along the way she had just come.
Sienna turned in a flash, eyes locked on the van, and when she saw the boy’s face, it startled her.
He’s so beautiful, but oh, those eyes.
She tore her gaze away from the boy before he could return her stare, and looked down at the sidewalk, where she located the wayward dollar and picked it up.
A second detective was waiting for her in the coffee shop, and after assuring her that she was doing fine, he handed her the usual cup of tea she stopped for, and sent her back out to spring the trap.
***
Detective York sighed with frustration.
He had assumed that the boy would attack her as she went for her car in the municipal parking lot, since Ross always parked in the rear corner of the lot under a tree.
He had thought the boy would wait for her to appear after getting her tea, and then jump out from behind the tree and take her.
But no, the boy continued to sit in the van, and when Ross did emerge with her tea, York saw that the boy just sat and watched her.
***
Even though Sienna knew that the boy would never get the chance to harm her, she was pale with fear as she approached her car, but when nothing happened, she did as York instructed her to do, and continued with her regular routine.
It wasn’t until she was cli
mbing the hill in the park that she noticed the white van in her rear view mirror, and realized that the boy was still following her.
***
Detective York saw the van give up pursuit of Sienna Ross’ car and pull off into the lot inside the park.
As he drove by on the road, York risked a glance towards the van and saw that the boy was just sitting there, and he wondered if the kid had lost his nerve.
After leaving the park, he pulled up beside Ross at a traffic light and gestured for her to pull over onto the side of the road.
Sienna came towards him with a pained expression.
“Did I screw up somehow? Is that why he stopped following me?”
“No, Sienna, you’re doing excellent; I think it’s just a matter of timing.”
York spoke into his radio and made contact with his partner.
“Bill, what’s he doing now?”
“He’s just sitting there, but a group of teens got out of a car and started throwing a Frisbee around.”
“How many kids are there?”
“Four, two guys and two girls, and our boy is just sitting and watching them.”
York’s radio squawked loudly and he was informed that an attempted robbery had just gone down at a nearby grocery store. The subject was a young man with long blond hair who was carrying a knife. He didn’t get away with any cash, but he did stab the store clerk in the arm before running away, and was considered to be dangerous.
York spoke into his radio again.
“Bill, did you hear that?”
“Yeah, should I take the call or keep watching the guy in the van?”
“Take the call and I’ll meet you there.”
“What should I do?” Sienna asked.
“Go home, and if you’re willing, we’ll try again tomorrow.”
“All right, and Detective?”
“Yes?”
“I hope we catch him.”
“He’ll be caught, either by us or someone else. That boy is a predator, Ms. Ross, and that type of man can’t change.”
Sienna shivered.
“May God help any girl that runs into him.”
“Amen to that,” York said, “amen to that,”
BONUS SECTION
Until about two hundred years ago, there was a 27th letter in the English language.
This symbol is still commonly used today and if you’ve done much writing lately, you’ve probably used it. However, this symbol is no longer considered a letter, and is thought of as an abbreviation.
What I’m talking about is the — & — ampersand.
I couldn’t find a source that could tell me exactly when the & was dropped as a letter, but they do know that it traces back to Latin.
And so I give you, TAKEN! &.
TAKEN! & – THE SNEAK PEEK
(The events in TAKEN! & take place during and after the events in TAKEN!50)
Traci Dent smiled at Alexis Dent as she spotted her at a corner table inside the bagel shop.
Traci was dressed in jeans and a green blouse, as she had the morning off, but would be working the second shift.
As she drew closer, she realized that she knew the young man seated across from Alexis.
“Hi, Alexis, Alan, are you two dating?”
Alexis let out a huff.
“Yes, we’re dating, and I suppose that now you’re going to run off and tell Daddy that you saw us together.”
Traci kept her smile in place. She knew her stepdaughter didn’t like her, but she was not going to be dragged down into an argument.
“I won’t mention it if you don’t want me to, okay?”
“Oh, so you’re saying you keep secrets from him, hmm?”
Traci’s grip tightened on the bag of bagels she was holding.
“You two have a great day.”
As Traci headed towards the exit, Alan shook his head at Alexis.
“You really don’t like her, do you?”
“She’s too young for Daddy, and someday she’ll break his heart.”
***
Outside the bagel shop, Traci ran into a familiar face.
“How’s the foot?”
“It’s coming along,” Jessica’s husband said.
“We’re still on for dinner on Saturday, right?”
“Yes, and Jessica and I are looking forward to it.”
“So are Jack and I, we both want to get another look at those beautiful babies of yours.”
They spoke for a few more moments, and then he went inside, while Traci set the bagels in her car and drove across the parking lot to an ATM machine.
As she was about to get back in the car, she heard the sound of five shots echo across the parking lot.
She swiveled about, trying to determine the location of the reports, when a sixth shot echoed.
“Oh my God, that’s coming from the bagel shop.”
Traci got in the car, reached across to take a gun from the glove box, and then raced back across the lot.
The employees and customers from the bagel shop were standing on the corner and staring at something on the side of the building, and Traci’s throat tightened in fear when she saw no sign of Alan or Alexis, but as she eased her car around the corner, she spotted them.
Traci recognized the car Alan was standing beside as belonging to Dr. White’s husband, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Alexis was unharmed.
Alan was saying something to Alexis as Traci opened her door to get out, and whatever he had said, made the girl gasp.
Traci was headed towards the car to find out what had happened, and that’s when the explosion occurred.
TO BE CONTINUED IN TAKEN! 51 — AVAILABLE ON THANKSGIVING DAY
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BIBLIOGRAPHY OF DONALD WELLS
SEX POEMS FOR VIRGINS - POETRY - 2011 (Written between 1988-2009)
A MINOR ERROR IN JUDGEMENT - 2011 (Written in 2002)
FIRST DATE - 2011 (Written in 1991)
TO EACH HIS OWN - 2011 (Written in 1992)
COMPETITION - 2011 (Written in 2002)
ANGER MANAGEMENT - 2011 (Written in 2006)
THE MANY AND THE ONE - REYNOLDS FAMILY SAGA - BOOK 1 - 2011 (Written between 1988- 2002)
DOUBLE OR NOTHING - 2011 (Written in 2002)
SINS & SECOND CHANCES - REYNOLDS FAMILY SAGA - BOOK 2 - 2011 (Written in 2003)
DRY ADULTERY, WET AMBITION - REYNOLDS FAMILY SAGA - BOOK 3 - 2011 (Written in 2004)
OF TONGUE AND PEN - REYNOLDS FAMILY SAGA - BOOK 4 - 2011 (Written in 2008)
THE FIX-IT MAN - 2011 (Written in 2008)
AS A SOUL, MOLESTED - POETRY - 2012 (Written between 1988-2010)
ALL GOOD THINGS - REYNOLDS FAMILY SAGA - BOOK 5 - 2012 (Written in 2009)
INDIE: A HUMOROUS LOOK AT INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING - 2011
WHISPER IN THE PINES - 2012
MONSTERS - 2012
TAKEN! - 2012
TAKEN! 2 - 2012
TAKEN! 3 - 2012
TAKEN! 4 - 2012
TAKEN! 5 - 2012
TAKEN! 6 - 2012
BLUE STEELE - 2012
BLUE STEELE 2 - 2012
BLUE STEELE 3 - 2012
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY - 2012
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY 2 - 2012
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY 3 - 2012
ANSWERED PRAYERS (With Melissa McCallen) - 2012
TAKEN! 7 - 2012
BLUE STEELE 4 - 2012
BLUE STEELE 5 - 2012
BLUE STEELE 6 - 2012
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY 4 - 2012
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY 5 - 2012
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY 6 - 2012
LITTLE WHITE SINS - REYNOLDS FAMILY SAGA - BOOK 6 - 2012
TAKEN! 8 - 2012
TAKEN! 9 - 2012
TAKEN! 10 - 2013
TAKEN! 11 - 2013
TAKEN! 12 - 2013
&
nbsp; TAKEN! 13 - 2013
TAKEN! 14 - 2013
TAKEN! PRELUDE! - 2013
TAKEN! 15 - 2013
TAKEN! 16 - 2013
TAKEN! 17 - 2013
TAKEN! 18 - 2013
TAKEN! 19 - 2013
TAKEN! 20 - 2013
TAKEN! 21 - 2013
TAKEN! 22 - 2013
TAKEN! 23 - 2013
TAKEN! 24 - 2013
THE THIRTY-NINE - 24A - 2013
EVERYTHING NEW IS OLD AGAIN - REYNOLDS FAMILY SAGA - BOOK 7 - 2013
KIDNAPPING THE DEVIL - 24B - 2013
HIT SQUAD - 24C - 2013
THEORETICAL - NICK REYNOLDS - 2013
THE LIGHT OF DARKNESS - REYNOLDS FAMILY SAGA - BOOK 8 - 2013
MONSTERS 2 - 2013
MONSTERS 3 - 2013
MONSTERS 4 - 2013
MONSTERS 5 - 2013
MONSTERS 6 - 2013
TAKEN! 25 - 2013
TAKEN! 26 - 2013
TAKEN! 27 - 2013
TAKEN! 28 - 2013
TAKEN! 29 - 2013
TAKEN! 30 - 2013
TAKEN! 31 - 2013
THEORETICAL 2 - NICK REYNOLDS - 2013
THEORETICAL 3 - NICK REYNOLDS - 2013
THE GRANDFATHER PARADOX - NICK REYNOLDS - 2013
THE TWIN PARADOX - NICK REYNOLDS - 2013
AULD LANG TIME - NICK REYNOLDS - 2013
THE GRANDSON PARADOX - NICK REYNOLDS - 2013
RETRIEVAL - AULD LANG TIME 2 - NICK REYNOLDS - 2013
TAKEN! 32 - 2013
TAKEN! 33 - 2013
TAKEN! 34 - 2013
TAKEN! 35 - 2013
TAKEN! 36 - 2013
TAKEN! 37 – 2013
JAKE CALIBER – THE LEGEND BEGINS - 2013
BLUE STEELE 7 - 2013
BLUE STEELE 8 - 2013
BLUE STEELE 9 - 2013
BLUE STEELE 10 - 2013
BLUE STEELE 11 - 2013
BLUE STEELE 12 - 2013
BLUE STEELE 13 - 2013
BLUE STEELE 14 - 2013
BLUE STEELE 15 - 2013
BLUE STEELE 16 - 2013
BLUE STEELE 17 - 2013
BLUE STEELE 18 - 2013
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY 7 - 2013
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY 8 - 2013
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY 9 - 2013
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY 10 - 2013
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY 11 - 2013
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY 12 - 2013
Taken! Alphabet Series - 26 Original Taken! Tales (Donald Wells' Taken! Series Book 14) Page 11