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Authors: Ellen Elizabeth Hunter

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BOOK: Christmas Wedding
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Gosh, that must have hurt, to be dragged across the stick shift,” I said.


My adrenalin was pumping so hard I didn’t feel a thing. My mind kept racing. Assessing the possibilities. Scream, I thought, and I did. But there was no one around. It was about one thirty a.m. by then. Even the late-night dog walkers were indoors. Away in the distance I could see a doorman in a green uniform, swinging his arms and pacing, but he was too far away, and with the background noise of the city, he didn’t hear me.


If any of the drivers on Fifth Avenue saw me they didn’t stop. Maybe they didn’t know that I was being forced against my will.”


And he had a gun at your head,” Melanie said and rubbed her upper arms as if she was cold.


The only thing I could do was scream, so I did, at the top of my voice,” Scarlett went on. “That made him mad and he struck me on the head with the butt of the gun and I blacked out. When I woke up I was in the park, lying on a rocky outcropping with the man on top of me ripping at my clothes.”

 

 

 

 

 

11

 


Oh, no, I was afraid you were going to say that,” I said.


Poor Scarlett,” Aunt Ruby said. But she already knew the story.


I was so scared. At the same time I was outraged. He was heavy, and ragged and he smelled ghastly. His stench just about made me sick to my stomach. And the thought that that awful creature wanted to enter my body, well, it just made me as mad as the dickens.”


Another one of Mama’s saying,” I couldn’t help but remark.


Shush,” Melanie said. “What happened next, Scarlett? I hope you got away.”


I felt around on that rocky ledge until I found a loose rock. By that time he was kind of straddling my legs, and yanking at my jeans. But my hands were free and I had some breathing room. I picked up that rock and I let him have it. Smashed it as hard as I could against his head.”


Good for you!” I cried. “I’d have done the same. Nobody messes with us Wilkes girls. Let me correct that: nobody messes with Claire’s girls.”

Scarlett smiled. She got my meaning. She was being accepted. Somehow this dreadful story was endearing her to me. And was Melanie softening too? Aunt Ruby approved of her and wanted her in our lives. And Aunt Ruby had excellent judgment.

Scarlett continued, “Well, then he fell on me. And he was so darned heavy I couldn’t push him off me. Finally, I managed to wiggle out from under him. And I started to run off that ledge and through the shrubbery when suddenly I realized he had the keys to my car. And I remembered that when we left the car I’d heard the little beep that meant he had clicked the remote and locked the doors. Should I just leave them? My purse was in the car. I’d have to flag down a motorist on Fifth Avenue. Or find that doorman and get him to call the police.


Then I reasoned that when the man came to, he’d get my car and my purse with my address and my house keys. “And at that point I wasn’t sure I wanted any police involvement. That dreadful man had not succeeded in raping me. I just wanted to get home and have a bath, and wash his stench off me.”


So you returned for the keys,” Melanie guessed.


I returned for the keys,” Scarlett said. “I saw the gun lying next to him. He was out cold. I picked up the gun and trained it on him. But he did not wake up as I went through his pockets – oh, it was odious just to touch him. But I located my car keys.

 


Then I jumped up and took off and I took the gun with me. I reasoned that I didn’t know what kind of characters I might encounter in that scary park.”


Good thinking,” I said.


I ran through the underbrush and found the footpath. I could see the towers of Fifth Avenue all lit up and I ran toward them. I didn’t see a soul. But then as I rounded a bend I came upon two men standing next to a park bench. They were directly under a street lamp so I could see them clearly. Both men were dressed in formal clothing, tuxedoes, as if they had been to a fancy party. I remember that in the murky light of the street lantern, their shirt fronts appeared glistening white. And one man was wearing white gloves. In the garish lamplight they appeared an eerie blue.


They didn’t see me. They were fighting with each other, grappling, and slugging each other. The man with the gloves was larger and more powerful. I stopped and hid behind some foliage. Then the man with the white gloves had the other man by the neck. He was choking the life out of him. The victim was struggling to get free, trying to pull his attacker’s hands away from his neck.”


Oh, no,” I gasped.


The victim’s legs buckled. He was going down. But his assailant still had him by the neck, squeezing, and yelling at him something about how no one was selling him out.


At that point, I couldn’t take any more. I just ran. I have strong legs from dancing, and I was in good shape. I was a swift runner.


I flew right past them. The man who was choking the other was surprised to see me, but he did not let go of his victim. I kept running. And I was holding the gun and pointing it straight at him.


Then, as I got closer to Fifth Avenue, I felt him following me. I heard his footfalls as he chased me. I looked around and there he was, gaining on me. I put on a burst of speed and escaped through the park exit, dashed across the sidewalk and ran out into the street, around my car. Used the remote to unlock the doors and jumped inside. I pulled away from the curb so fast I skidded. I didn’t even bother to look to see if there were cars coming. I just raced down Fifth, not even stopping for the red light.


But when I was pulling away from the curb, I caught sight of him in my rear view mirror and I knew he was getting my license plate number.”


Then what happened?” I asked, now on the edge of my chair like Melanie. “Did you go to the police?”


Yes, I went straight to the police. I was bruised and scraped. My head was throbbing where I’d been pistol whipped, and my left eye was swollen almost shut. But I drove straight to the Seventeenth Precinct which is in my neighborhood, on Fifty-First Street near Third Avenue.


I double parked and ran inside. The desk sergeant took one look at me and led me straight to the back to the detectives. They took a brief statement, then sent for a doctor who cleaned up my scrapes and gave me a cold pack for my forehead.


After the doctor left, I told the detectives every detail of what had happened. Oh, and of course I turned the gun over to them. I thought they might be able to trace it to my attacker.


Right away they sent out a team of detectives and uniformed officers to the park. One of the detectives stayed with me, and gave me the mug book to go through. But I didn’t recognize anyone.”


So when they found the strangle victim, was he still alive?” I asked.

Scarlett shook her head negatively and gave me an odd look. “They did not find him. When they returned, they said it had been a wild-goose chase. There was no victim on the footpath. They said they’d comb the park in the morning when it was daylight. But I could tell they didn’t believe me. They did not find my abductor either. All three men had disappeared. Without a trace.”

 

 

 

 

 

12

 


What about the gun? That was proof,” Melanie said.

Scarlett responded, “At that point I was getting the impression they thought I was lying. That the gun was mine. They started questioning me in an aggressive way. I yelled at them, ‘Do you think I hit myself on the head?’”


How strange,” I said.


They must have done a background check on me because they seemed to know a lot about me. One of the detectives said he’d taken his family to the Christmas show at the music hall so he’d probably seen me dance. They were not disrespectful. Just not believing.


Hearing that I’d been coming home from a cast party, one even asked if there had been drugs at the party.”


No!” I said.


I told them firmly that I did not do drugs. Drugs and dancing don’t mix. Plus, I’ve never even been tempted. I’ve seen drugs destroy too many promising careers.”


So what happened next?” Melanie asked.


I told them that the killer may have gotten my license plate number. That he might be able to trace it and find me. That I was in jeopardy. The older detective, the one who had seen me dance, said that since there wasn’t any crime, there was nothing they could do. He suggested I stay with a friend.”


Did you?” I asked.


Not that night. I drove home. It was almost four in the morning. I parked the car in the underground garage. You need a card to get into the garage so I thought I’d be OK for the rest of the night . . . morning. I turned on the alarm system, had a long soak in the tub, then slept until noon.


I didn’t have a performance the next day, but when I returned from rehearsals, the doorman told me that a man had been looking for me.”


No!” I said. “He did trace you.”


I packed up my stuff, set the alarm on the apartment, and took a cab to my best friend Maggie’s apartment. I told her everything. She had a brother who was a cop and he made some inquiries. It hadn’t come out in the papers yet, but the word was a New York City Councilman was missing!”


What?” I exclaimed.


The councilman had disappeared the same night I’d witnessed that slaying in the park. At that point I didn’t know what to do. Should I call the detectives again, I wondered. As it turned out, I didn’t have to do anything. The next day I got a phone call at work from a man who said he was an FBI agent. He insisted that we meet.


I didn’t know who to trust. Maybe he was the killer, trying to trick me. I set up a meeting at Maggie’s apartment with her cop brother Joe there for protection.”


And was he legit? Was he FBI?” I asked.


Yes, and there were two of them, a man and a woman. They had IDs that seemed right. The agents wanted me to go downtown with them, but I refused. So we went into Maggie’s study and closed the door, with Maggie and Joe stationed nearby in the living room in case I needed them. After we talked for a while, I knew they were who they said they were.”


How did you know?” I asked.


They showed me more pictures. And this time the strangler was among them. I had no trouble identifying him. Besides, I’d never forget that face. I still see it in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep. Cold and sneering. Sort of smug looking. And very dangerous in appearance. Like just a look from him would stop you dead in your tracks.


They also showed me a picture of the victim. I verified that he was the man I’d seen being strangled. They informed me he was Councilman Henry Falco. His body had been found at a construction site early the morning before. He’d been strangled and kicked savagely.”


But how did the FBI get involved? How did they find you?” Melanie wanted to know.


I assumed they learned from the Seventeenth Precinct detectives that there had been a woman who claimed to have witnessed a murder in the park. The FBI had been handling an investigation of Falco. Extortion, accepting bribes, awarding contracts to friends, corruption in government. But it seems Falco had friends in high places who wanted him to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. So Falco had to clean up his act. He made a deal with the FBI that he’d provide information about a racketeer named Blackie Sullivan in exchange for anonymity. He would not be charged or investigated if what he gave them was useful. He would not have to testify. The FBI would simply take the information he provided, and use it to find other informers and to build a case.”


Who is Blackie Sullivan?” Melanie asked.


Russell Sullivan, the man I identified as the strangler. Head of a criminal syndicate that controlled the building trade unions and who had their greedy fingers into all aspects of construction in New York City. Compared with what they wanted to get on Sullivan, the FBI was willing to let Falco and his petty bribes take a walk. He was just one of many who had taken bribes from Sullivan.


They granted Falco immunity from prosecution. His involvement would be kept secret. You won’t believe how corrupt the whole system is. Falco could still run for the U.S. Congress. The public would never know about his shady dealings. His deposition would be sealed.”


Well, if he was an informer, why did he meet with Blackie Sullivan?” I asked. “Didn’t he know he’d be in danger?”

Scarlett shrugged her shoulders, a gesture I’d seen Melanie perform countless times. “I asked the agents that question myself. They said: You know what those politicians are like. Hubris. Arrogant. Full of themselves. Think they are God’s gift to the world and nothing can touch them.


Falco suggested one last sting. He figured if he could hand them Sullivan on a silver platter, they’d be so grateful they’d stay off his back forever.


The agents thought it was a dumb move on Falco’s part, but he insisted. The agents implied that Falco wasn’t very smart. And that being put up as a candidate for Congress had gone to this head. He thought he was untouchable. He wouldn’t be the first to overrate himself, they said.”

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