Three Sisters of Delta Gamma Ch. 07

Eric yelled into the phone, "Are you behind this?"

"No I'm not Eric." He could tell she was crying. "The police are here now and told me what happened. I'd never do that, Eric. You've got to believe me. Amy is the most important person in my life; and I'd never do something like this to her. The police have asked me to go with them for questioning. Can you come be with me? I'm so scared."

"Let me talk to the officer."

"Mr. Belton, this is Officer James O'Neal, Philadelphia Police Department. We are taking Ms. Thompson to our headquarters for questioning. She has declined legal representation, but her father Judge Thompson is meeting us there."

"I'll come also."

He quickly told everyone what Melissa said. "Layla, can you go with me?"

"Of course."

Paulo said, "We're going to the FBI office and see whether we can clean up the security video. Call me, Layla, with any news and we'll do the same for you."

As soon as the three brothers were in the car, they called each of their team leaders. They were told that they and their men must be at the office within one hour. Absolutely everyone must be there and no excuses would be accepted. Paulo drove as quickly as he could; and almost everyone was there in the meeting room when they arrived. By the time they set up the video player and loaded the tape, all 24 of their men were in the room.

"Guys, my little sister's four year-old daughter was kidnapped a few hours ago." Loud moans and curses rolled through the room. "We have this video from the home security system. Their faces are covered but look at the tattoo on the one guy's neck and listen to the voice of the man yelling upstairs. I hope we know them."

The room was deathly quiet as the video began. The alarm sound was terribly annoying, but then the voice of the man was clearly heard. The men all looked at each other. Paulo played it again.

"Look at the tats on the side of this guy's neck as he goes into her room. Do you recognize anything?" He paused the tape. There was a moment of quiet while everyone studied the neck covered in art.

Jimmy, one of Paulo's men yelled, "Why that damn son-of-a-bitch. That's Rennie Locarno."

"Bingo!" yelled Paulo. "That's who I thought it was. He's the only fucker in Philly with the Liberty Bell tattooed on his neck and dumb enough to wear a ski mask that left the tat visible. I thought he was in jail."

Tony, one of Leonardo's guys, yelled over the din, "I saw him on his mother's front porch last week. I stopped and talked. He had recently gotten out of jail and was looking for a job."

"Well, the asshole found one," Leonardo said. "Tony, go with Jimmy, Lou and Marco and pick that bastard up and bring him here. If he's not at his mom's house, find him or wait for him. Don't kill him."

Paulo asked, "Anybody know who he used to hang out with?"

Marco spoke up, "He was a friend of Tommy DeLuca."

"Is the guy who yelled upstairs DeLuca?" Paulo asked.

Everyone watched and listened to the tape again. Marco said, "Paulo, I think that's him. He always slurred some of his words. Listen to the way he said 'hurry.' Play it again for us." They all listened again.

"You're right," said Leonardo. "Who wants to go with me to get the asshole?" All 20 remaining hands in the room shot up. Leonardo selected three others and the two teams left to retrieve their scumbags.

****

At the police headquarters, Melissa was in an interrogation room with her father and a detective when Eric and Layla arrived. The lead detective took them to another room and asked them to tell him everything they knew about Melissa and why Eric thought she might be involved. It took about five minutes for Eric to describe the events and the meeting with Melissa that raised his suspicions.

The detective told them that Melissa wanted Eric to be in the room with her during the questioning. "So far, she has been very cooperative and we don't want her to shut down. The judge is also cooperating and they have not asked for a lawyer. Let's make your participation as cordial as possible to keep her talking."

"Layla, can you wait outside the room for me? Meeting my new fiancée at this point might be too much for her."

They walked to the room and a chair was added at the table for Eric. The tension in the room, especially between Eric and Melissa, was near the breaking point.

Detective Adams spoke, "Melissa, as you know, your daughter Amy was kidnapped a few hours ago. Eric has said that he thinks you may know who did it. Is that right?"

"No sir, I don't know. When the officers came to my workplace, I told them I knew nothing about it. There is no way I'd be involved in that."

"Didn't you beg Eric to let you visit Amy? When he declined, didn't you get very angry and run away crying?"

"Yes, I did. But I'd never take her without Eric's permission. I admit that I've had a very troubled past and have been guilty of many ugly things. This, I had nothing to do with. Eric, please believe me." Eric looked down at the table.

The detective continued, "Let's talk about people who you know and have talked to since you returned home. I understand that you work at a rehab center. Who are the people that you've befriended there and who know that you have a daughter?"

For the next few minutes, Melissa named 12 people that knew about her daughter and how she lost her due to the drug habit she had. Talking about this was part of her job, she explained. The detective then asked if any of those had been released from rehab. She named three, one of whom was the real estate agent she had mentioned to Eric.

Eric asked, "Can you tell us more about the real estate agent?"

"His name is Tommy DeLuca. He was released from rehab last week and we've had a couple of dates since then."

The detective asked, "Would he want to give you a special Christmas gift of a visit with your daughter?"

"Oh God, I hope not. He knows about her and how much I miss her but I don't think he would kidnap her."

"Ms. Thompson, if it's the same Tommy DeLuca I'm thinking of, he has a long rap sheet and is certainly not a real estate agent. He's been in prison more than he's been out." The second detective looked up Tommy's record on his laptop and showed it to Melissa. She recognized his mug shot and began crying hysterically.

Eric asked, "Melissa, did he know that Amy was at my parent's house?"

After several moments, she replied, "Yes."

The second detective said, "I'll send out a car to pick him up. This is his last known address, Ms. Thompson. Is this familiar to you?"

She looked at the computer but shook her head.

"No, we went on two dates but I never went to his house. He always came to pick me up. I can't believe he would take Amy."

Judge Thompson spoke for the first time, "He was probably trying to impress you by making a visit possible. No one else would give you that gift." He glanced at Eric.

The lead detective asked everyone to go to the lobby waiting room while they find DeLuca and bring him in. The spirit of optimism dramatically increased. At least they had a suspect.

As Melissa walked out, Eric reluctantly introduced Layla. The two women looked at the tears in each other's eyes. There was none of the animosity that could have been there. They hugged and cried in each other's arms as mothers of missing children do. Eric then hugged them both. He and Layla realized that Melissa only wanted what they wanted, for Amy to be safe and found quickly. The two women walked hand in hand to the lobby to begin the long ordeal of waiting.

****

Paulo's team arrived at Rennie's street and parked a block beyond the house. They saw him sitting on the porch in a heavy winter coat smoking and drinking a beer. Two of them walked back to the house and approached with friendly conversation; he invited them to sit and have a beer.

"You look a lot happier than you did last week. Did you find a job?" asked Tony.

"Yeah, I did. Paid good too."

"That's great. Paulo has a job coming open and wants to talk to you. Can you come to his office now?"

"It's almost dinner time. Can't he see me tomorrow?"

"No, you know how Paulo is. He works around the clock and he expects all of us to do the same. Come with us and we'll have you back in a little while. The money is really good."

"Let me tell mom. I think she's taking a nap."

"Don't wake her. You'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay." He walked with them to the car and saw the other two men. Tony introduced everyone and they put Rennie between the two guys in the back seat. Rennie was nervous and suspicious but didn't say anything. It was too late for that.

Paulo's phone rang and it was Layla.

"Hey, I'm at the police headquarters and a car is headed out to find a guy named Tommy DeLuca. Melissa thinks he might be behind it."

"I have a car headed there also. We figured out he was involved from the security video. Let me call my guys and warn them." They hung up.

When Paulo's men arrived at Tommy's house, two of them went to the door and knocked. They heard people inside and, eventually, the front door opened.

"Hey Tommy. Good to see you again, my friend," Leonardo said.

"I've not seen you in a good while, Leonardo. What's up?" Leonardo noticed that Tommy kept his right hand behind him, probably holding a pistol.

"We've had a couple of guys leave our company and we're looking for a good guy to help us out. Pays good money."

"You guys still making people disappear?"

"Not us. We're providing private protection for well-known businessmen and I know how good you are. Thought you might be interested."

"How much does it pay?"

"About $5000 per week with a $50,000 bonus if you prevent an incident."

"That is good money. When does he want to see me?"

"He asked that we bring you over to his house right now. Can you go?"

"Give me a minute?"

"Sure."

He closed the door and Leonardo could hear voices mumbling in the house. Tommy came back wearing a clean shirt and a wool topcoat. He followed Leonardo to the car but recognized a trap when he saw the other two men. Before he could react, a pistol was jammed into the small of his back. Leonardo took a pistol from Tommy's inside coat pocket and forced him into the car. As they drove away, a police car turned onto the street and stopped in front of Tommy's house.

****

At the police headquarters, Layla was sitting with Melissa while Eric and Judge Thompson went for food.

They heard, "Mommy, mommy!" Layla turned and saw Amy running to her as fast as she could. Layla and Melissa both jumped up as Amy ran into Layla's arms. Both cried and hugged and kissed and hugged again. Two police officers came and waited for the excitement to die down. Layla didn't introduce Amy to Melissa.

One of the officers said, "I think we found her mommy." Everyone laughed as the hugging continued.

The officer said, "You have an amazing daughter. She talked us to death on the way here." Everyone laughed again.

"Mommy, the officers were nice. They blew the siren for me and I got to hear them talking on their radio and they told a lady that they found me. I was happy."

Melissa was standing beside Layla with tears running down her face. Eric and the judge returned and ran over. The crying, hugging and kissing all began once again. Melissa stood to the side waiting for permission from Eric to hug Amy.

Detective Adams came out and asked them to return to the interrogation room. Layla and Amy walked to the restaurant for a drink while the others followed the detective. Eric pulled Melissa aside as the others walked ahead.

"Melissa, I've changed my mind and I do want you to have contact with Amy. It's clear from all of this that you do love her and want the best for her. The problems that led to our divorce are behind us and we've both got to move on. I think Amy can help with that. But please let me explain to her why you're suddenly back."

"Thank you Eric. This means the world to me."

"I know it does."

They walked into the room and everyone took a seat. The detective began, "Office Davis and his partner found Amy at the DeLuca home with Tommy's sister. The sister had no idea Amy had been kidnapped. Tommy told her that he was keeping her for a couple of days for a friend.

"Before our officers arrived, Tommy left with two other guys but his sister had no idea where he went. Amy told us her name and that she had been taken that morning from her house. We're watching the sister's house and have put out an APB for his arrest; it shouldn't take too long to find him. He's going away for a very long time.

"Melissa, we're going to let you go for now as we don't have any evidence so far that you're involved. When we find Tommy, that may change based on what he tells us. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. You're free to go."

Eric asked, "Melissa, can you come to our house in New Hope tomorrow afternoon? I want us to talk and come to an agreement. Amy will be there, of course."

"Yes, that'd be wonderful. Thank you."

Eric and Melissa hugged.

****

Rennie and Tommy were taken to Paulo's office and handcuffed to chairs. Jimmy called Paulo and told him they were back. When Paulo arrived, he sat in a chair directly in front of the two guys.

"You two were busy this morning. Why did you kidnap that little girl?"

"We didn't kidnap anyone," Rennie replied.

Paulo played the tape for them. He stopped it when the screen showed the tattooed neck of Rennie.

"Look at these tats. You still say you weren't involved?"

"Where did that tape come from? There were no security cameras there."

"So you do admit you were there and took the girl? Did Tommy pay you to do it?"

There was silence.

"This is my sister's little girl that you took."

Fear shot through them.

"Her name is Amy and the police rescued her from your house, Tommy, right after we picked you up. Do you want to deny your involvement also?"

"We didn't know she was part of your family," Tommy replied. "A woman named Melissa said Amy was her daughter."

"That's true. Amy has two moms."

There was confused silence.

"Did Melissa ask you to take Amy?"

"No. I wanted to surprise her. Her former husband wouldn't let her see her daughter."

"Lucky for you, Amy wasn't hurt and Mrs. Belton is going to be fine. Jimmy, give these guys paper and pens. They're going to write a confession to what they did. If it's not good enough, they will write it again and again. If they refuse, make them disappear. Once that's done, call Chief Roberts and make arrangements for him to pick them up."

****

Eric and Layla drove Amy home. Layla had called ahead to tell Kathy and Steve the great news. She also called Julia and Susanna and quickly recounted all the events. Lots of happy tears were shed into the phones.

They were welcomed with many hugs, kisses and tears. Amy was hungry and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a glass of milk hit the spot.

"Amy, did they hurt you in any way?" asked Steve.

"No granddaddy. I was very scared when the man came to my room. The alarm was loud and I didn't know what to do so I screamed as loud as I could. I tried to kick him and bite him but he wrapped me in a blanket and carried me out. Their car was parked nearby. I was put in the back seat with one of the men and they took me to the house where the policemen came. The lady there was nice to me and gave me milk and a cookie. But I was scared and cried."

"Honey, it all worked out and you're safe now."

"Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?"

"If you want. Let's go up and take our showers and then I'll read to you."

"Okay." She went to kiss and hug her grandparents and her dad before running up the stairs ahead of Layla.

Eric said to his parents, "Melissa was totally innocent in this. A guy she met recently knew about Amy and how much Melissa missed her. He evidently was trying to impress Melissa by giving Amy to her for a few days. But Melissa didn't know that.

"I saw in Melissa today a person that I didn't expect. She was as distressed by this as much as we were. I told her today that I want her to come here tomorrow afternoon to see Amy. I want to tell Amy that Melissa is her birth mother and then let them spend some time together. I haven't decided what to say to Amy but I've got to find a way to tell her. If you have any ideas, please tell me."

Kathy said, "Eric, Amy is very sharp and probably understands more than we think she does. Why don't you tell her the truth in simple words that she will understand? Don't talk about divorce, drug addiction or make Melissa out as someone Amy shouldn't be around. There's a lot of healing that needs to happen but Amy's not part of that. She is only her happy self and has no baggage to overcome."

"You're right mom. The baggage is all Melissa's and mine. Amy will probably think it's fun to have two moms."

They all grinned.

"Layla and I will talk to Amy before Melissa comes in case there's an unexpected response from her."

Eric walked upstairs and heard Amy and Layla reading one of her favorite books. He looked in and smiled at Amy when she saw him. "Hi daddy. Can you tuck me in? Mommy is getting tired."

"How did you know I was getting tired?"

"Because you were messing up the words."

"Well, sorry. I'll try to do better tomorrow." Eric laughed and carried her to bed and tucked her under the covers. For the first time in a very long time, Eric sang her a lullaby like he did when she was a baby. Layla thought Eric had a wonderful voice and was delighted to sit on the bed and listen to this fascinating man.

After Amy dozed off, they returned downstairs to enjoy the fire with Kathy and Steve.

Steve asked, "Did the police identify both men?"

Eric replied, "Only one as far as I know. The guy's name is Tommy DeLuca. He had been dating Melissa. The other one is still a mystery. Maybe when they find Tommy, he will rat on the other guy."

Layla already knew that both were detained but she pretended to agree with Eric.

The talk turned to Christmas. "Can you all come here this year for Christmas day? I want to make it very special for Amy and all of us."

Layla replied, "I'd love to come. I do want to visit my parents on Christmas Eve. All my family goes to mass and then to my parent's house to open the presents that Santa brought while we were at mass."

"Oh, what fun that must be. Do you think your parents would come here for Christmas day and lunch?"

"Let me ask. It's normally a quiet day following the whirlwind of Christmas Eve."

"Then please invite them on our behalf. We'll have a nice meal and visit around the fire."

"Mom will want to bring a couple of dishes and it will likely be an eggplant Parmesan and a veal with pasta dish. She always prepares those for Christmas."

"Those sound delicious."

The small talk continued for another hour as the fire crackled and warmed them. Layla snuggled up again Eric and totally relaxed. Life was very good once again.

****

Amy seemed to be sleeping soundly so Layla and Eric slipped into bed together in his room. They celebrated the outcome of the day with very passionate sex in several positions. Layla had four orgasms, the most she'd ever had in one evening and Eric was able to come twice... deep within her. Both were totally exhausted after thirty minutes and decided to shower off their perspiration.

As they crawled back into bed, they heard, "Mommy." They looked up to see Amy standing in the doorway.

"Yes dear."

"You promised to sleep with me."

She looked at Eric and said, "I did promise."

He frowned and slapped her bottom as she crawled out of bed.

"Mommy, why did daddy punish you?"

"I guess I've not been a good little girl."

"You need to talk to Miss Annie. She can help you."