Chapter 9
Tony watched as the little girl played in the front yard of her grandmother's house. So, Kim and Jimmy had another kid. "The kid looks just like her father," thought Tony to himself as he looked at the girl's dark hair and dimples. Catherine was sitting on the steps watching her play. He looked around to see where Joey was, but never saw him.
He saw his opportunity as the ball that Charlie was playing with rolled over to the gate, which happened to be open. Unfortunately, the ball didn't roll out, but stopped just at the opening. He walked down the sidewalk toward the gate as Charlie reached for the ball. He bent down to the pick up the ball, as if he were going to hand it back to her. Catherine was immediately up off the steps and practically running toward Charlie.
"Charlie, honey. Come back by Grandma. I'll get the ball for you," she said, reaching the child at the same time that Tony reached out to grab the little girl's hand.
"Hey!" yelled Catherine as she reached to put an arm around Charlie and pull her back behind her. But, before she could do it, Tony looked up from under the brim of the baseball cap he was wearing down low over his eyes. Tony enjoyed the look of recognition, then fear, that crossed Catherine's face just before the blow from the butt of his gun that rendered her unconscious. Luckily, she fell to the side and was partially hidden by the shrubs that grew along the inside of the fence. He quickly scooped up the little girl and turned and calmly headed back to his car. He had placed her in the car and was away before Charlie realized that Catherine wasn't coming with them and she was in danger.
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The clerk answered the phone at the front desk of the ER and said, "Hold on. She's with a patient. I'll tell her she has a call."
After a moment or two, Kim returned to get the patient's chart and the clerk told her she had a call on Line 1.
"Hello. This is Kim Zambrano," she said, thinking that it was probably just Jimmy or her mother checking in.
"I have Charlie. If you want to see her again, you should hang up the phone immediately and walk out of the ER toward 121st," came the voice on the other end of the phone. The blood immediately ran cold through Kim and for a moment she couldn't speak.
Finally, she found her voice, "Who is this? What have you done with Charlie?" she whispered desperately into the phone. She used the pen in her hand to write down "121st - phone - Charlie."
"All in good time. Just hang up the phone and walk out the door and head toward 121st to the phone booth on the corner. You have four minutes. I'm watching you, so make sure you don't talk to or call anyone. Do it now," ordered the voice and then the line went dead.
Kim hung up the phone with trembling hands. She put her stethoscope on the patient's chart that she had written the information and turned and walked out the door as the clerk looked at her oddly. "Now, where could she be going?" the girl thought as she looked around the packed ER. Her thoughts were interrupted by the call of another ambulance on the med radio.
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Kim walked out the door of the ER and toward 121st Street as she was instructed. She didn't have her purse or coat, so she had no cell phone or money to make a phone call should she need to. "How will Jimmy know?" she thought to herself, suddenly starting to panic. "Stay calm, Kim. Charlie needs you to stay calm," she told herself, looking around cautiously.
She saw a car parked at the phone booth at 121st and River Street and continued to the phone as instructed. She glanced inside the car and saw her daughter smiling back at her. She opened the door to the car, intending to grab the child, but was struck from behind and felt her world go black as she heard Charlie say, "Mommy?"
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Joey came walking up the street with his friend Marty's father. Catherine had agreed to let Joey go to Marty's after school as long as an adult could walk him home. Joey came up to the gate and started to walk through when Marty's father noticed Catherine off to his right, lying against the bushes. He put a hand on Joey's shoulder and told him to go into the house and call 9-1-1 and to wait inside until the police and ambulance arrived.
Joey looked at his unconscious grandmother, with blood on the side of her head, and hurried inside to dial 9-1-1.
Tony watched as the little girl played in the front yard of her grandmother's house. So, Kim and Jimmy had another kid. "The kid looks just like her father," thought Tony to himself as he looked at the girl's dark hair and dimples. Catherine was sitting on the steps watching her play. He looked around to see where Joey was, but never saw him.
He saw his opportunity as the ball that Charlie was playing with rolled over to the gate, which happened to be open. Unfortunately, the ball didn't roll out, but stopped just at the opening. He walked down the sidewalk toward the gate as Charlie reached for the ball. He bent down to the pick up the ball, as if he were going to hand it back to her. Catherine was immediately up off the steps and practically running toward Charlie.
"Charlie, honey. Come back by Grandma. I'll get the ball for you," she said, reaching the child at the same time that Tony reached out to grab the little girl's hand.
"Hey!" yelled Catherine as she reached to put an arm around Charlie and pull her back behind her. But, before she could do it, Tony looked up from under the brim of the baseball cap he was wearing down low over his eyes. Tony enjoyed the look of recognition, then fear, that crossed Catherine's face just before the blow from the butt of his gun that rendered her unconscious. Luckily, she fell to the side and was partially hidden by the shrubs that grew along the inside of the fence. He quickly scooped up the little girl and turned and calmly headed back to his car. He had placed her in the car and was away before Charlie realized that Catherine wasn't coming with them and she was in danger.
*^*^*^*^*^*^
The clerk answered the phone at the front desk of the ER and said, "Hold on. She's with a patient. I'll tell her she has a call."
After a moment or two, Kim returned to get the patient's chart and the clerk told her she had a call on Line 1.
"Hello. This is Kim Zambrano," she said, thinking that it was probably just Jimmy or her mother checking in.
"I have Charlie. If you want to see her again, you should hang up the phone immediately and walk out of the ER toward 121st," came the voice on the other end of the phone. The blood immediately ran cold through Kim and for a moment she couldn't speak.
Finally, she found her voice, "Who is this? What have you done with Charlie?" she whispered desperately into the phone. She used the pen in her hand to write down "121st - phone - Charlie."
"All in good time. Just hang up the phone and walk out the door and head toward 121st to the phone booth on the corner. You have four minutes. I'm watching you, so make sure you don't talk to or call anyone. Do it now," ordered the voice and then the line went dead.
Kim hung up the phone with trembling hands. She put her stethoscope on the patient's chart that she had written the information and turned and walked out the door as the clerk looked at her oddly. "Now, where could she be going?" the girl thought as she looked around the packed ER. Her thoughts were interrupted by the call of another ambulance on the med radio.
^*^*^*^*^*
Kim walked out the door of the ER and toward 121st Street as she was instructed. She didn't have her purse or coat, so she had no cell phone or money to make a phone call should she need to. "How will Jimmy know?" she thought to herself, suddenly starting to panic. "Stay calm, Kim. Charlie needs you to stay calm," she told herself, looking around cautiously.
She saw a car parked at the phone booth at 121st and River Street and continued to the phone as instructed. She glanced inside the car and saw her daughter smiling back at her. She opened the door to the car, intending to grab the child, but was struck from behind and felt her world go black as she heard Charlie say, "Mommy?"
~~~~~~~~~~~
Joey came walking up the street with his friend Marty's father. Catherine had agreed to let Joey go to Marty's after school as long as an adult could walk him home. Joey came up to the gate and started to walk through when Marty's father noticed Catherine off to his right, lying against the bushes. He put a hand on Joey's shoulder and told him to go into the house and call 9-1-1 and to wait inside until the police and ambulance arrived.
Joey looked at his unconscious grandmother, with blood on the side of her head, and hurried inside to dial 9-1-1.