Interrogation of Linda Reagan

"This is Emily Valko, SA, FBI and John Wise, DEA. We are here to interview Linda Rose Reagan. She was supposedly killed in a helicopter crash 28 May 2017. Present are Linda Reagan, her husband Daniel Reagan, NYPD, Frank Reagan, Commissioner NYPD, Jack Boyle, lawyer for Linda Reagan, Adam Parker FBI, and Anthony Cook, DEA.

"Ms. Reagan, please tell us about the events of 28 May 2017. Tell us whatever you remember, in your own words. I would like everyone to remain silent, only John or I will interrupt your statement if necessary for clarity. If anyone present cannot abide by those rules, please leave now before we begin."

Linda looked at Danny for reassurance. He had been holding her hand and gave it a squeeze. "No matter what happened to you, I'll still be here for you. Just take your time and tell them what you remember. Don't worry about whether or not you think it's important, it's their job to decide what is important and what isn't. You can do this, babe. I'll be right here the whole time."

"Thank you, Danny." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "I had been doing a shift at St. Victor's hospital, I was a staff nurse there. It was an evening shift because Danny was working days. Late in the shift we had a patient whose condition had deteriorated, and his doctor wanted to transfer him to NYU Langone. We arranged for a helicopter for transport. I was next up in rotation, so I went to the patient's room and prepared him for transport. I printed out a copy of his entire chart and placed it in a sealed plastic bag and put it in a special pocket in my coat. We had coats designed with lots of pockets to hold supplies and other items. When the helicopter arrived, the team moved him onto the special stretcher designed for helicopter transport. I was the last one out of the building when suddenly I was dizzy and had trouble walking. I must have passed out because the next thing I remember is being in a car, lying across the back seat. Music was playing, country western, I think. I tried to sit up, but my hands were tied behind me and my ankles were tied together. There was tape over my mouth so I couldn't yell or scream…" Linda began to shake. Frank noticed it first.

"May we take a brief pause here? I think Linda needs a few minutes?" asked Frank.

"Yes, I think that will be fine. Would you like to stretch your legs, maybe take a little walk with your husband?" asked Emily.

"Yes, please." Danny stood up, then helped Linda to her feet. They opened the door and walked up the hall to the bathroom and Linda went inside while Danny stood guard. His thoughts were jumbled between finding out what had really happened to his wife and wondering what his fiancée was doing.

"While Linda was talking, I found the inventory sheet of the female body," said John. "The jacket she mentioned isn't in the inventory nor is the plastic bag containing the paper chart for the patient. But the rings on the left hand of the victim were identified by the husband as the wedding and engagement rings that belonged to his wife. Also, her phone was on the body. And the dental records confirmed the identity. But obviously, the body identified as Linda Rose Reagan is not, in fact, Linda Rose Reagan. When she walked out of the building, she must have been drugged but when? How? With what? Who did it? After she was unconscious, a body was put in the copter for us to find. When the craft was found there were only two bodies inside identified as the nurse and patient. Where was the second crew person and pilot? The description of the craft in the water says that the door that could have been used by the pilot wasn't locked. Could he have jumped out of the craft before the explosion? I've looked through the information about the helicopter, but I can't tell you if there was an autopilot installed or not, so we need an aeronautical expert with experience in helicopters to tell us that. I'll need to check to see where the wreckage was taken. My theory is that the original crew were killed, a pilot was placed on board and flew the copter over the Hudson River where he set it to hover and jumped out. When the bomb that had been place on board exploded it fell into the river. There was a boat nearby, one of those cruises around Manhattan boats and they saw the bird fall and made note of their location making it easier to find the craft in the water. So, whoever was responsible didn't want Linda to die but didn't care about the patient." Emily paused, she noticed that Linda and Danny were returning.

"Linda, we stopped with you not feeling well and losing consciousness. What is the first thing you remember when you woke up?" asked Emily.

"I was lying on the back seat of a car. There was tape over my mouth, my hands were tied behind me and my ankles were tied together. We drove for what seemed like hours."

"Sorry to interrupt but did you have any sense about what time it was?" asked John.

"The sun was up; it was bright and hot. The sun was shining in my face, and I had to keep my eyes closed. I may have fallen asleep again because the next time I opened my eyes it was dark, and the car wasn't moving. Someone opened the back door and pulled on my legs pulling me toward him. Once my feet were on the ground, he pulled me so I was sitting and then draped me over his shoulders. He walked into a building and into a small room with a bed. I was put on the bed and the tape on my mouth was pulled off as well as the bindings on my arms and legs. There was a sink and toilet in the room. There was one window with bars but it was over my head so I couldn't reach it or see outside. They left me on the bed for a while and closed the door. I tried to sit up but that took me some time. Then, I kept trying to walk and finally was able to walk over to the door. I tried to open it, but it was locked. I looked around the room and other than the bed, there was a chair, but it was bolted to the floor. The bed was also bolted down. There were a few drawers built into a wall. I tried but I couldn't pull the drawer all the way out. There was something stopping it. A television was mounted on the wall, but it only received a few stations, a few music channels and channels that showed very old television shows and old movies. It was too tall for me to reach and there was a remote control, but it was fixed to the top of a table next to the bed and the table was bolted down. I could press the buttons but that's all I could do. Eventually I was able to tell what time it was by the brightness outside and what I was brought to eat. The food was plain, and it was the same thing every day. Morning was cereal, milk, and apple slices. Lunch was peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich and a bowl of red gelatin. In the evening it was a small chicken breast, potatoes, and peas. Every time I ate, I fell asleep soon afterward. Each day I would try to remember my life-my husband and kids, my job and friends and family dinner. But each day I would forget more and more until I couldn't even tell you my name. I have no idea how long that lasted. No one talked to me and the only sounds I could hear came from the television. Sometime later, I was given different clothes to wear, and I was taken to a small café in a very small town. The ride seemed to take about fifteen minutes. I was walked inside and the woman inside showed me how to take orders from the customers, give the orders to the cook and bring the food back to the customers. I worked about six hours, from before lunch till dinner time. Then, the same person who brought me to the café brought me back to the house and locked me in my room until morning. I did the same things every day, and the woman made sure I never talked to anyone. If it was quiet, she would let me go to the library and find a book to read. That is until one day a man I had never seen before sat at one of my tables.

"The stranger smiled at me; no one else ever smiled at me. He asked me a few questions but very quietly. He paid his bill and left me a big tip that I was able to slip into my uniform before anyone noticed. I guess by that time whatever they had been giving me I was no longer getting. My mind started clearing and I was able to tell what day of the week it was but not much more. Then, the stranger came back and while he was there his phone rang. He was talking to a friend about a wedding. After the call he told me that he had been in New York City a few times for work and had made a friend. This friend was getting married and wanted to send this man an invitation. When I heard New York City, I remembered being there, I remembered museums and parks and children running around in clothes one might wear to church. I asked him if he was going and he said he was going to try to get there a few days before so he and Danny and his bride-to-be, Maria, could enjoy a dinner before the wedding. I was so excited because I knew someone named Danny and a woman named Maria. I asked him when the wedding would be, and he gave me the date. I couldn't contain my excitement and started planning a way to escape and get back to the city and find Danny. I started keeping part of my tips and paid attention to the buses that came several times a day. I noticed that one bus went all the way to Houston, and I was able to buy a ticket and escape on the bus. It was a very quiet day, and I don't think I was missed until the lunch crowd came in. I bought a ticket to New York City and prayed constantly that they wouldn't find me, and they didn't. At one stop I bought pants and a shirt and threw away my waitress outfit. When the bus arrived in New York City, I had no idea what church to go to, but I looked up Danny's address online and then found churches nearby and called to see if they had a wedding scheduled. I found the right church and was so thankful that my prayers had been answered. I got there just as Danny and Maria had been pronounced man and wife. And I think you know what happened after that."

"Honey, I had no idea what you had been through. It's a miracle you came back here." Danny wrapped his arms around his wife. He noticed that several people in the room seemed to have something in their eyes.

"Do you have any more questions for my wife?" Danny asked. No one said anything. "Dad, would you mind taking us home, please?" asked Danny.

"Danny, I need you for a few minutes. Linda, would you mind going back to the family house without Danny? Pops is there and we've found that Danny never moved your clothes from his bedroom. At least it might be familiar to you. He'll join you as soon as he can."

"Of course not, Frank. I'm tired and I think I'd like to lay down. Honey, I'll see you later." Jim, from Frank's detail, came into the conference room to escort Linda to Frank's SUV. Frank waited for the room to be empty before speaking.