Chapter 7

The morning went fast with Amy wanting to play games the cousins showed her the previous afternoon. Angelo and Eric made the rounds of the self-service laundries to empty the coin collectors and re-charge the change machines. They checked the customer complaint boxes to see if any of the machines weren't working correctly before returning home for lunch. Layla and her mom had fixed meatball sandwiches with homemade sauce for lunch.

As soon as Amy went down for her nap, Eric decided to go get it over with at Melissa's house.

"While you're away, Mom and I will make a couple of trays of lasagna for the firehouse crew tonight. Do you want rolls or baguettes?"

"Baguettes would be great. Are you making those?"

"Mom is. They're great but so are her rolls."

"Has she shown you how to make them?"

"Of course. We must stay home sometime and let me cook real food for you."

"Well, wish me luck. I'll go over and see Melissa and be back as soon as I can." Layla gave him a tight hug and a lingering kiss.

Eric felt like he'd rather take a beating than to see her again. The drive over was on autopilot as all his thoughts were on her and the last time he saw her. She was in a drug-induced stupor when he took her to the emergency room. Three days later he took her home and was out grocery shopping when she left and never came back. Obviously, someone helped her leave because her car was left behind. Now she's back.

Silvia and Bernie lived in a very nice part of Philadelphia in a beautiful brick three-story attached home. Bernie was a successful trial lawyer and now a federal judge so money was not an issue for them. Eric found a parking spot nearby and walked to the door.

Melissa was evidently watching for him and opened the door as he approached. She smiled and said, "Eric, you look great. Please come in."

Eric replied, "You also look great, Melissa. Thanks." She really did look fine. The dress she wore was lovely on her and the makeup was perfect. She had aged and looked at least five years older than she was. Otherwise, she appeared very much like the old Melissa he once loved.

He walked into the sitting room as Melissa followed.

"May I get you something to drink?"

"A beer would be good."

"That does sound good. I'll be right back."

Eric could tell from the silence in the house that Silvia and Bernie weren't home. Melissa returned with a beer and a bottle of water.

"I've given up all alcohol and am drinking lots of water."

"That's good."

"How's Amy?"

"She's doing great. I brought a DVD for you to see. It was made on her birthday."

"Can I watch it now?"

"Sure."

"Let me get the laptop." She went upstairs and returned in a moment. She sat next to Eric and put the DVD in. For the next 15 minutes, she watched every second of the video and cried the entire time. Eric handed her his handkerchief but dared not hold her.

"She's beautiful. I was a total fool and I hurt you so much. I am so sorry, Eric."

He was silent but tears were beginning to well.

She continued, "Thank you for coming. You didn't have to. I know my actions killed our relationship and I'm so very sorry I did what I did."

"Why did you do it?"

"Eric, anything I say will be an excuse. I let your absence be an excuse for me to party with friends. One thing led to another; and I was offered and accepted cocaine for the first time in my life. That drug gradually became my god in a few months. Over time, Amy came second and you were not even in the picture. I lost all sense of reality and my self-respect."

"When I brought you home from the hospital, why did you leave?"

"I was out of coke and heroin and I had to get it. I called up an old dealer friend and he came for me. I was so hooked and in so much pain that I'd have sold my soul to the devil for a fix."

"Melissa, I did my best to help you break that habit."

"I know, but I was too weak. I couldn't do it, Eric." Tears flowed down her face.

"We searched for you nearly a year."

"I know. I saw the missing person report on TV and knew the police and you were looking for me. I didn't want to be found and continued to live with my friend. When he moved to Chicago, I went with him. After we were there several months, I changed my name back to Thompson and got a drivers license. He and I were arrested for dealing after we'd been there about six months. He went to jail since it was his third offense and I got a suspended sentence."

"What did you do then?"

"After I went through his stash that the police missed, I didn't have a choice. I went on the street and whored myself to anyone with money. The drugs controlled me and every part of my life."

"Why didn't you call me? I'd have come for you."

"I was too ashamed to call you. I really thought I'd get killed on the streets and it would be over with, but it never happened. I tried to commit suicide but couldn't even do that. Someone saw me starting to run out in front of a car and wrestled me to the pavement. The police took me to a psychiatric hospital and they put me in rehab. But I didn't want help. I wanted to die.

"Then I did go to jail for prostitution and robbing a john. That caused the suspended sentence to be reinstated and I spent the next 18 months in jail in Chicago. While that sounds terrible, the jail sentence saved my life. I finally did beat the habit and met a woman who brought me to Christ. I never was a believer, as you know, but by the grace of God, I was finally at a point in my life low enough to find Him waiting for me. The woman, whose name is Kate, volunteered at the jail from one of the local church ministries. She had the patience of Job working with me. I got out last week and dad sent me the money to come home."

"Melissa, I'm very happy you were saved and that you're home with people who really love you. But I'm not one of those people. When you disappeared, you gradually died to me over the next two years. I filed for divorce so I could start over and find a mom for Amy who depended on me. When you left Amy, you burned every bridge between us and those cannot be re-built."

"I know." Tears and eyeliner ran down her cheeks. "I have no right at all to ask anything of you and you don't owe me anything. I was totally at fault and it ruined our marriage. My baby is no longer mine and I understand why. The only thing I'm begging you to do is allow me to visit with Amy every now and then. I just want to kiss her and hold her a little while. She's still part of my spirit and that void in my heart is killing me."

"She thinks you died and are in heaven with Jesus. How can I tell her now that I was just joking and that her mom was really a drug addict and a prostitute and a drug dealer and was in jail? She's four years old, for God's sake."

Melissa studied the far wall and didn't respond for many seconds.

"Eric, the one thought I held onto throughout the drug withdrawal was that I might see Amy again. Her little face was in my mind the entire time I was cramping so bad I couldn't walk. The thought of her gave me a reason for living and I was praying that you would let me see her and hug her."

"You're appealing to sympathies which I don't have for you. Melissa, it's over. Amy is not going to see you. She has a new mommy now and any exposure she has to you will only cause confusion."

"I didn't know you re-married."

"I haven't yet but I'm engaged."

"Can you give me some hope that someday I might see Amy?"

"Well, let's talk about your plans. What are you going to do the next few years?"

"Dad has agreed to send me back to college and I'm going to try my best to get in. I have completed one year, as you know. My criminal record will hurt me but I might be able to get into a community college. I want to continue in computer science and then get a job in that field."

Eric was silent for a long time before saying, "My fiancée and I will discuss it and I'll call you. We have agreed that Amy will need to know about you down the road when she's old enough to understand what happened. I think it's very important that she knows about drugs and the real human cost that drugs demand but she can't understand that for many more years."

"Would it be possible for me to pretend I'm not her mother and see her in your presence for a few minutes? Please?"

"Your parents showed her a photo of you last year and she'll remember it. You have no idea how intelligent she is and she never forgets anything. You've aged and look much older now than the picture shows but she'll still know it's you."

"Maybe I can pretend to be her mom's older sister. Eric, please."

"I can't take that chance. Amy is the most important thing in my life. You once were but I lost you. I'm not going to take any chance on losing Amy. Any contact with you will only be confusing, troubling and painful to her. She's happy now to know that her first mommy is in heaven with Jesus and it's going to stay that way. When she becomes a teenager and fully aware of drugs, addiction and divorce, then we can talk again and arrange a visit. But until then, I don't see any way that I can allow you in her presence."

Melissa began uncontrollable wailing and ran upstairs. Eric left and walked to his car. Once in the driver seat, he broke down and cried like he'd done when holding the dying child on the street. He prayed that he'd made the right decision.

When he returned to Layla's home, everyone gathered to hear about his meeting. Amy was still taking a nap so he was free to recount everything that was said to the best of his memory; all agreed that he'd made the best decision. He went to the bedroom and called his parents to let them know the results. They were also very supportive.

Eric had no appetite and decided to take a nap prior to going to work. Layla wanted to lie with him but decided he needed quiet time. Eric spent all the time thinking through his meeting and re-living the emotional roller-coaster he'd experienced. As much as he hated to admit it, Melissa still had an effect on him. She had been the center of his life for six years during high school and up until she disappeared. It was impossible for him to hate her like he wanted to do.

Layla and Amy came into the bedroom at 8:30 to warn him about the time. He had to be to be at work at 10:00 and it was almost an hour's drive. Eric and Layla carried the lasagna and bread to the car and kissed.

"I know you're worried, Eric. That was a tough decision and you're probably going to go over it many times in your mind. Please don't dwell on it. You did the right thing. Everything will work out."

"I'll try, sweetheart."

"Amy and I love you very much."

"I love you."

Melissa's parents returned home and her mom found her still crying in the bedroom. Silvia asked, "I guess it didn't go so well, did it?"

"He refused to let me see her. He said that Amy thinks I died and am in heaven."

"That's what we told Amy because we didn't know anything else to tell her that she would understand."

"I know. I messed up, Mom. I really messed up and ruined my life. The one thing I was holding on to was the thought of seeing Amy again. I really thought he would let me do that. I begged him to let me kiss her and hold her a little while and he refused. I even agreed to pretend I was her mother's sister and he said no."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know. I must try to start cleaning up my life and all the past mistakes I made. You and Daddy are the only lifeline I have for now, but I've got to make my own way."

"Melissa, you'll always be our daughter no matter what happens. We'll help you if you let us but that will stop if you go back to drugs or alcohol. You will kill yourself with that stuff and we are not going to help you do that. We love you too much."

"Mom, I love you and I'll never go back to that. God loved me and offered me a better way in life. Drugs don't hold that power over me like they did."

"Well, get yourself together and come down for dinner. Your dad wants to order pizza for us. Let's talk some more about Amy. Maybe there's something we can do that would let you spend time with her."

"I don't know what you or anyone can do without Eric's approval."

"Let's talk to your dad and see what he thinks."

The next three weeks were very busy for everyone. The sisters' romances continued to develop. Susanna was true to her word and Charles became the total focus of her romantic life. She saw and visited with David and Jessica at the Irish Pub one evening, and they seemed very happy. Julia and Cliff made plans to go to Wyoming during Christmas break for him to meet her parents. She wanted to "break him in" riding horses so he could see her favorite remote parts of the ranch. Her goal was to introduce him to ranch life and pray that he would like it. Julia worked many hours on her paintings; preparing for the February senior art show the university would be sponsoring.

Layla and Eric's love for each other continued to evolve and mature. Amy spent many days with her and the role of mommy played a large and growing part of Layla's life. The video business boomed. Demand for the quality of work she produced was very high for the soft-core romantic videos. This artistic portrayal of sex, as Susanna predicted, was preferred instead of the hard-core stuff like you see everywhere on the Internet. She still did the hard-core scenes as requested, but they were not as in demand as first estimated. Layla was asked by five students to do family legacy videos featuring parents and grandparents. She also was booked for her first wedding shoot in June. The business was strong and Layla's schedule was becoming difficult to manage.

Eric talked again to Melissa and was very pleased with what she told him. She had found a job at a rehab facility in the city and was hired to help counsel patients. Her troubled past was considered to be perfect for the role and she embraced the opportunity to help others overcome the addiction like she had battled. Part of the job was for her to share her background and describe what drug abuse had cost her. This testimony was intended to encourage the patients by letting them see Melissa currently versus where she had been.

Melissa continued to lean on her faith to get through every day. She saw herself in many of the patients, and this brought back many ugly memories. The most important thing, Eric thought, was that Melissa had met a real estate agent who was a rehab patient and they were instantly attracted to each other. Eric thought that a new relationship for her would be an answer to many prayers. Melissa did not bring up the subject of seeing Amy. Eric thought she had accepted his decision.

As they had promised Amy, Layla and Eric planned to spend the first full week of January at Disney World. They booked the hotel, plane tickets, and a rental car. Amy prepared by watching as many Disney Channel shows as she could. She mentioned Mickey almost every day; even Miss Annie was getting excited, according to Amy.

Disaster struck the week before Christmas.

Eric was taking a morning nap at Layla's house when his phone rang. It was his mom.

"Hello Mom."

All he could hear was her crying. She tried several times to talk but couldn't get the words out. A man then came on the phone.

"Mr. Belton."

"What's wrong?"

"This is Officer David Norman. I'm with the New Hope Police Department. Your daughter Amy has been kidnapped and your mother has been injured."

"WHAT?" Eric screamed and began whimpering.

"Two men forced their way into the house, struck and tied up Mrs. Belton and took Amy. We have security camera videos, but they may not be much help. Can you come here and meet with us? Your father is on the way here now."

"Yes, I'll be there as soon as I can. How bad is mom injured?"

"She was struck in the head and will require a few stitches. The paramedics are on the way."

"My former wife, Melissa, may be behind this. She's been asking to see Amy and I've refused."

"Mrs. Belton gave us those details and the Philadelphia police are going to her house now. There was a ransom note left so this may be unrelated to Ms. Thompson."

"She also works at a rehab facility so the police should check there for her." He gave Officer Norman the name of the facility.

As soon as the officer hung up, Eric called Layla. After several moments of hysterical crying, she promised to come home immediately so they could go up together. She had been at the studio editing videos.

During the drive up, Layla explained that her brothers knew many of the police officers in that area and also knew people who might have done this. Layla called Paulo and asked him to meet her at the Belton's house. The news stunned him and he said he would bring the brothers.

There were three police cars, an emergency response unit and Paulo's car there when Eric and Layla arrived. They ran immediately into the arms of Kathy and Steve. Everyone was crying and having a very difficult time talking. The paramedic had temporarily bandaged Kathy's head but she would have to go with them to be sutured. She had refused to leave until Eric arrived.

Through her tears, Kathy was able to describe what happened. "We had just come from Amy's doctor appointment and she went up to play in her room. I heard the doorbell ring and answered it thinking it was probably a service man that Steve forgot to tell me was coming. I didn't even think about looking at the security monitor. Two men dressed in jeans, ski masks, and wool jackets forced their way through the door as soon as I opened it. They pointed a gun at me. I turned and ran to the security box and pushed the alarm before they hit me, I guess with the pistol. That's all I remember until the police came. They had tied me up with duct tape. Amy was missing and a note was left on her bed." The officer handed Eric the note that was in a transparent evidence pouch.

It said, "To recover your daughter unharmed, you must pay $100,000 in small used bills. Prepare the money and you will receive instructions in two days."

Paulo, Antonio, and Leonardo were standing near the kitchen talking with Chief Roberts. Paulo asked to see the security video. The policemen took him to the equipment room and played the security tapes of a man striking Kathy before running upstairs to Amy's room and returning downstairs with Amy wrapped in a blanket. They both left immediately. The outside cameras saw them going down to the river path and disappearing along the bank.

Paulo asked, "Can you turn the volume up all the way? I want to hear anything they might have said."

They watched the tapes again and heard the man downstairs yell to hurry up and that the police were on the way. The alarm was going off and obscured any other conversation; but they could hear Amy screaming.

"Chief Roberts, would you mind if we make a copy of these videos and show them to our buddies at the FBI? Their lab can remove the alarm sound so we can hear them much better."

"That'd be fine, Paulo. I need to keep the originals but if they need them, have them call me. Also have them send me a copy of their final product. You three guys know a lot of people in this area. Do you have any idea who these two might be?"

Paulo looked at Antonio and Leonardo and all shook their heads. But Paulo was lying and thought he knew the man who hit Kathy and came upstairs for Amy. Some of his guys would know for sure.

The chief added, "The Philadelphia Police Department and the Bucks County Sheriff will assist us on this investigation. Our little department can't do the job they can. There will be an Amber Alert going out this afternoon."

Eric's phone rang and he recognized it as Melissa calling.

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 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."