SENATOR ANSON’S DILEMMA

“Hurry! Please hurry!” Senator Anson cried when his 911 call was answered.

“Calm down, sir and tell me what is wrong,” the operator said.

“My daughter is missing. When I got up this morning, just fifteen minutes ago, I went to check on her and she wasn’t in her room. I checked the whole house and called and called her name. Please help me!”

“Ok, sir. Give me your name and address. The detectives will be right over.”

Senator Anson complied and hung up the phone. Wringing his hands, he paced the floor until the detectives arrived. “Hello, Senator Anson, I’m Officer Brown and this is my partner, Officer James.”

“Come in, come in,” the Senator cried. “I’ve looked all over and she isn’t here.”

“Please. Senator,” Officer Brown said, “Sit down and tell us what happened the last time you saw her, what she was wearing, etc.”

“Oh, let’s see. About 7:30 last evening, Carol, that’s my daughter’s name, and I were playing checkers. At 8:30 her head started to nod, so I suggested she get ready for bed.”

“How old is Carol?” the officer asked.

“I’m sorry. She is seven and a very bright girl. She went right to her room and put on her pajamas. They were pink with tiny blue flowers. She came out, gave me a hug and said good-night. She went to the bathroom and then to her bed.”

Officer Brown asked, “And that was the last time you saw her, sir?”

“No officer. After she was in bed, she called out, ‘OK Daddy’.” He gave a sad smile and explained, “This was our nightly ritual. When Carol called out, she would cover her head. I would go in her room and say, ‘Where’s my little girl? She seems to be gone’.”

Senator Anson sobbed and continued, “Carol would throw back the covers and yell, ‘I fooled you. Here I am’. We’d both laugh and I’d cover her back up, kiss her forehead, and turn out the light. That was the last time I saw her last night.”

“Please show us her room, Sir,” Officer James said.

“Yes, yes, of course. I’m just not thinking straight, officers. Follow me.”

“By the way,” Officer James asked, “Have you and your daughter been in the house, alone, all the time?”

“Yes we have. My wife is in St. Louis taking care of her mother. She left a week ago and should be gone two more weeks. But now I don’t know. She should be here with me. Please call her.”

“All in good time, Sir. Is this Carol’s room”

Senator Anson choked back a sob, “Yes it is.”

“Please wait in the other room, sir, while we check things out,” Officer James said.

After the senator left the room, the officers checked the window, which was unbroken and still locked tight. They looked at each other, and then the window and Officer Brown said, “Do you think he’s lying? Looks like an inside job.”

They checked the closet and under the bed. There was no indication of a struggle and no blood anywhere.”

Officer Brown returned to the front room and said, “Senator, would you please check to see if any of Carol’s clothing is missing?”

“Of course, Officer, but I don’t understand.”

“Just tell us if anything is missing,” Officer Brown said.

The Senator checked the dresser top and drawers, then her bedside stand where the lamp was and exclaimed, “Carol’s watch is gone. She always lays it right here,” as he pointed to a small tray.

A search of the floor produced no watch. Then the Senator opened the closet doors and looked carefully at everything. Then he quickly checked back through the clothes and stated, “Her blue suit is gone! So are her blue shoes.”

He turned around and hurried to the bed. Throwing back the quilt, he exclaimed, “Her housecoat is gone and so is the little stuffed mouse she kept in its pocket. What can this mean?”

Officer Brown said, “It means you will come down to headquarters and answer some more questions.”

“But I have told you everything. All I want is my little girl back. Please! Let me call my wife in St. Louis.”

The officers consented and soon the Senator was talking with his mother-in-law. He pushed the speaker button so the officers could hear the conversation, too.

“Hello, Mom Rush. I need to talk to Beth right away.”

They heard a woman’s voice say, “But Beth isn’t here.”

The Senator said, “But I have to talk with Beth, it’s very important.”

They heard Mrs. Rush start to cry and the Senator asked, “Are you feeling alright, Mom Rush?”

The woman said, “I’m fine, but now I’m worried about Beth. She was here for four days and left. Said she was going back home as she missed you and Carol. Where can she be if she isn’t there?”

“Listen, Mom Rush, I’ll call you back soon to let you know what is happening.” Senator Anson dropped the phone and stood thinking. The doorbell pierced the silence. He hurried to the door and swung it wide. A man dressed in a Western Union uniform said, “Special delivery for Senator Anson. Please sign here, sir.”

The Senator quickly signed, grabbed the envelope, shut the door, and tore the envelope open before Officer Brown could say, ‘wait.’

Senator Anson dropped to the sofa and the letter slipped from his fingers. Officer Brown picked it up and read, “Senator Anson, we have your wife and child. If you want to see them alive again, collect $100,000.00 and wait for our call. You have three days.” It was signed, “Wee Three.”

Officer Brown said, “I hate to ask you this, Senator, but it is important. Was your wife having an affair?”

The Senator jerked his head up and exclaimed, “My gosh, no!” After a short pause, he added, “At least I don’t think so. She said her stomach hurt a lot from the stress of the election. She wanted to go help her mother for a while. I suggested she leave Carol with me and take three weeks off. At first she refused, but then agreed after she talked with her mother.”

“How did she get to St. Louis?” Officer Brown asked.

“She took the bus because I needed our only car. She kept asking for a car of her own but I wanted to get caught up with other bills first, and the election cost so much.”

The phone rang and the Senator answered, pushing the speaker button, “Senator Anson, here.”

A woman’s voice said, “Have you heard anything, Anson? Beth called a few minutes ago and said she and Carol were in Shreveport, La. and heading someplace else.” Mrs. Rush was crying but asked, “What has she done, Anson?”

“I’m not sure, Mom Rush. Thank you for letting me know you heard from Beth and please call again whenever you hear from her but do not let her know you are calling me.”

“I will, Anson. Bye.” Mrs. Rush cried.

As the Senator hung up, Officer Brown grabbed the phone and called headquarters. “We need an APB put out around the Shreveport, La. Area. Car type and color unknown. Probably three occupants, a woman five foot six inches tall with brunette colored hair. A seven year old girl with blond shoulder length hair, possibly wearing a blue suit. There may be a man with them.”

He listened a minute, then said, “The Senator did receive a ransom note but his mother-in-law called and stated his wife had called her and they were just leaving Shreveport. Sounds like she, and possibly a friend, came back here, took Carol, and are on the run.”

He listened again, then said, “No, sir, the Senator states he didn’t know of an affair. I’ll check in later.”

The Senator said, “I wish I could bring Mom Rush here, to be with me.”

“Not possible, Senator, but I think we’ll put a couple of men at her house. I’ll call the office and request a special team to come here and we’ll see about getting those men at the Rush home in St. Louis. We will also check the letter for fingerprints. How long will it take you to collect that much money?”

“I don’t know. I used most of the savings for the election.”

It wasn’t long before a trio of men came and set up equipment to tap the phone, call tracer equipment, and other things they needed.

Soon the phone rang and Mrs. Rush exclaimed, “Oh, Anson. Some men from the police department are here. What should I do?”

“Please cooperate, Mom Rush. We are trying to find Beth and Carol. When she calls again, ask her what kind of car she rented. DO NOT tell her those men are there. This is very important, as we want Beth to keep calling you.”

“I’m scared, Anson,” Mrs. Rush cried.

“I know you are, Mom Rush, and so am I, but please be very brave for us all.”

The next morning, the doorbell rang and another Western Union man said, “Letter for Senator Anson. Please sign here.”

The Senator signed the pad and carefully took the envelope. Officer Lutz inserted it partway into a plastic bag (to preserve fingerprints, he said.) He slit open the top and had the senator put on plastic gloves and carefully withdrew the letter. It stated, “Senator, you have only two days left. How much money have you gotten so far? This is a small lock of your daughter’s hair.” It was signed, “Wee Three.”

The Senator choked back sobs when he saw the hair but the men advised him to leave it in the letter and return it all to the envelope. The fingerprint expert would check this one against the first letter.

At noon Mrs. Rush called to say Beth had called her at eleven, saying they were still in Shreveport because they had car trouble. It was almost fixed and they would be on their way soon.”

“Good girl, Mom Rush. Did you find out what kind of car it was?”

“Yes. She said a friend had loaned her a red Toyota. She refused to say where they were going. Oh, Anson, what has happened to her?”

The Senator said, “I don’t know, but I’m sure it will be over soon. Talk with you tomorrow, Mom Rush. Bye.”

Officer Lutz was already relaying the information to Shreveport police, who stated they would start checking auto repair shops in and around the area.

The silent, long waiting was getting almost unbearable, when the phone rang. The Senator answered but handed it to Officer Lutz. He listened, raised his fist in a thumbs up gesture, and a smile spread across his face. He hung up the phone and said, “They located two garages which had just serviced red Toyota and a woman and little girl was at one of them. They pulled out of the garage half an hour ago. We should have them soon, Sir.”

The Senator raised his head and cried, “Thank you, God!”

But the wait continued through the night. The next morning, they all wondered how a red Toyota could have disappeared. The doorbell sounded and Senator Anson’s feet dragged as he approached the door, afraid of another letter. It was another Western Union man and he said, “Letter for Senator Anson. Sign here, please.”

The Senator signed and carefully took the envelope. Putting it in another plastic bag, Officer Lutz slit the envelope open as the Senator donned gloves and took out the letter. He read, “Only one more day. Is the money ready? Will call you tomorrow morning at ten.” It was signed, “Wee Three.”

Senator Anson said, “I can’t understand why we keep getting these letters when Beth has Carol and they are on the road someplace.”

Officer Lutz said, “We wish we could answer that, Sir. Did you get all the money they asked for?”

The Senator said, “No,” just as the phone rang. “Hello, Anson here.”

“Oh, Anson,” Mrs. Rush cried, “These men said I better call you with the latest news from Beth. I asked her how the car was working and she said a piston broke and she had to get a different car.”

“Did she tell you what kind it was?”

“No. She just said they were on the road and I wasn’t to worry. She’d call again soon. Oh, Anson, I can’t believe Beth is doing this,”

“Neither can I, but we’ll find them. You can be sure of that.”

Officer Lutz quickly dialed in to headquarters, “Lutz here. Just wanted to make sure all escape routes are covered; buses, planes, and anywhere ships can sail from. Road blocks haven’t turned up anything, yet?” He listened, then said, “Too bad, but we will get them, sooner or later.”

Officer Lutz turned to Senator Anson and said, “We better get a story written down just in case they do call about the money. But my gut feeling is that they are trying to get out of the country.”

“Oh, God, help us! Why is she doing this? I gave them everything they wanted, everything I could afford.”

At 10:30 that evening the phone rang and when the Senator answered, a gruff voice asked, “Do you have all the money, Senator?”

“All but $2,ooo.oo and I’ll have that in the morning when the bank opens.”

“You better, or you’ll never see these two again,” gruff voice said.

“How can I be sure they are with you? I want to talk with them,” the Senator cried.

The click told him the guy had hung up and Officer Lutz shook his head, “That wasn’t long enough to trace the call. Sorry.”

They all spent a restless night and when morning dawned, the doorbell rang. The Senator pulled the door open and was surprised to see another Western Union man, “Letter for Senator Anson. Please sign here.”

The Senator signed and carefully took the envelope and followed the same procedure as with the other letters. He said, “I can’t believe this. They were supposed to call this morning.”

Then he read, “Hope you will have all the money. Put it in a satchel and we will call at 10:30 to tell you where to leave it.” It was signed, “Wee Three.”

Officer Lutz said, “Something doesn’t add up here.”

At ten the phone rang and Mrs. Rush cried, “The police have them, Beth, Carol, and a man. They were buying plane tickets, when Beth said Carol was five and Carol said, ‘But Mom, I’m seven.’ Beth said, ‘shush Carol’ and the officers stopped them. They let Beth call me. Have you heard anything, yet, Anson?”

“No. Let’s hang up. Maybe they are trying to reach me now. Talk to you later, Mom Rush.”

He turned his back on the phone and it rang again. Quickly he spun around and picked up the phone, “Hello, Anson here.”

A gruff voice said, “Hello, Senator. Do you have the money ready? Wee Three would like to arrange the pick up for tomorrow.”

“Of course I have the money ready,” the Senator said. “I want to see my wife and child. Can I say hello to them?”

“Just a minute,” gruff voice said.

“Hi Anson,” was all he heard before gruff voice said, “That’s enough. Here’s your daughter.”

“Daddy, please come get me!” a tiny voice said.

“I will,” the Senator said. “Just as soon as they tell me where to drop off the money.”

Gruff voice had already taken over the phone, “This is what you have to do, Senator. The money has to be in a satchel bag. Take it to the bus depot at ten tomorrow morning and lock it in #33. Leave the depot right away.”

“Uh uh. Why should I leave the money and not see my family? I want to be sure they are waiting for me after I lock #33.”

“Hey, I’m calling the shots here,” gruff voice said. “The two will be standing outside the door,” and he slammed down the receiver.

Senator Anson hung up and turned around. Officer Lutz gave him a thumbs up sign, saying, “We got the address and phone number he is calling from. He’s not very bright.”

The Senator said, “I can tell you for a fact that those voices did not belong to either Beth or Carol. I wonder what they are trying to pull.”

Officer Lutz said, “We’ll just have to wait until the police call saying they have everyone in custody.”

As if on cue, the phone rang and when the Senator answered, they asked for Officer Lutz right away. “Lutz here.”

“Great news, Lutz. We have all three of them. How is the Senator holding up?” a voice asked.

“Hi Bill. We just had a call from the ransom people. He is supposed to make the drop in the morning,” Lutz said.

The man with Mrs. Anson said they were not trying to get ransom money. They just wanted to get away to be together,” Bill said. “Please put the Senator on the phone. Beth and Carol would like to talk with him.”

“Hello. This is the Senator.”

“Just a minute, please,” Bill said.

“Oh Daddy, can you come get me? I’m scared,” Carol cried.

“We’ll be together real soon, Carol. Be a brave girl for Daddy.”

“Hello, Anson. I’m sorry for all this trouble,” Beth said. “So much has been going wrong. Will you come up here for us?”

“Just as soon as I can get there,” the Senator said and hung up.

“That really was them,” the Senator sighed with relief.

Officer Lutz said, “Do you have a satchel? We’ll stuff it with newspaper and make the drop. We want to get that creep off the street.”

“Will do,” the Senator said and left the room, returning soon with the satchel and newspapers. They began tearing up the paper and laying it in the satchel when the phone rang again. Gruff voice said, “We changed our minds. Do you have the money in the satchel?”

“Yes, it’s all ready,” the Senator said.

“Good. This is what we want you to do. Go to the phone booth in Goodmans Park at three PM today. The one near a bench and the large elm tree. Make believe you are making a call. Hang up, but leave the satchel sitting on the floor and leave.”

“But what about my family?” the Senator asked.

“They will be sitting on the bench by the pond. You can see them after you leave the money,” gruff voice said.

“I’ll be there,” the Senator said and hung up the phone.

He said to Officer Lutz, “It will be over soon, thank God.”

They all heaved sighs of relief as they finished tearing up the paper and stuffing the satchel. The phone rang and Senator Anson asked, “Now what?”

“Lutz, please.”

“Lutz here.”

“Everything is all set in the park. If he shows up, we’ll get him. Have the Senator do exactly as he was told.”

“Great,” Lutz said as he hung up.

“I’m all set to leave,” the Senator said as he donned his hat. “See you guys soon.”

The Senator was fifteen minutes early, so he sat on the bench by the phone booth and read the newspaper. At three PM he entered the phone booth and made it look like he was making a call. He left the satchel on the floor and headed towards the pond. As the Senator turned the corner, he saw two people sitting on the bench by the pond and he hurried over. His face fell as he saw it was not his family and said, “Sorry for staring, but I was supposed to meet my family here.”

The woman and little girl got up and left without saying anything. The Senator sat down and waited. After an hour, he got up to leave when he saw Officer Lutz approaching. “What happened, Officer? Did he show up?”

“He sure did,” Lutz said, “We nabbed him as he left the booth with the satchel. You can go home now and we’ll take him to headquarters for questioning. He sure was surprised to see only newspaper in the satchel.”

The Senator was relieved as he said, “Thanks Officer. I’ll see you later.”

When he arrived home, he called Mrs. Rush and told her all the news. She was happy to know he would be in St. Louis soon to see her and pick up his family. She started to cry and asked, “Did Beth say why she did this?”

“No, Mom Rush. But we’ll know soon. Bye.”

The phone rang and it was Officer Lutz asking the Senator to come down to headquarters to sign the complaint papers against the man. So he hurried down to headquarters and Officer Lutz greeted him with, “More bad news. It seems like the man with Beth helped to set this up and she was going to leave the country with him and Carol. Hoping to live off the ransom money. They will be surprised to learn it was only newspaper, and no money.”

The Senator hung his head and said, “I can’t believe she’d do something like this. No wonder Carol was scared.”

After he signed the necessary papers, the officer said he could leave for St. Louis. It was a sad Senator who knocked on Mrs. Rush’s door four hours later. After greeting her, the Senator said she should come with him to police headquarters so they could learn all the facts this police department had collected.

At headquarters, Carol was waiting with an officer and she yelled, “Daddy!” when she saw him. “I knew you’d come for me,” as she raced into his waiting arms.

“Hi Grandma,” Carol said as she hugged Mrs. Rush who was crying and unable to talk. “I missed you Grandma.”

Mrs. Rush wiped her eyes, blew her nose, and said, “I really was worried about you, honey. I’m glad you are all right.”

“Senator Anson,” an officer said, “We have your wife in a room and you can go in there now. Follow me.”

They all filed down the corridor to a room where Beth sat crying. She looked up and said, “I’m so sorry, Anson. I just thought it would be a better life for Carol. She could have had so much more.”

“But she didn’t need more than our love or what we could give her,” the Senator said sadly.

“Oh, Beth! Why did you have to do this?” Mrs. Rush cried. “Now you’ll be sitting in jail, God knows how long.”

“I know, Mom. I just wasn’t thinking straight. Brad was so good and promised us so much.” Beth cried.

Discouraged, the Senator said, “With the ransom money, I suppose.”

“Ransom money?” Beth asked, surprised.

“Yes, ransom money. He hired someone to put the touch on me for $100,000.00,” Senator said.

“Brad wouldn’t have done that. He is too good of a person,” Beth cried.

“Sorry,” the Senator said, “They caught the guy when he went to pick up the satchel full of newspaper and he spilled the beans. Said he wouldn’t take the rap for that woman chaser.”

“Oh, God! I really was gullible to think that he really loved me.” Beth sobbed uncontrollably as an officer arrived to take her back to her cell. Beth said, “I really am sorry, Anson. Please take care of our little girl. I hope this doesn’t hurt your term in office. Good luck. Bye Carol, be a good girl for Daddy.” As she gave Carol a hug. “Mom, I should have listened to you. I’m sorry. I’ll have a lot of time to think about what I’ve done and to repent. God willing, I won’t be in too long. Good-bye everyone.”

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