Dina Santorelli (36 page)

"C'mon,
c'mon," Reynaldo said, the accelerator pedal pushed to the floor as the Escort
spit and choked before again picking up speed.

The
crisscrossing metal grid of the bridge reflected the pairs of headlights in
every direction as both cars barreled onto it, Reynaldo desperately trying to
keep the car from hydroplaning, realizing that his tires were now caked with
mud. He stayed in the center, riding the double yellow line, so that the white
car couldn't come up beside him, but the Ford Flex slammed into the Escort from
behind, causing Reynaldo to lose control of the car, which crashed into the
bridge on its right side, sparks flying as it bounced against the rails.
Instinctively, Reynaldo threw his arm across the front seats over Jamie and
Charlotte, bracing for another impact, but instead the truck spun and swerved
across the double line, colliding with the guard rail on the other side about
twenty feet behind.

"Are
you all right?" Reynaldo asked Jamie as the Escort thudded to a stop.

"Where
is he?" is all Jamie could muster, unlocking her arms from Charlotte, and for
the first time Reynaldo heard the wails of the terrified little girl who sat
shaking in the space between Jamie's knees.

Reynaldo
turned around and saw that the Ford Flex was facing backward, its driver's side
smashed in, the bulb of the left taillight exposed. There wasn't much time.

"Get
out, Jamie, go. Run.
Run!
"

Jamie
tried her door, but it was crushed by the impact with the bridge. "It's jammed.
It won't open."

Reynaldo
undid the passenger's-side seat belt. "You have to let go of Charlotte," he
said.

"Why?"

"Please.
You have to trust me."

Jamie
released the screaming little girl, and Reynaldo pulled Jamie across his chest
and pushed her out the driver's-side window headfirst. He reached for
Charlotte, who was crawling on the floor trying to get Miss Beatrice, but
Reynaldo grabbed her by legs and placed her into Jamie's waiting arms.

"Go!
Now!"

Jamie
ran, and Reynaldo turned off his headlights and switched his interior light on,
hoping to distract the man—the "he," Reynaldo surmised, that Governor Grand had
been alluding to—in the Ford Flex, hoping he had not seen them leave the car.
He watched the idling white truck in his side-view mirror until gunshots
shattered the Escort's back window, and Reynaldo threw himself down across the
front seat as the truck slammed into the driver's side of the Escort, pushing
it further against the edge of the bridge, before speeding past toward Jamie
and Charlotte.

"Son
of a bitch," Reynaldo said. He tried to get up, but his left leg was pinned
under the dashboard. With a quick jerk, he got it loose and, ignoring the pain,
tried to open his car door, but it was completely disfigured by the crash,
metal jutting up in all directions. Reynaldo wiped the large pieces of broken
glass from his clothing, crawled across the seats to the other side, and
shimmied out the passenger's-side widow, balancing himself on the wet rail—the
same one he had stood on only two days before. As he pulled his sore leg out,
his foot caught on the passenger's-seat headrest, and Reynaldo fell forward,
pain piercing his leg as he dangled off the side of the bridge.

Jamie
heard Reynaldo scream, but was afraid to look behind her and, squeezing
Charlotte tighter in her arms, kept running as fast as she could, the toes of
her bloodied feet getting caught inside the grooves of the metallic grate of
the roadway. The headlights of the Ford Flex were bearing down on her like the
piercing eyes of a wild animal, her silhouette lengthening in their bright
glow, the roar of the engine ricocheting along the metal bridge. Just as it
felt as if the truck were going to mow her down, Jamie reached the end and ran
off the road as the car screeched to a halt.

Without
the headlights lighting her path, Jamie stumbled into the weeds and fell,
bending her knees to keep from crushing Charlotte beneath her. The low hum of
sirens filled the air. She picked up the little girl and kept running, ignoring
the strong ache in her right knee, ignoring the cuts and bruises that seemed to
be everywhere. The ground squished under her bare feet, and Jamie was afraid
she was going to run out of land and have to dive into the cold water once
again—she didn't know if Charlotte could manage another arduous swim.

A
flashlight was searching the dark, heading in the direction of Charlotte's screams.

"
Shhh
…"
Jamie said and fell with Charlotte again into the mud.

She
scrambled to get up, pulling at the muddy little girl who kept slipping out of
her arms, but her foot tripped on a patch of twigs, and she fell again, this
time on her side. She and Charlotte landed in a puddle when the flashlight
shone on her face.

"Ma'am,
are you all right?"

"Leave
me alone," Jamie said, grabbing Charlotte.

"Ma'am,
my name is Detective Matrick. I'm with the Albany Police Department. Are you
okay?"

Jamie
shielded her eyes from the bright beam. "This is Charlotte Grand," Jamie said
breathlessly, holding the little girl up. There were more flashing lights in
the distance, swarming like a bunch of large fireflies.

"Yes,
we know," the detective said. "The governor called and told us you had
contacted him. He also alerted the Feds, and we were able to track the GPS of
the phone number belonging to the cell phone you were using."

"It
wasn't my phone." Jamie looked back toward the bridge.

"Mr.
Rodriguez is all right. He's very lucky. His leg got caught inside his car,
which probably kept him from falling over the guardrail. He's being taken to
the hospital." The officer crouched down. "Stay put, we have a gurney coming
for you and Charlotte. It'll be here momentarily. Ma'am... what's the matter?"

Jamie
was looking toward the road, filled now with police cars, fire trucks,
ambulances, and other vehicles, except the one she expected to see, a white
Ford Flex. It was gone.

"Ma'am?"

Katherine
opened her eyes. Special Agent Wilcox was tapping her shoulder.

"Ma'am,
we found your daughter. She's okay."

"What?"
Katherine bolted upright, and a sharp crick throbbed at the base of her head.
She must have fallen asleep at the kitchen table waiting for Phillip to come
down, but he never had—the box of unopened Oreos was still on the table.

"Where's
the governor?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"He's
on his way to the hospital. He asked me to bring you there to meet him."

Katherine
stopped rubbing. "Why didn't he wait for me?" she asked.

"I don't
know, Ma'am. He was very excited, and agitated, upon hearing the news and said
he needed to get there right away. He made it clear that I escort you there
myself immediately. If I may?"

Wilcox
helped Katherine up from the seat.

"But..."

"Please,
we'll talk on the way." Wilcox led Katherine toward the main hallway where
dozens of agents were congregating. Maddox was talking into his cell phone near
the front entrance. When he saw her, he waved and rushed over.

"Lenny,
did you hear?" Katherine asked.

"Yes,
yes, I know," Maddox said. "They say she's all right. Some cuts and bruises,
but all right." He took Katherine's hand and squeezed it.

Outside
the Executive Mansion, the media was in a frenzy, buzzing outside the gates
like agitated bees in a hive. At the sight of Katherine Grand within the narrow
front door opening, they looked as though they were ready to attack. Katherine
thought there was something different about the crowd, and she realized that
virtually all of the picketers were gone.

"What
time is it?" she asked. "Did the execution...?"

"Please,
talk and walk, talk and walk," Wilcox said, ushering Katherine out the front
door. When she stepped onto the front porch, there was an immediate roar:

"Mrs.
Grand?"

"How
do you feel now that they've found your daughter?"

"Where
do you think she was all this time?"

"Are
you going to see her now?"

"Can
you give us a statement?"

Katherine
felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I
got this," Maddox said. "Go to the hospital."

"Mrs.
Grand, please, quickly, we need to go." Wilcox hurried down the pathway toward
a waiting sedan and several agents.

"I'm
coming," she said. She turned to Maddox. "Lenny, the execution, Cataldi..."

Maddox
nodded. "Done."

"Oh."
She had missed it. For the first time since she and Phillip had been together,
she was not by his side when a capital-punishment case had come to a close.

"Katherine,
are you all right?"

"Yes,
I'm... I'm fine."

"Are
you going to the hospital, First Lady?"

"Is
the governor there?"

The
crowd surged against the iron gates, outstretched arms holding microphones
waving through the bars.

"Jesus,"
Maddox said. "Bunch 'a animals."

"Mrs.
Grand," Wilcox called. He was holding open the passenger's-side door to his
sedan.

"Yes,
I'm coming," she yelled. She turned toward Maddox and instead banged into
Henry, who seemed to have appeared from out of nowhere.

"Henry!"
Katherine was confused. With the blaring lights of the news media, it was easy
to forget what time it was. Henry normally didn't work at night. "Why aren't
you with Phillip, I mean, Governor Grand?"

"One
of the men, down over yonder," Henry pointed to Wilcox, "that one there, he
said one of his men was going to drive the governor to the hospital." Henry had
a very slow way of talking, and Katherine felt her anxiety ratchet up a few
notches. She had no idea how Phillip put up with it. Maddox was rolling his
eyes.

"Then
what are you doing here?" Katherine said.

"Well,
I had been hanging around to see if Governor Grand needed me, you know, just in
case. But seein' as he's got a ride, I figured I'd go home and come back
tomorrow morning." Henry shuffled his feet. "I also wanted to tell you that I
heard the news about Charlotte and how very happy I am that she is okay."

"Thank
you," Katherine said.

"No,
I mean, I am really, really happy." Henry looked as if he was going to lean in
for a hug until Maddox put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes,
she heard you," Maddox said. "That's awfully nice of you."

Katherine
thanked Maddox with her eyes, as Henry nodded and shuffled off down the path toward
the parking lot.

"What
the hell is he doing here, anyway?" Maddox said. "Isn't Big Bird looking for
him somewhere on Sesame Street?"

"I
don't know. I can't think right now, Len."

Katherine
was dizzy. The camera lights. The yelling of the press. The guilt over Don
Bailino and of not having told Phillip the entire truth. The news that he had
left without her. She held onto Maddox's arm to steady herself.

"Are
you sure you're all right?" Maddox asked. "Maybe I should meet you at the
hospital. It might be a madhouse there."

Katherine
knew she should have told Maddox to go home and get some sleep—he was as tired
as anyone. But for the second time in a few hours, another person had
volunteered to help shoulder some of her burden, and she was relieved once more.
"Would you mind?"

"Not
at all."

"Lenny..."

"I
know... What would you do without me? Now go."

"Thank
you," Katherine called, as she ran down the path and stepped into the waiting
sedan. She watched Maddox stride toward the hungry crowd as a cacophony of
flashbulbs lit up the night and followed their car halfway down Eagle Street until it sped away.

When Phillip arrived at
Albany Memorial Hospital, a horde of press people already had assembled outside
the main doors under the large overhang, the television camera lights
illuminating the building's stately marquee.

"Drive
around back," he told the federal agent.

It
had taken them more than forty-five minutes to reach the hospital for a ride
that was normally less than half the time. Between the flooding and the
blackout, there were accidents all along the main roads, holding up traffic for
miles and forcing them to take side roads, which weren't much better.
Originally, Phillip had wanted to drive himself, but Special Agent Wilcox
wouldn't hear of it. "This isn't over, Governor," he'd said—a grim reminder of
what Phillip knew to be true. His daughter had been saved, but Don Bailino was
still at large. What that meant, Phillip wasn't quite sure, but for now he knew
he needed to get to his daughter.

The
agent parked next to a pair of ambulances, and Phillip got out and rushed
through the automatic doors.

The
bustling emergency ward was crowded with strange, foreign faces, and the
thought that Bailino could be inside the hospital suddenly crossed Phillip's
mind. He looked behind to see if the federal agent was in tow. He was.

"Governor!"
a nurse said, snapping to attention. A hush fell over the room.

"My
daughter, I'm looking for my daughter."

"Yes,"
the nurse said, placing a handful of files onto a desk. "I'll bring you to her.
Come this way."

The
nurse pushed a large button, automatically opening two swinging doors that led
into an empty side corridor, which spilled into a large room filled with
hospital workers as well as uniformed police and other plainclothes officers.
Phillip recognized many of the men and women as agents from the mansion, which
put his mind a little more at ease, until from the corner of his eye he saw a
dark-headed figure start toward him.

"Governor
Grand!"

Rosalia
came running with outstretched arms, but was stopped by one of the officers.