Anything But Mine (10 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

A
fter arriving at Kennedy Airport, Jen called Vince to let him know she was back safely. “I’m really exhausted, but I’d love to see you,” she said. “Want to meet me at my apartment for a casual dinner? I can call for some take-
out
.”

“That sounds like a great idea, Jennifer,” Vince replied. “I was going to suggest the same thing. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Jen said, as she dragged her luggage through the terminal and towards the exit door. “I’m about to grab a cab now.”

“Don’t,” Vince said. “I have a surprise for you. Lou is waiting for you with my limo, so you don’t have to take a taxi. He’ll drop you at your place, then swing into the city to pick me up, if that’s okay.”

“That’s great, Vince. What a nice surprise. Thank you!”

“I’m about to start a meeting, but I’ll see you in a little bit, my love,” Vince said, as he hung up the phone and turned to stare out his office window at Jen’s apartment building across the river.
There’s another surprise waiting for you when you get home, Jennifer,
he thought.
This had better work.

A short time later, Jen entered the lobby of her building, and was surprised to find that the doorman was not behind his desk. She walked to her mailbox, collected her mail and, as she returned to the elevators, was greeted by the doorman. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you came in,” he said. “I just took a bathroom break. Do you need help with your luggage?”

“Thanks, Ray, but I can manage it,” she said, as she entered the elevator and pressed the button for her floor.

Once the elevator reached her floor, she juggled her mail and suitcase while searching for her key in the bottom of her tote bag. As she walked down the hallway towards her apartment, she thought,
I’m so glad to be home.

Jen inserted her key into the lock, and opened the door. As she entered her small foyer, she was grabbed from behind, and a large, hairy hand clamped down over her nose and mouth preventing her from breathing. Dropping her suitcase, tote bag, and the mail, Jen struggled to breathe and tried to scream, but the hand over her face just pushed into her harder, only releasing when a piece of heavy tape was placed over her mouth and a blindfold was pushed down over her eyes.

Terrified, Jen tried to release herself from the intruder’s grip, but she was pushed to the floor, causing the wind to be knocked out of her momentarily. As she tried to recover and catch her breath, which was made more difficult with her mouth taped shut, she found her wrists being bound with rope that dug into her skin.

I have to try to get away,
she thought, as she tried to stand, but just as she managed to get to her feet, she felt a sharp blow to her head and searing pain, causing her to become disoriented and fall back to the floor, before she was picked up and carried a short distance.

Jen panicked and desperately tried to free herself as she was being carried, but was unable to do so. The intruder threw her face down onto her bed, and she felt herself being tied to one of the bed posts.

In an instant, the intruder climbed on top of her, and the force of his body weight pressing into her made it nearly impossible for Jen to breathe. As Jen felt him reach for the waist of her pants, trying to push them down, she fought back as best she could by wildly thrashing and kicking her legs.
Oh God, please let Vince get here soon,
she prayed as she continued to struggle and try to fight her attacker, until a cloth soaked with chloroform was held up to her face and she felt herself losing consciousness.

When Vince entered the lobby of Jen’s apartment building, he was greeted by the doorman, who immediately recognized him and dialed the intercom. When she didn’t answer, the doorman rang again, and said, “That’s strange, because I know she’s up there. She got home just a little while ago. Do you want to go up, Mr. Moscolo? I’m sure it’s okay with her.”

“I’d rather wait until she answers the intercom,” Vince replied. When the doorman rang the intercom again a few minutes later, and Jen still didn’t answer, Vince said, “I’m concerned that she isn’t answering. I’m going upstairs.”

When he arrived at her floor, he found the door to Jennifer’s apartment ajar, and stepped inside to find her suitcase open and lying haphazardly on the floor of the entry way, its contents dumped on the floor.

“Jennifer?” When she didn’t answer, he took another few steps inside her apartment and called out again, “Jennifer?” As he wandered further inside, he found more of her possessions strewn throughout the apartment. Nervously, he looked around, calling out her name again as he tentatively moved down the hallway.

He entered her bedroom, where he found her face down on her bed, bound, gagged, and unconscious, with her pants pulled down, leaving her backside naked and exposed.

“Oh my God, Jennifer,” Vince cried out as he ran towards her, checking to see if she was breathing.
What have I done? How could I have had this done to her?
He immediately grabbed the phone and dialed 911, and was told by the dispatcher not to move her, and that the police and an ambulance would be right there.

He then ran to the intercom and called the doorman. “Jennifer is tied up and unconscious –
she
must have walked in on a burglary. The police and an ambulance will be here soon. Send them right up,” he said, before running back down the hallway to her bedroom. Surveying the scene, Vince looked at her dresser drawers emptied and tossed about on the floor.
It certainly looks like a rape and burglary attempt,
he thought, before dialing 411 to get the office phone number for Jennifer’s father.

“Dr. LaBella’s office,” answered a pleasant female voice.

“I need to speak with Dr. LaBella. It’s an emergency regarding his daughter, Jennifer.”

“Who is calling, please.”

“Vince Moscolo. I’m Jennifer’s boyfriend,” he replied, before being placed on hold.

“This is Dr. Peter LaBella,” a male voice answered. “Who is this?”

“Vince Moscolo. I’ve been dating Jennifer for the past couple of months.”

“Yes, Vince, she’s mentioned you,” Peter replied. “What can I do for you?”

“Jennifer was attacked. I found her tied up and unconscious in her bedroom,” Vince said, before explaining in detail what he found when he arrived at her apartment.

“Have them take her to Long Island College Hospital,” Peter replied. “Grace and I will meet you there.”

As he hung up with Peter, the police and paramedics arrived. While the paramedics worked on Jennifer, Vince answered the police officer’s questions, explaining that he was her boyfriend, that she had just returned home from a business trip to California, and that they were meeting for an early dinner.

One of the officers asked, “Where were you earlier in the day?”

“At my office,” he said, extracting a business card from his wallet. “I was in a series of meetings all day. You can easily verify that I was there. My chief of security will give you access to the surveillance camera footage, and you can speak with my driver as well.”

Peter and Grace arrived at the hospital emergency room, and gasped when they saw Jen, unconscious with an oxygen mask strapped to her face, being wheeled through the hallway on a stretcher.

Recognizing them from photos in Jennifer’s apartment, Vince approached Peter and Grace, and introduced himself. “I’m sorry to be meeting you under these circumstances,” Vince said, shaking their hands.

Vince and Grace sat together in the waiting area of the emergency room, while Peter went into the examining room to speak with the doctors treating Jen and learn more about her condition.

An hour later, Peter returned with the on-
call
emergency room doctor and the police officers who had responded to Jen’s apartment.

“Jennifer is conscious, now,” the doctor explained. “She has some bruises, and a scalp laceration that we closed with some sutures. We’re going to keep her overnight for observation, but I think she is going to be fine.”

“I arranged for her to be transferred to a private room,” Peter said.

“She must be terrified,” Grace said. “I want to see her.”

“She is,” one of the police officers responded. “Before you go in, though, you should know that we’re looking at both a burglary and an attempted rape,” he said, causing Grace to gasp. Turning to Vince, the officer continued, “Based on the preliminary timeline, it was lucky you showed up when you did because, at this time, we think that the intruder left Jennifer’s apartment when the doorman repeatedly rang the intercom. He was probably spooked, thinking someone was on the way up. You probably saved her from being raped, and maybe killed.”

Jen was resting in her hospital bed when her mother, father and Vince entered her private room. All three gasped when they saw her bruised and swollen face and wrists, and her hair matted with blood.

Grace flew to her daughter’s side. “Oh my God, oh my baby,” Grace cried as tears streamed down her face. “What did that monster do to you?”

Trying to put on a brave face, Jen said, “I’m okay, Mom, just a little stiff, sore and headache-
y
.” Despite trying to be strong, Jen’s hands were shaking, and her voice was faint. Looking from her parents to Vince, and seeing the concerned looks on their faces, she begged, “Please don’t worry about me. I’m sure I’ll be fine as soon as the doctors let me out of here so I can go home.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jennifer. Of course we’re worried about you. Your brother and sister are worried about you too,” Peter said solemnly, as he picked up Jen’s chart and read through the notes. “If it wasn’t for Vince arriving when he did, who knows what would have happened to you.”