Part I-Chapter 2: "WE HAVE THEM"

Chapter 2

“We Have Them.”
(Ó 2007)

The sound of Stephanie’s crying soon was overtaken by the wail of sirens coming from the distance, and from all directions. An older couple first came from the brownstone building to see her lying on the sidewalk, and they were afraid to touch her. She continued her plea for her father to come get her, and the older woman began to weep at the sight before her.
 

Soon a marked Chicago Police squad car arrived. Inside were Sergeant Phillip “Big Phil” Howard and his partner, Sergeant Emelda Rosario. Big Phil was just that, a big man about six feet two inches, large in the chest, with graying black hair and moustache. He also had large hands that everyone would always notice. Sergeant Rosario was around five feet seven, with the stocky build a woman gets after giving birth to three children. She had dark brown hair, a clear brown complexion, and brown eyes, and was a pure Puerto Rican.
 

As he pulled the squad car to the side of the street, the sight of the little girl let Big Phil knew that he didn’t have to ask what just happened.
 

“Oh, shit.” He said, turning to his partner, “You better start to handle this first”.
 

Officer Rosario just nodded in agreement. She exited the car and walked up to Stephanie. The little girl was trying to use every finger to keep herself covered with her torn clothing. She lay there shivering and crying; the blood was still coming from her nose and mixed with mucous. Her cheeks swollen, eyes were extremely red, and blood and saliva were still coming from her mouth.
 

“I need the blanket Phil!” She yelled to her partner.

Big Phil was standing outside of the squad car on the drivers’ side behind the open door. He took the keys from the ignition and went to the trunk of the squad car to retrieve a blanket that was back there. He got the blanket, closed the trunk, and then came around the car to the sidewalk up to Officer Rosario and Stephanie. He handed the blanket to Officer Rosario; she knelt down next to Stephanie, opened up the blanket and covered it around her.
 

“It’s OK now honey, everything’s gonna be OK.” She said holding on to her.
 

“My Daddy, please, I want my daddy.” Stephanie said in a more quiet voice, she then buried her face in Officer Rosario barrel chest and began to weep.
 

“Go ahead sweetie, go ahead and cry, that’s OK.” Officer Rosario said trying to comfort Stephanie; she then began to rock her back and forth. She looked at Big Phil. His lips pursed tight together, his chin quivering slightly, and tears were in his eyes.
 

“She’s just a kid.” He said with a tight voice as his throat began to tighten.
 

Other squad cars began to arrive, when the police officers got out from their vehicles and saw Officer Rosario comforting the little girl on the sidewalk, they knew instantly what was going on and just what had happened.

It doesn’t matter who you are, how long you’ve been a police officer, how big you are, how tough you are, are how hardened you’ve become through the years of this job. It doesn’t even matter how many times you’ve seen it, the sight of a beaten and violated child tears your heart apart. Emelda Rosario was now seeing that in Big Phil’s face. She thought to herself that it seems to get to the bigger guys the most.

“Phil,” Officer Rosario said, “go on, and go see if anyone here saw anything”.

Big Phil quickly regained his composure and then went to the older couple to see if they witnessed anything. Emelda watched him as he took the couple aside and how the Big Phil she needed right then came back and went to work.

She rocked Stephanie, let her cry for a few more minutes, then took the radio transmitter on her shoulder, and requested an ambulance. She then used her experience as a mother comforting a hurt child to talk to Stephanie.

“What’s your name sweetie?” she whispered to her.
 

“S-S-Ste-phan-ie”
 

“Ok Stephanie, I’m Emelda, I’m going to help you OK?”
 

“C-Can y-you g-get my d-daddy?”

“Sure honey, I’ll get him here as soon as I can.” Emelda paused for a second and then she had to begin her questioning. “Where did it happen honey”?

Stephanie slowly raised her face and looked over Emelda shoulder down the alley, and then replaced her head on Emelda’s’ chest. Emelda look to the alley and saw a backpack about two feet into the entry. A backpack that a girl of fifteen in high school just might carry.

“Phil! Look! Right there.” She said looking in the direction of the backpack. Big Phil went over to retrieve it and opened it up. Inside he found a wallet, and he looked inside for any identification. He found an Illinois Drivers License Learner Permit and a high school ID card. The card had Stephanie’s picture on it. Big Phil looked at Emelda and nodded. He now had to have someone contact Stephanie’s family; he went to the front of the building and radioed all the information that he had, the location they were at, and of the situation.

“OK sweetie, we’re calling to get your daddy OK?” Emelda whispered to her.

Officer Rosario waited for a few more minutes and then she heard the siren of the ambulance coming from the distance. She then began to ask Stephanie some of the more difficult questions as gently as she could.

“Was there just one man honey?” She whispered as she rocked her.

Stephanie buried her face in Emelda’s chest and nodded “no”.

“How many then?” 

Stephanie held up her right hand and held up two fingers.

Right then Officer Rosario’s mind started to click, she had a suspicion about something, something that she’s been hearing at the briefings now for a couple of years. She had to make sure, but she also had to be delicate with Stephanie right now. It became easy when Emelda the mother asked, instead of Officer Rosario.
 

“Can you tell me how it happened sweetie? I need to know so I can help, OK.” She whispered as she rocked her and stroked her hair.

It took a few seconds, but she started to speak and somewhat calmer this time.

“There was a man following me. I tried to walk faster. I looked behind me to see where he was.” She said and paused, then finished with, “I didn’t see the other one. He grabbed me while I was turned around, and he took me way back there”.

It was confirmed, it was “The Dirtbag Duo” as they called them. They have been doing this for a few years now, same modus operandi. It was difficult to find them because they did not restrict there actions to just one area. They did their rapes all over the city of Chicago, and may be responsible for some in the outer suburbs. Skokie has a case, even Lake Forest, so does Mount Prospect, even as far west as Franklin Park. Fifteen attacks that the police know of, Stephanie may well be number sixteen. Then there was the great chance that there may be many more that have not been reported.

The ambulance was coming up the street, and Emelda looked down at Stephanie.

“Here’s the ambulance sweetie, they’re going to look you over and take you to the hospital.” She told her.

“Will you stay with me?”
 

“Sure honey, I’ll stay with you, I ride over there with you if you want”.

Stephanie nodded “yes”, that’s what she wanted.

The ambulance pulled up followed by more squad cars. Two paramedics came from the ambulance; one was a woman, which Emelda thanked God for at that second. They both came over with the gurney and the male paramedic knew immediately from the sight what had happened and decided to let the woman paramedic do all the talking.

“Here, get up on the gurney sweetie” Emelda said help Stephanie onto it. “I have to tell Officer Howard something and I’ll be right back, OK”?
 

Stephanie nodded “yes” again. Emelda walked over to Big Phil.

“Phil, get on the horn and call the detectives in charge of the ‘Dirtbag Duo’ case. Tell them where we’re at; I believe it may have been them”.

“Aw fuck!” Big Phil said gritting his teeth. He also knew all to well about the “Dirtbag Duo” and their rape spree. He knew to contact the two detectives in charge discreetly as to not alert the media. He went back to his squad car to use the radio there on the reserve channel that was set up.

Officer Rosario returned to Stephanie as they were now loading her into the ambulance. They were going to give her just a brief examination before transporting her. She entered the ambulance, shut both doors behind her and sat next to Stephanie.

“Stephanie honey?” she said, “By any chance sweetie, did you see which way they went”?

Stephanie motioned her to come closer. Emelda bent down and placed her ear next to Stephanie’s lips.

“They’re still there,” she whispered softly.

“What? What do you mean sweetie”?

“They’re still back there,” she whispered slowly, “don’t you see them?”

Officer Rosario’s eyes widened, she felt a surge go through her body, pulled back and went to the ambulance doors.

“I’ll be right back, I promise.” She said as she glanced back at Stephanie. She jumped out of the ambulance and began to motion to Big Phil.

“Phil! PHIL! Come here! Quick!” She yelled, She then turned and motioned to two other officers there, “You two! Come here”!

She went to the entry of the alleyway and drew her service revolver. Big Phil saw her do this and quickly did the same.

“She just told me that the two fucks that did it are still down there.” She said, now in an angry tone.

The four police officers now stood shoulder to shoulder with service revolvers out, and flashlights scanning the alley.
 

“POLICE OFFICERS!!” Big Phil shouted, “We know you’re down here! Come out hands over your heads!”

All four now began to enter the alley slowly, and proceeded to walk down the alleyway, with their flashlights scanning all around. When they reached halfway, their light spotted the limp body of Billy Freeman about another twenty feet further ahead, on his stomach and his face to the side, forcing himself to breath.

“Don’t move asshole!” Big Phil shouted as he walked up to Billy, his gun pointed at him. When Big Phil got up and his light shown down on Billy, his anger changed to astonishment.
 

“Holy shit! What the fuck?” He said. He was looking at Billy’s face, he was bloodied, wide-eyed, and fighting to stay alive.
 

“Hey! Back here!” One of the other officers shouted. The others looked to see his flashlight shining down on Raul another ten feet further away in the same position, and fighting for air. Big Phil then grabbed his transmitter, and radioed for more ambulances.

"Did you get those detectives?” Emelda asked him.

“Yeah, they’re on their way.” He said, “They want to see the girl before she’s transported. They said five, ten minutes at the most”.

Emelda walked over to the officer that was standing next to Raul. She shined her flashlight down on him and saw the fright in his eyes as he labored for air, his pants were still around his knees, and he looked like he wanted to talk, but he couldn’t. His look was as if he were pleading for help.

“I saw this in the Persian Gulf,” the young officer said, “I was a platoon sergeant, guys who had spinal injuries from combat, don’t touch them, leave them here until the other medics arrive”.

Emelda went back to Big Phil and said, “I’m going back to the ambulance and wait for them. Don’t touch or move these guys.”
 

Officer Rosario went back to the front of the alley to return to the ambulance and ordered a subordinate officer to guard the entryway, “No one goes down there except for the detectives who are on their way, and the medics, got it”?

The officer nodded “yes”, and took his position. Emelda went back to the ambulance to check on Stephanie, she placed her hand on the latch for the door when she turned to the officer.
 

“Send those detectives to me first, OK”?

The officer than again nodded “yes”.

She then opened the door and went back in shutting the doors behind her. She took her seat next to Stephanie and looked down at her.

“Where are they going to take her?” She asked the paramedics.

“We’ll take her to Northwestern.” The woman answered.

“How you holding out sweetie?” she asked Stephanie.

She nodded that she was doing OK. Suddenly there was a pounding at the ambulance door, Emelda got up from her seat to open it. When she did, she saw a very large man about six feet six trying to get in. He was extremely strong looking, very muscular, wearing a Chicago Bears sweatshirt and pants.

“That’s my little girl,” he said to Officer Rosario. He then looked over her shoulder and saw the swollen face of his daughter, and his worst fears were confirmed. He immediately collapsed to his knees and began to cry uncontrollably. Emelda got out from the ambulance and shut the doors.

She knelt down to the huge man and began to try to get him in control.

“Mr. Morris. Mr. Morris! I’m Officer Rosario.” She said to him, “I know this is hard, but you have to get yourself in control for your daughter now. She needs her Daddy to be strong”.

“Why did they do this to my baby?” He cried. “She never hurt anything, ever, anything”!

“I know sir. I‘ve been with her the whole time.”
 

The sight of all the men either crying or holding back their tears was beginning to take its toll on Emelda. She told Mr. Morris to compose himself and stand up.

“I tell her you’re here.” she said, “She’s been asking for you”.
 

She opened the ambulance doors and told Stephanie, “Stephanie. Honey? Your Daddy’s here”.
 

The huge man got into the ambulance, when he did you could feel the whole vehicle move, he knelt down next to his daughter, and she wrapped her arms around him and began to cry.

“Daddy, I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry”.

“Nothing’s your fault baby girl, it’s gonna be OK, I promise”.

“We’re going to Northwestern Hospital Stephanie; your Daddy will ride with you over there. I’ll be with you over there, OK?” Officer Rosario said to her.

“OK Emelda.” she answered.

“We just have to wait for a few minutes for some other officers to arrive, OK?”

“OK.”

Officer Rosario then shut the doors of the ambulance and when she turned to plain-clothes officers, in jeans, t-shirts, with their neck badges out. One was wearing a Chicago Cubs jacket, the other a White Sox jacket.

“Are you Sergeant Rosario?” the man in the Cubs jacket asked.

“Yes sir.”

“You don’t have to call us ‘sir’; we’re both Sergeants like you.” He said, “I’m Noel Jaworski, this is my partner, David Todd”.

David Todd, the man in the White Sox jacket, extended his hand and said, “They said you believe that this may have been done by the ‘Dirtbag Duo’. Did she tell you what happened?”

“Yes, Sergeant Todd, and it’s the same M.O.”

“How old is she?” Detective Todd then asked.

“She’s only fifteen.” Officer Rosario responded, this time her voice began to break, and tears began to appear in her eyes.

“Damn!” Jaworski said, gritting his teeth.

There was a brief silence between them all; the detectives were giving Officer Rosario a chance to regain herself.

“Did it happen down there?” Detective Todd asked, looking towards the alley, “Did they find anything down there”?

“Oh, we have something far better than just ‘anything’ Sergeant Todd.” Emelda proclaimed with somewhat of a smirk on her face.

“What would that be?” Todd asked.

“We have them.” She answered outright.