Cold Case 8-15: KEEN-say

[valrush]

COLD CASE: KEEN-say

The cold case unit takes a second look at the 1979 death of a maid’s daughter who was killed at the home of her mother’s wealthy employer.

PREVIOUSLY ON COLD CASE:

Lilly and Scotty looked over to see Jeffries sitting with a delicate-looking Hispanic woman in her late sixties. The woman immediately looked up at Lilly when Kat gestured to her.

"Lil, this is Maria Trejo." Jeffries said. "She wanted to talk to you about a case."

Lilly looked at Scotty, and then took the woman’s hand.

"Someone told me you solve cases that are old." Maria said in a soft, accented voice. Before Lilly could respond, the woman pulled a photo, that of a teenage girl, out of her purse. "This is my daughter, Rosita. She was killed in 1979. Someone pushed her from a balcony at the house where I was working at the time. I... I was told you solve cases like this."

Lilly looked at the woman uneasily. "I’m sorry, Mrs. Trejo, I’m working another case right now, and I won’t be available here after that. Detective Miller here should be able to help you if you have any information."

Mrs. Trejo looked confused for a moment. "I... I was told you solve old cases here. Do you not do that here anymore?"

Lilly looked at the woman, unable to find an answer.

A slim adult man and an elderly lady walked into the bullpen. Lilly Rush recognized the man first "Chris Lassing? It's been years!"

Chris Lassing smiled as he answered "Yeah, it's me. I see you're still working on cold cases, so nothing has changed here."

The rest of the detectives came up to him.

"You must be kidding me!" said Nick Vera, who then shook hands with him

At First Thursdays, Chris was talking. The team was laughing at his story, Kat included.

“It’s happened twice now; I don’t think we can ignore this anymore,” Scotty added. “We’ve both dated cops before; it doesn’t usually end well. Added to that is the fact that you’re technically still seeing someone. How is Ryan anyway?”

Lilly sighed. “I don’t know.”

“You mean he doesn’t know,” Scotty responded.

“No, I mean I don’t know, because I can’t get in touch with him. Every contact I have for him keeps sending me to voice mail,” Lilly explained.

“Well, when you do finally reach him, what are you going to say? Are you going to break up with him? Are you going to tell him about us?” Scotty asked.

Lilly began to sweat. “I don’t know!”

“Well, you need to figure out what you want, Lilly! You keep coming to my place! You’ve obviously thought about us before! I’m just curious as to why you’ve chosen to act on it now?” asked Scotty.

“You haven’t exactly turned me away! Have you thought about us before?” asked Lilly.

“Scotty, have you ever been to Positano Coast on Walnut St.?” Lilly asked.

“I’ve heard of the place; I can’t say that I’ve ever eaten there,” Scotty responded.

“You made some good points. I think we need to go on a few actual dates, and see if this thing has a future before we uproot everyone’s lives,” Lilly explained. “I will be seated at a table for two near the entrance at 8:00 tonight in case you get hungry.”

Lilly sat near the entrance of the Positano Coast restaurant checking her watch. She looked up when she saw a shadow hovering over her to face its source. It was Scotty.

[valrush]

1

The following story is fictional and
does not depict any actual person or event

Dire Straits: “Sultans of Swing”


 
August 18, 1979

The sun was going down by this point, but it was still light outside as Rosita Trejo, in her long white dress and standing at approximately 5ft. 2in., looked out across her court. She went with the traditional seven pairings; the females all wore pink dresses and the males all wore black suits. Her parents, Maria and Roberto Trejo, followed in front of her. Then came her older brother, Carlos, and their younger sister Cecilia. Then came some friends from school and an aunt and uncle that she was certain she had only met once.

The last pair Rosita knew from childhood. This was Richard and Audrey Aldren. They had been her mother’s employers for as long as she could remember, and they also agreed to let her family have the party at their Chestnut Hill home. Richard had dark hair and stood at 5ft. 9in. Audrey was blonde and stood at 5ft. 5in.

It was Richard who started the conversation. He turned to Audrey and whispered. “Reassure me again that we did not let them use our house for a wedding reception.”

“It’s not a wedding, Richard. I told you. Rosita is fifteen, and this is just what they do,” Audrey explained.

“I still think it’s weird. She’s wearing a fancy white dress and … slippers?” asked Richard.

“Apparently that’s a Mexican thing too. Marie tried to explain some of it to me, but I have to be honest, I don’t always understand her,” Audrey insisted.

An announcement came over the music that was playing inside the large, two-story, brick home. “Ladies and gentleman let’s get things started! We begin with the introduction of the girl’s … ‘cor-te de ho-NOR’? First and foremost, our hosts for this evening, Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Audrey Aldren!”

Two waiters in green trousers, green vests, and white button-down shirts opened the two heavy French doors that lead into the home. The couples parted when they entered and formed two lines on opposite sides of the doors. Then lastly, it was Rosita’s turn as the song came to an end. “Finally, that leaves our birthday girl; believe it or not that was her chosen song! I apologize in advance for screwing this up as Spanish is not my second language; fay-LEES keen-ce-a-NEAR-a? … Rosita Trejo!” The crowd cheered as Rosita slowly entered the doors and stepped onto the freshly-cleaned hardwood floor.

Cold Case Soundtrack: “Bad Night”

The tiara on Rosita Trejo’s head would be the first thing to hit the ground when she fell from the balcony later that night.

[valrush]

Kat Miller walked past the desk of Nick Vera. He and Andrew Darius were occupying their time by passing a small, blue, rubber stress ball between them. “Looks like Stillman picked the wrong day to call in sick,” she said as she intercepted Darius’s throw.

“What’s been going on with him lately? I can’t even say for sure if we will see him for ‘First Thursdays’ this week,” Vera asked as he received the ball.

He threw the ball to Darius who quickly set it down when he saw Lilly out of the corner of his eye. “So much for a day off. Looks like Rush just came up with another ice cube.” The group walked over to Lilly’s desk where they met up with Scotty Valens. “Did someone come in with something? Otherwise I would say you don’t know how to enjoy down time.”

“Someone did come in with questions; they just didn’t do it recently,” insisted Lilly.

“’Rosita Trejo’,” said Vera reading from the box. “This girl looks awfully young; is that a wedding dress?”

“Well, you’re right about the young part. The records say she had just turned fifteen when she died from a fall,” Lilly explained.

“Did you say fifteen? Well, there’s your answer. I’d say that is a quinceañera dress,” Scotty explained.

“Quinceañera, that’s that Spanish coming of age thing for girls,” Miller added.

“Trust me, I’ve been to enough of them in my family,” Scotty replied. Then he turned to Lilly. “This is the one, isn’t it? The lady that came in before you almost left.”

“Would somebody care to catch me up?” asked Andrew.

“That’s right he wasn’t here; he doesn’t know the whole story. We almost lost Lilly to the FBI,” Vera explained.

“A Maria Trejo came in asking about her daughter, but I was too busy figuring out my own mess at that point. I kind of blew her off. After that, other cases kept coming in. This is the first chance I’ve really had to look at her case,” Lilly informed. She looked at the picture of Rosita’s body. “I wasn’t there for her before, but I’m here now.”

[valrush]

2

John Stillman entered the station to find his detectives huddled around a file box. “I hope you have a hall pass, boss; you’re late again,” said Nick Vera.

“Yeah, I know,” Stillman added.

“This has been happening a lot lately. What’s up?” asked Miller.

“Nothing exciting. Besides, if anybody has earned the right to be late around here I think it’s me,” Stillman insisted. “What do we have?”

“Rosita Trejo, Hispanic female who had just celebrated her fifteenth birthday. The body was found at approximately 11:05 PM on the night of August 18, 1979. The cause of death was a massive concussion caused by the victim’s head slamming into the ground,” Lilly explained.

“The C I got in Spanish didn’t exactly mean ‘yes’. Can someone explain this quinceañera thing to me?” asked Andrew.

“Literally it means ‘girl of fifteen years’. In many Latin countries fifteen is considered the child/adult dividing line for young ladies,” Scotty explained. “Adulthood didn’t last too long for her though, but judging by the clothes I would say she made it.”

“What do you mean?” asked Lily.

“The tiara for one, and secondly the shoes. She is wearing high heels. Traditionally there is a ceremony in a quinceañera called the ‘changing of the shoes’. The girl starts out in a pair of slippers usually, and then later she removes them in favor of, in theory at least, her first pair of high heels. It’s supposed to represent the transition into adulthood,” Scotty explained.

“It’s also usually the first time they wear makeup,” Miller added.

“Traditionally yes. You know about this stuff,” Scotty responded.

“Some, Veronica goes to school with this Puerto Rican girl who keeps going on and on about this big party she’s going to get in two years. So of course now she wants a quinceañera. I keep trying to tell her that we’re not Spanish, but you know how that works. She has to wait one more year for a sweet sixteen just like I didn’t get,” Miller explained.

“Well, historically I think the quinceañera doubled as a wedding ceremony; in some countries it still might. Tell your daughter that and see if she still wants one,” Scotty informed.

“I remember this now. Her mother came in near the end of last year; she seemed pretty insistent that her daughter was pushed from a balcony. Was there any evidence to that effect?” asked Stillman.

“Well, she was found directly under a second floor at the Aldren home. Judging by these pictures it looks like that balcony was well constructed; the railing looks like a decent height and it was still in one piece at the time. I think it is safe to say that we can rule out an accident,” Vera explained.

“Even so, the girl fell on Aldren property. That’s the kind of thing that usually leads to lawsuits,” Andrew chimed in.

“It also says they found a small scrap of paper with one word in Spanish written on it. Q-u-i-n-c-e,” Vera added.

“The word is ‘KEEN-say’; it means fifteen, but what is the significance of that?” asked Scotty

Lilly went back to the box and found another piece of paper. “I don’t know, but it looks like Maria wasn’t the first one to come to the cops with this. Police in 1979 took a statement from Roberto Trejo. He claimed that he was upstairs when he heard someone saying ‘this is bad’ over and over again. Minutes later he found Rosita’s body on the ground. But they couldn’t do much with it because he didn’t actually see a face.”

“This family has been wanting answers for a long time. Rush and Valens, see if you can find an address for Maria Trejo and let her know that we haven’t forgotten her. Vera and Miller, track down the Aldren family and see what they remember. Darius, you made a point about possible lawsuits; I want you here with me working on court records,” Stillman explained as the team split up.

[valrush]

Lilly and Scotty tracked Maria Trejo to 4017 K St. in Juniata Park. They looked around at the bushes of purple flowers and the red-painted siding of the house that surrounded the tan metal front door before she let them in. A white sofa was surrounded by a two light blue chairs and a black-painted coffee table that almost matched the deep brown of the wood floor and sat on a blue and white flowered throw rug sat in front of it. “I thought my remaining children, Cecilia and Carlos, would want to be a part of this too. They were there that night after all,” Maria explained. Lilly scanned the pictures that hung on the right wall. Maria’s hair had gone gray, Carlos was heavier now and starting to lose his hair, and Cecilia appeared to have a daughter in tow now as evidenced by the girl clinging to Cecilia with one hand and a tan doll with curled hair and a white dress in the other.

“Lucy, your grandmother and I need to speak with these officers. Why don’t you take Little Rosie upstairs? With any luck this won’t take long,” Cecilia insisted. The girl slowly broke free and headed toward the green-carpeted steps on the opposite side of the room with the doll flailing behind her.

“’Little Rosie’?” asked Lilly.

“That was my sister’s final doll, and it looked so much like her that the name stuck,” Carlos replied.

“Final doll?” asked Lilly.

“The ‘ceremony of the final doll’ is another symbolic thing with the quinceañera. The girl is offered a doll and she declines it. It’s supposed to represent leaving your childhood behind,” Scotty added.

“Rosita gave the doll to Cecilia; she gave it to Lucy a few years ago. She won’t go anywhere without it now,” Maria informed. “I remember we kept most of the traditions, but Rosie wanted modern music. She and Roberto fought about it right up until their first dance.”

“Your husband made a statement to the police that he was the one to find Rosita’s body. He also mentioned hearing a panicked voice in the area. Did he ever say anything else beyond that to you?” asked Lilly.

Maria shook her head. “He never mentioned anything more to me. I lost him to pancreatic cancer in January of last year; his last wish was that I find out what happened to Rosie.”

“So you brought this to us because of him. I didn’t know,” insisted Lilly.

“Well, you are already 31 years late to the party. What’s one more?” Cecilia said bitterly.

“They’re here now, Cecilia. Let’s at least hear them out,” insisted Carlos.

“I’ll bet if it was that spoiled rich boy who was killed; they would have closed the case in a week!” yelled Cecilia.

“Spoiled rich boy?” asked Scotty.

“Their son, Jeffrey Aldren, he was Rosita’s male escort that night,” Cecilia explained.

“That is an interesting piece of the story. How did that come about?” asked Scotty.

“I worked for his family; they played together sometimes as children. Somewhere along the line we all became friends,” insisted Maria.

“Friends? They couldn’t even understand us most of the time! Don’t you remember when they offered to let us have Rosie’s ‘quincy-area’ at their home! You were their employee and nothing more!” Cecilia added.

“You’re still bitter because you couldn’t get a date for the party and you got stuck dancing with me!” Carlos told her.

“Pot/kettle, Carlos,” Cecilia replied. “Anyway, papa and Rosie could have agreed on every song they played at this thing; that first dance was going to be ruined regardless..”

[valrush]

Little River Band: “Lady”

 
“In the end, they decided that any slow song would work for their first dance, but that didn’t stop him from hassling her about it. I remember he said as they swayed to the music, ‘You know, technically this is supposed to be a waltz.’

“’Papa, don’t start. You promised mama that you would let this go,’ Rosita replied.

“’All I am saying is that when I pictured dancing with my daughter at her quinceañera I wasn’t exactly hearing the Little River Band,’ papa told her.

“’Then perhaps I should step in,’ insisted Jeffrey. I remember that the young Aldren boy was dressed in a brown suit with matching shoes. He was slightly taller than Rosie and he had dark hair. As is tradition, our father let go of Rosie and Jeffrey stepped in.

“They danced for a moment before Jeffrey spoke. ‘I feel like I have to ask. All the other ladies are wearing high heels. What’s with the slippers, Cinderella?’

“’It’s a Mexican thing. I don’t get my first pair of high heels until later tonight,’ Rosie explained.

“That was when this blonde in a blue dress and matching heels charged at them. ‘Another girl! You broke our date for this!’

“’Jocelyn, what are you doing here?’ Jeffrey asked.

“’Catching you in the act of cheating on me! You told me you had plans today; you didn’t say that you had another date!’ Jocelyn shouted.

“’This isn’t a date!’ Jeffrey responded.

“’It looks like one to me! Who is this little tramp anyway?’ Jocelyn screamed.

“’This is Rosita Trejo! Her mother has worked for our family for a long time, so we are having her birthday here! That’s it!’ insisted Jeffrey.

“’Seriously, chill out blondie! It was one dance!’ Rosie told her.

“’Oh, she speaks English. What a coincidence. We have a maid at my house too, so I actually know a little Spanish, like ‘imigración’,’ Jocelyn added. ‘He’s my guy. If I catch the two of you together again, … well, let’s put it this way: ‘mi-RE su espalda, trabajador.’ Then she stormed off.”

[valrush]

“But the joke was on her; our mother was a second generation American. We were all legal citizens. Three years later, I had my quinceañera at a Red Lobster. Even I didn’t feel like making a huge deal out of it after what happened to Rosie,” insisted Cecilia.

“’Watch your back, worker.’ Are you positive about that?” asked Scotty.

“How could I forget? The blonde b*tch couldn’t even insult her right; it’s ‘trabajador-a’ for a female,” insisted Cecilia.

“Who exactly was this girl that crashed the party?” Lilly asked.

“Jocelyn Reed, Jeffrey’s girlfriend at the time, and a real jealousy case,” Carlos informed.

Lilly and Scotty stood up. “Well, we appreciate your cooperation,” Lilly said.

“Do you really think you can find out what happened to her?” asked Cecilia.

“We don’t like to make promises, except to say that we will do whatever we possibly can,” insisted Lilly.

“In that case, I won’t hold my breath,” said Cecilia as they left.

[valrush]

Nick Vera and Kat Miller approached the desk of Andrew Darius the next morning. “Still no boss,” Miller said.

“I seem to be on my own a lot lately; maybe it’s time to petition the city to bring in someone new,” Andrew responded. “In any case I was able to do some digging on that name that Rush gave us, Jocelyn Reed. She got married in 1988; it’s Jocelyn Aldren now.”

“She got her man after all,” insisted Miller

“That’s not all. I found tax records for them too; it seems they underwent quite a change of address. They currently live in a one bedroom apartment on N Mascher St. in Kensington.”

“Chestnut Hill to Kensington, that’s a long way to fall,” insisted Vera.

“It sounds like there could be a story there. You will be okay here alone if we run this down?” asked Miller.

“Aren’t I always?” Darius replied as they left.

[valrush]

Jeffrey and Jocelyn’s apartment was far from enormous, but it wasn’t exactly small either. The walls were painted white and had a series of pictures hanging from nails. The floor was covered with light gray carpeting and a black leather sofa lined the southern wall. This was where Jeffrey and Jocelyn were seated. The pair was slightly heavier now as compared with some of the earlier pictures. Jocelyn wore her hair shorter now while Jeffrey appeared to be losing his. “This place isn’t exactly a mansion is it,” insisted Vera seated in a white leather chair to the left of the sofa.

“Maybe not, but it is big enough for us. It saw us through 23 years and two kids; the youngest of which is away at school right now,” Jeffrey explained.

“Even so it must have been quite the transition from living the life in Chestnut Hill to this. It makes me wonder if you were trying to run away from something,” insisted Miller.

“Do either of you remember Rosita Trejo?” Vera asked.

Jeffrey turned away. “I think she was the daughter of one of my family’s maids a long time ago.”

“Like maybe August 18, 1979 when she had a nasty fall from a balcony on your family’s property,” Miller added.

“Feel free to chime in any time, Jocelyn. We’ve heard from the family about how you crashed Rosie’s birthday that night and how you threatened her in front of everyone,” Vera informed.

Jocelyn shook her head. “That’s why you’re here. I do remember her, but I never put a hand on that girl.”

“Neither did I, detective. I don’t even know how Rosita made it on to that balcony that night. The party guests had access to everything on the first floor, but none of us were permitted upstairs alone. As my mother put it; that was where the beds were,” Jeffrey explained.

“We’re fairly certain Rosita wasn’t alone. If she had leaned against the balcony and it broke, it might have been an accident. But pictures from that night show the balcony as being undamaged. That tells us otherwise,” insisted Vera.

“That brings us back to you, Jocelyn. You clearly had motive when you saw the guy you loved dancing with another girl,” added Miller.

“I’ll admit that I was a spoiled, jealous, brat back then, but I wasn’t the only one who had a run in with her,” Jocelyn replied.

“Suddenly you remember,” Miller responded.

“It’s true. She had a confrontation with one of the pairings in her court, or whatever they called it, and they may have had some chemical help…”

[valrush]

Anita Ward: “Ring My Bell”

 
“I didn’t exactly leave right away. I hid in the crowd for awhile, and I stayed long enough to see Rosita unwrap her gifts. ‘A ‘SONY’ Walkman’?’ she asked.

“’It’s a personal cassette tape player, Rosita,’ Mr. Aldren explained.

“’And it comes with headphones, so now while your mother and I are listening to real music you can listen to this American disco slop that you love so much,’ her father explained.

“’Richard, I thought those were only available in Japan,’ said Mrs. Aldren.

“’Well Audrey, I know some people,’ insisted Mr. Aldren.

“Mrs. Aldren just smiled before spotting one of Rosita’s court ladies. ‘Cecilia, we could use an extra hand in the kitchen with some of these dishes.’

“Cecilia looked surprised by the request. ‘Okay,’ she said before leaving the room.

“’I have to find some batteries and try this,’ said Rosita.

“’I keep some in my office down here. Enter the hall through here, and it’s the third door on the left,’ Mr. Aldren explained.

“’Thank you, Mr. Aldren,’ she said as she exited through the heavy, oak door on the left side of the room. I had a clear view of Rosita stepping onto the deep red area rug that ran the length of the hall. But she must have miscounted because she didn’t enter an office; she entered one of the downstairs bathrooms. That was when she found another of her court pairings hovering over the black tile counter that surrounded the white sink and taking some very deep breaths. The medicine cabinet was opened, and a large, plastic bag filled with something white sat in front of them.

“It was the loudest whispering I had ever heard. ‘Marissa! Fredo! What is this?’Rosita asked.

“’It’s a cheesecake, what do you think it is?’ replied the boy.

“’Now, this is a party,’ the girl added.

“’Not for you it isn’t anymore! Flush that stuff and get out of here!’ she said before closing the door.”

[valrush]

“’Powder room’ took on a whole new meaning for me after that,” Jocelyn added.

“If what you are saying is true, I find it hard to believe that you didn’t see anybody sneak the stuff in with them,” Vera added.

“Well, I didn’t,” insisted Jeffrey. “But if I had to venture a guess as to who killed Rosita Trejo, my money would be on one of them.”

[valrush]

3

John Stillman and Andrew Darius approached the door to the Aldren mansion later that day. An older, Hispanic woman dressed in deep blue and a white apron answered the door as Andrew rang the bell. The pair flashed badges as Stillman spoke up, “Philadelphia Police. We’re looking for Mr. and Mrs. Aldren.”

The woman turned and went through a side door. She returned a few minutes later with an elderly couple. “They say they are police.”

“Thank you, Gloria,” said Audrey as the maid turned away.

“What exactly is going on here?” asked Richard.

“We have some questions regarding a girl who had a fall on your property back in 1979. Do you remember a young girl by the name of Rosita Trejo?” asked Darius.

Audrey threw up her hands. “I remember Maria Trejo; I’m guessing she asked you to look into this again.”

“What makes you think that?” asked Stillman.

“Her family hounded us and the local police for years after their daughter passed. They just could never accept the fact that sometimes accidents happen,” insisted Richard.

“Accidents happen a lot if they have help,” insisted Darius.

“The balcony from where Rosita had her fall was still in one piece afterwards. Do you honestly expect us to believe that someone ‘accidentally’ fell from the balcony without doing damage?” asked Stillman.

Richard shook his head. “I don’t know how to explain that.”

“What about the party guests that night? Did anyone look suspicious to you?” asked Stillman.

“They all looked suspicious to me; it was mostly Rosita’s friends and family,” Richard explained.

“Well, did anyone appear to be acting unusual?” asked Stillman.

“We have it on good authority from someone who was there that somebody smuggled an illegal substance onto your property that night,” Darius added.

Audrey spoke up. “If you are referring to the cocaine, we took care of that. When it was brought to our attention we called the police and they made an arrest.”

“So it would be in our records,” Stillman added.

“Who brought it to your attention?” asked Darius.

“Rosita, it was one of her friends after all,” Richard said quickly.

“I always felt badly for her actually. What was supposed to be her one perfect night was completely destroyed,” Audrey added.

“We’ll be sure to check into your story. Thank you for your time,” insisted Stillman as they left.

[valrush]

Nick Vera approached the desks of Lilly and Scotty the next day with a document in his hand. “This Stillman thing is getting weirder,” he began.

“Is that so?” asked Scotty.

“He was late again today. So I called him at home. There was no answer. So I called his cell phone, and a lady picked up,” Vera explained.

“That’s not that strange; he does have a daughter,” insisted Lilly.

“I’ve met her, and this didn’t sound like her. Trust me, this lady sounded a little too old to be her,” Vera added.

“Since when does the boss have a life?” asked Scotty. “Seriously, that’s his big mystery. Why hide it from us?”

“I don’t know, but meanwhile back at the ranch I checked into that rich couple’s story. These are the arrest reports for Marissa Benes and Fredo Chela filed on August 18, 1979 at the Aldren’s address for possession of a controlled substance,” Vera informed.

“What’s the time on the report?” asked Lilly.

“10:45 PM,” Vera said as he handed the report to Scotty.

“Right before Rosita fell. She knew about them and the cocaine. If they got into it with her while they were high, who knows what they could have done?” asked Lilly.

“It says this report was filed by a Gus Meyers,” Scotty intervened.

“You knew him?” asked Lilly.

“I heard a lot about him. He would have been long gone by the time I got there, but he was supposed to be some kind of legend in the narcotics division. He took on some heavy distributors back in his day. Word around my unit was that he was shot in the line of duty back in 1990,” Scotty explained.

“I don’t know about him, but Marissa is still kicking up dust in Juniata Park. I say she is still worth looking into,” insisted Vera.

[valrush]

Lilly and Scotty tracked Marissa Benes to a newsstand on the corner of E Eerie Ave. and L Street in Juniata Park. She appeared heavier than her photograph would suggest and her hair was going gray. “Marissa Benes,” Scotty called out.

“Who wants to know?” asked Marissa.

The pair flashed their badges as Lilly spoke up. “Detectives Rush and Valens, Philadelphia police. We had some questions about what you did on the night of August 18, 1979.”

“You’re not serious. Where the hell were you thirty years ago?” asked Marissa.

“Let me refresh your memory. That was the night of your friend Rosita Trejo’s quinceañera,” Scotty informed.

“It was also the night you and your date Fredo Chela got busted for cocaine possession, and, coincidentally, it was also the night that Rosita did a swan dive from the balcony of the house where her party was being held,” Lilly added.

“I haven’t touched coke or Fredo since that night. If you’re looking to drug test me, you’re a few years too late,” insisted Marissa.

“Maybe you haven’t been paying attention; Rosita was killed that night. We’re not here about thirty-year-old cocaine,” insisted Scotty.

“But that said, we’ve heard that Rosita wasn’t exactly happy with the two of you getting high at her party. We’re thinking you got into an argument with her, and cocaine tends to bring out rage in people,” Lilly added.

“Our records indicate that you were arrested around the time that Rosita fell,” Scotty explained.

“I didn’t kill Rosita, and those charges were dropped. ‘Can you even talk to me about this?” asked Marissa.

“We can if we have reason to believe it is connected to another crime,” insisted Scotty.

“Where there is coke, there’s usually a dealer. Maybe Rosita got into it with them. Who sold to you?” asked Lilly.

“Nobody, Fredo said he just found it in those rich peoples’ bathroom,” insisted Marissa.

“You expect us to believe you just stumbled onto a big bag of blow, but you didn’t kill Rosita,” said Scotty.

“It’s true, he showed me the bag, and, growing up in the neighborhood we did, we knew what it was,” Marissa explained.

“But you never used before,” Lilly added.

“Assuming I wanted to, cocaine wasn’t exactly in those days. But I will admit that curiosity got the better of me that night,” insisted Marissa.

“The night when Rosita was killed,” Scotty replied.

“I wasn’t even there when that happened, but I have a good idea of who was…”

[valrush]

Alicia Bridges: “I Love the Nightlife”


“Rosita’s father hijacked the DJ’s turn table and made an announcement over the music. ‘If I could have everyone’s attention, would Rosita please come to the center of the floor? It is time for the changing of the shoes and the presentation of the final doll!’

“Rosita stepped forward into the center of the room; her mother and father joined her. ‘Rosita, my darling daughter, it is my honor to present you with one last gift,’ said her father. He handed her this small doll in that looked a lot like her.

“Rosita examined the doll briefly before speaking. ‘I can see why you kept calling this doll ‘little Rosie’’ it really does look like me. But I cannot accept this gift; for this is a gift for a child, and I know that as of tonight I am not a child anymore. I’d tell you to give it to my sister, but I don’t see her anywhere.’

“That was when Rosita’s mother spoke up. ‘I can give that to her. But first, will you accept my gift?’ She presented Rosita with a pair of sparkling white high heels and placed them on the floor in front of her. Rosita slowly removed the slippers she was wearing and then stepped into the pair of heels.

“That was when we heard the doorbell ring suddenly, and… that rich lady… Mrs. Aldren answered. Two police officers stood on the other side. ‘Good evening’ she said surprised.

“The officers showed their badges. ‘I’m Officer Meyers, and this is Officer Platt.’ They were two white men as I remember, but Officer Meyers was slightly taller with a mustache. ‘We have a warrant to search this property. We received an anonymous tip that some illegal drug activity was going on here.’

“Mrs. Aldren froze. ‘Drug activity?’

“Officer Meyers stepped toward Fredo and me. ‘A male/female pair matching your description was seen ingesting cocaine earlier this evening.’

“Fredo shook his head. ‘We don’t know anything about that stuff.’

“The officers examined Fredo’s suit more closely. ‘I’ll bet you don’t; that’s why you have all this white powder on your collar. You’re under arrest! You have the right to remain silent—‘

“’It was you, wasn’t it? You’re the rat who set us up!’ yelled Fredo as he pointed to Rosita.

“’I swear I didn’t!’ Rosita yelled before turning and heading up the steps.

“’Rosie, wait!’ said a young boy as he followed her.”

[valrush]

“Here’s the weird par though. The amount of coke we found usually gets someone hard time, but the next morning they only charged Fredo with a misdemeanor and the charges against me were dropped altogether,” Marissa added. “In any case, Rosita was alive the last time I saw her.”

“You said that someone followed her upstairs. Who was it?” asked Lilly.

“Some white boy. I don’t know his name, but I recognized him from when I saw them dancing together earlier that night,” insisted Marissa.

“We’ll be in touch,” said Scotty as they turned back to their car.

“So, what is your take on this disappearing cocaine?” asked Lilly as she entered the driver’s side.

“I’m guessing it got seized as evidence, but why not charge them with felony possession if that was the case? Something doesn’t add up there,” Scotty responded. “You know First Thursdays is this week.”

“I guess it is,” Lilly added.

“Well, are we doing Positano Coast again, or are we doing First Thursdays?” asked Scotty.

“I hadn’t decided; I guess I was waiting to hear from you. What do you think?” asked Lilly.

Scotty thought for a moment. “I think we should hear what Jeffrey Aldren has to say about being upstairs with Rosita.”

[valrush]

John Stillman and Andrew Darius were driving through Kensington when Andrew spoke up. “Have you ever heard of ‘Big Fat Gypsy Weddings’? It’s this documentary series in England, and I guess they’re trying to duplicate it here in America.”

“I can’t say that I have,” Stillman replied.

“It’s all about these traveling Irish and Romani girls and how they get married at fourteen,” Andrew explained.

Stillman shook his head. “Far be it from me to question another culture, but my daughter was married in her 20s and I still don’t think she was ready.”

“Well, Scotty talking about the significance of the quinceañera just got me thinking about how arbitrary the age of adulthood is from one group to the next. If you’re Jewish, it’s twelve. Apparently if you’re one of these Gypsies, it’s fourteen. If your Spanish, it’s fifteen, and here in America it’s sixteen,” Andrew explained.

“A girl born into the right family could break the bank,” insisted Stillman.

“I know, right,” Andrew replied. “So what is this ‘First Thursdays’ I keep hearing about?”

“A bunch of homicide cops get together at this bar on the first Thursday of the month and trade horror stories,” Stillman informed.

“Even freezer cops like us? This past week is the first time I’d even heard of it,” Andrew responded.

“Maybe they figured you were too new to the group to have anything to add, but I don’t see why you couldn’t join us. The school is coming up,” said John.

Andrew parked their black car in front of Russell Conwell Middle Magnet School and entered the building. They walked up a flight of stairs to the second floor and turned left as a bell rang. A barrage of students excited by the end of the school day flooded the hall. But they could still overhear one teacher call his students back. “Remember to review the vocabulary list relating to family relationship terms for tomorrow’s class; it will be on Friday’s quiz.”

The room emptied and the two detectives stepped inside and closed the door. They flashed their badges as Stillman spoke up. “Detectives Stillman and Darius, good afternoon Mr. Aldren.”

“’Sr. Aldren’ to my students,” Jeffrey explained.

Andrew glanced down at the Spanish-English dictionary on Jeffrey’s heavy, green, metal desk. “Middle school Spanish teacher. Let me get this straight. You chose $40,000 a year and probably getting cursed at all day in a foreign language over a trust fund and a mansion in Chestnut Hill.”

“I was never cut out for Chestnut Hill or taking over my family’s business, and let my students try to curse at me in Spanish. I ended up putting myself through school as a Spanish major; I even spent a semester in Spain during my junior year,” Jeffrey informed.

“It sounds like you really took an interest in Spanish culture, but is it a fascination for you or is it guilt over what you did to Rosita Trejo?” asked Stillman.

Jeffrey dropped the eraser he was holding. “What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything to Rosie,”

“You followed her up the stairs that night. We have a witness who saw you go up with her shortly after the cops came to your house,” Stillman informed.

“This is all stuff you conveniently left out with the other detectives. So you can either talk to us here or at the station. It all depends on how much power you want to give over to idle gossip,” said Andrew. He then motioned to a few straggling, rubber-necking students across the hall peering through the window of the closed door.

Jeffrey dropped into the red, cloth swivel chair behind his desk. “Rosie’s friends had just been arrested, so I went up to check on her…”

[valrush]

Bob Welch: “Ebony Eyes”


“I turned into the upstairs hall and found Rosie seated on the edge of the deep green covers of my brass bed. I didn’t see her take her new Walkman up with her, but she must have because she had headphones on. ‘Our families will ream both of us if they catch us up here,’ I said.

“Rosita pulled off the headphones and turned to me. ‘Who cares? This night has ended up being a disaster. I just wanted five minutes alone to think, but I can’t even figure out a way to help my friends. Some grownup I am,’

“I joined Rosita on the edge of the bed. ‘First of all, Rosie, I don’t think you ratted your friends out to the cops. Secondly, ‘grownup’? We’re fifteen.’

“’Well, that’s supposed to be the girl/woman dividing line in my culture, but I don’t feel any different. I thought tonight would change me somehow, but I just feel more confused. The only thing I’m sure of is that I hate high heels,” Rosita explained.

“’I guess I understand your frustration, but I would kill for a little uncertainty. I feel like my life was planned at birth; Yale Business School and then straight to the boardroom at Aldren Business Insurance,’ I told her.

“’That’s not what you want?’ Rosie asked.

“’I don’t know; I just feel like it’s already been decided for me sometimes,’ I replied.

“’You’re not in the boardroom yet. You can choose your own path. I did when I chose you to be my escort tonight; I’m sure that surprised a few people,’ Rosie said.

“I shook my head. ‘Namely me, until talking with you just now, I had no idea just how serious a ‘quincyneara’ actually was.’

“’It’s ‘KEEN-say’ … fifteen,’ Rosita explained. She must have noticed that I was still confused because she leaned over the bed and took a notepad and pen off of my mahogany nightstand. She tore off a page and started writing. ‘In Spanish the letter i is pronounced more like your ‘E’, the letter e is pronounced more like your ‘A’, and the ‘q-u’ is a hard sound like your ‘K’. KEEN-say.’

“’KEN-say,’ I replied.

“’KEEN-say.’

“’KEEN-say.’ Our eyes locked on each other. We leaned in toward each other, and that was when we kissed.

“But the moment didn’t last long because I suddenly felt a series of sharp blows on the side of my head. It was Cecilia waving that doll over her head like a war club. ‘Get out! I’d like a word with my sister, please!’.”

[valrush]

“Looking back, I guess that was my first Spanish lesson,” Jeffrey added.

“That would explain the note they found,” insisted Stillman.

“Why not just tell us this from the start?” asked Darius.

“There was no way that I was admitting to kissing Rosie in front of Jocelyn. She always had a jealous streak when it came to her. Do me a favor; please don’t tell her,” Jeffrey begged.

Stillman shook his head. “I can’t make promises, Mr. Aldren, but based on what you just told me I don’t think she’s the one who needs to worry.”

[valrush]

4
Lilly and Scotty hovered over Cecilia in one of the interview rooms. “I saw your daughter out there with that doll. I’d hate to be the one who has to wrestle it away from her,” Lilly said.

“What does the doll have to do with anything?” asked Cecilia.

“We have a witness who says that doll could be evidence,” Scotty added.

“Evidence!” Cecilia replied.

“Our witness has a pretty good memory of being assaulted with it,” Lilly explained.

“How could that doll possibly do damage to anyone? It couldn’t weigh more than three pounds! That little rich boy is a liar,” insisted Cecilia.

Scotty leaned back against the wall. “Neither does a bullet, and if you weren’t there, how do you know who our witness is?”

“You never told us about how you chased Rosita up the stairs and flipped out when you caught her making out with Jeffrey Aldren,” Lilly added.

“You’re damn right I lost it! It would have caused a riot if those two were seen together; I was trying to protect her!” Cecilia shouted.

“Only Rosie didn’t want protection from her little sister, so you two had a fight and things went too far,” Lilly added.

“What is it like being in the same room with your mother knowing that you are the reason why she has been blowing in the wind for thirty years? How do you think she will react when it comes out that the doll that was passed down to you, the ‘Little Rosie’ that you let your daughter play with, was used to kill big Rosie?” asked Scotty.

Cecilia put her head down on the desk. “This is exactly why I don’t trust cops. You twist the facts to suit your own needs.”

“Well, what are we supposed to do when we find out someone hasn’t told us the whole story? It makes us think you’re hiding something!” insisted Scotty.

“But you have one thing going for you, Cecilia. You were twelve when all of this happened; a judge will take that into consideration. You might not even do any jail time, but you have to cooperate with us now,” Lilly explained.

“I shouldn’t do any time because I didn’t kill Rosie!” insisted Cecilia.

“Then why not come clean with us about everything from the start?” asked Lilly.

Cecilia let out a deep breath. “She called me jealous, and, looking back, maybe I was. I missed everything. I missed the ceremony of the doll, I missed Rosie getting her high heels, I didn’t even find out about Rosie’s friends getting locked up until well after it happened, and all because I was too busy being treated like Mrs. Aldren’s employee. I thought Rosie should know how that family really saw us. There is some truth to what you said. We had a fight, but we were downstairs when it happened…”