Stolen Away

Specifically, he showed me the signature: blue and red interlocking circles with three holes.

10

The letter Breckinridge received included a brief note telling the attorney to “handle inclosed letter to Col. Lindbergh.” The letter itself said the following:

Dear Sir: Did you recieve ouer letter from March 4. We sent the mail in one off the letter pox near Burro Hall-Brooklyn. We know Police interfere with your privatmail; how can we come to any arrangements this way. In the future we will send ouer letters to Mr. Breckenbridge at 23 Broadway. We belive Polise captured our letter and dit note forwarded to you. We will note accept any go-between from your seid. We will arrange this latter. There is no worry about the Boy. He is very well and will be feed according to the diet. Best dank for Information about it. We are interested to send your Boy back in gud Health.

Below this, again labeled “singnature,” were the distinctive blue and red circles with a trio of small holes. On the reverse the letter continued:

Is it nessisery to make a world’s affair out off

it, or to get your Boy back as soon as possible.

Why did you ingnore ouer letter which we

left in the room? The baby would be back

long ago. You would note get any result

from Police, becauce this Kidnaping was

planed for a year allredy. But we was afraid,

the boy would not be strong enough.

Ouer ransom was made out for 50.000 $

but now we have to put another lady to it and

propperly have to hold the baby longer as we

expectet so it will be 70.000 $.

20000 in 50 $ bills 25000 in 24 $ bills 15000

in 10 $ bills 10000 in 5 $ bill. We warn you again

not to mark any bills or take them from one serial

No. We will inform you latter how to deliver

the mony, but not befor

the Police is out of this cace and the

pappers are quiet.

Please get a short notice aboud this letter in the

New-York American.

Frank J. Wilson squinted behind his round black-framed glasses as he read the note, and read it again.

We were in Lindbergh’s study, Lindy, Breckinridge, Schwarzkopf, Wilson and myself. Lindbergh had rejected my suggestions to make the New York cops and J. Edgar’s boys aware of this new communique; but he did agree to call in Treasury Agent Wilson.

“I think the letter is encouraging,” Lindbergh said to Wilson, “don’t you?”

“Encouraging?” Wilson asked. He was seated across from Lindbergh. I was seated next to Wilson; Breckinridge and Schwarzkopf were standing on either side of Lindy like mismatched bookends.

“My son is in good health,” Lindbergh said brightly, “and they want to keep him that way. They’re following the diet…”

“You take these people at their word?”

“I have no reason not to,” Lindbergh said. “I’m reluctant to have you involved in this at all, Agent Wilson. They make clear that if I hadn’t called the police in, at the start, I might well have Charlie back in his mother’s arms, this very minute.”

Wilson didn’t bother discussing that. He knew there was no point.

“They apparently think the police intercepted the previous letter,” Schwarzkopf pointed out, needlessly.

Breckinridge nodded. “Maybe we’ve clamped down the lid on the press too tight. If we’d let it be known the second note had been received…”

“You’re trying to second-guess lunatics,” I said. “They warn you not to let anything out to the press, then wonder why you haven’t let ’em know you got their second letter!”

Wilson was still looking at the note. “As before, the easy words are misspelled, and the more difficult words are frequently correctly spelled.”

“It’s obviously a genuine communication from the kidnappers,” Lindbergh said.

“The unique signature symbol is present,” Wilson agreed. “It makes reference to the letter left in the nursery, as well.”

Breckinridge came around the desk and pointed to a specific line as Wilson studied the letter.

“That sentence bothers me,” Breckinridge said. “‘We will not accept any go-between from your side.’”

“It’s straightforward enough,” I offered. “It’s a rejection of Rosner and his cronies Spitale and Bitz.”

“Perhaps we should publish a message in the press,” the attorney said, “stating that we’re open to following any other methods that the kidnappers might suggest. Anything that will ensure a safe return of the boy.”

“That sounds reasonable,” Lindbergh said.

Wilson seemed to be ignoring all this. He gently returned the letter to the desktop, and removed a small notebook and stubby pencil from his suit coat pocket.

He said, “This psychic who predicted that Colonel Breckinridge would receive a letter today…her name is Sivella?”

“Sister Sarah Sivella,” I said. “Her husband’s name is Martin Marinelli.”

He wrote that down; from my notebook, I gave him the address of the church in Harlem, and he wrote that down, too.

“They knew about the note on the windowsill, as well,” Wilson said.

“Yes,” I said.

“On the other hand,” Wilson continued, “they’ve been hanging out with reporters for days. They may have gathered some information that way.”

“None of the reporters, to our knowledge,” Lindbergh said, “knew that windowsill detail.”

“There’s one other thing,” I said. “One damning little item.”

All eyes were on me.

“Sarah Sivella consistently referred to Colonel Breckinridge as ‘Mr. Breckinbridge,’ at the seance last night. And that is exactly how he is referred to in that letter.”

It was like I’d struck everybody in the room with a board.

Wilson broke the stunned silence: “What else did she say?”

“Some of it was gibberish,” I said, shrugging. We hadn’t mentioned to Lindbergh the prediction that the baby’s body would be found.

Then suddenly, Lindbergh stood. “Thank you for coming by, Agent Wilson.”

Wilson, disconcerted by this quick dismissal, stood and said, “Thank you for sharing this new information with me, Colonel.”

“I want you to stay away from those spiritualists,” Lindbergh told him. It sounded like an order.

“Pardon me?” Wilson asked, hollowly.

“Those spiritualists. If they’re legitimate, and they may well be-extrasensory perception is very real, you know, Agent Wilson-I don’t want them harassed. If they in fact are a part of the kidnap gang, I don’t want my son’s welfare put at risk by police action. These notes make it clear that I’m to keep the police out of this, if I hope to get my boy back alive and well. And Agent Wilson-I intend to do just that.”

Lindbergh nodded curtly, and Wilson knew the meeting was over.

I walked him out to his car. Breckinridge and Schwarzkopf stayed behind with Lindy-which was fine with me. I wanted Wilson’s ear privately.