Stolen Away

“Certainly,” Lindbergh said. He pulled open a desk drawer. The note, which ought to have been in an evidence envelope in Trenton, was handed to Irey. I moved in and looked over his shoulder as he read.

In pencil, in an uneven, shaky, possibly disguised hand, on cheap dimestore bond paper, the letter said the following:

Dear Sir!

Have 50.000 $ redy 25 000 $ in

20 $ bills 1.5000 $ in 10 $ bills and

10000 $ in 5 $ bills. After 2-4 days

we will inform you were to deliver

the Mony.

We warn you for making

anyding public or for notify the Police

the chld is in gut care.

Indication for all letters are

singnature

and 3 holds.

The “singnature” was the faint impression of two blue quarter-size circles, their left edges the most distinct, creating the impression of two c’s, with a red nickel-size spot to the right of the second c; also three holes (“holds”) had been punched, one through the red spot, two others at left and right.

Schwarzkopf said, “Obviously, we haven’t released the content of the note to the press. Only by that signature can we know for sure that subsequent notes really are from the kidnappers.”

Then why was the fucking thing stuck in Lindbergh’s desk? Every servant in the house had access to it!

“I would suggest that you put this document under lock and key, immediately,” Irey said. He was speaking to Schwarzkopf, not Lindbergh, although he was in the process of returning the note to the latter. “Who have you shared this with?”

“No one,” Schwarzkopf said. “The New York Police have requested copies, but we’ve declined. So has J. Edgar Hoover. I feel this is a matter for the New Jersey State Police, and distributing this document frivolously, even to other law enforcement agencies, might have unfortunate results.”

That sounded halfway reasonable, but it boiled down to Schwarzkopf not wanting to share the spotlight, didn’t it?

“Of course, we have given a copy of it to Mr. Rosner,” Lindbergh said.

Irey and Wilson looked at each other. I rubbed my eyes.

“What?” Irey said.

Lindbergh shrugged. “Mr. Rosner wanted to show it to certain individuals in the underworld—Owney Madden, among others—who might be able to identify the handwriting or that strange ‘singnature.’”

Madden was an underworld figure who was to New York, roughly, what Capone was to Chicago.

“Let me get this straight,” Wilson said tightly. “The New York Police can’t have a copy, J. Edgar Hoover can’t have a copy, and we can’t have a copy. But Mickey Rosner can.”

Irey, obviously disturbed by this news, and rightly so, said, “I’m afraid the legitimacy of any future notes is endangered. You’ve opened yourselves up to interlopers.”

“Gentlemen,” Breckinridge said, “a mutual friend of ours, Bob Thayer, a partner in Colonel William Donovan’s office, accompanied Mr. Rosner to see Madden and several others of that ilk. Rosner never left Thayer’s sight, nor did his copy of the note.”

“I believe we’ll have no difficulty,” Lindbergh said, defensiveness creeping into his tone, “telling communiqués from the real kidnappers apart from those of any pretenders seeking extortion money.” He reached into the still-open desk drawer. “In fact, though it’s not publicly known…we have received a second letter.”

The usually unflappable Irey sat up; Wilson was already sitting forward.

Lindbergh handed Irey another white bond sheet, written on both sides in ink. Again, I read over Irey’s shoulder:

Dear Sir. We have warned you note to make

anyding Public also notify the Polise

now you have to take consequences, ths

means we will have to hold the baby untill everyding

is quiet. We can note make any appointment

just now. We know very well what it

means to us. Is it rely necessary to

make a world affair out off this, or to

get your baby back as sun as possible.

To settle those affair in a quick way

will be better for both seits. Dont be

afraid about the baby two ladys

keeping care of it day and night.

We also will feed him

according to the diet.

Below this were the words “Singtuere on all letters” and an arrow pointing to a symbol similar to the one on the first note, but in this case the blue circles were distinct. The central, smaller circle was again blood-red; and three holes had again been punched.

Irey turned the letter over and on the other side it said:

We are interested to send him back in

gut health. Ouer ransom was made aus

for 50000 $ but now we have to take

another person to it and probable have

to keep the baby for a longer time as we

expected. So the amount will be 70,000—

20.000 in 50 $ bills 25.000 $ in 20 $ bills

15000 $ in 10 $ bills and 10.000 in 5$ bills

don’t mark any bills or take them

from one serial noumer. We will

inform you latter were to deliver the

mony. but we will note do so

until the Police is out of ths case

and the pappers are quiet.

The Kidnaping we preparet

for years, so we are preparet

for everyding.

“When did you receive this?” Irey asked.

“Yesterday,” Lindbergh said.