"I have to find my friend Howie," I said. "It's his wife who was attacked. He doesn't know yet." I saw him as I spoke. Jumping out of the car, I hurried over to him as came across the sidewalk.
"I tried to call your cell," he said. "It was busy." I'm sure Howie must have known by the look on my face my news wouldn't be favorable. "It's Julie, isn't it?" I nodded. "Is she . . . ?"
I hung my arm over his shoulder. "They're working on her. It's a top notch hospital." That was all the solace I could muster.
"They say he stabbed her, in the throat." He was crying unabashedly.
Detective came up to us, his phone in hand. "I'm sorry for your problems," he said to Howie as he patted his arm. "They've taken Miss O'Malley into surgery so it's waiting time. My guys have something on the video cameras. If you'd spare a moment and look at it, I'll have you driven back to the hospital after you're finished."
"Howie can identify him!" The words were out of my mouth without thinking. The detective gave me a look but said nothing as he led me down a long corridor to a darkened back room. Half dozen people were huddled around several monitors.
One of them turned to Dick. "A clerk in the shoe department saw a guy and his wife carrying a child. When she tried to intervene the couple said the girl had just fainted. It wasn't the first time and they had the situation in hand."
"Bold bastard," the detective muttered.
"There they are!" a woman called, pointing at the screen in front of her.
I peered over her shoulder and saw my wife. The shock nearly put me to the floor. I must have cried out as everyone crowded around the single viewing unit.
"That's Grasso!" Howie shouted. "I'm positive!"
A stocky man with a baseball cap visor obscuring most of his face carried Molly in his arms. Her eyes were closed and she was obviously unconscious, flopping like a rag doll. My wife walked stiffly beside the abductor. The trio was out of camera range a few steps later.
"See if you can pick them up on number six," a young man called.
"I've got them!" a woman answered excitedly and we moved in a wave to a different monitor. The small group moved more hurriedly now and the man said something to Betsy and shoved her forward toward an emergency exit."
"Won't the alarm sound when the bastard opens that door?" Dick asked.
A person behind me answered nervously. "Once in a while we shut the alarm down during the day 'cause some of the help use that exit to the back parking lot." His answer made 'once in a while' sound more like always.