Chapter 9

Temporary Insanity

As Amanda was leaving the kitchen-lounge area, Rose Anne and Detective Brennan walked in.

A round, hammered-glass-top table in a wrought-iron frame was in the middle of the room, with four wrought-iron chairs spaced around it. A fridge, micro-wave oven and sink were squeezed into the tiny space.

Brennan opened a few cabinet doors and drawers and discovered snacks, condiments, silverware, cups glasses and plates, Kleenex, a deck of cards, a chess set and miscellaneous odds and ends.

Rose Anne said nothing until she finished her coffee. “I can't put this off any longer. Let's go back to the interview room so we can record what I'm about to tell you.”

< < ^ > >

Brennan pressed 'record' and said, “2:46 pm, Friday, August fourth, 2015. The following is a statement by Rose Anne Zito, freely given of her own accord.” He pointed to her and mouthed the word, “Go.”

“I'm guilty of seeing Herman behind Trudy's back.”

Brennan whispered, “Say who he is.”

“I'm referring to Herman Sterling, the manager of the bank. We started dating about ten months ago. About seven months ago he hired Trudy. It was then that he changed. He hardly spoke to me at the bank. If we were on a date, everything was fine. It was only around the bank that he pretty much ignored me.

“That bothered me. I demanded an explanation. He said he and Trudy were married, but no one else can know because Corporate has a policy of no relatives in the same branch of the bank.

“I could have told on them, but decided not to because Trudy seemed like a nice person.” Rose Anne started to tear up. “I didn't care what happened to Him. I avoided him as much as possible. A couple days later, he admitted they were married way before we started dating. That made me feel even worse.” Rose Anne looked for something to dab her tears. Brennan gave her his handkerchief.

“I told him we were through.”

“A couple days later he told me they were going to get divorced. I told him we were still through until I saw the papers. A day or two later he showed me a sheet of paper, saying they were divorced. It must have been fake, because there were spelling errors on it. What an idiot!

“On second thought, I was the idiot.” She laughed and cried at the same time.

“He sent me a singing telegram, of all things, about wanting one more date. He couldn't even face me. I went to his office and told him the only date I wanted was the date of his divorce. A few days later, he told me they'll be separated in a week. That happened last Friday.

“Now that I think about it, he was forecasting the date of the robbery, but I didn't know it at the time.

“A little while after the robbery, he came to see me in my office. That made me think Trudy must have been killed making him a free man. I welcomed him in. As tragic as that day was for Trudy, I was happy for the first time in months. Then the ambulance came and I heard talk about him taking a long time to call for it. Everything finally dawned on me.”

< < ^ > >

Rose Anne opened the floodgates and cried uncontrollably. In between sobs, She managed to say, “I'm going to need more tissues.”

Brennan said, “I'll get you some,” and bolted out the door, toward the kitchen. When he got back to the room, the desk was askew and Rose was gone.

As Brennan ran from the room he heard glass breaking. He glanced at Sterling's office and saw Rose Anne, inside Sterling's office, holding a shard of glass, like a knife in the handkerchief he had given her. She was going toward Sterling, behind his desk.

Sterling was moving away from her and holding his hand up to defend himself. The glass pierced his hand and blood shot out like a squirt from a toy water-gun.

From behind, Brennan grabbed Rose Anne by the waist and twisted her away from Sterling. Sterling headed for the shattered window. He tripped over the brick Rose had used to break the glass, causing him to fall through the jagged opening and on to the floor of the lobby.

Ms. Berkowitz and Brennan got the weapon of glass away from the hysterical woman without any more harm being done.

< < ^ > >

The detectives, Doherty and Brennan, saw to it that Rose Anne was being well cared for by Jamal and a secretary named Ruth. They had calmed down Rose immensely and finally got her to stop screaming, “Let me call the ambulance, please, let me call the ambulance,”over and over.

Two of the bank employees, Joan Berkowitz and the six foot four inch Eric MacNamarra, seamed like a good pair to prevent the heartless bank manager, Herman Sterling, from getting away.

Sterling didn't appear interested in going anywhere with a profusely bleeding hand and four strong arms holding his limbs. Jamal got an extension cord and tied Sterling's ankles together, to add his own personal touch to the tableau.