Deep Thaw

I held Carlotta in my arms and stroked her pretty hair as our air began to get thinner and it began to get colder....I thought of our murder victim,Carla Brown...At least she was already dead by the time this murderous -sadistic lunatic,Haywood Coley Jr. had put her body in this truck...We were going to die a slow death by torture...either suffocating to death or freezing to death....The thought that I might lose to him and like this...angered me...I didn't have the strength to bang on the walls or cry out....Nobody would hear me anyway...and I would use up what precious air we had left...

So resigned to my fate...I held on tight to Carlotta ,who surprisingly was still conscious and thought of something pleasent...like the day I asked her to marry me...

MAY 2013 - San Juan, Puerto Rico

"Uh Carlotta, come outside with me a minute." I said.
"Huh?" she asked...
"Please, it's important..." I said.
"Ohhhhhhhhh,okayy." she said jokingly....She looked at Carm...Carm shrugged her shoulders!

I took her by the hand and led her outside...

"What you got?" she asked...

I pulled out the box and gave it to her...

"Open it!" I said.
 

Carlotta's eyes got huge....


"Oh My God, Keith ,Did you and Ernesto steal this?" she asked..

"Well, I didn't steal it." I said..

She looked at me funny and gave me a side eye...

''Well, Carlotta Anna Maria Rodriguez, What do you say? Will you marry me?"I asked.

She put both of her hands over her mouth.....Then she let out a scream that scared the hell out of me...

"YESSSS...YESSS...YESSSSSSSSSSSS...YESSSSSSSSSSS!!.."she yelled and kissed me like it was going out of style! Carm was looking out the door...She had a broad smile on her face....

Such a happy moment.....Then...I thought I heard something from a distance...

''Carlotta...wake up baby...you hear that?" I asked her..

''Huh? Hear what?" she said.

"Sirens!" I said.

She listened intently...

The sound got louder.....

"Yes...it's a lot of them and they are louder...It worked...the signal from your phone must have led them to us..."We are almost there papi....Top of the world baby!" she said smiling..

II-

She had said something to that effect on our wedding day...Another pleasent memory I had of her....

JUNE 2013

"The rings please... Do you Carlotta Anna Maria Rodriguez take this man, Keith Porterhouse Wallace to be your lawfully wedded husband in sickness and in health, for rich or for poor, for better or for worse ,forsaking all others until death do you part?"
I heard a snicker in the crowd...
"Porterhouse?? His middle name is Porterhouse??" said someone.. That Someone who turned out to be my Uncle Wayford...
"Will you shut up Wayford?...They're saying their vows."said my Father...I was so embarrassed... Carlotta smiled and held my hand tightly and whispered... "It's okay baby...we are almost there...top of the world!"
"Top of the world.." I said and smiled..
Carlotta looked at me and squeezed my hand tighter....
At that moment I was filled with so much love for her it wasn't funny...
Carlotta smiled, then said "I do."
 

Game, set,match...she was mine!


III-

"They're in here Lou...This is where the signal is the strongest" came the unmistakable voice of Detective Edwin "Duke" Baylor...

''Hey you guys...Get those bolt cutters" came the voice of Lt.Sissy Van Buren....

We heard bolt cutters and then the beautiful sound of the huge door being rolled up...Seven policemen and seven FBI agents rushed in...

''They're here" said one....

''Are they? Are they?"came the voice of Sissy..

"They're both ALIVE!" said one of the FBI agents as they lifted Carlotta and me up and walked us out of the refrigeration truck....

"OHHH THANK GOD!!" said a relieved Sissy....

There we saw Duke,Sissy, Tyriq, Hazel,Sirena, Jimmy,Angie,Hop and Sharon...They all were clapping and cheering and all had tears in their eyes...All of them grabbed Carlotta and Me and hugged us...

"Aww man, we are so glad you are alive. " said Jimmy...

I patted him on the back....

"So am I Jimmy." I said which was met with gales of laughter....

''We found Carlotta's car and we recovered her smartphone." said Hop.

"The signal from your phone led us right to you."said Tyriq...

"I remembered what you told me that time about the phones." said Hazel. I smiled at her...

To our surprise...Lt. Cantrell and two police officers walked up with two gentlemen in handcuffs...

"So glad you two kids are alive...When you feel better, you might want to talk to these two cool cats.... Marty Duckery and Travis Tremble...These are the goons that subdued you and transported you to this truck." he said.

"Hey man, I had no idea that it was ADA Wallace and a detective." said Tremble.

''Shut up." said Lt. Cantrell.

"How did you know about them sir.?" said Carlotta...

"In addition to the signal from your phone leading us to you...We got a mysterious text message which told us exactly where we could find you and all about these two cool cats and their role and where we could find them. Coley Jr. has trouble he doesn't know about in his shop. " said Lt. Cantrell...

We had actually only been missing for three hours...but it felt like three days...

''Don't worry about them..Let's get you guys some warm soup and some hot chocolate." said Sissy.

"Naturally, Haywood Coley Jr. got away?" I asked...

"For the time being...but we have this city bottled up and his face is everywhere....He can't go far...And now we can add kidnapping and attempted murder to his charges...We are going to bury him...We got his confession to the Carla Brown murder on tape, straight from your phone..We got him Keith,Carlotta...it's just a matter of time.Both the Philly coppers and the FBI have a bolo out on him and Natalie Tucker." said Sharon.

Carlotta put her arms around Sissy and Sirena and looked at me...

''No more shop talk....Let's go and get that soup and hot coffee." she said.

"I'm with that! Top.." Laughed Tyriq hugging Carlotta.....

''Works for me too Top" said Duke, who also hugged her and kissed her forehead.

"Yeah..me too." I said smiling..

(CONCLUSION NEXT)