Free Rogue Island by Bruce DeSilva Page B

Everything about him, from his spritzed silver pompadour to his crisp LouisBoston suit, was camera ready. Police Chief Angelo Ricci, stiff under the best of circumstances, stood beside him in full-dress uniform complete with medals, visored hat tucked under his left arm.
    They exchanged a few words and turned to face the cameras. The chief had a Louisville Slugger over his right shoulder. I started to get a bad feeling.
    â€œWe ready?” Carozza asked. He paused as TV lights switched on. “All right, let’s get started. We’re going to begin with an announcement from Chief Ricci.”
    â€œAt 11:57 last night,” the chief began, “two Providence police officers on patrol in Mount Hope observed two male subjects armed with baseball bats committing an assault upon another male subject at the southeast corner of Knowles and Cypress streets. The officers exited their vehicle, drew their weapons, and apprehended the suspects, who did not offer resistance. The suspects were then transported to police headquarters for questioning. There, detectives advised them of their rights, which they agreed to waive.
    â€œThe suspects identified themselves as Eddie Jackson, twenty-nine, of 46 Ivy Street, and Martin Tillinghast, thirty-seven, of 89 Forest Street. Both have criminal records, Mr. Jackson for assault and battery on his wife, and Mr. Tillinghast for truck hijacking and assault with a deadly weapon. They further identified themselves as members of a recently organized Mount Hope vigilante group calling itself the DiMaggios. The suspects stated that they were proceeding west on Cypress when they observed the victim walking toward them carrying an object. They subsequently determined that this object was a metal two-gallon gasoline can. The patrol officers did, in fact, recover such a can at the scene. They also recovered two baseball bats, including this one,” he said, holding it up for the cameras.
    I was pretty sure now that I knew where this was going. I pulled a roll of Tums out of my pocket, peeled off a couple, and chewed.
    â€œThe victim was identified as Giovanni M. Pannone, fifty-one, of 144 Ivy Street,” the chief said. “He was taken by ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was admitted with a compound fracture of the right wrist, a concussion, and multiple contusions of the head, arms, and shoulders. At the hospital, Mr. Pannone told detectives that he had purchased gasoline for his snowblower at the Gulf station on North Main and was returning home on foot when he was accosted by the suspects.
    â€œIn their statements,” the chief went on, “the suspects expressed the belief that they had apprehended the individual responsible for the recent series of arsons in the Mount Hope neighborhood. Subsequent investigation by Providence police detectives determined that Mr. Pannone is employed as a guard on the overnight shift at the Adult Correctional Institution in Cranston and can account for his whereabouts when each of the fires was set. For most of them, he was at work. Mr. Jackson and Mr. Tillinghast have each been charged with one count of assault and battery and are being held pending arraignment. An investigation is ongoing to determine whether conspiracy charges can be brought against the organizer and other members of the so-called DiMaggios. That’s all I have.”
    The chief bowed slightly and took a step backward. The blow-dry boys started shouting questions, but Carozza quieted them by holding up both hands and going “Shhhhhhh” into the microphones.
    â€œI have something to add,” he said. “You didn’t think I’d be able to keep quiet in a room full of TV cameras, did you?” He paused for the laugh, frowned when it didn’t come, and moved on.
    â€œWhat occurred last night is disturbing, very disturbing. I can’t have people prowling my city with baseball bats, taking the law into their own hands. Patrolling