The Park

New York City, was at times a beautiful city. Other times it was not. It’s brightness from the glowing buildings and street lights permeated the dimness of the alleys causing eerie shadows to fall on its mysteries.

The park this evening had the same hidden vestibules and mysteries. By day, it was teeming with hundreds of people walking along its lush foliage walkways. At times an occasional jogger was seen and then disappearing as the walkways suddenly changed direction. It was a lovely place to be, to relax, to sit on its park benches, to have your lunch there, and just enjoy watching the different faces walk by. It was a safe retreat.

By night, the scene changed. It no longer was the safe retreat, the serenity that it enjoyed during the day. By contrast, it was an eerie forbidden den of unseen dangers. There was no telling what was lurking behind the beautiful foliage that existed during the daylight hours. Unlike its daylight hours, no one would venture alone into its dimness, and the unknown dangers that existed. Those that did and survived its dangers were either lucky or just plain foolish or crazy. It was no place to be alone or even with someone for that matter. It was a place that no one should venture into. The many reports of illegal and criminal activity that occurred in the park were well known and documented throughout all of New York City.

One major crime, of many crimes that took place there made headlines not only in the New York press but in practically all countries of the world. It was touted as the most vicious crimes that ever occurred in the park. It was by a serial killer, a killer of more than a dozen women and it was called the .............murders.

Of the many kids that lived on this street of many such streets in Queens, New York, there lived a Irish catholic youth, that is that was what he was by birth anyway. Actually, he didn’t give a ..... what his religion was. Also he didn’t give a .....about a lot of things. Tall for his 18 years his only interest seemed to be the harassment of the Italians and Jews, both young and old who lived in the neighborhood, and enjoyed whacking one of the weaker ones every now and then. He was a bully, a brute. But he had a few friends, yes, probably because they were afraid not to be.

Peter Riley, in addition to his mother and father had two sisters, both older than he. They were cute girls and would party anywhere and with anyone at the drop of a hat. It was said that they would party with their own brother if no one else was around. They would think nothing of it to bring boys to their house, even when their parents were there. Their parents were seldom home and when they were, they drank incessantly to the point of intoxication. It was not an ideal home life, but this is where Peter Reilly lived, and this is where he was bought up.

Peter did have one friend. A Jewish boy, named Solly who lived down the street from where he lived. Solly was the same age as Peter, and unlikely as it was, Solly didn’t have a cruel bone in his body. He wouldn’t hurt a flea. But they seemed to like each other as strange as it was. So Solly was one of the few boys that Peter didn’t pick on.

Solly’s home was not a happy one either. His mother was a habitual gambler. She would go off on a gambling spree at one of her cronies houses, and play poker half of the day, the evening and sometimes to the next morning. When Solly was younger, she used to take him on these sprees, because for one reason or another he couldn’t stay with his father. She would put him in one of beds, to wait for her, until she had finished her gambling for the day. Then wake him up if he was asleep, and walk the 5 or 6 blocks to their home.

His father was usually waiting for them, and so an argument ensued. It was the same thing over and over. He could not stand for her gambling, didn’t like it, didn’t like her to take little Solly with her. He practically didn’t like much of anything.

Although Solly’s mother had these faults, she adored Solly, and he her. But it was different with his father. He was greedy in showing his emotions. Whether he meant to be that way, or not, remains unknown. His father wouldn’t forgive any mistakes that Solly made. One day when he was 13 years old, he came home sort of tipsy from drinking too much beer with his cronies. Instead of possibly understanding Solly, and talking to him as a father should, he lashed out at him, and abused him verbally to the point where Solly staggered out of his house to pass out in one of the nearby alleys. Solly never forgave his father after that, and their relationship remained distance until the day his father passed away.

One day when both Peter and Solly were about 15 years old, they decided to run away, Where? They didn’t know or didn’t care. They had little money, so what. They had enough money to ride the subway out of Queens to Manhattan, where they started to hitch a ride. Their plan was to go through the Holland Tunnel to New Jersey, and hopefully out west somewhere. When they got as far as Jersey City, they realized that they were out of cigarettes, out of money and were hungry, so they decided to hitch back to Queens, and so they did.

Arriving in Queens around midnight, they were frightened to face their parents, so they hid in the basement of Solly’s house, since Peters house didn’t have a basement. They slept behind the coal bin. In the morning they could hear Solly’s father coming down to the basement to add coal to the furnace, before he had to leave for work Tired and weary, Peter sneaked out and went home to face his parents. He hoped that they were sober, and that his sisters didn’t have company. Solly went upstairs to face his mother who was already in tears for not knowing where he was. Seeing him, she shed more tears, they embraced and she said, “Solly, please don’t do this anymore, don’t go away and not tell me where you are going, we were worried all night that something terrible had happened to you.” “I promise Mom.” and he kept his word.

Peter and Solly did not associate with each other after this. Solly had his school work to consider. His future to ponder upon, and what ever else he had to do. Peter, on the other hand, never went back to school, and left the neighborhood. He soon joined up with an unsavory group, and was committed to a life of crime, for this was his nature. He spent 2 years in Reform school, and spent time in prison. Solly never saw Peter again, he joined the Army, and while he was in Panama received a letter from his mother. In the letter was a newspaper article and a AP photo showing Peter Reilly in handcuffs, and the caption said, serial killer Peter Reilly, murderer of over a dozen women in the The Park.......Murders, caught.