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Solomon made a right turn outside the apartment complex and drove
south on Central Avenue. He pulled into the Brunswick Lanes parking
lot in Yonkers, a distance of less than five miles from his apartment,
within a few minutes. He bowled at Brunswick frequently and knew a lot
of people there. When he walked onto the lanes he saw some friends and
made a point to say hello. After exchanging greetings, he sat for a
few minutes and watched the game. Then without explanation or
good-byes he suddenly got up and walked out of the alleys.
At exactly 7:15 p.m., about the same time Solomon left the bowling
alley, a telephone operator in Westchester received a disturbing call.
She answered the phone call with the usual “New York Telephone.”
She immediately heard screaming on the other end of the line.
“Can I help you?” she said, “can I help you?” The response
on the line was very quick, sudden and was not repeated. She may have
misunderstood the first word of the response, but the message was
clear.
“He’s trying to kill me!” the female voice screamed. The line
then went dead. The operator was not sure if the female said
“he’s” or “she’s.” When the number was identified, the
police were notified. They checked a reverse directory and dispatched
a unit to check out the location. But they could not have known that
the very same telephone number had recently been reassigned to the
Scarsdale Ridge apartment of Paul Solomon. The police checked out the
wrong address and left the scene convinced it was a bogus call.
In the meantime, Paul Solomon got back into Betty Jeanne’s car
and then drove a few more minutes until he reached the Holiday Inn in
Yonkers just off Tuckahoe Road. The restaurant at the hotel was called
the Treetops, a dark and comfortable place to eat or pass the time
over cocktails. It is located just a stone’s throw from the parkway
and is easily accessible for travelers northbound from Manhattan.
Carolyn met Paul there before and they both enjoyed the atmosphere at
the Treetops. It was dimly lit, quiet and had a sort of out-of-the-way
ambiance that a man in Solomon’s sensitive position could
appreciate. When he walked in, he took a seat at the bar, ordered a
drink and waited for his date.
At about 7:45 p.m., Carolyn walked in and saw Solomon at the bar.
She joined him and for the next hour, they sat together and enjoyed
several rounds of drinks. According to the court testimony
of the waitress, they soon moved to a table where they ordered their
meals and drank for about two hours. Whenever the waitress glanced at
the table, she saw the couple absorbed in a deep conversation. Solomon
later testified in court that they spoke about their future together:
“She said it was difficult finding good people to date. I said I
would be so happy to dance at your wedding and see you happy. She said
‘What about your happiness, Paul? Don’t you deserve to be
happy?” When it came time to go, Paul paid the check and both he and
Carolyn left the restaurant together. Outside, they sat in Carolyn’s
car in the corner of a darkened parking lot.
Soon, they were unbuttoning each other’s clothes. They kissed and
felt each other’s warmth. Carolyn’s sexy body was too much for
Solomon to resist. According to Solomon’s later statements, she
asked to perform oral sex on him. “Please. Paul. Can I? Will you let
me?” she said.
Within a few minutes, the sex was completed. When they were
finished, the lovers said good-bye with promises to soon meet again.
Carolyn drove out of the parking lot and turned south to Manhattan.
Paul Solomon turned left onto Tuckahoe Road and headed home to the
Scarsdale Ridge complex.
A short time later, at about 11:40 p.m., Solomon walked through the
front door of his apartment and from that moment on, his life would
never be the same again.
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