wouldn’t put too much importance on his not meeting with you. He’s not a killer; he’s a saver of lives. I think sometimes how unbelievable it is that a kid I played ball with in the street grew up to do somuch good. Believe me, Ernie may be a little brusque with strangers but he’s all good. Of all of us, he’s at the top.”
“That’s quite a tribute. I also haven’t been able to reach Bernie Reskin. I assume it’s just that he hasn’t been home when I’ve called.”
“Keep trying. Bernie’ll talk your ear off when you get to him. He’s quite a guy. He’s another person who’s devoted his life to helping other people. Teaching isn’t what it used to be, but he gets those kids to learn, he gets them into college, he’s really something.”
Arlene walked into the room holding a boy’s jacket in front of her. I hadn’t seen her leave. She was smiling broadly. She turned the jacket around and I saw Morris Avenue Boys in thick light-blue letters on the navy background.
“I love it,” I said.
“It’s falling apart, but isn’t that something?” She showed me her husband’s name on the front, then laid the jacket carefully on another chair.
“It’s my impression,” I said to her, “that women often know when certain things are going on even if their husbands don’t. Did Arthur Wien ever have an affair with the wife of one of the men in the group?”
She looked surprised. Her mouth opened but she said nothing. Finally she said, “Who told you that?”
“I heard it had happened,” I said.
“I’m floored. Artie and one of the wives? Whoever said that was misinformed or had a grudge.”
“Who would have a grudge?” I persisted.
“Nobody. Nothing like that ever happened. And if it did, I don’t know anything about it.” She looked troubled, whether because something had happened that she hadno knowledge of or because of the insinuation, I could not tell.
I turned back to her husband. “Let me ask your advice. I’ll be in New York in the next day or two. How awful would it be if I just dropped in on Dr. Greene unannounced?”
“Go for it,” Bruce said. “What do you think’ll happen? He won’t have a temper tantrum; he’s not the type. He may not talk to you, but if he does, you can believe every word he says.”
“Can I believe you?” I asked.
“Why not? Do I look like a man who has something to hide?”
I assured him he didn’t and wrapped up our meeting. I had a copy of the famous first novel of Arthur Wien now and I couldn’t wait to get started reading it. And who had wanted or not wanted to sit next to Arthur Wien at the reunion?
10
We sat in the sitting area of our master bedroom suite, a luxury I could not have imagined four years ago when I left St. Stephen’s. One nice feature for a careful spender like me is that we put the upstairs on its own heating zone and did the same with the downstairs so we can turn down the rest of the house and keep ourselves warm in the winter and yes, cool in the summer. But the weather was so perfect this June night that we needed nothing more than to open the window and breathe the fresh air.
I had several of the photos from the reunion spread out in front of me on our little table. There was no picture of the whole group, just snapshots of a few here, a few there. I guessed who Cindy Wien was because she was the youngest, and I assumed the man beside her was her husband. To his left was a woman I had not met, but in another picture she sat to the right of Dr. Horowitz. She seemed perfectly happy there. The Meyers were at an end of the table, probably on the other side from the Wiens, and the Koches also seemed to be across from the Wiens. The arrangement didn’t tell me much but it gave me something to ask about.
“So you’ve seen all but two of the likely suspects and you’ve visited the Bronx,” Jack said. “Any leads?”
“They’re the nicest group of men and women I’ve evermet. If you asked me I would say
“That’s quite a tribute. I also haven’t been able to reach Bernie Reskin. I assume it’s just that he hasn’t been home when I’ve called.”
“Keep trying. Bernie’ll talk your ear off when you get to him. He’s quite a guy. He’s another person who’s devoted his life to helping other people. Teaching isn’t what it used to be, but he gets those kids to learn, he gets them into college, he’s really something.”
Arlene walked into the room holding a boy’s jacket in front of her. I hadn’t seen her leave. She was smiling broadly. She turned the jacket around and I saw Morris Avenue Boys in thick light-blue letters on the navy background.
“I love it,” I said.
“It’s falling apart, but isn’t that something?” She showed me her husband’s name on the front, then laid the jacket carefully on another chair.
“It’s my impression,” I said to her, “that women often know when certain things are going on even if their husbands don’t. Did Arthur Wien ever have an affair with the wife of one of the men in the group?”
She looked surprised. Her mouth opened but she said nothing. Finally she said, “Who told you that?”
“I heard it had happened,” I said.
“I’m floored. Artie and one of the wives? Whoever said that was misinformed or had a grudge.”
“Who would have a grudge?” I persisted.
“Nobody. Nothing like that ever happened. And if it did, I don’t know anything about it.” She looked troubled, whether because something had happened that she hadno knowledge of or because of the insinuation, I could not tell.
I turned back to her husband. “Let me ask your advice. I’ll be in New York in the next day or two. How awful would it be if I just dropped in on Dr. Greene unannounced?”
“Go for it,” Bruce said. “What do you think’ll happen? He won’t have a temper tantrum; he’s not the type. He may not talk to you, but if he does, you can believe every word he says.”
“Can I believe you?” I asked.
“Why not? Do I look like a man who has something to hide?”
I assured him he didn’t and wrapped up our meeting. I had a copy of the famous first novel of Arthur Wien now and I couldn’t wait to get started reading it. And who had wanted or not wanted to sit next to Arthur Wien at the reunion?
10
We sat in the sitting area of our master bedroom suite, a luxury I could not have imagined four years ago when I left St. Stephen’s. One nice feature for a careful spender like me is that we put the upstairs on its own heating zone and did the same with the downstairs so we can turn down the rest of the house and keep ourselves warm in the winter and yes, cool in the summer. But the weather was so perfect this June night that we needed nothing more than to open the window and breathe the fresh air.
I had several of the photos from the reunion spread out in front of me on our little table. There was no picture of the whole group, just snapshots of a few here, a few there. I guessed who Cindy Wien was because she was the youngest, and I assumed the man beside her was her husband. To his left was a woman I had not met, but in another picture she sat to the right of Dr. Horowitz. She seemed perfectly happy there. The Meyers were at an end of the table, probably on the other side from the Wiens, and the Koches also seemed to be across from the Wiens. The arrangement didn’t tell me much but it gave me something to ask about.
“So you’ve seen all but two of the likely suspects and you’ve visited the Bronx,” Jack said. “Any leads?”
“They’re the nicest group of men and women I’ve evermet. If you asked me I would say
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