piece of litter in front of him, perhaps a gum wrapper.
“Good morning, James,” I said.
He looked up without recognition.
“I’m Chris. We’ve met before. You’re James, aren’t you?”
He nodded.
“Let me help you.” I bent and picked up the piece of paper. James was holding a small, green plastic bag. “It goes in here, doesn’t it?”
He nodded again. “My name is James.”
“Yes, I know.” I put the paper in his bag. “There’s another piece of litter. Why don’t you pick it up?”
He looked at the ground, then bent, picked up the paper, and put it in the bag.
“We make a good team,” I said. “There’s some more.”
As we walked, I said, “James, do you remember Magda?”
He said, “Magda,” and looked at me penetratingly.
“I saw Magda a few days ago. She remembers you. She thinks of you.”
“Magda. See Magda.”
“I saw her, yes. I think she’ll come to visit you.”
His face looked fearful. His eyebrows, which were thick and dense, came together as his face contracted. “Magda,” he said again. “Do you know where my brother is?”
“Yes, I do, James. I do know where he is. He’s fine. He asks for you.”
“My brother.”
“Your brother, Robert.”
He seemed to tremble. I put my hand on his shoulder. “Everything’s all right,” I said. “Come, let’s clean up some more.”
—
I spent some time with Gene afterward, then reported to Virginia McAlpin on my visit to New Hope. When we had finished talking, it was ten-thirty and Mrs. McAlpin offered her telephone so that I could call Kevin O’Connor. He had just come home and he thought one o’clock would be a good time for us to meet. He remembered the Talley murder pretty well, he told me, but he wasn’t sure he could add to the material in the file. I said I’d be there at one, and he gave me directions.
I went home to kill the intervening time and have a light, early lunch. Just as I was sitting down to a salad and iced coffee, Jack Brooks called.
“Got that apartment number for you,” he said. “The Talleys lived in 5C.”
“Could you hold on a moment?” I asked.
“Sure.”
I put the phone down and went into the dining room. My papers were spread out and I was able to put my hand on the interview with Selma Franklin very quickly. My insides did something strange as I picked up the open notebook.
“Jack, are you sure?” I asked, getting back to the phone.
“Sure I’m sure. It’s right here in front of me.”
“The woman I interviewed, Selma Franklin, the one who was so sympathetic, who seemed to like Mrs. Talley and have such warm feelings toward the twins, she lived in the apartment underneath 5C. She’s the one Magda said Mrs. Talley didn’t get along with.”
“Happens.”
“But she was so good to children, so—I don’t know, maybe I’m just not very good at this.”
“You’re damned good. You found Magda, you talked to the psychiatrist, you’re going to see O’Connor. Just remember, people lie. People lie for reasons you can’t guess. You ask a question and it opens up a part of their life you don’t know about and they have to protect it. Maybe this Franklin woman was having an affair with Mr. Talley.”
I laughed. “Not likely.”
“Maybe not, but stranger things have happened. Anyway, I doubt whether a woman killed Mrs. Talley.”
“Me, too.” I glanced at my watch. “Thanks, Jack. I’ll call you after I talk to Kevin O’Connor.”
“Not so fast. Can I see you sometime? Like socially?”
“Sure,” I said a little weakly.
“You say ‘sure,’ but you don’t sound it.”
“I’d like to,” I said. I really wanted to, but I was feeling panicky at the prospect.
“Maybe dinner. I know a nice place up that way,”
“I’d like that very much.”
“Saturday.”
“Saturday.”
“Good.”
“I’ll call you later.”
“I’ll be here.”
I hung up and went back to lunch.
13
Driving to Valley Stream, I reflected on my behavior, on
“Good morning, James,” I said.
He looked up without recognition.
“I’m Chris. We’ve met before. You’re James, aren’t you?”
He nodded.
“Let me help you.” I bent and picked up the piece of paper. James was holding a small, green plastic bag. “It goes in here, doesn’t it?”
He nodded again. “My name is James.”
“Yes, I know.” I put the paper in his bag. “There’s another piece of litter. Why don’t you pick it up?”
He looked at the ground, then bent, picked up the paper, and put it in the bag.
“We make a good team,” I said. “There’s some more.”
As we walked, I said, “James, do you remember Magda?”
He said, “Magda,” and looked at me penetratingly.
“I saw Magda a few days ago. She remembers you. She thinks of you.”
“Magda. See Magda.”
“I saw her, yes. I think she’ll come to visit you.”
His face looked fearful. His eyebrows, which were thick and dense, came together as his face contracted. “Magda,” he said again. “Do you know where my brother is?”
“Yes, I do, James. I do know where he is. He’s fine. He asks for you.”
“My brother.”
“Your brother, Robert.”
He seemed to tremble. I put my hand on his shoulder. “Everything’s all right,” I said. “Come, let’s clean up some more.”
—
I spent some time with Gene afterward, then reported to Virginia McAlpin on my visit to New Hope. When we had finished talking, it was ten-thirty and Mrs. McAlpin offered her telephone so that I could call Kevin O’Connor. He had just come home and he thought one o’clock would be a good time for us to meet. He remembered the Talley murder pretty well, he told me, but he wasn’t sure he could add to the material in the file. I said I’d be there at one, and he gave me directions.
I went home to kill the intervening time and have a light, early lunch. Just as I was sitting down to a salad and iced coffee, Jack Brooks called.
“Got that apartment number for you,” he said. “The Talleys lived in 5C.”
“Could you hold on a moment?” I asked.
“Sure.”
I put the phone down and went into the dining room. My papers were spread out and I was able to put my hand on the interview with Selma Franklin very quickly. My insides did something strange as I picked up the open notebook.
“Jack, are you sure?” I asked, getting back to the phone.
“Sure I’m sure. It’s right here in front of me.”
“The woman I interviewed, Selma Franklin, the one who was so sympathetic, who seemed to like Mrs. Talley and have such warm feelings toward the twins, she lived in the apartment underneath 5C. She’s the one Magda said Mrs. Talley didn’t get along with.”
“Happens.”
“But she was so good to children, so—I don’t know, maybe I’m just not very good at this.”
“You’re damned good. You found Magda, you talked to the psychiatrist, you’re going to see O’Connor. Just remember, people lie. People lie for reasons you can’t guess. You ask a question and it opens up a part of their life you don’t know about and they have to protect it. Maybe this Franklin woman was having an affair with Mr. Talley.”
I laughed. “Not likely.”
“Maybe not, but stranger things have happened. Anyway, I doubt whether a woman killed Mrs. Talley.”
“Me, too.” I glanced at my watch. “Thanks, Jack. I’ll call you after I talk to Kevin O’Connor.”
“Not so fast. Can I see you sometime? Like socially?”
“Sure,” I said a little weakly.
“You say ‘sure,’ but you don’t sound it.”
“I’d like to,” I said. I really wanted to, but I was feeling panicky at the prospect.
“Maybe dinner. I know a nice place up that way,”
“I’d like that very much.”
“Saturday.”
“Saturday.”
“Good.”
“I’ll call you later.”
“I’ll be here.”
I hung up and went back to lunch.
13
Driving to Valley Stream, I reflected on my behavior, on
Similar Books
