Free Father's Day Murder by Lee Harris
Authors: Lee Harris
asked.
“I don’t know. It was my impression that because he found the body, he seemed the likeliest suspect. I’m sure they’re doing forensic work on the body and whateverthey picked up at the crime scene. What I’m doing is talking to the Morris Avenue Boys to see what they think about Arthur Wien, about each other, about what might have happened in the last fifty years that could have made one of the group a killer. What do you think?”
“I think Artie was a womanizer. He married in his twenties and was looking around at other women in his thirties. Is that a motive for murder? Maybe you should ask his first wife.”
It was something I intended to do. “He was murdered in a men’s room, so it’s a little less likely that a woman did it, but I agree, she might have a motive, although if she did it, it took her a long time.”
“Maybe hatred ripens with time.”
“Maybe it does. Was there anyone else who might have had a grudge?”
“I’m sure there were plenty of people, but murder is very extreme. Most of us work out our displeasures in other ways.”
“Besides Dr. Horowitz, did you keep in touch with any other members of the group?”
“Not really. I was always interested to hear how they were doing but not enough interested to pick up a phone or write a letter.”
I thought that about covered it. I drank my coffee, declined dessert, and wished them a good trip back home. Then I returned to the Koches’ apartment house to retrieve my car. When I went to pay the bill, I was told Mr. Koch had taken care of it.
7
Eddie had not yet woken up when I got home so I had a little time to sit and talk to Jack, who was ready for a break. I told him about my two interviews and the lunch, complete with all my uneasy feelings. Mrs. Beller had never answered my question about whether Arthur Wien had visited them at their home. It was her husband who had picked up for her and said it had never happened, but I wasn’t sure he was telling the truth. Nor could I see what difference it made, but it was a question that Mrs. Beller obviously wasn’t allowed to answer.
Then there was Mrs. Koch’s intriguing statement that there was a rumor that Arthur Wien had had an affair with the wife of one of his friends. How does one know there was an affair without knowing with whom it took place? I wasn’t sure. But I now believed I would have to talk to the first Mrs. Wien. I would ask David Koch tomorrow for her name and address.
“So you’re going to the Bronx tomorrow,” Jack said when I had finished. “What do you expect to get out of that?”
“Maybe nothing, but I’d like to see this magical place that Horowitz and Koch loved so much and that Fred Beller hated.”
“Just a lot of brick and concrete,” Jack said. “And probably a lot more graffiti than fifty years ago. One neighborhood looks pretty much like another. You get any feelings from these guys?”
“Lots of feelings. Horowitz knew that Fred Beller was in town and he didn’t tell me. The two couples got together during the week. Beller didn’t answer some questions very forthrightly. Koch was—I don’t know—maybe less than candid.”
“Sounds to me like you’re investigating a homicide. When did everyone tell you the truth before this?”
“I guess never. But Jack, I made a real coup at lunch. I think Fred Beller sensed what I was doing but he couldn’t stop his wife. I asked for a picture of him or both of them, and she gave me one.”
“What good is that?”
“I want to find out if he was in the restaurant last Sunday night. If he was, he probably didn’t make the reservation under his real name. I want to get back there with this picture and see if the maitre d’ recognizes them.”
“Good thinking.”
“He said he wasn’t there but what would you expect him to say?”
“By the way, you got some phone calls while you were out.” He went to the kitchen and got a couple of message slips. “Someone named
“I don’t know. It was my impression that because he found the body, he seemed the likeliest suspect. I’m sure they’re doing forensic work on the body and whateverthey picked up at the crime scene. What I’m doing is talking to the Morris Avenue Boys to see what they think about Arthur Wien, about each other, about what might have happened in the last fifty years that could have made one of the group a killer. What do you think?”
“I think Artie was a womanizer. He married in his twenties and was looking around at other women in his thirties. Is that a motive for murder? Maybe you should ask his first wife.”
It was something I intended to do. “He was murdered in a men’s room, so it’s a little less likely that a woman did it, but I agree, she might have a motive, although if she did it, it took her a long time.”
“Maybe hatred ripens with time.”
“Maybe it does. Was there anyone else who might have had a grudge?”
“I’m sure there were plenty of people, but murder is very extreme. Most of us work out our displeasures in other ways.”
“Besides Dr. Horowitz, did you keep in touch with any other members of the group?”
“Not really. I was always interested to hear how they were doing but not enough interested to pick up a phone or write a letter.”
I thought that about covered it. I drank my coffee, declined dessert, and wished them a good trip back home. Then I returned to the Koches’ apartment house to retrieve my car. When I went to pay the bill, I was told Mr. Koch had taken care of it.
7
Eddie had not yet woken up when I got home so I had a little time to sit and talk to Jack, who was ready for a break. I told him about my two interviews and the lunch, complete with all my uneasy feelings. Mrs. Beller had never answered my question about whether Arthur Wien had visited them at their home. It was her husband who had picked up for her and said it had never happened, but I wasn’t sure he was telling the truth. Nor could I see what difference it made, but it was a question that Mrs. Beller obviously wasn’t allowed to answer.
Then there was Mrs. Koch’s intriguing statement that there was a rumor that Arthur Wien had had an affair with the wife of one of his friends. How does one know there was an affair without knowing with whom it took place? I wasn’t sure. But I now believed I would have to talk to the first Mrs. Wien. I would ask David Koch tomorrow for her name and address.
“So you’re going to the Bronx tomorrow,” Jack said when I had finished. “What do you expect to get out of that?”
“Maybe nothing, but I’d like to see this magical place that Horowitz and Koch loved so much and that Fred Beller hated.”
“Just a lot of brick and concrete,” Jack said. “And probably a lot more graffiti than fifty years ago. One neighborhood looks pretty much like another. You get any feelings from these guys?”
“Lots of feelings. Horowitz knew that Fred Beller was in town and he didn’t tell me. The two couples got together during the week. Beller didn’t answer some questions very forthrightly. Koch was—I don’t know—maybe less than candid.”
“Sounds to me like you’re investigating a homicide. When did everyone tell you the truth before this?”
“I guess never. But Jack, I made a real coup at lunch. I think Fred Beller sensed what I was doing but he couldn’t stop his wife. I asked for a picture of him or both of them, and she gave me one.”
“What good is that?”
“I want to find out if he was in the restaurant last Sunday night. If he was, he probably didn’t make the reservation under his real name. I want to get back there with this picture and see if the maitre d’ recognizes them.”
“Good thinking.”
“He said he wasn’t there but what would you expect him to say?”
“By the way, you got some phone calls while you were out.” He went to the kitchen and got a couple of message slips. “Someone named