Free A Curtain Falls by Stefanie Pintoff Page A

criminals won’t escape justice for their crimes. It’s what our society needs to hear in times like these.”
    He leaned toward us and spoke almost confidentially. “Look here, have you considered we might actually help you by publishing the letter? Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider? We could publish an exact copy of it. We might get someone who recognizes the handwriting.”
    “But the writer may have disguised his handwriting. And publishing a facsimile will only generate a round of hoaxes,” I said.
    He removed his feet from his desk and sat up straight. “Well, then. Frank will be investigating on his own, but you may make use of him if you want. I place him at your disposal. Sometimes a reporter can be more useful than a policeman in ferreting out information.”
    We looked at Frank, whose expression was unperturbed, as though he had been expecting Mr. Salzburg’s recommendation. But after a moment, he cleared his throat. “Boss, I think I’m going to need help on this one. I want someone who knows the theater and will make people more comfortable talking with me. I know from that rash of vaudeville robberies I covered last summer, actors can be a suspicious lot. I’d like to have Jones on it.”
    Frank locked his gaze on Ira Salzburg, awaiting his reaction.
    After another moment, he added, “He’s junior, but he’s been a big help to me in the past. Nobody can strike up a conversation and get information out of a stranger as well as Jones can.”
    Ira gazed out at the long row of desks on the floor, deep in thought. His attention seemed to center on the poker table. “Jones is good, but I’ve assigned him to Bronstein all next week. What about Bogarty?”
    “He’s a critic, not an investigator.” Frank frowned in disapproval. “And he’s difficult to work with. Keeps irregular hours and doesn’t pull his share of the writing. Just look at him now.”
    I turned my head toward the poker game in the back corner, where a well-dressed young man with blond hair and a confident manner was shuffling a deck of cards.
    “But he knows the theater.” Ira swatted his desk with a rolled-up paper. “And theater types know him. That’s what you need. He’s gained their trust, so they’ll open up to him nice and easy.”
    Frank still looked dubious. “The women will open up, they always do,” he said with a smirk. “But Bogarty’s not as good atschmoozing with the men, in case you haven’t noticed. Not unless they’ve got a game on the table.”
    But Ira was not one to be deterred once he had made up his mind. “Frank, look. Jack Bogarty is a pretty boy who likes fancy clothes and good-looking women. I know you think he’s not a serious reporter. But he is becoming a well-known critic and they’ll respect that. If his charm doesn’t make ’em want to talk, there’s always the threat of his next review to loosen their lips. Believe me, this will work. I’ll make sure he understands the deal.”
    Ira took a deep breath yet didn’t miss a beat. “And here’s how it will work.” He now addressed all of us. “Every couple days, you gentlemen and Frank will check in with each other, share anything you find out. And when the case concludes, you’ll grant Frank full access to each of you for an interview. And once the killer is in custody, you’ll let Frank interview him— or her. He gets an exclusive. Are we agreed?”
    Mulvaney looked as though someone had punched him in the gut, but he agreed. We needed the cooperation of
The Times
.
    Far worse would be no deal at all— just rampant news speculation— which would be the fate of this case if the yellow sensation papers got hold of it.
The Times
at least espoused the goal of producing serious news. But should the yellow papers pick this story up, they would have a field day with it. They would embellish the truth with lies until they had riled the public into a frenzy. In short, their brand of news coverage would make it almost