The Day Miriam Hirsch Disappeared

Home > Other > The Day Miriam Hirsch Disappeared > Page 2
The Day Miriam Hirsch Disappeared Page 2

by Libby Fischer Hellmann


  “How’d he do that?”

  “Kept the guy up until he won. Forty hours with no sleep.” Skull winked at me. “Rothstein had style too. He ran a casino, moved a lot of booze, financed all sorts of capers. But he always wore a tux and he danced with the ladies every night.” Skull’s chin dipped. “He was—whadda’ya call it—a smooth operator.”

  I wanted to ask him more about Miriam, but I didn’t have the guts.

  ***

  Mrs. T never had the chance to evict Miriam. She never came back. Three days later they found her body in an alley off Lincoln Avenue. The German part of town. She’d been raped, beaten, strangled. The cops identified her by her purse.

  A tough-looking Irish detective, Patrick O’Meara, came around to question us. Mrs. T told him everything she knew. About the theater. Skull. The man with the blond whiskers.

  O’Meara hustled over to Davy Miller’s to question Skull. We trailed behind. It was the first time we’d seen him ourselves in a couple of days. He looked bad. His shirt was wrinkled, he hadn’t shaved, and his bloodshot eyes kept darting around the room. His mood seemed to shift from arrogance to desolation, and his answers were clipped and curt.

  I began to think the worst. Miriam and Skull broke up. Miriam started up with other men. Skull must have been crazy with jealousy and he snapped. It looked that way to me. And to O’Meara. He wasn’t nice to Skull. Told him not to go anywhere for a while.

  Of course, the next morning Skull was gone, and no one knew where. Or they weren’t telling. That was the only proof I needed. He killed Miriam. Maybe my parents were right after all. Lawndale people were different.

  Barney and I were puzzling it over at the restaurant when O’Meara showed up. Mrs. T was upstairs getting dressed, so he nabbed Joey, the head waiter.

  “Ever seen this guy?” He showed him a picture.

  Joey shook his head.

  “You sure?” You could tell O’Meara didn’t believe him. “Seen Skulnick recently?”

  Joey kept wiping glasses with his towel. “Nope.”

  O’Meara turned around, saw us sitting at a table. We froze. His eyes narrowed, then he came over. I tried to look nonchalant.

  “Your turn, boys. You ever seen this guy?”

  He threw the picture down on our table.

  I could hear Barney’s sharp intake of breath. It was the man with the blond whiskers. I tried to be blasé.

  But O’Meara was patient. Eventually, my eyes drifted back to the picture. O’Meara was waiting.

  “So what’s it gonna be, boys?”

  “Who is he?” I croaked.

  “You seen him?”

  I met O’Meara’s eyes and nodded.

  “Name’s Peter Schultz. They call him Twitch. Some kind of problem around his eye.” O’Meara stared at me. I looked at the floor. I knew the name. Peter Schultz was the head of the German-American Bund in Chicago. They were Nazis.

  “He was murdered last night,” O’Meara said. “We found him in the same alley they found the girl.”

  Barney made a mewling sound in his throat. I felt old.

  “He was stabbed about fifteen times, then strangled. They got him pretty good.”

  I didn’t move.

  O’Meara kept the pressure on. “You know, it’s interesting. With him gone, their whole organization is up for grabs, you know?”

  I didn’t say anything, but the pieces were finally coming together. I knew who killed Miriam, and I knew who killed Schultz. I wondered if O’Meara knew too.

  O’Meara went on. “Someone—someone close to him—knew the Kraut’s habits so well they even knew what time he took a dump. They got him on his way to a Bund meeting. You have any idea who that might be?”

  I kept my mouth shut.

  He shook his head. “Well, whoever it was, now there’s one less Nazi in the world.” O’Meara stood up, put his hat on, threw us a world-weary glance. “They say all’s fair in love and war. What do you think?”

  What I thought was that I may have been wrong about Skull all along; that this was more about war than love. There may have been a reason why Miriam was dating Schultz; why Skull was pressuring Miriam to get information she didn’t want to do. While Skull used Miriam, he was also her avenger.

  “I’ll be seeing you boys around,” O’Meara said, then stepped through the door and left.

  ***

  Skull never came back to Lawndale. At least we never heard from him again. I didn’t hang around much either. School started, and I got busy with homework and sports. I met a girl at Hyde Park High, Barbara Steinberg. She was pretty nice. Barney called a couple of times, but neither of us pushed it. Other things were fast taking precedence. Hitler annexed Austria, and the news coming out of Europe was grim. No one seemed to remember the day Miriam Hirsch disappeared.

  THE END

  If you enjoyed this story, would you please consider leaving a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads.com? Thank you.

  And if you’d like to sign up for Libby’s email list, and download a free short story when you do, go to http://libbyhellmann.com

  MORE ABOUT LIBBY

  http://libbyhellmann.com

  Facebook Author Page

  http://twitter.com/libbyhellmann

  THE ELLIE FOREMAN SERIES

  “Libby Fischer Hellmann has already joined an elite club: Chicago mystery writers who not only inhabit the environment but also give it a unique flavor... her series continues in fine style… (Ellie)... lights up the page with courage and energy.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “Not only has Hellmann created a compelling group of believable characters, but the mystery she places them in is likewise plausible and engrossing. Highly recommended, even if you don't live in Illinois.”

  —David Montgomery, Chicago Sun-Times

  “Hellmann owes a debt to fellow Chicagoans Sara Paretsky (complex plotting) and Barbara D'Amato (excellent research)—but she's the brash young thing making this formula new again. I can't wait for the next book!”

  —Robin Agnew, Aunt Agatha's

  “Hellmann has surpassed herself. Well-crafted, intense and exciting, right up to the last page... a must read!”

  —Laurel Johnson, Midwest Book Review

  “A masterful blend of politics, history, and suspense… sharp humor and vivid language… Ellie is an engaging amateur sleuth.”

  —Publishers Weekly, November 4, 2002

  “Ellie is a particularly believable protagonist... she's a pleasure to spend time with.”

  —Reviewing the Evidence

  “Libby Fischer Hellmann has indisputably crossed the line into the realm of great crime fiction writers.”

  —Crimespree Magazine

  THE GEORGIA DAVIS SERIES

  “Hellmann brings to life the reality of hazing and bullying among teenage girls in a story with enough twists and turns to keep you reading to the end. Highly recommended.”

  —Library Journal (starred review)

  “Just what’s needed in a mystery... Depth of characterization sets this new entry apart from a crowded field.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “Libby Hellmann can get into the mind of a character, whether the character is a mentally ill man or a teenage girl. PI Georgia Davis, the no-nonsense heart of this tale... finds a darkness I didn’t see coming. This is good stuff, very good stuff.”

  —Stuart M. Kaminsky, Grand Master, Mystery Writers of America

  “There’s a new no-nonsense female private detective in town: Georgia Davis, a former cop who is tough and smart enough to give even the legendary V.I. Warshawski a run for her money... Hellmann knows how to distill the essence of a character in a few unadorned but dead-right sentences.”

  —Dick Adler, Chicago Tribune

  “Hellmann’s done her homework here and it shows: the writing is assured, the voices authentic, and the understanding both of criminal investigations and relationships among cops, lawyers and prosecutors come to life with great urgency.
Davis’ arrival on the mean streets is long overdue.”

  —Sara Paretsky, author of the V.I. Warshawski series

  SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE

  “A tremendous thriller, sweeping but intimate, elegiac but urgent, subtle but intense... this story really does set the night on fire.”

  —Lee Child

  “Superior... Passion, pain, and protests emerge in vivid detail.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “Set the Night on Fire is a compelling story of love, truth and redemption. This will be a break-out novel for this talented writer. Highly recommended.”

  —Sheldon Siegel, New York Times best-selling author of Perfect Alibi

  “A top-rate standalone thriller... A jazzy fusion of past and present, Hellman’s insightful, politically charged whodunit explores a fascinating period in American history.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Top Pick! Electric! A marvelous novel.”

  —Romantic Times Book Reviews

  A BITTER VEIL

  “The Iranian revolution provides the backdrop for this meticulously researched, fast-paced stand-alone ...A significant departure from the author's Chicago-based Ellie Foreman and Georgia Davis mystery series, this political thriller will please established fans and newcomers alike.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  "Hellmann crafts a tragically beautiful story... both subtle and vibrant... never sacrificing the quality of her storytelling. Instead, the message drives the psychological and emotional conflict painting a bleak and heart wrenching tale that will stick with the reader long after they finish the book."

  — Crimespree Magazine

  “A Bitter Veil is so thought-provoking that it especially would be a great title for book clubs to discuss.”

  —BookReporter.com

  NICE GIRL DOES NOIR, Vol. 1 and 2

  “I don’t usually like to read short stories, but these are terrific! My highest recommendation here.”

  —Molly Weston, Meritorious Mysteries

  “[A] great place to get acquainted with Hellmann’s talent... not only universal but has greater depth and emotional value. Aspiring short-story writers would do well to pay attention.”

  —Naomi Johnson, The Drowning Machine

  All of Libby’s novels and many of her short stories are available on AUDIO at Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.

 

 

 


‹ Prev