For decades, this symbiotic arrangement worked well. The Mennonites tilled the land productively and mostly kept to themselves, interacting with their Mexican hosts only as necessity dictated. When some Mennonites were attracted to the modern world and strayed from their strict religious society, they were quickly shunned.
By the 1950s, the unusual alliance between the two disparate cultures first became tenuous and then crumbled rapidly. Social conflicts coupled with extensive crop failures drove many Mennonites to desert their failing farms and returned to Canada where they still had strong family ties. But Jakob Reisman’s family remained and made an unholy bargain to survive.
On the verge of losing his farm for non-payment of debts, Jakob’s father also started receiving veiled, anonymous threats about his family’s safety. Then, a stranger arrived at the Reisman farm and offered a way out. All Reisman had to do was to grow a popular new crop on his farm outside the town of Cuauhtémoc and then transport it north. After all, who would suspect the Mennonites of being in the marijuana business?
Already ostracized by the church elders for his modern ways – driving a car with rubber tires and using motorized farm equipment – the elder Reisman capitulated, seeing no other way for his family to survive.
In 1959 and only 18-years old, young Jakob made his first trip north, stopping in Chicago before proceeding to Alberta, Canada. He dressed in traditional Mennonite black with a broad-brimmed hat. Border checks were intermittent in those days and no one gave Jakob anything more than a curious, dismissive glance. Showing his foresight and ingenuity, Jakob returned to Mexico and suggested that on future trips that he bring along an elderly woman dressed in the traditional Mennonite garb. When his father’s Mexican partners asked why, he demonstrated how large quantities of drugs could be distributed strategically under her long peasant dress. Plus, she would be an added deterrent to inspection. After all, who would want to examine an old Mennonite woman, he explained. She would be left at a Mennonite community near El Paso and picked up by Jakob on his return trip.
As the years passed, Jakob made several drug runs with minimal concerns but he did notice that more cars were being stopped and searched as they passed into the United States. Still, the young Mennonite and his “grandmother” continued to get a free pass.
Upon his return trip to Cuauhtémoc from Chicago in 1961 after his latest drug run, Jakob complained to his Mexican handlers about the increasing border surveillance and they only smiled. They already knew about the growing danger of interdiction from their friends in the Mexican border guard and were planning ahead. Jakob’s VW Beetle would be “refurbished” before his next trip north. Special compartments or “traps” would be installed to hide the drug shipments. Jakob’s clever ploy with the elderly Mennonite woman had gotten the Mexicans to think more creatively.
Jakob was impressed with the ingenuity and adaptability of these Mexican drug traffickers. Remarkably, they had been able to secrete several hundred pounds of marijuana in his little bug of a car. The spare tire, the door panel and even the area behind the glove compartment were all loaded with the illicit but precious cargo. Jakob was even given a large block of cheese to leave in Chicago which was conspicuously and boldly placed in the back seat. Neatly hollowed out, its new contents were worth several thousand dollars on the street. The Mexicans bragged that they would find additional hiding places for future trips.
Except when he was with his family or crossing the border, Jakob quickly shed his Mennonite garb. For him, it had gradually become an embarrassing disguise. He could tolerate the snickers because his clothing was a means to make his drug runs without arousing suspicion. He had already thrown off his restrictive religious upbringing and was increasingly drawn to the excitement of the modern world.
At some point, he would make a clean break with his family as well as the Mexican drug dealers. He marveled that no money ever changed hands or was even discussed. When he asked, he was told that payments went into accounts in Chicago and other cities on the exact same day as the drugs were delivered and were quickly wired to secret accounts outside the United States. Jakob Reisman was an astute and observant young man. His Mexican handlers and their clients were teaching him to be tactical and cunning.
***
The Saucy Lady on Chicago’s South Side was struggling to transform itself into a topless go-go club appealing to the younger crowd and at the same time still cater to its aging, reliable clientele who revered the good old days of burlesque and sarcastic, one-line comics. The owner of the Saucy Lady was having trouble letting go of the era that he still revered, headlined by famous strippers like Lili St. Cyr, Blaze Starr and Tempest Storm.
As a consequence of the club owner’s ambivalent feelings, visitors to the Saucy Lady were treated to an eclectic mix of entertainers who could appeal to the club’s diverse crowd. The new dancers were young, mostly small-town girls who had run off to Chicago for a variety of reasons. Their inhibitions were limited and many of them were eager to show off their firm, perky breasts. Those that could be alternately demure and coquettish were destined for success. The older entertainers, struggling to stay attractive with their sagging faces and pendulous bosoms, the nipples discreetly covered with pasties, looked on the newcomers with a mixture of contempt and jealousy. As an added insult, the aging beauties had to perform their ancient routines by working around the newly-installed pole in the middle of the stage.
It was into this unusual milieu that sylph-like Brenda Holloway of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin pranced one day. Here was a wholesome, innocent-looking girl with an immaculate, blushing complexion and silky chestnut hair who could have walked off the cover of Family Circle magazine. Before she uttered a word, the manager asked her when she could start. At 18, she was young enough to be the daughter of one of the aging burlesque queens with whom she would soon share the dressing room.
***
Jakob had made his delivery to local dealer Jimmy O’Farrell of the South Side Sligo Boys. O’Farrell had taken a liking to the modest and polite Mennonite and told him he was not happy with his Mexican supplier, complaining that quality was down while prices were going up. “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be doing business with those Spics. If you ever break loose from those beaners, laddie boy, let me know.”
When O’Farrell announced that he was taking Reisman to what he called a titty bar, the naïve Mennonite was confused but said nothing. All he could imagine was going to a farm and milking the cows. He had learned early on to mask his ignorance of American culture by absorbing what he heard and remaining silent. On the way to the Saucy Lady, Reisman learned that he would be seeing a bevy of women, of all ages, dancing around a stage while stripping off most of their clothes. It happened to be the night that Brenda Holloway, now christened as Bambi Starr in homage to one of the great burlesque strippers, would made her debut.
Reisman and O’Farrell came in just as Bambi climbed onto the raised stage. With her lithe, athletic frame, she grabbed and mounted the glistening pole as if she was competing in an Olympic event. Her twists and gyrations were almost second nature to a girl who had taken gymnastic lessons for years until her parents abruptly halted them. Throughout the Saucy Lady, customers stopped their kibitzing and stared at the ingénue.
When her eyes met Reisman’s, they fluttered and his mouth hung open. There was a mutual and instant attraction. He was enthralled and brushed off the suggestion of his host that the dancers were instructed to toy with the emotions of the customers. As it turned out, the inexperienced Reisman’s instincts were correct about Bambi Starr.
Reisman came back to the Saucy Lady the next night by himself and waited patiently for Brenda Halloway to finish her shift. Her eyes brightened when she saw Jakob waiting by the door. “Miss Starr?” Jakob said hesitantly. Brenda laughed and said, “Silly boy, that’s my stage name. I’m Brenda Holloway. Who are you?”
For two hours, the two sat in an all-night coffee shop near the Saucy Lady and gazed at each othe
r. Brenda did most of the talking, mainly about the humdrum life of Fond de Lac and her desire to do something thrilling and adventurous. She had no illusions about the Saucy Lady and was confident she would not stay there for long. Jakob just smiled and became more and more enthralled with the young lady from Wisconsin.
Reisman left Chicago the next morning but not before he confessed to Brenda that he was absolutely smitten. He vowed to return soon and share his plans for the future. If she wanted adventure, he promised that he would deliver it.
***
It was three months before Reisman made it back to United States. By this time, his family’s debts had been repaid. When the Mexicans made a generous offer to buy the farm, his father readily accepted. After his parents returned to Canada, Jakob was relieved and promised to follow them soon.
Reisman was devastated when instructed to go to Buffalo instead of Chicago for his next delivery. To accommodate a particularly large order, two suitcases were placed in the back seat in addition to the drugs hidden in secret compartments throughout the vehicle. Jakob was not happy but the Mexicans assured him that arrangements had been made to ensure a successful border crossing. Reisman’s VW Beetle was laden with its biggest load ever and when he made it to El Paso without incident, he relaxed. He realized now that the Mexicans would continue to put his life at risk and he wondered - is now the time to execute my daring plan?
As he reached St. Louis, still debating with himself, he suddenly made the fateful decision to turn north toward Chicago instead of continuing on the more direct route to Buffalo. He raced to the Saucy Lady that evening, eager to see the woman who had dominated his dreams since that first night. He had studied a map and found Fond du Lac. It looked like an idyllic little Wisconsin town. What had compelled her to leave, he wondered? Was it only for adventure?
Reisman stood near the bar and watched the stage, eagerly waiting for Bambi Starr to be announced. Two hours passed and she didn’t appear. When he got up the courage to ask the bartender if it was her day off, he laughed and said, “She’s gone, son. Don’t tell me she broke your heart, too?”
Standing nearby, one of the club’s other dancers overheard this conversation and saw the crest-fallen look on Reisman’s face. She pulled him aside as he was walking to the door and asked, “You’re Jakob, right?” She was smacking a wad of gum and teasing up the back of her peroxide-streaked yellow hair. Always on the make, she leaned seductively toward Reisman but he was oblivious to the come-on. She shrugged and went on. “Brenda described you. Her father had a heart attack and she went home two days ago to help her mom. She said if you ever showed up again to come and get her. Hey, but you don’t have to be in a hurry, sugar.”
Reisman looked puzzled and asked if she had an address. The girl frowned and stalked away, saying over her shoulder “you got her name, lover boy, now go find her but she ain’t so hot if you ask me.”
***
Reisman sat in his car and studied the map. He could be in Fond du Lac in three hours but had no idea where Brenda lived. Then he remembered her telling him that her father operated a flower shop downtown and it was named after her mother. He massaged his brow and then it came to him. “Rose!” he exclaimed as he looked out through the windshield. “He named it the Rose Garden.” Reisman was ecstatic as he drove off with the neon sign over the Saucy Lady pulsating in his rearview mirror.
As Jakob drove across the border into Wisconsin, he kept working and re-working the plan that had germinated in his mind since he was last in Chicago. It had seemed so daring as a solo operation but If he involved Brenda, he could be placing her at great risk. He was doubtful that he was offering the kind of adventure she envisioned when she described her restless spirit that first night in the coffee shop.
He arrived at the Rose Garden and it was closed. At the bottom corner of the door, he saw stenciled in the glass “Brendon Halloway, Proprietor”. He laughed scornfully and said, “My god, the man actually named his daughter after himself,” instantly taking a dislike to her father. Nearby, he saw a telephone booth and pulled up the heavy directory hanging by a chain. Within minutes, he heard the voice of Brenda and stuttered “It’s that silly boy you met in Chicago. I’m in town.” Jakob’s words hung in the air and there was silence. He feared that he had made a terrible blunder when she suddenly cried out, “Please come right away and get me out of here. I thought you forgot all about me.”
***
Late that evening, Jakob and Brenda sat on a bed in a cheap motel on the outskirts of Fond du Lac. She was highly agitated as she described how she had been enticed to come home by her mother’s frantic call saying her father was near death. It turned out that he might have had a mild heart attack but more likely, according to the doctor, an anxiety-induced seizure due to pressure at the flower shop. “The Rose Garden has been failing since I was a child but it never seems to go under. They have used that damn shop to manipulate me for as long as I can remember. They stopped my gymnastic lessons because they were supposedly too expensive but then they went out and bought a new car. Then, with no lessons to go to, they told me I could now work extra hours in the shop and my father wouldn’t have to hire another clerk. It took me coming back from Chicago to figure out that guilt was their secret weapon for all these years.”
Reisman absorbed everything he heard and believed all of it. How could such a captivating creature be other than completely honest? He wanted to protect and shelter her but those goals conflicted with the bold plan he was on the verge of revealing.
“Okay, silly boy, don’t you think it’s about time you told me more about yourself? And I don’t want to hear any nonsense about visiting family or friends in Chicago.”
Jakob knew it was the moment of truth and proceeded to lay out his family’s entire history from Canada to Mexico. He even told her about the pressure put on his family to either grow marijuana or lose their farm. At this point, he stopped, trying to summon the courage to tell all.
Brenda had flopped back on the bed and had been listening intently. When Jakob abruptly halted his narrative, she popped up into a sitting position, intently fixing her gaze on him with a mischievous smile. He looked away to avoid her stare but she grabbed his face and forcefully turned it back to her.
“There’s an old guy on the radio that my parents listen to faithfully. I am drawn in by the authoritative, confident sound of his voice and can’t help listening sometimes myself. His name is Paul Harvey. Anyway, he has this program called The Rest Of The Story where he starts to describe an historical event but then leaves the listener in suspense until after a commercial. When he comes back on, he builds up the story and then provides what is often a surprise conclusion. Now, I am a big girl and I need to hear the rest of your story. Otherwise, I am going to conclude that you really are a silly boy and I am going to head back to Chicago or someplace else very far from Fond du Lac.”
Brenda had won the stare down and Jakob, after gulping hard and taking a deep breath, decided that he had no choice but to reveal everything. “The part I left out of my story is probably going to drive you away from me and back to Chicago. The simple truth is that I am a courier for the Mexicans who forced my family to grow marijuana. It was part of the deal to save the farm. I have been making deliveries to Chicago for a few years now and Buffalo was recently added as a destination. In fact, I was supposed to go there – not to Chicago. But instead, I decided to come looking for you. And here’s the big news, Brenda, that even before I met you, I was making alternate plans that you might decide are not adventurous but just plain crazy.”
Reisman paused and looked at Brenda, trying to read her expression. She had lost that assertive, demanding look and actually appeared awestruck. His initial thought was that he had gone too far and almost wished he could retract what he had just said. Brenda grabbed both of his hands and squeezed them tightly. She had a quizzical look on her face when she asked “So, everything is in those two suitcases? That’s it?” Jakob smiled and said slyly
, “When I show you where the rest of the drugs are hidden, it’s going to blow your mind. But doesn’t it scare you?”
Brenda let go of his hands and pushed him playfully in the chest, almost knocking him off the bed. She looked elated and said “I’m excited, not frightened. But don’t keep me in suspense. What the hell is the plan? Tell me and I promise to never call you silly boy again, even in jest.”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” he asked, staring into her virginal eyes. “Haven’t we done enough talking for one night?”
***
The next morning, the newly-minted lovebirds drove south to Milwaukee then took the ferry across Lake Michigan and headed for Detroit. They crossed the border into Canada without incident and arrived in Waterloo, Ontario just as the sun was setting. During their almost ten-hour journey, Jakob laid out his plan for double-crossing his Mexican handlers without endangering either them or his family. Brenda had forced him to alter his strategy on the run but he did so without the slightest regret.
Before leaving Fond du Lac, Reisman had called his cousin in Waterloo. They had spoken after Jakob had left Texas on his way north but now he wanted to alert him that he was not traveling alone. Nicholas Epp was a rebellious young man with no ambition who drifted in and out of the Mennonite Church. He lived a dull existence on his family’s farm outside of Waterloo and got vicarious pleasure out of hearing about the peripatetic life of his cousin from Mexico. Nicholas was a handsome young man who bore a remarkable resemblance to Jakob. All Nicholas knew was that Jakob wanted to store something on the farm where it would be safe from prying eyes. Epp’s task was to find such a place.
***
Epp had selected an abandoned shed in an overgrown and neglected remote part of the farm and, under the cover of darkness, the three of them had quickly secreted almost all of the drugs under tarp and plastic covers behind some rusted out farm equipment. One package was given to Nicholas to use as he saw fit and two packages were put in Jakob’s duffel bag in the event he needed to raise some ready cash the next day.
A Murder In Parlor Harbor Page 2