Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home

Chapter Forty-Four

Chief Lanigan knew that the youngsters in his living room were there by coercion and that if he tried to appear friendly, they would only mistrust him more. So he tried candor.

“I won’t ask you to make yourselves comfortable because I know you can’t until this business is cleared up. That would be asking a lot. But there’s coffee here and some cookies and for those who want something cold, Coke. Help yourselves.”

“I’ll have a cup of coffee,” said Adam Sussman.

“So will I,” said Bill Jacobs.

“I’d like a Coke, please,” said Betty Marks.

Chief Lanigan, with the rabbi helping, passed out drinks and cookies. Then, when they were settled, he began again. “All of you participated in a cookout on the beach at Tarlow’s Point last Monday evening—”

“Just a minute,” said Jacobs. “There was someone else,”

“You’re referring to Adam Jenkins?”

“That’s right.”

“I asked the Boston police to contact him for us. He lives in a boarding house, and his landlady said he had gone off to New York. We have also contacted the New York police and asked them to look him up for us. In the meantime I’m afraid we’ll have to do without him. Now, sometime during the evening you were joined by Moose Carter. And a little while later Gorfinkle here had to leave to pick up his folks, thus leaving you without transportation when the storm started. You ran for cover to Hillson House, forced a window, and took shelter inside.”

“Just a minute,” said Adam Sussman. “I’m not admitting anything.”

Lanigan sighed. “Let’s get one thing straight, Sussman: I’m not trying to trap you. Everything I have said and everything I’m going to say I can prove easily. I’m just trying to find out what happened. The point I was trying to make is that you were all guilty of breaking and entering. Under the circumstances your behavior has some justification. That was a pretty frightening storm. What’s more, it seems that you did nothing but take shelter. There is no evidence of vandalism, and as far as we can make out, nothing was taken. But it was breaking and entering, and I can hold you for it.” He looked around at them pointedly.

“That’s blackmail isn’t it?” said Jacobs. “Yes.” said Lanigan pleasantly. “So what do you want to know?”

“Let’s start from the beginning.”

“All right, so you. Jacobs, and Sussman marched him into the study/ said Lanigan. “Just a minute.” He went to the hall closet and came back with a package. “I stopped off at the hardware store earlier and got one of those plastic drop cloths. It’s just about the size of the plastic dust cover in the study at Hillson House.” He unfolded it and spread it on the floor. “Now. Gorfinkle, suppose you lie down on that, and Jacobs can show us how he wrapped Moose.”

Stu lay down on the sheet as everyone craned forward to watch. But Bill Jacobs shook his head. “The sheet was draped sort of catty-cornered on the couch, so that Moose was lying on the diagonal. Move your carcass around. Stu. That’s right.” Suiting the action to the words he proceeded to demonstrate. “First, we picked up this corner and covered his feet. Then we picked up this corner and wrapped it tight around his body and kind of tucked it in. Then we picked up the opposite corner and wrapped it over that and tucked it under him, like this.”

“And was anything said at the time, or had Moose passed out?”

“No, he was swearing, mostly at Jenkins.”

“And Jenkins, did he say anything?”

“Not that I remember, except when we finished wrapping him up and he fell asleep. Jenkins said—but it was just in time—”

“What did he say?”

“Oh, something about we ought to put it over his flippin head.” And then Jacobs added quickly, “But he was just joking.”

“Of course.” said Lanigan easily. “Now, when you came back to Hillson House, how did you find Moose? Any change in the way he was wrapped?”

“Well, this top corner had been pulled over and tucked in where the folds of the plastic met.”

“Show me.”

“Hey!” from Stu.

“Don’t worry, Gorfinkle, we won’t leave you there,” Lanigan reassured him.

Bill Jacobs lifted the upper corner of the sheet and folded it over Stu’s head and tucked it in.

Sue Arons shrieked. “Take it off,” she cried hysterically, “take it off!”