Albany Park (49 page)

Casually, she turned and did a double-take when she spied Vic’s old friend. , “Oh, hi, Jim, how are you?”

“Hi Connie!” he smiled, “good, how bout you?”

Smiling at Jim, she dropped the papers on the desk. “Still workin’ and tryin’ to send my kids to college.”

“Wow, your kids are in college already? I remember when they were just starting school.”

“Yep, time flies, when you’re havin’ fun,” she responded, heading out and holding the door, waiting to see if Vic wanted it closed or open. He waved and she closed it.

“Man, she still looks great,” Jim said watching her leave. “How do you get any work done with her around? I bet she hasn’t gained ten pounds in all the years she’s worked here.”

Vic smiled, nodding in agreement. “I think she just turned fifty but you’d never know it. And she’s worth her weight in gold.”

“I remember Darlene teasing you after you hired her.”

Both chuckled.

Settling into the leather curve-backed chair in front of the desk, Jim shuffled some papers, adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.

“The County president is behind this program one hundred percent, Vic. He’s nearing retirement and wants to position the Democrats to be the party to beat in the coming years.”

Vic nodded, toying with a pen over a notepad, while Jim went on.

“Fighting crime, in his opinion, has to be pursued vigorously and he needs someone that is not beholden to influence from either party or financial interests. The person who’s appointed to run the show has to be squeaky clean.”

Putting the pen down, Vic rubbed at his chin.

Jim peered over his glasses. “Look Vic, whoever is appointed will have a free hand to run this committee without interference from the president or anyone else in the state or local government. The job will require hiring experienced investigators and auditors and developing leads for prosecutors to pursue.”

Shaking his head Vic chuckled. “Are you sure they’re interested in someone like me or are they just blowin’ smoke? You know if I get involved I won’t screw around and if the president or any of his buddies don’t like it, I’ll give ‘em a hard time. Let’s face it, I don’t depend on them for a job.”

“You and your people won’t be on the board’s payroll or the mayor’s. Funding will come from private sources and I figure it’ll require about a two million dollar budget for the first two years. That’s another reason why you’re a prime candidate, you and Darlene have a lot of successful fundraising experience for the Democratic party and the United Jewish Fund.”

“So they’d really allow it to be an independent position?”

“All I can tell you is that the head of the committee will be the final authority on all subjects, including press releases and dealing with the media. The budget will also be under his sole discretion. In other words, the Director will have carte blanche to run his organization. The only qualifications the president insisted upon was that the candidate must meet with his personal approval and be above reproach, which was why I would like to get you to go for it.

Grinning Vic looked at Jim. “Man, you really want me to do it, don’t you?”

“When I told the president that I had a candidate in mind, he asked me if he would be willing to put up fifty grand of his own dough for the project and raise the balance of the two million bucks. I told him I thought you would agree to the fifty Gs and that you and I could handle the rest.”

“And…”

“The old man smiled, slapped me on the back and said, ‘Go for him.’ Can I give him your name?”

Vic leaned back in his chair. “I might be interested, but I need to talk to Darlene and Frank.”

Swiping a hand across his face and collecting his notes, Jim smiled. “Look Vic, I want you to go for this and I wanta be with you every step of the way. We’ve been friends since grammar school and I know with me managing your publicity the sky is the limit. Think it over carefully, but I need your decision within a week so that I can confirm your name with the old man. In the meantime, call me with any questions.”

As Jim walked out, Vic picked up the phone to call Bobby Frankel.

“What’s up?” he asked when Bobby answered. “Is there trouble at the jobsite?”

“No,” Bobby said, and Vic stiffened when he heard Bobby’s voice catch. “It’s my mother-in-law, Mitzi. She had a heart attack. And Vic, she died.”

At Mitzi’s funeral he cried silently with Darlene pressed against him, hugging his arm. Not hearing the somber words of the Rabbi, extolling her strength and describing her accomplishments of a lifetime, his thoughts were of how sweet and vulnerable she was when they met in the schoolyard and the deep trust and love they developed over the years. She was his best friend and confidant, always there to help and encourage him.

Chapter 32
 

Darlene stood in the middle of the kitchen, with her hands on her hips. She was in the midst of clearing the table and storing things in the large double door stainless steel refrigerator. At the counter near the stove top, Vic was pouring tea for the two of them. “How will this Commission job affect our life?” she wanted to know. “And won’t you be in danger if you try to expose some important people or God forbid, some gangsters?”

Vic shrugged. “Look, it’s not like we’re back in Capone’s day. Not everyone will like what we’re doing, but nobody’s going to come after me. And once we gather information that’s conclusive it will go straight to the State’s Attorney’s office. My biggest problem will just be to make sure nobody gets to the auditors and investigators we hire. It’ll look terrible if we pass on false or poorly researched information.

Darlene gritted her teeth and made a slight movement with one shoulder. “I thought you were going to take it easier and that we were going to go on a few trips to Europe or the Far East.”

Turning Vic held her cup of tea out, which she waved off, directing him to leave it on the table.

Sitting, he pleaded, “c’mon sweetie, sit down, relax, it’ll be okay,”

Setting her jaw, she pressed her lips into a taut line. “For years you’ve been working and entertaining customers at night with Frank or going to meetings while I’ve been here. Our boys were growing up and you were hardly around. I raised them almost alone. My work schedule had to be restricted so I could be at all the school events and games because you were always too busy. The only time I ever saw you regularly, was when we worked on political committees or charity events together. At least I thought that when the boys went into the business you would have more time. You keep telling me how they and Frank’s daughter have taken over for you and your brother and now you’re looking for more to do.

She slammed a fist on the granite counter. “Don’t you remember when we talked recently about growing apart and how we should start spending more time together, maybe doing some traveling like our friends? You know damn well if you get involved in politics, that’s never going to happen.”

“Sweetie, it won’t be like that. You know I love you.”

Darlene snatched some plates off the kitchen table and turned around. Standing at the sink with her back to him and gripping the counter, she said quietly, “Victor, this is a selfish thing you’re doing and I’m afraid for our marriage.”

“Look, Darlene, if you don’t want me to do it, I won’t.”

Still at the sink, looking away she shook her head. “No don’t make it my decision. You like getting into this more than you’re willing to admit. You’ve always had a yen to get into public service and with a job like this one you’ll get a lot of recognition. So go for it, if you must. You know I’ll go along with whatever you decide, but I’m worried about us.”

Getting up, he put his arms around her from the back and leaned in to kiss her. She wriggled away.

“C’mon Darlene, we’ll be fine. Maybe we can take a long weekend off and go to New York or Vegas.”

“Let’s not talk about it now. I’ve had enough for one night. Just go do what you want to do.”

Backing away, he paused before saying, “Are you okay with the money?”

“Yeah, sure,” she whispered. “In fact, if you need more, it’s okay. And tell Jim to talk to me, too. I’m sure I can help raise some money with some of my contacts.”

“Thanks, Sweetie. And Frank will help, too.”

“You’ve already talked to Frank?”

“I just asked him how he thought it might affect the business. But I told him I wasn’t going to make a decision until I’d talked to you.”

“And he’s okay with this?”

“Actually, he thinks it will be great for business, so he’s all for it. And Sweetie, don’t worry. We’ll still have plenty of time for doing some traveling.”

“Great, I’ll call the travel agent tomorrow,” Darlene said with a smile. “But why not start spending some quality time together now? Help me finish the dishes and then pour us an after dinner drink.”

Chapter 33
 

The next night, Vic got home at seven.

“Come sit down,” Darlene called from the kitchen. “I’ve got a drink waiting for you.”

“Hi,” he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. “What’s going on?”

“Bobby Frankel dropped off a large envelope with a bunch of papers for you. He said something about you being Executor of his mother-in-law’s estate. How did that happen?”

“Hmph,” he muttered, his brow furrowing. “You mean Bobby was here?”

“Yes about an hour ago. He said he knew the office would be closed by six and he was close by and wanted you to get the papers. But how ‘bout answering my question, how did you get to be the Executor?”

Vic reached for his scotch on the rocks and saw the large manila envelope with his name on it, marked “personal”, on the counter. “Well, I had forgotten about it until after she died and Bobby reminded me a few days after the funeral. I guess since we were old friends, she trusted me to handle things.”

Darlene leaned against the counter her hand touching the envelope. “I don’t get it. Don’t people usually appoint their lawyer or a family member Executor?”

“I dunno’, she asked me a long time ago if it was okay; back when Shayna was still a kid and I agreed. I guess she never got around to changing it.”

Darlene crossed her arms, her jaw tightenig as she quietly asked, “Victor, is there something I don’t know going on here? I thought Mitzi was just a casual old friend from the neighborhood. It seems odd that she would trust you to be the Executor of her estate. You’re not a lawyer. ”

Vic shrugged, responding slowly. “I guess she didn’t know many people she could trust.”

Shaking her head, Darlene waited for Vic to go on. He looked away busying himself stirring his drink.

“Victor, there’s more to this. How well did you know Mitzi Rubin?”

He shrugged again.

“Victor, you’re not looking at me. What is it that you’re not telling me?”

Vic sighed and put down his drink. “Look Darlene, her son-in-law works for me.”

“That’s not enough to make you her Executor.”

“Darlene, I don’t know what she was thinking. Now, give it a rest.”

Running her tongue over her lip, Darlene paused for a moment. “You’re hiding something aren’t you? I sensed it when Bobby delivered these papers. He had assumed you were home and was really hesitant about leaving them with me when you weren’t around. I had to insist that he leave them and as soon as he handed them over, he ran off.”

“Look Darlene, I’m Bobby’s boss. He might have been uncomfortable coming to the house. He probably felt awkward about overstepping his boundaries.”

Darlene moved in the direction of the envelope “Victor, I want to see those papers. Something is going on and I want to know what it is.”

Vic stood and walked to where the papers were on the counter. “There’s nothing going on.”

Darlene snatched the large envelope and held it out to him. “Open it Victor. I want to see what’s inside.”

“Why?”

“You know, the way you fawned over Mitzi Rubin has always bothered me. I think you were a lot closer to her than you’ve
let on
.”

Vic bit his lower lip, looking up. “Just give me the envelope. I’ll look at it later.” He reached to take it from her.

Darlene pulled it back and it ripped, spilling the contents on the floor. Vic stooped quickly and began retrieving the papers, while Darlene stood above him, rifling through the few pieces she’d managed to hold in her grasp, one of which was an envelope addressed simply to “Mitzi.”

Darlene’s hand shook. “Victor, this is your handwriting on the envelope.”

As he scrambled on the floor attempting to retrieve the large stack of scattered, blue-backed legal pages, she stepped back; opened the enclosed letter and began reading silently.

4/1/69

My Darling Mitzi,

It’s only been a few hours but I have to let you know how much I miss and love you. The few minutes I steal to be with you are never enough. I long to be with you and hold you close.

Thank you for loving me…..V

Hearing her whimper, he looked up from gathering the papers on the floor.

“How could you?” she shouted. “How long has this been going on?”

“What are you talking about?”

“This letter, it’s your handwriting! And she’s saved the goddamn thing since 1969!”

Dropping the papers, Vic started to get up reaching for her.

Her hand at her mouth she backed away. “Don’t touch me. You bastard, all these years, I knew there was something going on with the two of you,” she shrieked. “Get out of my sight.”

He started to go to her as she backed away, “You don’t understand,” He pleaded.

Slumping into a chair, her hands covering her face, she screamed,” Get out.”

“It’s not what you think,” he said not moving any closer.

Standing transfixed with his eyes on her he waited, hands at his side. Her shoulders shook and a low hurt sound came from deep within her.

Head down he went to his knees and started rummaging through the papers on the floor. Arranging the blue backed legal documents and separating them from the other papers. Stopping for an instant, he looked up to see what she was doing.