Not Exactly a Brahmin Read Online Free PDF Page A

but has stopped that in the last few years. …” I let the thought hang.
    “Since he married Lois,” she said, picking it up.
    “Why do you think he changed?”
    Mrs. Kershon fingered her soft blond hair. She glanced at Billy as if assessing whether to speak in front of him.
    But it was Billy who spoke. “She’s got more important stuff to spend money on than charity.”
    “Billy!”
    “It’s true, Ma. She’s got a Mercedes. She’s got fur coats. Boy, I sure haven’t seen her putting a quarter in the Free Clinic box.”
    Mrs. Kershon started to speak to him again, then caught herself and shrugged. “It’s true, Officer. I don’t know her well—hardly at all, but she doesn’t look … well, she looks like she devotes most of her thoughts to her appearance. You know what I mean.”
    I did, but I said, “Can you give me any examples?”
    “Examples? She looks like a model. And she’s a lot younger than Ralph.”
    Picking up the unspoken inference, I asked, “Do you think she married him for his money?”
    “Well, I don’t want to make judgments, I mean, I hardly know the woman, so I really can’t say what her motivations were.”
    “That’s not what you said to Dad.”
    “Billy!”
    I stared at her, fighting to control a grin. “Mrs. Kershon?”
    “Well, okay, off the record, I can’t think what else would have motivated Lois. She’s very attractive, very sure of herself. Ralph is a nice man. He would make some woman a lovely husband. But not Lois Palmerston.” She paused. “The thing is, Officer, Lois Palmerston doesn’t look like a woman for whom nice would be enough, if you know what I mean.”
    Billy was sitting on the edge of his chair, his knees tapping together.
    “Well, thank you, Mrs. Kershon.” I gave her my card, with the old extension crossed out and my new Homicide one inked in. “You’ll let me know if you hear anything, won’t you?”
    “Of course.”
    I stood up and started for the door. “One more thing. As long as Billy is dressed anyway, I wonder if he could show me the exact spot in the street where Ralph Palmerston nearly hit him. We’ll use an umbrella.”
    “Sure,” she said. “He’s either going to get pneumonia or not now. But you put your jacket on, Billy.”
    Without pause he headed to a closet and drew out a jacket and umbrella.
    Once outside, I said, “What did you want to tell me?”
    “Gee, how did you know—”
    “Police training,” I said with a straight face.
    “See, I couldn’t tell you in front of my mother. I mean, she sent me to bed, right after I got home. Like I was a baby. She’d kill me if she knew I’d gone back outside, I mean, after she told me to stay in bed.” Suddenly he looked frightened. “You won’t tell, will you?”
    “Not unless it’s vital to the case. And if that happens there’ll be so much going on that it won’t matter.” I waited till he nodded, then said, “So you went back outside.”
    “See, I really wanted to see the lightning and all. I figured I’d ride my bike up into Tilden Park and find a spot under the trees and watch.”
    “What did you do?” We were standing in the middle of the street. The wind was tossing the rain against our legs; rain bounced off the macadam onto our ankles.
    “Well, I got my bike and I started out into the street and then Mr. Palmerston backed out of his garage. He nearly hit me.”
    “You said he nearly hit you when you were coming home from school.”
    “Well, he came close then, but this was the time he nearly hit me. Of course, I didn’t tell Mom that. I started telling her about him nearly hitting me and I was telling her before I realized that I’d better not. So I adjusted things quick.”
    “And?” I hoped this wasn’t all I was standing here in the rain to learn.
    “Well, he stopped. He felt real bad. But he said he was in a big hurry. He was going for his wife. It was an emergency.”
    “Did he say where she was?”
    “Yeah. That’s the really