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Sonya Sekula said, “Why don’t you come with me to the Reises’?
They’re giving a party.” I said I wasn’t invited. Sonya said, “Come
anyway; they won’t mind.” As we walked in, Mrs. Reis was extremely
friendly in her greeting, and even asked what I’d like to drink. I
said, “Rum.” She said, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I don’t have any at the
bar, but I’ll go down to the basement and get some.” I asked her not
to bother, but she insisted. While she was gone, I made my way over
to the bar and discovered Bushmills Irish whisky, of which I am
very fond. I asked for some and began drinking it. When Mrs. Reis
came back with the rum, naturally I drank some of that. As the time
passed, I drank rum when Mrs. Reis was looking and Irish whisky
when she wasn’t. After a while Sonya Sekula said, “Let’s go. You
take one of the bottles of Irish and I’ll get my coat and meet you
downstairs.” I said, “You take the bottle; I’ll get your coat.”
She said, “O.K.” I went downstairs, picked up a fur coat; Sonya
came running down with the Irish; we went out into the snow. I
said, “Do you want your coat on?” She said, “No. The car’s right
here. Just throw it in the back seat.” A few blocks along, Sonya
said, “That’s not my coat.” I said, “How do you know?” She said,
“The perfume.” We drove on to Grand Street, went upstairs, and
killed the Irish. We talked all the time about selling the coat in
some distant city. Sonya said she knew a fence in St. Louis. About
midnight I called the Reises and spoke to Mr. Reis. I said, “I have
the coat.” He said, “Thank God!” We made arrangements for my
bringing it to his office in the morning. When I got there I
explained it had all been a mistake. Before we said good-by, he
whispered, “No one will ever hear a word about this.” I went to the
elevator. He came running down the hall and said, “What about Mrs.
Reis’s coat?” I said, “I don’t know anything about her coat; I
didn’t take it.” |