Chapter 62
F rank finds Maggie at home. She’s sitting alone in the dark living room, her handkerchief wadded in her hand.
“Maggie, Mickey’s gone,” Frank says gently.
Eyes red from weeping, she nods. “I was with Edith when the police called.”
“You were?” Frank asks, surprised.
“When I first got to her house, she was just tearing out of the driveway. I tried to follow in my car, but I couldn’t catch her. I didn’t know what to do, so I went back to her house. Her front door was wide open, Inspector. I just sat in her living room and waited. I knew she would come back.”
“And did she?”
“Yes, she was back within the hour.”
“Really. An hour? Are you sure?” Frank asks. Old habits die hard.
“Yes, I’m pretty sure it was an hour.” Maggie pauses, thinking. “Okay, maybe it was longer. What are you on about, Inspector? There I was, frantic with worry, and she roars up the driveway the same way she left. She stumbled into the house, a fresh bottle of gin tucked under her arm. Still terribly upset. Well, we both were. The police called shortly after she returned.”
Maggie dabs at her tears, sniffing. “Poor Mickey. Were you there with him?”
“Yes. I was there.”
“Did he see you? At the end, I mean?”
“Yes. He wasn’t alone when he died.”
“Good. He wasn’t all bad. There was good there. Oh,” Maggie says, eyes wide, “I shall have to tell Tommy. This will hit him hard. Tommy adored Mickey.”
“Poor, lad. Another funeral,” Frank says with sadness.
“I remember the day Mickey and I stole your badge. He was like a kid in a candy store, so excited with the caper.” Maggie’s tears flow harder. “He didn’t deserve to die like that.”
“The end was always there, in the beginning,” Frank says, quietly.
“Is that one of your Bonaparte quotes?”
“No. A contemporary of yours, my dear.”
Maggie shakes her head. “No matter. Did you see who did it?”
Frank hesitates. “No.”
“They’ve already picked up the Baileys for questioning. I should have known. Just out of jail and the first thing they do is gun down Mickey.”
“Did they confess?”
“Rats like that? To the actual shooting? No, but Joe called and said that they confessed Eddie Regan had paid them to do it. Claimed that they didn’t have time to get the job done, but I know they did it. Edith saw them hanging around the house. According to Joe, the police are going to pick Eddie up as soon as they find him. Something about working for the Lanzettas. Maybe it was a mob hit? Over territory?”
“Maggie, I have something to tell you.”
“About Mickey?”
“In a way. More about me, though.”
Maggie sniffs, dabs at her tears, and looks up at him. He crosses to her and crouches in front of her.
“My dear, I’ve come to say goodbye.”
“So soon? Well, all right. Tomorrow we can talk about the Lanzetta brothers. Obviously they’ve grown into significant players in the city. We should look into them.”
“No, Maggie,” Frank says, gently. “I mean… goodbye.”
“Inspector?”
“I can feel the pull, Maggie. It’s time. I’ve held it off in order to speak with you one last time, but I really must be going, soon,” Frank says, his eyes searching her face.
“I don’t understand, Inspector. Has something happened?”
Rising, Frank goes over and sits in his chair, one last time. “We’ve speculated regarding the reason why I’m here in Philadelphia, a specter haunting a city. Unknowingly, we’ve been circling my ‘purpose’ for some time now.”
Maggie looks at him, realization dawning on her face. “Your purpose had something to do with Mickey?”
“Yes, my dear. Mickey Duffy. He’s been at the center of everything we’ve done. From the first occasion that brought us together over young Oskar’s death, every action taken has pulled us closer to this moment.”
“We’ve been circling? Wait, you’re going-going?” Maggie clutches the arms of her chair. “No, you can’t go.”
“Listen to me, Maggie. I’ve not much time. It’s important that you understand—to know why I was here. The relationship you developed with Mickey was an element; your friendship with Edith was another; Delores and her revenge quest; the return of the badge; the affection he felt for Tommy like a younger brother or a son; our discovery of Bandit’s Cemetery; the connection between my brother and Mickey. Each has added to the centrifugal force that has been pulling us closer to this end.”
Maggie is not listening. “But Inspector, I don’t want you to go.”
Frank smiles at her. I’m going to miss her so much. “Unfortunately, you don’t have a say in the matter, my dear. But I’m ready. Remember that my wife, Mary, is waiting for me. So is my daughter. And Mickey, for that matter. I’m sure he and Billy have already found each other, and are arm in arm over wild tales and whiskies.”
“I like the sound of that. Or maybe not? One Duffy bandit was plenty for me. What will it be like when there’re two of them?” Maggie says.
“When Mickey showed us Bandits’ Cemetery, I was so certain it was about Billy, but it wasn’t. Mickey. Now I realize it’s always been about Mickey. He needed some help, at the end. But I was able to show him the way home. The two bandits in the Geyer family tree are at peace,” says Frank.
Maggie smiles at the thought of Mickey and Billy. “I’ll miss you, Inspector. You’ve been a good friend.”
“And I you. The years haven’t exactly been halcyon, my dear, have they?”
“What will I do without you? I don’t want it to end like this. I’m not ready to say goodbye.”
“Oh, pish-posh, Maggie. You and Ron have a business to build, and Tommy is off to college in a few years. One day, he’ll come home with a girl on his arm and you’ll have grandchildren to cherish. Someday, we will meet again. I’ll watch for you so you can tell me how it all turns out: the bootleggers and the corruption, Philly herself. Promise me that you’ll remember it all.”
“I will, Inspector. I promise. Every last thing. I won’t forget.” Maggie chokes back a sob. “I don’t think I can say goodbye to you.” She looks deeply at him. “There are too many memories. Can I say ‘I’ll see you soon’ instead?”
“Not soon. Hopefully not soon. I’ll see you ‘someday’. Remember, my dear Margaret, Peggy, Maggie, the pain of parting will be nothing compared to the joy of meeting again.”
Maggie steps forward as if to touch him on the hand. “That is a lovely way to end it then,” she says.
And Frank slowly fades away.
Chapter 63
A h, Philly. Those glad-rags she wore in the Twenties are a little tattered and worse for wear now. But heck, time passes. Whether good times or bad, there’s always another day. You can’t stop time. Nothing’s ever gained looking backward. Heck, what happened happened. You gotta look forward and move on. Like the hands of time.
Tick tock…
Tick…
Mickey Duffy, dead. Love him or hate him, for better or worse, he was King of the Bootleggers and a Prince of the city. Thousands of people lined the street to pay their respects the day they buried him.
…Tock
Tick…
Maggie asks Edith for Mickey’s gun and shoulder holster, and a bottle of whiskey—she buries them in Bandits’ Cemetery. Half way down and deep. Where bandits buried their brothers-in-arms. It seemed fitting somehow. She wished that the Inspector could have shared the moment; maybe he did.
… Tock
Tick…
Maggie and Ron, posing in front of the cameras, cutting the ribbon to open McNeely and McNeely, with Ron sweeping her up to carry her across the threshold.
… Tock.
Tick…
Tommy, no, Tom. Off to college and then the rest of his life: confident
enough to hold his own with bootleggers, smart enough to hold his own with the boys at Boys’ Central High School. The challenges of his future so different than his past—or maybe not. All for one: a war to fight. A business to build. A woman to love.
….Tock
Tick…
Joe Kelly, finding his footing with the Feds and the Treasury Agents: recruited. A freshly minted special agent just in time to take on the mob in AC. Finally, honor, integrity, service; a mission he can believe in.
….Tock
Tick…
Jimmy, his quick wit gets him out of scrapes, but he’s not so quick that he can outrun the Lanzettas. In the wrong place at the wrong time.
….Tock
Tick…
Archie Mansfield. Standing in front of another generation of math students. Back in his rooming house, he feeds a blank piece of paper into the typewriter, his scrapbooks spread out on his bed. Chapter One, he types. Philadelphia has not yet lost its soul.
….Tock
Tick….
Dick Beamish, ace reporter. The lure of bigger stories. The New York Times, the Washington Post. A Pulitzer sitting on his desk, anchoring his notes. A curious man, with a notebook and a camera, can go far.
….Tock
Tick….
Henry and Sadie under the canopy. Henry’s foot smashing the wine glass. "Mazel tov!" Tante Edith and Tante Maggie beaming, managing Baby Harry between them.
….Tock
Tick…
Delores Bailey, driving the dusty back roads in Montana, bottles of Rocky Mountain Moonshine rattling in the back seat. She squints into the sun. A shiver as someone walks over a grave, and then it’s gone. She doesn’t stop driving; she has deliveries to make.
….Tock
Tick…
Edith Duffy, alone in her silent house. She closes the front door one last time, drawn to the heat and the palm trees where gangster widows go to live out their days. But there’s something about the way she squares her shoulders, a ghost of a smile on her lips.
….Tock
Tick…
And then there’s Philly herself, a grand dame if there ever was one. The night that Mickey Duffy died was the passing of an era. The marquees on Broad and Market dimmed a bit. Did a bit of Philly die that night, too?
Frank got it right when he quoted Bonaparte, ‘Death is nothing. But to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.’ Philly hasn’t been defeated, she’s merely been resting and gathering her strength. The bootleggers were one threat, this Great Depression is another. And sure as time itself, there will be another after that. But she always manages to rise again, never defeated, always looking forward.
….Tock
Tick…
Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.
….Tock
The End
Wait!! Don’t go.
You’d make this author very happy
if you’d take a few minutes and leave a review on Amazon
for the Bootlegger books you’ve read.
…. and there’s more…
Curious about the day that Edith and Mickey met?
Was it love at first sight or fireworks?
Only Bootlegger Readers Group subscribers get the exclusive novella, Destinations.
Go to https://sherilyndecter.com/destinations-landing-page/
and you can start reading today!
Subscribers to the Bootleggers’ Readers Group also get the latest updates on the books that Sherilyn is writing including the chance to read A Gathering Storm, the first book of her new Rum Runners’ Chronicles series, before it’s published on Amazon.
Author’s Notes
There is the romantic image of a writer, toiling alone in a garret, suffering for her muse. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. I write all my books with a couple of bad dogs curled up at my feet in the comfort of my home, either in Canada or Mexico.
Standing behind me and peering over my shoulder (figuratively, at least) is my editor Marie Beswick-Arthur and her trusty partner in crime, Richard. She’s been the most patient of editors and coaches and I certainly couldn’t have done it without her. (Although I will keep insisting that draft ninety-seven wasn’t necessary- LOL). I was also lucky to work with a great cover designer, Jane Dixon-Smith. She reached into my imagination and brought Maggie, Frank, and all the other rogues and heroes to life.
I also had a great team of beta readers for Come at the King: Kate Decter, Rachel Andrews, Jessica Decter, Kim Mitchell, Grant McPhail, Jeanne Millis, and Johann Laesecke . They were very kind and gentle in their comments to a first time writer.
Finally, where would I be without my husband Derry? He listened to the subtle difference of phrasing many, many times, provided his medical expertise for several key scenes, and kept me going when I was ready to give up.
Thank you one and all.
* * * *
Historians are vital for those who want to understand our present and get a sense of what the future may hold. They sift through the detritus of people’s lives, pulling out facts and patterns and then reweaving them into a whole to provide us mere mortals with a path forward.
As appealing as that is, I am not an historian. I am a story teller. I take those same facts and attempt to reshape them into something that I hope you will find entertaining. My fictional characters get to live with factual characters.
These books are works of fiction and should never be considered anything but. While I’ve tried to stay true to the grand arch of history, occasionally I’ve moved an event that happened in one month into another so that it has a better flow through the story.
The Bootleggers’ Chronicles series is based in Philadelphia during the 1920s. It is set during the time of Prohibition, an era that reshaped America. Many of the characters found between the pages of the Bootleggers’ Chronicles were actual people, walking the streets and living their lives in Philadelphia during this time. I have been inspired by their individual stories, but have reshaped them to fit the plot of my books. Sometimes things happened in real life in a similar fashion to what I have laid out, and sometimes it is a complete fabrication.
In the character listing at the back of each book is a Wikipedia link to many of the real individuals, and I encourage you to do your own research into their fascinating lives. They were compelling characters, both fictional and historical, and it was an honour to get to know them all better.
Cast of Recurring Characters in the Bootleggers’ Chronicles:
The Gangsters
Mickey Duffy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Duffy) a fictionalized portrayal of a real bootlegger who was affectionately known as King of the Bootleggers in Philadelphia during the 1920s.
Married to Edith Duffy (http://www.dvrbs.com/people/CamdenPeople-MickeyDuffy.htm)
The Duffy crew includes:
Henry Mercer- chief lieutenant
“Fingers” McGee- muscle
Gus Toland- muscle
Porter- muscle
Eugene Smith- accountant, and lodger, Innocence Lost
Mike Malazdrewicz- accountant, and replacement for Eugene in remaining books.
John Bricker- Mickey’s driver and bodyguard (http://www.dvrbs.com/people/CamdenPeople-MickeyDuffy.htm)
Arthur Werblun- Mickey’s attorney
“Boo-Boo” Max Hoff (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Hoff_(mobster))
Hated rival of Mickey Duffy, bootlegger and boxing promoter
Crew includes:
Charlie Schwartz- chief lieutenant
Max Hassel (http://www.berkshistory.org/multimedia/articles/beer-baron-max-hassel/) Sometime rival, sometime partner of Mickey Duffy
Bailey Gang
Frankie Bailey (http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/bootlegging/)
James Bailey
Petey Ford (Philadelphia: Organized Crime in the 1920s and 1930s)
Gilbert “Bert” Bailey
George “Skinny” Barrow
Delores Bailey
Chicago Gangs
Al Capone (The Chicago Outfit) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Capone)
Bugs Moran (The North Side Gang) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugs_Moran)
The Law
Colonel Smedley Butler- Director of Public Safety (aka Chief of Police) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler)
Joe Kelly- member of the Philadelphia Police, and lodger
Come at the King Page 26
