Part 19 (2/2)

”Ah! Excellent!” Max said.

I realized the package must be the delivery of books about doppelgangers that Max was expecting from Jerusalem. Remembering that conversation made me remember the cab ride, which made me remember my ruined evening-which made me remember that I'd left my wrap at the church. After talking to Lopez by phone outside St. Monica's, I'd been so stunned that I'd forgotten all about it until after I got home.

So, while Max was opening his Federal Express package, I found a phone book and called St. Monica's. I told the administrator who answered the phone that I had left an item of clothing in the crypt yesterday evening. She checked the church's lost-and-found box but told me my wrap wasn't there.

”It's probably still in the crypt,” I said. ”I'll stop by the church for it when I get a chance. Or if you happen to find it before then, would you hold it for me?”

”Of course.”

”My name's Esther Diamond,” I said. ”Father Gabriel knows me.”

”I'll tell him you called.”

As I hung up, Lucky eyed the large, ornate volumes Max had unpacked, and asked, ”Them's the German books you been waiting for?”

”This is marvelous!” Max said. ”When I was young, it would have taken a year year to borrow books from a colleague as far away as the Holy Land!” to borrow books from a colleague as far away as the Holy Land!”

”Welcome to the twenty-first century, Max,” I said.

Nelli sniffed the books with mild interest, then turned in a circle three times and lay down near Lucky.

I returned to the subject at hand. ”So based on what Lucky and I have been reading, I think that what we met with last night was a bilocated apparition.”

”It says here,” Lucky added, referring to his book, ”that this thing 'cannot easily be distinguished from the real individual.' ”

”Yes, that does sound like what we're dealing with.” Max frowned thoughtfully as he nodded. ”A form of bilocated apparitional doppelgangerism.”

”Are we still sure it's doppelgangerism?” I asked. ”I know that Charlie saw his doppelgangster and took it as a warning of imminent death, but-”

”So did Johnny,” said Lucky.

”What?” Max exclaimed.

Max and I gaped at Lucky. He looked pleased with the effect his statement had on us.

The old gangster said, ”Johnny Be Good saw his own perfect double before he got whacked.”

11.

I said, ”Johnny saw his doppelgangster before he died?” said, ”Johnny saw his doppelgangster before he died?”

”Yep. That was one of the calls I made while you was reading and Max was downstairs. I talked to Johnny's grieving widow.” Lucky rolled his eyes, and his ironic tone indicated that Mrs. Gambello wasn't as heartbroken about her husband's death as Johnny Be Good might have wished. ”I just didn't want to have to say this twice, so I was waiting for Max to come back upstairs.”

”Well?” I prodded.

”Johnny come home the other night, laughing and babbling about how he just seen a guy who looked exactly like himself. He was drunk off his rocker, like always, so his wife ignored him.”

”So he saw saw it?” I suddenly felt cold. it?” I suddenly felt cold.

Lucky nodded. ”The missus says that Johnny claimed the guy he saw was a dead ringer for himself. A perfect double. He told her he could've sent this other guy home to her bed, and she'd never know the difference. Except for . . .” Lucky lowered his eyes and shrugged. ”Er, Johnny thought his double would lack his amorous talents and that's how his wife would know the other guy was an imposter. But she says Johnny overestimated himself in that regard, so if the double had any more imagination than a dog, dog, that's how she'd know it was a ringer.” that's how she'd know it was a ringer.”

When Nelli picked up her head and stared coldly at Lucky, he said to her, ”Hey, it's wasn't me. I'm just repeating what Johnny's wife said. And she don't know from dogs, so let it go.”

Nelli sighed and put her head back down on her paws.

”And that,” Lucky continued, ”was the last time Johnny's wife saw him. He left the house at some point the next day, while she was out, and he ain't been home since. Ain't called, neither.”

”So Johnny's doppelgangster hasn't visited his home,” Max mused.

”Unless that was was his doppelgangster,” I said. ”Pretending to have seen itself.” his doppelgangster,” I said. ”Pretending to have seen itself.”

”Huh?” Lucky said.

”I mean-”

”Oh! Never mind, I get it.” Lucky added, ”Based the estimated time of death, I figure Johnny was whacked sometime after his wife saw him and before Mickey Rosenblum played poker with him.”

And according to the morning papers, Johnny was knocked unconscious before being dumped in the river, so his death did indeed seem to be murder.

”So Mr. Rosenblum was playing cards with Johnny's doppelgangster,” Max mused.

”If that really is is Mickey I been talkin' to on the phone.” Lucky rubbed a hand over his face. ”I hope so. I like Mickey.” Mickey I been talkin' to on the phone.” Lucky rubbed a hand over his face. ”I hope so. I like Mickey.”

”And now we know both both victims saw their perfect doubles shortly before dying,” I said. victims saw their perfect doubles shortly before dying,” I said.

”Doppelgangerism.” Max's voice held conviction. ”Charlie knew he'd been cursed. Johnny Be Good just didn't understand what he was seeing.”

”That's easy to believe,” muttered Lucky.

”But what is the purpose of these doppelgangsters?” Max wondered.

”At a guess,” I said, ”murder.”

”Yes, but why has such an elaborate phenomenon accompanied the murder of these two individuals?” Max asked. ”Were they especially important men? Did they have unique powers?”

Lucky shook his head. ”Charlie was a good earner, but he wasn't hard to replace. We moved someone up into his spot by yesterday, and we expect Charlie's, uh, branch of the business to continue running smooth without him. And, G.o.d forgive me for speaking ill of the dead, Johnny was a useless momzer momzer. It's not like his death is a kick in the nuts for us, even though the boss is upset about it.”

”Hey,” I said. ”Could the guy you promoted to Charlie's spot be behind this?” And then Johnny's murder, I supposed, would be misdirection, an attempt by a rising Gambello mobster to keep suspicion off himself.

Lucky shook his head. ”No, he's in Charlie's spot now because we trust him. He was headed for something good anyhow, so he sure didn't have to whack another Gambello to get it. Plus he knows what would happen to him if he did that and we ever found out. And he ain't the doppelgangster-creating type. You can trust me on this.”

”So we're back to regarding the Corvinos as the most likely suspects for killing Gambellos?” I said.

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