“And?” Decker prodded.
“And that’s it. We reconciled. Especially after September eleventh, our differences seemed absolutely silly. He had us over for dinner; we had them over for dinner. We took Shayndie for a couple of weekends. Everything seemed all right… until this exploded in our faces.”
“What did Chaim do to turn the business around?”
“I was under the impression that he didn’t do anything. That things simply improved.”
“So he didn’t give you any specifics?”
“No.”
“What about Ephraim? Did he give you any explanation for the turnaround?”
“No, he didn’t say anything to me. I always had the feeling that it took all of Ephraim’s energies just to be Ephraim. He was dealing with his own set of problems.”
“I’m going to think out loud,” Decker said. “Don’t take offense.”
“I understand.”
“Chaim borrows from the bank to expand the business, then falls into deep debt. Recession hits and business turns terrible. He borrows here, he borrows there-from relatives, maybe from friends, to scratch by, to put the bankers at bay. But it’s not enough. He gets panicky enough to ask you to do something illegal-”
“I don’t know if he viewed it as illegal.”
“It’s iffy at best, Jonathan. And even after you explained it to him, which I’m sure you did and in great detail, he balks. He stops speaking to you. Your words, right?”
Jonathan was silent, masking his apprehension by concentrating on his driving.
“Then all of a sudden, things turn around,” Decker said.
“I don’t know if it was all of a sudden,” Jonathan said.
“Business was slowly getting better, you said. Let me parse this out for a moment. Business slowly getting better doesn’t mean a sudden influx of money-enough so that you’re no longer worried about loan officers breathing down your neck. Business slowly getting better implies a stretched-out process.”
Jonathan said, “I’m not following you.”
“That’s because I’m working this through as I go along,” Decker told him. “Okay. We have this slow recovery. But then I’m told that Ephraim was upset about Chaim’s business practices. So you know what I’m thinking, Jon. I’m thinking that Chaim wasn’t relying on his slowly recovering business to pull him through. I’m thinking that maybe the guy suddenly came into quick cash-possibly by illegal means. More than likely by illegal means-unless you know of any fortuitous inheritances.”
“You’re making major leaps, Akiva.”
“Yeah, that’s the fun part of what I do. The messy part is getting evidence to back up my ideas. Now let me play this out for a moment. The easiest way for Chaim to get illegal cash is by insurance fraud. Trouble is, claims take time. The turnabout was rather on the sudden side, correct?”
“I don’t know how sudden it was.”
“Well, how many months was it from the time he asked to borrow the shul’s money to the time you two reconciled?”
Jonathan tapped the wheel. “About three months.”
“Must have been a hell of a three-month upturn in sales, Jon. Now if it were during Christmastime, maybe. But we’re talking from June to September-traditionally slow retail months. Forgive my skepticism.”
Decker’s stomach growled.
“Take a sandwich,” Jonathan told him. “I’ve got tuna or chicken.”
“Which one do you want?”
“I honestly don’t care.”
“Then I’ll take the chicken.” Decker rummaged through his half brother’s briefcase until he found the plastic bag and the sandwiches inside. “What do you do when you can’t wash?”
“Just make Hamotzei. I’ve also got some fruit, chips, and a couple of diet Cokes. Raisie has a stake in feeding my gut. Help yourself.”
Decker said a prayer and bit into his lunch. “Thanks, I’m really starved. Should we continue?”
“You mean should you continue.”
“Yeah, I am doing most of the talking. Anything you’d like to add?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Where was I?”
“Chaim’s upsurge in business during the summertime.”
“You’re paying attention.”
“I always was a good student.” Jonathan’s voice was bitter.
Decker took another bite. “So how did Chaim get the money? Like I said before, insurance fraud not only takes time, but also the policyholder raises a red flag by making too many claims. Now, I was told that when you want big cash from insurance, you destroy the entire stock in one fell swoop courtesy of a professional arsonist. But even if they pay off and you get the cash, it won’t get you quick cash. For the same reason-claims take time, especially big ones. There would be a major investigation. So I’m asking myself what could Chaim do to generate quick cash.”
“And what have you concluded?”
“Several things.” Decker washed down the chicken-salad sandwich with his Diet Coke. “This is perfect. Thanks. You’re not hungry?”
“Actually, I am.”
Decker unwrapped the tuna sandwich for him. Jonathan said a prayer and took a bite. “So how would Chaim get quick cash?”
“Money laundering through his business, possibly. Chaim takes a cut of whatever he cleans. But then I have to ask myself how would Ephraim have found out about a money-laundering scheme since he wasn’t in charge of any of the finances, didn’t have any bookkeeping records or anything from the bank. So laundering wouldn’t be my first choice.”
Jonathan finally made it onto the HH Parkway. It was bumper to bumper. He hoped the traffic would clear once he made it past the city. “So what would be your first choice?”
“Narcotics. Drugs. Since you’re my rabbi-and you’re confidentially bound-let me tell you what my brother Randy, the Miami Vice cop, told me.” He recapped his conversation with Randy. “It seems that our brethren have been naughty boys regarding the illegal transport and sales of MDMA, better known as ecstasy. As a matter of fact, I recall a big scandal about New York Chasidim bringing in the drug. Am I right about this?”
“It was years ago.”
“About three years ago,” Decker corrected. “And it did have reverberations in the communities. So what do you think?”
“If I’m correct about this, you’re deducing that Chaim got some money by being a courier of ecstasy.”
“Actually, I’m thinking out loud.”
“Then let me think along with you. Wouldn’t being a courier imply that Chaim had made frequent trips to Israel or to Europe where the drug was manufactured and then back?”
Decker didn’t answer. He knew what was coming.
Jonathan said, “I don’t think Chaim’s left New York for the last ten years.”
“Maybe he didn’t do it bit by bit-or trip by trip. Maybe he did it in one big trip with one big score. You wouldn’t know if he took a quick trip or not, would you?”
“No.”
“I think the only way to know about his travels would be to check his passport.” Decker smiled. “Now there’s an idea.”
“Forget it, Akiva.”
“What would it hurt?”
“You want me to go over to Chaim while he’s sitting shiva for his slain daughter and brother and ask him about his passport?”
“Maybe not.”
“Definitely not!”
“You’re right,” Decker said.
They crawled along the parkway in silence, both of them wolfing down the homemade lunch. When the van finally left the city limits-heading upstate via the Saw Mill Parkway-traffic eased, and the wheels began turning at a nice clip. Feeling better with food in his stomach, Jonathan resumed the conversation.