conviction, many people had retired at the new Commissioners strong suggestion, or left for the private world, where Hizzoner didnt expect them to be better than the rest of us. Could he and Ann discuss films? Hed seen only what came to the prison, none of it less than a decade old. News? News stories came to Joe like moral-free fables from a mythical land. At first he tried, following national stories: hurricanes, blizzards; the Mideast war, surreal in itself; and local ones: the West Side stadium; the mayoral election; the Harlem 9/11 memorial, thwarted by schoolkids with Save Our Park signs. Ann got a great kick out of that one, a developer she hated, stopped in his tracks. He couldnt get in at Ground Zero where the big boys are playing, she reported with glee. So he wants to plant this thing in the middle of Morningside Park and Harlems supposed to fall on its knees in gratitude. Pompous bastard! Joe wasnt nearly as interested in the story as in the way it made Anns eyes glow and her cheeks redden.
Nor could they discuss cases. Scooping lo mein out of take-out containers, they used to argue, brainstorm, and decide: whom to talk to, whose books and files to examine, how to handle what delicate political situation. Like any branch of city government, the Department of Investigation was a small craft driven by political winds. Not that they were ever steered away from a truth theyd gotten close to, he couldnt say that. But which truths were important to look for, and which questions didnt need answers, was decided from above.
That had never bothered him. One rats as good as another, hed said the day Ann had stormed in fuming about being assigned to a small time union kick back scheme when shed asked to be let loose on a nest of double-dipping concrete inspectors in Queens. Calm down, Joe had uselessly told her. Its not like theres not enough lying, cheating, and stealing to go around. He felt permitted to speak this way to Ann; he was six years her senior in this business, though only three in age.
Shed thrown him a glare, told him he was a cheery bastard, and stalked out. And done both investigations, juggling the one she was assigned and the one shed assigned herself. And gotten, simultaneously, a rap on the knuckles from their boss and a commendation from the grateful Queens Borough Superintendent.
What she had not done was calm down.
Now Ann, though exiled to the outer boroughs, continued in defiant, ceaseless motion, and Joe was shipwrecked.
And so each visit grew more difficult, she dropping anchor from time to time at his dry and featureless island. With no trees or grasses, hills or streams, no change in light or weather, what was it they could comment on? What did they have to say?
CHAPTER
12
City Hall
The mayor walked to his window. City Hall Park was in lush bloom. Charlie Barr, a Red Hook kid, could only pick out the maples, oaks, and lindens, but he knew he was looking at a dozen other varieties, too, some of them important specimen trees dear to the hearts of the Parks Department. On the paths, between banks of pink and purple flowers, tourists consulted maps and teenagers flirted and families with strollers ambled along.
Charlie was gratified by the whole thing. He might not know one tree from another but he knew a city with well-kept parks looked prosperous and confident. Two years ago, after hearing the Hamptons crowd lament how they missed their gardens once theyd closed their beach houses for the season, hed started a program for citizens to plant and maintain certain areas in certain parks, and turn into parks what were once weedy traffic islands and roadway shoulders. At the start this meant turf battles ha, he thought, turf battles: he should remember to use that between Parks and Transportation. Twice he had to bring both Commissioners in and bang their heads together. But finally they saw reason, or maybe, as Don had said,
Nor could they discuss cases. Scooping lo mein out of take-out containers, they used to argue, brainstorm, and decide: whom to talk to, whose books and files to examine, how to handle what delicate political situation. Like any branch of city government, the Department of Investigation was a small craft driven by political winds. Not that they were ever steered away from a truth theyd gotten close to, he couldnt say that. But which truths were important to look for, and which questions didnt need answers, was decided from above.
That had never bothered him. One rats as good as another, hed said the day Ann had stormed in fuming about being assigned to a small time union kick back scheme when shed asked to be let loose on a nest of double-dipping concrete inspectors in Queens. Calm down, Joe had uselessly told her. Its not like theres not enough lying, cheating, and stealing to go around. He felt permitted to speak this way to Ann; he was six years her senior in this business, though only three in age.
Shed thrown him a glare, told him he was a cheery bastard, and stalked out. And done both investigations, juggling the one she was assigned and the one shed assigned herself. And gotten, simultaneously, a rap on the knuckles from their boss and a commendation from the grateful Queens Borough Superintendent.
What she had not done was calm down.
Now Ann, though exiled to the outer boroughs, continued in defiant, ceaseless motion, and Joe was shipwrecked.
And so each visit grew more difficult, she dropping anchor from time to time at his dry and featureless island. With no trees or grasses, hills or streams, no change in light or weather, what was it they could comment on? What did they have to say?
CHAPTER
12
City Hall
The mayor walked to his window. City Hall Park was in lush bloom. Charlie Barr, a Red Hook kid, could only pick out the maples, oaks, and lindens, but he knew he was looking at a dozen other varieties, too, some of them important specimen trees dear to the hearts of the Parks Department. On the paths, between banks of pink and purple flowers, tourists consulted maps and teenagers flirted and families with strollers ambled along.
Charlie was gratified by the whole thing. He might not know one tree from another but he knew a city with well-kept parks looked prosperous and confident. Two years ago, after hearing the Hamptons crowd lament how they missed their gardens once theyd closed their beach houses for the season, hed started a program for citizens to plant and maintain certain areas in certain parks, and turn into parks what were once weedy traffic islands and roadway shoulders. At the start this meant turf battles ha, he thought, turf battles: he should remember to use that between Parks and Transportation. Twice he had to bring both Commissioners in and bang their heads together. But finally they saw reason, or maybe, as Don had said,
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