away.”
“Did he live in the same building?”
“Not the same building but maybe on the same street. You could ask Abe what Harry’s last name is. He knows, but he won’t tell you.”
“Why do you think he won’t tell me?”
“He’ll tell you what Iris was doing was her own business. But the truth is, Abe made it his business, too.”
“Did Harry ever come to a seder?”
She stopped and thought, her head tilting upwards, her eyes, behind thick glasses, unfocused. “Maybe,” she said. “Maybe he came. But not that night. That night Iris came alone.”
“Do you remember what happened that night?”
“Like it was yesterday.”
“Tell me about it.”
“How she disappeared?”
“Everything you remember.”
“The whole family was there, Abe and Sarah, alahe ha shalom , and their children and grandchildren. Maybe not the youngest. Maybe Sandy wasn’t there that night But Marilyn was there and her brother David and her sister, Naomi, and their children. There were lots of people. I was there because my son was away and my daughter was going to her in-laws that night. So I went to my brother’s. Iris was there because Iris never married, so she always went to her brother’s seder.”
“Excuse me,” I interrupted. “You said something after you mentioned Sarah. I didn’t quite get it.”
“I said in Hebrew, she should rest in peace. She died. Abe’s wife died a long time ago.”
“I see. Go on. Your memory is very good, Sylvie.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my memory,” she said, contradicting herself. “I have a very good memory. Where was I? So we were all at the table and it came time to open the door for Elijah, and Iris got up and left the room.”
“Did she say anything before she left?”
“I don’t know. She just got up. Somebody had to open the door. It was easy for her to get up. If I got up, I would have to squeeze myself out, but where Iris was sitting, it was easy. There was no one in the way.”
“So she got up and she left the room.”
“That’s what happened. She got up and she left the room.”
I heard a quiver in her voice. The little face looked sad, the hands were clenched into fists. “Do you remember anything else?”
She nodded. “All of a sudden I looked over to where Iris was sitting and she wasn’t there. ‘Where’s Iris?’ I said. ‘What happened to Iris?’ ”
“You were the one who noticed she was gone?”
“I was the one. I saw that empty place. Right at that moment I didn’t think anything was wrong. I just didn’t know where she was. So I called her and she didn’t answer. And somebody on that side of the table got up and went to look for her. And we never found her.” She took a tissue out of her dress pocket and pushed it under her glasses to touch her eyes. “She was just gone.”
“Did you look for her?”
“Everybody looked. I looked, Abe looked, the children looked. This one went to the bedroom, that one went outside, another one called the police.”
“You said her coat was still there.”
“He grabbed her when she opened the door. Harry. He pulled her out of the apartment and dragged my sister away. She didn’t even have time to put her coat on.”
“Did the police come?”
“The police came. Two big policemen. They didn’t do anything, I can tell you that. This one said she went home, that one said she took a walk. Who takes a walk at eleven o’clock at night in New York? Maybe a policeman does, but my baby sister doesn’t. She was this big. She wouldn’t walk alone in the middle of the night.”
“Did anyone mention Harry to the police?”
“I don’t know what anyone said. I was almost having a nervous breakdown. Sarah got me a glass of brandy so I wouldn’t pass out. She was a wonderful woman, Sarah. My brother was a lucky man. Are you married?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Did I see your husband at the seder?”
“He came late.”
“I don’t remember him.”
She had missed him because her
“Did he live in the same building?”
“Not the same building but maybe on the same street. You could ask Abe what Harry’s last name is. He knows, but he won’t tell you.”
“Why do you think he won’t tell me?”
“He’ll tell you what Iris was doing was her own business. But the truth is, Abe made it his business, too.”
“Did Harry ever come to a seder?”
She stopped and thought, her head tilting upwards, her eyes, behind thick glasses, unfocused. “Maybe,” she said. “Maybe he came. But not that night. That night Iris came alone.”
“Do you remember what happened that night?”
“Like it was yesterday.”
“Tell me about it.”
“How she disappeared?”
“Everything you remember.”
“The whole family was there, Abe and Sarah, alahe ha shalom , and their children and grandchildren. Maybe not the youngest. Maybe Sandy wasn’t there that night But Marilyn was there and her brother David and her sister, Naomi, and their children. There were lots of people. I was there because my son was away and my daughter was going to her in-laws that night. So I went to my brother’s. Iris was there because Iris never married, so she always went to her brother’s seder.”
“Excuse me,” I interrupted. “You said something after you mentioned Sarah. I didn’t quite get it.”
“I said in Hebrew, she should rest in peace. She died. Abe’s wife died a long time ago.”
“I see. Go on. Your memory is very good, Sylvie.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my memory,” she said, contradicting herself. “I have a very good memory. Where was I? So we were all at the table and it came time to open the door for Elijah, and Iris got up and left the room.”
“Did she say anything before she left?”
“I don’t know. She just got up. Somebody had to open the door. It was easy for her to get up. If I got up, I would have to squeeze myself out, but where Iris was sitting, it was easy. There was no one in the way.”
“So she got up and she left the room.”
“That’s what happened. She got up and she left the room.”
I heard a quiver in her voice. The little face looked sad, the hands were clenched into fists. “Do you remember anything else?”
She nodded. “All of a sudden I looked over to where Iris was sitting and she wasn’t there. ‘Where’s Iris?’ I said. ‘What happened to Iris?’ ”
“You were the one who noticed she was gone?”
“I was the one. I saw that empty place. Right at that moment I didn’t think anything was wrong. I just didn’t know where she was. So I called her and she didn’t answer. And somebody on that side of the table got up and went to look for her. And we never found her.” She took a tissue out of her dress pocket and pushed it under her glasses to touch her eyes. “She was just gone.”
“Did you look for her?”
“Everybody looked. I looked, Abe looked, the children looked. This one went to the bedroom, that one went outside, another one called the police.”
“You said her coat was still there.”
“He grabbed her when she opened the door. Harry. He pulled her out of the apartment and dragged my sister away. She didn’t even have time to put her coat on.”
“Did the police come?”
“The police came. Two big policemen. They didn’t do anything, I can tell you that. This one said she went home, that one said she took a walk. Who takes a walk at eleven o’clock at night in New York? Maybe a policeman does, but my baby sister doesn’t. She was this big. She wouldn’t walk alone in the middle of the night.”
“Did anyone mention Harry to the police?”
“I don’t know what anyone said. I was almost having a nervous breakdown. Sarah got me a glass of brandy so I wouldn’t pass out. She was a wonderful woman, Sarah. My brother was a lucky man. Are you married?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Did I see your husband at the seder?”
“He came late.”
“I don’t remember him.”
She had missed him because her
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