Murder on the Upper West Side

Witness a murder on New York’s Upper West Side, a quaint neighborhood of historic brownstones, Queen Anne-style townhouses, and classic brick apartment buildings along tree-lined residential blocks near Broadway, Columbus Avenue, and Central Park West. Then focus on Shirley Goodman about to welcome her husband, Irv. Is she willing at last to sign their separation agreement?

Shirley Goodman exhaled long and slow. It won’t be long now, she thought. Closing her eyes, a sly smile skimmed her lips as she hung up the phone. Then, rejoining Harry Harrison’s midday broadcast, she hummed along with the Beatles' “Ticket to Ride.”

When I told Irv yesterday, I’d sign the agreement, that swindler found the time to squeeze me into his lunch break today. Said he’d be right over, which means he’ll lumber over in about twenty minutes. Which means I better prepare the drinks and set the table.

Irv had been pestering Shirley for weeks to sign the papers. As if she, his wife for twenty-some years and ex-bookkeeper, would never guess he was engineering to hijack their Upper West Side townhouse, seize their investments, and leave her with nothing. Just so he can marry his sugar baby, that covetous Candy, young enough to have been their grown daughter’s baby sister.

An old story, right? But the new wrinkle is Shirley doesn’t realize she’s only hours away from the Great Northeast Blackout of 1965. To read the entire story now, click here.