Harry Kemelman - Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry

“All right. But the best I can do is meet you at the lab. You can sit in on the discussion if you want. I guess I owe it to you. That is, if you don’t mind riding on the Sabbath.”

“For this I would make an exception. But I don’t like to leave Miriam alone at this time.”

“Bring her along.”

“Well, if you don’t mind-we’ll be there.”

He hung up and called to Miriam to get ready. “We’re going to meet Lanigan at the Goddard Lab.”

As they drove along Route 128, Miriam said, “Do you think Chief Lanigan really has a case against Mr. Goralsky?”

“Who knows? I haven’t spoken to him for a week or more, until just now. They may have found something I don’t know about, but then they probably would have arrested him outright instead of just taking him in for questioning. I’m sure they can work up a plausible motive. The trouble is, the way Lanigan views this case, they could work up a plausible motive against almost anyone.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, he’s decided that it wasn’t the result of elaborate planning, that since it involved just walking away no great motive is necessary. Anyone could have that kind of motive-his neighbor who doesn’t like the way he keeps his lawn-anyone. It’s much the same with the rest-weapon, opportunity. Goralsky could have been there because he wasn’t at the temple. Well, a lot of other people weren’t at the temple. And of course Goralsky drives a car. Yes, Lanigan could make up a case that would justify holding him.”

“But he’d be sure of being acquitted, wouldn’t he?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Suppose he were, would that be the end of it for him? Suppose they don’t even bring him to trial but release him, everyone will know he has been arrested. Even if they issue some sort of statement, what can they say? Mr. Goralsky has been released because of insufficient evidence? That wouldn’t signify he was innocent, only that they’d been unable to find the evidence they needed to connect him with the murder. And if he went to trial and was acquitted, it would be the same. No, he can be cleared completely only if they find the actual murderer. Well, more often than not, they never do.”

The car slowed down.

“Why are you stopping here?”

“I hadn’t intended to.” He pressed down hard on the accelerator, but instead of responding the car slowed down still more. He shifted into second, went a few feet and stopped altogether. He tried the motor, but it did not catch.

“What’s the matter, David?”

He grinned foolishly. “I don’t know.”

“Well, there’s a how-d’ye-do. What do we do now?”

“There was a cutoff back there about a hundred yards. Probably the one that leads to Morris Goldman’s garage. We’re on an incline. Maybe I can coast back-”

“On 128? With cars zipping along at sixty miles an hour! You’ll do no such thing.”

“I’m not keen on it myself. I suppose I better ease her back onto the shoulder of the road and raise the hood. That’s a sign that you’re in trouble. The state troopers will be along in a minute, they patrol this road constantly… What’s the matter?”

Her fists were clenched and she was biting her upper lip. Her forehead suddenly was bathed in perspiration. After a moment, she smiled weakly. “You might look at your watch and time the next one. I think you’re about to become a father, David.”

“Are you sure? That’s all we need right now. Look, don’t worry and don’t get excited. Just sit tight and I’ll flag down a car.”

“Be careful, David,” she called as he got out.

A moment ago the highway had been filled with cars, but now not a car was to be seen. He drew out his handkerchief and took up a position in the middle of the road. Presently he saw a car in the distance and began to wave his handkerchief. To his tremendous relief, the car slowed down. It passed, swung over to the side of the road, and then backed up to within a few feet of his car. When the driver got out, the rabbi saw it was Dr. Sykes.

“Why it’s Rabbi Small, isn’t it? You in trouble?”

“My car stopped.”

“Out of gas?”

“I don’t think so. No, I’m sure it isn’t that. I’ve been having some trouble-”

“All right, I’ll call a garage just as soon as I get to the lab. I’m supposed to meet the police chief there. Conked out right in the middle of driving, eh? Could be that your-”

“Look, my wife is in labor.”

“Oh, boy, that’s bad-” He eyed her in consternation. “Maybe, I-Say wait a minute! Why don’t you take my car and I can hoof it to the lab. It’s only a few hundred yards up the road.”

“It’s very kind of you, Dr. Sykes.” The rabbi climbed into the bucket seat of the little sports car and grasped the wheel. He looked uncertainly at the array of dials on the dashboard and then at the grinning face of Sykes leaning on the open door.

“Stick shift with four speeds forward. She’ll do a hundred easily. I had her gone over not long ago and she’s tuned like a fine watch.”

The rabbi nodded at the sticker on the doorjamb. “Yes, I see. Chai .”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a Hebrew word. It means life.”

Sykes looked at him doubtfully, and then over at Mrs. Small and seemed to understand. “Right. You both have it on your mind. Well, let me help your lady out.”

“No.”

“What’s the matter?”

The rabbi had stepped out. “No, I couldn’t. I wouldn’t dare drive it. I-I wouldn’t know how. We’d end up in a ditch. Look, I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you drive on to the lab and tell Lanigan about our situation here. He’ll come and get us. Oh, and you could also have someone call the doctor-Dr. Morton Selig. He’s in the book, and tell him what happened and that I’m on my way to the hospital.”

“All right if you’re sure you’d rather.”

He climbed into the car and gunned the motor with a deafening roar. “Good luck and my best to your lady.”

“Nothing to be worried about, you two,” Lanigan remarked over his shoulder to the couple in the back seat. “When I first joined the force, I was on the ambulance trick and I wouldn’t care to venture a guess at the number of women I drove to the hospital. We used to take them over to Salem in those days-didn’t have a hospital of our own in the town. I don’t claim to be an obstetrician, but in my experience the first child always took a long time.”

“The pains are coming every ten minutes now.”

“Plenty of time. It’s when they start coming fast, every couple of minutes or every minute. It’s when it’s a second or third child they’re apt to pop. And don’t think I haven’t delivered babies either, or helped to. So you couldn’t be in better hands.”

He was obviously talking to distract them, and the rabbi recognized it and was grateful. He sat with one arm around his wife and gave her his hand to clutch whenever the pains came. Every so often he would wipe her forehead with his handkerchief.

They reached the outskirts of the city and Lanigan glanced back at them. “You know, if you like I could pick up a motorcycle escort. That way we could get through a little quicker.”

Miriam answered before the rabbi could speak. “I don’t think it will be necessary.” She blushed. “The pains appear to have stopped.”

“Doesn’t mean a thing,” said Lanigan. But he slowed down and proceeded at a more moderate pace until they reached the hospital. “I’ll stick around, until you know what’s what, Rabbi.”

Thanking him the rabbi helped Miriam out of the car and supported her up the steps. Though she needed no assistance, she enjoyed his solicitude. With some embarrassment they explained to the reception clerk that the pains had stopped.