Sheepshead Bay Murder Mystery

By Faye Rothstein

The entire book encompasses an ordinary neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, Sheepshead Bay, which is between the Atlantic Ocean and the bay. You will travel with the evil personalities, the good and loving ones, and those striving for success. You will find out what happens to an ordinary family after they come into money. Their inability to handle said money will bring about much destruction. The conflict and jealousy of two sisters, the indifference of the mother, the detective work will bring in the romance. The cultural aspects of the story bring forth the ability of a mixed neighborhood to encompass every race, color, religion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503543669

Faye Rothstein

A senior citizen with a stock pile of memory who has lived a very diverse and interesting life. Miss Rothstein write on many different and vary subject, taken from her own experiences. A very unique author who writes from the heart. A resident of Media Pa, Ms. Rothstein is an accomplish speaker and a prolific fund raiser for her mental health causes. She’s on the board of AJMI-TIKVAH residents, that houses eight mentally affected young men and women; her son among them. She is a count on person.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by FAYE ROTHSTEIN.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 02/20/2015

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

704489

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

For my adult children, Ilene and Daniel, who always listened as I wove an intricate story—usually ghost stories—for them at bedtime.

LIST OF CHARACTERS IN

THE SHEEPSHEAD BAY MURDER MYSTERY

by Faye Rothstein

CHAPTER ONE

E XTRA! EXTRA! SOCIALITE FOUND DEAD IN THE BAY.

Here, boy, let’s have a paper.

Wow! Judy Bertram, dead. I went to school with her. My god, we were pretty good friends. Our families knew one another. I wonder what the heck could have happened to her. Today is Thursday, so it either happened Tuesday or Wednesday. I wonder if I should pay my respects. Yes, it is the only proper thing to do. I don’t remember where they lived since they moved from the bay area. If I remember correctly, it was somewhere on Park Avenue. I haven’t talked to Judith in six months. I remember the last time I talked to her like it was yesterday. I called her to go out to eat, and she responded with I have a boyfriend now, and I won’t have the time to go out with you. I remember how that remark hurt. Then we sort of lost track of each other.

I walked home and got her address out of my address book and walked to the BMT express train and was on my way to see the family. I remember, there were Mr. and Mrs. Bertram; Judith; Rebecca, her sister; and the baby of the family, Ralph. I got off the subway and walked to Park Avenue. I found the high-rise, and the doorman asked my name and who I wanted to see. I gave him the information he requested, and he then called up to the Bertrams, and he then let me in. The Bertrams lived on the fourteenth floor, in the penthouse. I got off the elevator and rang the doorbell. A butler answered, and I said, Yes, hello, my name is Ziporah Klein. I would like to pay my respects to the family. Thank you. I walked into what looked like a gorgeous living room, and I saw Mrs. Bertram sitting on a sofa, all alone. I walked over and bent down to her and asked if she remembered me.

Of course, she said, you’re Ziporah Klein. What was that the children used to call you? Oh yes, Zip. Of course, thank you for coming, dear.

She continued talking about mundane things, and I spoke up, Mrs. Bertram, I was so sorry to read of the tragedy of Judy’s death. Is there anything I can do for you?

She responded with a smile and said, You will be a great comfort to me.

I asked her to tell me what happened, why Judith was found in the Bay. Did she do herself in? I continued talking and said I remembered what a great swimmer she was. I didn’t think she could do herself in that way.

Mrs. Bertram responded, saying, We know nothing. The police will tell us nothing. They say they must do an autopsy on her. We are trying to fight it. You know, that is against our religion to do that. No one will listen. Oh, here comes sissy. Sissy, look who is here. You remember Zip from the old days?

Sure do, she said. How are you, Zip? What’s going on with you? Married yet? Any little brats clinging to your knees? How about that sister of mine? What do you think? You were good friends. Did she do herself in?

No, I said, not in the Bay. We could swim for hours in that murky water when we were kids. She could never drown. Unless she was on drugs or something.

"Oh my, Zip, what a terrible thought. You know my Judith, she was a health nut. ‘The body is a temple, it must be kept clean’ was her motto. Not my sweet baby. Did I tell you she graduated from Princeton University summa cum laude? She was my prize, my jewel in my crown. My Rebecca here, she is the rebel, just like her poor dead father. He always took chances. I thank God now. He left us pretty well-fixed, taking chances in the stock market. He made a killing. This child, Rebecca, could have gone to any Ivy League college. She is even cleverer than Judith. No, she had to fritter away her life. She had to rebel and do her own thing, whatever that was. I