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one.”
    Franklin’s nervousness was increasing with each question. She was a thin woman with dark hair, wearing a light blue blouse and black pants, her traveling clothes. Silver hoop earrings pierced her ears, and her fingernails looked freshly polished. She kept herself looking good for Sal.
    â€œIf he was driving a car, I don’t know about it,” she said. “I’ve never had a car. You have to be crazy to have one if you live in the Village. You know what parking’s like down here?”
    â€œI have a good idea. What about his mother? Did she own a car? His brothers or sisters? His friends?”
    â€œHis mother never learned to drive. Look, I can’t answer questions that I don’t know anything about. Can we finish this?”
    â€œSoon.”
    Coffee had been served, and Franklin put sweetener and milk in hers and sipped it. “Good coffee,” she said.
    â€œI only take people to nice places,” Jane said with a smile.
    Franklin smiled back. “What else can I tell you besides about the car?”
    â€œDid you ever meet Curtis Morgan or Carl Randolph?”
    â€œYou mean the men who . . . ?”
    â€œYes, the men who were arrested with Sal.”
    â€œI never laid eyes on them till the trial. Sal never mentioned their names. I only went to the courthouse one day. Sal said I should keep a low profile; he didn’t want anyone to know I existed. So I went on my day off and sat in the back, and I left at lunchtime. It was boring. The lawyers kept arguing and nothing happened. That’s the only time I saw those men. That Randolph, he was a big guy. Curtis coughed a lot. That’s all I can tell you.”
    â€œWhat did Sal do when the trial was over?”
    â€œHe got a job. I can’t remember what. He’s had a lot of jobs. Most of them don’t interest him, so he doesn’t stick with them long. And it’s not easy to find work when you’ve got a record.” She looked pained, as though the world had slighted Manelli when he deserved a fair shake.
    â€œHe got out of jail recently,” Jane said.
    â€œThat was so unfair. He was meeting someone in a bar, a guy who owed him money. The guy didn’t have it and they started arguing. Sal got so mad, he threw a punch, and the bartender called the police and had Sal arrested for assault. It was a trumped-up charge, believe me.”
    â€œYou’ve been on vacation the last week or so. Where did you go?”
    â€œWe got a little cabin in the Catskills. It’s so nice up there, cool at night. You can do a lot of walking, even fishing if that’s your thing.”
    â€œWere you together all the time?”
    â€œYou mean like did we stick together like glue? No. Sal likes to walk early in the morning and I’m not a morning person. I’d rather go after breakfast. I need my coffee first thing.” She had finished her cup and Jane signaled for refills.
    â€œHe get any calls while he was there?”
    â€œPhone calls? I don’t know. He has a cell. I don’t remember if he used it. The cabin didn’t have a phone. If you wanted to make a call you had to hike a mile to a grocery store.”
    â€œDid he meet anyone while you were up there?”
    â€œYou mean like a friend? I didn’t see anyone. Why are you asking? This was a vacation. We didn’t do any entertaining. We just wanted a rest and some peace and quiet.”
    â€œDid you know that Sal quit his job at the shoe store?”
    Franklin’s face became fearful. “That’s not true. He just took unpaid vacation. He didn’t work there long enough to get time off. He’s going back to work on Monday.”
    Jane said nothing. Sal would keep up the hoax as long as he got away with it. It was the way he lived. She looked at her watch. They had been at the table for half an hour. If Defino had been as successful talking to Sal, together they wouldn’t have one