Schlomo’s Commission

Schlomo Rosenbaum in his office on Mesorole Street - October 29, 1981

Schlomo had been hired by Ms. Lilly who suspected for some time her husband had been having an affair.  The pay was right and there was no question he was in desperate need of the cash, the only problem was, after months of tails and stakeouts, it seemed, his mark, Mr. Bodak, only met with his paramour every Friday night, always at the same address, a brownstone at 169 Clinton Street in Red Hook.

This was a problem, he’d need direct evidence of the two together to earn the balance of his fee and that would require nothing short of photographs - - the client would also need them to prove the divorce.  His need for the cash couldn’t be overstated, he was on his face, the bakery in Borough Park hadn’t been panning out and Shimon had already called him to Beit Din for defaulting on the Heter Iska - - the schmuck.

He’d be ruined . . . unless, of course, he could get those photographs and the spectacular balance ($50k) of the commission.  Dorothy had already been incessantly nudging him for the kids’ yeshiva tuition not to mention Ruth’s wedding (and he didn’t even want to dwell on what countless shekels he’d wasted on his own chet).

The obvious answer was to contract out for a Shabbos but, obviously, there was no money for that.  He had no choice, he was bleeding every day.  He’d leave early Friday and just tell Dorothy he was going to the Catskills to look at a property on Sunday for maybe a deal on Monday.  The commission would at least get him out of the bakery default . . . maybe a little more.  What was one Shabbat?  He was a good Jew and Yom Kippur was in a few weeks anyway.

It was decided, he’d be spending this Shabbos at 169 Clinton Street in Red Hook.

Schlomo’s Investigation Music