Long Island Noir

This collection is comprised of works of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authors’ imaginations. Any resemblance to real events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published by Akashic Books
©2012 Akashic Books

Series concept by Tim McLoughlin and Johnny Temple
Long Island map by Aaron Petrovich
“Boob Noir” ©2012 Jules Feiffer; “Summer Love” ©2012 JZ Holden

eISBN-13: 978-1-61775-115-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-61775-062-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011943446

All rights reserved
First printing

Akashic Books
PO Box 1456
New York, NY 10009
[email protected]
www.akashicbooks.com

A
LSO IN THE
A
KASHIC
N
OIR
S
ERIES
:

Baltimore Noir
, edited by Laura Lippman
Barcelona Noir
(Spain), edited by Adriana V. López & Carmen Ospina
Boston Noir
, edited by Dennis Lehane
Bronx Noir
, edited by S.J. Rozan
Brooklyn Noir
, edited by Tim McLoughlin
Brooklyn Noir 2: The Classics
, edited by Tim McLoughlin
Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing but the Truth
edited by Tim McLoughlin & Thomas Adcock
Cape Cod Noir
, edited by David L. Ulin
Chicago Noir
, edited by Neal Pollack
Copenhagen Noir
(Denmark), edited by Bo Tao Michaëlis
D.C. Noir
, edited by George Pelecanos
D.C. Noir 2: The Classics
, edited by George Pelecanos
Delhi Noir
(India), edited by Hirsh Sawhney
Detroit Noir
, edited by E.J. Olsen & John C. Hocking
Dublin Noir
(Ireland), edited by Ken Bruen
Haiti Noir
, edited by Edwidge Danticat
Havana Noir
(Cuba), edited by Achy Obejas
Indian Country Noir
, edited by Sarah Cortez & Liz Martínez
Istanbul Noir
(Turkey), edited by Mustafa Ziyalan & Amy Spangler
Las Vegas Noir
, edited by Jarret Keene & Todd James Pierce
London Noir
(England), edited by Cathi Unsworth
Lone Star Noir
, edited by Bobby Byrd & Johnny Byrd
Los Angeles Noir
, edited by Denise Hamilton
Los Angeles Noir 2: The Classics
, edited by Denise Hamilton
Manhattan Noir
, edited by Lawrence Block
Manhattan Noir 2: The Classics
, edited by Lawrence Block
Mexico City Noir
(Mexico), edited by Paco I. Taibo II
Miami Noir
, edited by Les Standiford
Moscow Noir
(Russia), edited by Natalia Smirnova & Julia Goumen
Mumbai Noir
(India), edited by Altaf Tyrewala
New Jersey Noir
, edited by Joyce Carol Oates
New Orleans Noir
, edited by Julie Smith
Orange County Noir
, edited by Gary Phillips
Paris Noir
(France), edited by Aurélien Masson
Philadelphia Noir
, edited by Carlin Romano
Phoenix Noir
, edited by Patrick Millikin
Pittsburgh Noir
, edited by Kathleen George
Portland Noir
, edited by Kevin Sampsell
Queens Noir
, edited by Robert Knightly
Richmond Noir,
edited by Andrew Blossom, Brian Castleberry & Tom De Haven
Rome Noir
(Italy), edited by Chiara Stangalino & Maxim Jakubowski
San Diego Noir
, edited by Maryelizabeth Hart
San Francisco Noir
, edited by Peter Maravelis
San Francisco Noir 2: The Classics
, edited by Peter Maravelis
Seattle Noir
, edited by Curt Colbert
Toronto Noir
(Canada), edited by Janine Armin & Nathaniel G. Moore
Trinidad Noir
, edited by Lisa Allen-Agostini & Jeanne Mason
Twin Cities Noir
, edited by Julie Schaper & Steven Horwitz
Wall Street Noir
, edited by Peter Spiegelman

F
ORTHCOMING
:

Bogotá Noir
(Colombia), edited by Andrea Montejo
Buffalo Noir
, edited by Brigid Hughes & Ed Park
Jerusalem Noir
, edited by Sayed Kashua
Kansas City Noir
, edited by Steve Paul
Lagos Noir
(Nigeria), edited by Chris Abani
Manila Noir
(Philippines), edited by Jessica Hagedorn
St. Petersburg Noir
(Russia), edited by Natalia Smirnova & Julia Goumen
Seoul Noir
(Korea), edited by BS Publishing Co.
Staten Island Noir
, edited by Patricia Smith
Venice Noir
(Italy), edited by Maxim Jakubowski

T
ABLE OF
C
ONTENTS

Title Page

Copyright Page

INTRODUCTION

A N
EW
K
IND OF
G
REEDY
T
ENSION

S
ummers in the Hamptons were always wild and crazy, even in the late ’70s when my family moved out east to Sagaponack. On the weekends in July and August the crowds would surge in from up the island and the city, and the bars, restaurants, and beaches were abuzz with an easygoing excitement rife with possibility. But as the Hamptons became more popular with a richer crowd—Hollywood stars, financial magnates, even politicians—a new kind of greedy tension filled the air, and even the locals were infected. Once, when I was out visiting my mother, I overheard a guy I’d known in high school, a builder, telling people at a bar that last year he’d put in a brand-new brick deck for this CEO prick’s wife, but this year the guy’s new girlfriend wanted to make a statement, so she told the builder to tear out the bricks and put in a cedar deck instead. “I told her $150,000,” he laughed. “She didn’t blink an eye.” Then he tried to sell us the bricks.

Pretty soon the fields in Sagaponack were gone, replaced by mansions, each one bigger than the last, as if it were some kind of pumpkin-growing contest. And still, no one seemed content; not on the beach, where mobile phones were constantly ringing; not in line at the supermarket or outside the nightclubs; and certainly not stopped dead in stultifying midday traffic. Well, it’s still traffic, whether you’re in a Mercedes-Benz or a Honda Civic. Now, the truly rich fly out in private planes, adding to the general racket.