Eddie said through gritted teeth. Jo, peeking through a pair of red velvet curtains trimmed with gold fringe, didn’t even hear him. They were in a small parlor inside the residence of Esther Arinovsky, on East Twenty-Fifth Street in the Tenderloin. She and Eddie had told the burly man at the door, Benny, that they were from a newspaper and wanted to speak with Esther. He’d nearly tossed them off the stoop, but assurances that they were only after information about Della McEvoy, and a dollar placed into his hand, had softened him. He’d led them through a garish foyer to the parlor and told them to wait there while he spoke with Esther. “Why is it called the Tenderloin?” Jo had asked as they walked uptown, past the area’s flashy restaurants, hotels, and bars. “The cops gave it that name because it’s rich and tasty, and they want a piece of it. Esther, like every other madam in the city, only stays open because she pays them off,”
What do You think about These Shallow Graves (2015)?
