Death in North Beach by Ronald Tierney Page B

question, it seemed to demand confirmation.
    â€˜No.
    â€˜And if we talk?’
    â€˜I’m just trying to track down some nasty rumors,’ Carly said.
    â€˜Involving me?’
    â€˜Perhaps.’
    â€˜Come in,’ he said, stepping aside.
    The room she stepped into was, in fact, set up as a small gallery. Aside from the sixteen large, flat cartons leaning against the far wall, the place was neat and clean, ready for visitors. Even the cartons were neat, stacked in groups of four, probably containing frames for large photographs or the photographs themselves. Black and white photographs were on the wall. She recognized a photograph of the old hungry i, an old hardware on Grant she remembered from her childhood, the Condor Club when Carol Doda was its headliner, and a place called the Black Cat.
    â€˜Where is the Black Cat?’
    â€˜Nowhere now,’ he said. ‘Closed in the early sixties. One of my first shots. Queer place, but everybody went there. It was over on Montgomery near Columbus.’
    She noticed photographs of places she knew – Caffe Trieste, City Lights Bookstore, Vesuvio, Tosca, the Savoy Tivoli, Caffe Roma long before it was refurbished. There were photographs of restaurants, many of them still there. But she was reminded how many had gone. She looked around for a photograph of her parents’ place. Didn’t see it.
    â€˜Did you ever photograph Paladino’s?’ she asked.
    â€˜You that girl who used to fill up the water glasses?’
    She nodded.
    He seemed to soften. ‘I’ll find that photograph for you when we’re done. Have a seat.’
    There were three mismatched chairs. She chose one.
    â€˜What would you like to know?’ he asked.
    â€˜Who hated him so much?’
    â€˜He was not a likable guy,’ Wiley said. ‘It’s kind of a cliché, but he was a complex person. I think he hated individual people but loved mankind. He was constantly disappointed with every cause he ever pursued and in every person he came to trust. They couldn’t help but betray him in some way. Yet, he had this ability to attract people at the same time. The one thing he never lost was his passion for telling the truth.’
    â€˜As he saw it,’ Carly said.
    Wiley nodded. ‘Of course.’
    â€˜What was your relationship with him?’
    â€˜We remained friends, I think, mostly because I didn’t talk much. I listened. I took “pictures”, as he used to say. He’d love it when I photographed him. He used to tell me that I was the only one who told the truth.’
    â€˜Is that right?’
    â€˜I let the camera talk.’
    â€˜No portraits up there. I read you photographed some of the greats from the Beat era.’
    â€˜I did.’
    â€˜You don’t have any up on the walls.’
    â€˜I don’t have a lot up on the walls.’
    â€˜I understand you have a big show coming up.’
    For a moment, his stare was cold. ‘Who told you that?’
    â€˜The people at Reed Fine Arts.’
    â€˜Yeah, well. I do, I guess.’
    â€˜New work?’
    â€˜Never before seen,’ he said. He was uncomfortable.
    â€˜Are those for the show?’ she asked, pointing to the sixteen cartons against the wall.
    Wiley looked nervous. ‘What is it you want?’ he asked.
    â€˜Can I get a sneak preview?’
    â€˜No.’
    â€˜Mrs Wiley, who might be either angry enough to kill him or so ashamed of something they’d kill him to keep him quiet?’
    â€˜I don’t like the question.’
    â€˜You’re not going to answer it?’
    â€˜Not my business,’ he said.
    â€˜Police may want to talk to you,’ she said. It was not so veiled a threat, but Wiley had thought through it.
    â€˜Can’t do anything about that, I guess.’
    She got very little else. Wiley only had nice and very general comments about the folks on the list, except for two, and he