The Death of the Mannikin

The mannikin who washes ashore one morning in Atlantic City has red hair, a painted face, and the word Pengo stamped on her bum. It brings together two spectators: a seventy-five-year-old highly sophisticated widow of a naval officer who feeds feral cats and a retired Pittsburgh cop, "just a guy from the gritty Lawrenceville district of Pittsburgh," working part-time for the coroner. The appearance of a "real" redheaded young woman washing up on the same location days later bonds these two older people who live in the present and plan for the future. They begin a private investigation of their own and experience a budding romance. One wonders, "Aren't they too old for that?" Tom has a wife back home by the way, suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Their snooping introduces us to an assortment of suspects ranging from members of a rock band to a badly wounded Korean War vet, as well as two gangsters from Newark. Locales range from Carnegie Street in Pittsburgh to Reading Market in Philly and Peacock Alley in the Waldorf, and lead us through many streets and attractions with Monopoly Board names. Lest the readers think this is a sad, dark story, it's unexpectedly upbeat and humorous. Lillian and Tom eventually connect the dots that mark the rise and fall of a young woman exposed to the ugly undercurrents of life in Century 21. The very unlikely and unexpected murderer is uncovered, and the mystery is solved (or is it?) by two senior citizens who firmly believe that life is full of new beginnings.