The Winning Sleuths:
Esther Littmann and the brilliant detectives (aka residents) of Fountains of Franklin senior living center

First Place

The Femmes Fatale

Esther Littmann and the residents
of Fountains of Franklin
senior living center

I

sidore Fink immigrated to the
United States in 1921 to escape
the consequences of his political
activities. During the Russian
Revolution, he had been a fervent rev-
olutionary, but sided with Trotsky
rather than the more radical Lenin.
When the Red Russians finally took
over, Fink became persona non grata
and had to leave the country to save
his life.
Once in America, however, he
could not forget his less fortunate
comrades back home. Unmarried, his
personal expenses were low. So he sent
his friends the proceeds of his success-
ful laundry business.

Eventually, his money and letters
were intercepted by the Soviet police.
Convinced that Fink was dangerous to
the newly created communist regime,
the Soviets sent two agents to New
York City to silence him.
On the evening of March 9 1929,
soon after two clients and his friend
Max Sternberg had left the laundro-
mat, Isidore Fink heard a soft knock
on the already bolted front door.
Although it was after 10:30 p.m., Fink
was reluctant to disappoint a late cus-
tomer. Cautiously, he cracked the door
to identify the person on the other
side.
Facing him were two, well-dressed
women, speaking in low, urgent tones.
Pointing to their soaked and mud-
splattered skirts, they asked if Fink

could clean and press their clothing on
the spot. A passing car had splashed
them as they crossed the street, racing
to an important engagement where
they had to look their best.
Fink was tired but willing to oblige.
The job would take no more than 30
minutes, and then he would be on his
way home. But no sooner had he bolt-
ed the door behind them when one of
the "women" pulled out a gun and
said in a voice several tones deeper,
"Now you'll pay for your treason
against us!" Suddenly alert, Fink
grabbed the heated iron at his side,
lunging at the person threatening him.
A shot rang out, the bullet piercing
Fink's left thumb. At that point, the
desperate man backed away, only to
receive two more shots, this time in

the left side of his chest.
The women, who were actually
men in disguise, wanted to put as
much distance between them and the
murdered Fink before the crime was
discovered. Leaving the light on and
the front door bolted to make it
appear as though Fink were still work-
ing inside, the two accomplices
crawled through the transom. The first
agent climbed on the shoulders of the
second, easily pushing himself through
the opening and dropping to the side-
walk below. In his hand he held a
strong rope that had been tied around
the waist of the slighter man still
inside. A combination of muscle
power and agility succeeded in allow-
ing the second murderer to escape,
also through the transom.