Chapter 17Once per November in New York, Ben told Tom Alan on the phone that morning, the thermometer hits a record high number, only to be followed by a big, loud storm and plummeting mercury. It was that day.
The Mischen family routine was dinner, dishes, the local news, conversation, and Jeopardy! That balmy fall night, Tom Alan broke with routine. He slipped into neon-orange shorts—Ben would like these—and took off his top two layers, down to a plain white sleeveless T-shirt. Hoping he looked at least something close to sexy, he decided to drop by the local convenience store, where he’d seen a couple of hot guys, to maybe grab a coffee. Now, Tom Alan liked Jeopardy! He hated coffee. But making conversation with two Ukrainians twice his age had often proven harder than “the periodic ta
