Eddie Perlmutter was an extremely successful police officer in Boston for 34 years. When his arthritis from the years of abuse to his knuckles and knees got to be too much to bear in the cold northern withers, Eddie finally retired and moved to Boca Raton, Florida. But, before Eddie can move down to Florida we readers are given some really interesting background information on Eddie’s Great Grandfather, Grandfather and Father. His ancestors grew up in poverty in Russia and Eddie’s Great Grandfather passed on a Kosak short sword to his Grandfather, who eventually used this sword to kill a huge brown bear that threatened a little girl in his village. He sort of became an outcast even though he was a hero. Eventually he married the young girl whose life he had saved. She, of course, was Eddie’s Grandmother.
The Grandfather who had killed the bear by stabbing it in the heart died as he witnessed Eddie in a victory over a much bigger boxer in a match in which Eddie punched his foe in the chest time after time as hard as he could. He brought the man down and won the match. As Eddie knelt over his Grandfather the old man winked at Eddie and told him he killed the bear just like he had when young. Eddie inherited the short sword. In a letter found long after his Grandfather’s death he learned that the old man and his Grandmother had been beaten and robbed one late night. Grandmother died later from the beating. Even though Grandfather had identified the killers the police did nothing about it. A few weeks passed and the two robbers and murderers were found slashed to death out at the zoo. The police didn’t see how a little old Grandfather could have possibly killed these two young tough guys but the old man told Eddie it was through arrogance and surprise; their arrogance and his surprise.
When Eddie finally moved in down in Florida he did not find the placid retirement community by the golf course that he thought he had moved into. He found lots of tensions. He agreed to investigate the killing of one of the Jewish residents of the golf and tennis community by another member. He also took up defense of the Jewish and Black Haitian community from the hate-group of skin-heads called the Aryan Army. Eddie had to get tough a number of times down in Florida to help people and he earned somewhat of a reputation as a White Knight. One newsman called him the “Boca Knight”.
As things came to a head with the leader of the hate group army, Eddie was beat up pretty badly by some of those jack-booted thugs to try to get him to not testify against one of their members who Eddie had helped to get arrested as he caught the man beating and raping a young Haitian Nurse and her mother. But, Eddie vowed in a passionate interview with a sympathetic CNN reporter that he would, if he had to, stand alone as a “Boca Knight” because some things are important enough to die for.
In the end the entire community of retired and working class Jewish and Haitian population rallied to the court house chanting that they are all “Boca Knights”. The feared hate rally by the Aryan an Army did not materialize. The Knights won the day.
“Boca Knights” is a fine story that rates an 8 of 10 on the Weaver meter. I am looking forward to Forman’s next offering, which will be titled “Boca Mornings”.
