When did Bootsie Magou disappear?

Bootsie Magou Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Did they catch her?

Details remain sketchy, steeped in rumor and subjective retelling. Only a select few ever knew the truth. Bootsie Magou disappeared in the summer of 1932.

For days, something had felt amiss, so it came as no surprise when he appeared at my door.

In the time leading up to his arrival, I had often observed Bootsie lost in thought—her gaze intense, distracted, her movements deliberate. I knew better than to interrupt.

“He” was Eldrid Alan Asker, perhaps the only person who might have had a clue. Bootsie’s circle was small. There were few she trusted, but “Ellee,” as she called him, was one of them. A Southern gentleman living in New York City, with relatives scattered along the Gold Coast of Long Island.

Eldrid told me Bootsie was nowhere to be found. He handed me a box, explaining that he’d been instructed to deliver it personally if she ever disappeared. His tone was somber, yet something in his energy—his very countenance—betrayed what could only be described as excitement. Maybe even hope. I couldn’t help but wonder: Did he know where she was?

Was her absence planned?

Inside the box were four items. Well—five, actually:

1. A copper penny, aged to a deep umber brown, its surface rich and honey-caramelized

2. A candle scented with woody oak char, vanilla-soaked ripened berries, and a whisper of herbaceous spice

3. A confection of chocolate glazed with caramel, ripened berry purée, vanilla drizzle, and roasted nuts

4. A handwritten note: “My love, I long to feel your warm embrace. We will be together again.”

…And the fifth?

A bottle of Bootsie’s Bourbon—to finish.