Michael Levitz

Michael Levitz, a book editor and longtime friend of Anne Casey, becomes an intermediary in Anne’s investigation of Pauline’s story. He brings her a possible lead about a manuscript said to have been written by Pauline, but the lead rests on anonymous phone calls and a recognition he cannot trust as proof.

Identity and Connection to Anne

At the start of the summer, an old friend of Anne’s from her first job in New York contacted her after learning she was working on a piece about Pauline. That friend was Michael, whose editorial role made him a plausible recipient for someone claiming to possess a revealing manuscript. Anne’s inquiry therefore begins not with a verified source but with a personal connection that opens a door to a story Michael himself cannot authenticate.

The Anonymous Manuscript Offer

Michael recounted that the previous summer, a man had phoned him and claimed he might be able to obtain a tell-all book written by Pauline. The caller would not provide even an unconvincing pseudonym. Michael said he offered money his press did not have and pressed for a meeting, proposing that the man hand over the book in person and be paid then. The caller gave no phone number, said they would meet soon, and then disappeared from contact. Michael was left unsure whether the voice had seemed familiar because he had actually met the man at a party long before.

Joe Smith and the Limits of the Lead

When Anne later brought up Joe Smith, Michael said that this name, too, seemed familiar. He could not tell whether it was the same voice: the calls were about a year apart, and memory supplied no reliable confirmation. Still, he found it hard to believe that two unrelated men would independently contact him about Pauline. His suspicion was not certainty, however. Michael contrasted the unusual approach to him with the many people who claimed to have encountered Pauline and contacted the police; those callers, he noted, did not usually approach him in his capacity as a book editor. The possibility that Joe Smith had first presented himself as a book agent before taking on the air of a secret informant struck Michael as a reason to doubt the story, not as evidence that established who Joe was.