‘Alligator Candy’

An excerpt from journalist David Kushner’s memoir about the 1973 murder of his big brother in Tampa, Fla.

My last memory of my brother Jon was my most suspect.

It was Oct. 28, 1973, and we were on the sidewalk outside our house. I was a stocky 4-year-old with a brown, bowl haircut, and Jon, wiry and lean with wavy red hair, was 11. Earlier that year, we’d moved to this small ranch house with a red Spanish style roof in Tampa, Fla. It was the northern edge of the burgeoning suburbs, the last home on the last street by the woods.

For the kids in the neighborhood, the woods represented the great unknown, a thicket of freedom, a mossy maze of cypress and palms begging to be explored. Kids ventured into there on horseback, barefoot, on bikes. They had worn a path to the 7-Eleven convenience store across the woods, and that’s where Jon was heading this day.

Jon straddled his red bicycle, aiming for the trees. These were the Easy Rider years, and boys’ bikes were designed to resemble motorcycles, the kinds we’d see driven by Hell’s Angels around town. Jon’s bike had a long red banana-shaped seat, shiny chrome upright handlebars, and fat tires. For added effect, kids would tape a playing card in the back spokes to sound like a motorcycle when the tire spun. They’d lower their heads, extend their arms, and hunch their backs as they pedaled, visions of Evel Knievel in their minds.

My parents had given Jon a green ten-speed Schwinn for his birthday in September, but for some reason he decided to ride his old one this morning. Maybe he wanted something more rugged for the woods, or just wanted to take one more spin on his old bike before retiring it. He wore a brown muscle shirt and cutoff blue jean shorts with a patch from his day camp, Camp Keystone. His sneakers were red, white and blue Hush Puppies. I could tell by the way his feet bobbed on the pedals that he Find home furnishings from our Southern neighbors to add some flair, including luxe linens and banners with surreal scenes. Dining editor Ligaya Figueras looks beyond the labels of “family-friendly”and“kid-friendly” when it comes to eating out . Music City still lives up to its name. In addition to country music, you’ll also find plenty of museums and dining options to entertain.

CONTRIBUTED BY DAVID KUSHNER David Kushner (left) was the last person in his family to see big brother Jon Kushner (right) before he rode his bicycle into the woods behind their house and never came back.