The three wise guys

NANCY HALE

A story of three who went out to kill on Christmas Eve, and Who were overtaken by a very ancient miracle

They had been sitting there in the car, waiting, a long time; too long a time. They had watched the red and green lights on First Avenue, around the corner, go on and off. on and off, for hours; there wasn't anything else to watch; pretty soon it would be so late that the lights would be turned off. The only person to pass the parked car was the cop, who went by about every twenty minutes. He didn't know what they were there for but he knew they worked for Herb, and so he had to let them sit there.

The cars kept whizzing by, on First Avenue, getting fewer with the time. They kept their eves pasted on the avenue, although they were sleepy and the bad air in the car made them sleepier. The car they were watching for was to be a 1927 Buick coupe painted light tan. It would come by sometime between twelve and four. The Moose would be driving it, and according to Herb's information he'd be alone. W hen they saw the car they were to go after it to wherever the Moose was going and then go after him. Herb had been waiting two months for a chance like this, and now it bad come off. he had the information and everything. The thing was that the Moose was a Catholic and on Christmas Eve he'd be going out to Astoria to see bis mother. Then he'd come back to town. That was the information. Being a Catholic was going to be the Moose's hard luck.

It began to snow and Doggy started up the motor and moved the car further up to the corner so that they could still see to watch. Then he cut the motor and they all sat there in the quiet some more. The Georgia boy opened up the third pack of cigarettes and he and Doggy and the Greek started in on them. The snow kept falling a little faster all the time, whirling around the car and skidding down First Avenue.

They were all pretty restless by now, and they kept yawning. They moved their feet around in the mess of newspapers on the floor and regularly reached out for another cigarette. But their eyes did not move off First Avenue. I hey just sat there ready to go after the Moose as soon as he came along.

The cop came wandering around the corner toward them, swinging his stick, with snow all over his cap and on his shoulders.

They all saw the car at the same minute —an old Buick, light, dirty tan under the arc-light, going fast down First Avenue, so fast that they just clicked it with their eyes and then it was gone. Doggy's foot was on the starter and the car jumped forward and the Georgia boy said "Let's go." The cop stood still and watched them skid the corner and yelled "Merry Christmas!" after them. He must have been Irish.

They were about three blocks behind the red tail-light streaking down First Avenue. Doggy turned down the window next to him and rested his elbow on the open sill the way he always drove. The Georgia boy rubbed off the windshield with his hand so that he could see better. The Greek leaned forward, and he watched the red tail-light through the part cleaned by the windshield-wiper.

Doggy drove fast and steadily and well, keeping a pretty even three blocks behind. I he car they followed went right through the lights, and they went through after it. Passing forty-fourth Street the stop-lights went out for the night, and the red tail-light in front of them speeded up a little. Doggy speeded up too. The Georgia boy looked at the lit speedometer.

"Forty,' lie said, "Does he know He's trailed ?"

"What's He gonna do about it if lie does?" Doggy said looking straight ahead. "We're not sleuthing him, we're getting him."

"Suppose it ain't the Moose," the Greek said just behind Doggy's ear. "Herb might have give us the plate numbers."

"Ha're we goin' to know without the plate numbers?" the Georgia boy asked.

"Ah, wouldn't he of changed the plates?" Doggy said. "It's a tan Buick, ain't it, and one guy driving it. Sure it's the Moose."

I he Greek and the Georgia boy nodded.

They kept going steadily, and then the red tail-light whirled around a corner to the right. Doggy took it on a skid and kept the distance the same. They kept going across town, under the L's and out from under and under again on the next avenue. The Georgia boy and the Greek lit cigarettes and the Georgia boy put his in Doggy's mouth and lit another for himself. The red light they followed took the corner into Lexington Avenue close to the left-hand curb and in a cloud of stirred-up snow. Doggy went around after him. They went on down Lexington after the little red light.

"Honest, he must know he's trailed," the Georgia boy said.

Let him, Doggy said, "This is how we do things, kid."

"W hen we get him. are you goin' to give it to him. Doggy?"

"We're all going to give it to him," Doggy said. "We're all going to have to give it to him, kid."

"Sure, said the Greek, "You'd need three. Anyhow. I hat's how the Moose got the scar." "How?"

"Because it was only one guy tried to get him, kid. Herb don't want to give the Moose only a scar. And we're the boys to give him a lot more."

They all kept their eyes on that red taillight. It went on down town going fast. "Where's he goin'?" asked the Georgia boy. "He's got places," Doggy said.

It was way down town when the red light suddenly got near to them, and they had to slow down. The Buick coupe pulled up to the curb dragging locked brakes the last few feet and Doggy stopped further up the street.

A short man jumped out of the Buick carrying a grip and ran up the steps of a house and slammed the door after him.

"Why'n't you give it to him?" asked the Georgia boy, "Why'n't you give it to him gettin' out of the car?"

"Listen, kid. you stick around and you'll see how we do things. We'll go in after him now, Doggy said.

"This is a fine street," said the Greek getting out, "A fine street. V fine lousy street. I wonder who s he got in with him there."

"Listen, Doggy said, "All you have to do is stop gumming."

They walked easily up the steps of the house, three men in tight overcoats and derby hats. 1 he Greek leaned up against the door and it opened. 1 he three of them walked in, looking around, taking it easy. A woman put her head out of a door at the end of the hall and looked at them. They snapped into a row, facing her, with their hands in their pockets.

"A man came in here a minute ago," Doggy said, "Where'd he go, hunli?"

"Oh, him?" the woman nodded her head toward upstairs, "You're with him?"

"Yeah, we're with him."

"It's Mrs. Romano," the woman said, "Up to the top floor. On the back."

Doggy nodded at the other two, and they went upstairs, very lightly, slowly, seeing everything. When they got to the top they went over to the door at the back. A woman screamed, and screamed again. They all stiffened and stood still, but nothing happened.

"What the hell, said the Greek, in a whisper. Doggy shrugged his shoulders, and scowled at the Greek for speaking. The Georgia boy kept still, waiting for Doggy to begin doing something. Doggy lifted his hand and knocked on the door with his knuckles.

A man's voice said "Come in," and Doggy opened the door. The three of them stood bunched in the door, hands in their pockets, pockets looking as if they were pointing their forefingers inside. Only it wasn't their forefingers.

I he short little man, a doctor, looked up from leaning over the groaning woman on the bed. at these three men. They couldn't speak for a minute, and the little short man began talking fast.

"I suppose one of you men is her husband, it's about time you got here, there's plenty you can do. Can you remember this?—a roll of absorbent cotton, gauze six inches wide, and I want a pail, get an enamel one, go on now, there must be a drug store nearby. There's nothing here at all now. Hurry up, please, I need the things right away."

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"We ain't her husband," Doggy said.

None of them moved. The woman was writhing on the bed. and moaning.

"I don't care who you are," the short, fierce little doctor said. "This woman is going to have a child in a very short time. It's too late for me to leave her now. Go on now, don't waste time."

"We got the wrong room," Doggy said, "We'll be going." They were all embarrassed by the woman's groaning, and the Greek had begun to edge out.

I he fierce little man was busy with the woman, but he straightened up again and marched over to the door and looked at the three hard faces.

"This woman has got to have those things," he said. "Right away. I don't give a hoot in hell who you men are. but you will go out immediately and get the things, as I tell you. If you can't do that much for a woman in childbirth, go downstairs and tell the woman on the first floor to go out and get the things. Only hurry up."

Me stared at them with absurd arrogance and went back to the woman's bedside. She screamed again, suddenly.

The three in the doorway turned and went downstairs. 'The doctor did not even look up to see them go.

"Who the hell did he think he was," said the Greek, running down behind the Georgia boy. "Ordering us around. Why'n't you poke him. Doggy?"

"Ah, he was all right. I guess somebody'll have to get that stuff. Where would a drug store be?" Doggy asked them, opening the outside door.

"Hey, aren't you going to get the woman to do it?" the Greek asked.

"We got a car, ain't we?" Doggyasked back.

"That woman sounded like she was real sick," the Georgia boy said, looking hack at the Greek. "She was yellin' some up there."

The Greek went along.

It took them a while to find a drug store, and they had to ring and get the man, who had been asleep, to open the door. They were all a little ashamed at being out on such an errand, and they took it out on being tough with the clerk. Then they started back.

When they got up to the room the woman from downstairs was up there, fooling with some water and a kettle.

"It's about time you got back," the doctor said. "The baby's born. Where's the stuff?"

Then they all looked at the queer little weazened beginning of a man lying under an old blanket on the foot of the bed.

Doggy laid the package with the cotton and things on the table; the Greek put down the enamel pail; the Georgia hoy took out a hill-fold and selected a ten and put that down. Then they all stood there in their tight overcoats looking at the baby and the grayface of the mother.

"You can get along now," the little doctor said, still with his ridiculous arrogance to these hard guys. "Oh. I suppose you want to be paid. Well, how much were the things?"

"Na, we don't want no money," Doggy said. The three of them wheeled and got out and went down stairs. They trotted down one after the other with their peculiar, easy way of running down steps.

"1 din know a baby looked like that, blue," the Georgia boy said.

"The Moose's got away by now," the Greek said.

"What the hell are we gonna tell Herb?" asked Doggy.