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dumb to make good criminals. That made giving him a hard time that much more fun. “I’m out for a stroll,” Quinn leaned against his car next to Doherty. “What’s your excuse?”
    “The Doyle mob got it rough tonight,” Doherty said. “Word is that Terry Quinn was sent out to set things right.”
    Quinn pushed his hat back high on his head, just like Doherty’s. He lit a cigarette and drew the smoke deep into his lungs. “You’ve been reading those dime novels again, Charlie. You always get very suspicious when you read those things.”
    Doherty smiled.
    Halloran didn’t. “Enough bullshit, Quinn. What are you doing over here?”
    Quinn didn’t like his attitude. “I went for a walk. Is that against the law or didn’t you get that far in detective school?”
    Halloran snatched him by the lapels of his overcoat and yanked him off the car. His cigarette fell from his mouth.
    “You smug son of a bitch,” Halloran said. “You always think you’re so goddamned smart, don’t you? Above it all. Well you ain’t above it all any more, stupid. What happened to Fatty tonight proved it.”
    Quinn didn’t like being manhandled. He could’ve done something about it, but Halloran was still a cop. “Get him off me, Charlie, or I swear...”
    “Let him go, Jimmy,” Doherty said from his spot against the car. “He baits you whenever he sees you.”
    Halloran shoved Quinn back against the car. Quinn winked and made a show of straightening his tie for Halloran’s benefit.
    “I wouldn’t be so smug if I were you,” Doherty said. “We were on our way to question Shapiro and Johnny the Kid when we saw you working over his boys. So why don’t you come clean and tell us what the hell happened in there? We’re going to find out eventually.”
    Since they’d probably seen everything, Quinn no reason to stall. “I swung by Shapiro’s place to speak to The Kid about Fatty’s shooting. Shapiro put his boys on me instead. Two got hurt and Ira took a couple of shots at me. He caught one in the shoulder, but he’ll live.”
    “Real neat story,” Halloran conceded. “All wrapped up in a bow.”
    “You saw what happened,” Quinn added. “You tell me if I’m lying.” “That’s pretty much how we saw it play out, too,” Doherty admitted.
    “We saw you leave with The Kid after O’Hara showed up. What’d he tell you?”
    Quinn decided to keep that part to himself. The man in the white hat wasn’t much of a lead, but it was the only one he had. Giving it to Doherty and Halloran would be like pissing it away.
    “He said Shapiro was edgy all day, then told him he was playing in a big money game up at Ames’. Said he didn’t know who Fatty was until the lead started flying. Call me a sucker, but I believed him.”
    “That’s it?” Halloran said. “Nothing else?”
    Quinn shrugged again. “Some people just aren’t too smart. You know what that’s like, don’t you, Halloran.”
    Doherty got between them before Halloran could grab him again. “Let’s you and me go for a walk, Terry.”
    When they had gotten half way down the block, Doherty said, “Why do you keep riding him like that?” Quinn lit another cigarette. “It’s fun.”
    “You ought to lay off him,” Doherty said. “He hates your guts. One day, he might do something when I’m not there to keep him calm.”
    “The day that simp gets the jump on me, I deserve what I get.”
    Doherty chuckled. “Modesty’s not one of your failings, is it?”
    Quinn smoked his cigarette.
    “You know why we never come down as hard on Archie as we have on the others?” Doherty asked.
    “Because Archie owns the mayor, the chief of police and every ward boss in town?” Quinn elbowed Doherty. “Not to mention the interest he’s taken in a certain Vice detective’s career. No offense, Charlie, but everyone knows you didn’t get your shield based on your skills as a policeman.”
    “That’s part of it,” Doherty admitted, “but we leave Doyle