Read When the Sacred Ginmill Closes for Free Online

misfortunately his mother never got around to sewing a name tape in it, so it's impossible to return it to him."
    "I see."
    "If I only knew who he was and where to find him, I could see that he got what was rightfully his."
    I'll bet you could, I thought.
    "Ye were a policeman."
    "Not anymore."
    "Ye might hear something. People talk, don't they, and a man who keeps his eyes and ears open might do himself a bit of good."
    I didn't say anything.
    He groomed his beard with his fingertips. "My brothers and I," he said, his eyes fixed on a point over my shoulder, "would be greatly pleased to pay ten thousand dollars for the names and whereabouts of the two lads who visited us the other night."
    "Just to return a hat."
    "Why, we've a sense of obligation," he said. "Wasn't it your George Washington who walked miles through the snow to return a penny to a customer?"
    "I think it was Abraham Lincoln."
    "Of course it was. George Washington was the other, the cherry tree. 'Father, I cannot tell a lie.' This nation's heroes are great ones for honesty."
    "They used to be."
    "And then himself,tellin ' us all he's not a crook.Jaysus." He shook his big head. "Well, then," he said. "Do ye thinkye'll be able to help us out?"
    "I don't see what help I could be."
    "Ye were here and saw them."
    "They were wearing masks and they had caps on their heads. In fact I could swear they both had their caps on when they left. You don't suppose you found somebody else's hat, do you?"
    "Perhaps the lad dropped it on the stairs. If you hear anything, Matt,ye'll let us know?"
    "Why not?"
    "Are ye of Irish stock yourself, Matt?"
    "No."
    "I'd have thought maybe one of your forebears was from Kerry. TheKerryman is famous for answering a question with a question."
    "I don't know who they were, Tim Pat."
    "If you learn anything...
    "If I learn anything."
    "Ye'veno quarrel with the price? It's a fair price?"
    "No quarrel," I said. "It's a very fair price."
    IT was a good price, the fairness of it notwithstanding. I said as much to Skip the next time I saw him.
    "He didn't want to hire me," I said. "He wanted to post a reward. Ten K to the man who tells him who they are and where he can lay his hands on them."
    "Would you do it?"
    "What, go hunting for them? I told you the other day I wouldn't take the job for a fee. I'm certainly not going to go nosing around on the come."
    He shook his head. "Suppose you found out without trying. You walked around the corner on the way to buy a paper and there they were."
    "How would I recognize them?"
    "How often do you see two guys wearing red kerchiefs for masks? No, seriously, say you recognized them. Or you got hold of the information, the word got out and some contact of yours from the old days put a flea in your ear. You used to have stool pigeons, didn't you?"
    "Snitches," I said. "Every cop had them, you couldn't get anywhere without them. Still, I-"
    "Forget how you find out," he said. "Just suppose it happened. Would you?"
    "Would I-"
    "Sell 'emout. Collect the ten grand."
    "I don't know anything about them."
    "Fine, let's say you don't know whether they're assholes or altar boys. What's the difference? Either way it's blood money, right? TheMorrisseys find thosekids, theygotta be dead as Kelsey's nuts, right?"
    "I don't suppose Tim Pat wants to send them an invitation to a christening."
    "Or ask 'emto join the Holy Name Society. Could you do it?"
    I shook my head. "I can't answer that," I said. "It would depend on who they were and how bad I needed the money."
    "I don't think you'd do it."
    "I don't think I would either."
    "I sure as shit wouldn't," he said. He tapped the ashes from his cigarette. "There'senough people who would."
    "There'speople who would kill for less than that."
    "I was thinking that myself."
    "There were a few cops in the room that night," I said. "You want to bet they'll know about the reward?"
    "No bet."
    "Say a cop finds out who the holdup men were. He can't make a collar. There's no crime,