Page 129 (1/2)

“The Umbria?” Bell prompted “The steamship? The Cunard liner?”

“We seen this oldto Pier 40 like he’s late Not even looking where he was going We couldn’t believe our luck We was down on Clarkson Street looking for drunk sailors to roll Instead, here cos on his fingers who could pay one hundred fifty dollars for his stea down rain, not a soul on Clarkson Eyes clipped on his thuave us trouble We pounced like cats on our rich rat Brian went to tear his rings fro with money in his fancy coat…”

“What happened?”

“He pulled a sword out of his cane”

Billy Collins turned his gaze on Bell, his eyes onder “A sword We were so drunk, we couldn’t hardly get out of our oay The old ed it He floored h old ht into his cane Heard a noise like dynaone”

Billy Collins sniffed the sandwich again and stared at it

“Then what happened?” asked Bell

“I woke up in the gutter, soaking wet and freezing cold”

“What about Eyes?”

“Brian O’Shay was gone, and I never seen hiain”

“Did the old man kill Eyes O’Shay?”

“I didn’t see no blood”

“Could the rain have washed the blood away?”

Collins begins to weep “Vanished into thin air Just likenobody But Eyes and ”

“What if I told you Eyes came back?”