The patrol officer made his rounds along a New York City street, twirling his baton.
It was a little before 10 p.m., and a chilly wind had kept the streets empty.
Halfway up a certain block, the officer slowed.
In the doorway of a darkened hardware store, a man stood with his back against the door.
"It's all right, Officer!" the man said quickly.
"I'm just waiting here for a friend.
Believe it or not, we made this appointment twenty years ago.
You see, there used to be a restaurant where this store stands now—Big Joe Brady's."
"Big Joe Brady's was torn down five years ago," the policeman said.
The man stepped out from the doorway, peering both ways down the deserted street.
A streetlight briefly lit him, revealing a pale, square-jawed face with sharp eyes and a noticeable white scar near his right eyebrow.
His tie pin had a large, flashy diamond.
"Twenty years ago tonight," the man went on, "I was here with my best friend, Jimmy Wells.
I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty, and the next morning, I was leaving to make my fortune out West."
He chuckled. "But you couldn't have dragged Jimmy away—he thought New York was the only place on earth!"
The policeman nodded as if he'd known people like that.
"Well, that night we agreed to meet in this exact spot twenty years later.
We figured that by then, we'd have each made our fortunes, whatever they were going to be."
"That's a long time between meetings," the officer said. "Have you heard from Jimmy since you left?"
The man shook his head.
"We wrote for a time, but we lost track of each other after a few years.
The West is huge, and I moved around a lot.
But Jimmy is the most dependable guy in the world.
If he's still alive, he'll show up tonight." He pulled out a pocket watch.
"It's almost ten—and it was exactly ten o'clock when we parted here twenty years ago."
The policeman noticed that there were diamonds on the watch.
"It looks like you've done well out West."
"I have, and I hope Jimmy has done well too.
Out West, I've had to compete with some very ambitious people."
The policeman twirled his baton. "I'll be on my way now. I hope your friend shows up soon."
"I'm sure he will, and I'll stick around until he does. Good night."
The officer continued walking along his route.
There was now a fine, cold drizzle falling, and the wind blew sharply.
The few pedestrians in the streets hurried along, hands thrust in pockets and coat collars turned high.
The man who had come a thousand miles to see his old friend continued waiting in the dark doorway.
About twenty minutes later, a tall man in a long overcoat with its collar turned up stepped toward him. "Bob? Is that you?"
"Jimmy Wells?"
The tall man shook Bob's hand.
"I was certain I'd find you here if you were still alive! How has the West treated you, old man?"
"It's given me everything I hoped for!" Bob smiled and then eyed his friend up and down.
"You've changed, Jimmy—you're taller now."
"I grew a couple of inches in my twenties."
"Are you doing well here in New York, Jimmy?"
"I have a position in the municipal government," the tall man said.
"Come on, Bob. Let's go to a place I know, so we can talk about old times."
As the two men started walking, Bob boasted about his successful life out West.
The other man, wrapped tightly in his overcoat, listened with interest.
At the corner stood a brightly lit drugstore.
Under the lights' glare, the two men turned to look at each other.
"You're not Jimmy Wells!" Bob snapped.
"Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough to completely change the shape of a man's nose!"
"But twenty years is enough time to change a good, decent man into a bad one," the tall man said. is
"You're under arrest, 'Sticky Fingers' Bob.
The police in Chicago would like to have a chat with you."
Bob was too stunned to say another word.
"Before we go to the station, here's a note I was asked to hand you. It's from Officer Jimmy Wells."
Bob unfolded the small slip of paper.
His hand was steady when he began to read, but it was shaking by the time he had finished.
Bob:
Bob
I was at our meeting spot tonight at the agreed time. I was at our meeting spot tonight at the agreed time.
When you stepped into the light, I recognized the face of a notorious criminal who's wanted in Chicago. When you stepped into the light, I recognized the face of a notorious criminal who's wanted in Chicago.
I couldn't bring myself to make the arrest, so I got a plainclothes officer to do the job. I couldn't bring myself to make the arrest, so I got a plainclothes officer to do the job.
Jimmy Jimmy
