Magpie #19

“Whaddya mean, have I ever seen it before? It’s a very common knife, an Opinel. They’re known all over the world.”
“We’re only interested in this one, Frank. And we think you can help us. And maybe we’ll be able to help you.”
“Help me? I don’t need no help. When you don’t do nothin’ wrong, you don’t need help from cops. Why are you so interested in this shiv?”
“Well, it was involved in a little event a couple of days ago. Sort of a homicide. Ever hear of a girl named Jenny Towler?”
“Yeah; heard of her. Seen her around. Why? She in trouble?”
“Worse. She’s dead.”
“So that’s the homicide. I don’t suppose it’s worth pointing out that I had nothin’ to do with it.”
“No, but we think you know who did.”
“Tell me, maybe I seen too much TV, but are you the good cop or the bad cop?”
“Oh, I’m a switch-hitter – good or bad, whatever the situation calls for. Look, let’s cut to the chase. We’re looking for your pal Mac. All we want to do is ask a few questions. You’ll actually be helping him if you let us know where he is because we’ll be able to clear him that much faster.”
“Yeah, sure, I’d bet on that: all you want to do is clear him.”
“And by the way, you know that Meier robbery that’s been in all the papers? We’re pretty sure Mac pulled that off. So there’s a hefty reward if you want to cooperate.”
“I’ll tell you a funny thing about Mac, but maybe you know it already. He does some heavy stuff – why do you think they call him ‘Mac the Knife’? – but no one ever pins anything on him and whenever they question him he knows nothin’ about nothin’. You got your work cut out, man.”
“But you had your disagreements, to say the least, with Mac in the past. This is a chance to get back at him.”
“Take a good look at a shark. He’s got all his teeth right up there in his face. Mac, on the other hand, usually walks around with a knife, like this Opinel, but you’d never see it – until it was too late. So I guess I’ll have to turn down your offer.”
(This is my attempt to use “The Threepenny Opera,” which opened in Berlin in 1928, and especially its famous song “Mack the Knife,” as inspiration for my 19th Magpie tale.)

“Und der Haifish, der hat Zahne
Und die tragt er im Gesicht.
Und Macheath, der hat ein Messer
Doch das Messer sieht man nicht.”
“Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear,
And he shows ‘em, pearly white.
Just a jackknife has Macheath, dear,
And he keeps it out of sight.”