The Godfather

 “The Godfather” By Mario Puzo
 
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responsible. He knew him well. 
The man was Wax Baines, a notorious pimp, dope pusher and strong-arm artist. His 
eyes were popping from drugs now, the bloody knife he held in his hand wavered. Neri 
had arrested him two weeks before for severely assaulting one of his whores in the 
street. Baines had told him, “Hey, man, this none of your business.” And Neri’s partner 
had also said something about letting the niggers cut each other up if they wanted to, 
but Neri had hauled Baines into the station house. Baines was bailed out the very next 
day. 
Neri had never much liked Negroes, and working in Harlem had made him like them 
even less. They all were on drugs or booze while they let their women work or peddle 
ass. He didn’t have any use for any of the bastards. So Baines’ brazen breaking of the 
law infuriated him. And the sight of the little girl all cut up with the razor sickened him. 
Quite coolly, in his own mind, he decided not to bring Baines in. 
But witnesses were already crowding into the apartment behind him, some people who 
lived in the building and his partner from the patrol car. 
Neri ordered Baines, “Drop your knife, you’re under arrest.” 
Baines laughed. “Man, you gotta use your gun to arrest me.” He held his knife up. “Or 
maybe you want this.” 
Neri moved very quickly, so his partner would not have time to draw a gun. The Negro 
stabbed with his knife, but Neri’s extraordinary reflexes enabled him to catch the thrust 
with his left palm. With his right hand he swung the flashlight in a short vicious arc. The 
blow caught Baines on the side of the head and made his knees buckle comically like a 
drunk’s. The knife dropped from his hand. He was quite helpless. So Neri’s second blow 
was inexcusable, as the police departmental hearing and his criminal trial later proved 
with the help of the testimony of witnesses and his fellow policeman. Neri brought the 
flashlight down on the top of Baines’ skull in an incredibly powerful blow which shattered 
the glass of the flashlight; the enamel shield and the bulb itself popping out and flying 
across the room. The heavy aluminum barrel of the flashlight tube bent and only the 
batteries inside prevented it from doubling on itself. One awed onlooker, a Negro man 
who lived in the tenement and later testified against Neri, said, “Man that’s a 
hard-headed nigger.” 
But Baines’ head was not quite hard enough. The blow caved in his skull. He died two 
hours later in the Harlem Hospital. 

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