Chapter 23 Summary

The commissioner questions Maxie, and Maxie admits that Frank asked him to keep his peashooters safe in his shop. He says that he agreed to because they are friends. The commissioner then asks about the map and the notes Maxie has written on it. Maxie says the pins all mark places where pushcart vendors work, and the notes are about work that needs to be done, times at which customers will pick them up and how much the work will cost. The commissioner believes Maxie and lets him go.

Chapter 23 Analysis

Once again, the commissioner believes the stories Frank and Maxie tell him despite all the evidence to the contrary. This exposes some character motivation on the part of the commissioner. The police commissioner was made a fool of by Big Moe and his assertions that Frank the Flower could not have killed...