Justice

When a thief broke into Soto’s Grocery, noise alerted the locals. A sodden mob hammered their beers, poured out of Mozzi’s Bar. They blocked off the alley, cornered the burglar. The loudest drunk belligerently waved his revolver, ordered his detainee to lay face down in the street and spread ‘em, just like a cop series drama. Someone called the law. All waited for the sheriff’s arrival. While amateur vigilantes high-fived, celebrating do-it-yourself justice, a speeding car rounded the corner. Because the driver had been knocking back shots of whiskey all evening, he failed to see the guy hugging pavement, couldn’t stop in time, ran the crook over. In the end, though, everyone came out ahead—the apprehended served his sentence in traction and the bar flies added one more story to their collection of tales.