Harlem Shuffle: Part 3, Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis

Carney heads out to Moskowitz’s shop. Carrying the emerald necklace with him makes him jumpy. He remembers the Theresa job and reflects that he is now pursued by a different kind of criminal, one who commits crimes in the open without fear of retribution. Carney is grateful for Pepper’s help, but worries the man is right about cutting Freddie loose. He is no longer obligated to help Freddie, who has only brought trouble, but thinks of moving the necklace as “the Carney job,” proving himself in some way. Carney finds a flyer in his wallet from one of last week’s protesters, which details instructions for making a Molotov cocktail. He keeps it as “a talisman or a crooked hymn.”

With Freddie hiding out in Brooklyn and Pepper minding the store, Carney hopes Moskowitz will take the emerald off his hands. But when he arrives, the jeweler refuses the necklace, saying it’s “too hot” and Van Wyck’s people have been asking about it. Moskowitz advises Carney to throw the emerald into the river or return it and beg for forgiveness. Outside, two men are waiting for Carney: Ed Bench—a lawyer who represents the Van Wycks—and his muscle, Mr. Lloyd. Mr. Lloyd holds a gun on Carney while they walk him down the street.

Bench confiscates the necklace but is more interested in the other things Linus stole from the safe, which are back in Carney’s safe. He threatens Carney’s family. Carney realizes that Moskowitz ratted him out, proving he has less integrity than the crook Buxbaum, who is still in prison. Taking advantage of a sudden rush of people exiting the theater on Broadway and another crowd leaving the subway, Carney runs. He feels like he did when he and Freddie ran from youthful hijinks, like a kid outrunning adults. He makes it to the subway, glad to be rid of the necklace and feeling safer until he reaches the store, where Pepper is waiting.

The narrative shifts to Pepper’s perspective. He hasn’t felt like himself since he got stabbed in the gut during a recent job, which landed him in the hospital. Donegal’s, the bar where he hangs out, is filled with washed-up criminals like himself. He was glad when Carney hired him, seeing flashes of his old friend Big Mike in the man’s son. His first day guarding Carney’s store, Chet the Vet—one of Montague’s men—approaches and questions him about Carney’s whereabouts. Pepper scares him off before entering the store. He spends the next few days testing out Carney’s recliners. Pepper has forgiven Carney’s behavior during the Duke job, recalling that Big Mike had a similar desire for revenge.

On the same day Carney takes the necklace to Moskowitz, Pepper guards the store. Like Carney, Pepper has a protest flyer in his pocket. His reads “COOL IT BABY,” implying that the riots have delivered a message. Pepper feels no one is listening to the Black population’s complaints. Two White men approach Carney’s store, peering through the windows. They are dressed as utility men, the same way Pepper will dress as a waiter or porter to divert White suspicion. Once the men break inside, Pepper catches one of them by surprise with a baseball bat. The other man throws an ottoman through Carney’s office window, but Pepper subdues them and steals their guns, telling them to “Cool it, baby.” Pepper tells the men to leave, feeling his message—unlike the protesters’—has been delivered.

When Carney returns to the store, he panics and calls his family, getting no response. Pepper tells him the men were planning to torch his safe, having brought acetylene with them. Carney removes his money and Linus’s briefcase, wondering what paperwork is so important to the Van Wycks. Most of the papers are real estate documents, though one grants Ambrose Van Wyck power of attorney over Linus. Carney and Pepper return to Riverside, where Elizabeth and the kids are safe and oblivious. Pepper assures Carney he will keep watch over them tonight. Elizabeth tells Carney someone named Ed Bench called. Returning the call from a payphone, Carney learns that the lawyer has caught Freddie.