Three Strangers

In 1938 London, a young woman is able to coerce two men, total strangers, up to her flat, not disclosing the reason until both are there. She has a statue of Kwan Yin, a Chinese goddess of fortune and destiny, and of life and death, which she believes is able to grant one wish to three strangers on the stroke of midnight on Chinese New Year, which is just minutes away. She has a specific wish she wants granted, one she knows the other two would have no interest in, so she suggests the three make a wish for money, which would be a means to her end. Figuring they have nothing to lose, the two men agree, the actual method of that money being a sweepstakes ticket for a future horse race, which one of the men has in his possession; he wants only two-thirds of the ticket's nominal cost from them for using it in this wish. They also agree that if the ticket is chosen, they will let the entire amount ride on the outcome of the race. It isn't until after the stroke of midnight that they learn only each others' names, and scant bits about their lives. She is Crystal Shackleford, who wants to use the money to prove to her husband, from who she is separated, that she is not after his money, leading to a reconciliation. The original owner of the sweepstakes ticket is Johnny West, who is in hiding as he, while drunk (a state he is in more often than not), was involved in a three-man robbery that led a police officer's death. One of the men is standing trial for the robbery and murder--not giving up the other two--while the other is also in hiding with Johnny. The other stranger is barrister Jerome K. Arbutny, whose largest current file is handling the trust of wealthy Lady Rhea Belladon following the death of her husband, Lord Belladon. The power of Kwan Yin will be proved not only if the ticket is chosen and their horse wins the race, but also if the actions of the three strangers has no consequence on their lives in relation to this wish.