the necklace. The cops went after her, and Delvina went looking for her, too. Delvina really wants that necklace."
"Does the real necklace still exist?"
"Hell, no. The stones got reset right away. I don't know what my guy does with the setting. Melt it down, maybe." Cramp looked at the bottle of Jack. Almost empty. "You think we can get to it now?"
"To it?"
"Yeah, you know, the thing we came up here for."
I felt my cell phone buzz in my bag. I retrieved the phone and answered the call.
"Are you okay?" Diesel asked.
"Yeah."
"Do you need help?"
"There's no emergency but assistance might be good at this point. Where are you?"
"I'm just outside the pawnshop."
"It's locked."
"Not anymore." And he disconnected.
"Who was that?" Cramp asked.
"My pimp."
"Jesus, I told you and told you I don't have any money. What do you want? Take anything in the shop. How about some jewelry? It's all fake but it's still good shit."
Diesel strolled into the front room and looked at Cramp, and I could see Cramp start to sweat through his shirt.
"Is there a problem?" Diesel asked.
"No problem," Cramp said. "I told her to take anything she wanted from the shop. Hell, she didn't even do anything."
Diesel slid a look my way. "Is that right?"
I shrugged.
Cramp looked at Diesel. "Are you going to hit me?"
"Maybe," Diesel said.
Cramp's nose was running and his eyes were red-rimmed and tearing up. I was starting to feel sorry for him. He was such a pathetic little worm.
"You aren't a cop, are you?" Cramp asked me.
"No. I'm not a cop."
Cramp looked over at Diesel.
"He's not a cop either," I said. "Actually, I'm not sure what he is."
Diesel didn't crack a smile. "Do we have any more business here?"
"No. He hasn't got any money."
"Then it looks to me like we're done here," Diesel said. "Let's roll."
"Here's a parting message," I said to Cramp. "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."
Diesel wrapped his arm around my neck when we got outside. "What was with the profound message?"
"He thought I was a hooker and he was going to get a freebie."
Diesel hugged me to him. "The guy's a moron. Anyone can see you're not the sort of girl who gives freebies."
"Gee, thanks. I told him you were my pimp."
"Lucky me."
"He has the supposedly stolen necklace and the assault gun in a crawl space under the back room. Do you think we should get it?"
"No, but I think you should call it in to Morelli. Let him send someone over to retrieve it."
I filled Diesel in on Delvina.
"Good work," Diesel said. "You learned a lot."
"And what about Annie? Do you think it's possible that Delvina has Annie?"
"I think it's possible that Delvina tossed Annie's house and wants the necklace. I don't see how Delvina could get to Annie."
"Coincidence? Maybe she stepped out for air, and he happened to be driving down the street."
"That's a big coincidence."
"I haven't got anything else."
"Me either," Diesel said. "Let's talk to Mr. Delvina."
"Oh no. You can talk to Delvina. You're Iron Man. And you don't live here. I'm just wimpy Stephanie from the Burg. If Delvina shoots holes in me, all my vital fluids will leak out, and I'll end up looking like Stanley Cramp."
"Wouldn't want any fluids to leak out of you that weren't supposed to," Diesel said. "I'll track Delvina, and you check on Annie's couples. We're coming up on Valentine's Day. Don't want any snafus."
Chapter 10
My phone rang while I sat in my car watching Diesel drive away.
"Hey cupcake," Morelli said. "Just checking in. Anything I need to know?"
"Speak of the devil. I was just going to call you. I have some information to share. Vinnie bonded out a woman named Annie Hart. She supposedly robbed a pawnshop and shot the owner in the foot."
"I remember that," Morelli said. "The
"Does the real necklace still exist?"
"Hell, no. The stones got reset right away. I don't know what my guy does with the setting. Melt it down, maybe." Cramp looked at the bottle of Jack. Almost empty. "You think we can get to it now?"
"To it?"
"Yeah, you know, the thing we came up here for."
I felt my cell phone buzz in my bag. I retrieved the phone and answered the call.
"Are you okay?" Diesel asked.
"Yeah."
"Do you need help?"
"There's no emergency but assistance might be good at this point. Where are you?"
"I'm just outside the pawnshop."
"It's locked."
"Not anymore." And he disconnected.
"Who was that?" Cramp asked.
"My pimp."
"Jesus, I told you and told you I don't have any money. What do you want? Take anything in the shop. How about some jewelry? It's all fake but it's still good shit."
Diesel strolled into the front room and looked at Cramp, and I could see Cramp start to sweat through his shirt.
"Is there a problem?" Diesel asked.
"No problem," Cramp said. "I told her to take anything she wanted from the shop. Hell, she didn't even do anything."
Diesel slid a look my way. "Is that right?"
I shrugged.
Cramp looked at Diesel. "Are you going to hit me?"
"Maybe," Diesel said.
Cramp's nose was running and his eyes were red-rimmed and tearing up. I was starting to feel sorry for him. He was such a pathetic little worm.
"You aren't a cop, are you?" Cramp asked me.
"No. I'm not a cop."
Cramp looked over at Diesel.
"He's not a cop either," I said. "Actually, I'm not sure what he is."
Diesel didn't crack a smile. "Do we have any more business here?"
"No. He hasn't got any money."
"Then it looks to me like we're done here," Diesel said. "Let's roll."
"Here's a parting message," I said to Cramp. "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."
Diesel wrapped his arm around my neck when we got outside. "What was with the profound message?"
"He thought I was a hooker and he was going to get a freebie."
Diesel hugged me to him. "The guy's a moron. Anyone can see you're not the sort of girl who gives freebies."
"Gee, thanks. I told him you were my pimp."
"Lucky me."
"He has the supposedly stolen necklace and the assault gun in a crawl space under the back room. Do you think we should get it?"
"No, but I think you should call it in to Morelli. Let him send someone over to retrieve it."
I filled Diesel in on Delvina.
"Good work," Diesel said. "You learned a lot."
"And what about Annie? Do you think it's possible that Delvina has Annie?"
"I think it's possible that Delvina tossed Annie's house and wants the necklace. I don't see how Delvina could get to Annie."
"Coincidence? Maybe she stepped out for air, and he happened to be driving down the street."
"That's a big coincidence."
"I haven't got anything else."
"Me either," Diesel said. "Let's talk to Mr. Delvina."
"Oh no. You can talk to Delvina. You're Iron Man. And you don't live here. I'm just wimpy Stephanie from the Burg. If Delvina shoots holes in me, all my vital fluids will leak out, and I'll end up looking like Stanley Cramp."
"Wouldn't want any fluids to leak out of you that weren't supposed to," Diesel said. "I'll track Delvina, and you check on Annie's couples. We're coming up on Valentine's Day. Don't want any snafus."
Chapter 10
My phone rang while I sat in my car watching Diesel drive away.
"Hey cupcake," Morelli said. "Just checking in. Anything I need to know?"
"Speak of the devil. I was just going to call you. I have some information to share. Vinnie bonded out a woman named Annie Hart. She supposedly robbed a pawnshop and shot the owner in the foot."
"I remember that," Morelli said. "The
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