any meals, anyway,” I said, disguising the jab as a friendly tease.
“That’s no lie.” He shook his head ruefully and patted his stomach. “Dangers of a desk job, Mickey. They take you off the street and make you into a house cat, this is what happens.”
“I guess so.”
“You don’t look like you’ve got that problem,” he said, gesturing toward me. “You aren’t as big as you used to be but you look good. What’s your secret?”
“I get exercise,” I said.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. For starters, I push myself back away from the table once in a while. You should try it. Works wonders.”
He smiled, but there was a shadow there now. He knew I was busting his balls for more than just a how ya been. “I’ll have to check out that program. Sounds pretty simple.”
“Let me know how it goes.”
He nodded, then looked away. While he watched a pair of joggers trot past, he spoke. “I can see this ain’t some kind of reunion or nothing, so whattaya want, Mickey?”
“My dad died.”
Somehow, saying it out loud made it feel different. I actually felt a pang in my chest, though I knew it couldn’t be for the old man himself. Maybe for what he should’ve been. I don’t know.
Al looked back at me. “Jesus. Sorry.” He paused, then added, “I think.”
I shrugged. “It happened, just like everything else. The thing is, he told me some stuff before he went. And I’m kind of curious to find out if it is bullshit or not.”
“And that’s where I come in.”
“You should’ve been a detective,” I said.
“Fuck you. Just fill me in.”
I gave him the rundown on the job the old man pulled, leaving out the part about the earrings. He listened, nodding slightly at the names of Jimmy and Speedo, but he didn’t seem to recognize the heist itself.
“Little Jimmy fucking Kerrigan,” he mused. “That’s a blast from the past.”
“What’s his deal?”
Al took a deep breath and thought about it. “He was barely a cut above half-assed, if I remember right.”
“You think he’d be able to move merch like that?”
“Anybody can move anything. Whether he could get what it was worth or not?” Al turned the corners of his mouth down and gave a little shrug. “Who can say? If he even ended up with this necklace you’re talking about.”
I didn’t answer. If Jimmy didn’t have the necklace, we’d cross that bridge when we got to it. “You think you know where he is?”
“I maybe got an idea or two. Let me check on it, though.”
“And you never heard of this jewelry rip?”
He shrugged again. “It ain’t ringing a bell. But sometimes those museum heists, they keep quiet about it.”
“Why?”
“Why shouldn’t they? Insurance pays off either way.”
“That seems a little defeatist.”
“Huh?”
“Giving up too easy,” I said. “These are crown jewels we’re talking about.”
“Just because they belonged to some princess doesn’t make them crown jewels.”
“Still.”
“Still nothing,” Al said. “Insurance pays off. What does anyone care?”
“The insurance company cares.”
He nodded and wagged a knowing finger at me. “Right you are. But they don’t want too much noise, either. You can only move that kind of shit in certain circles. They make too big a fuss about it, the fences get nervous. Nobody buys the loot, and then the insurance investigators can’t find it. But if they keep quiet about it, it’ll turn up and those investigators can run it down.”
“When did you become such an expert?”
“I’m not,” Al said. “But like I told ya, they’ve got me on desk duty at the precinct. I’m up in the detectives’ floor. I see how cases run, including insurance jobs.”
“Looks like I called the right guy, then.”
He snorted lightly. “Who else you gonna call, Mickey?”
“Harris maybe.”
“That fucking mope? He’d never return your call. He’s lucky to be off traffic duty since our little dust-up.”
“Well, I guess it doesn’t
“That’s no lie.” He shook his head ruefully and patted his stomach. “Dangers of a desk job, Mickey. They take you off the street and make you into a house cat, this is what happens.”
“I guess so.”
“You don’t look like you’ve got that problem,” he said, gesturing toward me. “You aren’t as big as you used to be but you look good. What’s your secret?”
“I get exercise,” I said.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. For starters, I push myself back away from the table once in a while. You should try it. Works wonders.”
He smiled, but there was a shadow there now. He knew I was busting his balls for more than just a how ya been. “I’ll have to check out that program. Sounds pretty simple.”
“Let me know how it goes.”
He nodded, then looked away. While he watched a pair of joggers trot past, he spoke. “I can see this ain’t some kind of reunion or nothing, so whattaya want, Mickey?”
“My dad died.”
Somehow, saying it out loud made it feel different. I actually felt a pang in my chest, though I knew it couldn’t be for the old man himself. Maybe for what he should’ve been. I don’t know.
Al looked back at me. “Jesus. Sorry.” He paused, then added, “I think.”
I shrugged. “It happened, just like everything else. The thing is, he told me some stuff before he went. And I’m kind of curious to find out if it is bullshit or not.”
“And that’s where I come in.”
“You should’ve been a detective,” I said.
“Fuck you. Just fill me in.”
I gave him the rundown on the job the old man pulled, leaving out the part about the earrings. He listened, nodding slightly at the names of Jimmy and Speedo, but he didn’t seem to recognize the heist itself.
“Little Jimmy fucking Kerrigan,” he mused. “That’s a blast from the past.”
“What’s his deal?”
Al took a deep breath and thought about it. “He was barely a cut above half-assed, if I remember right.”
“You think he’d be able to move merch like that?”
“Anybody can move anything. Whether he could get what it was worth or not?” Al turned the corners of his mouth down and gave a little shrug. “Who can say? If he even ended up with this necklace you’re talking about.”
I didn’t answer. If Jimmy didn’t have the necklace, we’d cross that bridge when we got to it. “You think you know where he is?”
“I maybe got an idea or two. Let me check on it, though.”
“And you never heard of this jewelry rip?”
He shrugged again. “It ain’t ringing a bell. But sometimes those museum heists, they keep quiet about it.”
“Why?”
“Why shouldn’t they? Insurance pays off either way.”
“That seems a little defeatist.”
“Huh?”
“Giving up too easy,” I said. “These are crown jewels we’re talking about.”
“Just because they belonged to some princess doesn’t make them crown jewels.”
“Still.”
“Still nothing,” Al said. “Insurance pays off. What does anyone care?”
“The insurance company cares.”
He nodded and wagged a knowing finger at me. “Right you are. But they don’t want too much noise, either. You can only move that kind of shit in certain circles. They make too big a fuss about it, the fences get nervous. Nobody buys the loot, and then the insurance investigators can’t find it. But if they keep quiet about it, it’ll turn up and those investigators can run it down.”
“When did you become such an expert?”
“I’m not,” Al said. “But like I told ya, they’ve got me on desk duty at the precinct. I’m up in the detectives’ floor. I see how cases run, including insurance jobs.”
“Looks like I called the right guy, then.”
He snorted lightly. “Who else you gonna call, Mickey?”
“Harris maybe.”
“That fucking mope? He’d never return your call. He’s lucky to be off traffic duty since our little dust-up.”
“Well, I guess it doesn’t
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