Page 99 of Family Jewels

“Why didn’t you hawk the necklace right away?” I asked. “Why sit on it?”

James answered this one. “Because Buck would have put feelers out in every pawn shop within two hundred miles. If Dyer tried to sell it, Buck would know. He had to let it cool off.”

Raddy nodded. “I never thought he’d connect it to me. I didn’t mean no harm. What does Buck need with a white sapphire necklace? I planned to pay off my gambling debts, then take Rayna on the dream vacation to Six Flags like she wanted. She has a thing for Looney Tunes.”

She must have if she’d spent over five years with Radcliffe Dyer.

“How did Reynolds become associated with Wagner?” James asked.

“They’re banding up together. Partners,” Raddy said to James. “Buck said you’d put a chokehold on a lot of money-making ventures since February. They plan to take over and change things back to the way they were before.”

James was silent for a moment, and I studied him. He’d told me he’d been making some changes in the underworld, but I had no idea what form that had taken.

“How many men are involved?” James asked.

“I dunno. Maybe fifteen. Some of Crocker’s old guys won’t commit. They’re too scared of you.”

“Has Wagner planted any spies?” James asked.

“I’ve heard he has, but I never heard any names.”

James hand clenched at his side. “I want the names of the ones who are loyal to Wagner and Reynolds.”

Raddy’s mouth twisted. “If I tell you, I’m a dead man.”

“Without the necklace, you’ll be a dead man without my protection, so you better start talking.”

“But if Rose and Neely Kate find it—”

James looked like he wanted to throttle Raddy with his bare hands. “Rose and Neely Kate aren’t looking for shit for you. You got it? Now start naming names or I’ll shoot you and be done with it.”

Raddy nodded, then listed off a string of names, none of which I recognized other than Buck Reynolds and Kip Wagner.

“What about Hugh Wagner? Is he involved?” I asked. James gave me an odd look. I wasn’t supposed to know much about the Wagners, let aloneknowthem.

“No.” Raddy shook his head. “Hugh stays out of it. He doesn’t want to be involved.”

For some reason, that made me feel relieved.

“Anything else you can think to tell me?” James asked Raddy.

“No.”

“James.” I hoped he understood the meaning of the message I was about to give him, because there was no way I was going to come right out and say I wanted to have a vision. “I’ve ensured the negotiations,” I said when he shifted his gaze to me. “Now I want to do the other.”

James gave me a long hard look before he gave his head a small shake and turned to Raddy. “Do you still want protection?”

Raddy started to cry. “Yes.”

James reached for his phone and then held it to his ear. “I’m sending you a package. Put him in a safe house for a few days. I’ll send him to the usual spot. Meet him in half an hour.” He stuffed his phone into his pocket and gave Raddy a hard stare. “One of my men will meet you at the Atchison parking lot. The code word is Atlanta. Get anything you want to take and meet him there in thirty minutes.”

“Thank you, Skeeter,” he said between sobs. “You saved me.”

“Don’t thank me,” James said in a gruff voice. “You should be thanking Rose. If it was up to me, you wouldn’t be walkin’ away in one piece. You held a gun on her and threatened her multiple times. But she’s set on following through with the original agreement, so make no mistake about it—I’m doing this for her. Not you.”

Raddy’s head bobbed up and down as he reached for his gun.

“You’re gonna leave that right where it is,” James said. “You’re lucky enough to be leaving of your own accord. Don’t push it.”

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