Page 46 of Family Jewels

“Raddy, listen to me,” I said. “You have to tell me who knows about the necklace.”

“I already told you. My friendBuck was the one who wanted to buy it.”

“And how do you know Buck?” I asked. “From your poker game?”

He squirmed. “Yeah.”

“What did you do? Bring it with you to a game?”

“No, but I told him about it. He believed me when I told him it was real.”

Suddenly, his ridiculous story about some guy offering to pay him five thousand dollars for the necklace, sight unseen, made sense. Raddy had hired us because he was desperate. “You bet this necklace in a poker game, sight unseen, am I right?”

He swallowed and nodded. “Yeah.”

“And you lost . . . to Buck.”

He didn’t answer.

“And Buck gave you until Friday night to pay up . . . or else.” When he didn’t respond, I asked, “Is the necklace even real? Your momma claims it’s fake.”

“I don’t know.”

I almost told him what we’d discovered about the owl pin but decided to keep it to myself for the moment. “So if Buck was still waiting for the necklace, why would someone else swoop in and try to get it?”

James shifted his weight. “Because Dyer shot off his big mouth, and everyone at the game thinks the necklace is real. They want it for themselves.”

Raddy looked up at me with pleading eyes. “You gotta help me, Rose. The police are gonna think I killed Rayna, but I didn’t do it. And if they don’t arrest me, Buck’s gonna kill me too.”

I released a groan of exasperation. “I have no idea what you expect me to do, Raddy.”

“Help me hide. Find the necklace.”

I shook my head. “Your momma collected all the jewelry and said you haven’t been by her house in months. How’d you even know it was missing?”

“I snuck into her house to look for it. After she got all the family jewelry from Rayna, she wouldn’t give it back to me. She said she was gonna give it to my sister.” His eyes filled with desperation. “You have to help me, Rose!”

“I don’t have to do a cotton-pickin’ thing for you.”

His eyes turned cold as his back stiffened. “I paid you five hundred dollars. If you’re not gonna find the necklace, I want the money back.”

“And we told you that the money was nonrefundable.”

“But the agreement was that you wouldlook. You talked to my momma—did you talk to my Aunt Tildie?”

“No, but—”

“Then you owe me!” he shouted. “You’re supposed to be lookin’!”

Dammit, he had a point, but this seemed like a matter for the sheriff’s department now. “Lookin’ for the necklace aside, I’m not hiding you. You bein’ wanted for Rayna’s murder is your problem, not mine.”

“But—”

“No,” I said firmly. “As for the necklace, I have to talk to Neely Kate. I’ll let you know tomorrow what we decide to do. I’m sure Neely Kate has your number.”

“I don’t know if you should call it,” Raddy said. “What if the police are usin’ it to track me?”

“Then get a dammed burner,” James barked. “She’s not makin’ a decision tonight, and if you keep badgering her, she’s going to tell you no. Got it?”