Fortune and Glory (Stephanie Plum #27)(48)

“How’s it going?” I asked him.

“My wife died,” Benny said. “It’s not going so good.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“God’s will,” Grandma said.

Benny blew a raspberry at God’s will.

Grandma made the sign of the cross and looked up at the ceiling where I suppose God was lurking. “I had nothing to do with that,” she said to the ceiling.

“No offense,” Benny said. “You know I’m as good a Catholic as anyone else, but I’m not getting a lot of comfort from God.”

“That’s why we brought you this casserole,” Grandma said. “If God don’t come through, you can count on sausage from Giovichinni’s butcher.”

“You’re a smart woman, Edna,” Benny said. “I can see why Jimmy married you, should he rest in peace.”

Grandma put the casserole on a tray table by Benny and took the cover off the dish.

“Oh, man,” Benny said. “This is a work of art. It smells amazing. And the cheese!”

“It’s all hand grated,” Grandma said.

“Fork!” Benny yelled. “Where’s my fork?”

The caregiver appeared with the fork. She rolled her eyes at Grandma and me, handed the fork over to Benny, and left.

Benny dug in and made a lot of appreciative sounds while he ate.

“You want a beer with that?” Grandma asked him.

He stopped eating and looked at Grandma. “You got a beer?”

Grandma pulled a cold bottle of beer out of her purse. “I usually carry my gun in this purse, but I thought a bottle of beer would be better today.”

“After I observe the appropriate period of mourning, I’m going to marry you,” Benny said.

“It might be worth it just to get your clue,” Grandma said.

“Maybe we can make a deal,” Benny said. “I’m pissed off at Shine, and Salgusta is nuts. Maybe I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

“And what happens when we find the treasure?” I asked.

“We split it,” Benny said. “Trust me. There’s enough for both of us to be happy.”

“What have you got besides the one clue?” I asked him.

“I know two more clues,” he said. “And by the way, I like your hair. It’s real cute. I liked the ponytail, too, but this short cut is real cute.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I’m getting used to it. Are you talking about the clues in the Mole Hole safe?”

“Yeah.”

“We already have those clues,” I told him.

“Boy,” he said, “you’re sneaky. How’d you get into the safe?”

“We know people with skills,” I said.

Benny chugged half the bottle of beer. “I bet.”

“So, what else do you have?” I asked him.

“I know the treasure, and I’ve been thinking about a way to fence it that might be safe, but I’m not giving that up right away. What have you got besides the clues? You got the keys, right?”

“Maybe, but we’re not giving that up right away,” I said.

“Ha!” Benny said. “Wiseass.” He looked over at Grandma. “Did you teach her that?”

“She’s way ahead of me,” Grandma said.

“The two clues in the safe aren’t helping us,” I said. “Is your clue worth anything?”

“Not to me,” Benny said. “I’m not good at this sort of stuff. Every day I try to do the Jumble and I never get it.”

“What’s your clue?” Grandma asked. “Maybe we can figure it out.”

“It’s pink,” Benny said. “It’s the number four clue and it’s pink.”

“Ace it, Philadelphia, and pink,” I said.

“The six of us were real close when we thought this scheme up about the clues and the keys,” Benny said. “We weren’t all sick and crazy and dead.”

“Let’s start with Philadelphia,” I said to Benny. “You knew Jimmy for a long time. Did he have any Philadelphia ties? A second home there? Business property?”

Benny shook his head. “Not that I know. Jimmy didn’t go across the river a lot. He was more a south Jersey guy. He liked the shore. Wildwood, Cape May, Atlantic City. He liked the slots. Sometimes he played the poker table.”

“Did he have any properties there?”

“He used to have a house in Cape May, but that was years ago. Back in the day when the mob was big and there were lots of occasions for us to use our special talents, we all had real estate. We were living high back then, spending money like water. When the contracts started to dry up, to use a fancy term, we liquidated our holdings. It’s not like any of us got poor, it’s more we got careful with our lifestyles. Except for Shine. He always has a couple girls on the side. Still likes a new pinky ring once in a while.”

“What about Ace It?” Grandma asked Benny. “If Jimmy liked to play poker maybe that’s the tie-in. Did he have a special casino?”

“He would go to the Hard Rock sometimes. Sometimes Tropicana.”

“I went to the Hard Rock with him once,” Grandma said. “We only played the slots. We didn’t go to the tables.”