Page 63 of Dick

“She’s not wearing a wire.”

“Never know.”

“I know.”

“Oh really? You know, huh?”

Dick cleared his throat. “Don’t care much for you accusing me of bringing a cop into your home.”

Thank you.

“I wasn’t accusing.”

“You were, and you did. I brought her, she’s cool.”

“Fine. She’s cool. Well, I’d ask Fat Willie where he got the cash. Straight up,” Beer Belly said.

“I will. But that’s not really why I’m here.”

“I’m listenin’.”

“What do you know about Drake getting his hands on a 10 carat stone?”

I glanced toward Beer Belly. His eyes shot wide as soon as Dick mentioned the diamond.

He reached for his neck. “Robe wearin’ Drake?” he asked with a laugh. “I wouldn’t have guessed it.”

“Guessed what?” Dick snapped back.

“Didn’t figure weird fuckin’ Drake would ever end up with a rock like that. He don’t know nothin’ ‘bout rocks.”

“No arguments from me on that.”

“Ain’t seen that weird fucker in a spell,” Beer Belly said. “When you see him last?”

“Couple of weeks ago. Needed to borrow a car.”

“You see that ‘Vette he bought?”

“As a matter of fact, he let me borrow it.”

Beer Belly chuckled. “Must have needed a favor.”

“Something like that,” Dick responded. “I know you get a shot at every large rock that comes through this town, so what have you heard about the stone?”

Beer Belly took a drink of coffee and cleared his throat. “Dallas football player. Quarterback, if I remember right. Married some big titted country singer chick, and then caught her sucking off the place kicker. They split up, and she run off with the kicker. Quarterback ended up with some local chick wears cowboy hats all the time. Anyway, like all them fuckers do, he lived in one of those sprawlin’ mansions. Well, him and cowgirl announced they was goin’ to Hawaii to get hitched, and when they was gone, somebody broke in the home. Couldn’t get the safe unlocked, so they just took the fucker. Said the safe weighed 1,600 pounds. Imagine haulin’ that fucker out into the trunk of your Benz.”

Dick shook his head. “Wouldn’t happen.”

“That’s the only stone of that size I know about. It was the country music singer girl’s wedding ring.”

I’d seen the story he was talking about on the news. They didn’t mention the diamond, but they did mention everything else.

“What do you know about the football player’s stone?” Dick asked again.

Beer Belly adjusted himself in his seat. “Slightly over 10 carats. Round. Colorless. Flawless.”

“Where would you price it? If you were guessing?”