Tudi came around the table and patted me down. I stood with my hands raised and sort of out to the side while he did it. He took out the Dan Wesson, opened it, pushed out the bullets, closed it, put the bullets in my left pants pocket and the Dan Wesson back in my shoulder rig. He took out my wallet and tossed it to Charlie DeLuca. Tudi started at the tops of my shoulders and went down each arm and my back and my front and my crotch and each leg. He took off the G-2 and went over the seams and the fabric, and then he took off my belt and checked that, too. While he did it, Ric knocked pool balls around and Charlie DeLuca looked through my wallet. Tudi said, “He’s clean.”

DeLuca closed my wallet and tossed it back to me. “I never met a private dick before. Private dicks around here know they fuck with Charlie DeLuca, they end up with the fish. You know what they call me?”

“Charlie the Tuna.”

“You know why they call me that?”

“They can’t think of anything better.”

Joey said, “You see? The guy’s a wiseass. I couldn’t help the wiseass wouldn’t listen.” Whining.

Charlie said, “Shut up, you piece of shit.”

Joey shut up.

I said, “Karen wants to move on. Maybe we can work something out so that you get what you want and she gets what she wants.”

Charlie nodded, two guys sitting around a bar, shooting the breeze. “What’s your cut? You fuckin’ her?”

“No cut. I’m just trying to help a friend.”

“Yeah. You know the old saying, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?”

I said, “There are ways we can work this. You can find another bank to launder your money.”

He smiled and spread his hands and looked at Tudi. “Tudi, you know what this guy is talking about, launder our money?”

Tudi said, “Shit.”

I said, “Okay. How about you move someone else into Karen’s place. She’ll stay on until they’re in place, and then she’ll leave. That way you don’t lose a thing and everything stays just as it is.”

Charlie made the smile again and did more with the hands. “I don’t get this guy. I say one thing, he says another. Maybe he don’t speak English out there in Disneyland. Whatta they talk there, mousetalk?”

Tudi went, “Eep, eep.” Everybody thought that was a riot.

I said, “Karen wants out, Charlie. She’s leaving.”

Charlie pushed his plate of pasta carefully to the side and leaned forward. “Try to get this through your head, mook. What she wants does not matter. Do you know what matters?”

“What you want.”

“Right. And you know what I want right now?”

“To fit into size-34 pants.”

Joey said, “You see, Charlie? You see? A wiseass.”