“I will work for you until tomorrow morning,” Jack said. “I’ll give you my best shot till then. After that, you’re on your own.”

Anger flitted across Kusum’s face. Not used to having someone say no to you, are you? Jack thought.

“When will you start?”

“Tonight.”

Kusum reached inside his tunic and brought out a thick envelope. “Here is half of the payment. I will wait here with the other half should you return with the necklace tonight.”

Feeling more than a twinge of guilt at taking so much money on such a hopeless venture, Jack nevertheless folded the envelope and stuffed it into his left rear pocket.

“I will pay you ten thousand extra if you kill him,” Kusum added.

Jack laughed to keep the mood light but shook his head again. “Uh-uh. But one more thing: Don’t you think it would help if I knew what the necklace looked like?”

“Of course!” Kusum opened the collar of his tunic to reveal a heavy chain perhaps fifteen inches long. Its links were crescent-shaped, each embossed with strange-looking script. Centered side-by-side on the necklace were two elliptical, bright yellow, topaz-like stones with black centers.

Jack held his hand out but Kusum shook his head.

“Every member of my family wears a necklace like this—it is never removed. And so it is very important that my grandmother’s be returned to her.”

Jack studied the necklace. It disturbed him. He could not say why, but deep in his bowels and along the middle of his back a primitive sensation raised warning. The two stones looked like eyes. The metal was silvery, but not silver.

“What’s it made of?”

“Iron.”

Jack looked closer. Yes, there was a hint of rust along the edges of a couple of the links.

“Who’d want an iron necklace?”

“A fool who thought it was silver.”

Jack nodded. For the first time since talking to Kusum this morning, he felt there might be a slim—very slim—chance of recovering the necklace. A piece of silver jewelry would be fenced by now and either hidden away or smelted down into a neat little ingot. But an heirloom like this, with no intrinsic value…

“Here is a picture,” Kusum said, handing over a Polaroid of the necklace. “I have a few friends searching the pawnshops of your city looking for it.”

“How long has she got?” he asked.

Kusum slowly closed his collar. His expression was grim.

“Twelve hours, the doctors say. Perhaps fifteen.”

Great. Maybe I can find Judge Crater by then, too.

“Where can I reach you?”

“Here. You will look for it, won’t you?” Kusum’s dark brown eyes bored into his. He seemed to be staring at the rear wall of Jack’s brain.

“I said I would.”

“And I believe you. Bring the necklace to me as soon as you find it.”

“Sure. As soon as I find it.”

Sure. He walked away wondering why he had agreed to help a stranger when Gia’s aunt needed him. Same old story—Jack the sucker.