“No idea. They must be in the backpack.”

The lotus root was sweet enough to make his teeth hurt and so salty that he had to wash it down with half the beer. “The backpack is missing, I imagine.”

“It’s not in my apartment, if that’s what you mean.”

“And the cops never mentioned it?”

“Not to me. Now, let’s hear it. Who killed Richie?”

The change was abrupt. Not only the subject but also the tone. There was emotion in her voice. Ted was thrown for a moment. He continued cautiously. “I don’t know. If his death is connected to that file, I will find the connection. I have located the owner of those properties and think I can cut a deal.”

“This is about the money?” Now she sounded bored.

He didn’t answer immediately. He took a slug of beer and eyed the dried squid. “I’m trying to keep up here, Mrs. Rubiano. It’ll be easier for me if you simply tell me what you want me to do.”

“Richie wanted me to have that money, and—don’t get me wrong—it would be very nice. When you get it, I will make it worth your while. But I am paying you to find out who killed him.”

“Say the word and I will give you your thousand dollars back and go my way.” He took a bit of shredded squid and popped it in his mouth. A hint of salt. A nice crunch. He took another.

“No. I want you to find who killed him.”

“Then let me do it my way. Look, if this was some random thing—a mugging, let’s say, or one of his old marks taking revenge—I’m not going to find them. The cops might. They might not. But the chances of me coming up with a name are two ticks below nil.”

She opened her mouth to lay into him, but he didn’t give her the chance.

“However, if he was killed because he found out something about this surplus money, then I am already halfway there. There’s a cover-up going on. Right now I think someone tricked an old lady into letting those properties go. That someone might have had a very good reason for keeping Richie away from the truth.”

“You said this case was . . . what? A lotto ticket? A super long shot? I think you were just trying to get rid of me. But suppose you was telling the truth? Right? Then why would anybody kill that man?”

“I’m still looking into it. Richie believed in it. Maybe someone else did, too. I’ve found that a lot of people thought he was on to something.”

She looked away and focused on a family of six at a nearby table. Ted couldn’t see the attraction. “So maybe he told the wrong person,” she said.