I said, “You couldn’t do that anyway. To get into a safe deposit box, they ask for your ID and your signature, which has to match the one they keep on file.”

“No kidding?” Felix said. “Even if the box is yours for real and you got the key and everything? That don’t seem right.”

“I don’t suppose either one of you knows where Terrence did his banking.”

Pearl said, “Nope. Though you gotta figure it’s somewhere in walking distance. That limp of his, he couldn’t go far.”

“Unless he took a cab,” I said.

“Good point.”

I offered her the key. “You might as well keep this. You worked hard enough for it.”

“Hey, no. You hang on to it. Once you figure out where the box is, you can let us know. I’m curious why he’d keep his valuables in a bank when that’s exactly where a bank robber’s going to hit first.”

She set the backpack aside and loosened the mouth of the canvas duffel. She peered in and then upended it, shaking out the contents. A wad of old clothes tumbled out, drab, worn, and smelling of mildew. I flashed a beam across the pile. The only exception to the whole raggedy-ass collection was a neatly folded cotton shirt with a button-down collar and long sleeves, the fabric a brightly colored green-and-yellow plaid. When she picked up the shirt, a pair of glasses and a photo ID fell out.

“That’s Charles,” she said. “Terrence’s friend who died.”

“What was Terrence doing with his stuff?”

“Keepsake. Terrence had a sentimental streak and that was really all the fella had.”

The remaining items were a washed-out gray, cheap goods he probably plucked from a garbage can or a Salvation Army bin.

“What kind of world is it that when life ends all that’s left looks like junk?” she asked. She picked up the plaid shirt and rolled it around the glasses and ID, which she shoved back into the duffel, followed by everything else. I was waiting for further comment, but she was staring off down the street. I didn’t think we’d netted much for the risk we’d taken.

“That’s everything?” I asked.

“Pretty much.”

“So now what?”

She said, “You want, we can put our heads together while we have us a bite to eat. QP with Cheese would really hit the spot.”

I stared at her with interest. “What a truly fine idea.”

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