The shop was narrow, with only two aisles. From just inside thedoor, I could already see that the place was crammed with a wide array of items, from an air fryer to an old gramophone, bicycle parts to furniture. Grimy oil paintings and musical instruments hung from one brick wall. On the other side of the store stood a long glass display case full of jewelry. The four of us headed in that direction, our heads swiveling to take in the sight of the incredible amount of merchandise.
A man emerged from the back, coming through a door behind the jewelry display case. He was a big, beefy guy, with bulging muscles and tattoos all over his arms. He had longish, wavy brown hair that was slicked back from his face with a generous amount of gel.
I recognized him right away.
Vincent, the man we’d come to see.
“What can I do for you today, ladies?” he asked, sounding jovial enough. He did a double take and squinted at Carmen. “Have we met before?”
Carmen gave him a regal nod, one hand resting on the silver head of her cane. “Indeed, we have. I live in the same building as your godmother.”
Vinny grinned, revealing a gold tooth. “Right. I thought so.” He gestured at the display of goods in front of him. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”
“A gift,” I said. “For my grandmother.”
“Are you thinking jewelry?”
“Oh, definitely,” Agnes said. “She loves jewelry.”
Leona pressed a hand to her chest. “A woman after my own heart.”
Agnes, Leona, and Carmen pointed out some necklaces that caught their attention, and Vinny removed them from the display case one at a time. I wandered farther along the case, waiting for the right moment to casually bring up Freddie’s murder.
“Oh, this is lovely,” Agnes said, holding a sapphire necklace up to her throat.
Carmen appraised her with critical eyes. “You’d look better with emeralds.”
“We’re shopping for my grandmother, remember?” I said, hoping the reminder would keep them on track.
“No reason we can’t look for ourselves as well,” Leona countered before addressing Vinny. “Oh, darling, I simply must get a closer look at that cuff bracelet.”
While Leona slid the bracelet onto her wrist and Vinny rattled off some details about it, I tamped down my impatience. I couldn’t exactly interrupt him with talk of the murder if I wanted to sound casual, but I also couldn’t stay here all day waiting for the right moment.
I wandered a little farther and then stopped, leaning in closer to peer through the glass at a delicate hummingbird brooch made up of tiny, colorful stones. I’d seen the brooch before. Attached to Bitty’s sweater the day after the murder. It was the brooch that Bitty thought she’d misplaced.
My jaw nearly dropped as I put two and two together.
“What’s caught your eye?” Carmen asked, coming over to join me. “Oh my stars,” she said when she spotted the brooch.
I could tell that she’d made the same connection that I had.
Agnes scooted over to get a look for herself. “What is it?”
Leona joined us as well.
Carmen fixed a steely glare on Vinny. “Why, you thieving slubberdegullion!”
“Slubberde—what?” Vinny asked, baffled.
Agnes, too, had recognized the brooch. “Villain, fiend, louse!” she seethed at Vinny.
Leona pointed an accusing finger at him. “You’re a crook!”
Vinny’s eyes grew hard. “Hold on, ladies. You don’t want to be accusing me of anything.”
“The evidence is right in front of us.” I stabbed a finger at the glass top of the display case. “That brooch belongs to Bitty. She thinks she misplaced it, but you’ve had it all along.”
Carmen had moved farther along the case and now pointed at another item. “Those are probably Bitty’s pearls!” She took two more steps and pointed again. “And her cameo necklace!”
