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"I'm awake now"

"Then you don't knohat I', this tie streetwalker cut to ribbons"

"I know"

"How do you know if you been sleeping?"

"I was out there last night"

"Out there in Queens?"

He sounded impressed "Out there on Queens Boulevard," I told him "With a couple of cops It was the same killer"

"You sure of that?"

"They didn't have the scientific evidence sorted out when I was there But yes, I'ht about it "Then Ki place at the wrong tihtstand It was almost noon

"There are elements that don't fit," I said "At least it seeht told ot the one case and I don't want to let go of it"

"So?"

"He could be right, but there are still so?"

"What ring?"

"She had a ring with a green stone"

"Ring," he said, and thought about it "Was it Kiuess it was"

"What happened to it?"

"Wasn't it in her jewelry box?"

"That was her class ring Fro youlike that"

"Where'd she get it?"

"Out of a Crackerjack box, ht it for herself It was just a piece of junk, lass is all"

Shatter wine bottles at her feet

"It wasn't an emerald?"

"You shuckin', man? You knohat e important?"

"Maybe it's not"

"What do you do next?"

"I don't know," I said "If Ki at random, I don't knohat I can do that the cops can't do better But there's somebody ants ot scared into leaving town, and there's a "

"Maybe"

"Wasn't there soer green? Maybe it was a cheap ring, turned Kiot rid of it"

"I don't think that's what Sunny meant"

"What did she mean, then?"

"I don't know that either" I took a breath "I'd like to connect Cookie Blue and Kim Dakkinen," I said "That's what I'd like to do If I can e that I can probably find the man who killed them both"

"Maybe You be at Sunny's service tomorrow?"

"I'll be there"

"Then I'll see you Maybe we can talk a little afterward"

"Fine"

"Yeah," he said "Kim and Cookie What could they have in common?"

"Didn't Kim work the streets for a while? Didn't she take a bust on that Long Island City stroll?"

"Years ago"

"She had a pimp named Duffy, didn't she? Did Cookie have a pimp?"

"Could be Some of the TVs do Most of 'em don't, from what I know Maybe I could ask around"

"Maybe you could"

"I haven't seen Duffy in months I think I heard he was dead But I'll ask around Hard to figure, though, that a girl like Ki in common with a little Jewish queen from the Island"