Free Pagan Babies by Elmore Leonard

U-Haul to Kentucky, six, seven hours, and come back with ten thousand cartons at a time. Make three bucks a carton, thirty grand a trip, a day's work. Fran told you about it, uh?"
    "He said you were an innocent victim."
    "That's right, and he explained it to the prosecutor. All I did was drive."
    "Not knowing you were committing tax fraud."
    "That's all it was. You ever cheat on your income tax, list phony expenses? That's fraud, too."
    "As a matter of fact," Debbie said, "I've never cheated on my income tax."
    "And I've never run over anyone with a Buick."
    "Riviera."
    Terry smiled. "You see us as a couple of cons, don't you, talking in the yard? Only I've never done time."
    They stopped for the light at 13 Mile Road and he saw her turn to look at him, maybe for the first time.
    She said, "You don't count Africa?"
    "I went there of my own free will."
    "With an indictment hanging over you. And, according to Fran, a guilty conscience, worried your mother'd find out what her little altar boy was doing."
    "He told you that?"
    "He said you took off and the Pajonny brothers went down, and that's all I know."
    "It was the other way around. They were picked up before I left."
    "You make those plans pretty fast?"
    "I'd been thinking about going over there for some time, help out my uncle Tibor. He was a saint."
    "Whatever you say, Father."
    He could feel her confidence, little Debbie sitting there in the dark looking straight ahead at the traffic lights, knowing exactly where she was going, Terry paying close attention.
    So when she said, "I met a friend of yours at the funeral."
    He knew right away who she meant and said, "Does he have bad teeth and stands real close when he's talking?"
    "His breath could use some help, too," Debbie said. "How'd you know?"
    "You've been working up to this," Terry said, "and now you're there. You met Johnny Pajonny."
    She looked over at him, this time with a smile.
    "He's a beauty."
    "You want to use him in your routine."
    "I'm thinking about it."
    The light changed and they were moving again, Debbie keeping to the right-hand lane, taking her time. She said, "He thought you'd be at the funeral."
    "Was Dickie there?"
    "He's still in. Johnny says he fucks up and spends most of his time in the Hole."
    "What else did he say?"
    "He mentioned you owe them each ten thousand."
    "Just happened to mention it?"
    "It seemed to be on his mind."
    "He thinks I stiffed him?"
    "He seemed a little bummed, yeah. Mostly he wanted to know if you still had the money."
    "That was five years ago. Why was he asking you?"
    "He seemed to think I was your girlfriend."
    "Come on--doesn't he know I'm a priest?"
    "Your old girlfriend."
    As she said it, watching the road, Debbie turned into a lane that ran along a strip of storefronts and angle-parked close to a party store.
    She said, "I have to get some cigarettes," and opened her door.
    "Wait a minute. What old girlfriend?"
    "The one you were living with in L.A.," Debbie said, "when your mom thought you were in the seminary. I'll be right back."

    Chapter 10.
    HE COULD SEE HER INSIDE the store talking to the young Arab-looking guy behind the counter, the guy laughing at something she said, Debbie winning a fan while she bought a pack of cigarettes. The guy would tell his friends about this cool blond chick who came in and was funny, man. The guy not knowing how cool she really was--the way she could zing you when you weren't looking; set you up first, see if you'd admit things she already knew, things Fran would've told her, Fran and now Johnny Pajonny, who loved to talk and act like an insider, thinking Debbie was the girl in L.A. and Debbie no doubt letting him think it.
    He should never've told Johnny in the U-Haul coming back from Kentucky about the girl in L.A.
    Debbie had moved away from the counter, down an aisle toward the back of the store, out of view. Now she was at the counter again, the Arab-looking guy ringing up the sale with a big grin, Debbie standing in her