6 - The Eye of the Virgin: Ike Schwartz Mystery 6 by Frederick Ramsay Page B
Authors: Frederick Ramsay
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something we can discuss another day.”
Ruth paused and held up her right hand. The diamond ring caught the candlelight and sent bright sparks of light dancing across the ceiling.
“You see this obscene rock? Ike gave that to me last fall. He spent his children’s inheritance on it. Fortunately, he has no children, as I have now affirmed, but you get the point. Are you with me?”
Dolly’s face had a sly grin. Abe looked confused and Ike stared blankly at Ruth. He, better than anyone, knew what she was capable of, and he hoped she wouldn’t go off. He had a fleeting vision of one of those joke cigars with a powder charge in it that would explode when lit. Kablam.
“You do, don’t you, Dolly? Wow, okay, here we go.”
Ruth slipped the ring from her right ring finger and held it out toward Ike. He shook his head. She grinned and slipped it on her left ring finger. “Is that the announcement you were asking about?”
“Hallelujah,” Abe barked. “Champagne it is. The best.”
Chapter Eleven
“Turn on the engine and let’s get some heat in here. It’s cold. Did Ike tell you why we’re staking out this place?” Billy Sutherlin slapped his arms against his chest and puffed.
Sam Ryder shifted in the seat and peered into the night. “Sissy. It’s March. Where I come from this is like summer. Why didn’t you wear your jacket if you’re cold?”
“It’s in the wash.”
“You don’t wash a down jacket, Billy.”
“Yeah, I found that out the hard way. Essie gave me hell. Listen, laundry ain’t something I was raised up to be doing.”
Sam smiled and shook her head. Men. “Ike said to me we were to keep an eye on the place, and should park so we can see around back as well. Something to do with the break-in you wrote up Saturday.”
The moon, though not yet full, provided enough light to allow the two deputies to see without night vision goggles, which was a good thing, as the several federal programs aimed at upgrading law enforcement agencies across the country had missed Picketsville. The sheriff’s department had to manage without the goggles and a number of other bits of technology they could have used, now deemed standard in larger, more affluent jurisdictions.
“You Yankees are used to the snow and ice. That’s why you can sit there so smug. What else, besides that, reindeer, and permanent frost bite, do you have up there in Minnesota?”
“In the summertime we have mosquitoes big enough to take your cat.”
“Heard that. Did Ike think the bad guy would be back for another go?”
“That was my take. Something to do with him, or her, or them not finding what they came for the first time. You see anything up front?”
“Nope. Why would they come back this soon? Seems sorta risky to me.”
“You know Ike.”
“So, what do you hear from your boy Karl?”
“He’s been assigned to a tactical unit, so I don’t always know where he is. It’s not something I like, I can tell you.”
“I reckon you wish he’d taken Ike’s offer last spring and stayed on here as a deputy? He was good, I’ll give him that, but I reckon his heart was set on going back and being a G-man.”
“Nobody says G-man anymore, Billy. FBI Special Agent is the correct term. Yeah, he said he needed to know.” Sam sat still and put the binoculars to her eyes again. “It was so good those months when he was here all the time and, you know, it was, like, peaceful.”
“Except, of course, when them jackass LeBruns come near to killing me and Essie. But you’re right, I do know. Since us two been married and having our own place, it’s like a different life. And we all owe Karl a bunch. Saved my cookies, that’s for sure.”
“Is that something moving down the road there?” Sam pointed to a spot a few yards to the east.
Billy scanned the road. “It’s only a dog, big German shepherd. If someone is sneaking around here tonight, they’ll have us and the dog to deal with. I know that mutt. He’s a
Ruth paused and held up her right hand. The diamond ring caught the candlelight and sent bright sparks of light dancing across the ceiling.
“You see this obscene rock? Ike gave that to me last fall. He spent his children’s inheritance on it. Fortunately, he has no children, as I have now affirmed, but you get the point. Are you with me?”
Dolly’s face had a sly grin. Abe looked confused and Ike stared blankly at Ruth. He, better than anyone, knew what she was capable of, and he hoped she wouldn’t go off. He had a fleeting vision of one of those joke cigars with a powder charge in it that would explode when lit. Kablam.
“You do, don’t you, Dolly? Wow, okay, here we go.”
Ruth slipped the ring from her right ring finger and held it out toward Ike. He shook his head. She grinned and slipped it on her left ring finger. “Is that the announcement you were asking about?”
“Hallelujah,” Abe barked. “Champagne it is. The best.”
Chapter Eleven
“Turn on the engine and let’s get some heat in here. It’s cold. Did Ike tell you why we’re staking out this place?” Billy Sutherlin slapped his arms against his chest and puffed.
Sam Ryder shifted in the seat and peered into the night. “Sissy. It’s March. Where I come from this is like summer. Why didn’t you wear your jacket if you’re cold?”
“It’s in the wash.”
“You don’t wash a down jacket, Billy.”
“Yeah, I found that out the hard way. Essie gave me hell. Listen, laundry ain’t something I was raised up to be doing.”
Sam smiled and shook her head. Men. “Ike said to me we were to keep an eye on the place, and should park so we can see around back as well. Something to do with the break-in you wrote up Saturday.”
The moon, though not yet full, provided enough light to allow the two deputies to see without night vision goggles, which was a good thing, as the several federal programs aimed at upgrading law enforcement agencies across the country had missed Picketsville. The sheriff’s department had to manage without the goggles and a number of other bits of technology they could have used, now deemed standard in larger, more affluent jurisdictions.
“You Yankees are used to the snow and ice. That’s why you can sit there so smug. What else, besides that, reindeer, and permanent frost bite, do you have up there in Minnesota?”
“In the summertime we have mosquitoes big enough to take your cat.”
“Heard that. Did Ike think the bad guy would be back for another go?”
“That was my take. Something to do with him, or her, or them not finding what they came for the first time. You see anything up front?”
“Nope. Why would they come back this soon? Seems sorta risky to me.”
“You know Ike.”
“So, what do you hear from your boy Karl?”
“He’s been assigned to a tactical unit, so I don’t always know where he is. It’s not something I like, I can tell you.”
“I reckon you wish he’d taken Ike’s offer last spring and stayed on here as a deputy? He was good, I’ll give him that, but I reckon his heart was set on going back and being a G-man.”
“Nobody says G-man anymore, Billy. FBI Special Agent is the correct term. Yeah, he said he needed to know.” Sam sat still and put the binoculars to her eyes again. “It was so good those months when he was here all the time and, you know, it was, like, peaceful.”
“Except, of course, when them jackass LeBruns come near to killing me and Essie. But you’re right, I do know. Since us two been married and having our own place, it’s like a different life. And we all owe Karl a bunch. Saved my cookies, that’s for sure.”
“Is that something moving down the road there?” Sam pointed to a spot a few yards to the east.
Billy scanned the road. “It’s only a dog, big German shepherd. If someone is sneaking around here tonight, they’ll have us and the dog to deal with. I know that mutt. He’s a
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