for you ” look.
“ You two can find gold at the bottom of the ocean but you can ’ t find it on the hand of someone standing a foot from you. ” Jade shook her head.
“ Hey, just because I haven ’ t settled down doesn ’ t mean I ’ ve started checking to see which dudes are single, ” Bones protested. “ Besides, we need to find Ichabod Crane. ” They had arrived at the museum, and he opened the door and ushered them in with a mocking bow.
“ Ichabod Crane? ” Jade frowned. “ What are you talking about? ”
“ The Headless Horseman. Am I the only educated one here? ”
“ Ichabod Crane was the... ” Jade threw up her hands and stalked inside. Bones winked at Angel, who gave him a rueful look.
“ You ’ re such a jerk, ” she said, “ but at least you ’ re pestering someone else for a change. ”
They paid the modest entry fee and found themselves alone in the museum, save for a lone employee who reminded them that the museum would close in twenty minutes. They made a show of examining various displays, but quickly found themselves at the glass case that held Saint Oswald ’ s head reliquary. The circled it, scrutinizing the piece. The golden a rtifact was an odd-looking: an octagonal base with a domed cover, topped by a sculpture of Oswald ’ s crowned head. Writing ringed the bottom, with etchings in the panels .
Jade squeezed Dane ’ s hand and he could feel her excitement.
“ Look at the crown, ” she whispered. “ Do you see it? ”
Etched in a white stone on the front of the crown was the sign of the three hares!
“ Okay. ” Dane kept his voice level. “ So how do we get to it? ”
“ Leave it to me, ” Bones said. “ You three spread out and don ’ t act so interested in this thing. ” With that, he sauntered over to the museum docent and struck up a conversation. In typical Bones fashion, he soon had her laughing. The two of them soon headed out to the lobby, Bones returning a few minutes later with a slip of paper in his hand.
“ You got a number too, ” Angel said. “ What ’ s your plan, charm her and talk her into bringing you back here later? ”
“ Nope. ” Bones reached into his pocket, pulled out a key ring, and tossed it to Dane. His eyes scanned the room as he leaned in close . “ Museum ’ s about to close, ” he whispered. “ Call us when you ’ re out. ”
“ You ’ d better take my backpack, ” Jade added, slipping it off her shoulder and handing it to him. “ J ust in case you find something. ”
Dane had to laugh at his friend ’ s resourcefulness. This just might work.
Careful not to be spotted, he slipped around the corner in the direction of the men ’ s room. The door was propped open and a sign with the international symbol for “ don ’ t slip on this wet floor and fall on your butt ” guarded the entrance. Good! He could hide inside without being found by the cleaning crew. He hurried inside, found an uncomfortable seat atop a toilet and waited for the lights to go out.
Forty long, boring minutes later, he pulled up the hood of h is jacket to shield his face – h e hadn ’ t seen any security cameras, but better safe than sorry – and moved out into the darkened museum. It had been at least ten minutes since he ’ d heard a sound. Though he knew only a handful of German words, he was fairly certain he ’ d heard Bones ’ new friend complaining about her missing keys. He supposed she ’ d hitched a ride with a co-worker , because he heard not a sound as he moved through the dark hallway.
It took several failed tries before his clumsy , gloved hands found the key that opened the protective case around the Oswald Reliquary. Heart pound ing, he reached inside, took hold of the cover, and lifted the lid.
It was heavy, but it slid free easily. He gingerly set the lid aside and peered down into the reliquary. The dim glow of the security lights were more than enough to show him what was inside.
The reliquary
“ You two can find gold at the bottom of the ocean but you can ’ t find it on the hand of someone standing a foot from you. ” Jade shook her head.
“ Hey, just because I haven ’ t settled down doesn ’ t mean I ’ ve started checking to see which dudes are single, ” Bones protested. “ Besides, we need to find Ichabod Crane. ” They had arrived at the museum, and he opened the door and ushered them in with a mocking bow.
“ Ichabod Crane? ” Jade frowned. “ What are you talking about? ”
“ The Headless Horseman. Am I the only educated one here? ”
“ Ichabod Crane was the... ” Jade threw up her hands and stalked inside. Bones winked at Angel, who gave him a rueful look.
“ You ’ re such a jerk, ” she said, “ but at least you ’ re pestering someone else for a change. ”
They paid the modest entry fee and found themselves alone in the museum, save for a lone employee who reminded them that the museum would close in twenty minutes. They made a show of examining various displays, but quickly found themselves at the glass case that held Saint Oswald ’ s head reliquary. The circled it, scrutinizing the piece. The golden a rtifact was an odd-looking: an octagonal base with a domed cover, topped by a sculpture of Oswald ’ s crowned head. Writing ringed the bottom, with etchings in the panels .
Jade squeezed Dane ’ s hand and he could feel her excitement.
“ Look at the crown, ” she whispered. “ Do you see it? ”
Etched in a white stone on the front of the crown was the sign of the three hares!
“ Okay. ” Dane kept his voice level. “ So how do we get to it? ”
“ Leave it to me, ” Bones said. “ You three spread out and don ’ t act so interested in this thing. ” With that, he sauntered over to the museum docent and struck up a conversation. In typical Bones fashion, he soon had her laughing. The two of them soon headed out to the lobby, Bones returning a few minutes later with a slip of paper in his hand.
“ You got a number too, ” Angel said. “ What ’ s your plan, charm her and talk her into bringing you back here later? ”
“ Nope. ” Bones reached into his pocket, pulled out a key ring, and tossed it to Dane. His eyes scanned the room as he leaned in close . “ Museum ’ s about to close, ” he whispered. “ Call us when you ’ re out. ”
“ You ’ d better take my backpack, ” Jade added, slipping it off her shoulder and handing it to him. “ J ust in case you find something. ”
Dane had to laugh at his friend ’ s resourcefulness. This just might work.
Careful not to be spotted, he slipped around the corner in the direction of the men ’ s room. The door was propped open and a sign with the international symbol for “ don ’ t slip on this wet floor and fall on your butt ” guarded the entrance. Good! He could hide inside without being found by the cleaning crew. He hurried inside, found an uncomfortable seat atop a toilet and waited for the lights to go out.
Forty long, boring minutes later, he pulled up the hood of h is jacket to shield his face – h e hadn ’ t seen any security cameras, but better safe than sorry – and moved out into the darkened museum. It had been at least ten minutes since he ’ d heard a sound. Though he knew only a handful of German words, he was fairly certain he ’ d heard Bones ’ new friend complaining about her missing keys. He supposed she ’ d hitched a ride with a co-worker , because he heard not a sound as he moved through the dark hallway.
It took several failed tries before his clumsy , gloved hands found the key that opened the protective case around the Oswald Reliquary. Heart pound ing, he reached inside, took hold of the cover, and lifted the lid.
It was heavy, but it slid free easily. He gingerly set the lid aside and peered down into the reliquary. The dim glow of the security lights were more than enough to show him what was inside.
The reliquary
Similar Books
