He looked around. “I don’t suppose you have it here?”
“No. I’m just a go-between.”
“Of course again.”
“Have you found the stone?” I asked him.
“Ah, that’s the thing. It seems that without your special ability, all stones look alike. We have, in fact, found many stones that are the appropriate size. Unfortunately, I don’t know if any of them are the stone. I was wondering if you would come out to the car to examine the rock collection.”
“You brought them with you?”
“It seemed like the least I could do since you’re helping me get the treasure back. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you any
more than is necessary.”
A black Cadillac Escalade was parked at the curb. The back gate was open and two suited henchmen stood on either side of the SUV. I peeked inside at three boxes of rocks.
“That’s a lot of rocks,” I said to Rutherford.
“There are a lot of flower beds.”
I put my hand to the rocks one by one. None of them were empowered.
“Sorry,” I said.
“I don’t suppose you would want to give me the treasure anyway?” Rutherford said.
“I don’t have it. Someone else has it.”
“Someone who wants a stone.”
“Yes.”
“Couldn’t you give them one of these?”
“I don’t think that would work out.”
Rutherford packed up and left, and I returned to my house, where Cat was waiting.
“No luck,” I said to Cat. “They were all just plain old rocks.”
Cat looked at me with his one eye, thought about it for a beat, and gave his foot a lick.
“Well, I had to look,” I said to Cat. “You never know. The stone could have been there.”
Cat looked like he didn’t think so.
I stashed the food in the fridge, and Nergal called on my cellphone.
“I have something to show you,” he said. “I went to the bakery, but you’d already left.”
“What is it?”
“You have to see it in person. I’d bring it over to you, but I don’t know where you live.”
I gave him my address, and twenty minutes later he was at my door.
“Are you done with work for the day?” I asked him.