Devil's Eye (53 page)

Stories still swirled of an ongoing investigation into an exclusive black tie fund raising event gone tragically wrong; the search for missing employee witnesses; the possibility that suspicious ruffians seen in the area eliminated witnesses while trying to steal priceless artifacts; that some guard or even attendee had gone berserk.

Most tantalizing was the fact that Victor Sherwyck, the legendary financier and adviser to presidents was among the dead. Was it to silence monumental corruption or investment failings? Curious was the fact that the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Everett Dunne, was stabbed by some ancient dagger that could not be identified as any artifact under display. Investigation included relationships the respected Senator may have had with unfriendly states. The specter of foreign espionage was widely rumored.

Darker suspicions circulated on radical blogs that thrived on conspiracy. Rumors spread that Victor Sherwyck had persuaded the President to appoint Philip Taylor as Secretary of Defense against his own better judgment. Was that decision rescinded in a most unspeakable way? Responders scoffed at such an abomination.

Or was it as pathetically simple as a society love triangle ending in a rampant jealous rage?

The sensational speculation swamped a celebrity item that the daughter of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Jeannette McConnell, was found safe and aboard a yacht that had gone aground on a coral outcrop near one of the numerous out islands of the Bahamas. A family lawyer stated she was not aware anyone was looking for her and apologized to investigators for any inconvenience it may have caused.

Countless visitors filed through the Museum of Natural History, lingering conspicuously at various displays throughout the building, anticipating a chance to catch a glimpse of the gem exhibits that would soon re
‐
open to the public.

There, on the second floor, the large iridescent blue diamond rested serenely, enigmatically on softly lit velvet in its glass enclosed vault.

A gift to the people of the United States.

About the Author

His award
‐
winning non
‐
fiction
Day of Shame
(David McKay Co.), written under Algis Ruksenas, is about the unsuccessful defection of a Lithuanian seaman from a Soviet ship onto a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter near Cape Cod in the height of the Cold War.

The book and attendant publicity helped free the seaman from a labor camp in the former Soviet Union.

His book
Is That You Laughing, Comrade?
(Citadel Press), prompted President Ronald Reagan to take up referencing underground Russian humor as a hobby, noted by his speech writers in letters to the author.

His satirical play
A Summit Meeting in Hell
won first prize at an international Theater Festival held annually in Chicago.

Devil
ʹ
s Eye
is a reflection of his many years of interest in people
ʹ
s universal fascination with witchcraft and demonology.

Al Ruksenas is a former reporter for United Press International, government aide, and executive director of an NGO (non
‐
government organization). He is a ghost writer, lecturer and author of numerous articles.

He lives with his wife, Nijole, in Northeast Ohio. They have three grown children.