Ruby

I started my investigation by visiting the scene of the crime...The museum...I watched hours of museum video tape taken within 24-48 hours of the theft....and by late afternoon...I had caught a photo of the theft...It was done quite slickly....The thief used a very sharp penknife type weapon to cut a hole in the square glass box holding the ruby and then remove it...

Another interesting thing....the thief as fate would have it was the young lady who I saw at the Oyster house the night before...

Co-Incidence??  I think not.  Like a regular policeman, I dusted for prints....I had my own materials...I went down to C.I.D.  Neither Sissy or Carlotta was around, but Detective Jimmy Barlow was there..

We studied the prints and I got a hit....My thief's name was, now get this...Ruby...Ruby Jackson....She had three arrests , one conviction for thefts... She was a safe cracker or box man as they were called on the streets.. She also was an exotic dancer...

"What did Ruby do now?" asked Detective Barlow...

"Nothing yet" I lied..."I'm on a case..a young man wants me to find her." I said.

"Really?? That's not so hard...She dances at one of Big Chicken's joints." he said.

I looked at him...

"How do you know this?" I asked looking at him side eyed...

"Hey Kev , man, I'm a detective...It's my business to know." he laughed.  We both laughed...

II-

 I had two addresses for Ruby Jackson...I visited both and found that she no longer lived at either.... The strip club where it was said that she danced at was equally frustrating...While the manager said that she indeed worked there, he said that he hadn't seen her in a few days...

I had a photo of her , printed from the video camera in the museum...I walked around the neighborhood showing her photo to different people...I went to the Mermaid Club, Ciros, Bottom of The C, The Oyster Bar and The Aqua Bar...Showing her photo, talking to people...Of course people knew her, but nobody knew where she might be...Finally I went to Josies...

"I don't know why you didn't come to me in the first place." said Gus.. "In the early days..when you needed to find somebody, you always came to me first." he said.

"Yeah Gus I know...but I didn't want to always be bothering you." I said.

''Well anyway here...I'll write her present address down on this paper." he said.

"How do you know where she lives?" I asked.

"She owes a bar tab...She gave me her address and told me she'd pay it...This is her phone number." he said.

"Gus , you're gettin soft in your old age...you believe her?" I asked.

"Eddie and Andrew checked it out...That's where she lays her head. She is a good lookin girl" he said.

I just laughed and shook my head.

III-

I drove over to her house....Gus was on the money...Ruby Jackson did indeed live there, only ..I got there just as she was getting in a cab and driving off ...I followed the cab, which led me to another strip club in West Philly. This was a club that Fathead visited quite often...I walked inside and there was Ruby, dancing on stage with that guady red ruby draped around her neck...Only ,something about this Ruby didn't seem quite the same...

I waded through the girls and the customers....She saw me...I motioned for her to come off the stage...She did as she was told..

"Hi Ruby." I said.

"You know my name?" she said.

"I know a lot about you...Funny what one can learn in a day." I said.

"You're the guy from the Oyster Bar, right?" she asked.

"Yes I am." I said.

"And I suppose you want the Ruby that I borrowed huh?" she asked.

"You mean that you stole?" I said...

She looked at me and laughed and I looked at her and laughed.

"What are you a cop?" she asked.

"Kind of...I'm a private investigator....I was hired to return this rock." I said.

"Oh" she said.

Just then a long butcher knife was put to my throat.....A muscular arm was holding me....

Frank Gillette walked over to Ruby, snatched the ruby off of her and put it in his pocket...He smiled..

"Thank You baby." he said and kissed Ruby on the lips...

"Ewww...get away from me." she said.

He looked at me..

"I should have Smiley here, slit your throat." he said.

Ruby Jackson kicked Frankie in his groin....

"ARGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH..OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" he groaned and fell to the pavement...I felt for him...She had kicked him pretty hard..."Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Lawdddddd..ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." he groaned in agony!!

That gave me the diversion I needed to move Smiley's arm away and to elbow him in his jaw,his head smacked against the wall which knocked him down and out cold!!
"Oooooooofffff!" he groaned...

But Ruby was gone...She had run out the back of the club and had vanished into the night...

I picked up the butcher knife....and I pulled my .38 smokeless out...

There was little need...Smiley was out cold...and Frank Gillette was  still groaning on the ground...I took the ruby off of him and put it in my pocket.

''You won't be needing this." I said.

"ARGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH..OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!  Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....... ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." he groaned...

I looked down at him....I shook my head...I smiled slightly....

"Damn man...That looked like it hurt.....I'd go home and try some ice. See ya around Frankie." I said as I stepped over them and walked towards my car.

(To Be Continued....)