Henry looked up, sensing the change in moods. "…Eye of God?"
"Yes, I hate even using the name. Do you recall the story of how the brothers found it? I believe that's where I left off."
"Yes, I remember," Henry said as he was suddenly aware that the cats were once again seeking his attention. “They are Jacob and Wilhelm?”
Dr. Schaeffer smiled. “Yes, the nosy one, trying to wiggle his way onto your lap, is Jacob.”
Once Jacob was done settling into Henry’s lap, and the purr had died down to a murmur, Dr. Schaeffer continued. "For several years after the find, the two brothers hid it in their uncle’s house. The uncle had a fascination with clocks, and liked to take them apart and study the gears. It required a year to uncover the secret to opening the inner two cases. When they pulled the device out of the box, it was a mechanical marvel. It is here that my story becomes, well…unconfirmed.”
“This is interesting, sure, but I fail to see what you hired me to do.”
“Please, if you will indulge me a little further.”
“Yes, of course. Please continue.” Henry rubbed Jacob’s ears. It was well received.
“There is so little known about the item since then. It is believed a covenant was created. Nobody knows how many people were involved. It certainly must have been a fair number, probably relatives and close friends, because the item is rumored to have changed locations on a weekly basis, never returning to the same hiding spot. Over the years, Valerios devoted his life to understanding the purpose of the mechanism. I don’t know if he ever uncovered its true purpose, but I do know some of the ridiculous claims which have been made. Though there are few people who are aware of the Eye of God. Those who are have speculated that it is a device for calculating the precise moment when the stars and planets are arranged in a fashion, which will allow for communicating directly with…”
Henry didn’t say a word.
“…with God.” Dr. Schaeffer rubbed his face. “I don’t know, it all sounds so crazy, especially when I say it aloud. But there have been some strange cases where those who have tried to use it have had life-altering experiences. Supposedly the first time Valerios used the machine, there were five people present, and at the hour predicted, he spoke into the small opening which appeared. Two doors opened up, and Valerios requested an end to the drought, which plagued the farmers. Those present were all in agreement that it was a selfless request. That night, after two consecutive months without rainfall, they received almost twelve inches. The resulting flash floods destroyed many of the farms, left hundreds of people homeless, and took the lives of six people.”
“Be careful what you wish for…” Henry said with a sigh, not sure if he should believe the story.
“Indeed. This one act, or more likely, coincidence, put the fear of God into the group protecting the mechanism. They quickly evolved into a society of men devoted to the protection of this powerful artifact. Though locals knew of the society, they didn’t know the name, and we still don’t today. Or at least, I haven’t been able to learn the name. It doesn’t matter. There is another story, when one of the society members, in great debt, about to lose his family pottery business, asked for help. The next day he received an order which would bring him vast riches. A week later, his wife died in a freak accident with one of the kilns. From that point forward, the locals would attribute every serious catastrophe and triumph to the secret order. Most of the other stories seem only loosely connected to the machine or its protectors, so I won’t go into them. I honestly couldn’t say if any of the stories are true, partially true, or just the product of simple minds, but I do know that the perceived powers make it extremely valuable. It will also make The Eye more dangerous than you imagine.”
“Dangerous, how?"
“It's the sort of relic that entire religions are based upon. It's the type of thing which could raise an army or destroy one. And that's if none of the stories are true. If it's as they say, well then, my mind can’t begin to comprehend the power. I've hired you to uncover the truth about the item and to find out who is after it.”
Henry set Jacob on the floor and stood up. “Why did you hire me, specifically?” It was time to find out if Dr. Schaeffer had hired Mickey.
“I hope you won’t take offense, but you were not my first choice. I hired another private detective, and he had been working on the case when he was killed. I believe he was hit by a drunk driver or something. The papers didn’t say.”
“Did you know that I used to work for Michael Thomas Moore?”