7 - Rogue: Ike Schwartz Mystery 7 by Frederick Ramsay Read Free Book Online

or so attempts to reach him and he had to contact Frank with the data on his flash drive. His father, he knew, had become an early riser. “When you achieve your promised three score and ten,” he’d said, “much as you might wish it otherwise, the Good Lord don’t need you to sleep late no more.” Ike had replied that he was in no hurry to test that assumption.
    Abe answered on the first ring. Apparently he’d been waiting for the call. “Ike, how’re you making out? You need anything? I don’t know the crowd up there in Washington like I used to, all them young Turks coming into government nowadays, but I maybe could make a call or two.”
    “Thanks. I think everything that can be done is being managed here. Now it’s a matter of wait and see. So, were you able to handle the Rotary Club okay?”
    “Oh yeah. Shoot, those are votes you got in your pocket anyway, but I have to tell you the other fellah is sure making a push out at the university. Faculty types mostly.”
    “I’m not surprised. I am much too politically incorrect for that crowd and I think they don’t like the fact that Ruth and I…” Ike’s voice faltered.
    “Yeah, well, can’t do anything about either of them things. But you need to get back here quick as you can. This election could be close.”
    “Pop, right now the election is on the bottom of my to-do list. I have good evidence that Ruth’s smash-up wasn’t an accident. I intend to focus on that for now. The election will have to take care of itself.”
    “Well, okay. You know I thought you should be looking at something bigger than sheriff but still, I hate losing.”
    “You’re not running, you can’t lose.”
    “I’m managing. I’m working at it and you’re my son. If Ike Schwartz loses, Abe Schwartz loses. That’s the way it is in politics. You ought to know that.”
    “You’re right, I ought to. I’m sorry but it can’t be helped. I have bigger fish to fry right at the moment.”
    Ike said his goodbyes, adding a “Say hello to Dolly,” Abe’s recent bride, and booted up his laptop. He inserted the flash drive with the crash scene data and then called Frank Sutherlin.
    “Ike. How are you?”
    “I’m managing, Frank, thank you. I have some data that I thought you might shoot over to your friends at the Highway Patrol. Shall I attach it as an e-mail or what? I am learning this computer business but it’s still a steep learning curve for me. Some of the files are video, some are text.”
    “How about I put Grace on the phone and she can walk you through it. When you’re done, Essie wants to say hi, and I need to talk to you about something.”
    “Okay. Let me have Grace.”
    Grace White had joined the Sheriff’s Office during the summer. She was a transplant from Maine and the art of manipulating computers and all the bits and pieces involved turned out to be one of her more useful talents. She did not possess anywhere near the skills her predecessor, Samantha Ryder, but she was good enough to fill the needs of a country police operation. She walked him through the steps necessary to transfer the data from the flash drive to the Department’s mainframe. When she finished she turned the phone over to Essie Sutherlin.
    “Ike, holy cow, are you okay? How’s Miz Harris? Lord, we’ve been praying. Well, me and Billy’s Ma have been praying. Billy ain’t too strong on talking to God, but I’m working on that. We are all so worried. Are you going to be alright?”
    “Too many questions in one sentence, Essie, but Ruth’s condition remains unchanged, but stable. I’m as fine as can be expected. A word of advice—you and Billy keep each other safe, you hear?”
    “You bet. I guess we forget sometimes, don’t we?”
    “Forget?”
    “You don’t get no extended warrantee with your birth certificate, do you?”
    “No, none, and thanks for asking. What does Frank want to talk about?”
    “Oh that. Well, seems like we got ourselves a murder here in town.