The Williams were puzzled and perplexed. What was Ruth up to? Even if she was Eric's colleague, did she really need to be so brazen about it?

Ruth didn't mince her words and treated the Williams as if they were air, addressing Eric, "Look here, I'm traveling all this way to Salt City. Surely... you ought to give me a little something in return, right?"

Eric was speechless. "I didn't ask you to come!"

He understood now. Ruth had set her sights on that batch of jewelry. Were such baubles even n