A stone robbery attempt from a muslim temple in Mekka. Is it really the Alchemists Stone, the Philosophers stone, the Touch-Stone, the Key-Stone, the speaking stone ?
The name of the best-known stone in the world is
unknown. It is usually called the Black Stone of
Kaaba, but the Kaaba is the name of the building
that is built around the stone. The Black Stone
is too holy to have a name, ot to have its name
known.
...
Selim entered the Kaaba. He was a devout Moslem
and he had certificates to prove it. He passed a
test in Arabic; and the confidence man, who seemed
to be well-known, guaranteed him absolutely.
is a story a Lafferty fan would like. 
are short stories, that are either really boring or just lesser variations of a recurrent theme.