Eve's POV:
All the Chief and Mark had to say right after that affair was, "Nice weather for ducks!"
There was more though. (Set March 1968)

I was happily humming the newest Bee Gees' hit on my way to work. It was a very pleasant spring morning, like freshly cleaned after last night's rain. I was wearing a new dress, and I loved my work, my boss and my co-workers. There was in particular Chief Robert T. Ironside, brilliant, gruff, successful... He had encouraged me to join the police. Everybody in the department seemed to be a little afraid of him, but I knew that behind his grizzly bear attitude there beat a wonderful, caring heart. At one point I had thought that there might be more between us than just liking - and then he was shot. After that, he seemed to downright hide behind a wall of grumpiness, as if he had to prove his independence. Paralyzed, he didn't want to retain me... as if I would have felt retained! Suddenly everything became very complicated. In the meantime he had managed to build a wonderful team. If we had been a family he would have been the wise, if exigent father. Ed Brown would be the reliable, yet insecure first-born, myself the cherished, somewhat spoiled only girl and Mark Sanger the witty, defiant youngest. We all had become friends, although we were coming from totally different backgrounds. Together we were trying to make San Francisco a little safer... and to keep our beloved Chief out of trouble. Both tasks were rather hopeless endeavors, but much more satisfying than fluttering from party to party and from beauty shop to social event as a society girl.

It looked as if for the time being our problems were solved. Oh, I didn't mean that crime in San Francisco had stopped or that the Chief would sit still for more than a few hours in a row. I only meant that some personal cases, which had been very burdensome, were cleared up. Only a month ago I had shot a very young criminal, and my heart still cramped when I thought of him, but the Chief had helped me come to terms with that. Ironside himself had fallen in love with an amnesiac, Barbara. Her family had been found and a little boy, Bobby, who was virtually dropped into his lap, seemed to have helped him take his mind off her. The last sorrow had been Ed, who was accused of using excessive force against a runaway girl in Hashbury. Ed Brown, our square, straight Sergeant! Well, fortunately Ironside had managed to clear him.

I opened the door to Ironside's office-apartment and my cheerfulness vanished within a second. I heard Commissioner Randall's voice, and it sounded colder than ever.

"Bob, it's your job to find Thompson! Your Sergeant let him get away, and obviously he isn't capable of catching him on his own, therefore it's your responsibility!"

Walking down the ramp I saw Ironside nod somberly. "Since about every difficult police job is my job there's no reason why someone else should ever help me with one of mine, is there, Commissioner?" he asked acerbically.

Randall raised his voice. "You know that we are hopelessly understaffed. Just do it, will you? We need Thompson."

"Yes, it doesn't matter if Thompson is guilty or not!" shouted Ironside. "You just need someone to blame, same as you needed Ed Brown when Barbara Chase died, right?"

"I knew that you would have the last word again!"

"How was I to know that you would have nothing more to say?!"

Nodding a very short "good morning" towards me the Commissioner left stiffly.

Ironside brooded over this newest turn of events.

"How could Ed lose a suspect?" he asked me. "And such an important one? He followed a hint we had got from Charley Yager."

Charley was an informant, a small underworld man with big ears and a big open hand when it came to selling information.

"Charley said that he heard rumors about an infamous hitman who is supposed to be back in town; Charley knew no name, only that he might plan an attempt on 'someone with ambitions'; plus he had an address - a certain Chad Thompson's address. We have no idea who the target is. There are so many people with political ambitions. Every spare officer is on this case. I sent Ed to interrogate Thompson, and he just ran away."

"You sent Ed out to catch him last night?" My co-worker had just been cleared of a murder charge. He had still been worn out emotionally and physically last evening.

"Of course he hasn't slept much while being the main suspect of killing Barbara Chase until a few days ago." He snorted. "Ed Brown and police brutality! It was downright ridiculous. But one could expect that the man would have recovered within a night or two, right?"

The Chief's voice was as gruff as ever, but suddenly I understood that there had been a reason why he had sent Ed out last night. I had the feeling that he wanted me to understand his motives, whereas he would never have revealed that much to Ed or Mark: he wanted to show Ed that he still was his number one, even after all the suspicions and speculations about beating up Barbara Chase. He wanted Ed to let this behind him by assigning him to the next important case – a threat on a politician - immediately. No way would he admit that openly though.

Interrupting my reasoning the culprit entered, his head hanging. The scratches on his cheek which he had got from Barbara had almost faded away.

"What's your excuse, Sergeant?!" asked Ironside instead of a welcome.

"News does travel fast in this house," Ed pointed out somberly.

In spite of my love and admiration for the Chief I felt the need to defend my coworker. "Everybody is entitled to a mistake every now and then, aren't they? Chief, you keep telling us not to make snap judgments."

The Sergeant shook his head. "No, Eve. He's right. It was my fault. I should have managed to stop Thompson and bring him downtown for questioning. I was just too slow."

"How could that happen? You are supposed to be one of the best athletes in the department, an ex-marine and above all a member of my staff. How can you let a physically average guy get away?!"

Again I had to think that Ironside bawled him out, it was true, but at the same time he showed him more appreciation than when everything went smoothly. Our Chief was really one of a kind! I could just hope that Ed would perceive more than the harsh sound of his voice.
It turned out that he didn't.

"I'm sorry."

"That helps a lot! And what do you intend to do to find him now?"

Ed dropped his tired frame onto the next chair. Only a few days ago he had done exactly the same in a very similar situation – being accused – only this time he was guilty. He didn't seem to have any ideas on how to go on.

"Ok, how did you find him the first time?" probed the Chief.

Ed looked as if his thoughts were swimming through molasses.

"At home. He lives on Dolores Street. But there was a neighbor..."

"Name?!"

"Something with S..."

"The name, Sergeant!"

"Sarah – Sarah Rhodes."

"Go question her!"

My colleague didn't move.

"What are you waiting for?!"

"I remember..."

"What?"

"She said – she said that he goes out to the same bar almost every night..."

"Sergeant, you can do better than that!"

Slowly, with the help of the Chief's questions, my friend found his way back into his profession.

"I'll try the bar tonight. Please let me attend Barbara Chase's funeral first. It's in an hour."

Ironside grunted something probably affirmative and Ed left.

I followed him with my eyes. His movements had always been controlled and careful, now even more so than normally – almost hesitant. For a second my thoughts switched to the James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice" I had seen the night before. What a difference between the unflinching, tough movie hero Sean Connery and my friend Ed Brown! But with all Connery's handsomeness and verve I still liked our modest sergeant. I just wished he would get back to his calm self.

I had to stay in the office for a thorough background check on Thompson. Not knowing what exactly I was looking for I found nothing really incriminating. Thompson had no gun license and no criminal record, just a hint on some rebellious activities as a teenager. He hadn't even done any military service. I could not see any prod to violence.

I reported to Ironside. "The big question is: if he has nothing to hide – why run?"

Thoughtfully the Chief answered, "Ed's picture was big enough in the newspapers when he was accused of police brutality. The small note that he turned out to be innocent may easily have been overlooked. Maybe when he showed his badge Thompson recognized him. I suppose he ran out of fear of being mistreated."

It made me very sad. So much harm could be done by spreading rumors!