Sounds Part 3 of 5:
Clamor
Twists and turns in a seemingly straight story.
Denver Co., December 1993
Chapter 1
The door bell of the Browns' house was rung impatiently.
Eve answered it. It was Jerry Abbey. He seemed to be hardly capable of restraining himself. "Madam, is Chief Brown at home?" he asked.
Ed heard him and approached the door, much to Eve's dismay. In her opinion he was far too exhausted to get up again.
Angrily the young Afro-American officer blurted out, "Sir, you won't believe this! I have an arrest warrant against you. I have no idea what's going on. This is the most outrageous thing I've heard of since the affair around ..."
"Calm down, Jerry. We'll find out what this is all about." Ed was a little confused himself, but getting upset would not help.
"I'm supposed to book you immediately! Shall I tear the warrant to pieces?"
Ed smiled reassuringly at him. "Thanks, Jerry, I appreciate your support, but no, thanks."
He got serious. "This has to be a misunderstanding. I will come with you immediately. Just let me get my jacket..."
When he picked it up Ironside held him back. "Ed, I have a lousy feeling about this. Maybe you should rather make a getaway."
"Chief, you know that I haven't done anything. This will clear up very soon, I'm sure."
Ironside's temper – together with his worry – got the better of him. "What in blazes do you expect to accomplish by going to prison?! You are in no shape to survive an ordeal unscathed."
The Sergeant Brown who had worked for him twenty years ago would have backed down immediately. Not today's Ed Brown though. He considered his old mentor's words carefully, but responded, "Chief, I want to comply with the rules my name stands for in this town. How could I expect the people of Denver to trust justice if I don't do it myself? I have to go. Please take care of Eve and Danny if there should be problems, will you?"
"Stubborn fool!" muttered Ironside under his breath. He could see Ed's point. He was an idealist. He still thought that everybody was basically as straight as himself, except for a few criminals who – if possible – had to be reformed.
But there was something terribly wrong here, he could smell it.
Yet when the black and white drove away he rolled over to Eve, who had sat down on the stairs in shock. Gently he hugged her. "Don't worry. He's stronger than he looks. If there is somebody out to destroy him they may be for the high jump."
When Ed was led into the Denver prison he felt for a moment as if in a flashback scene. As a young man he'd had a very impressive experience as 'John Doe' in prison*. Yet now everything was different. Times had changed. It was not as humiliating as it had been then. Moreover he had called on the prison personnel to respect the dignity of the prisoners. He had been successful. People were correct, and more than that.
Still it hurt. He was the Chief of detectives, and now he had to undergo the same procedures as every bum or crook. He thought that he got off at the wrong station.
People who recognized him seemed to feel the same way though. "Sir, this is scandalous! We can't treat you like a criminal!" said the officer who had to take the pictures.
Ed appeased him. "Yes, it's some kind of mistake. But don't you worry, someone will find out about it any minute. I'm afraid your work is for nothing."
A very young prison guard asked excitedly, "Is this like in that movie with Robert Redford, 'Brubaker'? Are you here under cover, Sir?"
It made Ed smile – if only it was that simple.
Serenely he changed into the prison clothes they gave him. The shirtsleeves were too short and the pants were too large, but he didn't care.
A tall Afro-American guard led him to his cell. Ed had never met him before, but he bore a vague resemblance to Jerry Abbey, Ed's assistant.
The guard looked at the new prisoner compassionately. When Ed stumbled he asked respectfully, "Sir, may I help you?" and reached out to support him. He didn't say what he was thinking: that this was for sure the worst idiocy he'd ever witnessed in this prison.
"I'm Luther Abbey. Jerry Abbey is my cousin. I know that you don't belong here. It just can't be. I'm so sorry... you will be held in incommunicado. It's so awful wrong..."
Ed was almost glad that he would be alone. That way he would not have to explain anything to anybody. He lacked explanations himself.
Eve seemed to have trouble to snap out of her shock.
"Eve, I know how you are feeling. We will get him out of there. Please – think of Danny. He needs you now. And first and foremost let's find out what's going on!"
Finally she pulled herself together. "Thank you, Robert. I'm so glad you are here. I'm just so frightened..."
Only minutes later Jerry Abbey came back.
"Sir, Fisette is back in the office! I don't understand it. How could that happen?!"
Eve paled. Ironside frowned. "Don't ask me how Fisette managed to get out of prison – but I'm sure he is out for revenge on Ed, Hank and me. Without you knowing that he was behind it he sent you to book Chief Brown. I suppose it was some kind of test if you would be loyal to the Chief or if you would obey your orders."
"But this means that you are all in mortal danger!" exclaimed Eve.
"At any rate Hank can't go back to work. As far as I know he has two days off right now. After that I want him to call in sick. What puzzles me is why the FBI didn't interfere. Their agent knows that Fisette is a crook."
Jerry knew. "I overheard that he – or someone else - sent an e-mail to his boss saying that his father had died unexpectedly in Canada and that everything was settled in Denver. He would send a report as soon as he would be back."
"In that case we can't expect any help from the FBI right now. They would believe Fisette rather than us. We have to clean up this entire mess ourselves."
"What can we do then?"
"Fisette may think that you will be open to bribery, Jerry. It's a certain risk, but I need you to go back and keep your eyes open for me. Are you ready to take that risk for Ed Brown and for me?"
"Of course I am. Just tell me what you want me to do."
"Remain inconspicuous and keep me up to date. But be careful about how you contact me, and don't trust anybody."
"Robert, Ed has this bug-proof cell-phone, the same kind he gave Hank," remembered Eve.
It was agreed that Ironside would use this phone. Jerry learned the number by heart, but he would contact Hank in the first place, since his own phone was not secure.
After Jerry had left Ironside informed Hank Riley by phone.
"Chief Brown in prison?! Now that's the wildest thing I have ever heard of. The entire town knows that he is straight!"
"Let's hope that the entire town adheres to that. It may become necessary."
Eve did what she had always done when she felt that her nerves started to go on overdrive: she made a pot of fresh coffee and offered Ironside some too. It didn't bring much relief, but it brought back the old feeling of solidarity and of tackling obstacles together.
Yet Ironside had to shake her out of that cozy feeling. "Eve, let's face it: this is a conspiracy within the highest ranks of the municipal government of Denver. You are in danger as well. You know the truth. I want you out of here with Danny."
"What an idea! I can't leave Ed! He's so vulnerable right now! They will have to let me see him at least..."
"The people who are behind this won't let you talk to him. They can't. And you know as well as I do that Ed would want you out of harm's way. They could even try to blackmail him if they told him that they have you in custody."
Eve knew that he was right. Ed had to worry about himself. He could not protect his family, and her and Danny's safety would be top priority for him. "Where do you want us to go?"
Ironside thought about it for a minute. "I have an old friend in Omaha, General Sparks. I will tell him to come and get you by military airplane. That way chances are good that you can't be found. I'm sure that's what Ed would want."
"But Robert – what about you? You were the one who brought Fisette down in the first place. They will want to kill you too!"
Ironside was well aware of that fact. But if he left the sinking ship it meant giving up Ed. He might just vanish without a trace, and sooner or later he would die from a relapse of his illness or get killed. Ironside would not let that happen! Rather would he put his own life on the line...
* Ironside S6/7 Nightmare Trip