Checkmate and Terror
Chapter 02
2.1
The alarm clock beside Ironside's bed went off at five thirty in the morning. He laid flat on his back with his hands behind his head, fingers intertwined. The big man stared at the ceiling ignoring the high-pitched piercing sound. He was wide awake and had been for some time.
The door to Mark's room opened and the young aide entered his boss' room. "Hey Chief, the clock does not shut itself off." Mark reached over Ironside and shut down the alarm. He looked at the man in the bed who was not only his boss but also his friend. "Do you want some help or are you in an independent mood?"
"Get me out of this bed," Ironside snarled.
"It's going to be one of those mornings, huh?" Mark wheeled Ironside's chair close to the bed and locked the wheels. He helped the handicapped detective into a sitting position. Ironside put his arm around Mark's neck and the young man lifted him into his chair.
Mark followed him to the bathroom. He reached into the cupboard, pulled out a towel and washcloth and asked, "Shower or bath?"
"Shower," came the gruff reply.
Mark reached into the shower, turned on the water, made sure the water was the proper temperature and placed the shower chair in the stall. "I can handle it from here," Ironside said, dismissing his aide.
Mark headed for Ironside's closet and set out a suit that was appropriate for the fall weather in Montreal. He then reached into his dresser and removed other necessary clothing. He then headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for the chief.
Twenty-five minutes later, Ironside entered the room fully clothed in a suit and tie, freshly shaven with every hair in place.
"Breakfast will be ready in a minute."
"I am eating breakfast at Barbara's," Ironside called out as he grabbed the keys to the van. I will be back in time to leave for the airport," he shouted over his shoulder. Mark watched as Ironside wheeled out of the office.
Mark sighed. Well, he was sure Ed and Eve would help him eat the bacon and eggs that were now getting cold.
2.2
Sgt. Ed Brown stopped his Ford and shut the engine off. He got out of the vehicle, shut the door and walked toward the elevator that would take him up to Chief Ironside's office. The door opened in front of him. His boss wheeled out onto the garage pavement. "What are you doing here so early?" Ironside asked his sergeant.
"I could not sleep. Listen, Chief, I have a suitcase in the car. I want to go with you to Montreal. I don't think you should be going there without an armed officer."
"I am an armed officer," he growled.
A vehicle pulled into the garage and parked beside the chief's van. Eve got out of her car and walked over to Ed and the chief.
"Don't tell me," Ironside said sarcastically, "you have a suitcase in the car and you don't think I should go to Montreal without an armed police officer."
Eve smiled. "How did you guess?"
"It was not a guess. It was a deduction. You are here two hours before you have to be and Sgt. Brown has the matching suitcase to your set in his car."
Ed and Eve looked at one another. "Chief, why don't you let one of us go with you?"
Another car pulled into the garage and parked beside Eve's car. Carl Reese got out of the car. He opened the back door and pulled out a suitcase. Ironside looked at Eve and said, "Are there more than three pieces to your set?" Eve just smiled at him.
Carl walked over to the detectives huddled together. "Listen to me, Chief, before you go off half-cocked. Ed and Eve would be recognized in Montreal as cops since they were there with you last time but I wasn't there. They won't know me from Adam. I will stay in the background. I will just be there to be sure you and Mark remain safe or if you need me for any reason. I have made my own flight arrangements. We will act like we don't even know each other."
"We don't know each other," Ironside said with sarcasm.
Ed turned to the boss. "If you won't let Eve or me go, then let Carl go. He can remain in ..."
"... the background, I heard Carl too." Ironside shook his head. He knew they all meant well. It was out of concern for him ...he certainly could not fault them for that. "Alright, but Carl, I don't want to see you unless there is trouble."
Eve, Ed and Carl smiled. It wasn't often the chief gave in. Ironside looked at his detectives and shook his head. He wheeled his chair towards the officers who parted to let him pass. "I am getting out of here before my Aunt Victoria shows up with the fourth suitcase to Eve's set." He wheeled over to the van and pressed the button that would lower the lift that would raise his chair into the van.
2.3
"Not that damn American cop again?" Pierre Fougère complained.
"He is not coming here as a cop," Robert Duvalier insisted. "He is an old flame of my mother's. They spent some time together the last time he was here. My mother invited him. I think she still has feelings for him."
"I don't like it. The last time he was here, he almost destroyed our underground movement. I don't like the timing either," Pierre said.
"What timing? My mother invited him months ago."
"How long is he staying?"
Robert shook his head. "Depends on my mother."
"I can't believe he would leave San Francisco when we have bombed two office buildings."
"He has a very efficient staff. He probably left the investigation to them while he is out of town."
"I still don't like it. If he brings cops with him, we will know it is not just a personal trip."
Robert shook his head. "My mother said he is only bringing that aide of his. He is not a cop."
"Why is he bringing anyone at all if he is trying to rekindle an old flame? I don't like it."
"He is in a wheelchair," Robert pointed out. "He needs help getting in and out of that wheelchair."
"Keep an eye on him. Make sure he is really here to see your old lady."
"I already intended to." Robert watched as Pierre left their headquarters. He did not like this anymore than Pierre did. His mother led Ironside on and agreed to join him in America and then never contacted him again. Ironside was a good man. Robert did not want him hurt again. He had gone out of his way to help him out of the mess he got himself into. Robert knew his mother had practically begged him to help him but he did not care what his reason had been. He used his influence to make sure that Robert was not charged with a serious crime.
The young French-Canadian only hoped that the American detective was prepared for their meeting again. He knew for certain that his mother had only agreed to help the police after much pressure. Something about Robert Ironside really bothered her. Robert hoped he could discover what it was. She had not been the same since Robert T. Ironside came back to Montreal.
2.4
Ironside shut off the van, got into the lift and lowered his chair to the ground. He wheeled toward the door of Barbara's apartment building. An elderly woman walking a Pekingese dog approached him. "You are Chief Ironside. You're Barbara Jones' fella." She smiled at him.
Ironside smiled back and continued toward the door. She stepped in front of him. "I helped solve one of your cases, you know."
"Is that right?" Ironside said.
"Yes, the one with the cop killer. I saw him sitting in a car the morning Barbara was shot. You know the first time you spent the night with her."
Ironside cleared his throat. "Yes, well thank you for your help. Now if you will excuse me." Ironside wheeled his chair forward. The woman moved out of his way.
"You just let me know if you need any more help with your cases. I have a good eye for detail."
Ironside kept wheeling. Maybe he should introduce her to his Aunt Victoria and the Tuesday Afternoon Bridge Club. He could not believe he had such a thought. That is all he needed right now ...another amateur detective!
Robert Ironside opened the door to the apartment complex, wheeled in and headed down the hall to Barbara's apartment. When he arrived at the apartment, he knocked on the door. He did not have long to wait. Barbara opened the door almost immediately. She smiled at him. "Come in, Bob. Breakfast is almost ready."
He followed her to the kitchen. As usual Barbara had removed one chair at the table to make room for his wheelchair. "Don't I get a kiss?" he asked. She turned back to him, sat down in his lap and kissed him passionately.
"How's that?" she asked.
"You keep that up and I'll miss my ten o'clock flight," he replied.
She laughed at him, got out of his lap and put breakfast on the table. Barbara dished out two eggs over medium, two slices of bacon, and toast. She poured a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee and placed both in front of him.
Ironside buttered his toast and began eating his breakfast. Barbara watched him closely. Something was bothering him but she did not want to pressure him into telling her what it was. She knew he would tell her when he was ready. After all, he was the one who said he had something he needed to talk to her about.
The silence between them was beginning to bother her. "What time did you say your flight was?"
Ironside looked up from his plate. "Ten o'clock," he answered. "Have you read in the paper about the two office buildings that were bombed?"
"Yes. They were both bombed at night when no one was in them. Sounds like the owners are trying to collect insurance."
"Not this time," Ironside said putting down his coffee. "They are linked to an underground movement to force Quebec's secession from Canada."
"What in the world does this have to do with you?" Barbara asked. Ironside explained how he had come to return to Montreal and what transpired there. He did not yet reveal anything about Jeanine and Robert.
"Then you are going back to question this young man about the organization?"
"Yes."
"How will you get in touch with him?" she asked him.
"I will be staying at his mother's home."
"But Bob, won't that put both you and this young man in danger?"
Ironside knew the best way to tell someone something difficult was to just come right out and say it. "I knew his mother a long time ago." He told her of their affair and the fact that she had concealed that she was married and told her of their parting.
"It kept me from returning to Montreal for twenty years." Ironside went on to explain their chance meeting at the police station and how she asked him to help her son.
Barbara watched his eyes. "There is something you are not telling me, Bob."
"When helping her son, we rekindled our romance."
"I see."
"No, Barbara, I don't think you do. I had asked her to join me in San Francisco and she had told me yes but she never came. She refused to answer my phone calls." He wanted to make sure she knew all the details.
Barbara looked away from him. "Now you are going to Montreal to be with her?"
"No. I am going there because my job is taking me there. I have to talk to Robert to find out what this group has planned."
"What did you call him? His name is Robert? (pronounced Roe-bare) which is the French pronunciation of Robert, is it not? Did you have a son with this woman?"
"No, the boy is her husband's," Ironside told her.
"Then you are telling me that you started your affair back up after you knew she was married?"
Ironside shook his head. "No, her husband has been dead for several years."
Barbara's mind was going in several directions. "Now you are going to Montreal to stay alone with her." Barbara was clearly becoming upset.
"No, her son will be in the house and Mark is going with me."
"I can't say that I like you being near her at all."
Ironside reached out for her but she pulled away. "Barbara, listen to me. I tried to get out of this but Dennis told me I had to go. He told me to be the professional he knows I am. Look at me." He reached over and raised her head with his forefinger to meet his eyes. "She doesn't love me. She rejected me twice. All of this happened before you and I got together."
"She loved you enough to name her son after you," she said quietly.
"That was a long time ago. You have to trust me. I love you."
"Then you can tell me you have no feelings for this woman?" she asked him.
"My feelings are with you," Ironside told her. He took her hand and squeezed it. "I am telling you this because I want no secrets between us. Because I love you, I would not keep this from you."
She smiled. "Alright Bob. Will you call me?"
"Everyday."
She smiled at him again but when he left to go to the airport, she could not get past that fact that he did not say that he did not have any feelings for the woman. Barbara sat at the kitchen table with tears in her eyes wondering if the man she loved would be returning to her from Montreal.
2.5
Mark pulled into San Francisco International Airport. He drove the vehicle to the curb outside of Canada Air terminal. "I'll drop you here and park the van. Mark waited as Ironside got out of the van and had wheeled his chair into the terminal. Mark disappeared with the van.
Ironside wheeled his chair near the check-in counters and waited for his aide to return. While he was waiting, Carl Reese walked right by him. He did not even as much as glance at Ironside. He got in line at the check-in counter, checked one bag, received his boarding pass and kept moving. He walked right past Chief Ironside and sat down with the morning edition of the San Francisco Chronicle and began reading.
Within a few minutes, the detective became impatient. Where was Mark and what was taking so long? A woman walked past him and got in line to check in. Ironside watched her. She was pulling one bag behind her on wheels. She was tall, slender but with a nice figure and was impeccably dressed. After she was checked in she headed for what seemed straight for Ironside. As she came near him, two young children came running by. The one boy caught up with the other, touched him on the shoulder and shouted," you're it!" In order to keep from being tagged immediately by his fellow playmate, the youngster ducked, dodged and ran into the woman knocking her carry-on to the ground, spilling the contents all over the floor.
"Sorry," the boy yelled without stopping. He ran off with his playmate in pursuit.
Ironside wheeled over to her, reached down and began picking up her belongings and placing them back into the carry-on.
"Why thank you," she said and smiled at him. Once everything was back in the carry-on, she stood up and again smiled at him again. "It is nice to know there are still gentlemen left in this world."
"The boys should not be running through the terminal," Ironside said.
"It's alright, boys will be boys," she said, again smiling at him.
"My name is ..." he began.
" ... Robert Ironside, Chief Robert Ironside to be exact," she finished for him. "I would recognize you anywhere."
Ironside offered his hand. As she took it, she said, "And I am Katherine DeNerurve. You may call me Katherine, if you would like, Chief Ironside."
"Please, call me Robert," he said, returning the gesture. "You are traveling very light," he observed. "I noticed you were not carrying a very big suitcase."
"I am flying to Montreal to try to open a market for my wine. I own a vineyard in Sonoma County."
"That would not by any chance be DeNurerve Vineyards, now would it?" Ironside asked her.
"Yes! You have heard of it then?" she asked excitedly.
"Not only have I heard of it, I have a case of it in my office," Ironside told her.
She smiled at him. "What do you think of it?"
"I only serve it to very important people," he said. "l consider myself a connoisseur of fine wines. Yours is right up there."
"You know, I would have thought a policeman would have been stuffy but you are not at all." She smiled at him. "Are you on the ten o'clock flight?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I am," Ironside replied.
"Traveling alone?"
"No, my aide is with me. In fact that is him coming now," Ironside said.
Mark approached them. "I parked the van but I could not get it in the long term parking lot. The commissioner is going to complain when he finds out how much it will cost to park that van per day."
An airport employee walked up to them. "Chief Ironside, would you like to board first? We have bumped you up to first class, if that is alright with you. We only have the one seat though."
"Go ahead, Chief," Mark said. "You will be more comfortable."
Ironside nodded his approval. He said goodbye to Katherine and followed the employee to board the plane through a special entrance. A few minutes later the other first class passengers began boarding, followed by the cabin passengers. When Lt. Reese entered, he glanced around the cabin and made a mental note as to where Chief Ironside was sitting.
Katherine DeNurerve came through the door of the plane. She looked up at the numbers and discovered that Chief Ironside was seated next to her. "Seems they moved you into the seat next to me, Robert. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Ironside said with a smile. "I am sure I will enjoy your company."
Ironside and Katherine spent the flight talking and before they knew it they were landing in Montreal. Mark joined them. "I have a limo out front waiting for you," he informed his boss.
"Well, this is where we go our separate ways. I enjoyed your company, Robert. It was a lovely way to pass the time. Please feel free to visit the vineyards at any time. You will always be welcome." She bent down, kissed his cheek and walked away from the two men. Ironside watched until she disappeared out of his sight. He realized she had kept his attention so completely that he had forgotten the reason for being here.
Before he and Mark could get into the limo he recognized the voice speaking to him from behind.
"Chief Ironside, my mother is waiting for you. She has dinner ready for you and Mr. Sanger," Robert said.
Ironside turned. He offered his hand to the young man. Robert shook the chief's hand. "Hello, Robert. It is good to see you again. You look well."
"I am, thank you," Robert said. "I never did get the chance to thank you for all you did for me the last time you were here."
"You thanked me. I am sorry I missed your call. I am even more sorry I did not return it. Time seems to get away from you in this business," Ironside said in way of explanation.
Robert knew the real reason Chief Ironside did not call but he would not be able to avoid the reason as she was awaiting them.
They rode in silence for most of the trip. Mark watched his boss who seemed lost in thought. Robert had had enough of the silence. "I understand you were told that I am helping the police by infiltrating the underground movement for them."
"Yes. I am not sure I approve of a civilian doing a cop's job," Ironside said in his gruff voice.
"No offense, Chief, but your police officers would be spotted immediately," Robert said.
"And what happens if they spot you?"
"That will not happen. You of all people should know they have to be stopped before they kill someone." They pulled up in front of the Duvalier home. "We can discuss this all later, Chief. Right now we are expected for dinner."
Robert and Mark helped Ironside out of the vehicle and into his chair. Mark stepped in behind Ironside and pushed his wheelchair to the door. Mark could feel the tension his boss was radiating.
Robert opened the door and Mark pushed the chair inside. "Robert, is that you?"
Ironside turned in the direction of Jeanine's voice. He watched as she entered the room. She had not lost any of her beauty. She looked at Ironside. His face was hard, almost cold. Her pulse began to race. "Hello, Robert. It is nice to see you again."
Ironside said nothing as he looked at the woman who had rejected him twice.