Day 1

Ed drove downtown back to headquarters. He wanted to report the robbery and assault to the police. He tried to recall every detail about the car and the person passing him to be able to describe them as well as possible. The first shadow he had seen was most probably the assailant. But was this the person who left on foot or had he or she jumped into the cabriolet? Which one of those two persons might be the assailant and which a possible witness?

Ed decelerated abruptly when he came into view of the 'Lighthouse'*, a place he knew well. He slowed down to a crawl, causing a cacophony of horns behind him. He ignored it and swiftly pulled into the parking lot of the nightclub. He reached the dark cabriolet that had caught his attention from the main road. Sure enough, it fitted the description of the car he had witnessed drive off and its license plate started with 'DOW'. Ed selected a parking space close to the suspicious car and entered the 'Lighthouse'. He started looking around, wondering if he might recognize the frame of the driver of the cabriolet as being his first 'shadow'.

Mark Sanger was sitting at a table, which was not unusual. Without being regulars, the two men often took their dates there. At the same table Ed saw the most beautiful Afro-American girl he had ever seen. The sight took his breath away, not because she was gorgeous but because his gut instinct told him that she was the person whose shadow he had first seen in front of the house he had left just minutes ago.

Ed squinted his eyes and tried to imagine her silhouette in the twilight. The result remained the same. This meant that he had most likely found Mrs King's assailant: The young woman had passed him and driven off in the cabriolet.

At this very instant Mark spotted him.

"Hey, man, come over here!"

Slowly Ed moved over to his table.

"Ed, meet wonderful Alicia. Alicia, despite his appearance Ed Brown is a nice guy, even if he is a police Sergeant."

Alicia threw Ed a brilliant smile. "Nice to meet you, Sergeant!"

Ed knew that he had to say something back but he felt like petrified. "How do you do?" he managed finally. After he had swallowed the lump in his throat he asked: "Is that your cabriolet out there?" He gestured towards the parking lot. "The dark one right there?"

Alicia's eyes followed the direction Ed was indicating. "Yes, do you like it?" she answered casually.

"Mark, how long have you been here together?" Ed asked.

"About an hour, don't you think so?" Alicia answered in Mark's place.

"Oh, that long? I didn't pay attention. Time passes quickly in such wonderful company. But Ed, what's the matter with you?! Mark knew his friend too well not to notice that something was wrong with him.

"Nothing. Excuse me. Have a nice evening."

Briskly Ed turned around and left. He had no proof that Alicia had been in Mrs. King's apartment. And if it was true that they had been at the restaurant for an hour, then she could not be the driver of the car he had seen. Yet he had only her word for that.

He needed more time – and of course more information.

Day 2

Because Ed had to do some research on a murder case on his way to work, he only arrived at the office slightly after 10 am. Ironside had gone down to the Commissioner's, but Mark was in doing his homework. Several big law books were spread across the table. When Ed came in Mark rose and came to meet his friend at the top of the ramp. "Hey, man, was that a way to treat a beautiful girl yesterday?"

Taking off his jacket Ed didn't answer directly. Instead he asked: "Mark – how long had you really been together yesterday when I came in?"

"I can't remember. But answer my question. What is the matter with you?" Mark was definitely getting angry now.

Ed took a deep breath. "I'm afraid that Alicia may have left the apartment of an old woman who had just been assaulted and robbed, but that was less than an hour before I met you at the 'Lighthouse'. The woman almost died, and she still might."

Furious, Mark took another step towards Ed. "Are you out of your mind? Did you see her?"

"I saw a car exactly like hers and a part of her license number. And I saw a shadow which I think was her."

"How dare you!"

Out of the blue Mark grabbed Ed by the shoulders and smashed him violently against the wall. It hurt, for at the height of Ed's war wound was a decorative dado rail.

A year ago, Ed had been able to subdue Mark, and he assumed that he probably still could, although Mark had become stronger and heavier since then.** He didn't want to start a fight, hence damaging their friendship, maybe permanently. Trying not to enrage Mark any further Ed turned his head away, in the hope that the situation would not escalate. Yet Mark forced him away from the wall only to push him violently back again, with all the strength his fury had set free. This time Ed didn't quite manage to suppress a cry of pain. It was drowned though by Mark's irate remark: "Now lemme tell you something..."

"Mark, stop that at once!" Ironside shouted. He had just entered the office and could not believe what he was seeing. "What in blue blazes got into the two of you?" he asked furiously, rolling nearer.

Mark pushed Ed's arms against the wall one last time as if to show him that he had the upper hand. Then he let go, throwing him a glare. If looks could kill…

"Ed swears that he saw my girl stealing!"

"Is that right, Sergeant?" Ironside barked.

"Well, not quite..." Ed managed. His low voice sounded strained.

"Then how come that Mark thinks it is?"

"He saw a shadow and half the license plate of a car!" Mark almost spat out and then he retired into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Ironside looked skeptically at his Sergeant, who slowly sat down and put his elbows on the table and his head into his hands.

"I do understand Mark," the Chief said.

Ed's answer was hardly audible: "So do I."

"Can you give me an explanation?"

"No, Sir." Ed still didn't look up.

For the second time in the space of two minutes Ironside was taken aback.

"I'll go get those files you wanted," Ed said stiffly and left, hanging his head, clearly shutting out everything and everyone.

"Ed!" shouted the Chief, but Ed was already at the door.

So much for a friendly, productive working atmosphere, Ironside thought frustrated. With so many cases to solve, he didn't need any dissensions within his team. Those men were like brothers, enemy brothers at the moment. They were supposed to be responsible adults. Yet this childish behavior was totally out of character for both Ed and Mark. If only Eve would be back soon. She was on a flying visit to Paris with her parents. Without her, the team was just not the same. Not to mention that it was impossible to get on with the case load he was lumbered with with only the Sergeant at work – and possibly a Sergeant who didn't really put his mind into his work right now. Sometimes it was almost too much, even for someone like the Chief who was used to working almost day and night. Sucking it up Ironside picked up the file of the next urgent case.

Day 3

The next morning, Commissioner Randall walked in well before office hours. "Bob! Where's that Sergeant of yours?" He was decidedly angry. "Do you have any idea what happened to my wife and me last night on our way home from the opera? We were almost run over ... by your Sergeant Brown! And it sure is not thanks to him that our cars don't have two nice, big dents now!"

"Good morning, Commissioner. I congratulate you for your presence of mind."

"This is not funny, Bob. My wife was deeply shocked."

"Ed was on duty last night. He may have been tailing a suspect."
Ironside was of the opinion that he knew the weaknesses of his people quite well. And he wanted them to outgrow those weaknesses. Yet reckless driving was not normally one of Ed's. After a moment of consideration he proposed: "Let me deal with him."

"Alright Bob, but don't handle him with kids gloves again!" This gave Randall a powerful exit.

"I will handle him my way," Ironside grumbled when the Commissioner was – almost – out the door.

When Ed entered the office two minutes later he still looked withdrawn... and as if he had a killer hangover. His bearing was rigid and unnatural. Mark was preparing breakfast. He gave Ed an angry look, causing Ed to refuse any food. They did not exchange a single word. Mark just took his plate and retired into his room.

Ironside didn't confront Ed, and he didn't mention the Commissioner either. Perhaps he would later, he thought. But he felt weighed down by the gloomy atmosphere in the office.

"How did you get on with the Morgan murder?" he wanted to know instead.

"I confirmed his wife's alibi. Webber is still the main suspect. He says he was home alone during the night of the murder."

"What else?"

"Not much."

Ironside raised his eyebrows and his voice. "You won't tell me that it took you almost twenty-four hours to find that out! And you won't tell me either that you went to sleep last night, will you?"

"No, Sir."

"So – what were you up to then?"

Keeping his eyes down Ed answered in a whisper: "I tailed Alicia, Mark's girlfriend. She takes drugs."

Ironside exploded. "That may be very interesting, but it's none of your business! We don't investigate simple thefts, we don't tail simple junkies and you won't interfere in Mark's affairs anymore. I expect you to earn your salary and do as you are asked to do!"

Ed pressed out between clenched teeth: "You know that I do my best."

"That may be, but it has to be better than what I get these days!" countered the Chief furiously.

Couldn't Ed and Mark understand how much harm they did with their silly behavior, to the cause they supposedly worked for, to one another and of course also to him personally? Together with Eve they were his hand-picked team, San Francisco's finest, he had thought. Had he thought wrong? And then there was the pressure put on him by the Commissioner who expected him to solve the most difficult cases in record time and without stepping on anyone's toes.

"And by the way Commissioner Randall wasn't pleased with your driving style last night."

Ed just stood there as if he had swallowed a poker, not saying a single word, his most stubborn mule-look on his face. He had indeed been focused on tailing the girl and hadn't paid attention to traffic. What could he say in his defense?

Ironside felt as if he were talking to a wall. Enraged and gutted about Brown he would have liked to tell him off, but he did not want to add to Ed's distress right now. The heavy silence told the Sergeant enough though. "Carry on with the investigation. I want to see results," the Chief added finally.


* The place Eve took her prince charming to in Good Will Tour, S3

**Due Process of the Law