Chapter 3
After Ed had left, Mark prepared a dinner of canned chili. He would have expected that Ironside would be happy about his favorite food after his days in hospital, but he only pushed it around on the plate.
Eve and Mark started to exchange worried looks. Under his Californian tan the great detective was looking pale and from time to time he pressed his lips together for a second as if he had to suppress a spell of pain.
"Chief, don't you think that you should rest for a while? You left the hospital just this morning. We think that you are overexerting yourself…"
"I know when I left the hospital! No wonder I have to overexert myself if my staff who is supposed to help me lets me do all the thinking!"
Both young people knew perfectly well that he had to be in quite a bad shape. It was rather common that he was cranky and gruff, but normally they didn't feel like being treated unjustly.
Behind his back Mark showed Eve that he wanted to go out.
"Tell me what I can do to help you," asked Eve, in order to distract the Chief. She wasn't entirely successful for he still noticed that Mark tried to sneak away.
"What's the matter? You don't have any classes tonight, do you? Are you fed up with my company?"
"We are running out of coffee, and I can't risk that when you are in a bad mood," answered Mark glibly.
"If you call this a bad mood then I'm always in a bad mood!" shouted the Chief.
It made Mark grin. "That's why I never want to run out of coffee!" At that he left for good.
Again and again Ironside and Eve scanned through the files of the thefts of the last few days in San Francisco. Perhaps there were robberies Carter had not been able to connect to Cromwell, and it might be possible to find a link to him.
Mark helped them when he had brewed a new pot of coffee, but nothing caught their eye.
"Where's that coffee you promised?" asked the Chief indignantly, but in fact he was feeling worn out and sore.
Immediately Mark got a cup for him.
Ed Brown was lucky: He found a cargo ship named 'Lucrece' which fitted well into their probable premises. He radioed the Chief, giving him this piece of information, and promised to observe it and call back later on.
Ironside, Eve and Mark went back to their files, but soon afterwards Ironside started to yawn.
Keeping his eyes open became increasingly difficult. Finally he gave in. "As tired as I am I would not find a connection if it were written in bold capitals. I have to go to sleep. Eve, I see you in the morning. Mark, when Ed calls in, tell him to go home too. I'm sorry about that evening off we had planned."
When he was in the bathroom, Eve asked Mark: "What did you do? Don't tell me you had nothing to do with this! He would never give in just like that."
"I went to the drugstore and asked for the most powerful sleeping powder they had. I put it into his coffee."
"You did fine. He needs his rest badly."
For about twenty minutes Ed Brown monitored the ship but nothing happened: no one left it, no one went on board. He decided to sneak on board. The cargo hatch was open. Was this the right ship? And were the people using it about to pull a raid tonight?
He listened carefully: behind the cabin door there where voices to be heard, two at the least. He could not understand what they were saying though.
He inched closer. Suddenly he heard footsteps on deck. Quickly he hid behind the lifeboat. Looking out from there he saw… Ernie Clark!
"Ernie, stop!" he whispered.
Clark heard him and turned around.
"What in blazes are you doing here?!" asked the detective.
"I was offered a job, something along trading electronics."
Most probably he had overheard Randall and Carter this morning and had hoped to make remittance. "Is this Cromwell's ship?"
Clark nodded.
"How did you find it?"
"I happen to know one of Cromwell's old flames. She lives here in San Francisco. She told me how to find him."
"The only business done here is crime, so clear out!"
"I need the money!" Ernie almost shouted it.
Ed shook his head. He knew well how desperate the man was after his loss, but this was no way to go. He kept his voice low and tried to explain the matter very clearly, "No, you don't need the money. You need a decent job and you need to prove that you can keep it and that you are capable of leading a responsible, steady life or you will ruin everything for your child. And you need to shut up or you will alert Cromwell."
The door to the cabin opened and out stepped a man fitting Cromwell's description. He held an ugly looking Luger in his hands. Immediately Ed took a step back. It was too late to pull his own gun.
He tried to bluff: "Good evening Sir, we were just looking for you."
Cromwell was no pushover though. "Turn around and no further move or I'll put a hole in you!" he said coldly, and he looked as if he meant it.
When a red-haired, hamburger-chewing man stepped out behind him he ordered: "See if he is armed!"
The redhead threw the hamburger away. From behind, invisible for Ed, he patted the Sergeant down – not too gently - and found his badge immediately, as well as his .38. He pulled it out of the holster. "Ah, ah! A guardian of the law!" he exclaimed pompously.
Cromwell put the gun in Ernie's hand. "Kill that pig."
"I thought this was about dealing with electronics. I will never take part in a murder!" protested Clark.
"That's your choice."
Ernie's eyes widened with shock when the Luger was suddenly aimed at him.
"Get down there!" With the gun Cromwell directed Ed and Ernie towards the hatch. There was a ladder.
"Use it!" barked Cromwell.
Ed looked around, but right now it would have been far too dangerous to try to escape. Not only his own life was at stake, but also Clark's.
Therefore he did as he was told, and Ernie followed suit.
Then the redhead pulled the ladder out of the cargo hatch. A canvas cover was pulled over the hatch.
