Finding Officer Bobby
Chapter 4
4.1
Bobby watched the strangers argue. He wanted to go home. The strangers scared him, especially the one she called 'Can'. Bobby knew this stranger did not like him. He wanted to go home. He wanted his mommy.
The TV was running in the background. "Ken, I just think we are taking a chance bringing in another shipment with Ironside running an investigation on that place. Why can't we wait until he is done? Why take any chances?" Karen asked her husband.
This woman simply drove him crazy. Why could she not just shut up and let him run things? Good god he would be so happy to be rid of these two sniveling women. Why did he ever involve either of them? "Because the man said we continue," he snarled. "How many times do I have to tell you?"
"But what about Ironside?" she persisted.
"Ironside again? What is this obsession with Ironside? I am sick of hearing about Ironside. I don't want to hear his name again," Ken shouted at her.
"I just don't understand how you can ignore him. He is dangerous, Ken. Don't you watch the news or read the papers. He is the most celebrated detective in this country. We should not mess with him. We are taking a chance of getting caught letting that shipment come into the day care center. Do you really think you are going to smuggle it in there under his nose?" Karen persisted.
"Karen, I am sick of discussing this. The shipment is coming in. I have told you before, let me worry about Ironside."
All of a sudden, the sound on the television increased to a very loud level. Ken and Karen looked over at the television at the same time. Bobby had turned up the sound. Standing in front of the television, he was clapping his hands. He had a huge smile on his face, "Unk Bobby." He began laughing and pointing at the television. There on the screen the news was playing a segment with Robert Ironside explaining to the press the reason for the arrest of a prominent businessman. Bobby put both hands on the screen and kissed the image of Ironside. "Unk Bobby," he said again.
Ken looked at Karen, "That kid is demented," Ken said.
"Yea, well take a look at the screen. Who's on there?"
"Are you going to start that again?" Ken moaned.
"Ken, first it was the newspaper and now the television and both times it is Ironside. Did it occur to you that he is not saying his own name? He is also saying unk. Could that mean Uncle Bobby?"
Karen had Ken's attention. He looked at little Bobby who was now watching the television intently with one hand on the image of Robert Ironside. "Talk to that kid. See if he reacts to Ironside's name?"
Karen walked over to Bobby. "Uncle Bobby?" She pointed at Ironside and said.
Bobby pointed and said, "Unk Bobby." He clapped his hands.
Karen walked over to the table and got the newspaper. She mixed up the pages of the paper and put it down on the floor. "Show me Uncle Bobby," she pointed at the newspaper. "Find Uncle Bobby."
Bobby sat down on the floor and began turning the pages. He continued turning them until he came upon the picture of Robert Ironside. He pointed and said, "Unk Bobby."
"I'll be damned," Ken exclaimed. That kid knows Ironside."
"Now do you really think May Evans will not talk? Good god Ken, she's a friend of Ironside! You have kidnapped a kid of a friend of Ironside's! It explains why he was so intent on checking every employee in the day care center. Ken that man will not stop until he finds that kid. We have to get rid of him. Let's drop him off somewhere."
Ken Tyson kept watching Bobby. The image of Ironside was gone but Bobby was now looking at his picture in the paper. "Just calm down. This may turn out to be a god send."
"What the hell are you talking about? Wake up! We have a kid who calls Ironside Uncle Bobby. That is more than some casual acquaintance. May Evans must be close to Ironside. He is going to come after us with a vengeance."
"I don't think so. Don't you see? This is the way we keep Ironside out of our hair." He walked over to Bobby. Squatting down he watched the boy touching the picture of Ironside. "I bet May will keep Ironside off our backs if we threaten harm to little Bobby Ironside," he laughed.
Karen looked from Ken, to Bobby and back to Ken. She smiled. "You may just be right. So what do we do?
"I am going to make a call to Miss Evans. We will tell her to keep her mouth shut. We tell her if she talks to Ironside, we will kill the kid."
"When are you going to call her?"
"The sooner the better."
4.2
Ed Brown opened the door to his boss's office, entered and came down the ramp. "Chief, I think I might have something here."
"Well, Sergeant Brown I am happy to see you grace us with your presence. What exactly do you have?" Ironside barked.
Brown went into the kitchen, poured himself a cup of coffee. As he headed for the table Ironside was sitting at, he suddenly turned around and went back into the kitchen. He poured another cup of coffee and then carried both cups to the table. He set one down in front of Chief Ironside and sat down. He noticed the slight smile on the chief's face.
"Well?" Ironside said.
"Charlotte Wilson deposited five thousand dollars on seven different occasions in the past two years," Ed said.
"Did you check with Allison Weaver to be sure it was not part of her salary," Eve asked.
"Yes and it was not. Allison Weaver could not explain the money. She said it did not come from the day care center," Ed replied
"Any other explanation for the funds?" Ironside asked. "A trust account perhaps?"
"No. I checked with the bank manager and the money was always deposited in cash in hundred dollar bills," Ed answered.
"Blackmail?" Mark offered.
"If so, who and why?" Eve asked.
"Ed, find out where that money came from. Get Charlotte Wilson in here. If she won't talk, tell her we will call in the Internal Revenue Service. I am willing to bet she did not claim the money on her income tax return. Now what about Weaver?"
"I stopped and spoke with Diane Simmons. She is the one that inspected the Weaver Day Care Center. She said nothing was out of order at the day care center. Allison Weaver has obeyed all rules and regulations. Simmons gave the day care center the highest rating a center can receive. She also does not believe that Allison Weaver would be involved in anything illegal. She scoffed at the idea that Weaver would have had anything to do with the disappearance of Bobby Evans," Ed reported.
"What is your gut feeling about Allison Weaver, Ed?" Ironside asked his top detective.
"Chief, I simply do not believe she had anything to do with Bobby's disappearance. There is nothing there that would lead us to believe she did. She was as angry about the Wilson's failure to follow guidelines for identifying someone coming to pick up a child."
"Neither do I. I have known Allison for many years. I have always been impressed with the way she runs that day care center. However, we are not going to assume anything."
"Chief, could it have been possible for something to be going on at the day care center that Allison simply did not know about?" Eve asked.
"Of course it could. What do you have in mind Eve?" Ironside asked.
"I am not sure. However, it would be a good idea to get a look at the books. If Allison was not the only one that kept them, there might be something there. We could enlist her help going through them."
"Alright Eve. You have the job. I want you to be careful how you handle this with Allison. I want her cooperation. Be sure to include her but keep a close eye on her while going through them," Ironside ordered.
"Now where are we on checking employees?" Ironside asked.
"We are just getting started," Eve said. "There is one employee," Eve checked her list, "a woman named Jillian Carlson. She was beaten up a couple months ago. Allison Weaver found her in one of the rooms in the center. Allison called the police. Jillian refused to tell the police who beat her up or why. The police had no choice but to drop it. Allison tried afterwards to get her to talk to the police but she refused. She would not even talk to Allison about it. She did claim the beating did not take place at the day care center."
"Mark and I will talk to her. You two have your assignments. Let's get moving," Ironside ordered.
Mark grabbed his jacket from the railing and pushed Ironside up the ramp. Ed and Eve followed them out the door.
4.3
May Evans stared out the window. She had never been so scared and worried in her life. Even when her ex-husband, Harry Higdon was trying to kill her, she was not this worried. At least than Bobby was in Ironside's care and she did not have to worry about his safety. Today she had no idea where her son was or if he was even still alive. She knew Chief Ironside would not stop until he found the truth but it was the truth May Evans was terrified of. What if Chief Ironside did not get to Bobby in time? No, she could not think that way. She had to have confidence in Robert Ironside. He did not let her down before. She had no reason to believe that he would this time.
She struggled with whether or not she should contact her husband. He had a right to know what was going on. Yet he had enough to think about in a combat zone without having to worry about her and Bobby. No, she would not contact him. She would give Chief Ironside the time to resolve the situation and find Bobby.
She was so grateful for the way the chief came to her aide immediately. May knew Chief Ironside was extremely fond of Bobby. The feeling was mutual. Bobby loved the chief and Ironside got a kick out of the way Bobby called him 'unk Bobby'. Bobby Evans was probably the only one alive that called Robert Ironside 'Bobby' and got away with it. He was so gentle with Bobby. He was always checking to see if they needed anything. Well she needed something right now. She needed her son back home safely and Robert Ironside was the man who could make that happen. She had to give him time to find Bobby but it was so hard. What if she never saw Bobby again? May scolded herself for that thought. She had to keep a positive attitude. The phone rang bringing her out of her private thoughts.
The police officer that had been assigned to stay with her walked over to one phone and indicated for her to pick up the extension. "Remember what Chief Ironside told you to say." The officer pressed the recording button on the machine and nodded his head at May.
With raw nerves, May picked up the phone, "Hello."
"Mrs. Evans?" The male voice said.
"Yes, this is May Evans."
"Don't talk, just listen. I have your son. Before you ask, he is fine. I know that you are a friend of Ironside's. You are to say nothing to Ironside of what you saw."
May listened in confusion. "Saw? What are you talking about? I didn't see anything."
"SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" he shouted. Tyson lowered his voice once again. "If you want to see your son again, you are not to tell Ironside anything that you saw. If you do, I will kill your kid. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, I understand. When do I get my son back?" She asked.
"I will let you know. In the meantime keep your mouth shut." The line went dead.
May broke down in tears. The officer shut off the recorder and went to May. He put his arms around May and said soothingly, "The chief will find Bobby."
"How do I know he is even alive?" She asked with tears streaming down her face. And what does he mean forget what I saw? I have not seen anything. I have no idea what it is that I am not supposed to tell Chief Ironside. I just want my son back." May fell into a chair and sobbed openly in front of the police officer.
4.4
Mark pushed the button on the van. The lift opened and lowered to the ground. After turning Chief Ironside's chair around, Ironside backed the chair onto the lift. Mark pushed the button that would lift his boss's wheel chair into the van. Mark went around the front of the vehicle and got in. Ironside was already on the phone. Mark waited for Ironside to finish his conversation and give him instructions.
Ironside hung up the phone. "Jillian Carlson is not working today. Allison gave me her home address." The chief gave Mark the address. His aide pulled the van out of the police garage and into the street.
"How are you going to handle her chief?" Mark asked.
"As much intimidation as necessary, Mr. Sanger. I am going to find Bobby Evans.
After a twenty-minute drive, Mark arrived at Jillian Carlson's house. Ironside once again entered the lift and lowered his wheel chair to the ground. Mark pushed his chair up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the bell.
Within a minute a woman in her late twenties answered the door, "Yes, may I help you?"
"Miss Carlson, Jillian Carlson?" Ironside asked.
"That's right. What can I do for you?" Jillian eyed the man in the wheel chair. He looked extremely familiar. She had seen him some place before. She watched as the man in the wheel chair pulled something out of his suit coat.
Ironside showed her his police badge. "My name is Robert Ironside. I'm with the San Francisco police department. I would like to talk to you. May we come in?"
Hesitating, Jillian looked at the black man that stood behind the man's wheel chair. "I guess so." She opened the door wider so that Ironside could maneuver his chair into the house.
Chief Ironside put a hand on both sides of the doorframe and pulled his chair over the threshold. Mark wheeled him in and followed her into a modestly decorated living room.
It hit her who this man was. Of course, she had seen him before. The man had been on TV many times and in the newspapers. He was the former chief of detectives…..well at least they called him former. He was probably the most powerful member of the police department. Everyone in the city loved this guy except for the criminals. "What can I help you with Chief Ironside?"
Ironside spoke softly, "A couple months ago you were discovered in back room of the Weaver Day Care Center. You had been beaten quite badly. Yet you refused to tell Allison Weaver or the police what had happened. That was your right since you seemed to be the only one involved. But now there is someone else involved so I must ask you again what happened that night?"
Ironside watched as Jillian's face changed expressions from apprehension to fear. He softened his voice in attempt to keep her calm and relaxed in his presence. "We need your help. Bobby Evans was taken from the day care center yesterday. We have to find him before something happens to him. The beating you took may be connected to Bobby's disappearance."
She turned away from Ironside. "Well it isn't," she said in very short tone.
"You don't know that Miss Carlson. I have to ask you to tell me what happened that day," Ironside said.
"Nothing happened. This is none of the police's business. I said I did not want to press charges. I am not going to talk about it," she said agitated.
"Miss Carlson, there is a little boy out there who has no idea why his world has been turned upside down. He is alone and probably scared. We have to find him. If someone is threatening you I can assign police officers to protect you."
"I don't want police protection. I just want you people to leave me alone," she snapped.
"I cannot do that, Miss Carlson. I must find Bobby Evans. Now you can talk to me here or you can do it downtown. I would much rather talk to you here. I have no desire to drag you downtown. Please help us," Ironside said softly.
Jillian could not help but notice the piercing blue eyes this man was looking out through. It was as if he was looking right through her. "Please Chief Ironside. I cannot talk to you."
Ironside took her hand in his and guided her to a chair directly beside him. "Whatever it is I promise you I will help you. I promise you I will not let anyone harm you." Ironside looked directly into her eyes.
Jillian was torn between keeping quiet and talking to this man. He was after all the best cop in the city of San Francisco. He was known for keeping his word. He did protect people. But if she talked that man might kill her. "I don't know. I should not say anything….."
"Jillian," Ironside said switching to her first name, "do you know who Bobby Evans is?"
"Yes, of course. I have taken care of him many times," she answered without looking up. She just could not look into that man's eyes.
"I am sure you don't want anything to happen to him do you?" Ironside kept his voice soft. He did not let go of Jillian's hand. He rubbed her palm with his thumb.
"No of course I don't." Tears began to appear in her eyes.
"Then help us find him," Ironside said.
"Chief Ironside, I don't know where he is. If I did, I would certainly tell you."
"Jillian, the beating you took just may be related," Ironside said again.
"I don't see how it could be," she said, still looking away from Ironside.
"Tell me what happened. Let me decide if it is related. I promise you if I do not think it is I will not take it any further. You will not have to talk to anyone else. I will help you with whatever it is you are afraid of."
Jillian squeezed Ironside's hand. She decided to trust him. "A man approached me in the parking lot at the day care center after work. He wanted me to arrange to hide something at the day care center. He told me if I did he would pay me $5000.00 for each shipment."
Mark caught Ironside's eye. "Did he say what the shipment was?" Ironside asked.
"No, he did not. I asked him but he told me I did not need to know. I knew it had to be illegal whatever it was. Chief Ironside, I have never done anything illegal in my life…..well except for parking tickets and underage drinking a few years ago." Ironside smiled. "I did not want anything to do with whatever he was doing. No amount of money is worth going to jail for. I am going to community college and working full time at the day care center. I want to go into criminal justice. I want to be a police officer. I can't get involved in anything illegal."
"So you refused to help him," Mark stated.
"That's right," she confirmed.
"And how did he react?" Mark asked. "Is that when he beat you?"
"No. He told me he would give me time to think about it. He told me to keep my mouth shut or he would shut it for me permanently."
"And he contacted you again," Ironside asked.
"He showed up at my house just before I was supposed to go to work. I told him I would not help him and if he did not leave me alone I would go to the police."
"And that is when he beat you?" Mark asked.
"Yes. He told me if I talked about what he told me he would kill me. I don't get paid if I do not go to work so I went in the way I was."
Ironside continued to rub her palm with his thumb. "Jillian look at me," he said. Jillian raised her eyes to meet his. "No one is going to hurt you. I promise you. I am going to assign police officers to keep an eye on you until I have this man in custody. Do you think you could describe this man to a police artist?"
"Yes, I think so. I will never forget that face."
Ironside smiled at her. "Then would you accompany me to police headquarters. I would also like you to look through the mug shot books and see if you can identify this man. Would you do that for me?"
"Yes sir," she answered. "Chief, can I ask you a question?"
"Yes," Ironside said.
"Does my reaction to him mean I should forget being a police officer?"
Ironside smiled again, "No I don't think that at all. You would be surprised what training will do for your confidence. Later if you find you are not cut out to be police officer, there are other jobs within the police department. Maybe you could work in computer crimes, become a finger print expert, or a police sketch artist. If you would like I would be happy to help you figure out where you might fit in."
Jillian squeezed his hand again. "I would like that very much, Chief."
"Then we will talk about it. Now get your purse and we will go downtown," Ironside said as he let go of her hand.
Jillian got up and left the room.
"You really intimidated her into talking to you," Mark said with a slight grin.
"Sometimes the soft touch works better than bullying people," Ironside barked.
"Chief Robert T. Ironside has a soft touch," Mark teased.
"If you tell anyone that I will personally find some excuse to throw you in a nice intimidating cell," Ironside snarled.
Mark grinned from ear to ear.
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