Brothers in Arms
Sgt. Ed Brown took his eye off the road for a moment to glance at Officer Eve Whitfield sitting in the passenger seat beside him. Eve seemed to be a million miles away as she starred out the window of Ed's car. He could not help but wonder what was going on in her mind. "We have to find the chief's dog," Ed said in an attempt to bring her back from where ever she was.
Eve turned her head. She realized she had not spoken to Ed since she got into his car. "I am sorry Ed. I did not mean to ignore you. I was just thinking about the chief. This vacation is just what he needs. We sometimes forget he is not invulnerable. He puts in as many hours as we do. He stays up all hours of the night when we are on a case. I have noticed how tired he has been lately not to mention his temper has been shorter than usual."
Ed thought about their boss. He knew Eve was right. He too had noticed how tired the chief had been. "We know how much he loves to fish and Commissioner Randall's place is certainly great for fishing. He and Perry have become very close. They will do plenty of fishing and the chief will be forced to relax for a change. There will be no cases for him to worry about. He'll be fine, Eve."
"But he will have time to think about Barbara," Eve worried.
"I have already had that discussion with Perry," Ed said with disgust, "Perry said to give her time. He believes she will call the chief."
"I hope so Ed, for his sake. I don't know how much more the chief can take where she is concerned. I just wish he would lean on us more. He has to know how much we care about him."
"You know the chief. He keeps his feelings to himself but he knows we are there for him if he needs us. For now I just want to find his dog before he gets back," Ed said.
Eve pointed to the left. "There is the kennel up there on the left." Ed slowed his sedan and turned into the driveway. Upon reaching the main gate, he pulled to a stop. He and Eve headed for the main door of the kennel. Ed opened the door and stood back so that Eve could enter in front of him.
A teenage boy approached them. "May I help you folks," he asked.
"My name is Sgt. Brown and this is Officer Whitfield. We are here to see Mr. Dunlap."
"Yes sir, he is expecting you." He walked toward an office and motioned for Ed and Eve to follow him. When they arrived in the office, the boy offered them a seat and disappeared through the door. Several minutes later Dunlap walked through the door.
Ed and Eve stood up. "Please sit down," Dunlap said. He walked around the desk and sat down as well. "I appreciate you coming out so fast. I was rather upset when I found out Chief Ironside was out of town. I was hoping for him to head the investigation of Otto's disappearance. Commission Randall has assured me that Chief Ironside would trust the two of you to step into his place until he returns."
"He certainly would not want us to wait until he gets back to get started," Eve said. "Mr. Dunlap, do you have any idea how Otto got out of his kennel?"
He shook his head, "His kennel gate was closed. We only know he disappeared sometime in the night."
Ed leaned forward in his chair, "Is there someone that might have a reason to steal the dog?" Ed asked.
"Not that I am aware of," Dunlap said but added, "He is a highly trained dog. Anyone up to no good might think he would be an asset."
"Every time the chief visits, Otto obeys him over our man. He has really bonded to Chief Ironside. If he was taken by someone looking to break the law such as robbery could they control Otto?" Eve asked.
"Otto will obey only two people. One works here and the other is Chief Ironside. And he obeys the chief over our man."
"Has anyone expressed an interest in him lately?" Ed inquired.
"No, no one…..wait, no that is not right. There was one man that wanted to buy him from us but we refused. He offered us over six thousand dollars for Otto. I instructed our people to turn him down. Charlie did not like the looks of the guy and the dogs here are not just pets you can place anywhere. Charlie got the feeling he was not looking for a pet. If he were, he would not have come to us. However, no one has seen him since. Besides, if we were to sell him I would offer him to the chief first since he has worked with him and is so fond of him," Dunlap answered.
"Would Charlie be willing to describe this man to a police sketch artist," Eve asked.
"Absolutely, if you think it might help to find him," Dunlap said.
"Has anyone touched his cage since he showed up missing?" Ed inquired.
"No and I know that for sure because I have not allowed anyone near it except me," Dunlap answered.
Ed turned to Eve, "Call for a finger print team just in case the man has a record." Eve stepped away from the desk and immediately called police headquarters. "While you are at it get one of the men who are experts at tracking just in case he was simply let out of the cage and turned loose."
"He would never have left the premises," Dunlap said. "He has been trained not to unless instructed to do so."
"We have to check all possibilities no matter how impossible they might seem," Ed told him. Dunlap nodded his head. "We won't keep you any longer but please authorize the officers to enter the property."
Dunlap reached for the phone.
Xxxx
"How much further is this place, Bob?" Perry asked his older brother.
"About an hour, we are almost there," Ironside answered.
Perry looked over at his Ironside. "So how have you been….really?" Perry asked him.
"Sounds like you have been talking to my staff," Ironside said.
Perry shrugged. "Ed is a bit concerned about you as is Eve and Mark. They think you are moping around too much and not getting out with friends."
"I get out when I want to," Ironside said, his voice a bit short.
"Easy Bob, I am just checking up on you. Isn't that what a brother is supposed to do?" Perry said keeping his voice calm.
Ironside looked straight out the front window. "Alright, you have something to say so say it and let's get it over with so we can enjoy our vacation."
"Give her time. She will call you. In the meantime keep yourself busy," Perry advised.
"I should not have let her go in the first place," Ironside said.
"You could not have stopped her, Bob. Let her deal with the divorce. Give her time. She will be back," Perry told his older brother. "Now, pull over and I'll drive the last hour."
Ironside knew he could easily drive the final hour of their trip but he also knew Perry would insist in driving so he pulled the van over. With Perry's help, Ironside moved over to the passenger seat and Perry got behind the wheel. Pulling the van back onto the road, Perry glanced over at his brother. "Are you still brooding?"
Ironside grunted. "I never brood. Listen Perry, I know you are right. It is just so hard waiting. That is why I have been looking forward to this vacation. I am going to beat you at everything we do. If you catch twenty fish, I will catch twenty-five. If you win five poker games, I will win ten. There is nothing I can't beat you at…except for a foot race," Ironside grinned.
Now that is the Bob Ironside I have gotten to know, Mason thought. "You think so, huh? You cannot intimidate me as you do those cops at headquarters. You have met your match at both those activities. And I even going to beat you at downing bourbon," Perry said.
"Give it your best shot counselor. If this was a court of law you would be primed for losing you first case,"
"I don't lose court cases," Perry pointed out.
"And I always get my man," Ironside boasted. Both men looked at each other and laughed. Yes, this was going to be a great vacation, Ironside thought.
xxxxx
Panting, he looked out the window and wined. His canine breath fogged up the windows. Otto pawed the door. He turned around and jumped into the driver's seat. He placed his wet nose on the window, looking for the stranger that brought him here. The window fogged up. Otto put his head in the air and sniffed. The German Shepherd was hungry. He could not detect anything that smelled like food. All he could do was wait for the stranger to come back.
Otto sensed the stranger was an enemy. He was not his master. Otto remembered something that stung his shoulder while in his own territory. He woke up in unfamiliar surroundings. His instincts told him to attack this man but something was stopping him each time he tried. He did not trust him. Otto just wanted to go home. He missed his own bed. He missed his friend in the rolling chair.
Otto looked out both side windows one more time, curled up in the passenger seat, and went to sleep.
xxxxx
Dunlap entered Chief Ironside's office and walked down the ramp. "Sgt. Brown, I got a message you wanted to see me."
Brown looked up from the table he was sitting at. He picked up an object from the table and handed it to Dunlap.
Dunlap looked at the object. "It looks like a dart of some kind." He handed it back to Ed. "What's this have to do with my missing dog?"
Eve walked over from the chief's desk where she had been working. "It is a dart Mr. Dunlap."
Ed handed him the other portion of the dart. Holding it up so that Dunlap could see it, he said, "This contained a substance that if shot into the dog would knock him out almost immediately. This is how our man got Otto out of his cage.
"So he was deliberately taken, then?" Dunlap asked.
"We believe he was. We got a break. One of our officers checked with your neighbors. The woman, Michelle Worthington said she heard the dogs barking abut one o'clock in the morning. They woke her up. She said they were barking like crazy for about half an hour. She saw a pickup truck go by her home, headed in the direction away from the kennel. As you know, her house is very close to the road. She was able to read the first two numbers of the license
plate."
"In the dark?" Dunlap questioned.
"She said he stopped the truck momentarily beside the billboard. She was able to see the plate with the light of the billboard."
"At that distance? I don't care how close her house is to the road. That is too far for her to see the plate on that truck," Dunlap insisted.
"She said she could see it. I am having Eve check the first two numbers now," Ed said.
"Eve? What happened to the dark haired girl that came to the kennel with Ironside?"
She still works with us. Right now, she is on vacation. Eve took a long leave of absence and now she is back. Fran worked most of the cases for a while but now the chief uses both of them."
Dunlap nodded in acknowledgement. "How are you going to be able to tell who that license plate belongs to with just two numbers?" He inquired.
"We won't but it will certainly narrow it down. We can start checking all trucks with those first two numbers."
"Just how many is….. all of them?" Dunlap asked not really wanting to know the answer.
"You don't want to know," Ed answered. "Anyway, I have asked the commissioner for a few extra officers to start checking them along with Eve. Even Mark is checking them.
"How long is this going to take?" Dunlap looked at Ed waiting for an answer.
"As long as it takes. We will check them as fast as we can. Right now, we don't have much else to go on except this dart. That is what I wanted to talk to you about. Have you ever used these before?" Ed picked up the dart and handed it to Dunlap.
"I have come in contact with them. Why do you ask?" Dunlap said cautiously.
"We need to find out where this came from. It could help lead us to the man who took Otto." Ed stood up, walked to the kitchen. He grabbed the pot of coffee and two cups and then headed back to the table. After pouring coffee for Dunlap and himself, he sat back down.
Dunlap decided he had to trust Ed with all of his knowledge. Holding back from him would not help find Otto. "I don't have to check. I know where they came from," Dunlap said. These are special forces issue."
Surprised Ed asked, "Are you telling me they are used by the armed forces?
"That's right. Only when their target is hit by one, they don't get back up." Dunlap threw the dart back on the table. "I served in the special forces myself. I worked with war dogs.
"Mr. Dunlap, is it possible that someone who worked with you took Otto?" Ed asked.
Dunlap picked the dart back up and studied it before answering. "Sergeant, it might be worth our while to check out where some of the guys I did work with are at the present time."
"I couldn't agree more. Do you still train war dogs, Mr. Dunlap?" Ed asked.
"Yes. I have been training them for the armed forces ever since I got out. I do not publicize that part of the business. Two of the guys working with the dogs worked with me in the service training dogs. When we all got out I decided to start this business and they came to work for me. As far as I am concerned, they are the best in the business. And before you ask, I trust them completely. I have no doubt you and the chief checked them out when our guard dogs were involved with the jewelry heist."
Ed smiled. "Yes we did. We found you and your men to be completely clean. I can't believe we missed the fact that you train war dogs," Ed said.
"You didn't. The chief found out. I asked him not to tell you about it since the army are the only one that is supposed to know. The chief steered you away from that. I am only telling you now because it could be the key to Otto's disappearance. That dart points in that direction." Dunlap finished his coffee and pushed the cup toward the middle of the table.
"Were there any guys training dogs you didn't trust or approve of their methods?" Ed asked.
"Of course, there were several of them. Let's see, there was David Donaldson. As far as I am concerned, he was cruel to the dogs. They can be trained without coming close to killing them. There was one guy in particular I did not like and disagreed with command on having him assigned to us for a time. His name was Castle. Can't remember his first name though."
"Do you still have connections with the army? I would like to check into this guy and find out where he is now. Possibly he went into the dog training business for himself," Ed suggested.
Dunlap shook his head back and forth. I doubt it. I heard he was a trained killer. I doubt if he ever left the service. There is not much call for a trained killer in normal society."
"Is there someone we can talk to about him?" Ed asked again.
Dunlap thought for a moment. "I do believe there is. Let's go for a ride, sergeant." Dunlap got up and headed for the door. Ed hurried to catch up.
xxxxx
Perry drove the van down a winding road. Robert Ironside pointed to a smaller road to Perry's left and said, "That is it. That is the road that will take us to Dennis's cabin."
Perry turned the van to the left and immediately slowed it to a near crawl. The road in front of them was full of potholes. There was no cement or ash fault out here. Perry knew that at this altitude the air was noticeably thinner. He looked over at his older brother but it did not seem to be bothering him. Mason kept the van moving, driving all over the narrow road searching for smoother ground. He certainly did not want to do any damage to Bob's vehicle. He would never hear the end of it. Especially since, he had insisted on driving. Off in the distance Perry could see the cabin. The climb up to the cabin had seemed to take forever. You would think the commissioner could have found a place that was easier to get to.
Ironside looked out the window and surveyed the area as Mason brought the van closer and closer to the cabin. It was dusk and visibility had dropped considerably. He senses became immediately alert when he saw lights on in the cabin. Apparently his younger brother had noticed the same thing.
"Commissioner Randall did not strike me as the type of man who would be careless enough to leave the lights on when leaving the cabin," Perry pointed out.
"He's not." Ironside's instincts switched into full gear. He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out his service revolver and a box of ammunition.
Perry watched him. "Do you ever go anywhere without that?"
"Actually quite often, but then I am usually with Ed, Eve, or Fran who carry a gun all of the time. I do bring one when they are not with me. I did not figure you would have one," Ironside said.
"Why would you need one up here, Bob?" Perry asked.
"I have made a lot of enemies over the past twenty five years. You have already gotten a close up look how many times I have been shot at and just lately," Ironside answered.
"Say no more. That light on in the cabin makes me uneasy. I am glad you brought the gun. There is probably a logical answer for it. The commissioner probably had someone turn the light on for us," Perry surmised.
Ironside placed his hand on Perry's arm. "Stop the van!" He said.
Perry looked over at Ironside and brought the van to a stop. What's wrong, Bob?"
"Look at the chimney." Ironside pointed.
"I can't see anything but a shadow," Perry said.
"Look again," Ironside instructed. "That chimney has been covered with something. "I don't like it. Perry, turn the van around and get out of here, now!"
Perry did not question his brother, not even for a second. He had grown to respect his instincts. He simply began maneuvering the van so that he could turn it around. Just as he had the van point away from the cabin and began to drive the vehicle away, there was a small explosion in front of them. A little further down the road there was another one. It continued down the road for three more explosions and then stopped.
Perry had brought the van to a completed stop. "Shall we chance driving down that road?"
Robert Ironside pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. As expected, he had no signal. He looked at Perry who took it as a request to check his own. "No signal," Perry said. He tried sending a text message to Paul Drake.
"You're wasting your time," the chief barked.
"Sometimes messages will go out when you can't get a phone call through," Perry offered. He hit the send button and waited. Almost immediately, the phone informed him the message did not go through. "I think we better get into the cabin where we will be better protected."
Ironside loaded his service revolver. "Agreed. Turn around and head for the cabin."
Perry did as he was told and drove the van toward the cabin. He pulled the van to a stop. Both men just sat there for a moment. Finally Ironside said, "Perry, help me into my chair." Perry immediately did as instructed. "Grab the things that we will need the most. We will not be making a second trip to the van," Ironside said. "Make sure you bring the water and whatever food Eve packed for us. It may be the only food we have," Chief Ironside said.
Perry collected everything he could carry on his back and hold in his arms. "Perry, hook some of that stuff on my chair and keep your right hand free," Ironside told him. Mason did exactly as his brother instructed. Ironside handed him the service revolver. "Do not worry about me. I will wheel myself in. You cover us with my gun until we are inside."
Ironside motioned for Perry to join him as he positioned his chair on the lift. He activated the control. He and Perry were lowered to the ground. He immediately began wheeling himself toward the ramp Dennis had installed so that Ironside could access the cabin easily. Perry followed him with his back to his brother as he backed onto the ramp. He looked out into the woods. He could not see far as he was getting darker. Just as they reached the door bullets riddled just above it. Perry covered Ironside with his body and shot out into the dark with the revolver.
"Don't waste the bullets, Perry. Look at the pattern. That was not intended to kill us. That is coming from a gun that is firing remotely." He handed Perry the key and waited for him to unlock the door. Perry opened the door, pushed his brother through and slammed the door shut. Just as they entered the room, the lights went out.
Perry grabbed a flashlight and began to shine it around the room. He spotted the phone, hurried over to it and picked up the receiver. Perry tapped it several times and tried dialing. "It's dead," he said.
"Of course it is," Ironside growled. He pulled another flashlight out of the side of his wheel chair and headed into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator. It was empty…exactly as he expected it to be.
"The commissioner said he stocked the cabin with food," Perry remembered. "Someone removed it." He began opening cupboards. He went from one to another leaving the doors open as he went along. "They are all empty."
"Someone was expecting us…..but whom? Who knew besides our own people that we were coming here?" Ironside said, mostly to himself. He looked in Perry's direction. "The furnace is over there," he said as he pointed. "I doubt it will run but check it any way."
Perry pointed his flashlight in the direction Ironside was pointing and walked toward the furnace. He spotted the thermostat and turned it up to seventy-two degrees. Nothing happened. He opened the door on the furnace. "You're right; Bob, the blower has been removed. Is the stove gas or electric?"
Ironside perked up. "It's gas." He wheeled over to the stove. He turned the burners on…..nothing. He check the oven as well….nothing. Ironside looked back at Perry and shook his head.
Perry began opening drawers. When he opened the silverware drawers, he stopped. "All the knives and forks have been removed. There are no knives in this place at all."
"He's trying to make sure we are defenseless." Ironside frowned.
"And I took away the only element of surprise we might have had by firing into the night," Perry slammed his hand down on the counter. "Damn it. I should have known better."
"Forget it Perry. You just reacted to the situation. Anyone would have done that including me. We do know that whoever is doing this knows that we are armed. He is not going to come rushing in here."
"He also knows we can't get out of here. He rigged explosions on the road. I think we can expect that he has them all over the place. Wait a minute, Bob. What about Dennis' boat?" Perry asked.
"You can bet he has that rigged as well…..probably the path to it also," Ironside responded.
"Then we better go through this place with a fine tooth comb and figure out some way of protecting ourselves," Perry suggested.
xxxxx
Otto opened his eyes. Something was different. He sniffed the air. Excitedly he jumped from seat to seat, looking out the window. He began barking wildly. Otto pressed his nose on the window. He continued to bark. He jumped to the other seat.
Otto put his head in the air. He sniffed the air again. He barked again. It's him, his friend in the rolling chair. Otto began wining and pawing at the door, first with one foot and then with the other. He sniffed the air again. Otto could feel it. His friend was in trouble.
His memory took him back to the man with the blond hair, the one who had threatened his friend. He remembered the words, "Otto, zip" He attacked the man. Then he heard, "Otto, flack". He backed off. Otto jump back and forth between the two seats. He had to get out of this cage. He had to protect his friend.
xxxxx
Sorry for the long delay in posting this chapter but my elderly mother went into the hospital. I have her dog. I have a bad habit of waiting until the last minute to get my taxes done and had to get my business records ready for my accountant. The last week and a half have been a nightmare.
Hope you enjoy it. Now I have to write the next chapter for Victoria's Secret to keep those readers happy.
Thanks for reading! Don't hesitate to let me know how you think the story is going so far.
Kaleen1212