Moonlight in San Francisco
Chapter 4
4.1
Mark pulled the van into the parking lot of the Westin. As Ironside positioned his wheelchair on the ramp that would lower him to the ground, Mark got out and rejoined his boss on the other side of the van.
Mark wheeled Ironside into the hotel. They went straight to the desk. "Would you please ring Barbara Jones's room?" Ironside asked the desk clerk.
The clerk rang the room and handed the phone to Ironside. "Barbara, can I see you?" Ironside asked.
Barbara smiled. "Of course, Robert. Would you like me to come to your office?"
"That is not necessary. I am in the lobby," Ironside told her.
"The lobby? Why didn't you call and tell me you were coming?" she asked.
"Something has come up. I need to talk to you. May I come up to your room?" Ironside inquired.
"Yes, of course. Room 216. I will be waiting," she said quietly.
Ironside hung up the phone and turned his wheelchair toward the elevator. Mark moved in behind him and began pushing. Ironside put on the brakes. "I need to do this alone, Mark. Wait here," he ordered his aide.
Mark stopped and watched his boss wheel himself to the elevator. He pushed the button to recall the elevator. When it arrived he waited for the door to open and disappeared inside.
4.2
Robert Ironside wheeled his chair down the hall checking the room numbers as he progressed. He stopped and turned toward room 216. He took a breath and knocked on the door. When it opened Barbara was standing there. She smiled warmly at Ironside. "Come in, Robert," she said as she opened the door wide enough to give his wheelchair the necessary clearance to enter the room.
Ironside placed a hand on both sides of the door frame and pulled his chair through the door. Once he cleared the door, he reached back and shut it. "Hello, Barbara," he said quietly with a smile. Barbara immediately closed the distance between them. As she bent down Ironside placed a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her into a kiss.
Barbara smiled at him. "Hello, Robert."
Ironside dreaded what he was about to tell her. He did not want to see her hurt but he had no choice but to inform her of what he had learned about Vic. "Barbara, please sit down."
She saw the concern in his blue eyes and it scared her. "What is it, Robert? Has something happened to Vic?" she asked almost in a panic.
"We don't know that yet," he said as he took hold of her hand. "I sent Eve over to check out his hotel room. We found his suitcase and a computer on his bed. The bed had never been slept in and his suitcase was packed and undisturbed. Nothing in the bathroom had been disturbed either. Eve brought his belongings back to the office. The maid confirmed that no one has re-entered the room since he checked in."
Barbara was trying to digest the information Robert has just told her. "I don't understand. Where could he have gone? Why did he not return to the room?"
"We do not know. I have Ed backtracking his movements from the time he came to San Francisco the first time. We should know more soon," Ironside said in a soothing voice.
Barbara continued looking into his eyes. She saw a concern there that chilled her to the bone. "You are not telling me everything, Robert. I can see it in your eyes."
Ironside squeezed her hand. "Barbara, Eve found something in the hotel closet that disturbs me."
"Robert, you are scaring me. Just what did Eve find?" she demanded.
He did not know of any other way than to just tell her straight out. "She found three butcher knives and three handmade moons with the words The Moonlight Killer written on them."
Barbara gasped. "My god, Robert, you cannot possibly think that Vic murdered those three businessmen!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "Vic is a kind and gentle man. No, I cannot accept this. I can't believe you would even entertain the idea." She was becoming angry and her voice was beginning to rise.
Ironside knew this was the reaction he would receive upon delivering this news. He kept his voice steady and tender. "No, of course I don't believe it. But you must understand I have to explore all possibilities. Evidence has presented itself and I must investigate it no matter how distasteful I find it."
She looked at Ironside. She could not believe what he was saying. "It is bad enough that he will be facing the end of our marriage but to have you accuse him of this! Robert, it is not necessary to do this. I have already told you I want to be with you. Don't do this."
Continuing in his soft soothing tone Ironside said, "I am not accusing Vic of anything. I do have to investigate all possibilities. Barbara, it is my job. My superiors would not allow me to ignore this evidence."
Barbara removed her hand from Ironside's. "What superiors? You may have a boss Robert, but you are the boss. The commissioner and the city council bow to you nearly all the time."
Ironside was searching for a way to help her understand. "They wouldn't if I completely ignored the facts in front of me. We have butted heads on many occasions when they disagreed with my methods. I only want to find the truth. We need to find out why Vic was here in San Francisco and determine what happened to him. I do not believe he is the Moonlight Killer but I am concerned he could have come in contact with him. That is why I have to find out exactly where he has been and who he has seen."
Barbara looked like she had seen a ghost. "Then you think he may be a victim of this manic?" She looked as though panic was setting in.
Ironside once again reached for her hand. This time she did not pull away from him. "I don't know but we have to find out. Barbara, do you trust me?" he said as he looked into her eyes.
With tears welling in her eyes she reached up and touched his cheek. "There is no one I trust more."
"Then try to understand. I promise you I will find out what happened to Vic and bring him home safely if at all possible." He placed his hand over hers as it rested on his cheek.
She nodded as she moved into his arms.
4.3
Ironside sat at the table in his office/residence. He was again reading through the reports on the murders of Ronald Poirier, Thomas Murray, and Stanley Watt. The one piece of information he was looking for was not there. Only Henry Davenport showed granite mixed in his blood from the butcher knife. Why only the one victim? He reached for the phone receiver. He dialed the coroner, James Hoover. He waited for an answer.
"Coroner's office," answered the man.
"Jim, Robert Ironside."
"Chief, how are you?" Hoover asked.
"I am fine, Jim. I am reading through your reports on the autopsies of the Moonlight murders. Granite showed up in the blood on the knife and wound of Henry Davenport. None of the other victims shows any granite on the knife according to the reports Sgt. Summers brought up to me," Ironside said.
"What? That is not correct, Chief. Granite was found on the knife of all of the victims. I can't believe it was left out of the report. Hold on, I want to refer to my notes."
Ironside heard Hoover put down the receiver and then silence prevailed. He waited for several minutes before Hoover came back to the phone.
"Chief, I am sorry. Your reports on all the murders are not complete. My notes show that I found granite on all the knives of the victims. But one of them also shows blood that could not have come from the victim, Ronald Poirier. The blood type did not match his. Poirier had type O+ but I also found blood on the victim that was type AB-," Hoover told Ironside.
"Jim, where was the AB- blood found?" Ironside inquired.
"On Poirier's suit," Hoover answered.
"And none of the AB- blood was found on any of the other victims?" Ironside asked.
"No, Chief. I will have these reports re-typed and sent over to you. I apologize for the errors in the reports. We are shorthanded and have brought in temporary help to do the typing. I will see to it that you get them today," Hoover said.
"Thanks, Jim." Ironside hung up.
"Mark, can you put on a pot of coffee?" Ironside shouted.
"I'm right here, Chief and there is nothing wrong with my hearing." He poured a cup of coffee from the pot and took it to his boss.
"Mark, I need to know what blood type Vic Richards has but I don't want to go through Barbara to find out." Ironside took a sip of the coffee and made a face. "Is this the bottom of the pot or is your coffee getting worse?"
"Bottom of the pot," Mark grinned. "You said we could not afford to waste anything with the budget the commissioner has us on."
"Since when do you pay any attention to what I say?" Ironside complained.
Mark sat down beside him. "How do you expect to get Richards' blood type without going through Barbara?"
"When their daughter was kidnapped I asked both Vic and Barbara for their blood type in case a transfusion became necessary. The sheriff will have it." Ironside picked up the phone and dialed.
4.4
Carl got out of his car and entered his third cabinet and countertop manufacturing company. He hurried over to the desk. He pulled out his badge and asked, "May I speak with the owner, please?"
The young lady at the desk disappeared through the door behind her. A few minutes later she returned with a man, about sixty years old, wearing a carpenter's tool belt full of work tools. "You wanted to speak with me, Officer?" the man said.
Carl again pulled out his badge and showed it to the man. "Lt. Carl Reese, San Francisco police," he said. "I am investigating a murder. It is possible the killer is working for a company that handles granite. Could you tell me how many people you have working for you?"
"There are twenty-six people working here, Lieutenant. All but three work out back in the workroom making countertops. This is a small business. We only supply the countertops to Home Depot and Lowes in the southern part of the state," he told Carl.
"Do you make granite countertops, Mr. …? I am sorry, I did not get your name," Carl said.
"My name is Lewis Willis. Yes, granite is our main countertop. We make more than double of the granite than all the rest put together."
"Sir, would it be alright if I took a look around?" Carl asked him.
"Go right ahead, Lieutenant. We have nothing to hide here." Willis motioned for Reese to follow him. Reese followed him through the door into the main workroom.
Each employee had a station to his- or herself. They were all in various stages of making countertops. Most of them were working on granite but about five of them were working on others. As Reese walked through the workroom, he noticed powder shavings of granite and other countertop shavings everywhere. Carl reached down and picked up powder shavings of granite and put them in an envelope. He continued through the workroom. He watched each individual as he passed by. Several of the employees caught his attention. A couple faces looked familiar but he could not place them.
Carl stopped suddenly. There on the bench of one employee laid a butcher knife. He pulled out a handkerchief and picked it up.
"Hey, what the hell do you think you are doing?" the man yelled. The shouting caught the attention of the other employees as well as Lewis Willis.
"This exact brand of butcher knife was used in a murder," Carl said. "Where were you around noon yesterday?"
"None of your business. Now give me back my knife," yelled the man.
Carl pulled out his badge. "San Francisco police. Either you talk to me here or we can do it downtown."
Lewis Willis approached the arguing men. "Gentlemen, this is a place of business. I can't have this going on in front of the other employees. Please step into my office immediately."
Both men followed Willis into his office. Willis shut the door behind them. "Now what is this all about?"
"Mr. Willis, it is not my intention to disrupt the operation of your company but I have four murders in which the exact brand of this butcher knife was used. Granite was found on the bodies of all four victims. Now you can understand why I am interested in a butcher knife in a company sitting on the bench that could easily collect granite," Carl explained.
The man turned pale. "Look, Lieutenant, I didn't know why you took my knife. All I saw was a guy removing my property from the bench. I do not have anything to do with those murders."
"What's your name," Carl asked.
"Darwin Kyle, sir," the man said.
"Mr. Kyle, I would like you to come down to headquarters for questioning. If you have nothing to hide then it should not be a problem," Carl said.
Kyle looked at his boss. "It's alright, Darwin. Go with the lieutenant. Get this matter cleared up and get back here as soon as you can. You will receive your full pay. Step outside for a moment. I want to talk to the lieutenant," Willis instructed him.
"And stay in front of the window where I can see you," Carl told him as Kyle walked out the door.
"Lieutenant, Mr. Kyle has a record. He was arrested by your Chief Ironside 10 years ago for robbing a convenience store with a knife. He served his time. When he got out I gave him a job as a favor to a friend. He has been a model employee from the day he walked through the door. To my knowledge he has been clean ever since he was released. I just wanted you to know that," Willis said.
"Thank you. I will relay the information to the chief," Lieutenant Reese said.
4.5
The phone in Chief Ironside's office rang. "Ironside," he said into the receiver.
"Four dead bodies. There will be many more, Ironside. You are going to watch your precious citizens die. The businessmen were to get your attention. From now on they will be from Frisco. You destroyed my life, Ironside. Now I am going to destroy yours and then I am going to kill you." The phone went dead.
Mark noticed the look on his boss's face. He walked over to Ironside, "Chief, what's wrong?"
"I just got a call from the killer," Ironside said. "Mark, I want a recorder on all four of our lines. Go downstairs and get the proper equipment."
"Are you going to tell me what he said?" Mark asked.
"Mark, get the recorders," Ironside barked. Mark turned and left the office.
4.6
Everything was going as planned. Now Ironside knew he was killing because of him. Four people were now dead. Their blood was on Ironside's hands. Now it was time to step up the game. Ironside would soon discover what the granite meant. Now it was time to give him the next clue. This would not be as much fun with a lesser talented detective, but Ironside would keep up with him. He was the best there was. It would be extremely satisfying to bring this man down.
4.7
Commissioner Randall entered Ironside's office and came down the ramp. He looked around the room at the men who were attaching recorders to all of the phones in Ironside's office. "What's going on Bob?" Randall asked.
"We've heard from the killer, Dennis," Ironside answered.
"What…when?" Randall demanded.
"Just a little while ago. It seems it is someone who has a grudge against me," Ironside said with a frown.
"Someone has a grudge against you so he is going around killing people. Why?" Randall wondered out loud.
"It's a game to him. He wants to prove he's smarter than me. His goal is to beat me. Dennis, he said his next victims will be from San Francisco," Ironside said.
"Oh god. It was bad enough he was killing out-of-towners but Bob, if he starts killing people from this city there will be a panic. The city council will be screaming and I will never get the mayor out of my office. You got to find this man, Bob…and fast."
4.8
Ed entered the chief's office, grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down beside Ironside. "Chief, Vic Richards was in town every time a murder was committed. Each time he arrived, a murder was committed the following day. I have the records from the airlines. He stayed at the Radisson Inn on all three occasions. He was trying to buy twenty-five acres just north of San Francisco."
"Who owned the property?" Ironside asked.
"The man's name is Robert Daniels. I have not been able to find out anything about him yet. I'll let you know as soon as I do," Ed said.
"Alright, good job, Ed, "Ironside said.
The door opened and Lt. Carl Reese came in with Darwin Kyle in tow. He brought him down the ramp and approached Ironside. "Chief, this is Darwin Kyle. He works at the Willis Granite Countertop Company. I spotted a butcher knife on his bench. I thought maybe you would like to talk to him."
"Hello, Mr. Kyle. It has been a long time," Ironside said.
"Hello, Chief. It has been a long time. Look, I served my time and I have been straight ever since. I don't know anything about these murders. I have told Lt. Reese where I was when they were committed," Kyle said.
"Have you checked his alibi, Carl?" Ironside asked.
"I put a couple men on it immediately. Yesterday he was working at the time of Davenport's murder…" Carl started to answer the chief when the phone rang.
Ed picked up the phone. "Chief Ironside's office." He listened for a minute and said, "I'll tell him. Thanks." Ed hung up the phone. He turned to Carl and said, "That was one of your boys. He said Kyle's telling the truth. His alibi at the time of every murder holds up."
"I told you I did not do it. May I go now?" Kyle said. He turned to leave.
"Just a minute, Mr. Kyle," Ironside called out. Kyle turned around and walked back to Ironside. "Where did you get the butcher knife?"
"Come on, Chief. You know I could not have killed those people," he objected.
"I am not accusing you of killing anyone. I simply want to know where you got the butcher knife," Ironside barked at him.
"I bought it from a man by the name of Robert Daniels," Kyle answered.
Ed looked at Ironside who did not flinch. "How many of those knives did Mr. Daniels have?" Ed asked.
"He had a whole box of them. Everyone one of them looked just alike," Kyle answered.
"Just exactly where were you both when this sale was made?" Ironside inquired.
"I am getting married this summer and my girl and I are trying to find a piece of property. We found a twenty-five acre spread north of the city. We met Daniels there to look at it. We made an offer but he said he had one and would take our offer if the other one fell through," Kyle finished.
"Alright, thanks for your help. You can go," Ironside told him. Kyle left the office. "Ed, check out that property tomorrow. Carl, you keep on the granite."
"Chief, there is nowhere else to check. I have checked every business in and around the city and every employee in them. Twenty homicide detectives have checked out the employees today and came up with nothing. There is nowhere else to look!"
"You give them eyes but they do not see…" Ironside mumbled. "Carl, you are forgetting one obvious source of granite."
Carl looked at Ironside and thought, he is doing it again. He is about to show why I am a lieutenant and he is a chief. "And what might that be?"
"Monuments for graves," Ironside said.
Yes, he did it again. "I'll check them all out tomorrow," Carl nodded.
"Don't bother," Ironside said.
Completely confused, Carl looked at the gruff detective and said, "Then exactly what do you want me to do, Chief?"
"Get a list of every name on every grave stone in all the cemeteries in the area. That will give us the name of the person our killer is blaming me for being a resident in that cemetery." Ironside rolled to the desk and brought back a document. "Here's your court order." The chief tossed it to Carl.
Carl just shook his head as Ed laughed. "I am going home, that is if my wife lets me in the door. I rarely get home when I get assigned to this office." Carl walked up the ramp and left the office.
"You really like getting under his skin, don't you?" Ed said with a smile.
"Easy target, easy target." Ironside grinned. The grin did not last long. "Why in the blazes has Eve not called in today?"
4.9
He stood by his van. He had been following her all day. This would be a big kill. She was the apple of Ironside's eye. Oh, how her death would hurt him. This one would be the beginning of breaking him. Ironman on Wheels, ha! Iron doesn't have a soft spot but Ironside did and he was about to put a knife in it.
Eve left the hotel to head for her car. She would make a call to the chief's office as soon as she got underway. He would not be happy as she sure did not find out much of anything. In fact she had struck out completely.
He moved silently toward her with a butcher knife in his hand. Silently, that would be the trick in surprising her. He ducked behind a pillar when she turned in his direction. Then he again progressed toward her. This one would break his pattern as he would simply stab her from behind. He was only a few steps away. He raised his knife above her, ready to strike.
"Lady, LOOK OUT!" someone yelled.
Eve turned around to see her attacker closing in on her with a butcher knife raised. "My god, it's you," she screamed. Eve used her purse as a shield. She knew she did not have time to draw her service revolver. The knife slashed downward stopping only momentarily before entering her body. Eve went down.
This was sweet revenge. Ironside would suffer over this one. He raised the blade again.
The man came racing toward the would-be killer yielding a knife. "Stop!" He ran as hard as he could toward the woman's attacker.
He looked back. "Damn that man. He did not have enough time to finish the job. He had to get out of here. He broke off his attack and ran.
Eve's hero arrived at her side and bent down. She was losing blood fast. He had to stem the flow. He could see she was trying to say something. "Don't try to talk." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone and called 911.
"C..hie..f Ir..on..side. C..a..l.l h..i..m H..e'…s m..y b..o…ss." Eve passed out.
The hero reached into her purse and pulled out her badge…Officer Eve Whitfield, assigned to Chief Robert T. Ironside. He dialed the police station. "This is an emergency. I have to speak with Chief Ironside."
