Jerry's POV

It's still dark outside. I am on the early shift. Deputy Chief Brown – soon Chief Brown – is already in his office. Does the man ever sleep? Or eat for that matter?
I'm a little worried. Chief Ironside could be rather irritable, but at least he knew that a man needs a break and a bite to eat every now and then. Will Brown expect everyone to be as ascetic as himself?

Commissioner Fisette has announced that he will appoint Brown as the new Chief tomorrow. Today is Sunday, but he probably wants everything to be tidy in his office when he has to move, and he wants to be ready for Mike's next move.

On his desk there is a strange bouquet. It consists of little flags, dozens of get-well wishes, thanks, encouragements and congratulations from Brown's 'boys', the punk kids. He asked me if I could drop by and tell them that he could not make it to their Saturday workout. They pestered me with questions until I told them about his new assignment and that he got some busted ribs in a fight. He tried to hide the pain, but I noticed it all the same, and I'm sure Chief Ironside did so, too. They jibed about "old men getting into brawls", but in reality they were very concerned about him, and also mighty proud. Strange, how he has them eating out of the palm of his hand.

I hope that I will be able to work for him. I think he could teach me a few things, and not only about photocopy machines.
What can it be Mike has on him? Something about a woman maybe? He's a nice guy, as long as McManus is not around. But man, he can get angry, like when he told me that a man had died because of my informing McManus...
They say that he was quite good-looking when he was younger. Wonder why he never got married.

Five minutes ago a messenger brought a letter. I knocked at Brown's doorframe. "Sir, this has just come in. I figured I should take it to you since Chief Ironside isn't here anymore."

It was a letter addressed to Ironside... the same writing as yesterday. It had to be from Quinn!

"Have you asked the messenger where it was sent from?"

"He came from the hospital."

Now I have to gather everybody here while he gets the Chief out of bed. Rather him than me!

Ironside's POV

One would think that after all that ruckus I am entitled to a quiet Sunday morning together with my lovely wife… it wasn't meant to be, and it's getting worse by the hour.

"Open it up!" My voice sounded a little harsh even to myself, but then I'm never in the best of moods when woken up by phone so early on a Sunday morning.

Ed read the content of the letter addressed to me.

I took a taxi to police headquarters. Mark, Eve and Fran were already waiting for me in the now empty lobby.

Eve explained that Suzanne worked the a.m. shift and that she was happy to be at work again. Therefore she had left very early.

Ed handed me the letter out and I read it aloud.

"Didn't I tell you that everybody has a weak point? Brown's is Mrs. Dwyer, and Mrs. Dwyer's is Suzanne, and I have her. Mike."

Although my friends had basically known the frightening fact, they were still shocked.

I wished we'd merely been dealing with a dark spot in Ed's career.

But how could Mike have known? "I never told..." started Ed, then he stopped short and stormed off.

'I never told a living soul about my feelings towards Eve' – he didn't need to say it.

"Mark, follow him!" I shouted.

"Are you kidding? The man runs around with the junior crooks of this town twice a week! I don't stand a chance against him."

"And a few extra pounds around your waist may make a difference too! You should start working out, Your Honor!"

"He'll come back," soothed Fran, glancing at Eve.

Shock about her daughter's abduction showed on her face – mixed with something entirely different.

"Some people only get older, not wiser!" I grumbled, meaning everybody in general and Ed in particular.

Fran expressed the question in Eve's eyes, "But Chief, really… how could Mike know about Ed and Eve?"

It was a good question in truth. How could Mike know about something Eve and Ed didn't even know themselves?
I had to think of Suzanne. Probably she had felt her mother's love towards Ed and had told Mike.

"If you threaten to reveal someone's skeletons in the closet, then they become nervous and panic and may even betray themselves.
It has been quite risky for Quinn to pick out Ed, since his record is spotless indeed. But as the designated Chief, he is very exposed to criticism right now, and he is so straight that Mike supposed that Ed would look for a dark spot in his past and find one anyway. Now it worked out differently, but perfectly for him. Suzanne probably told him exactly what he wanted to know. An old-fashioned gentleman like Ed will never let down a lady who is in love with him."

Jerry turned the corner.

"Have you seen Ed Brown?" I asked.

"Yes, he went into his office. He looked upset. Is something wrong?"

"You can say that again. Mike had Suzanne abducted."

"Hell! Do you think the people who have her might kill her?"

"No, they won't, at least not right now. Quinn's not an idiot. He knows me and he knows Ed Brown. He also knows that we would tear the entire state apart and pursue him if anything happened to her. No, she is safe for now, but I don't know for how long.
Still I won't turn Mike loose just like that. Let's get started cleaning up this mess while the appointed Chief of Detectives of this town is busy with teenage problems!"

Actually he was busy putting out an APB on Suzanne, and when we reached his office he was perfectly in control and considered leaving for Mike's room.

"Do you believe he will tell you anything?" I asked. "I think this would be a complete waste of time right now."

He nodded. "That's what I fear too. There's not much else to go on though. Through his undercover work he knows dozens of crooks in this town."

"Let's rather start with his former girlfriend, Jennifer Wilson."

He agreed. "All right. Jerry, I want you to make sure that nobody gets into Mike's hospital room. Fran, would you please stay here and take care of the phone? I just don't have enough officers here on a Sunday."

... Now, that's a new experience, but a good one with Ed Brown being proactive! I knew that he would be good at the job!

Eve's POV

I'm trying to steady myself on the handle of Ed's car door. The thing isn't that I am afraid. Greg was a reckless driver, too. I just didn't expect level-headed Ed to drive so fast!

We reached the house of Mike's old flame in no time. I rang the bell. She recognized Ironside in the car. He had become quite popular in Denver these days.

Gently I asked her, "Jennifer, may we ask you a few questions, please?"

She sighed. "Yes, of course." She stepped out to the car.

The Chief addressed her, "You know Suzanne Dwyer, the next woman Mike Quinn betrayed?"

Stunned about his bluntness she shook her head but answered, "Yes, I do."

"She has been abducted. Mike Quinn confessed to it. We believe that he asked some friend or friends to do it for him and to hide her, since he is still in the hospital. Can you help us?"

"Oh my God! Yes, of course. I have no reason to cover up for Mike.
A man was here early this morning and asked me for the key to the second apartment I own. It is currently not rented out. The man looked dangerous, and I was afraid of him and of Mike. I gave him the key without asking any questions."

"Can you describe the man for me?"

"I'm not very good at such things. He was nothing special, probably around forty, maybe six feet, 180 pounds, dark-haired, with a moustache."

"Please give us the address of your apartment."

She did. Ed knew the neighborhood.

She added, "It is a house with three floors, my apartment is the top one."

Again Ed pushes the envelope on the snowy roads. It's obvious that he knows his town and its roads well, and he knows his car. But is it the worry about Suzanne which makes him drive like crazy?