Moonlight in San Francisco

Chapter 7

7.1

Chief Robert Ironside arrived at the hospital after leaving the scene of the fifth Moonlight murder. Ed Brown wheeled him to the intensive care unit. "I would like to see Officer Eve Whitfield," he told the nurse over the intensive care wall phone. After identifying himself the nurse agreed to come to the door and let him in.

Ironside waited impatiently for Nurse Edith Robinson. After what seemed like an eternity the door opened. She smiled at Ironside. "Chief Ironside?"

"Yes," he replied.

"You may come in, sir, but we request you do not stay any longer then about fifteen minutes." She turned and held the door so Ironside could wheel himself through the door.

Chief Ironside motioned for Ed to follow him. When Nurse Robinson noticed Brown following the two of them in, she stopped. "We only allow one visitor at a time, Chief Ironside."

Ironside was in no mood to have things any other way than his own. "Sgt. Brown is assigned to protect me. I am not allowed to be without him."

Looking down at the man in the wheelchair she decided not to argue with him. After all he was in a wheelchair. "Alright, sir. Your sergeant may accompany you in." She led Ironside and Ed Brown to Eve Whitfield's bedside.

Two uniformed officers stood slightly straighter when they noticed Chief Ironside approaching. "Hello, Chief," one of the officers greeted him and he nodded to Sgt. Brown.

Ironside nodded in acknowledgement. "Excuse us for a few minutes, officers." Both of them turned and retreated a few feet away. Ironside wheeled as close to Eve's bed as his chair would allow. He took Eve's hand in his. With the other one he reached up and ran his fingers up and down the side of her face. "This is a hell of a way to get time off, Officer Whitfield. Next time just ask me."

Ed smiled as he watched the tender side of his boss that most people never got to see. To most people he appeared gruff and boisterous. Ed knew beneath that rough, tough, gruff exterior laid a tender heart especially where Eve Whitfield was concerned.

After sitting with Eve and talking to her in a soft-spoken voice, Ironside wheeled away from his pretty police detective but not before placing a kiss on the back of her hand.

7.2

While Chief Ironside and Ed Brown were visiting Eve at the hospital, Lt. Carl Reese entered through the door of the coroner's lab. "Hey, Jonesy, how's it going?"

Jonesy looked up at Carl. "You don't suppose you boys could stop these crimes before they happen? When are you going to catch this lunatic?"

"You are welcome to ask the chief that question my friend." Carl knew invoking the chief's name would end this line of conversation.

"No, thank you. Not even on his best day." Jonesy laughed.

Carl sat down in a chair beside him. "Talk to me, Jonesy. What did you find out?"

Jonesy picked up the lab report. "She died of a knife to the heart."

Rolling his eyes Carl said, "Really? Tell me something I don't know."

Somewhat irritated by Carl, Jonesy spoke with a snip to his voice. "Well how about this? There were traces of heroin found on the knife at the point of entry."

"Heroin?" Carl sat up a bit straighter. This was new. None of the other bodies showed any traces of heroin. "What about granite?"

"Not that I found. There were traces of cardboard but that would not be unusual since he rammed the knife through a cardboard moon." Jonesy got up and walked over to the counter. He brought back a cardboard moon covered in dry blood. "One other thing I believe you will find interesting. The sadistic monster carved three letters between the neck and her chest."

Carl perked up, noting that this was also new. "What letters?"

"R T I. I bet that will ring a bell," Jonesy surmised.

"He's taunting the chief. That's his initials."

In total agreement with Carl, Jonesy nodded his head affirmatively. "That's what I figured. Why is it every kook in the city of San Francisco decides to match wits with Ironside? If they knew his track record of putting those that do that behind bars they would not even think of trying."

Carl shook his head. "That's the problem. They do know. It is part of the attraction for them. They want to be the one that beats a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. The chief is so well known for his deductive ability that it is exactly what they consider him."

"Everyone that has tried that is now residing behind bars," Jonesy noted. "Hell, everyone around him is scared of the chief and we are on the same side. If I were a criminal he's the last one I would want to deal with."

Carl laughed. "Just keep that in mind and I will never have to worry about you becoming a criminal. You didn't find anything else noteworthy then?"

Shaking his head Jonesy looked at Carl. "Nothing other than this is the first time he has killed a woman."

"And a friend of the chief's as well," Carl revealed.

Jonesy looked up in surprise. "Eve and now this woman. I would not want to be in this guy's shoes because Ironside will find him."

Carl got up and headed toward the door. "Get that report to the chief right away."

"You can count on it. He is never pleasant to deal with when he wants something yesterday," Jonesy said.

As Carl opened the door and walked out he shouted over his shoulder, "He wants everything yesterday."

7.3

Officer Fran Belding collected the last list of cemetery residents. "You drive. I want to start going over these lists." The young officer got in the driver's seat, started the vehicle and pulled out of the cemetery. Fran started going through the lists. There were thousands of names on these lists. The chief wanted answers fast. This was going to take time to match these names up with possible suspects. She was not looking forward to doing this with Ironside in the office. He was never patient when he wanted something.

Fran pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed the chief's office.

"Ironside," the chief barked out.

"Hi, Chief. I just picked up the final list. There are thousands of names on these lists, Chief," she told him. "It is going to take some time to check these out."

"You can't do it from inside that car, Officer Belding. I suggest you return to the office." Ironside hung up the phone.

Fran smiled. Now that was the Ironside she knew.

"Officer Belding," the police officer said, "the car behind us has been back there for some time now."

Fran looked out the rear window. It was impossible to tell what kind of car it was. She could only tell that the color was blue. "Slow down and force it to pass us."

Patrolman Davy Noble put his foot on the brake and slowed the vehicle as instructed. Whoever was behind them slowed his vehicle as well keeping the same distance between them.

Fran looked out the rear window again. "Maintain this speed. Let's see if he gets impatient and passes." She adjusted the mirror on the passenger side of the car and continued to watch the vehicle behind them.

"I don't like this, Officer Belding. At this speed anyone would pass us and go about their business. Don't you think we should call this in and have a patrol car sent out to back us up?" Patrolman Noble asked with concern. He had been assigned to Belding by Ironside. The last thing he wanted was anything to happen while he was with her. Ironside would have his hide.

"And tell them what? That there is a car behind us on a country road? We would get laughed off the force." Fran did not like it any better than he did but maybe he was right. Better to be safe than sorry. She pulled her cell phone out once again and dialed the chief again.

"Ironside," said the gruff voice.

"Chief, I don't know if this is a problem but there is a blue car following us on the road. I had Patrolman Noble slow down and he has slowed as well keeping the same distance from us. It's probably nothing but I just thought maybe…"

"Give me your location. I am sending Ed," Ironside ordered his officer.

Fran gave her boss their location and heard Ironside tell Sgt. Brown to move.

"Fran, keep your distance from that vehicle. Don't take any chances. That's an order. Ed's on his way."

The line went dead. Fran looked at her cell phone and saw that it had lost its signal. Now she really didn't like this. She could not communicate with the chief. "Davy, check your phone and see if you have a signal."

Patrolman Davy Noble pulled out his cell phone and checked for a signal. He shook his head. "Nothing. I don't think there are any towers around here."

Fran glanced back again. "This is not going to help the chief's argument that mobile phones should never have been taken out of unmarked cars just to save money." She saw the vehicle behind them starting to speed up. It slammed into the back of them. "Well there's no doubt about him now. Speed up, Davy. Keep the distance between us."

Davy sped up the vehicle, putting some distance between them. It did not last for long as the car behind them again began to close on them. Davy again picked up speed only to have the distance between them close by the acceleration of the vehicle behind.

Suddenly a burst of speed sent the vehicle speeding out and around beside them. Their tormentor rammed the side of their car. Davy struggled to keep the car on the road. "Call the chief. Tell him we need help fast."

After looking at her cell phone she shouted, "I still have no signal."

The vehicle rammed them again. Davy regained control just before they were headed off the road. He again pressed the accelerator to try and put some distance between them and whoever was trying to kill them.

Fran pulled out her service revolver and shouted, "Roll down the window." Davy did as he was instructed. Fran shot past him into the vehicle, shattering the window. The driver of the car rammed into them again with such a force that Davy lost control of the car.

Slamming on the brakes he attempted to slow the car. He turned the wheel and the car did a one-eighty now headed in the opposite direction. He floored the accelerator when they heard a gunshot. The back tire was shot out beneath them. Davy tried to slow down and control the car but it was as if the car had a mind of its own. It answered Davy's attempt to slow it but refused to stay on the road. It ran off the road toward a tree. Patrolman Noble continued to slow the vehicle and tried to change its direction gradually to avoid from tipping it.

"We are not going to make it, Davy. Turn the wheel now!" Fran yelled.

Noble turned the wheel sharply just before the car would have crashed into the tree. The car tipped and turned over three times before coming to a complete stop upside down. Both Davy Noble and Fran Belding were unconscious.

The Moonlight killer pulled his vehicle off the road and coasted over to the overturned car. He got out and went to the back of his car, opening the trunk. Removing a butcher knife and a cardboard moon along with a plastic bag of heroin, he headed for the car. The woman worked with Ironside. She would be his next victim. She was trapped in the vehicle but the other police officer had been thrown out. In the distance he could hear police sirens. Damn! He did not have time to get to her. The Moonlight killer walked over to Patrolman Noble. He inserted a cardboard moon over the butcher knife, dipped it into the bag of heroin and rammed the knife into the heart of the unconscious police officer. Using the knife he ripped open his shirt and carved Chief Robert T. Ironside's initials under his neck, above his chest. He then stabbed the knife back into the man's chest. He got back in his car and drove away.

7.4

Lt. Carl Reese opened the door to Ironside's office and came down the ramp. Ironside was barking orders in a voice loud enough to raise the roof. Carl walked over to Mark. "What's going on?"

"Fran and Patrolman Noble were forced off the road. They just found Fran's car upside down. Miraculously she only suffered some cuts and bruises. They had to cut her out of the vehicle," Mark replied. "It was the Moonlight killer."

"Since when is he running people off the road?" This just did not make sense to Carl.

"He did this time," Mark said.

Carl could not believe this. "How do they know it was the Moonlight killer then?"

"Noble was thrown from the vehicle. He was murdered. It was the Moonlight killer alright," Mark confirmed. "The only thing that saved Fran was probably the sirens and the fact that he could not get to her easily."

Mark and Carl sat down at the table with Ironside who had just slammed the phone down with such force he broke the receiver.

"Ed's at the scene. Fran has been taken to the hospital. Carl, I want to know how this man seems to know where we are all the time. He can only be getting that information from this station. Find out!" Ironside growled. "Mark, take me to the hospital."

"Robert," Barbara called out, "can I come with you?"

"You're not staying in this office alone. Let's go," Ironside shouted.

7.5

Mark wheeled Ironside into emergency as Barbara followed behind. Chief Ironside headed directly to the desk. The same nurse was at the desk that had been there when Eve was brought in. "One of my officers was just brought in, Fran Belding."

Donna looked at Ironside and became flustered. After she regained her composure she said, "She is being treated right now, Chief Ironside. The doctor will be out in a few minutes. If you would like to have a seat over…" She turned red with embarrassment. "I am sorry, Chief. I did not mean…well you know…you are already seated…I did not…"

"It's alright. Please just find out how my officer is doing," Ironside said.

The door to the treatment room opened and Dr. Billy Harrison walked through. "Chief, I would appreciate if you and your staff would stop bringing us business."

Ironside was in no mood for anything but a report on Fran Belding's condition. "Billy, how's Fran?"

"A lot better than the last officer of yours that came in here. Some cuts and bruises but that is about it. From what I heard of the condition of her car and the police officer who was with her, she could not have been more fortunate." Dr. Harrison opened the door that led to access to the treatment rooms. "Follow me, Chief."

Mark pushed Ironside through the door. Barbara kept up with them as they all headed down the hall. When they arrived at Fran's treatment room Ironside pulled back the curtain. Fran was sitting on the bed. When she turned and saw Ironside she got off the bed and went to him. She bent down and Ironside took her in his arms. "It's alright, Fran. You're safe now." He spoke in a near whisper.

"I watched him murder Davy. There was nothing I could do. I could not stop him." She began to cry.

Ironside held her tightly as she sobbed against his chest allowing her to let out the frustration, helplessness and pain she was feeling. After a few minutes Fran pulled away from Ironside.

"Chief, we have to find this monster," Fran demanded.

Ironside took hold of her hand. "Did you see him?"

"I think I was only knocked out for a minute or two. When I came to the vehicle was upside down and I was on my back with my head toward him and Davy. In order to see them I had to tip my head backwards and look at them upside down. I could not see above his waist. He had on jeans and boots, cowboy boots I think. Yes, they were cowboy boots with steel toes. After he killed Davy he walked back to his car. He was a tall man, dark hair, broad shoulders. I never saw his face because the driver's door was on my side."

"What about the car, Fran? What make, model was it?" Ironside inquired.

"It was a blue Ford…yes, I saw the Ford emblem on the back as it pulled away. I could not see enough of it to know what the model was." Fran sat down in a chair beside her boss.

"Not even when it was ramming your car? Could you tell what model it was then? Did you get a glimpse of the driver at all?" Ironside asked.

Fran rubbed her temples. "It all happened so fast. I'm sorry, Chief. I am sorry I let you down. I just don't know."

Ironside squeezed her hand. "You didn't let me down."

The curtain was pulled back and Dr. Billy Harrison walked in. "Well, there is no concussion, no broken bones. I am going to release you. Get a good night's sleep and you should be as good as new. And Chief, try and keep your people out of here, will you?" Harrison shook Ironside's hand and left.

"I want you to go home and get some rest. I am assigning police protection. There will be two cars outside your apartment with four cops. Stay home tomorrow. Now get dressed. We'll wait for you outside. I'll take you home." Ironside turned his chair and wheeled toward the curtain.

"Chief," Fran called to him.

"Yes," Ironside answered.

"I don't want to stay home tomorrow. I want to help you catch this creep," Fran pleaded with her boss.

"Alright, but only if you're up to it. We'll wait outside." Ironside wheeled out.

7.6

He lay on the bed watching the news. There he was again! He made the news. This time they called him by name…the Moonlight Killer. Oh boy! Finally, the public would start to panic. He needed a panic. That would pressure Ironside. Then Ironside would make mistakes. Too bad he did not get to Ironside's female cop. Ironside had a soft spot for the women who worked for him. That would have been a bigger blow to him than the patrol cop.

He could still get to her when he wanted to. All he had to do was call the station and talk to his buddy. He had been a constant source of information. He knew what was going on at the station and what Ironside was doing. His policewoman had gotten the list of cemetery residence. It would take him a while but he would discover his identity. He wanted him to. He wanted him to sweat. He wanted him to know he was not dealing with an ordinary criminal. He wanted him to know that the Moonlight Killer understood how police worked. Oh, this was so much fun watching Ironside suffer with every killing. He would not wait long for the next one.

7.7

Robert Ironside was reading the lab report on Jill's murder. She had her whole life ahead of her. He was going to talk her into going back to school. She could have made something of herself. She was such a bright girl. Now she would never go to school, work at the grocery or visit him either. And this latest killing was meant to be Fran.

He had to know this man. There was someone back there in his past who was taking revenge on him for the death of somebody…but who? The cemeteries had to be the key. The killer so far had been one step ahead of him. But the answer was right here in this station. Somehow the killer was getting information about the whereabouts of him and his staff members. It had to be someone who knew one of the cops in the building feeding him, probably unknowingly, information.

Barbara came up behind him. "Bob, it is two thirty in the morning. You need to get some sleep."

Ironside took her hand. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"I couldn't sleep." Barbara squeezed his hand in return.

"Barbara, I do not want you to go back to the motel. I want you just to remain here until this is over. I want you near so I know you are safe. I am going to have Ed or Carl take you over to the hotel so you can check out." Ironside kissed the back of her hand.

"Alright Robert, I'll stay here with you but aren't you worried about the talk that is going to cause downstairs?" Barbara smiled.

"No. They would not dare say anything to me." He returned her smile and changed the subject. "I have not forgotten about Vic. I am going to have a couple things checked out tomorrow."

"I am not complaining. You had your hands full today," Barbara said quietly. "Now I want you to get into bed and get some rest. Don't argue with me. You might as well learn when you lost an argument before it starts."

Ironside leaned in and kissed her. When he backed away he said, "I am too tired to argue but I warn you I never lose arguments, just ask Ed, Mark, and Eve."

She planted a light kiss on his forehead. "That's because you can intimidate them. You can't me. Now get into bed, Robert."

7.8

Eve moaned and turned her head. Why could she not open her eyes? They felt so heavy. Where was she? Suddenly the world came into focus. She was so sleepy. She could not keep her eyes open. She drifted off to sleep.

10