Joss Sticks and Murder
Chapter 20
1
Robert Ironside didn't see where he had any choice. He'd have to order his police officers to stand down. He couldn't take a chance with Chong's life. Ed and Eve were in the building and so was Robert. Unfortunately, Ironside had no idea how many men Donnie Walker had inside. Nevertheless, Ed wouldn't make a move until he had assessed the situation. He'd know exactly how many there were. The chief would have to get word to Ed and Eve what Walker had demanded. If they could prevent Walker from taking Chong out of the building, they would certainly do it.
Carl Reese watched Chief Ironside. He could imagine the turmoil the man must be feeling. Any minute now the chief was going have to order the removal of the police who were on the premises. Carl didn't want to disobey an order from the chief, but he certainly wasn't going to leave him unprotected either. Walker wanted to kill him. He probably would kill Chong as well if they didn't find a way to stop him.
Ironside picked up the police radio. "This is Ironside. All units are to stand down. Remove all vehicles from the area."
One of the units came on the radio. "Chief, did we hear you right? Did you tell us to stand down and leave the area?"
"That's what I said," Ironside responded.
"Are you sure you want us to do that, sir?" he asked.
"Are you questioning my orders?" The detective growled into the radio.
"No, sir. Just trying to confirm what you ordered," the man said.
Ironside knew the voice of the officer. He was fairly new to the department. He remembered seeing him perform at the academy. He had finished top in his class. The young officer was eager to make a name for himself. No doubt he thought rescuing the chief's daughter would do much to move his career along.
"Well, you've confirmed them! Now move out," Ironside ordered.
"Yes, sir."
The police vehicles began their pull-out. Before long there wasn't a single black and white in the area. Ironside's van was all alone in the warehouse parking lot. The chief looked at Lieutenant Reese who was still sitting in the van. "That includes you, Carl."
Reese shook his head. "Chief, he wants to kill you. If he gets past Ed and Eve, I'll be the only thing between you and him."
"Out, Carl!" Ironside roared.
"Chief! You can't expect me to leave you here alone. The man wants to kill you!"
Ironside softened his voice. "Carl, I can't take a chance with Chong's life. Ed and Eve are in there. If they can stop him, they will. You can't stay. He'll kill her if he sees you."
Carl knew he was right, but he just didn't want to leave him alone.
Mark Sanger sat in the driver's seat. He hadn't said a word. He was trying to think of something that would convince his boss that he and Carl should stay to protect him. He'd worked for the chief for a long time. He knew he would never agree to it regardless of what either of them said. Still, he kept running scenarios through his mind.
Ironside knew what he was thinking. Mark didn't want to leave any more than Carl did. This was one of the hardest things about his job. He was always touched by the concern they displayed for him, but he couldn't let them influence his decision.
"Gentlemen, get out of the vehicle," Ironside ordered.
"Chief, Walker knows I'm your driver. He won't suspect anything if I stay with you," Mark said.
"Mark, he made a point to say he knew I could drive. Now, both of you get out of the van. "
Both men knew they couldn't stay any longer. They opened the doors and got out of the vehicle. They headed for the only entrance onto the warehouse properties. Walking in silence, neither man had resigned himself to leaving the chief without protection.
"We just can't let Walker kill him," Carl said.
"I know that, Carl. But, you know the chief as well as I do. He's going to be looking in his rear view mirror to make sure we leave the premises," Mark said, clearly upset.
"Is there another entrance onto the property?"
"No."
"Is there a way we can slip past the chief and go around the buildings to the back? That way we can come up between the buildings."
"It's worth a try," Mark said.
"When the Chief pulls away, we slip behind the last building," Carl said.
"I'm hip," Mark said as he and Carl continued toward the exit waiting for the chief to drive away.
2
Ironside watched in his rear view mirror to be sure Carl and Mark left the warehouse grounds. Just as he was about to pull away, he saw them slip to their left behind the warehouse closest to the entrance. "Damn it, doesn't anyone follow orders?" He started the engine in the van, put it in gear, and drove to the warehouse where Chong was being held.
Ironside put the van in park and waited. No one came out of the warehouse. After he sat there for several minutes, he started getting impatient. What was Walker waiting for? He was beginning to believe it had all been a trap to get him to within range to kill him. Maybe he had no desire to leave. Maybe he had a death wish. Ironside would only give him a few more minutes and then he was going in.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his service revolver. Checking the chamber, the gun was fully loaded as always. It wouldn't be of much use though. There was no way Walker wouldn't search him. He would take the gun away from him. He placed it back in his pocket.
He had to depend on Ed and Eve. He wondered what the hell was going on in that warehouse. Had they found Robert? If so, once he went in it would be four of them against Walker and whatever men he brought in with him.
Ironside's patience was wearing out. He didn't know what was keeping Walker, but he wouldn't wait any longer. He backed his chair into the lift and pressed the button. The door on the right side of the van opened and the tray dropped. The chief wheeled his chair onto it and pressed another button. The big detective was lowered to the ground.
He began wheeling toward the entrance of the warehouse, stopping only long enough to pull the gun from his suit coat pocket once again. Stopping just at the side of the door, Ironside looked inside. He didn't see Donnie Walker anywhere. Why hadn't he met him at the door? What was he up to? He had no choice but to wheel further into the warehouse. He would find Walker eventually. He couldn't get out of the building with Eve, Ed, and Robert inside.
Robert Duvalier watched as his father wheeled his wheelchair into the warehouse. He cursed himself for allowing his cellphone to die. He could've told his father what was going on. He was about to reveal his presence when Sergeant Ed Brown and Eve Whitfield approached Ironside.
"He's in the back, Chief. He left two men with Chong. They're both armed. We couldn't move in without endangering her safety. It's your call. What do you want to do?"
Donnie Walker came out from behind warehouse contents stacked higher than the men were tall. He was followed by the two men who had been guarding Chong. All three had guns pointed directly at Ironside, Ed, and Eve. "I would appreciate if all three of you would drop your guns. That includes you, Chief. I know you're carrying."
With three guns on them, Eve and Ed had no choice. They threw their guns to the floor. Ironside set his gun on the floor and pushed it toward Walker. He hoped like hell his plan would work. So far, Robert hadn't revealed himself. That was exactly what the detective had hoped for.
Robert Duvalier watched the scene unfold in front of him. Chong would be alone. He hoped his father would do his usual job of stalling. It would give him time to help his foster sister. Quietly, he left the scene and headed back to where Chong had been left tied in the chair. When he arrived, he could see the relief of recognition in her eyes. Robert put his finger to his lips to indicate she should be silent.
He walked over to her, reached into his pocket, and pulled out his pocket knife. After pulling the blade out of its compartment, Robert moved behind Chong. Careful not to cut her, he sliced through the rope which was binding her hand. He then did the same with her feet. Robert removed the gag and whispered, "Papa is here, but he's being held at gunpoint. I'm going to get you out of here."
"No, Robert, you must help Father!" Chong protested.
"I am going to help him, but he would want me to get you out of here first." Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement in the window. Robert eased his way over to the window. From the side, he looked outside. Mark and Carl were there looking for a way into the building. Robert tapped on the window.
Mark looked up to see Robert at the window. Relieved to see he was unharmed, Sanger mouthed, "What about Chong?"
Robert didn't need to read his lips to know what he was asking. He motioned for Chong to come to the window. As soon as Mark and Carl saw she was alive and moving under her own power, Carl indicated for Robert to break the window.
Robert didn't like the idea, but he saw no other way to get her out. The windows didn't open, and from his exploration of the warehouse, he knew the only other way out was through the front door. He certainly couldn't get her out that way. He nodded in acknowledgement and waved his gun at Mark and Carl to indicate for them to move back. Using his elbow, he smashed it into the window. It shattered with most of the glass flying outside. Some of it hit the floor in front of Robert. He also knew there had been enough noise to alert Donnie Walker something was up.
Robert used his gun to clear the rest of the glass from the window. After he was sure he could get Chong out without cutting her, he turned and said. "Come, Chong. I'll lift you to the window. Mark is on the other side. He'll help you down." He noticed Carl had disappeared, probably to join in the fight at the front of the warehouse.
Robert easily lifted Chong who gently slipped through the window and jumped down into the waiting arms of Mark Sanger. As soon as Robert was certain she was safe, he left the scene quietly to join his father.
At the sound of the window crashing, Donnie and his two men instinctively turned toward the sound. That was all Ed, Eve, and the chief needed. Ed dove toward the weapons on the floor. He shoved one in Eve's direction and kicked the other in the chief's.
Ironside didn't have time to pick up the gun. He had to find cover quickly. From behind him, Lieutenant Reese entered the building. The chief concealed himself behind a huge stack of boxes. Looking at the door, he decided he couldn't wheel fast enough to get out of the building and let his officer handle the situation. Glancing again, he knew if he could get out there was another gun in the van. He waited to see if the opportunity would present itself. He certainly couldn't go after his own gun that was lying in the middle of the floor.
Walker and his two men scrambled to get behind crates for protection. A bullet from Ed's gun whizzed past Walker's ear, but missed him. He knew Walker would be aware he would have to watch his back as well. Robert was behind him and his men. That would provide a distraction for him and Eve to get closer. He saw Carl enter the building. That made it four against Walker and his two men. If only the chief could've had time to pick up his revolver. But, Donnie Walker knew the chief was unarmed. And, he would try to get to him so he could use him against them. Brown was determined not to allow it.
The bullets flew around the warehouse as Walker and his men returned fire. Walker figured one of his men had gotten to Ironside's daughter. Meanwhile, he was penned in from the back. Someone was shooting at him. Off to the side, Brown and Whitfield were shooting. Ironside was not shooting. He had moved behind boxes and crates immediately. The cop hadn't taken the time to pick up his gun, probably because Walker would have put a bullet in his head. He was happy now that he didn't. Getting past Ironside was his only way out of the warehouse now. He couldn't use his daughter. Donnie doubted she was still in the building.
Moving to his left, a bullet embedded in the crate beside him. Walker jumped back behind the crates for protection. The only sure way for him was forward where Ironside was sitting. If Donnie could manage to get to the front door of the building, he might just be able to get away.
He watched as one of his men ran from behind the crates. The coward was running for the door to save his skin. Sergeant Brown reached around the crates, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The man fell to the floor with a bullet in his chest. That left only the other man. And, Donnie had no idea where Davie Fryman was. He hadn't seen him since he sent him back to watch the computer monitor. A lot of good that had done! Walker had discovered he was gone when he went to tell him he wanted to know as soon as Ironside was in the building.
So, he ended up watching for the detective himself. At least by doing so, it had drawn out his officers who somehow got in without him knowing. Damn Davie! That never should have happened. He could have sent the men to take them out before they did any damage. He looked around the crates. He could tell where Ironside's officers were from the direction the bullets were coming. Donnie had to get to Ironside. It was his only chance of getting out of the warehouse. His people would back off if Ironside was his prisoner.
Peering carefully around the crates, Donnie waiting for his man to shoot at Brown and Whitfield. He had seen one other cop enter the building. They were up against at least three . . . no four. There was a man behind him; the one who broke the window and probably got Ironside's daughter out of the warehouse. Donnie figured if he stayed behind the crates, he could avoid being shot by the three cops. It was the one behind him he was worried about. He would have to expose himself to that man when he made a break for Ironside. Still, he had no choice. If he tried for the door, he was certain one of Ironside's people would shoot him. He would be in a wide-open area on the way out of the warehouse.
Walker waited. His man had an automatic weapon and was doing a fine job of holding off the three cops. As soon as he started spraying them with bullets again, he would make his move.
As Robert made his way toward the man with the automatic weapon, his father's safety was on his mind. There were only the two men left. The one with the automatic weapon could keep Ed and Eve at bay for quite a while. And, sooner or later he was bound to make a run for the front door. He had to be taken out if all of them were going to get out of the warehouse alive.
Ed was pinned down and so were Eve and Carl. His main worry was Walker getting to the chief. He reached into his pocket and dialed the man in charge of the other cops. Explaining the situation to him, he requested backup. If they could hold off the man with that weapon until then, they'd have Walker and his thug way outnumbered. The S.W.A.T. team could take him out.
Being careful to remain hidden behind the head-high crates, Donnie Walker moved toward Ironside. He figured he'd still be in the same spot as there wasn't any way the man could wheel out of the warehouse without being seen. He couldn't wait to get his hands on the cripple. He'd made up his mind. Ironside wasn't getting out the warehouse alive. Donnie had never wanted to kill anyone this badly in his entire life. Ironside didn't know it yet, but he was as good as dead.
He peeked out from behind the crates. As he did, a spray of bullets from Brown, Whitfield and Ironside's other man, whom he didn't know, hit the crate he was hiding behind. They were determined to keep him away from Ironside. He was just as determined to get to him. When the shooting stopped, he made a run for the next set of crates. Bullets started flying again, but with his man and an automatic weapon shooting at the cops, he made it with ease. Just one more set of crates.
The S.W.A.T team arrived and began moving into the building. The man with the automatic weapon decided he had to make a move to get out of the building. "Donnie, let's get out of here!" He made a run for the door, but didn't get far. Ed Brown shot him. He lifted his weapon toward the sergeant, forgetting about Whitfield and Reese. Both of them fired. He went down; his automatic weapon fell to the ground a few feet away.
Ed, Eve, and Carl gathered together. Reese, being the superior officer, sent Ed in one direction, Eve in another, and he went in head on. Unfortunately, all three had to stop when they realized Walker had reached the chief. Reese ordered the S.W.A.T. team to move in and take Walker out. They didn't get the opportunity.
"Hello, Ironside," Walker said as he came up on the detective. "You may have stopped me from killing your daughter, but you're the bigger prize anyway. You ruined everything for me. I've lost everything. No cop does that to me."
"Apparently, I did, and I am a cop," the chief said boldly.
"It's the last thing you'll ever do. I have no intention of allowing your men to take me alive, and I intend to take you with me." He raised his gun and pointed it at Ironside, but he never got off the shot. A gun fired from behind him hitting him in the back. He went down, dead as he fell to the floor. With his body no longer blocking his view, Ironside saw Robert Duvalier with his gun raised.
"It's about time you showed up," Ironside said.
"Robert smiled. "You're welcome."
3
Ed Brown walked into the jail. "Chief Ironside said to release Kwangsoo Yung."
"Yeah, Ed, we know. He called down after he sent you," Charlie told him. He grabbed the keys from the desk and unlocked the gate leading to the cells. Ed followed him back.
When they arrived, Kwangsoo was pacing in his cell. When Ed came into view, he immediately came to the bars and demanded, "Chong?"
Ed smiled. "She's fine, Kwangsoo. She's upstairs with the chief."
The young man looked around. "Then may I leave here?"
"Yes. There weren't any charges against you. The chief only held you here to keep you out of his hair and protect you. Come on, I'll take you to Chong."
Kwangsoo anxiously followed Sergeant Brown. They took the elevator up to the floor where Ironside's office was located. As soon as the doors opened, he ran out, up the ramp, and opened the door to his father-in-law's office. Chong was sitting next to Ironside. She got up and ran into Kwangsoo's arms.
"I am so sorry, Chong. This was all my fault," he said with tears in his eyes."
She pushed back from his arms and looked sternly into his eyes. "No, this was all Walker's fault. But he will not bother us anymore. Father has taken care of him."
"He isn't in jail," Kwangsoo said, confused. "I just came from there. They didn't bring him in there."
"No, Father said they took him to the morgue," she explained.
"Morgue? Then he is dead?" the young man inquired.
"Yes!" She pointed at Robert. "My brother shot him. He was trying to kill Father."
"I am happy he failed," Kwangsoo said. He looked at Chong once again. "I am sorry for my behavior. If you want to work, that is fine with me. You can go to school, if you would like."
"Really, you don't mind?" She said excitedly.
"No, I don't mind. You were right. We are in America now. We need to respect the customs of the American people."
"Oh, Kwangsoo, I am so happy!"
Kwangsoo nodded and let go of Chong. He walked over to Robert Ironside. Without looking at the detective, he continued to stare down at the floor. "I owe you an apology, Father. I have blamed you for the Americanization of Chong, when I should have realized we moved here for the opportunities our home country couldn't provide us. You kept your promise and brought her back to me. I don't know how you can even stand to look at me."
In a gentle voice, Ironside said, "Kwangsoo, sit down." Pushing his chair back slightly, he pulled out a chair and indicated for him to sit. Chong sat down next to the detective. "I understand how hard it has been for you to adjust to American customs. You want to take care of Chong and I understand that, too. In fact, I expect you to. You just need to be a bit more understanding about what she wants as well. And, as far as looking at you, you are my son." Kwangsoo noticed he didn't say son-in-law. "I care about you as well. That's why I locked you up. I was aware you were out of your mind over Chong. I needed to get you out of my way, so I could do my job. I hope you will forgive me for that."
Kwangsoo smiled. "There is nothing to forgive. I understand. I promise I will be a better son in the future, and I will listen to Chong from now on. We are Americans now. I also want you to know I no longer object to you adopting Chong, legally that is."
"Ironside smiled. "We were just talking about that. The paperwork has come through. We have to be in court next Thursday."
Kwangsoo nodded. Still, he could not look directly at Ironside. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Does the offer to loan me the money for school still stand?"
"Of course, it does," Ironside said.
"Then I accept. I will concentrate on finishing school so Chong can go to school when I am done," Kwangsoo said.
Chong put her arms around Kwangsoo. "Do you really mean it?"
"Yes, of course. You should have the American opportunity as well."
"Well, now that all that is settled . . . Mark, how about starting dinner? The old man's hungry!" Ironside shouted.
"Just a minute, Mark," Kwangsoo said. He finally raised his eye and met Ironside's blue ones. "I would like to take you, Chong, and Robert out to dinner. I owe you that much."
Ironside smiled. "Then we shall go out to dinner. Mark, call Katherine and tell her to meet us at the Wharf." He looked back at Kwangsoo. "But I'm buying, and if it's all right with you, Ed, Eve, Mark, and Carl will join us."
Kwangsoo smiled, relieved he didn't have to pay for dinner. He wasn't sure he had enough money in the first place. "That is fine with me."
"Well, then, what are we all waiting for?" Ironside said, raising his voice and wheeling his chair toward the ramp. He stopped long enough to look over his shoulder. "I've been looking forward to a hamburger all day."
"Hamburgers?!" Mark, Eve, Ed and Carl all said at the same time.
"Do they even serve hamburgers there?" Eve asked.
"They do. I checked. So let's go," Ironside said.
"I save your life and all I get is a hamburger," Robert said with a smile.
"You should be glad I drew you to me. You could have been shot in the crossfire with the S.W.A.T team. Therefore, I saved your life." Ironside grinned at his son.
"Wouldn't you know he'd find a way to take credit?" Mark said shaking his head.
"We didn't have a thing to do with it," Ed said.
Robert and Chong laughed and followed their father out of his office.
The End
Thank you to JourneyThroughTime for proofing most of this story and to Eternal Crush Haver for taking over as my beta.
Another Ironside story is already in the works. It may be a bit before it is published as it gives away the conclusion of The Case of the Stolen Artifact.