I, the Accused
Chapter 1
Ross Howard laid on the bunk in his cell at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. His fingers were intertwined, his hands behind his head. He was serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife, Norma Howard.
Ross had been the host of his own TV show. His specialty was inviting guests to his show, after having had them investigated for whatever dirt he could find on them, he would embarrass and tear them apart on national television.
Howard had political ambitions. He intended to run for the senate. Unfortunately for him, his wife, Norma wanted a divorce. Unable to change her mind and afraid a divorce might hurt his bid for election to the senate, Howard concocted an elaborate plan to kill her and make it look like she had been murdered by extremists who hated him because of his television show.
When Howard began receiving death threats, Commissioner Dennis Randall assigned Robert Ironside and his staff to protect him. Despite despising the man and his tactics, Ironside reluctantly was forced to accept the assignment of investigating the death threats and preventing any harm to come to him.
When Norma Howard was killed in the explosion of her car, Ironside suspected her death had nothing to do with extremists. In the course of his investigation, he was able to prove Ross Howard did, indeed, murder his wife. Howard was convicted of first-degree murder and received a life sentence.
Ross looked around his prison cell. He shared it with another inmate who also was serving a life sentence, ironically, for the murder of his own wife. Burl Bricker was in the 10th year of his life sentence. Bricker was a huge man, standing 6 ft 6 and weighing 250 pounds. Because of his intimidating size, all of the inmates in the prison were scared of him. He dominated the other prisoners, bullied them, and beat them savagely if they did not provide him with what he wanted.
Howard had been beaten more than once because he refused to bend to Bricker. Despite trying to ignore and avoid him, it was impossible. Howard had come to hate the man. He made his life in prison more miserable than it already was.
Staring at the ceiling, he thought back to the life he had thrown away. He had it all. Money, fame, well almost all. His loveless marriage turned out to be his downfall. Why didn't he just allow her to divorce him and take his chances that the people of California wouldn't care that their candidate was a divorced man? If only he could turn back the clock, things would be much different. Even if he hadn't become the next senator for the State of California, he still had his television show. Instead, he would spend the rest of his life in a small prison cell. He lost his freedom, and for what? Power and greed, the ultimate corruption of men.
"Hey, Howard! I'm out of cigarettes. You need to do something about that."
Ross was sick and tired of being bullied by Bricker. He had given up smoking himself. Bricker had been in prison far longer than he had. For that reason, he knew where to get cigarettes better than he. Ross believed he actually enjoyed pushing him around. In Bricker's attempt to force him to get the cigarettes, he exerted his power over him. For if he didn't find him some cigarettes among the other inmates, he would suffer another beating. Ross found out very early on that the prison guards didn't care. He would receive no protection from them, or the warden. His attorney had petitioned the prison on more than one occasion to provide better protection for him, and it was always promised, but the warden and the guards never came through with that protection.
"I have told you more than once, I have no idea who has cigarettes and who doesn't. I don't smoke. If you want them, you'll have to find them yourself."
With the swiftness unusual of a man his size, Bricker was at Howard's bunk. Grabbing him by the front of his shirt, he dragged him to the floor.
"You will do what you are told! I need cigarettes, and I expect you to find them. If you don't, you know what will happen." Bricker threw him backwards into the bunk beds.
One of the guards approached the bars of their cell. He knew what was going on, and he just grinned. As far as he was concerned, Howard deserved whatever he got. He saw his show on many occasions, and was disgusted by what he did to his guests. It was high time he got the same treatment. Most of the guards in the prison felt the same way. None of them would lift a finger to help Ross Howard. Unfortunately, he had to interrupt what could have been a well-deserved beating.
"There's a woman here to see you. So, move your ass."
Burl Bricker stepped aside and allowed Howard to pass him. "We'll talk later,"
The guard opened the cell door and Ross Howard stepped through. As he walked down the hall, prisoners shouted obscenities at him. For the life of him, he didn't understand. The men in the prison were the scum of the earth. He would have thought they could understand what he was trying to do with his TV show. He never took down anybody that didn't deserve it.
The guard opened the door to the visiting room. There were several chairs lined up at a counter. On the other side of the counter was another chair at each station. All of them were separated by a glass. A phone on the wall, allowed a prisoner to speak with his visitor.
On the other side of the glass sat Martha Webb. He picked up the phone and greeted his visitor. "Martha, are you ever going to listen to me. Why do you keep coming back here to visit me? You know I will never leave this place. You need to move on."
"I care about you, Ross. I always have. I'm going to keep coming back whether you want me to or not."
"You don't seem to understand why I'm here."
She smiled, although the smile was sad. "I know you killed your wife. You should have allowed her to divorce you. She wasn't worth it, Ross. A seat in the Senate was not worth this."
"If only Ironside had not been assigned to investigate, things could have been different. I should have known better than to attack a detective who worked under him. Then again, I was doing the people's work. I was protecting them from a man who had no business being a cop."
Martha decided to change the subject. She had to find something uplifting to talk to him about. "I got another job."
He smiled. "It couldn't be on television. I am sorry you were tainted, having worked for me."
"Don't be silly, Ross. I got the job because I did work for you. I am assisting William Murdock on his show."
"You must be kidding! The man is terrible. I have seen his show. Why in the world would you want to work for him?"
Martha shrugged. "It's a job. I have to support myself. He doesn't pay me as well as you did, but I get by."
"My lawyer told me my house finally sold," Ross said. "Do you know what I paid for that place? They sold it, and I don't get one cent for it. They said the money goes to the state for my care."
If only she could reach out and touch him to give him some physical comfort. She hated the glass that was between them, but understood why it was there. She looked into Ross's face. She could see a bruise that had faded, but not completely. He would never talk about what went on in the prison. Martha knew somebody was harming him physically. Ross would never tell her about it.
"I suppose you have been catching up on your reading."
Howard snorted. "There is not much else in here to do. I am locked up like a caged animal most of the time. We're given sometime outside, but every time I go out there, well . . ." His voice broke off. Howard didn't finish his thought.
"Have you talked to your lawyer about reducing your sentence?" She could tell by the look on his face that he had not.
"What would be the sense? It is never going to happen. Face it, Martha, I will be here for the rest of my life. I have no doubt, that even if I got a good report from the prison board, Ironside would oppose it. The prisons in this area listen to him. Rarely is a prisoner released early if he objects. I can only think of a couple times that it is happened."
"I wish you would try, Ross."
"What for? By the time I get out of here, they would just move me into a nursing home. Consider my age and the time that I was sentenced to be here. You need to move on with your life, Martha. Coming here does neither of us any good."
"Don't say that. I love you, Ross. I have loved you for a long time. If only you had noticed, things could have been different. I'll be back again next Tuesday. I'll bring you some reading material."
"Please, Martha, don't come back here. Goodbye, Martha." Howard stood up, hung up the phone, and walked over to the prison guard. "Please take me back to my cell." He looked back at her. How could he have missed her feelings for him? He never did see it, and he should have. She was right, if he had, things could have turned out much differently.
2
Robert Ironside needed a vacation. In his younger years, he rarely took them. But, as he had gotten older, he found he tired more easily than he did years ago. Several cases, plus being forced to leave the city to help his brother clear Ben Matlock of a murder he did not commit, had him almost completely worn out. Maybe it was time he and Katherine took a vacation that was really a vacation.
Every time he tried vacationing with his brother, murder seemed to rear its ugly head. Hopefully, if he took one with Katherine, they would be able to enjoy their time together. Commissioner Dennis Randall was scheduled to meet with him in a few minutes in his office. The chief would approach the subject at that time. His very capable staff could handle his office while he was away. All he had to do was decide where he and Katherine would go. As soon as he was finished with the commissioner, he would contact her and find out where she would like him to take her. He was looking forward to some down time that did not include having to execute any portion of his occupation.
The aroma of the coffee his aid, Mark Sanger, was preparing was in the air. Mark was cooking eggs and bacon in the skillet. Ironside wondered why after all these years, Mark still prepared eggs for him. He never cared for them, and he had made it clear that he didn't. He never realized the reason Mark did it was because if he fixed him waffles or pancakes every morning, he complained about it. Nevertheless, he would eat them.
The table was already set for three. The chief was expecting his boss, and he wanted breakfast serve to him, hopefully to soften him up. The commissioner never liked it when he took vacations.
The door to the office opened, Dennis Randall came in, walked down the ramp, and joined Chief Ironside at the table.
"Mark! Is breakfast ready?" Ironside called out.
Mark shook his head. He wasn't that far away from the detective, yet he found it necessary to shout loudly at him. "It is," he told his boss. Picking up the skillet, Mark walked over to the table. He dished up two eggs and place them on the commissioner's plate, and then did the same for Ironside. The remaining eggs and bacon went on to a plate for himself. Carrying the skillet back to the kitchenette, he picked up the coffee pot and returned to the table. After pouring three cups of coffee, Mark set the pot down in the middle of the table.
"Is this a private conversation? Do I need to eat somewhere else?" Sanger asked.
"Sit down Mark," the commissioner said.
Sanger sat down and began eating his breakfast. He was as curious as the chief as to why the commissioner told him it was too important to wait. Ironside had tried to put off the meeting while he went over some things with his staff. He wanted to make sure things were covered while he and Katherine were on vacation.
For a while, all three men ate in silence. As it always did, the silence was beginning to get to the chief. "Dennis, are you going to tell me what this is all about, or did you just come here for breakfast?"
Looking at Mark, "Randall said, "Does he ever wake up in a good mood?"
"This is his standard mood in the morning," Mark responded. He didn't mention that the Chief's mood had been sour for a while now. Mark spent more time with him than anyone else, and he would be the first one to notice it. Something was on the chief's mind, but there wasn't any sense in asking him, as he wouldn't tell him until he was ready anyway.
"Please tell me you didn't come here to discuss my mood," the chief grumbled.
"In that case, I don't know how you put up with him in the morning. Maybe he should stay in bed till noon."
"Dennis! Sometimes I think you come here simply to spoil my breakfast." Ironside dropped his fork on the plate. With his bacon and eggs only half eaten, he lost his appetite. Ironside was aware that both his temper and his nerves were short. "Isn't it time you told me why you are here?"
"I have heard on the grapevine that you are thinking about taking a vacation," the commissioner said.
"That's news to me," Mark said.
"Who told you that?" Ironside asked, his tone was rather abrupt.
"Does it really matter? Is it true?"
"Listen, Dennis, I haven't had a real vacation in some time."
"You are out of town so often, sometimes I wonder whether you are still working for the San Francisco Police Department. So, I am afraid you are going to have to put off a vacation at this time."
"Dennis!"
"I am sorry, Bob, but some things have been put off every time you leave San Francisco to solve somebody else's cases. This will have to be taken care of before you go on vacation."
"What is so important that it can't wait till I get back?"
"The members of the prison board, due to the governor's orders, are getting ready to allow a mass release of non-violent inmates. Due to your outstanding record, a lot of them went to prison with you as the arresting officer. The warden wants you to come to the prison and go over the list with him, before they release any inmates. If we are to be on schedule with the date the governor's set, you will have to do it immediately. It is going to take some time, and you will have to spend a considerable amount of time going over arrest records."
Mark could tell that his boss didn't like this at all. He hadn't known about his desire for a vacation. The chief always wanted what he wanted when he wanted it. It was a rare occasion when he didn't get it. It now appeared that he wasn't going to get the vacation he wanted, at least not right now. It was extremely obvious that he wasn't happy about it.
"Just exactly how am I supposed to go over arrest records from the prison? Why aren't they sending the list to me, so that I can have my staff take a look at them? Dennis, this is something they can do while I go on vacation. I am not needed for this. Ed and Eve know these cases every bit as well as I do. The prison can take their recommendations as well as mine."
"Sorry Bob, but no can do. The warden requested the governor allow you to check out every prisoner that is behind bars because of your investigations. That means the prison warden and the governor want you to examine the records and make recommendations for those you believe should remain in prison."
"Then it'll take no more than three seconds. They did the crime, they should do the time. If it is up to me, none of them should be released."
"Come on, Bob," Randall said. "There are actually a lot of non-violent inmates in the prison. A lot of them could easily be released on good behavior."
"Then why don't they release them on good behavior, instead of interrupting my vacation?" Ironside growled.
"What vacation? Vacations have to be approved by an officer's superior. That means, in order for you to take a vacation, it must be approved by me. Which, of course, I will do as soon as this assignment is completed."
"Dennis!" Ironside protested in frustration.
Commissioner Randall stood up. "I am sorry, Bob, but your vacation must be put on hold until this is taken care of. If you want to have your staff help you with it, I'm all right with that, as long as you have reviewed the files and agree with their findings."
"Dennis, they can handle it," he continued to protest."
"No vacation until this is taken care of. That's an order, Bob." Commissioner Randall walked up the ramp and left the office. He had to hide his glee. Normally, Bob Ironside always got his way. This time, however, Dennis Randall came out on top.
"Well, that's just great," Ironside complained.
"It shouldn't be that bad, Chief," Mark soothed. "Ed and Eve ought to be able to help you go through those files rather quickly."
"Not quickly enough," Ironside grumbled.
The door opened, Ed and Eve came in, and walk down the ramp. They joined Ironside at the table. Both of them detected the tension in the air. Eve glanced over at Mark, who shrugged his shoulders. Ed caught the look on his face.
"So, Chief, what's on the agenda for today?" asked Ed.
"It seems the governor has made another blanket release of nonviolent inmates at the prison. Commissioner Randall has ordered us to check out every prisoner that we were responsible for arresting and were later incarcerated."
"Does the commissioner actually realize how many inmates that would entail?" Eve asked.
"I'm sure he does. Well, there is no time like the present. Eve, call the California Department of Corrections, and tell them we are on our way."
3
Martha Webb simply could not live with the fact that Ross would be in prison for the rest of his life. Did he deserve to go to prison? There wasn't any doubt about it, he killed his wife. It's certainly wasn't necessary, since divorce would have been the answer. Despite Ross wanting her to walk away, she just couldn't do it. She loved him. She would do anything to help him, even if he wouldn't help himself.
Martha had noticed Ross had lost weight. There wasn't any doubt in her mind that if something wasn't done, he would die in prison sooner than later. She also noticed the bruises. Somebody in the prison was beating him. Probably on a regular basis. Martha heard horror stories about prisons. She didn't understand why they put him in the regular population. After all, because of his show, Ross had a lot of enemies and haters out there. No doubt, there were many of them in the prison. She had to do something to protect him. Martha thought of going to the warden, however, she didn't believe that would do any good. The next best thing would be to go to his attorney. There had to be something he could do legally to get Ross out of the general population. He didn't belong there.
His crime was one of passion, not one of violence. She realized murder was a violent crime, however, it was the only violent thing Ross had ever done in his life. His wife was an alcoholic and a blackmailer. That should have accounted for something in his trial. The judge and the jury didn't even take it into consideration. All they saw was Ross killed his wife. As far as Martha was concerned, she had it coming to her. Well, she really didn't believe that, nobody deserved to be murdered. Still, with what she did to him, he should have been given a lesser sentence. Martha didn't believe a life sentence was fair.
She made up her mind, she was going to see Ross's lawyer. She walked over to her desk, reached in and pulled out the phone book. It was amazing they even made them anymore. They didn't for regular phone numbers, but they were still making them for businesses.
Martha flip the pages until she found the attorneys. Looking down the list, she spotted Ross's attorney, Billy Rogan. Rogan was a criminal attorney. Ross had money, so he did not have to settle for a court appointed attorney. Yet, it hadn't done him any good. Martha knew Ross had paid the man a substantial amount of money to get him acquitted. Unfortunately, Robert Ironside was a popular figure in San Francisco. His testimony was powerful, and obviously was the one that swayed the jury.
As a result of Ironside's testimony, the jury didn't deliberate for more than a half an hour. They came back with a guilty verdict.
Martha felt that Robert Ironside had it in for Ross from the moment he entered the studio. His demeanor was that of disdain. She hadn't understood it at the time. She tried to explain to him that his image was basically a facade. Nothing she said about Ross seemed to penetrate his iron demeanor. Therefore, Martha felt his testimony was extremely biased, yet no one questioned it at all. Even Billy Rogan barely questioned or challenged his testimony.
Martha picked up the phone and dialed Rogan's number. When the secretary answered, she identified herself and the reason she was calling. "Is there any possible way I can get an appointment to see Mr Rogan?'
The secretary answered sweetly, "Mr Rogan has a few minutes in 1 hour. If you could come to the office immediately, you would be able to see him. I do want to warn you, it would only be for a few minutes."
Elated that she could get an appointment so quickly, Martha told the secretary, "I am on my way." She hung up the phone, grabbed her purse, and ran out of the studio she worked at.
Martha unlocked her car and slid inside. Putting the key in the ignition, she started it up, and headed out of the parking lot. She couldn't believe her fortune for having been able to get an appointment so quickly, and she wasn't about to miss it.
Within twenty-five minutes, Martha Webb parked outside of the attorney's office building. She shut off the car, got out, and hurried into the building. Following the signs on the wall, she headed for the elevators. Rogan's office was on the third floor. She took the elevator upward, and got out when it stopped. Martha headed down the hall looking for his office. She spotted it almost immediately, as it was close to the elevator. She went directly to the office door and went in.
The secretary smiled. "You must be Martha Webb."
"That's correct. I am here to see Mr Rogan."
"He is expecting you. In fact, you won't have to wait the half hour to see him. He finished with his earlier client sooner than expected. Please have a seat, and I will see if he is ready to see you." Martha went over and sat down in the waiting area.
Rogan's secretary picked up the phone and punched the intercom. Speaking into the receiver, she said, "Ms Webb has arrived for her appointment." She hung up the phone, looked up at Martha, and smiled. "Mr Rogan will see you now."
Martha stood up as the secretary led her into the private office. She left and closed the door behind her.
Rogan stood up behind his desk. "Hello, Miss Webb, I won't bother to introduce myself as I believe we have met before."
"We did. It was during Ross Howard's trial."
"Yes, my secretary told me you wanted to see me regarding it. I must tell you that I can't discuss very much with you because of client privilege."
"I am well aware of that, Mr Rogan. I do not want to speak with you regarding the trial, so I don't believe client privilege will come into play. I have just come from seeing Ross at the prison. I have never seen him in worse shape."
Showing concern, Rogan set forward in his chair. "What exactly do you mean?"
"He has lost weight, he is horribly depressed, and he has bruises on his body."
"Some of that is to be expected. In a case like Ross's, where he had never been accused of any crime before, prison life is an eye-opener and extremely difficult. I would expect him to be depressed. Depression quite often leads to weight loss. What I am most concerned about is the bruising you mentioned. Did Ross say anything regarding how he got them?"
"No, he wouldn't discuss it with me. I have mentioned it before and he refused. I do know that the man who is his cellmate is huge and mean. I'm not accusing him, you understand, but I do suspect he is the reason. I was wondering if there was anything you could do about having him moved out of a maximum security prison?"
"Please understand Ross has been convicted of murder. It is a felony and considered the most violent crime. That is why he is in a maximum security prison. I argued that because it was a first offense, that he should be put in a minimum security prison, however the judge didn't agree."
"But, Mr Rogan, I am certain he is being beaten up by someone in that prison. Something needs to be done about it."
"In this case, Ross could have gone to the warden."
This wasn't going is Martha Webb head hoped. "I have read that if an inmate did that, the punishment by other inmates would be even more severe. Is that true?"
Billy felt for her. He knew during the trial that by her behavior, she was in love with Ross Howard. It was too bad he didn't see what was right before his eyes. "I am afraid that is probably true, Miss Webb. Unfortunately, inside the prison a lot of things go on that shouldn't. It is extremely difficult for a warden and the prison guards to see everything, and you can imagine that if interrogated, most inmates would do nothing but lie to protect themselves and their buddies."
"There must be something you can do. Can't you please try to have him transferred to a minimum security prison?"
Rogan sat there for a moment thinking. When he was ready, he turned his attention and back to Martha Webb. "I'll tell you what, I'll go to the prison and I'll talk to Ross. I can't promise anything at all. Murder is considered an extremely violent crime. I doubt that I can get him switched to a minimum security prison. They would consider that endangering the inmates there. I will try to find out what is going on inside the prison."
Martha was disappointed, but it was just about what she had expected. She had hoped that he would try to get him removed from the prison. "Well, I guess that's better than nothing."
"I will contact you after I talked with Ross."
She nodded. "Thank you, Mr Rogan." Martha got up and left his office.
Billy Rogan watched her go. He wasn't sure what she expected of him. Ross did murder his wife. It was proven. He got a life sentence, and murder crimes were sent to a maximum security prison. He would look like a fool if he tried to have it changed. Billy would keep his promise and try to find out if Ross was being abused in the prison. If that were the case, he might be able to get him switched to a different prison.
4
Mark pulled the van up to the California Department of Corrections prison. He got out and met the chief, Ed, and Eve on the other side of the van. Mark stepped behind Ironside and began wheeling him toward the prison. The guard check them in as visitors, and then allowed them to pass. They continued on to the warden's office.
The secretary smiled when she saw Chief Ironside enter. "Chief, it has been a while. It is always a pleasure to see you."
He returned the smile, and then asked, "We called ahead. I'd like to see the warden."
"Warden Leydon is expecting you. He said to bring you in as soon as you arrived. Please follow me." She got up, walked around her desk, and led Ironside and his colleagues into the warden's office.
"Robert! It is good to see you again. As always, I wish it was on a more pleasant basis." He got up, reached out his hand and shook Ironside's.
"Unfortunately, there isn't much that is pleasant about a prison," Ironside responded.
"You are certainly right about that. I am sure you are not pleased with the job you've been assigned."
"I'm not pleased when my officers arrest criminals; they are found guilty, sent the prison, and then some politician decides to turn them loose before they serve their sentence."
"We are so overcrowded here, there is no longer any place to put more inmates. So, what is the politicians solution? Rather than build another prison, they decide to turn criminals loose on society. I don't like it anymore than you do, but there is nothing I can do about it. I received the order, and I have to follow it."
"I am not blaming you, Warden. You know as well as I do, more than half of these men will commit crimes as soon as they get on the outside, and then we will have to go through the process all over again of putting them behind bars."
"I cannot argue that point. Unfortunately, neither one of us has a choice. I have the files ready for you. Rather than give you the original files, I have had all of them copied. These are the men that are recommended to be released." Warden Leydon pointed to two large boxes of files.
Ironside looked over at Ed and Mark. Without having to say a word, they went over to the boxes and brought them to their boss. The chief reached in and pulled out several files. He opened one and began reading it. Shaking his head, he complained, "This man was convicted of armed burglary. He has served 3 years of a 15-year sentence. There is no way he should be released. And, since when is armed robbery not considered a violent crime?"
"I agree with you, but it is one of the lesser violent crimes."
Ironside closed the file and picked up another. He began reading it and raised an eyebrow. Are we now excusing men for raping women? This man is in here for the rape of an 18-year-old woman. That is now considered a non-violent crime? He has served two years of his term. What in the blazes am I supposed to tell the woman and her parents? That it doesn't matter that he raped her?"
"Robert, everyone of these files have been gone over. We have worked with prison psychologist, and they have cleared every one of those men as responding to rehabilitation."
"Like flaming hell they're rehabilitated!" Ironside raised his voice in protest.
"What would you have me do, Robert? I have to report to the governor the men who have been cleared for release. He has asked that you go over each file, and if you disagree with any of them, they will be looked at a second time."
"In that case, I might as well leave all of the files right here."
The warden smiled. He expected no other reaction from Robert Ironside. "Do you really want me to report to the governor that you have recommended that not one of these men be released?"
"Oh hell, that is exactly what I would like to recommend. Unfortunately, I know that I can't. Tell me, Warden, are there any files of men who have been convicted of murder?"
The warden shook his head. "Not first degree murder, but there are some that were convicted of second-degree murder as well as manslaughter."
"Sometimes I wonder why we have a police force at all. This only makes our job harder. How many files are in these boxes?"
"There are only about 100 of them. I had them copied so that you would get an idea of the individuals that are going to be released. The rest of them are on a flash drive. "He reached into his pocket, pulled out the drive, and handed it to Ironside.
"So how many are we talking total?"
The warden hated to have to answer that question. He knew what Ironside's reaction was going to be. "There are about 500."
"What in the blazes is the governor thinking? He's going to turn all of these men back on society? Then they have the nerve to complain about crime going up in the city."
"Believe me, I feel your pain. Is there anything else I can do for you, Robert?" the warden asked him.
Chief Ironside blew out of breath. "No. Ed, Mark, get the boxes, will you please?"
After Ed and Mark carried out the boxes, Ironside shook hands with Warden Leydon and left his office. Down the hall, a guard was escorting a prisoner. Ironside could tell, even from a distance, that the prisoner must have been in a fight as his face was bloody. The closer he got Ironside recognized him.
As they approached, Ironside wheeled his chair in front of them. "Ross Howard?"
Chief Robert T Ironside was the last person Ross Howard expected or wanted to see. He was the one responsible for putting him behind bars. If Ironside had not been the investigator of his wife's murder, Ross wouldn't be in prison. He would have gotten away with it.
He saw no reason to get into a confrontation with him, so he decided to play it cool. "Hello, Chief. It's been a while."
Upon close scrutiny, the chief could see Howard's face had been beaten. It was swollen and bloody. "What happened to you? Who did this to you?"
As if Ironside really cared, Ross wasn't about to confide in him. "No one did this to me. It was an accident."
"It looks to me like somebody beat you."
"Then maybe you better get your eyes checked, Chief." Howard tried to move forward, but once again Ironside moved in front of him.
"I want to see this man's rib cage."
"You have no right!" Howard shouted.
"That's an order, mister, or you will answer to the warden," Ironside said in a command voice.
Not wanting to tangle with the famous detective, the guard reached over and pulled up Ross Howard's prison shirt. His body was covered in bruises.
"I suppose those bruises are just a problem with my eyesight." Ironside spoke with sarcasm.
Howard's tone softened. "Let it go, Chief. I have to live here. If you cause a problem, it will only make things worse for me. Just let it go."
The detective said nothing for a moment. He was torn. Ross Howard was right, if he did something about it, his problems would only get worse. Yet, if he didn't, he wouldn't be upholding the law. Ironside softened his voice as well. "Can you handle it, Mr Howard?"
"I don't have a choice."
"Just tell me one thing. Did your cellmate cause this problem? I know who he is and I know what kind of man he is. I can help you."
"No thank you. You've done quite enough. You helped me right into this place."
"You murdered your wife."
Ross Howard hung his head. "To my internal shame." He motioned for the guard to move on.
Chief Ironside watched him walk away. The change in Ross Howard was alarming. He was once so self-assured. He had no problem attacking other people's character and digging up dirt on them. Now, he was barely a reflection of the man Ironside put behind bars. Ironside vowed to check further into the situation.