Earthquake in San Francisco
Chapter 16
1
Frank Hunt's eyes opened slowly. It took him a second or two to clear his head. What had happened? Then it came back to him. That damned dog saved the old lady's life. He couldn't believe it. Why in the hell were people with the name of Ironside so hard to kill? She may have escaped him for the moment, but he would catch up to the bitch and the cripple. When he did, he was going to put a bullet it each of their heads. No one made a fool out of Frank Hunt.
Suddenly, he reached to see if his weapon was still there. The gun was on the floor a few feet to his right. The dumb broad didn't even pick it up. It was a good thing that it was Ironside's aunt and not Ironside himself. He wouldn't have made such a stupid mistake. He would have picked the gun up for sure.
His head was spinning. A headache pounded at his temples. Hunt wondered where the dog had come from. Roland said nothing about Ironside entering the building with a dog. Yet, he must have. The mutt was obviously loyal to Ironside. The next time he saw the animal, he was going to put a bullet in its head as well. Damn it! This was supposed to be easy. The earthquake had changed everything. Not quite everything. It didn't change his desire to kill Ironside and his aunt. When he caught up with them, he would kill the old lady first. Ironside would know he had failed to protect her. Then he would kill the crippled detective.
Hunt looked down the staircase, or what used to be the staircase. It no longer existed. The earthquake had taken it out. The old lady must've gone back up or headed for the other exit. Hunt decided she would not have gone up. No doubt, she would head for the other exit to go down toward the street. Going up would simply be insane. Then again, the old lady did not take his gun when she left him there in the hall. That was the definition of insane.
He hurried down the hall toward the other staircase. Stopping for a moment in front of the elevator, he wondered if she was stupid enough to try to use it to go down. Everyone knew you avoided elevators after an earthquake. Hunt reached out and pressed the button to recall the elevator to his current floor. He waited, but nothing happened. The building must have a safe guard to shut down the elevators in case of an earthquake. That left only one avenue of escape, the stairs.
Suddenly, the building began to rumble. Hunt realized immediately that it was not another earthquake. The building sustained severe damage in the quake. What did that mean, he wondered? Hunt worried the building could be unstable enough to collapse. If that were the case, he had to get out before it happened. He ran for the stairs. Stopping just short of them, Hunt refocused. What did he care if it collapsed? He wouldn't get away from San Francisco anyway. Ironside's people, no doubt by now, had discovered where their boss was. They would be out on the sidewalk right now. The only thing preventing them from coming up after the cripple cop was the condition of the building. They likely were prohibited by the authorities from entering the building.
To hell with getting out! Hunt wanted Ironside. If he couldn't find him, he would prevent him from getting out of the building. At least Hunt would have the satisfaction of knowing he took Ironside with him when the building came down. Just then, the building began to rumble again. A portion of the ceiling fell in a few feet behind him. He ran for the stairs. When he arrived, he realized he couldn't go down that way either. The stairway had collapsed in the quake. Well, if he was going to die in this building, so were Ironside and his aunt. Maybe he didn't have to do anything but wait until the building went down, but that wouldn't give him the satisfaction of ending Ironside's life himself.
Hunt couldn't go down, but then neither could the damned cripple. Suddenly, he began to grin. Ironside had nowhere to go but up. He couldn't get away from him. He had him! It was only a matter of finding him, and find him he would. He turned back and headed up the stairs.
2
Victoria followed her nephew down the stairway. She noticed the rope that was over his shoulder. She wondered if he really was going to lower them down a flight of stairs with that rope. What would they do even if he was successful in doing so? They would probably be trapped on the next floor anyway with nowhere to go. She didn't understand his reasoning. They certainly couldn't depend on finding more rope on each floor. They would only be able to use the rope he had one time only. It would be tied to the railing on this floor, with no way for them to remove it once they were lowered to the next floor.
"Robert, I don't see how this is going to work. We don't have an endless supply of rope. Even if the stairway on the next floor is still there, it doesn't mean it is safe to use. We should be trying to find a way to call out."
"Call out how?" Ironside said. "The phones are shut off."
Victoria's eyes lit up. "My cellphone! It was in the pocket of my blazer. Hunt took it away from me and threw it in the waste basket. We could go up and get it. Then we could call out."
Ironside shook his head. "Even if we could find it, the chances of it working are poor. Cell towers all over the city will be affected by the earthquake. I doubt we could reach anyone with a cellphone."
"Isn't it worth a try?" she asked.
"Victoria, we have to get out of this building. That last rumbling tells me this building was badly damaged by the earthquake. I am concerned it is going to come down on top of us. Going up isn't going to do us any good. We have to go down," Ironside said.
"What about your staff? They should've sent help by now."
Ironside shook his head. They don't even know I'm here. Hunt made it clear I wasn't to tell them; that I was to come here alone."
"And you did that?" Victoria said incredulously.
"I had no choice. I couldn't risk your life."
Victoria smiled at her nephew. He always put others ahead of his own safety. This time she wished he hadn't. "All right, she conceded. "We'll go down."
"Not before, we find out if there is any more rope on this floor. We need to find the utility room. If the layout of each floor is the same, it will be down the hall on the right. Let's go."
Victoria helped Ironside into the executive chair and began pushing him down the hall. "Hold it," Ironside said as he caught a utility sign out of the corner of his eye."
She looked to the left and spotted what Robert already had. Both of them turned and went over to the door. Ironside tried the knob. Thankfully, the door wasn't locked. Opening the door, he discovered the room was huge. It was far larger than the previous utility room he'd been in. Victoria pushed him into the room. Otto followed them in.
Ironside looked at the shelves hoping to find something more than what he had to protect Victoria and himself. Unfortunately, the shelves were lined with the same things he found in the other utility room. Looking at the other side, there were boxes stacked across the wall. "Victoria, push me over to those boxes."
Victoria did as he requested. While Ironside was going through the boxes, she wandered over to the window. She looked out to see quite a bit of debris in the street below. Then she spotted someone that brought a smile to her face. "Robert, I thought you said your staff didn't know where you were."
He looked up from the boxes. "That's right."
"Well apparently they were able to figure it out. Look!"
Using whatever was in his path, Ironside pulled the executive chair over to the window. Sure enough, despite the floor they were on, he could spot Ed, Eve, and Mark below. "Dunlap," Ironside said.
"What? Who's Dunlap?"
"The man who owns the kennel where Otto is kept. He brought him to me. He knew where I was. He must have called my office." Ironside raised an eyebrow. That was Ed down there, he was sure of it. But, what was he doing in San Francisco. He was supposed to be on vacation in New York with the actress. Ironside smiled. He just couldn't stay away. He must have flown home early. That didn't bode well for his romance with Vivian . . . whatever her last name was. Well, Ironside was glad he did. Their chances of getting out of the building just increased.
Suddenly, the building began to shake again. "It's another earthquake!" Victoria shouted.
Ironside was still looking out the window. The building across the street was not swaying or moving. The people in the street gave no indication it was another quake. Then the floor beneath them dropped a foot. Victoria fell to the floor. Ironside had trouble controlling the executive chair as it was on wheels. He nearly fell out of it. "That's not an earthquake," Ironside corrected his aunt. "That's the building. It is beginning to collapse. We don't have time for me to crawl down all these floors."
"Robert, if you are suggesting I leave you behind, it is out of the question. I will not leave you," Victoria said in a commanding voice.
"No, I am not suggesting that. This building is going to collapse. Our only chance is to go up, not down," he said.
"Up? You said we had to go down. How is going up going to help? Neither of us can fly," Victoria said.
"No, but a helicopter can." Ironside pulled the chair over to the shelf. "We have to find something to write with. We have to get a message to Ed down there on the street."
"But how? How can we possibly get a message to Ed from up here?"
"We are going to find a way," Ironside said. "Start looking for something to write with."
Victoria began searching the shelves for something they could use. Ironside checked the lower shelves as both searched desperately for something to help to get a message down below.
"Robert, I can't find anything," Victoria said with a touch a panic.
Ironside spotted a box of tacks on the bottom shelf. He reached down and picked them up. "Victoria, I need to get out of this chair."
"Why?"
"Because this chair is going to serve as a carrier pigeon. Help me to the floor into a sitting position."
Victoria guided her nephew to the floor as she could not do much else since she was unable to support his weight. Once Ironside was sitting on the floor, he pulled the executive chair toward him. The detective tipped it over. Opening the box, he pulled out a handful of tacks and began pressing them into the seat of the chair. When he finished, he turned to Victoria. "We are going to throw this chair through that window.
Victoria smiled. "That was very clever, Robert."
"Let's hope it works because it is our only chance of getting out of here alive." He crawled over to where the boxes were. "Help me move these boxes over to the window."
Between the two, they moved several boxes to the window a couple feet away. Ironside used his upper body strength to pull himself onto the boxes. "All right, wheel that chair over here."
Victoria did as he instructed. "Now what?"
"We are going to throw it through the window," he replied.
"Robert, you're too close. You could be cut by falling glass!"
"A chance we are going to have to take. Now, when we throw it through the window, I want you to move back immediately. Understand?" She nodded her head in recognition she did.
Ironside grabbed the chair. Victoria helped him lift it. Using all his strength, and with the help of Victoria, they threw it toward the window. It shattered and the chair tumbled out and began a free-fall to the ground. He watched it for a moment and then turned to his aunt. "All right, let's get to the roof."
3
Mark paced back and forth as Ed and Eve watched him. They knew it wasn't going to be long before the young man exploded. Ed decided to try to head him off. He headed over to where Mark was pacing. Eve noticed and joined the two of them.
"How long does it take to get permission to go into the building? We have to get the chief out of there," Mark complained.
Lieutenant Reece walked over to them. Ed put a hand on Mark's wrist to indicate he would handle it. "Carl, we have to get the chief out of there." He didn't like the grave look on Carl's face. "What is it, Carl?"
"They won't give us the go ahead to go in. They said the structure of the building has been severely damaged. It is going to collapse, Ed. They are going to clear the area."
"Like hell they are," Mark shouted.
"Easy, Mark. I have no intention of following that order. We are going in after him."
"Look out!" someone shouted.
Instinctively, Mark, Ed, Eve, and Carl looked up to see an object falling to the ground. They scrambled to get out of the way. The chair hit the ground and broke apart.
"That was close," Ed said. "Now what's your plan, Carl?"
Eve notice something shiny on the seat that was lying on the ground a few feet away from the rest of the broken chair. She left the group and walked over to it. Excitedly, she called out, "Ed, Carl, over here."
They hurried over to her as Mark followed. "What is it?" Carl asked.
Eve pointed at the seat of the chair. "Look!"
They looked down at the chair. The tacks the chief had put in the chair spelled out a message.
WE ARE OKAY NEED HELP
LAND CHOPPER ON ROOF
WILL MEET YOU THERE
HURRY
Before Carl could give the order, Ed grabbed the phone from an emergency worker. "Patch me into a police chopper." He waited a minute and then said with urgency to the police officer on the other side. "This is Sergeant Ed Brown. Get a chopper over to the Tower immediately, by order of Chief Ironside. We are to pick him up on the roof." After being assured one was on the way, Ed hung up. He turned to look at his friends.
"It's a long-shot, Ed. The building could come down at any time," Carl said.
"Yeah, I know, but at least it's a shot."
Katherine joined them when she sensed something was going on. She immediately noticed the message Robert had put into the chair seat with tacks.
Eve put an arm around her. "We're going to get him out of there."
Katherine smile and nodded.
4
Ironside crawled the length of the hall back to the stairs. "Victoria, I want you to take Otto and go up to the roof. I'll be along as soon as I can."
Victoria was shaking her head. "No, Robert, I won't leave you."
"Listen to me. I may not be able to crawl up all these stairs before this building gives way. You can make it out of here. Take Otto and get out."
"I told you no. I am not leaving you, so I suggest we get started. We get out of here together or we die here together. I have lived a long life, Robert. You still have years ahead of you. I am going to help you get out."
The chief knew nothing he said would change her mind, so he started up the stairs. Victoria grabbed him by the shoulder. Otto sunk his teeth in his suit coat jacket and both pulled him forward as he dragged himself up step by step. They continue going up flight by flight heading for the roof.
5
Hunt checked each floor from one end to the other to make sure Ironside and the old lady weren't hiding somewhere. He was determined they would not get away from him. He was going to kill that son-of-a-bitch. This is what he had dreamed of all the years he rotted in that prison. Now it was time for Ironside to pay for that. He couldn't wait to put a bullet in that cripple's head. It was only too bad the people of this stinking city would never know it was he who had killed their great protector. He had no illusions. They were going to be buried in the rubble of the building when it collapsed to the ground.
He went up the next flight of stairs and checked it room by room. All of the doors with the exception of each floor's utility room were locked. There wasn't anywhere Ironside could hide. Sooner or later Hunt knew he would have him. After all, where was he going to go? He could only go as high as the roof. Then an idea hit him. After he put a bullet in his head, he would throw him off the side of the building. There still wouldn't be much chance of him not being buried by the rubble, but even if there was any chance of San Francisco finding their hero with a bullet in his head, he had to take it. That was the plan, and he was going to see to it that he completed it before he died in this building.
He finished searching the floor and went to the next and then the next. Hunt was getting close to the same floor where he had started the whole thing. He couldn't figure out why he hadn't run into Ironside and his aunt. Where the hell was the damned cripple anyway? It had taken him a long time to check each floor on the way up. Unfortunately, he had given the cripple plenty of time to crawl up the stairs. But, could he actually crawl up that many floors of stairs pulling his useless body? Hunt didn't see how he could do it. He would have to tire out after a floor or two. Maybe he hadn't fallen more than a couple floors. Yes, that had to be it. Damn! Hunt couldn't remember what floor he found the old lady on. She had to be close to where Ironside had come back into the building. That crippled detective was hard to kill. He had more lives than a cat.
When he reached the floor where he held Victoria Ironside, he again checked every room. All the doors were locked. That left only the room where this all began. Holding the gun in his right hand, he burst into the room. It was empty. Ironside and his aunt were nowhere to be seen. They went to the roof! Perfect! His plan of throwing Ironside off the building was right on track. Maybe he would throw the old lady off first right in front of Ironside. He liked that idea.
Hunt headed for the door which would lead to the roof. He opened it and climbed the stairs. At the top was another door. It was wide open. He grinned. They had reached their final destination, that is unless he considered falling 84 floors to be splattered all over the pavement. He stepped out onto the roof. Ironside was lying on the cement; the old lady and the dog standing beside him.
"Going somewhere, folks?" he said with a laugh. "This time you are not going to get away from me. I waited a long time for this moment." He walked toward Ironside and Victoria. Otto put his head down and growled; the hair on his back was standing straight up.
"Otto,easy," Ironside whispered to the dog. If Otto attacked right now, he would be shot. Ironside would wait to give him the command when there was a better chance of success.
"Hunt, it's over. I have a chopper coming in to pick us up. It's your only chance of survival. Now give me the gun," Ironside said.
Frank Hunt roared with laughter. "You don't get it do you? None of us are getting off this building. It is going to collapse anytime. We are all going to die up here, or should I say on the way down. But you, Ironside, are going to be dead before that. I am going to kill you now."
"Give me the gun. You will spend the rest of your life in prison, but at least you will be alive," Ironside said with an outstretched hand.
"You call that living. I would rather be dead than go back there." He continued to move closer to the detective and his aunt. "And I would like to see you dead."
Otto began growling again. Ironside put his hand on the dog. He knew the gun Hunt had only had six rounds. When he thought about it, the chief was pretty sure he had fired the entire round using them to gain entrance to locked rooms. He was taking a chance; he knew that. If he was wrong, one of the three of them was going to die right now, and chances were it was going to be him. Yet, if he ordered the dog to attack, he would likely be shot and killed. He wouldn't do that. Ironside trusted his instincts, and they told them Hunt was holding an empty gun.
"It's your time, Ironside. I'll see you in hell." Hunt pointed the gun at Ironside and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened but the sound of a click. The detective had been right. The gun was empty.
"Otto!" Before he even got out the rest of the command; the German Shepherd sprang into the air and clamped his jaw down on Hunt's gun arm.
Frank Hunt screamed in pain, but it didn't slow him down. Dragging the dog with him, he reached down and began pulling Ironside toward the edge of the building. The chief attempted to fight him off, but Hunt was behind him and pulling him by his collar. Hunt strained under the weight of the detective. Still, he was making progress. Victoria began pounding on Hunt's back. He let go of Ironside with the arm the Shepherd wasn't attached to, slugged Victoria who went flying backwards. Otto instinctively let go of Hunt's arm and went for his throat. Ironside could see the enraged and insane look in the ex-con's eyes. Hunt doubled his fist and landed a blow directly on the dog's head. Otto went down, knocked unconscious.
A loud rumble sounded and the roof dropped enough to raise all of them slightly in the air. Ironside knew they were running out of time. When he saw Victoria returning to try to help him, he shouted, "No Victoria! Stay back!" She stopped at the sound of his voice.
Hunt dragged Ironside to the edge of the building. The detective knew if he didn't do something soon, Hunt was going to succeed in pushing him over the edge. The building rumbled and dropped more. This time it was a substantial drop. Hunt lost his grip on Ironside. That was all it took. The detective reached back and grabbed Hunt's ankle. With the considerable upper body strength he developed because of his disability, he lifted Hunt's leg off the cement and shoved with all his might. Frank Hunt screamed and fell backwards off the building.
Victoria came to his side. "Robert, are you all right?"
Breathing hard, Ironside assured her he was. He started backing away from the edge. Another rumble and the roof again dropped down further. "Where the hell is that chopper?" The building was going to collapse, and sooner rather than later.
He no more got the words out, and the police helicopter appeared around the side of the building, but didn't land on the roof. It hovered a few feet above it. Ed Brown and Mark Sanger jumped out. Mark ran to Victoria and rushed her to the chopper as Ed hurried over to Ironside. Once Mark got Victoria into the chopper, he ran at top speed over to Ed and the chief. The two of them dragged their boss over to the helicopter, and with difficulty hoisted him inside.
The roof dropped several more feet. Ed and Mark jumped into the chopper. Ironside realized one of them was not aboard. "Ed, Otto!" Again, the roof dropped.
"I'm sorry, Chief, we can't go after him." It was one of the hardest decision Ed had ever made, but he couldn't chance the building collapsing while one of them went after the German Shepherd. The chopper lifted a little higher in the air and began to move away.
"Go back! Otto!" Ironside yelled.
Ed closed his eyes. He only wished he could close his ears. He knew how much his boss loved that dog.
Otto began to stir. He stood up just as the roof dropped again. The dog fell down but got up again. Ironside saw that he was on his feet. He turned to the pilot. "Turn this chopper so the opening is toward the building."
"Sir, we have to get out of here. That building is collapsing."
"That's an order, mister, or do you want to look for another line of work?" The pilot shook his head, but brought the chopper around.
Ironside waited until it was in position. There would be only one chance. If Otto didn't make the jump just right he would fall to his death. But then he was going to die if he didn't try. "Otto, jump!"
The Shepherd took off on a dead run. When he reached the end of the building, he leaped into air toward the hovering chopper. His front legs hit the inside of the helicopter. Ironside and Ed grabbed the dog and pulled him the rest of the way inside.
"Get us the flaming hell out of here!" Ironside shouted. Without hesitation, the pilot flew up and away from the building. As they moved away, they heard what sounded like a bomb going off. Everyone looked out the chopper windows. The Tower was no more. It collapsed in a huge cloud of dust as it went down.
Ironside looked at Otto who was panting and wagging his tail. He had a rather large bump on his head where Hunt hit him. The detective ruffled his neck. The Shepherd responded by licking him in the face.
Ed had a hard time looking at his boss. "Look, Chief . . ."
"Forget it, Ed. I understand. You did what you had to do," Ironside said softly. "By the way, did I thank you boys for saving our lives?"
Ed smiled. Mark had a big grin on his face. "No, in fact you didn't," Mark said.
"Well, I thank you, Victoria thanks you, and Otto thanks you," Ironside said with a big grin, his dimples on full display.
"Robert, that is Aunt Victoria," his aunt scolded. "Your mother taught you to be more respectful."
Ed grinned at the sound of Victoria scolding his boss. He turned to the pilot. "Saint Mary's Hospital."
"Saint Mary's? What for?" Ironside snarled.
"That leg," Ed said. "It needs medical attention. Don't argue, Chief, you're going." He turned back to the pilot. "Call ahead to Lieutenant Reese. Tell him we have the chief and he's okay. He and Eve can bring Katherine to the hospital."
Ironside looked at his subordinates . . . his friends . . . his family. They would never know how much they meant to him. He just wasn't capable of telling them. Somehow, he hoped they knew. "That was a close call," he said quietly.
"Yeah," Mark said.
"Too close," Ed added.
6
It was close to dawn by the time they all arrived back at Ironside's office. Sister Agatha had loaned Ironside a wheelchair to use to get home. Eve opened the office door, and Mark wheeled Ironside inside. Ed allowed Katherine to enter in front of him before he entered the office. Otto bounded in after them. Everyone headed for the main table and sat down except Mark.
"Coffee anyone?" Sanger asked.
Ironside looked over at him and said, "Now, what do you think?"
Mark nodded. "Coffee." He went into the kitchen to put on a pot.
"I think your Aunt Victoria was still shaking when we dropped her at home," Eve said.
"That's not surprising considering what she was put through," Ironside said. "She's a tough cookie. She'll be all right."
"You mean what we were all put through," Katherine said.
"Chief, you should have informed us where you were going," Ed scolded.
"I couldn't, Ed. He threatened to kill Victoria. I had to do it his way. Besides, Dunlap told you where I was, didn't he? I assume that is how you knew where to find me."
"He did, and Duffy warned us something was up as well," Mark said, placing coffee cups and a pot of coffee on the table. He poured Ironside a cup of the brew and then allowed everyone to pour their own from the pot.
Eve sighed. "It is sad what makes some people turn into warped monsters. Hunt died because of his hatred for you. He could have turned his life around if not for that."
"Frank Hunt should never have been released from prison in the first place," Ironside said. "Some prisoners just can't be rehabilitated. Hunt was one of them."
"Oh, before I forget," Ed said. "The commissioner called the hospital to make sure you and Victoria were all right. He said the warden called and was very upset by what happened. He promised to listen to you in the future."
"I don't blame him," Ironside said. "Frank Hunt fooled a lot of people; the entire parole board to be exact."
"There is a lot of damage around the city," Katherine said. "It is going to take a while to bring this city back to normal."
Everyone was quiet for a moment before Ironside said, "We had damage to a lot of buildings, but only lost 3. It is hard to believe the Tower went down so easily. So much for earthquake proof buildings."
"Chief, what about Roland Hubbard? Do you think he was in the building when it went down?" Eve asked.
"No, I don't. We have a dead officer, probably killed when Hubbard left the building. He was on the ground floor. I have no doubt he beat it out of there after the quake hit. Something tells me we have not seen the last of Roland Hubbard. He was very tight with Frank Hunt."
Ironside had no idea how right he was.
The End
Thank you for your continued support. I have had a lot of request for another Ironside/Perry Mason crossover, and I am happy to report another one is in the works. Thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed this Ironside adventure.