The Case of the Stolen Artifact
Chapter 2
1
Mark Sanger pulled Ironside's van up in front of the museum. The chief wheeled onto the lift and pushed the button. The doors opened and the lift moved out of the van and lowered to the ground. Sergeant Ed Brown had gotten out the van and waited for the chief to exit the ramp. Eve and Mark met them as Mark stepped behind the wheelchair and began pushing his boss towards the museum door.
Ironside's favorite uniformed cop was at the door to greet them. "Hello, Chief, I wasn't told you would be coming to the museum today." Duffy figured something was up since Ironside had brought his entire staff with him.
"It wasn't planned," Ironside said. That wasn't exactly true, as the chief had planned on overseeing the Chinese Exhibit as soon as he found out it was coming to town. He had checked to find out who was in charge. When he found out the commissioner had put Carl Reese in charge, he felt better about security. Though Carl had been the officer in charge when Alexandra Hughes had stolen the Tiger from the museum, Ironside could not really fault him. Alexandra and her two accomplices had planned the theft brilliantly. Somehow they had managed to plant a bomb, probably one that would not have exploded. After all it would not have done the thieves any good if they blew up the exhibit. They could not make any money off the Tiger if it was destroyed in an explosion.
Unfortunately, there was no way Carl could ignore the bomb threat that had been called in. He had no choice but to clear the museum and call the bomb squad. Nor could he know the thieves had climbed a nearby telephone pole, rerouting their call to the bomb squad to themselves. They showed up in a van that was marked identically like the authentic one. Carl had no reason to believe they were impostors. As a result, they had been able to carry the Tiger out in a unit that looked exactly like the ones that were used to place a bomb in to be carried away.
This time, Carl would be very leary of any anonymous phone calls announcing a bomb. The lieutenant would not be leaving the building regardless of the reason. Ironside approved of the commissioner's choice to head the security. Carl was definitely the man for the job. The thieves would not get by him twice.
He wheeled into the museum. Carl was across the room speaking with the curator. The expression on the man's face was that of relief when he saw the detective wheel in. Carl turned around to see what the man was looking at. When he spotted the chief, he immediately headed in Ironside's direction.
As he reached him, he put out his hand and Ironside shook it. "Hi, Chief, what brings you here?"
"Carl, I am concerned the same thieves might make another attempt to steal the Tiger."
Reese looked confused. "But, I thought they were in jail, well except the woman that got away."
"The governor approved the release of a number of prisoners because the prison was overcrowded," Ironside said.
"I thought they were only letting out those that were there on minor offenses," Carl said.
"They still had too many in the prison, so they turned loose those that had not committed murder," Ed explained.
"That's just great," Reese said, disgusted. "If I didn't have enough to worry about." He threw his hands in the air. "Chief, you wouldn't consider taking over the security, would you?"
The chief looked up at him. Carl was never one to get upset when he moved in on a case. There were detectives on the force that resented his takeover. Unfortunately for them, Ironside had the authority to take over any case he chose to. This was one he had no intentions of allowing anyone to run the operation but himself.
"If you don't mind, Carl, I would like in on this one."
"Mind? Are you kidding. I gladly welcome your help," Reese said.
"So what have you done so far?" Ironside asked.
"I convinced the museum curator to keep the cat encased in a lock glass casing," Carl told him.
"That should not have been hard since it was last time," Ironside said.
"Last time it was not locked," Carl said.
Ignoring the remark, the chief said, "What else?"
"We will have two men here at night, armed, and they will have communication directly to police headquarters."
"Our men?" Ironside asked.
"During the day, yes, but at night, they will be from the same security company that delivers the money to the local banks," Carl informed him.
"What about the alarm system?" Ed Brown inquired.
"It is up and running, however, with two men in the building, the only part of it that will be activated are the entrances into the museum."
Eve frowned. "What about the skylight? Is it covered as well?"
"Of course it is." Carl said indignantly. He turned his attention back to Ironside. "Is there anything else, you would like done?"
"Yes," He looked up at Ed. Brown immediately knew what he wanted.
Pulling an envelope out of his suit coat pocket, he handed it to his boss. Ironside reached into the envelope and removed the contents.
"Carl, I want these circulated among every cop and every private security guard."
Reese looked at what Ironside had just handed him. It was multiple pictures of Alexandra Hughes, Louis Blaine and Eli Schneider. "Do you really think they will make another try at stealing the cat?"
"It's an artifact," Ironside said. "If you must, call it the Tiger."
"Looks like a cat to me," Carl said.
Ironside looked around at his fellow police officers. "Culture, you all need culture. As far as them trying again, would you rather proceed on the premise that they won't?"
"No, I guess not," Carl conceded.
"What are the chances we could get our boys in here at night instead of private security?"
"I tried that, Chief, but the captain would not hear of it. He said we have too many men on vacation and sick leave. They need them out on the streets at night," Carl reported.
"Ed, I want the men that are going to be here at night checked out thoroughly."
"Yes, sir," Brown answered.
"We did that, Chief. We are only allowing guards that have been working for them a long time," Carl said.
"Doesn't mean they won't decide to get greedy," Ironside replied.
"Yes, sir," Carl said.
"Eve, you stay here with Carl. Ed, you come with me."
Ironside turned his chair around and headed for the door. There was nothing he could do here. He wanted to check on those guards and find out if Alexandra had come to San Francisco.
2
Alexandra Hughes, stood on the corner away from the museum. She chose not to get any closer; she did not want to be recognized. Not that she thought anyone would know who she was in the get-up she had on. Her normally brunette hair was covered with a gray wig. She had pulled an old lady's mask over her face that she had obtained from a makeup artist she knew and occasionally had worked with in Hollywood. Alexandra pushed a cart down the street. She stopped by a nearby trash can and pretended to search through it for whatever treasures bag-ladies looked for.
She could not help but feel indignant disguised this way. Alexandra had never resorted to this extreme on a job before. It had never been necessary. Unfortunately, this was not a city she could just walk into without being recognized by at least one man. She knew it was going to upset her to see Robert Ironside again. She had no doubt that she would. There was no way he was going to stay away from the museum knowing what had happened the last time it was in town.
Bob Ironside was as good a cop as any one anywhere in the country. He was aware of her desire to use astrology to decide when to make her move. She almost got away with stealing the Tiger last time. However, this time, he would not make the mistake of thinking she would strike using astrology. He would have that museum covered before, during and after the time astrology told her the best time to do the job.
Alexandra watched the entrance. There were two police officers standing outside the museum. She had to get inside to see the set up. Certainly, she could not go in the way she was dressed. Then her heart began beating fast.
There he was, coming out of the museum with that young black aid of his wheeling him out. The tall, handsome sergeant, Ed Brown was with him. Alexandra looked around. Where was Bob's van? She did not see it anywhere when she got there. Then the vehicle came around the corner as Bob Ironside waited with his staff. The vehicle parked in front of the museum, and a uniformed officer stepped out.
Even from her position, Alexandra could hear the whine of the lift that would raise Bob into the air, so he could enter his van. What was she doing here? She never wanted to see him again. She knew she had hurt him and it pained her to know it. She just simply had no choice. Alexandra could not give up the life she lived.
Watching as the van pulled away, she thought to herself that Bob looked well. At least she was happy about that. Despite telling herself she did not want to see him, nothing could be further from the truth, and she knew it. She wanted to see him more than anything. Alexandra knew she had never stopped loving the detective and never would. He had spoiled any chance for a romance and a successful relationship with another man. For no one could measure up to him.
She turned her cart around. It was time to check out the back of the museum. There had to be a vulnerable way inside. They certainly could not use the bomb again. Bob's police would never fall for that twice.
Alexandra left her position and headed for the back of the museum.
3
Smoking a cigar, Eli Schneider looked out the window of their rented house. He and Louis were waiting for Alexandra to return. Eli was not all together certain that forcing her back here for this particular job had been a good idea. She still loved that damn cop, he would not argue the fact. Would she come through? Was it possible, she would make a deal with Ironside and turn them in? This whole thing was Louis's idea. He was sure Alexandra would stay completely away from Robert Ironside. He sure hoped he was right because they were risking their freedom on this woman.
Louis Blaine came into the living room. "What in the hell do you find so interesting? You have been looking out that window for hours."
"I have been thinking about whether you are making a huge mistake that will put us behind bars again," Eli said.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I am talking about Alexandra. You are banking on the fact that she won't go to Ironside and make a deal... her freedom for us."
"She won't go to Ironside." Louis waved his hand to push the smoke away from him. "Do you have to smoke those stinking things?"
"They help me relax. I need them right now. This whole set-up has my nerves on edge," Eli said.
"Why? She is not going to go to Ironside. Are you forgetting? He is known as 'No Deal Ironside.' The man simply doesn't make deals."
"What makes you so sure he won't make one for Alexandra. They had an affair."
Louis brushed off the comment with a swipe of his hand. "That was a long time ago. Besides, Ironside has a new woman in his life."
"Have you ever wondered about that?" Eli asked.
"Wondered about what?"
"Well, he had some woman named Barbara, then there was the woman from Canada he had the son with, and now this woman, Katherine. What has the man got that attracts women? He's a cripple."
"He wasn't a cripple when he was involved with the woman from Canada or when he was with Alexandra."
"True, but he is now and Alexandra still loves him, and he certainly was a cripple when he was with Barbara... I think her name was Jones, and he is a cripple now, and he has that new woman, Katherine. What's he got that attracts women?"
"Power, my friend, power. He is the most powerful cop in San Francisco. Hell, Ironside doesn't even take orders from the police commissioner, the mayor or the city council. That's his attraction. It has to be. Besides, who cares. It has nothing to do with the job we are here to do."
Eli blew out a long line of smoke from the cigar. "I disagree. It has everything to do with it. I still say she might go to Ironside."
Frustrated, Louis walked over and took the cigar out of Eli's hand. He crushed it out in a very expensive looking dish that was on the credenza beside him. "If you want to kill yourself with those things, that's your business, but take them outside. Don't smoke the damn things around me."
"You are entirely too uptight, you know that," Eli accused.
"I'm uptight? You are the one that is obsessed with Ironside. Look, we got past him once, we will do it again. Only this time, we are getting out of Dodge before he has a chance to locate us."
"I certainly hope you are right, because if you are wrong, we will serve a lot longer in jail this time," Eli pointed out. He stood up and headed for the sliding doors.
"Where are you going?"
"Outside to smoke. It calms my nerves."
4
Perry Mason and Della Street were dancing close together. They always tried to pick nightclubs that were just outside of Los Angeles in hopes that no one would recognize them. With all the notoriety Mason had gained over the past few years, it was becoming impossible. The lawyer could feel the eyes of others in the night club on them. He really did not care what they thought of him personally. After all, he was a man and men were supposed to be seen in the company of women. He worried about Della. He did not like it when the tabloids would print articles about them, insinuating things about her. Perry was concerned with Della's reputation, even if she wasn't. She didn't seem to notice that people were staring at them. However, she did notice she did not have his complete attention.
"Perry, they always stare at us. Just ignore them. I don't care what they think, and you shouldn't either."
"I only care what they think of you," he said.
"Well, since I don't, you shouldn't. Forget them, and let's have a pleasant evening.
The lawyer stopped suddenly. He placed his hand on her elbow and led her back to their table. When they got there, Mason held out her chair and pushed it in towards the table after she sat down.
Perplexed by his behavior, Della said, "Okay, Counselor, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. It is just more private back here. Not many can see us."
"Perry, I don't care who sees us. I came here to dance with you," Della said. She noticed he kept glancing in the same direction. She followed his eyes. There was a man sitting at a table alone. "Who is he?"
"Who is who?" he responded.
The man you are looking at," Della said.
There was no use pretending he wasn't there, she had obviously spotted him as well. "His name is Howard Jergens. He's a new hotshot reporter for Spicy Bits. It you can call anyone from that paper a reporter, that is."
"We have been followed by that paper before. Why now the cloak and dagger?"
"I don't want them printing anything about us in that publication. I won't call it a paper since it is full of nothing but gossip."
"Ut oh, he is heading this way," Della said.
Howard Jergens came straight for their table. Without being invited, he pulled out a chair and sat down. "Hello, Mister Mason, Miss Street."
"Most people wait for an invitation to sit down at someone's table," Mason said.
"Well, if I did that, I would still be sitting at that table long after the two of you left this place, now wouldn't I?" He smiled at the two of them.
"What do you want?" Mason said bluntly.
"You two seemed pretty cozy out there on the dance floor. Why don't you just admit to the world that you're more than boss and secretary? Everyone suspects it anyway."
"What we are is no one's business but ours," Mason said.
"Relax Counselor, I am not here to cover the two of you."
Della gave Perry a puzzled look and then turned her attention back to Jergens. "Exactly why are you here?"
"San Francisco, that's why," he answered.
Perry now figured this had something to do with his brother. "What about San Francisco?"
"Your brother is the famous Chief Robert T. Ironside, is he not?"
"I am sure you already know that, so what is it you want?"
"Have you heard about the Chinese Exhibit that is coming to San Francisco in a couple days?" Jergens asked.
"We know about it," Mason said. "Get to the point and then please leave this table."
"My point is Alexandra Hughes has been spotted in San Francisco. It is rumored she is going to make another try at the Tiger, you know the one your brother let her get away with last time."
"If he had let her get away with it, the Tiger would not be in the exhibit?" Della said.
"Well, he let her get away after she threw the Tiger out the window of the vehicle she was driving. Now, Miss Street, you know very well Ironside is considered the best there is. You can't tell me he didn't get the license number of her car."
"It is my understanding that he parked his wheelchair in front of her vehicle at great risk to himself, Mister Jergens," Perry said. "He barely got out of the way before she ran him down."
"So he says," Jergens said with a slight smile. "I say after she threw the Tiger out of the vehicle, he let her get away. Ironside was seen with her around San Francisco before the Tiger was stolen."
"So, what are you getting at, Mister Jergens? I suggest you get to the point as I am about to call the owner of this establishment and tell him you are harassing us," Mason said.
"Oh I don't think you will do that. I have a source that says he saw Ironside stare at the back of that car as it sped away. He got the license number alright. He let her get away. What I am proposing is this... you and Miss Street give me an exclusive on your relationship to be published in Spicy Bits and I will bury the story on your brother," he said.
"Blackmail... you are trying to blackmail me?" Mason asked.
"Blackmail is an ugly word, Mister Mason. Let's say it is an exchange."
"Blackmail is an ugly word, Jergens," Perry said, dropping the Mister, "because it is an ugly crime." Mason stared him in the eye, his face granite hard.
"No crime, Mister Mason, just an exchange."
"Don't try telling me the law, Jergens. Threatening my brother unless I give you what you want is a crime, and it is called blackmail. You should have done some research on both my brother and me. I can't be blackmailed, and my brother would never allow me to pay blackmail to protect him. My relationship with Miss Street is none of your business and my brother can take care of himself," Perry's voice was low but deadly.
"You better think it over, Mason. I can ruin your brother. That is not all I have. I know he had an affair with Alexandra Hughes. How will it look when that gets out? Do you really think the public is going to believe he didn't get that license number?" Jergens said.
"Get away from this table," Perry ordered.
"No, I will not. Go ahead and call the owner, because I am not leaving. You are going to give me that exclusive."
Mason stood up. He took Della's elbow and helped her to rise from her chair. Perry picked up her purse and handed it to her. "Let's go, Della."
"You better reconsider, Mason. I've got the goods on your big brother."
As Perry led Della away, he said over his shoulder, "Bob can take care of himself. He will chew you up and spit you out, and if I were you, I would not depend on the people of San Francisco turning against him. They consider him their protector. No deal." He and Della left the night club leaving Jergens sitting at their table by himself.
Mason had a slow angry burn going. Della could sense it. He was holding it inside. She had no doubt it was more about Jergens trying to harm his brother than it was about him. Perry knew Della would be right beside him in not allowing anyone to blackmail him regardless of the reason.
Walking almost faster than she could keep up, Mason led her towards his Cadillac. Della suspected it was going to take a while for the anger to wear off. She decided to remain quiet and allow Perry to calm himself. He did not speak a word on the drive back to his apartment.
When they arrived, he parked his car in the spot assigned to him. Getting out of the car, Mason walked around and opened the door to help Della out. He led her to the door of the apartment building, put the key in the lock, opened it and allowed her to enter the building in front of him. He remained silent on the walk to the elevator and the ride up to his floor. When they arrived at his apartment door, he unlocked it, turned off the alarm and headed for the bar.
"Would you like a drink?" he asked Della.
"A nice glass of red wine would be nice. She set her purse on the stand beside the door and headed for his couch. Kicking off her heals, she stretched out her legs.
Perry returned with two glasses of wine. He handed one to her, set his down on the coffee table and picked up the phone. Della knew exactly who he was calling.
Mason waited until the phone was picked up and heard the gruff voice of his brother.
"Ironside."
"Bob, it's Perry," Mason announced.
"It is about time you call, shyster," Ironside said.
The term brought a smile to Perry's face, the first since their encounter with the Spicy Bits reporter. "You are just as capable of picking up a phone."
"I have to work for a living. I am not rolling in dough like you."
"You should have been a lawyer then," Mason countered.
"A shyster? No, thank you. How's Della?" Ironside asked.
"She's fine and she says hello."
"Tell her I am really beginning to question her judgment since she hasn't left you yet."
Perry chuckled. "And I question Katherine's since she is still with you."
"Katherine… I knew there was someone I forgot to call tonight. This flaming Chinese Exhibit has had me tied up all day."
"That is why I called you, Bob. Something has come up I think you should know about. Della and I were out tonight for dinner and some dancing, and we were approach by Howard Jergens."
"The name is familiar. Isn't he the gossip columnist that moved to Los Angeles from Chicago?" Ironside asked.
"That's the one. He is working for Spicy Bits, which is a gossip newspaper. If they can't find it, they make it up."
"I know the one. What's that have to do with me?"
Mason repeated the conversation between him and Howard Jergens. When he finished, he waited for his brother to respond.
Ironside was silent for a moment. Finally, he said, "It all happened so fast, and I was busy trying to get my chair to the side of the driveway to avoid being hit. The last thing on my mind was the license plate. I put an APB out on the car, had the airports, bus stations and the trains watched. She still managed to get past us."
"I am not questioning what you did that day. This man threatened to tell the San Francisco newspapers that you once had an affair with her, and that is the reason you did not get the license plate number. He is going to tell them you let her get away on purpose," Perry told him.
"I have never let any criminal get away. I would arrest her today if she showed up in San Francisco."
Perry noticed his brother did not address the affair. "According to Jergens, she is in San Francisco," Perry told him.
Ironside was again silent for a moment before saying, "I only took over the security today, Perry. I am having every entrance into the city watched. If she is already here, it was before I took over."
"I don't doubt that. I am just giving you a heads up. What about her accomplices, they are in prison, aren't they," Mason inquired.
"Not anymore. They were released when the governor emptied the prisons," Ironside explained. "Did Jergens mention whether they are in the city as well?"
"No, he didn't."
"Well thanks for the information. I will have Ed and Eve start checking new housing rentals in the morning. Perry, I better get off the phone and call Katherine before it gets too much later."
"Okay, Bob. I wish I could help you," Perry said.
"Well, you can't, so just worry about all the money you are making. Don't you dare give into Jergens either. You know once they have you, they bleed you dry. Besides, it is your fault for not being open about your relationship." Ironside hung up the phone.
Perry sat there for a moment analyzing the conversation before Della spoke up. "Well is it true?"
"What?"
"Did he have an affair with Alexandra Hughes?"
"He didn't say. In fact, he didn't address it at all one way or the other," he told her.
"Well, I guess it is up to him how he handles it," Della said.
"If I know Bob, he is not going to care what Jergens tells the papers. He is going to make sure Hughes doesn't succeed in stealing the Tiger."
"So, there is nothing further we can do, can I have your undivided attention?" Della said.
Perry smiled down at her with a hint of mischief in his blue eyes. "All you had to do was ask." He bent down and his lips met hers.
5
Alexandra Hughes entered the police garage. She had been in the building before, so she knew how to get up to Bob's office without having to pass through the lobby. She wanted to see him, and she did not want to be arrested before she had a chance to talk to him. Alexandra was not sure she was doing the right thing, but she just could not be forced to steal that Tiger because they were blackmailing her. Besides, she really did not want to steal anything in Bob's city.
She was fully aware by telling Bob what Eli and Louis were up to, it could mean her own arrest for attempting to steal the Tiger last time. She could be giving up her freedom for years to come. Alexandra did not expect to get any breaks from Robert Ironside.
She headed for the area where she knew his van would be parked. The elevator up the back way to his office was right across from it. She wore a wide brimmed hat, and lowered her head to hide her face when two police officers in uniform came out of the elevator. They did not even seem to notice her.
When she arrived at the elevator, she found it took an entry which had to be placed in a key pad to open the door. Disappointed, she would have no choice but to go back around and enter by the lobby entrance. Just as she was going to leave for the front door, the elevator opened. An older cop in uniform came out. Again, she lowered her head to block her face with the brim of her hat. She just could not take the chance that she would be recognized.
Stepping into the elevator, she looked back at the officer that just left. She recognized him as one that worked in the office down the hall from Bob. She believed it was the records department.
Alexandra Hughes pushed the number of the top floor and rode the elevator upward. When the doors opened, her heart began pounding. She was about to see Bob again. She froze temporarily. Robert Ironside was the only man that had ever had this kind of effect on her.
Inside the chief's office, Ironside was about to dismiss his staff for the evening. He had worked them much longer than he had intended. "Ed, you and Eve go home. I am going to call Katherine and then I am turning in. I will see you both in the morning.
Ed and Eve headed for the ramp when there was a knock on the door. Ironside turned his head, wondering who could be visiting at this hour.
Ed opened the door. A look of shock appeared on his face as it did on Eve's.
"Is Bob in?" Alexandra asked.
"Yes," Ed said.
Alexandra passed him and headed down the ramp. Eve moved in closer to Ed and said, "Is it just me or does she look like a double of Katherine?"
"It's not just you, Eve. I always thought Katherine reminded me of someone, now I know who that someone is."
Alexandra approached Robert Ironside. There was a look of shock on his face as well. "Hello, Robert. I came to tell you about a robbery that is going to happen at the Chinese Exhibit."