The Case of the Stolen Artifact
Chapter 3
1
There was stunned silence in the room as everyone stared at Alexandra Hughes. Ironside looked at the woman whom he had shared a love with... a love that wasn't to be. The last time she was in San Francisco, he had tried to convince her to give up stealing as a profession. For the first time, he had been willing to look the other way on the previous crimes she had committed, since none of them could be proven anyway. He had even taken her to a house in the country they could have shared together, if she had only decided to stay with him and put her past behind her.
To this day, he could not believe he could just forgive her transgressions. He was a law officer and he had a duty to bring her to justice. Ironside had no doubt that he had been in love with her as his judgement had been clouded by her.
Now, she stood there in front of all of them with information about a potential crime. Could he believe her, or was this just another part of her plan to steal the Tiger? Was she trying to win his trust to cloud his judgement once again? If it was, she was making a big mistake coming to his office. It would not work this time. It had been a love he enjoyed, but it was one that was long past gone He had true love with Katherine, and he was not about to throw it away for what turned out to be nothing but affair with a woman who did not care to put him ahead of an illegal career in stealing valuable artifacts.
Alexandra studied Bob's face. He certainly did not appear happy to see her, but then how could she blame him? After the way she left last time, right now she was just surprised he had not immediately put her under arrest. She would give him all the time he needed to recover from the shock of her showing up at his office. She had no doubt he was not expecting it.
Ironside's staff said nothing. They remained silent and allowed their boss to take the lead. Eve would like nothing more than to arrest her on the spot after the way she had hurt the chief the last time she was here. As far as she was concerned, Alexandra played on the chief's feeling for her to try to get away with stealing the Tiger. She had not liked the whispers around police headquarters that the chief had purposely allowed her to get away. Chief Ironside would never have allowed that. Eve wondered how many of the gossipers would be able to sit in a wheelchair and move it out of the way of a speeding car before being hit. She bet they would not even know the color or the model of the vehicle, let alone obtained the license number.
Ed and Mark simply stared at Alexandra. The looks on their faces were telling. They were no happier to see her than Eve was. Still, they said nothing. It was up to Chief Ironside to decide what to do in this situation.
Finally, Ironside found his voice. "Hello, Alexandra, I was not expecting to see you again after the way you left San Francisco the last time."
Alexandra dropped her head. She knew exactly what he was inferring. She really had nothing to say that could justify what she did. She knew Bob was upset with her and he had every right to be. She was trying to make a bad situation better. She could have just gone along with Louis and Eli... made the attempt at stealing the Tiger; get out of town before Bob had a chance to catch up with her, like she did the last time.
"I wasn't expecting to see you again either. Unfortunately, I cannot do what Eli and Louis want me to do. I can't hurt you again."
"You know I have no choice but to arrest you, don't you?" Ironside said quietly.
"Yes, I knew that before I entered the building. I decided the only way out of this situation was to turn myself in."
"Alexandra, you are under arrest for the theft of the Tiger. You have the right to remain silent... "
"I know my rights, Bob, you don't have to cite them to me," she told him.
Nevertheless, Ironside continued to do so. When he finished, everyone just remained motionless, not knowing what to do next. They would do nothing until the chief issued the order to take her away.
"I assume the crime you are here to report is another attempt to steal the Tiger," Ironside said.
"It is. Louis and Eli were trying to blackmail me into helping them steal it from the museum. I just can't do it. I can't be part of it."
"Blackmailing you how?" Ed asked.
Alexandra turned her attention to the tall, handsome sergeant. "They know where my villa is in the south of France. I paid a rather large sum for it, and at first I did not want to have to pick up and leave it. They threatened to call you and tell you where I was. The French would have cooperated with a warrant to have me returned to the United States. Also, from everything Bob has told me blackmailers never quit. They would have used the same information to force me to steal again and again."
"I don't see the problem in that," Eve said. "You certainly don't have any problem stealing valuable items. Why are you really here? To try and use the chief again?"
"I guess I deserved that, Officer Whitfield. I am being honest with you when I say I am here to help you stop Louis and Eli. I will do whatever Bob wants me to in order to stop them.
"Chief Ironside," Eve said.
"What?" Alexandra was momentarily confused.
"Chief Ironside. You lost the right to use his first name," Eve said with a look Alexandra knew showed her dislike and disgust with her.
"You are right. I will not call him Bob again." She looked away from Eve and returned her attention to Ironside. "Do you want my help, Chief Ironside?"
Ironside turned his attention to his staff. "I would like all of you to leave the office for a while. I want to talk to Alexandra alone."
"Chief!" Eve protested. She did not want the woman alone with him. She knew he loved Katherine, but she was unsure of what hold Alexandra still had over him.
"Eve, leave the office, please." Ironside tone was not to be questioned any further. Mark, Ed and Eve left the office under silent protest.
2
Howard Jergens threw his keys on his desk in anger. Damn Mason! All he wanted was an exclusive on his and Street's relationship. He just didn't see what the big deal was. Everyone knew they were sleeping together. Jergens had hired a private detective to follow them around for a month. He had to hire a good one as Mason would have spotted a tail otherwise. The best was Paul Drake. Unfortunately, he could not use Drake. He would never take the job, and likely would have reported back to the lawyer. Mason was his most lucrative client. Besides, he was pretty sure they were friends as well. They were constantly seen together. So, Jergens hired Joey Stumpf. It was well known that Joey did not have any scruples when it came to investigating. He would go anywhere and dig up any dirt he could find on anyone. All that was required was a rather big paycheck. Jergens decided he was the man for him.
It was time the big city lawyer and his big city police brother be put in their place. Mason should have cooperated. Now he was going hurt both of them. He sat down at his computer and began writing the story on Mason and Ironside. He was going to burn them both. He spent the next hour typing up what he had learned from Joey.
As soon as he uploaded the final draft to the Spicy Bits site, the you-know-what was going to hit the fan. It would certainly send an earthquake through the San Francisco Police Department. The people in Ironside's city would finally start questioning whether their hero was the honest cop they thought he was.
He scrolled up to the beginning where he would type the section on Mason and Street. He would tell the city of Los Angeles that the apartment Della Street maintained was nothing but a deflection from where she really lived, and that was with Mason. Jergens knew that in this day and age no one really cared about non-married couples living together, but he knew it bothered Mason that people would know their domestic situation. He was a private man and he protected Della Street like a lion.
Mason and Ironside were finally going to get what they deserved. As he finished the article, he sent it through the spell check and grammar checker. They were outstanding programs that caught all mistakes, nothing like the Mickey Mouse applications for tablets and phones.
Once all mistakes were weeded out, he uploaded his story to the Spicy Bits News site. Sitting back in his chair, he intertwined his fingers behind his head and grinned. Blackmail! The son-of-a-bitch actually accused him of blackmail. Well, he should have paid attention because Howard Jergens was serious. He was not the typical reporter. He made sure his subjects paid if they did not cooperate. These two super-heroes were about to take a fall.
3
The intercom on Paul Drake's desk buzzed. He frowned and dropped his hamburger on the desk. Grabbing the phone, he barked into the receiver, "Yeah."
"Mister Drake, this really does not pertain to business, but I think you should take a look at the Spicy Bits site," his phone operator told him.
Paul rolled his eyes. He was being interrupted from eating his hamburger for this? "Now, just why would I want to look at that garbage?"
"Because Mister Mason and Miss Street is the subject of this garbage."
Paul quickly dropped the phone back into the cradle and booted up his computer. When it was ready, he typed in . There on the front page of the site was a picture of Perry Mason on one side and Robert Ironside on the other. The headline read ... "A Kink in their Armor?" As he read down the article, the contents made him sick to his stomach. He could not believe Jergens had the nerve to put this garbage into print. When he finished, he jumped out of his chair and out of his office.
"I'll be down at Perry's office if anyone needs me." He was out the door and sprinting down the hall as fast as his long legs would carry him.
When he reached Mason's office, he rapped his code knock on the door with his knuckles. The door opened almost immediately.
A smiling Della Street greeted their favorite private detective. "Hello, Paul." She noticed the serious look on his face. He did not smile and most noticeably, he did not greet her with his usual "Hi Beautiful."
Drake pushed his way past her. Perry looked up at him and knew immediately something was wrong. "What is it, Paul?"
"You better boot up your computer and check out Spicy Bits," he suggested.
"Why would I look at that garbage?" Mason said disgustedly. However, he was afraid he knew exactly why.
Della went around Mason's desk and did just that. After booting up the computer, she brought up the Spicy Bits site. Perry groaned as he saw the pictures of Robert Ironside and himself. They began to read the article.
SPICY BITS EXCLUSIVE REPORT
A Kink in their Armor?
by Howard Jergens
For some time now, Perry Mason and Robert Ironside, the half-brothers who were a product of an affair, (Mason's father having been married to another at the time of the affair) have been treated like super heroes. However, this article will show their adoring public that they are anything but. They pretend to be the virtues of honesty when, in fact, they are not.
We will start with Perry Mason. Is he honest with his clients? The answer is no. Mason allows his clients to believe that Miss Della Street is strictly his confidential secretary, when in fact; she is much more than that out of the courtroom. Spicy Bits has received irrefutable information that the apartment Miss Street has her home address listed is nothing but a means to hide her real place of residence. She actually resides at the same address as her boss, Perry Mason. Their relationship has been a source of gossip for many years. Why is neither Mason nor Street seen in the company of anyone other than each other? Perry Mason used to be quite the ladies man until Della Street came into his employ.
How can any woman respect either one of them? Mason obviously doesn't respect Miss Street, or he would not be living with her outside of marriage. He has taken advantage of a woman who works for him and forced himself on her. He is the typical wolf in the office. As far as Della Street is concerned, she is living with her boss. That should tell you the kind of woman she is.
So if Mason cannot be honest about Della Street being his lover, than how can his clients expect him to be honest about anything else? Oh yes, the everyone knows how successful he has been. That does not make him an honest attorney. He has been brought up in front of Grand Jury, and the District Attorney's office has certainly had its problems with the manner in which Mason skirts the law. Judge for yourself. Go back on the Los Angeles Newspapers and you will find many a headlines with Mason's unethical behavior in and out of the courtroom.
And now, we get to Robert Ironside. As everyone now knows, he is the older half-brother of Perry Mason. He too is less than honest despite his record in the San Francisco Police Department.
Like Mason, he has a woman problem. This woman is not a member of his staff, although it would not surprise this reporter if he was having an affair with his pretty policewoman. The woman in question is Alexandra Hughes. We have discovered through our investigation that Ironside had an affair with this woman many years ago.
Those in San Francisco have probably heard about the Chinese Exhibit that is in their city. You probably also know that same exhibit is back in town for the next week.
The last time the exhibit was in town, there was an attempt to steal the Tiger, a very old and valuable artifact. Alexandra Hughes was one of three thieves that successfully stole the Tiger. Although the police caught the other two, Alexandra Hughes was able to elude them, and by police, I mean Chief Robert T. Ironside. The city's most famous cop watched her speed away and claimed he was unable to obtain the license plate number or the make and model of the car.
This information would not be of interest under normal circumstances since Ironside had to get out of the way of the vehicle to keep from being run down. What the people of San Francisco were not told is that Robert Ironside was seen eating with Alexandra Hughes and once again spending much time with her before her attempt to steal the Tiger. The two of them went together to look at a house outside of San Francisco for purchase. Did Ironside and Hughes rekindle their affair? It looks that way. That makes Ironside's actions where Alexandra Hughes is concerned questionable. Can he be believed when he says he did not get the license plate of the vehicle she was driving? Did he purposely allow her to get away because of their affair? Spicy Bits believes that is exactly what happened.
That makes Ironside a dishonest cop, one who believes he is God; making decisions as to whether Alexander Hughes should go to jail based on his affair with her.
At the very least, Ironside is guilty of not being honest; he hid his relationship with Hughes and rekindled their affair when he already knew who and what she was. At worst, he should be brought up on charges for letting Hughes get away because he spent many a nights with her.
There you are, Los Angeles and San Francisco, your super heroes are not so super after all.
Perry and Della finished the article about the same time. Neither of them said anything, the look on their faces said it all.
"Perry, can't you sue him? He is attacking your integrity," Drake said. "If I get my hands on him... "
"You are not to touch him, Paul. Suing him would only keep this in the papers."
"So what are you going to do?" Paul asked.
"Nothing. Perry is right, if he sues, it would only prolong the time this is in the gossip columns. The relationship between Perry and me is no one's business. At least one good thing has come out of this," Della said.
Perry and Paul looked at her. "What good exactly has come out of this?" Paul asked.
"Well, with Jergens announcing to the whole world where my place of residence is, there is no reason to keep my apartment. That will save us some money," Della said.
"We won't have to rent anymore adjoining rooms. We can just rent one room. That will save money too," Perry added.
"I can't believe you two! He calls you unethical and attacks your integrity, calls Della... for lack of a better word loose, and the two of you stand there making wise cracks."
Trying to defuse Paul's defense of the them, Perry said, "Paul, a law suit is exactly what he wants. It would prolong the publicity that much longer. Della and I have always been the subject of the gossip columns. I think most people know that is what Spicy Bits is, simply gossip. I will not give into blackmail. I have seen too much of it to know the blackmailer doesn't just take the money and go away. If you pay them once, they figure you will pay them twice, and three times, and four times. You will never get rid of them. I will not reward this crook with anything. We can withstand the gossip."
Drake looked at Della. "You agree with that?"
"Yes, Paul, I do. Perry is right; he would never quit sticking his nose into our business if we gave him what he wants. This way it is just gossip. We are used to that. What I am sure Perry is more worried about is Robert. This man is accusing him of being a dirty cop. It goes right to his reputation."
"And it doesn't go to yours?" Paul could believe them. They were being attacked and they were worried about Ironside, who had proven he could take care of himself. "Well, if you won't sue, then I think it is time someone takes this guy down. I will do it for you." Drake headed for the door. "At no charge." He added and slammed the door on his way out.
Perry sighed. Looking at his beautiful secretary, he asked, "Are you really okay with the way I am handling this?"
She looked up into those deep blue eyes. "I trust your judgement. I always have. What are you going to do?"
Chuckling, he answered, "As far as us, nothing. Paul will handle that. I am worried about Bob. I think I better give him a call and warn him."
4
Ironside remained silent after his staff left his office. He sat in his wheelchair staring at Alexandra.
When she could no longer handle the look in his eyes, she said, "Bob, I know how you must feel about me. I want you to know I have never stopped loving you. It is the reason I am here today."
He shook his head before replying, "I dont think you know the meaning of the word, Alexandra. How can you stand there and tell me you still love me after what you did?"
She sat down beside him, placing a hand over his. He pulled his hand from beneath her grip and waited for an explanation he knew would never be adequate. "Bob, I dropped the Tiger because I knew its theft would reflect on you. I could not live with hurting you. If I did not care about you, I could have simply driven right into you."
"That would have been murder. Are you capable of that too, Alexandra?" Ironside demanded.
"No, I could not kill, especially you. My feelings for you would not have allowed it even if I was capable of killing."
He remained quiet for a moment before asking, "Why are you here?"
"I told you, I want to help you prevent the theft of the Tiger. I owe you that much."
The door to the office opened and Katherine walked in. She came down the ramp and walked over to the table. She stared at Alexandra in amazement. Katherine felt like she was looking in a mirror. The resemblance the woman at the table had to her was nothing short of amazing. It reminded her of the resemblance between Robert and his brother, Perry Mason.
There was an awkward silence before Ironside regained his composure of having both of these women in his office at the same time. He had never thought about how much Katherine looked like Alexandra before. He was certain it played a part in why he was so attracted to Katherine to begin with. "Katherine Denuerve, this is Alexandra Hughes."
Katherine could feel the undercurrent in the room. She immediately began to wonder who the woman was and what she had meant to Robert. It could not be coincidence that Robert and this woman became so uncomfortable the second she approached them.
"How do you do, Katherine? It is a pleasure to meet you," Alexandra said.
Katherine nodded. She could not help the growing feeling this woman was a threat to her relationship with Robert. "Thank you." She said nothing for a moment before saying, "How do you know Robert?"
"Well, I I just came to tell him about an attempt to steal the Tiger from Chinese Exhibit. I have done that; I will be going now." She just wanted to get out of his office and away from the woman who now held the love of the man she loved. She could not bear to see him belonging to someone else. Alexandra headed up the ramp before Ironside stopped her.
"Alexandra, I am afraid I cannot let you go. Please wait outside. I trust you to not try to get away," he told her.
"I will not go anywhere, Bob. I will wait." She turned and left his office.
Katherine sat down beside him. When he said nothing, she asked, "Who is she to you?"
Not having the time to tell her everything, Ironside replied, "She is the woman that got away when the first attempt on stealing the Tiger was made. Her accomplices are here in town to try again. She came to warn me." He told her nothing more.
She looked at the door to his office. Something was not right. "And you trust her not to leave? Robert, I dont understand. She has every reason to try and get away."
"Ed and Eve would have both elevators covered by now. She would never get out of the building."
"Who is she?"
"I just told you who she is." Changing the subject, he took her hand. "Now, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" He squeezed slightly.
Katherine was sure he was avoiding answering her question, but she would let it go for now. "We have a lunch date, Robert. Have you forgotten?"
With everything that was going on, he certainly had forgotten. "I am sorry, Katherine. I meant to call you. I cannot get away today. I have to get to the bottom of this attempt to steal the Tiger."
"But, you told me Carl Reese would be handling the security of the Chinese exhibit."
"That was before I found out there was going to be another attempt to steal it. I promise I will call you tonight," Ironside told her, hoping she would accept the dismissal.
She sat there looking at him for a moment, and then decided to trust him. It was not the first time his work interfered with their plans. Smiling at him, she said, "Alright Robert, I understand. I will talk to you tonight."
As she turned to go, Ironside grabbed her arm, turned her back to him and reached behind her neck. He pulled her down into a passionate kiss. Katherine knew something was amiss with the intensity of the kiss. She smiled, touched his cheek and let his office.
Ironside picked up the phone and called the main desk. When it was answered by the duty officer, he barked, "Tell Sergeant Brown and Officer Whitfield to report to me immediately."
The door to the office opened and Alexandra returned. She could not help but notice the look Katherine had given her as she passed her in the hallway. The woman already suspected there was or had been something going on between Bob and herself. She wondered exactly what Bob had told her. She was clearly upset.
"See, I am still here," she smiled. "That should help you to trust me."
"You could not have gone anywhere, Ed and Eve have the elevators covered," he told her.
It hurt to have him say that. She here to help him; she knew that he would be forced to arrest her. She chose to say nothing, despite the pain he had just caused her. She supposed she deserved the comment, but it hurt nonetheless.
The door to the office opened. Ed and Eve returned and came down the ramp. They joined their boss at the table.
"Alexandra, you know I cannot just release you?"
"Yes, Robert, I am aware of that."
"If you are sincere about helping us to stop the theft of the Tiger, then we will have to know what those plans are," he informed her.
"Yes, I know that too. It is exactly what I had planned to do," Alexandra said.
"So, if I release you, do I have your word that you will go back to Schneider and Blaine, and report everything back to me?"
"Chief!" Ed and Eve said at the same time.
Ironside ignored their protest, keeping his attention on Alexandra. His intense stare was unnerving to her. She had never been the receipt of such scrutiny from him.
"I told you I am here to help you stop the theft of the Tiger. I will surrender myself to you as soon as you have Eli and Louis in custody. I give you my word."
"Then you better get back to them before they become suspicious of you. And stay away from this office. It will be a dead give-away that you are helping me if they find out you were here."
Ed and Eve's eyes were as big as saucers. They could not believe the chief was going to let her leave the office. However, they said nothing.
Alexandra nodded. She reached for Ironside's hand, which he promptly pulled away. She looked down away from his staring eyes. She could not bear to see what was in them. "Alright, Bob, I will keep in close touch." She turned and left his office.
Ed reached for the phone, informing the officers to let her pass per Chief Ironside.
Eve looked at her boss. "Chief, I hope you know what you are doing. You are not letting her cloud your judgement, are you?"
"I always know what I am doing and no one is clouding my judgement, he snarled. "Ed, get out here and follow her."
Brown left the office on the run. Ironside looked at the doubt on Eve Whitfield's face; he knew it was justified. He hoped he had not misjudged Alexandra again. More importantly, he hoped his judgement was not clouded by her as Eve suspected. Despite the fact that he knew he loved Katherine, Alexandra was still able to stir something in him.
He sat there feeling the eyes of his pretty policewoman on him.