The Case of the Stolen Artifact
Chapter 9
1
Katherine Deneurve sat by the fireplace with a glass of wine. She had been crying. Crying for what just might be a lost love. No wonder Robert had been so attracted to her. She looked just like someone from his past. Katherine realized Alexandra Hughes could be her twin sister. She now suspected Robert was trying to bring back a woman from his past when he started seeing her.
She had fallen for him the moment she met him when he was on his way to Montreal while investigating the bombings going on in San Francisco. Robert had suspected the city was being targeted because of his involvement in helping the Montreal police arrest members of the Revolution Underground. Katherine had found out later on that Robert had another lost love, who just happened to be the mother of his son, Robert Duvalier. At least the Duvalier woman did not look like Katherine.
She took another sip of her wine. When she met Robert, he had been seeing Barbara Jones. She was unable to handle the danger Robert's job sometimes put him and her in. She had been tied to a bomb in the tunnels under San Francisco; it had been her breaking point. Barbara left the Golden Gate city and Robert Ironside. That cleared the way for Katherine to spend time with him. Over the months that followed, she only found herself more in love with him. He had been the man she had been seeking all of her life. After her husband, who drank himself nearly to death, Robert Ironside seemed like prince charming, her knight in shining armor.
Now, all of that seemed to be falling apart. Why did Alexandra Hughes have to come back into his life? What did she have that would entice Robert to kiss her? Didn't they have a strong enough relationship that he would easily be able to put her behind him? Obviously not.
She would have to confront him. If she was to lose him, she wanted to know exactly why. Didn't he love her as much as she loved him? She thought so, but now she had to find out for sure. It was time she asked him to explain the kiss. He owed her that much after all they had meant to each other. Katherine pulled another Kleenex out of the box. She wiped her eyes. She needed to go out to the vineyards and speak with her foreman. Before doing that, she had to pull herself together first.
The business phone rang. Glancing over at it, she really did not want to talk to anyone until she got control of her emotions, yet she did not want to turn away any possible business either. Katherine stood up and walked into the room she had dedicated to her business. Arriving at the desk, she picked up the receiver and announced, "Denuerve Vineyards."
"Is this Katherine Denureve," the accented voice asked.
"It is. May I help you?"
You certainly may!" said the excited caller. "My name is Francois Montre. I run a wine business in Paris. I have been trying to reach you. You were recommended by a friend of mine in the United States. I am sure you know him. His name is Robert Ironside. I would like to add American wines to my store and Bob says yours are the best in California. My partner is seeking to add the wines of one of your competitors. We have decided that which ever one of us can sign a vineyard to provide us with their wine first is the one we will add. Would you be willing to fly to Paris and present us with history of your vineyard, how long you have been in business and some samples? I would cover your airfare to and from Paris, as well as put you up in a hotel. It would be imperative that you fly here immediately. I already have set up your flight."
Katherine's problems with Robert were forgotten for the moment. "How much business are we talking about?"
"Oh we have rather large wine sales. We would need at least one thousand bottles a month," he said.
One Thousand bottles a month! Katherine could not believe it! That would be an excellent client if she could land them and could catch the attention of others. But what was the company? "Francois, what is the name of your company?"
"Montre and Sons Wine. Well, actually we obviously use the French word for sons. Both of my boys work in the business, along with my brother, who is my partner."
Katherine knew of the company and it was big. Yes, it could be a huge company indeed. "How soon would you need me to fly out?"
"Immediately. Today as a matter of fact. I have a flight out of San Francisco set up for you if you would be willing to come today."
Today! Katherine wasn't prepared to leave that quickly! "I would need more time than that to set up arrangements."
"I have already set up your arrangements, Mrs. Denuerve, and I am afraid that is all the time I can give you. My brother has another vineyard owner from the States coming today as well. Please, if Bob says you are the best, there is no doubt you are, and I want the best. What do you say?"
"Well, I suppose I could get packed. What time is the flight?"
"In one hour, from San Francisco International Airport," Francois said.
"One hour! That will be difficult, but I can make it. I will have to call Robert and let him know that I am leaving the country for a few days."
"Don't worry about Bob, I will make that call for you. You just be on that flight!"
"Well, alright. I guess I can call him from Paris. I will be there," she said.
"Thank you, Mrs. Denuerve. I look forward to doing business with you. If your wine is as good as Bob says, I have a feeling this is going to be a long and fruitful relationship." The line went dead.
At the other end of the phone, the man grinned. It was all set; Katherine Denuerve was headed out of the country. Now all he had to do was get Tracy Oliver out of the country as well. The wheels were set in motion. With those two unavailable, Mason would not be able to prove the visits they made were by anyone but Alexandra Hughes. Tonight was the night. Howard Jurgens wanted to be at the museum; well it would be the last place he would ever be.
2
Perry Mason studied the police manual for procedures for Internal Affairs investigations. It clearly stated the commissioner had to sign off on any investigation of a high-ranking police officer. Robert Ironside clearly fit into that category since the City Council changed the pecking order of the ranking officers. His brother was second only to Commissioner Randall. If that was not a high ranking officer, then he didn't know what was.
"Well?" Ironside asked.
"According to what the City Council passed, the Internal Affairs cannot investigate a high-ranking police officer on their own," Perry told him. "Only the commissioner can order that. He has to sign off on it."
Ed Brown sat down at the table beside his boss. "What constitutes a high-ranking officer?"
"That is the part that bothers me," Mason said.
"In other words, Perry, it doesn't say," Della surmised.
"Exactly, but how can Internal Affairs argue that Bob's position, with only Commissioner Randall over him, isn't a high-ranking officer?"
"You would be surprised what Internal Affairs will argue," Eve said.
"Eve is right," Ed said. "What can you do to protect the chief to make sure they don't relieve him of duty?"
"I think everyone is missing the point," Mark said from the kitchen.
"What point?" Ed asked.
"I think what Mark is trying to say," Perry explained, "is why is the mayor so intent on removing Bob from his duties?
"Because he is a basic coward," Ironside said. "He has been the mayor of this town for ten years. The people keep electing him. And what is this?"
"An election year," Eve said.
"Exactly," Ironside confirmed. "He wants his little world to remain nice and quiet. Any scandal or hint of one where I am concerned might hurt his chances of re-election, at least in his mind."
"So would he sacrifice the chief to insure his election?" Mark asked.
"Pat Simpson knows me," Ironside said. "He knows fully well if I could have stopped Alexandra, I would have. He is simply worried that the people of San Francisco will be up-in-arms if they perceive him to be weak on investigating any wrong doing on my part. It has nothing to do with me and everything to do with him. And yes, Mark, he would sacrifice me without a second thought.
"He has supported me on controversial investigations because he felt he would have more grief if he didn't than if he did. I have dealt with the man for years. He sticks his finger in the wind to make a decision."
"Or consults the latest poll," Eve said.
"So the question is, will he try to say that the chief doesn't fall in the category of a high-ranking officer?" Ed asked.
"How could he possibly do that?" Della said. "He is second only to the commissioner."
"And the City Council would not overrule Commissioner Randall's decision not to investigate the chief. I don't see how he has a leg to stand on," Mark pointed out.
"Just because the Council would not authorize it, it won't stop Simpson," Ironside said. "And believe me, depending on how much grief he gets from the newspapers and the people of San Francisco, it will dictate how much he pushes this investigation."
"Perry, why don't you file a suit against the mayor?" Della asked. "He doesn't have the authority to order the investigation, and you could claim it is harming Robert's reputation.
Mason shook his head. "If I did that, the papers would start covering it for sure. No, I think the best thing to do is take a wait and see attitude. This may blow over before that becomes necessary."
"Or it might escalate forcing the commissioner's hand," Della countered.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Mason said.
"In the meantime, Ed and Eve go home. Carl called and said everything is quiet at the museum. Officer Duffy has taken over the night watch. Let's all get some rest. We know Schneider and Blaine are not going to strike tonight, or we would have heard from Alexandra." Ironside wheeled away from the table.
Ed and Eve left the office as the chief wheeled to the closest phone. He dialed Katherine's number and waited for an answer. He was disappointed when she did not pick up. Ironside wanted to invite her over to join him, Perry and Della.
After hanging up the phone, he wheeled his chair over to the television. "The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams are playing. How would you like to place a bet on the winner?"
"That would be like taking candy from a baby, Bob. Are you sure you want to make that bet?" Perry asked. Della smiled. The ever present competition between the two men was about to renew once again.
"Twenty-dollars says the 49ers win," Ironside said.
"Twenty-dollars! The last of the big-time spenders," Perry said, winking at Della. "You're on, Bob. I will be happy to relieve you of your money.
3
Tracy Oliver sat by the phone. How many times had she done this? Sitting by the phone waiting for Bob Ironside to call, it was so familiar. She had done it a lot after their date. It had been such a wonderful evening, she had been sure there would be many more. Granted, they had called each other, but always the other was busy and unable to respond at the time.
Tracy just never could get that particular man out of her mind. Not since the first time she met him as a beat cop. Now she supposed it was too late since she had heard there was a woman in his life and the relationship was very serious. Yet, she had so been looking forward to seeing Bob Ironside when he had called and asked her to come to the museum. She had found it particularly odd that he wasn't there when she arrived, and even more odd that he had not called and let her know he could not be there. Tracy would have waited to go in if she had known. She would have much preferred to go when she could see him as well.
Tracy picked up the cigarette package that she had purchase after she left the museum. She had not smoked in years, and when Bob was not at the museum, she had been so disappointed; she started up the habit again. Taking one of the cigarettes out of the pack, she lit it with the lighter she had also purchased. Tracy took a long puff from the cigarette. She frowned as it did not provide her with the satisfaction it once had. In fact, it tasted terrible. Why did she ever buy them in the first place? She needed a different nervous habit if she was going to sit by the phone waiting for Bob Ironside to call her…..if he ever did.
She stepped over to the doorway of her sitting room and watched as her father was reading the San Francisco Chronicle. At least she did not have to listen to the noise of football games as he never watched them. Her husband used to watch football every fall, and the noise of the games would get on her nerves. However, if she could just sit with Bob Ironside, she was certain she could get to like football as much as he did.
Tracy shook her head. She had to stop thinking about him. She had somewhat been able to accomplish that until he called and left word for her to come to the museum. Now she could not get him out of her mind again.
The phone beside her rang. Her heart started beating faster, hoping it was the melodic voice of one San Francisco detective. Picking up the receiver, she identified herself. She was disappointed when the voice was clearly French.
"May I speak with Mrs. Tracy Oliver."
"This is she," Tracy told him.
"Fabulous! Mrs. Oliver, my name is Nino Martini. I am with Loren Real Estate. A while back you were interested in a villa in Rome."
"Yes, I remember. It was sold out from underneath me." Tracy remembered it well. She was supposed to have the first right of refusal and the agent had sold it to the other buyer who had offered more. It was his loss as she was willing to pay much more than she had offered.
"Yes, well I apologize for that. I would not have done that. The agent who did was fired. We do not treat our clients in that manner. Anyway, I am calling because the deal fell through. I was wondering if you were still interested in the property."
Tracy became very excited. The villa was beautiful in a gorgeous section of the city. "Yes, yes, I would be very interested!"
"Splendid! Would you be willing to fly to Rome immediately? I am afraid there are others looking at it as well, but I wanted to give you a chance to purchase it first."
"How soon would you need me to come?" Tracy asked.
"Immediately. Can you get a flight out tonight?" Nino wondered.
"Yes, there is a midnight flight leaving San Francisco International. I will book a seat on it."
"Excellent! I will await your arrival at the airport. Don't worry about calling me back with the flight number; there is only one flight originating from your city at that hour. I do hope you will be able to purchase the villa, it is very beautiful. Until then." He hung up the phone.
Tracy immediately dialed the San Francisco International Airport.
5
Alexandra Hughes was awakened at two o'clock in the morning by the sound of pounding on her door. Reaching over, she turned on the light beside the bed. The pounding continued while she put on a robe. "Just a minute!"
Eli better not be getting any ideas. He was not going to be joining her. Arriving at the door, she stood close to it and called out, "Who is it?"
"Louis, Alexandra. Open the door."
She shook her head. "Louis, it is late. What do you want?"
"Open the damn door or I will kick it in!" he shouted.
Not liking the tone of his voice, but knowing he would do exactly as he said, she unlocked the door, but only opened it a crack. Louis pushed it open, nearly knocking her over. He came into her bedroom followed by Eli.
"Get dressed. We go tonight," Eli said.
"What? You must be kidding, we are not ready," she said, trying to stall them. She had to have time to inform Robert when it was going down. Alexandra had not expected them to spring it on her, they never had before.
"Get dressed, we are going tonight," Eli repeated.
"I am not ready," she objected.
"Ready for what, Alexandra? To inform Ironside?" Eli said.
Shock appeared on her face that she was sure she had not been able to hide. "What are you talking about?"
Eli laughed. "Don't play innocent with us. We know you have been in his office a couple times. We know you made a deal with him. Well, you are not going to tell your lover-boy. We have no intentions of allowing that. Now, get dressed."
"No, I want no part of this. You can do it on your own. I am leaving here tonight." She turned her back on them and grabbed clothes out of her suitcase.
Louis walked over and backhanded her across the face. "Did you really think we would not keep a close eye on you? We knew you could not be trusted where Ironside is concerned. You proved that when you threw the Tiger out of the window. You could have held onto it, sold it or kept it until we got out to share the profits, but no, you had to throw it out the window so lover-boy didn't look bad. We served time because of you for nothing."
"And now, you are going to pay for that," Eli said. "You are going to do your part and steal the Tiger, and your punishment for what you did to us will be you are not going to get one cent when it is fenced."
"I am not helping you," she said, rubbing her face where Louis had struck her.
Eli pulled a gun. "That's what you think. I am only going to tell you one more time to get dress and then I am going to do it for you."
Alexandra knew she had no choice. She could not chance whether Eli would actually shoot her. She worried what Bob would think. Would he believe her when she told him they did not tell her when the heist would take place? He had trusted her to set these men up and if they were successful, it would look like she double-crossed him.
"Alright, leave the room, so I can get dressed," she said.
"So you can slip out the window or call Ironside? Not a chance. We both have seen naked women before," Eli said with a smirk.
Obviously they would afford her no privacy. She had nothing on under the robe, but a slim, see-through nightgown. Alexandra grabbed panties and a bra out of her suitcase. She slipped on the panties under her robe and nightgown. With a sweater and pair of slacks close at hand, she turned away from the men and dropped her robe to put on the bra. She discreetly glanced in the mirror on the vanity to her right. Both men were looking in it as they watched her dress. Alexandra felt so violated, aware that it gave them a side view of her body. She put on her sweater, slacks and a pair of flat shoes. Grabbing her purse, she walked toward them.
Blaine ripped the purse from her hands and threw it on the bed. "You won't need that." He grabbed her by the arm. "Let's go."
"I'll join you in a minute," Eli told him. Blaine nodded with a smile as he roughly pulled Alexandra out of the room.
A few minutes later all three were in the car and headed for the museum. When they arrived, Blaine parked the car in the shadows in the back parking lot, which was used for employees.
Alexandra, who had been forced to sit in the back seat of the vehicle with Eli Schneider, was pulled out of the vehicle by him. Grabbing her arm, they headed for the employee entrance of the museum. Louis pulled out his cellphone and typed in 'We are here, open up.'
On the inside of the museum in the video surveillance room, Kevin Powers felt his cellphone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the message from Louis. He pressed a button on the keyboard, which switched the camera that covered the employee door to a prerecorded video. It would later again be turned back to the camera to record. The entrance and the exit of those principles involved would not be recorded for the police to look at later on.
Leaving the video room Kevin Powers headed for the door which all employees entered with a security card. He used his own security card and swiped it down the reader. The door lock disengaged. Kevin opened the door and handed the security card to Blaine and closed it again.
Blaine took Alexandra's hand and put the card in it. "You will hold onto this. Closing the door, he said, "Go ahead, Alexandra, go right in." He knocked on the door to let Kevin know she was coming in. Kevin pressed a button on the remote control he had in his hand to set the camera to record. He stepped out of the camera's range. Alexandra came in and the door closed behind her. She had in her hand Kevin Power's security card.
Then Kevin pressed a button on the remote control he had in his hand and called out. "Come on in."
Blaine and Schneider entered the Museum.
"Is this Hughes?" he asked them. Eli had called him and changed the plan around. He told him about Howard Jurgens and that Alexandra had been trying to set them up with Ironside.
"She is the one that will be removing the Tiger. She knows how to get around your system with some minor explosives," Eli said.
"Are we sharing the profits with her? No one told me they would have to be divided with her and Jurgens," he complained.
"Don't worry, she is not getting a dime," Eli said, "but Jurgens is. We don't have a choice."
There was a knock on the door. Since the lock had already been disengaged, Eli opened it and let Howard Jurgens in.
"Hello, gentlemen." Jurgens looked at Alexandra Hughes. "I have been looking forward to meeting you, Miss Hughes. I want to thank you for providing the distraction and the eventual blame for this little caper. Your Chief Ironside is not made of iron after all. Your relationship with him will be front and center on my news site starting tomorrow."
"News site? It is nothing but garbage," she sneered. "What is to stop me from telling Robert Ironside about every one of you?"
"Well, you see, Miss Hughes, the whole idea of having you walk in first was to record it. You alone will take the blame for the missing Tiger," Kevin told her.
"You underestimate Bob Ironside," she said.
"Oh, I don't think we will have to worry about him," Jurgens said. "You see my site will give us all the cover we need. The city will be in such an uproar about Chief Ironside allowing you to steal the Tiger, that they will demand the Internal Affairs investigation Commissioner Randall would not allow. Your boyfriend won't even be able to investigate. Even if he believes you, no one else will, nor will they believe him, not when I get done with him. Now gentlemen, can we get on with it. The longer we linger here, the more chance of getting caught."
"Is everything set, Kevin?" Louis asked.
"Of course, it is."
"Okay, then. Eli, would you instruct Miss Hughes to get our prize, please?"
Eli Schneider, held the gun on Alexandra. She noticed right away he had added a silencer to the barrel. "Go get the Tiger."
Officer Duffy had been in his small room off the curator's office. Looking into the video screens, he did not like the fluttering that was happening in front of him. He noticed one on the employee door and then it happened again. He thought he had heard voices. The chief had told him the Tiger was safe for the night, but Duffy knew he had been wrong about Alexandra Hughes before. It was best he checked it out.
Leaving the room, he went through the curator's office and headed down the stairs with his gun drawn. If he was wrong, the chief was going to kill him as he was about to blow his cover. He would show up on the cameras and the guard would know he was there. He quietly walked down the stairs. When he got to the landing, he could hear voices. Eli Schneider was holding a gun on Alexandra Hughes and ordering her to steal the Tiger.
So that was it. They were going to force her to do it and probably blame the theft on her. Duffy pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and sent a text message to Chief Ironside. He did not dare take the chance of calling him. He did not want to be heard. Nor was he going to allow these people to steal the Tiger and blame Alexandra Hughes. Duffy alone was going to have to stop them. He could not depend on the chief to see the text message. It would be shear luck if Ironside even heard the sound notifying him of a text message. Hell, it would be shear luck if he even had the phone in his office. He was known to leave it on the dashboard of his van.
The officer moved down the stairs quietly. If he could come up behind them, Duffy would be able to surprise them. He knew at least one of them had a gun. He would wait just long enough to see if the chief got his message and sent backup. Duffy remained out of sight and waited.
Alexandra Hughes went into the main room of the museum where the Tiger was encased in a special kind of glass. As soon as she got into the room, she was picked up by the cameras.
There was a lock at the bottom of the encasement. She pulled the putty out of her purse, along with some wires and set up the small explosives. After blowing the case, she removed the Tiger, all the while knowing Eli was still holding the gun on her. She headed back for the employee entrance.
Duffy could wait no longer, he stepped in behind them and ordered them to put their hands in the air. Eli dropped the gun as ordered, but Louis quickly pulled the gun from his pocket and shot Officer Duffy in the chest. He fell to the floor.
"Why the hell didn't you tell us he was here?" Eli snarled.
"Because I didn't know he was," Kevin said. "No one told me there was going to be a cop in here."
Blaine put his gun away. When Alexandra re-entered the hallway, she heard the shot. The police officer was laying on the floor, bleeding from the chest. Her eyes widen as she also saw Howard Jurgens laying on the floor with his eyes staring at the ceiling. There was not much doubt he was dead. Kevin Powers was nowhere in sight.
"Alexandra, you are on your own," Eli said. He opened the door and headed out.
Alexandra Hughes felt a stinging pain on the back of her head and slumped to the floor; her world turned dark as she fell into unconsciousness.
6
The police station alarm went off. The officer monitoring the board checked to see where the alarm was originating from. When he discovered the location, his eyes widen. He picked up the phone and called the dispatcher. "Send as many squad cars as you can spare to the Museum of Arts and History. The alarm has been activated. The officer then made the call to the occupant on the top floor.
After waiting through several rings, a sleepy chief said, "Ironside."
"Chief, the alarm just went off at the museum."
Ironside got a sick feeling in his stomach. Had she just suckered him again? Fully awake now, he shouted, "Mark! Mark!"
Startled out of his slumber, Sanger hopped out of bed and ran to the chief's bedroom. "Chief, what is it?"
"Get me out of this bed and into a suit! And call Ed, Eve and Carl. Tell them to get over to the museum right away!"
Perry and Della entered the room. "What's going on, Bob?"
"The museum alarm just went off," he told his brother.
Mason and Street looked at each other. This was all they needed. Protecting his brother just became more complicated.