The Case of the Stolen Artifact
Chapter 15
1
Murray Simmons entered his office. He could not remember being more troubled. He did not believe Robert Ironside was guilty of any misconduct. Unfortunately, whenever lawyers were involved, they made sure their clients clammed up. As far as he was concerned, it was the worse possible thing he could have done. Since the principals to be interviewed were all members of Ironside's staff, nothing new would become of this incident. To anyone that wasn't trying to smear the chief, it was obvious there was nothing he could have done to stop Alexandra Hughes from getting away.
Simmons walked around his desk and sat down heavily. Why had Bob hired Ben Matlock as an attorney when his own brother was perhaps the most celebrated attorney in the country? Something was at play and it wasn't good. Someone in the department was trying to frame Ironside by using that robbery by Alexandra Hughes. If they got away with it Bob Ironside could be facing an accessory to a murder charge. They would most certainly tie in the current robbery and the murder of Howard Jurgens. Murray was not about to allow that to happen.
He already suspected Sergeant Terry Cox as being part of the conspiracy. He was far to eager to be part of the internal investigation. Murray didn't trust him. He never trusted him. He had harbored a dislike for Robert Ironside. Bob had halted his advancement in the department. Would that attitude be enough that he would want to destroy Ironside?
There was a knock on his door. Murray looked up to see Terry Cox through the window. He sighed, but waved him in with his hand. The door opened and Cox entered.
"You interrogated Ironside. Why didn't you tell me? Why wasn't I there? I had questions I wanted to ask him. You intend to sweep this under the rug, don't you?"
"I am the ranking officer in this department. I don't answer to you, Sergeant. You answer to me. I did not need you at that interview," Simmons said calmly. "And don't bother to ask why, because I don't have to justify myself to you."
"Of course not. Besides that was supposed to be an interrogation, not an interview. What did Ironside say?" Cox demanded.
"Not much. His attorney showed up."
"So Mason would not let him talk," Cox said with satisfaction. It was accepted among cops if a perp lawyered up, he was guilty as hell.
"Mason is not his attorney. Ben Matlock from Atlanta is, and Bob Ironside is not a perp."
Cox looked at Simmons with surprise. "Why didn't he hire his own brother? My understanding was Mason was representing him."
"He was. But, he is now representing Alexandra Hughes. He can't represent both of them. It would be a conflict of interest," Murray said.
"That just proves he is guilty as hell. He may have a hand in the robbery and murder of Howard Jurgens." Cox was giddy .
"Don't be ridiculous, Bob Ironside did no such thing. Nor did he let Hughes get away the first time. Let's put you in a wheelchair and have a two-thousand pound car barreling down on you and see if you can stop it. It won't hold water, Sergeant, and you know it. He is not guilty of anything."
"Then why is he hiding behind a lawyer?" Cox snarled.
"Because of guys like you. You are too eager to punish him for stalling your career; you are blinded by the fact that you deserved it, and this is nothing but revenge against Ironside. Keep it up and you will find yourself without a job. If Ironside brands you crooked, there isn't a police department anywhere in the country that will hire you," Murray warned.
"Threats? Do you really think that is going to stop me from investigating this properly. I am not letting you sweep this under the rug." Cox stormed out of Murray's office.
Simmons was worried about him. He didn't think he was above manufacturing evidence to destroy Ironside.
2
Paul looked around the restaurant until he located Perry and Della. Sitting in the back, they were secluded from everyone else. He headed over to join them. He looked at Della and smiled at her. "Hi Beautiful."
"Hello, Paul."
Perry glanced in his private eye's direction. "Hello, Paul, what do you have for me?"
"Well, just in case you haven't heard, Kevin Powers was murdered today."
Perry and Della were stunned. This was not news either of them were expecting. Before Perry could ask, Della questioned the detective. "What happened, Paul?"
"Well, I went over to the Museum, and by the way both Conrad McMasters and Mark Sanger were there as well." He told Perry and Della about being clobbered by what probably was the murderer; about how he got past Mark.
"Couldn't Mark identify him?" Mason asked.
"Unfortunately, Mark was standing too close to the door and when the murderer opened it, he was knocked off his feet. All he saw was a man in a suit running away from him."
"What about McMasters?" Mason inquired.
"No, he didn't see him either. I sent him in another direction when we discovered the back door was open."
Perry shook his head in disappointment. "I was going to use him as a witness for the defense. I think he was in on it. I believe he manipulated the video system. He had to have if Alexandra Hughes is innocent."
"Perry, is she?" Paul asked reluctantly
"Is she what?" Della prodded the detective.
"Is she innocent? Look, Perry, I am not trying to tell you your business, but she already tried to steal the Tiger once. Are you sure she did not try to do it again? Maybe the whole operation went bad, she killed Jurgens and shot Officer Duffy, then staged the rest to try to make herself look innocent."
"I don't believe that, Paul. Why was she knocked out to begin with? If she killed Jurgens and shot Duffy, then why didn't she get out of there? Then there is Bob. He says she doesn't have the temperament to kill. He knows her."
Paul leaned forward over the table. "You know as well as I do, you can't completely know anyone."
Della smiled, looked at Perry and said, "Oh, I don't know, Paul. I think it is very possible."
"Della, Chief Ironside had not seen her in years when she came back to San Francisco the last time to steal the Tiger. Just how well could he know her. She was a thief for cripes sake!"
"There is a big difference between being a thief and a murderer," Perry pointed out.
"Alright, you win, but I still think..." Paul stopped and then said, "What do you want me to do next?"
"I want you to prove Kevin Powers hacked into the video surveillance system. Eliminate any possibility Jurgens and my client knew each other in the past. We can cast at least some doubt."
"I don't see how that would cast any doubt; they could have cooked up the scheme. Hell, Perry, she could have been the one that fed the story about her and Ironside to begin with."
Mason smiled. "If she did, I am sure you will find evidence of it. I don't think you will."
"Anything else?" Drake asked.
"We need to get in the Museum and find the other bullet," Mason said.
"What other bullet? There were two bullets fired out of that gun. The one that killed Jurgens and the one that they took out of Officer Duffy."
"Paul, there has to be a third one if my client did not fire those two bullets. Someone put that gun in her hand and fired a bullet in order to get a positive paraffin test. It has to be in the Museum somewhere. Find it," Perry ordered, "and find Schneider and Blaine. They have that Tiger. We have to get it back for Bob's sake."
"Alright, I'll see what I can do. I have called up more men from Los Angeles to help locate those two. They can't hide forever. Ironside has this town bottled up. They can't get out."
"Unless they got out before Robert gave the order," Della pointed out.
"I don't think so," Mason said. "They may have tried, learning from the first time they stuck around. Bob said he had Ed and Eve call the airline, train stations and the bus stations. He also set up roadblocks which are still in existence."
"But for how long?" Paul questioned. "The City Council is not going to allow police manpower to stay there indefinitely."
"That is one of the reasons we have to move this case as fast as we can. I don't want them getting away. They are pretty good at getting lost."
Paul got up and headed for the door. "I'll be in touch."
After he left, Perry said, "The preliminary hearing starts tomorrow and we don't have much to go on yet."
Della watched the lawyer closely. "Exactly who are you worried about Alexandra Hughes or Robert?"
Perry looked up at Della. "Both." He threw some money on the table and they left the restaurant without ordering.
3
Driving as fast as he dared, Ironside headed back into San Francisco. He reached for the phone in the van. As he held it in his hand, he cursed the modern technology. He did not know Ed's or Eve's cellphone numbers. How was he supposed to call them? It was so much easier when he could just call Ed's car phone.
At least with the police phone in the van, he could go through headquarters. He waited for the dispatcher to come on the line. When he did, the chief informed him, "This is Ironside. Patch me through to Sergeant Brown."
"Yes, Chief. One moment," the dispatcher said.
"Hello, Chief," Ed said when he came on the line.
"Ed, where are you?"
"Eve and I are checking every house and apartment rented in the last two weeks. We are trying to find Baines and Schneider."
"Forget Baines and Schneider. Meet me back at the office, both of you." Ironside hung up the phone. Immediately after he heard a siren behind him. He looked in the review mirror and saw a police car with the siren swirling on the top of the car.
"Damn it!" Ironside cursed. He pulled the van over to the side of the road and waited for the officer to come to his window.
Without looking up to the chief's vehicle, the officer scolded its occupant. "Are you in a hurry, buddy? You were ten miles over the speed limit." He began writing out a ticket when he finally looked up. Being a newly hired patrol cop, he had not met Robert Ironside.
"As a matter of fact I am," Ironside replied, his tone rather short.
"I need to see your driver's license and proof of insurance," the officer said.
"You're kidding," Ironside said sarcastically.
"No I am not kidding and I suggest you comply immediately."
Ironside reached into his suit coat pocket and pulled out his detective's badge with the shield. "Will this suffice?" He stared at the young police officer.
The officer took the badge thinking the man's licence was inside. When he saw the picture and read the name Robert T. Ironside, his face turned pale. Trying to avoid Ironside's blue glare, and his embarrassment, he stammered, "I...am sorry...Chief Ironside. I am new on the job. I didn't recognize your van...or you."
"Officer...?" Ironside asked.
"Duncan Calley, sir."
"When you pull someone over, you don't approach them with your eyes looking at your ticket book. For all you know, I could have pulled a gun and shot you. You stay alert. Keep an eye on the individuals in the vehicle. Be ready for anything, especially for possibly being shot at. Got that?"
"Yes, sir!" the officer said, clearly nervous of having pulled over the chief.
When the young man just stood there, Ironside growled, "Are you going to ticket me or not?"
"Yes, sir...I mean no, sir...that is if you are on official business," he replied nervously.
"I am," Ironside said.
"Then may I suggest sir, if you are going to drive over the speed limit, you place your siren on top of the vehicle?"
"I can't reach the top of the vehicle," the detective growled back at him. That wasn't quite true. He actually could. He just never used it as he did not drive the van that often, and when he did, he was not normally in a hurry.
Calley's face turned red. "Well, I guess you can go now, sir."
"Don't guess, Officer. Can I go or not?" Ironside snapped.
"Yes, sir, you can go."
Ironside pulled the vehicle back into traffic and headed for his office. The young police officer watched as the chief sped away from the scene. All he could think of was it was just his luck to pull the chief over on his first day on duty. He shook his head and headed back to his patrol car.
Some time later, Ironside pulled the van into the police parking garage. He was met by Ben Matlock as he got out of his vehicle. "Chief, I would like to talk to you."
"Not now, I have something important to handle.
"Now, Chief Ironside. Nothing is more important than your defense against this fraudulent charge."
Ironside turned to look at his attorney. He was having trouble getting past the lawyer's rumpled appearance as compared to Perry's completely professional and tailored appearance. "More important than someone who has been kidnapped?" he snarled at Matlock.
"Chief, may I remind you that you are on suspension. Let someone else handle the kidnapping."
Ironside shook his head and attempted to wheel around Matlock. Ben simply stepped in front of his wheelchair. "I don't think you grasp the seriousness of the Internal Affairs investigation."
Frustrated and angry at being delayed, Ironside tried to control his temper. After all, Perry had hired this man to protect him. He waited a moment until he knew he had control. "Mister Matlock, I take this investigation very seriously. It has become clear someone is trying to place the blame for Alexandra Hughes getting away with my help the last time she was in San Francisco. They will probably attempt to tie me to the current theft and possibly the murder. How's that for taking it seriously?" Once again, he attempted to wheel around Matlock, and once again Ben stepped in front of him.
"That is why we need to talk and set some ground rules of what you can and cannot do and say," Matlock said.
Ironside kept reminding himself Matlock was there to protect him. In a very calm voice, he said, "Ben, there is a good possibility that Katherine has been kidnapped." He waited for his response.
"You mean the woman you are seeing?" Matlock asked.
"Yes, as well as Tracy Oliver. She is a woman I saw a couple times in the past. They all had one thing in common."
"They all had a relationship with you," Matlock said.
"Actually, that is not it. Well, they did. Katherine and I are still together, but that is not what I am talking about."
"Then what are you talking about?" Matlock's expression was showing clear impatience.
"The three women could be triplets," Ironside revealed, looking straight at Matlock. "If I brought all three of them in a room, introduced you to them, ten minutes later you would not be able to tell them apart."
"Well, I'll be damn," was all Matlock said. When he recovered, he added, "Talk about being attracted to the same type of woman. So how do you know these two women have been kidnapped?"
Ironside explained what he learned when he went to Katherine's vineyards, and about the call from Tracy's father.
"Someone is trying to use them to convict Alexandra Hughes. I don't know how, but they are," an animated Ben Matlock said.
Ironside smiled. Maybe that rumpled suit was deceiving. Matlock had come to the same conclusion as he, and without as much information as he had. "That is not all, a lieutenant who works for the Detective Bureau, Carl Reese, said that Alexandra Hughes came to the Museum three times."
"Two of which were probably set up and Katherine and Tracy were likely the ones that went to the Museum. Very clever on the part of who did it, but how did they get them to do it. Don't tell me! They used your name to get them there."
"That's right," Ironside confirmed. "I promised John Lovell, her father, I would find Tracy."
Ben was shaking his head. "You can't go off half-cocked and fly to Europe!"
"Relax, Ben, I don't intend to. Part of the reason I asked you to be here is I need to know something."
"What?
"How good is Conrad McMasters?"
"Very good. He has helped me solve many a case with the information he has uncovered. Why?"
The door to the office opened, Eve and Ed came down the ramp. "We haven't had any luck finding Baines and Schneider, Chief. If they are staying here in San Francisco, then they are well hidden. Do you know how many rented houses we have checked?" Eve told him.
"Never mind that right now. Katherine and Tracy Oliver have been kidnapped."
Stunned at the news, Ed and Eve headed directly for the table and sat down with their boss. "When did this happen?" Ed said.
"Yesterday." Ironside told them the same thing he had told Ben Matlock minutes before."
"What do you want us to do?" Ed asked.
"Ben has assured me Conrad McMasters is an excellent private detective. It is time we start trusting one another. Paul Drake and Conrad can handle the investigations here. I want the two of you on the next plane. Ed, you go after Katherine, and Eve, you go after Tracy. Find them and bring them back here."
"Chief, Carl said..." Eve began.
"That Alexandra was in the museum three times before the Tiger was stolen," Ironside finished for her."
"But she wasn't," Ben said.
"Katherine and Tracy were lured there to make it look like Alexandra was there," Eve said.
"Exactly," Ironside confirmed.
"Chief, I don't think Alexandra Hughes is the killer," Ben said. "Someone set her up. That is becoming obvious."
"But we can't prove it unless we find Katherine and Tracy," Ed pointed out.
"That's right," Ironside agreed. "That is why I am sending the two of you after them."
"Chief, I don't like to point this out, but they are a liability to whoever is behind this. They can't afford to allow either of them to live," Ben said. He softened his voice. "They may be dead already. Then his eyes lit up. "No actually they aren't. They are still alive."
"How do you know?" Ed questioned. "If they are dead, they can't tell anyone they were lured to the Museum." Ed glanced over at his boss. He could only imagine the emotions he was going through right now.
"Because they need them alive until after the trial. They not only want Alexandra Hughes convicted of the murder, they want your chief to become a co-defendant. They want him out of the way as well," Matlock explained. "The women will be used to control Chief Ironside until the trial is over. When they have no further use of them, they will kill them so they can never say they were lured to the Museum.
"Ben is right. They know I will never stop hunting them down and would eventually find them. If I have been disgraced and go to prison, no one would ever believe anything I say, and they would be home free," Ironside said.
"Chief, we aren't going to let that happen." Ed was on his feet and headed for the door. "Ed! Where are you going?" Ironside called after him.
"I am going to find out who did this." He was up the ramp before Ironside stopped him.
"No, you are going to France and find Katherine. Eve is going to Italy and find Tracy. That is an order."
"But Chief!"
"Ben says Conrad McMasters is an excellent detective, and we know how good Paul Drake is from experience of working with him. They will handle the investigation here. You two get going."
It occurred to Ed that as a suspended officer, Ironside did not have the authority to give orders, yet he knew he would follow them anyway.
"Chief, how will you explain our absence?" Eve asked.
The office door opened and Commissioner Randall came down the ramp. No one had heard him open the door, and when he heard the conversation, he stood there listening for a few minutes. "He will not have to explain your absence." Randall came down the ramp and joined everyone at the table.
"Hello, Dennis, what brings you here?" Ironside asked somberly.
Randall looked around the room. "Where's Mark?"
"He's with Conrad," Ben answered for the chief.
"What's he doing with him?" Ironside asked.
"Well, I figured your people would ignore the order to stay out of this investigation, so I told Conrad to work with Mark," Ben answered.
Randall smiled. "Seems he has you and your staff figured out already and he has only been here a day."
"Mark has good instincts, Dennis. He will be an asset to McMasters. This might help him decide to become a detective instead of a lawyer." Ironside looked at Eve. "Get the commissioner a cup of coffee, will you please, Eve? Then you and Ed get moving."
When they hesitated, Randall said, "Go ahead, get flights to Italy and France and find the women. I will take the responsibility."
Eve headed into the kitchen, poured a cup of coffee when she heard Ben call out, "I'll take one of those as well."
Eve poured two more cups and brought them to the table. She gave one to Commissioner Randall, another to Ben Matlock, and put the third in front of her boss. She joined Ed, and the two of them headed for the door.
"Ed!" Ironside called out.
Ed knew what his boss was about to say. "We'll find them, Chief, and we will bring them back." Without another word, they left the office.
"Bob, I wanted you to know Murray called me. Sergeant Terry Cox confronted him about not having allowed him to be here for the interrogation."
"What interrogation? It was a question and answer session with no answers," Ironside complained.
"Did you listen to yourself, Chief Ironside? They want to see to it that you are charged with murder as well. Do you honestly think I could allow you to answer most of those questions to be used against you later?" Ben responded.
"And I told you Murray is not about to railroad me!" Ironside said, raising his voice.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen, this isn't getting us anywhere," Randall said, picking up his hand to halt the oncoming argument. It was enough to quiet the two men. "Bob is right about Murray."
Ironside gave Ben Matlock a triumphant look before Randall then said, "And Mister Matlock is right about not allowing you to answer those questions. Murray would not railroad you, but I have no doubt Terry Cox will. He still harbors a resentment towards you for stalling his advancement in the detective bureau. He is a substandard officer with some pretty shady dealings. Murray believes he has planted evidence in the past to up his record of arrests and convictions."
"He has," Ironside said. "We just have yet to be able to prove it, but he is going to slip up sooner or later, and we will bounce him out of the department for good."
"Commissioner, are you saying this detective is capable of planting evidence to try to frame Chief Ironside?" Ben asked.
"He is," Randall answered.
"How did he get on the investigation in the first place?" Ben wanted to know.
"The mayor," Randall asked. "Cox convinced the mayor Murray Simmons could not be completely unbiased, as he and Bob have been friends for over thirty years. So, the mayor forced me to assign him to the investigation."
"Does the mayor have anything against Chief Ironside?" Ben inquired.
"Patrick Simpson? Heavens no. He has supported Bob in the past. He is always the one that wants Bob on the toughest cases," Randall said. "Simpson is a bit of a coward when it comes to bad publicity. He is afraid this will make the police department look incompetent. Patrick is just trying to look like they are handling this by the book. In the meantime, he has ordered Murray to clear the chief as soon as possible."
"Well, then we will concentrate on Terry Cox. I will have Conrad check him out," Ben said.
Commissioner Randall got out of his chair and headed for the door. "Look after him, Mister Matlock. He is too valuable to the department to allow someone to manufacture evidence against him." He left leaving Ironside alone in the office with Matlock.
The chief looked Matlock up and down. "I see you are still wearing that suit."
4
Katherine looked out the window of the room she was being held in. The view of the city of Paris was actually quite beautiful. Unfortunately, it was also quite unfamiliar. She had only been to Paris a couple of times and did not know the city extremely well. She wondered how she could be so easily taken in by Francois Montre. He had fooled her completely. She honestly thought she was coming to Paris to seal a deal to sell her wine.
Katherine could only concur this had something to do with the murder of Howard Jurgens. Someone was using her to get to Robert. Why? She did not know how.
Katherine heard the key turn in the lock and Francois Montre entered the room. He brought with him some food and a bottle of water. He set the food down on the table in the corner of the room. Turning around, he smiled. "You must be Katherine Denuerve. Delighted to meet you!" He put his hand out but Katherine ignored him.
"What is the meaning of this and why am I here?"
"Friends of mine wanted you out of San Francisco," Montre responded.
"What friends? Louis Blaine and Eli Schneider?"
He smiled again. "Well, since you know, I will not deny it. However, they were not the only ones. It seems they want Alexandra Hughes convicted of Howard Jurgens' murder. You, my dear are the insurance policy. You see, when you were called to the Museum, it was strictly to confused the police and the security guard.
It became clear to Katherine. She looked like Alexandra Hughes. Her appearance at the Museum would be mistaken for Alexandra. "You wanted to place Alexandra at the Museum."
"That is correct. There is another woman by the name of Tracy Oliver. It is amazing, don't you think? The three of you could be triplets. She was also called to the Museum. Quite a setup, Mrs. Denuerve. She will be seen as casing the Museum. With the other evidence that has been set up, she will surely be convicted."
"You are forgetting one thing, Mister Montre."
"Oh, you mean Robert Ironside." He chuckled before continuing. "That has been taken care of as well. He is being investigated by Internal Affairs. We have an officer in place to make sure he is found guilty of helping you steal the Tiger the first time, and allowing you to steal it the second time by not arresting you. He will contend that the meeting in Ironside's office was planned. Ironside turned you loose so you could plan the caper, so to speak. I should thank you though. I shall make a tidy profit when the Tiger is sold."
"You underestimate Robert Ironside. None of you will get away with this! Even if you thought you could tie Bob's hands, you have no hold over Perry Mason. He is a brilliant lawyer. He will find out the truth, and if you think Bob will just roll over and stay out of it, you are a fool."
"That is not my problem. That's Eli's and Louis' problem. They will take care of Mason if they have to."
"I don't know these men, but I do know Robert Ironside. You made a big mistake taking me. He is not going to rest until he finds me," Katherine said.
His expression turned dark. "He won't find you. You will be held until the trial is over in case we need leverage against Ironside. After that, well you figure it out." He stared at her.
Katherine knew exactly what he meant. She would not leave Paris alive. She hoped Robert had either called or visited the vineyards. Otherwise he would never know she was missing. If that was the case she was on her own.