The Case of the Stolen Artifact
Chapter 18
1
Sergeant Brown sat in the waiting room in the American embassy in France. Lieutenant Grant Becker was behind closed doors with the ambassador. Apparently, he felt he would be able to get the ambassador's help locating Katherine. Ed hated the helpless feeling he had sitting there waiting for someone else. He wanted to be out there looking for Katherine. This was one of those times he did not want to let the chief down. He rarely ever did, but like every other man, he was human. Occasionally, he had made mistakes and disappointed his boss. Fortunately for him, it was a rare occasion. If there was one thing he had learned from Chief Ironside, it was to be thorough-never leave a stone unturned. He wanted to go see Francois Montre. He needed to find out if Katherine had arrived at her destination. Although, he knew the answer to that question, it all came back to turning up every stone. It was the first thing that needed to be checked out.
He had no intentions of failing at this task. Ed would find her and bring her back to the States safely. Sergeant Brown looked at his watch. Unfortunately, the government never did anything in a timely manner. Everything was always slowed to a near standstill. He was not used to operating that way. His boss wanted everything yesterday. There was always a sense of urgency in whatever they were investigating. Ed thought about that. This time the sense of urgency was even more urgent, if that was even possible. It was beginning to become next to impossible to sit there with any patience at all.
The door to the ambassador's office opened and a man taller than Ed stepped into the lobby. "Sergeant Brown, please join us."
Brown stood up and followed the ambassador into his office. The man introduced himself as Ambassador Trevor. "Sergeant, Lieutenant Becker has brought me up-to-date on your problem. I understand you are here to find an American citizen whom you've been unable to reach. Unfortunately, you have not provided enough evidence that this individual is actually missing. She could have changed her mind and be visiting portions of our country. As you know, France is a beautiful country, and Americans come here all the time to take in its beauty. I'm not exactly sure what you expect us to do."
Ed's defenses were immediately up. He had not asked this man for help. This had been Lieutenant Becker's idea. He would have expected this kind of response from the French government, but not from the American ambassador.
"Mister Ambassador, as I am sure the lieutenant has already informed you, there are two women that look exactly like Alexandra Hughes, the woman who is on trial for murder. A woman who looks like Miss Hughes entered the museum on two separate occasions. Miss Hughes claims she did not come into the museum at the times these women did. Each time, the woman made sure a police officer saw her. They went up and spoke with one of them. The women wanted the police to see them and recognize them later on. The two women in question, Katherine Denuerve and Tracy Oliver are acquaintances of Chief Ironside. Both of them were lured out of San Francisco to be sure that Alexandra Hughes was identified, and so that Mrs. Denuerve and Mrs. Oliver would be unable to testify they were the ones that came into the museum. And by the way, both of them had been called to the museum under false pretenses."
"You say that Mrs. Hughes claims she was not the one who went into the museum?"
"That is correct," Brown confirmed.
"And of course, Mrs. Hughes is on trial for murder. Isn't it entirely possible that she is using these two women as she knows they are out of the country and on unreachable?"
This was entirely a complete waste of time. Ed appreciated the fact Lieutenant Becker was willing to help him, but he did not have time to waste on an American ambassador that refused to help one of his fellow countrymen. Knowing that this man was not going to lift a finger to find Katherine, he decided to at least leave a parting shot.
"Mister Ambassador, let me get one thing straight. You have no intentions of helping me, do you?"
The diplomat smiled. "I don't see how I can. First of all, she has not been missing, if she is missing at all, for that long. Even the French police would not do anything at this point.
"The French police are exactly that... French. You however, are an American." Brown did not like to drop names. He only used the chief's name when it would speed up a process. He didn't think it would help in this case. Yet, he knew another name that just might speed it up. "Fine, Ambassador. I will tell Commissioner Randall that you were not willing to help. I have no doubt he will tell Chief Ironside, and his friend in Washington will hear about it." Brown stood up and headed for the door.
The ambassador was well aware of the friend that Brown was talking about. Ironside and his brother, Perry Mason had come to Washington to exonerate the president of a murder charge. They not only had been successful, but their investigation had brought down numerous politicians who were in on the conspiracy. Sergeant Brown was threatening him with the president himself. "No, just a minute, Sergeant Brown. I didn't say I wouldn't help you. I said I didn't see how I could. You are going to have to tell me what it is you want." There, he had thrown the ball back in Brown's court.
With his back to the diplomat, he smiled. Apparently, Ambassador Trevor did not want the chief telling the president he was unable to help him. "Katherine came here to see Francois Montre. I would like you to get me in to see him. I want to know if Katherine has been there."
Ambassador Trevor picked up the phone and dialed. He waited a moment and when he received an answer at the other end, he said, "Mister Montre, this is Ambassador Trevor. I am sending an American police officer over to see you. I would consider it a favor if you would speak with him." He was silent for a few minutes as he listened, and then said, "He is looking for an American woman who was supposed to come into this country to see you." Again, he was silent before he spoke again. "I will send him right over. Thank you, Mister Montre."
The Ambassador looked up at Ed. It was evident he was not happy with him. He obviously was only helping because he feared Ironside would call his boss. Quite frankly, the chief rarely did that kind of thing. Actually, he didn't have to. He was quite adapt at getting what he wanted. Most people found him intimidating. He used that to his advantage. Ed did not have that luxury. Hardly anyone found him intimidating unless he flashed his badge or dropped Chief Ironside's name. It didn't matter as he got what he wanted when he needed it.
He and Lieutenant Grant Becker left the embassy. It took them some time before they arrived at Montre's place of business.
"Sergeant Brown, Mister Montre will see you right away.
"Thank you for your help." Ed smiled, although he knew it would not have any effect. The Ambassador was definitely upset with him.
As the Detective Sergeant headed for the door, Grant Becker followed him. When they got outside, Becker did not seem to be happy with him either. "Is there a problem, Lieutenant?" Brown asked him.
"That was not good, Sergeant. I could have gotten him to help us without threatening him," Becker said, as they got into his vehicle.
"Lieutenant, I have no doubt that you have worked with diplomats and know how to handle them. My experience has always been that they operate far too slowly for an investigation. My job is to find Katherine Denuerve. I cannot tip toe around diplomats' feelings in order to find her. I promised Chief Ironside I would find her, and that is exactly what I intend to do."
"I understand your urgency. I really do. However, if we need the ambassador's help again, it will be awfully difficult to even get in to see him."
As Lieutenant Becker pulled the vehicle into the street, Brown did not hesitate to give him a piece of his experience. "Listen, Grant. I have been working police work for a long time now. I can spot anyone who is unwilling to help due to being an influential person. Francoise Montre is very influential here in Paris, isn't he?"
"Yes, but that doesn't..."
Sergeant Brown interrupted him immediately. "I get it. The Ambassador was not interested in pursuing Mister Montre at all. I do not believe even you could have talked him into it. He didn't want to get involved. I could see that and use the only means to me to force him to help us."
"Chief Ironside's relationship to President Whitmore."
"Exactly. Although, I doubt the chief would have called him. He doesn't like to do that kind of thing. In this case, I could be wrong. You see, Katherine is very special to him. He may have pulled all the stops and favors he could have."
"I am well aware of that, Ed. Please, in the future, let me handle it. You may not think I could have gotten anywhere with the Ambassador, but I assure you I know him well, and he would have helped us. We did not have to bully him."
"With an indignant look, Brown replied, "I didn't bully him, I simply warn him Chief Ironside could call the president."
"And you don't consider that bullying him?"
With a sheepish grin, Ed replied in pure Ironside fashion, "No, I simply persuaded him to help us."
Lieutenant Grant Becker shook his head. "Let's go see Montre and find out what he knows."
2
Perry Mason paced back and forth in his office. He still had no idea how he was going to get Alexandra Hughes exonerated on the murder charge. It was so obvious to him that she had been set up, yet he couldn't prove it. Furthermore, he was worried about the developments that were happening with his brother. Someone wanted to make sure that he was unable to do any investigating in this case. Fortunately, Perry still had Paul who was an excellent investigator.
The attorney was so engrossed in thinking about the case, he didn't hear Della Street enter the office. She watched him as he paced. Della had learned not to interrupt him when he did that. He did not like to have his concentration broken. Still, he would be very interested in some developments of their own.
"Perry," Della called out to her boss.
It took a moment for her voice to register in his mind. When he looked up at her, he realized he had not seen or heard her enter his office.
Mason's smiled at her. "Are you trying to get my attention?"
"It isn't always easy, you know."
"Della, I hate to admit it, but things are not looking good at the moment. Alexander Hughes was set up, of that I have no doubt. The problem is, I don't see how I can prove it. We are no closer to finding the real killer. I talked to Bob and he tells me that he sent Ed and Eve to find Katherine and Tracy. If we could locate them and bring them back, they could testify that they were lured to the museum. The problem with that is, I would be taking a chance. It might look like Bob went to great lengths to make it look like Alexandra was set up."
"But Perry, if you could find the individuals that called Katherine and Tracy, then lured them out of the country, wouldn't that prove that someone wanted it to look like Alexandra was hanging around the Tiger?"
"Again, if we could find them. I doubt that either of them will know who called them."
"Well, I don't know if he has good news or not, but Paul called and said he would be down in a few minutes to bring you up-to-date."
No sooner had she finish those words, Paul's code knock sounded on Mason's private entrance door. Della Street walked over to it, opened it and smiled at the tall, silver-haired detective. "Hello, Paul, come in."
As always, Drake grinned and gave his customary greeting. "Hello, Beautiful." He walked over to Mason's desk and sat down in a chair in front of it. "I have some news."
"Good or bad?" Mason asked his private eye.
"Well, I am not sure. I went over to Jurgens hotel room. Ironside's police missed something."
"Such as?" Mason inquired.
Drake reached under his suit coat pocket and pulled out a folded manila envelope. "This. I found it. It was actually quite cleverly hidden." Paul told the lawyer how he remove the screws in the molding of the window on the one side. He told him the envelope was between the window and the wall.
With surprise, Della smiled at the private detective and inquired, "How in the world did you find it there?"
Drake grinned. "I'm a detective, remember?"
Normally, Mason would have allowed the playful exchange to continue, but his frustration at the slowness of the case forced him to bring the two back to the task at hand. "What's in the envelope?"
Drake tossed the manila envelope on to Mason's desk. "See for yourself."
The attorney opened the envelope and pulled out the papers inside. As he began to read, he immediately had questions. "Jurgens kept records. He was blackmailing somebody into stealing the Tiger. We already knew that."
"Yes, we knew that," Drake agreed, "but it has been assumed all along by the police that Alexander Hughes was being blackmailed. If you read further into his notes, he was not blackmailing a woman; he was blackmailing a man."
"Perry, that would eliminate Alexandra Hughes," Della remarked.
"Unfortunately, Alexandra is mentioned in his notes. It says here that she was to be the one to steal the Tiger. It doesn't say that she was unwilling. It's simply states she was part of the plan."
"Read further, Perry" Drake encouraged.
As Mason continued, Della saw his right eyebrow go up. "He was working with someone in city government."
"Exactly" Drake agreed. "The problem is who was he working with and what part of the city government? It could be someone in the police department, someone on the city council, or any other part of the city government for that matter."
"No, Paul, it had to be someone who had access to records of the theft of the Tiger the last time Alexandra was in the city. That would narrow it down."
"It would narrow it down to the police and the city council," Della surmised.
"That's right, Della. We are looking for someone within those two areas. Whoever it was, they would have had to have access to police reports in order to set up Bob."
"According to Chief Ironside, Sergeant Terry Cox is defying Murray Simon and going over his head to the mayor. He got himself assigned to the investigation by doing so," Drake said.
"An officer would definitely have access to the files in the computers at the police department," Della pointed out."
"It's more than that, Della" Mason said. "Jurgens wanted to cut others out of the money once the Tiger was sold. If we can prove that he also wanted to cut Cox out of the money, he would have a pretty strong motive for murder. He would have had access to police records to frame Bob as well. Paul, we have to find out who Jurgens was working with. We now know it was someone in City employment. Terry Cox is the most likely suspect. I want him checked out thoroughly. I have a feeling the reason he is going after Bob is to keep him from investigating. He doesn't realize that I have a top-notch private investigator. Losing my brother as an investigator is not going to stop us from finding out the truth."
Della Street looked at her watch. "Perry, we have to get going. You are due in court in less than an hour."
Mason stood up and closed his briefcase. He picked it up off the desk and walked around to meet his private eye on the other side. "Keep at it, Paul. Find out what Terry Cox has been up to. I want to know if he is the police officer that has been feeding information to Howard Jurgens. A lot of the information he printed in those articles on Spicy Bits could only have been gotten from a source within the police department. That now puts Terry Cox at the top of our suspect list."
3
Robert Ironside simply was not used to sitting back and doing nothing when it came to investigating a case. He didn't like it, and furthermore it wasn't going to last much longer. He just had to find a way to convince Ben Matlock they had to do something more than wait for the Internal Affairs to build a case against him. He was not guilty of anything, and they were not taking him down. With Ed and Eve in Europe, there wasn't anybody to investigate on his behalf. His brother had Paul Drake, but he was busy investigating for Alexandria Hughes.
He was due in court to testify for the prosecution today. His lawyer had taken his shower and headed back to his room at the end of the hall. Ben Matlock had not returned. He was supposed to be coming to his office to discuss what the district attorney might throw at him in court. Ironside was afraid his testimony was going to hurt Alexandra. He did not want that, but he did not see how it could be avoided.
The detective was certain that she was not guilty of the crime in which she was being accused. Well, that made two of them. neither one of them were guilty of the crime they were being accused of.
The door to his office opened. Commissioner Randall came into the office and down the ramp. Following behind him were the mayor, Murray Simons, and three members of the city council.
The hair on the back of his neck began to rise. If what he feared had come to fruition, they were about to announce to him that an inquiry was being called.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Ironside asked gruffly.
"Bob, we need to talk to you," Randall told him. "I was going to do it after you testified in court, but I wanted you to know it now."
"Alright, go ahead."
"Not without his attorney," Simons insisted. "This is a complete farce. The commissioner and I want you to know that we objected to this."
The door to the office opened again, and Ben Matlock walked into the room. He came down the ramp in glanced at each of the individuals. "You were not supposed to start without me."
"We haven't started anything," commissioner Randall said. "We just got here."
"I will handle this, Commissioner," Mayor Simpson said. "Chief, I don't like this anymore than the Commissioner or Lieutenant Simons. Unfortunately, we don't have a choice. We want you to know that we do not believe this witness."
"What witness?" Ironside asked.
"A witness has come forward," Lieutenant Simons explained.
"Came forward or was sought out?" Ironside questioned.
"Chief, I will do the talking for you. You are to remain silent," Matlock told him immediately. The attorney turned his attention back to the lieutenant.
Mayor Simpson took over. "The witness is a man by the name of Will Gray. He claims he heard you tell Alexandra Hughes that you would hide the Tiger and the two of you would split the money later. He also says that you did not try to get out of the way of her vehicle because she never tried to run you down in the first place."
"That's ridiculous. I don't know who this man is, but no such words were spoken between Alexandra and myself. I told you what happened back when this took place. She came at me with the vehicle and I moved out of the way. Alexandra threw the Tiger out the window."
Ben did not stop Ironside from speaking when he realized the detective wasn't stating anything that wasn't already on record.
"The timing is suspect. Why did he not come forward at the time?" Matlock asked.
"He is the next door neighbor to the house in which Hughes and her accomplices stayed in when they were in San Francisco," Murray told them.
"So he just conveniently came forward, is that right?" Matlock demanded.
Lieutenant Simons was absolutely livid over this development. He was certain that Sergeant Cox had bribed the individual to make that statement. "No, Mister Matlock, as we said, Sergeant Cox questioned the man and came back with this information. It's all bullshit. I know that, and if anyone else doesn't know it, then they don't belong working for the San Francisco Police department."
"Are you aware that Sergeant Cox has a grudge against the chief?" Matlock asked them.
"We are aware of it," Commissioner Randall confirmed. "Bob, we don't believe a word of it. We want you to know that. This is going to be investigated thoroughly. I can guarantee that. Lieutenant Simons has already been assigned to it."
"You understand, Chief? We don't have a choice." Mayor Simpson said.
"You not only had a choice, you have made it." Matlock said.
"They are calling a board of inquiry on me," Ironside told his attorney.
"Alright, this conversation is over right now," Matlock told them.
Ironside made no attempt to stop his attorney. He knew this was a setup and he should leave it to his longtime friends, Randall and Murray to prove it, but he could not. His decision was now made. He would no longer stay out of this case. He was going to find out who killed Howard Jurgens and why he was being framed. Matlock could either join him or ignore him. Either way, he was going to find out what in the hell was going on.
Mayor Simpson put a hand on Ironside shoulder. "I am sorry, Chief. I promise you we will get to the bottom of this. We are not going to allow you to be railroaded. None of us believes you did anything wrong."
"Murray will take care of investigating," Randall told his friend. He turned and followed the others out of the office.
"Ben, I know you are here to help me. So far, I have stayed out of this as you have requested. I can no longer do that. I am being framed and I want to know why and who is doing it."
Ben was afraid of this. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Ironside got involved. He would prefer that he stayed out of it, but he knew that was not going to happen, especially now. Ordinarily, if a client didn't follow his advice, Ben would drop them. He couldn't do that with Robert Ironside. He didn't believe for one minute that he was guilty of anything. Ironside was right. Someone was trying to set him up to keep him from investigating the Alexandra Hughes case. "Alright, Chief, I do have one demand."
"What's that?"
"You don't go anywhere without me. It is my job to keep you out of trouble. I would prefer to tell you to stay out of it, but I know that is not going to happen. So, wherever you go and whatever you do, I am going with you. That is the only way I will continue to be your lawyer. Is that clear?"
Robert Ironside had to keep from smiling. This was the exact reaction from Matlock he had been expecting. He knew the attorney would prefer to keep him out of the investigation. He also knew that as good as Perry said Matlock was, he would have known he could only control him for so long. At least this way, the attorney would feel he had some control. What he didn't realize was that nobody controlled Robert Ironside.
4
Perry Mason and his secretary, Della Street entered the San Francisco courtroom. As always, the courtroom was filled to capacity with spectators. It never ceased to amaze Della the crowd that Perry drew every time he walked into a courtroom.
Alexandra Hughes was already seated at the defense table when they arrived. She stood up as her attorney approached the table. Della walked around and took her place beside her boss's client.
"Is there anything new, Mister Mason?" Alexandra asked.
Before Mason had a chance to answer her, the bailiff announced, "All rise. Court is now in session. The Honorable Judge Herman Thatcher presiding."
Already on their feet, they turned towards the bench as Judge Herman Thatcher entered the courtroom. He took his seat behind the bench, looked up to those in the courtroom and said, "Be seated." Everyone quickly sat back down. "Mister Sullivan call your next witness."
Prosecutor Gary Sullivan stood up and called out, "the people call Chief Robert Ironside to the stand."
The doors to the courtroom opened in the San Francisco detective entered. He wheeled to the front of the room. Mason reached over and opened the gate for him. Ironside wheeled next to the judge's bench, turned his chair around and faced the attorneys. After he was sworn in, Deputy Prosecutor Sullivan stood up and walk towards him.
"Chief Ironside, for the record, who do you work for and what is your position?"
"I work for the San Francisco Police Department. I am a consultant to the commissioner."
"And you head a special crime unit for the department, do you not?"
"I do. There are two officers assigned to me as well as an aide. Occasionally other officers are assigned to me as needed."
"Chief Ironside, do you know the defendant?"
Without hesitation, Ironside answered, "I do. We met many years ago."
"Isn't it true the two of you had an affair?" Sullivan asked.
"Objection! Incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial," Mason called out.
Gary Sullivan immediately turn towards the bench. "Your Honor, it is entirely relevant. Prosecution maintains that the defendant used that relationship in order to make an attempt to steal the Tiger."
Without hesitation, Thatcher ruled, "Objection overruled. The witness will answer the question."
"Yes, it is true."
"Didn't she attempt to renew that romance when she came into town to steal the Tiger the last time?"
Mason stood up. "Objection! The defendant is not on trial for stealing the Tiger the last time she was in San Francisco."
Before the judge could rule Sullivan addressed him. "Your Honor, it shows a pattern. she did the same thing when she came to town this time, making the second attempt to steal the Tiger."
"Overruled."
Mason sat back down. He had a pretty good idea the objection would be overruled, but he had to try anyway.
"Chief, didn't she try to renew that romance?"
"No. It was I who invited her to lunch when I saw her."
"And where did you see her when she first came into town?" Sullivan asked.
"At the Museum," Ironside responded.
"Was she looking at any particular exhibit?"
"She was standing in front of the Tiger."
"Knowing her background, you didn't suspect anything at that time?"
"Since I knew that Blaine and Schneider were in town, I suspected the three of them were there to steal the Tiger."
"Knowing that, you invited her to lunch?"
"Objection! Chief Ironside has already stated that he invited her to lunch," Mason complained.
"Sustained."
"Chief, you said that you suspected she was in town to steal the Tiger. You not only invited her to lunch, but you invited her to dinner where your staff and Commissioner Randall also attended, isn't that correct?"
"It is."
"When you suspected she was in San Francisco to steal the Tiger, why did you shower so much attention on her."
"If she was with me, she couldn't steal the Tiger," Ironside answered.
"But she did steal the Tiger?"
"She did, but she threw it out the window and left it behind."
"Did she? Or did you agree to hide the Tiger in split the profits with her?"
Mason shot out of his chair as if he had been just shot out of a cannon. "Objection! The district attorney is being disrespectful of a police officer with an impeccable record."
Judge Thatcher looked over at the district attorney. "I am inclined to agree with Mister Mason. I am well aware of this police officer's record."
"Your honor, Chief Ironside is the subject of an Internal Affairs investigation..."
"Objection! Your honor, Mister Sullivan is trying to smear his own witness.
"I am stating facts, Counselor. As of this morning, a board of inquiry has been called regarding this officer's conduct in the original theft of the Tiger."
"Objection!"
The room had turned into complete chaos. Everyone was talking at once. Reporters were running out of the courtroom and headed for telephones or to use their cell phones to call their publishers.
"Order in the Court!" Thatcher began banging the gavel on the bench. He did so several times before the room finally quieted down. "If there are any more disruptions like that which just happened, the courtroom will be cleared. Mister Sullivan, Mister Mason's objections are sustained. Chief Ironside is not on trial here. you are very close to contempt of court, Mister Prosecutor."
Gary Sullivan bowed towards the judge. "My apologies to the court."
"Do you have any more legitimate questions for this witness?"
"Yes, Your Honor, I do."
"Then ask them," Thatcher snarled.
"Chief Ironside, did Alexander Hughes not come to your office and did you not kiss her?"
the courtroom exploded again in excitement. After banging the gavel on the bench several times, Judge Thatcher again regained control of the courtroom.
With all of the noise, the judge thought that he had heard Perry Mason object. "Mr. Mason did I hear an objection?"
"You most certainly did," Mason answered.
"This is the pattern I mentioned earlier," Gary Sullivan said.
Ben Matlock sat in the back of the courtroom. He was amazed how calm and unaffected Robert Ironside seemed to be with the accusations that the deputy prosecutor was throwing at him. It was obvious he did not need to come to court to protect Robert Ironside, he could take care of himself. He decided to remain quiet. Mason was doing an excellent job protecting his brother. Neither one of them needed his assistance. Just watching them cemented the reputations of both men whom he had long heard about.
"Your Honor, the prosecutor is badgering his own witness," Mason complained.
"I agree, Mister Mason. If that was an objection, it is sustained. Mister Sullivan, I will not warn you again. You seem to want to prosecute this witness rather than the defendant. I will remind you that you are questioning a detective of an impeccable reputation. This line of questioning is over. It will be stricken from the record. Move on, or turn your witness over to the defense attorney."
Gary Sullivan did not seem to be bothered by the scolding from the judge. He looked back at Perry Mason. He expected to see an attorney who was flustered and angered by his examination. Instead, what he did see was an attorney in complete control of himself with a facial expression that had never changed. He then glanced at Robert Ironside. It might as well be Perry Mason sitting in the witness stand. Ironside did not seem to be bothered by the questioning either. He's supposed he should not be surprised. Ironside had a reputation for being able to keep a poker face regardless of the situation. The same was true of Mason. These were definitely two nuts that were hard to crack.
Sullivan walked back over to Ironside. "When did you learn that the Museum had been robbed?"
"I was wakened by the dispatcher on duty," Ironside answered is if Sullivan had never attacked him.
"And what did you do?"
"I got dressed and went to the Museum."
Sullivan put both of his hands on the witness stand as he stood close to Ironside in his wheelchair. "What did you discover when you got there?"
"I found one of my officers had been shot. He had been placed there out of sight to keep watch over the Museum."
"And what else did you find?"
"I found that the Tiger was gone from its display," Ironside said.
"And you found Alexander Hughes, didn't you?"
"I did." He was not about to give him one bit of extra information. As far as he was concerned, Sullivan could work for every bit of it. He was disappointed in the man. The chief had known him for years. He could not believe what Sullivan was doing. He had always been an excellent deputy prosecutor. Sullivan had never been known to lower himself to dirty tricks, as he was doing now. He was just not doing his job, Gary Sullivan seemed to be out to try and destroy him along with Alexandra Hughes.
"What was she doing there?"
"Lying on the floor."
"Had she not just stole the Tiger?"
"Not that I know of."
"Sullivan looked at him incredulously. "She was there and the Tiger was gone, and you did not think she had taken it?"
"No, I did not. It was just a bit big for her to hide in her pocket." His tone was quite sarcastic.
The courtroom broke out in laughter. Thatcher banged his gavel to silence the room immediately.
"If you didn't think she had stolen the Tiger, then why did you arrest her?" Sullivan snarled at Ironside.
"The Museum was closed. It had been broken into, one of my officers had been shot and the Chinese Tiger had been stolen. Alexander Hughes was in the Museum. Being in the Museum after it was closed was reason enough to arrest her."
"Chief Ironside, didn't Alexander Hughes come to your office and tell you that there was a plot to steal the Tiger."
Ironside looked him straight in the eye. "Yes, she did. But she also..."
"Just answer my questions, Chief, and nothing more. "So the Tiger was missing when you arrived?"
"That is correct."
"Was the case that the Tiger was in dusted for fingerprints?"
Ironside knew that these questions were going to be a nail in Alexandra's coffin. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to answer them. "Yes, of course it was. I ordered it immediately."
"And whose fingerprints were found on the case?" Sullivan demanded.
"The defendant's fingerprints were found on the case."
"Did she have anything in her hand when you entered?"
"She had a gun in her hand."
Sullivan walked over to the evidence table and brought a gun back with him. He handed it to Ironside and then asked, "Is this the gun that you took away from her?"
"I didn't take a gun away from her."
"She had a gun and you didn't take it away from her?"
"My sergeant took the gun. She handed it to him voluntarily."
"Was that gun dusted for prints?" Sullivan then asked.
"It was," Ironside answered.
"And were there any prints found on the gun?"
"Yes, the defendants prints were on the gun," the detective said.
"On this gun?"
"Objection!" Mason said as he stood up. "Chief Ironside his already stated that he was not the one that took the gun from the defendant. Therefore, he can't possibly identify it is the gun that was taken away from the defendant."
"Oh for Pete's sake! You didn't object when I brought the gun over to the witness stand and gave it to Chief Ironside."
"If you are going to request that the gun be entered into evidence, you are going to have to tie it to my client. Otherwise, I must object," Mason insisted.
"Mister Sullivan, do you intend to enter that gun into evidence?" Judge Thatcher asked the deputy district attorney.
"Yes, it is the gun that the police took away from the defendant."
"Then I sustain the objection until Sergeant Brown identifies the gun. I suggest that you excuse Chief Ironside temporarily and call Sergeant Brown to the stand."
Gary Sullivan looked around the room. "Sergeant Brown is not in the courtroom."
Thatcher looked down at Robert Ironside. "Chief, can your sergeant be called to this courtroom in a timely manner."
"I am afraid not, Your Honor. Sergeant Brown is in France on an assignment for me."
"Isn't that convenient? Of all the dirty tricks!" Sullivan called out.
"That will be enough, Mister Sullivan" the judge scolded. "In that case, was that gun tagged by Sergeant Brown?" he asked, addressing Ironside.
"Yes," the chief answered.
"And does the serial number on the gun match the serial number that Sergeant Brown wrote down"
Ironside checked the serial number and turn back to the judge. "Yes, it does."
"Mister Mason, do you still object?"
"No Your Honor, I withdraw my objection." Mason sat back down.
Gary Sullivan had a look of triumph on his face. "Now that we have established that this is the gun that was taken from Alexander Hughes, was it tested by ballistics?"
"Yes, it was."
"And was this the gun that fired the shot that killed Howard Jurgens?"
"It was," Ironside answered.
The triumphant look returned once again to Sullivan's face. "And was it the gun that fired the shot into Officer Duffy?" Sullivan thundered.
"It was."
"Was anything else found in Miss Hughes possession," Sullivan inquired.
"Yes, there was a security card to the back door found on the defendant?"
"Who's security card was it?"
"It belongs to the man that was in charge of the video security system, Kevin Powers."
Sullivan walked back to the evidence table and picked up the security card. Heading back to Ironside, he asked him to identify it.
"Yes, that is the security card that was found on the defendant."
"Thank you, Chief Ironside."
After entering the gun and the security card into evidence, Sullivan walked back to his table. "Your witness, Counselor."
Perry Mason stood up. He knew there was no way he could break his brother's testimony. However, there was information that Gary Sullivan deliberately left out. You walk directly over to his brother. "Chief Ironside, I noticed the deputy district attorney did not allow you to add to a particular question when he asked you if Alexandra Hughes had come to your office to inform you of a burglary about to take place at the Museum. Do you recall that question?"
"Yes, of course."
"Was she informative about the theft of the Tiger?"
"She was."
"Why did she not inform you when the actual theft took place?"
"She told me that Louis Blaine and Eli Schneider forced her by gunpoint to go to the Museum and remove the Tiger."
"Chief, did you get a look at the security video?" Mason asked.
"Yes I did."
"And did it show anyone else entering the museum?"
Sullivan looked up in surprise. He could not believe that Mason was exploring this line of questioning. Since he knew that the video showed no one else coming into the Museum, it only served to help prove the prosecution's case.
"No, not on that video. It did not show anyone else entering the Museum."
"No one entered the Museum? Then how do you explain how Howard Jurgens got into the Museum?"
"Someone had to have let him in," Ironside said.
"But didn't you just get through saying that the security video did not show anyone else entering the building," Mason pointed out.
"That is exactly what I said," Ironside confirmed.
"Then how did he get into the building?"
"As I said, someone had to have let him in."
"Then why does he not show in the video entering the Museum?"
"Because somebody altered that video," Ironside said.
Sullivan was immediately on his feet. "Objection! There is absolutely no foundation laid for this testimony. Improper cross-examination. This was not covered in my examination."
"That is the only way Howard Jurgens could have gotten into the building" Mason repeated what his brother had just testified to.
"Your Honor, that is Chief Ironside's opinion. We have no evidence that the security video was altered." Sullivan complained. "Furthermore, Mister Mason cannot cross-examine on something that I didn't cover to begin with."
"Your Honor, may I suggest that the security video be produced and tested for possible tampering?" Mason said.
"I have no intentions of producing the security video until the trial," Deputy Prosecutor, Gary Sullivan snapped.
"There is a serious problem here," Mason argued. "The prosecution insist that no one else entered the building except the defendant. Yet he has no explanation for how Howard Jurgens got into the building. It certainly suggests that there is a possibility the security video was altered."
"Mister Sullivan, do you have any explanation as to how Howard Jurgens got into the Museum?" Judge Thatcher asked the Deputy District Attorney.
Momentarily speechless, Sullivan stammered, "Well I... don't...that is... who's to say he wasn't already in the museum when it closed?"
"If that were the case, then could you please explain to the court why he never shows up on the video at all? If he had been in the building and walked into that hall, he would have to be on the security video," Mason insisted."
"Mister Mason has a valid point. The court would like the security video tested for tampering," Thatcher ordered.
"But Your Honor, we did not have any intention of producing the security video at this time," Sullivan complained.
"Well, unless you can explain how Howard Jurgens got into the museum and never showed up on the security video, the court feels that it should be tested for tampering. Do you have an explanation or not?"
Deflated with this turn of events, Gary Sullivan answered, "No, Your Honor I do not."
"Then it is the order of this court that the prosecution will produce the security video for an analysis."
"Your Honor, may I suggest that it be done by an expert appointed by the court in order to avoid bias on either side?" Mason proposed.
"It is part of the prosecution's case. We will choose the expert," Sullivan snapped at the defense attorney.
"I think Mister Mason has a valid concern here," Judge Thatcher stated. "The prosecution will turn the security video over to the court. The court will choose the expert to analyze the video."
"It was clear that Sullivan was livid. This was a development he had not been expecting. He had not wanted Mason to see the video until the trial. The deputy district attorney had been confident all along the defendant would be bound over for trial of murder in the first-degree.
"I will produce the video tomorrow," Sullivan told the judge.
"In that case, we will adjourn court until such time as the video can be analyzed by an expert. Both attorneys will be informed when this case will resume." Thatcher banged his gavel and said, "Court is adjourned." Everyone stood up as the judge left the courtroom.
Ironside wheeled his chair over to his brother. "Nice move, Perry. I didn't think we would get a look at that video until the trial."
Matlock joined the lawyer and detective at the defense table. "Very clever, Counselor, but only if an expert finds that the video was actually altered. If he doesn't..."
"Then I will have just helped the prosecution's case," Mason said. "It had to have been altered. It is the only explanation."
"It looks like we have a little time on our hands. I suggest we make good use of it," Ironside said. "Ben, you said I could not do any investigating without you. Well, I have something in mind."
"You want to go over to the Museum," Ben said. "If Miss Hughes is telling the truth, there has to be a missing bullet. You're going to go to the Museum and search for it."
Ironside grinned. "I am beginning to like you. But it won't last if you don't stop eating the last of the pancakes in the eggs and leaving me the bottom of the coffee pot."
Matlock had an innocent look on his face. Ironside could tell that it wasn't feigned. He was genuinely surprised at the chief's remark. "I didn't realize. Anything else, Chief?"
"Yes, stop waking me up playing that flaming guitar."
Mason grinned. "It's not really the guitar that is bothering Bob. He's jealous because you can sing better than he can."
"That's ridiculous," Ironside grumbled. "Are we going to stand around here all night, or are we going to get some investigating done?"
"Well, I was waiting for Conrad and Mark to return, but I suppose we can go over to the Museum," Ben said.
"Bob, before you go, I would like to talk to you. I think I might be able to help you find Katherine and Tracy Oliver," Alexandra said as the bailiff approached her to take her back to her cell.
"Alright, if the rest of you will excuse us?" Ironside said, looking at Perry, Della and Ben. They walked away leaving Ironside alone with Alexandra.
"What's this I hear about a board of inquiry hearing?" Mason ask Ben Matlock.
"It is set up for tomorrow. I sent Conrad and Mark to disprove the witness's testimony. I intend to tear him apart tomorrow," Matlock informed him.
"Someone is going to great lengths to try and keep Robert from investigating," Della said. "It has to be somebody in the department."
"What about Sergeant Cox?" Perry asked Ben.
"He is being checked out. He is obviously our number one suspect," Matlock answered.
"Is there any chance he can be tied into Jurgens' murder?" Della wanted to know.
"I have been wondering that myself," Matlock said. "I believe we actually just have one case here. Whoever killed Jurgens and shot chief Ironside's police officer, is the same person or persons that are trying to keep him from investigating."
"I think it's time we stopped investigating separately and start working together," Mason said. "Ben is right. This is not two different cases. It's one. It's time we start treating it as one."
"Have you heard from Mister Drake?" Matlock asked him.
Della answered for Perry. "No, not a word as of yet. What about Katherine and Tracy Oliver. Is there any word on them?" she asked concerned for their safety.
"Not yet, but I am sure Chief Ironside will be checking with his detectives," Ben answered.
Ironside ended his conversation with Alexandra and joined them. He was worried about Katherine. He wanted to try and reach Ed to tell him what Alexandra had just revealed to him. "I think it is time we all checked with our respective detectives. Ben, I am going to try and get a hold of Ed and Eve, you see if you can get in contact with Conrad and Mark. Perry, you try and reach Paul. We will get something to eat and then meet over at the Museum."
"What are we going to have to eat?" Della asked.
"Hot dogs," Matlock said with a grin. "Haven't had one since I got here."
"Chili," Ironside said, "after Matlock changes that flaming suit. How many days in a row have you worn that thing anyway?"
"What's wrong with my suit?" Matlock asked.
"Nothing that replacing it wouldn't take care of." Ironside wheeled toward the door.
Matlock called after him, "There is nothing wrong with my suit and we are having hot dogs." He followed the detective out of the courtroom.
"This is all your fault, Perry," Della said.
"What's my fault?"
"You brought Matlock here. It was bad enough to have to eat chili nearly every day, but now we have to eat hot dogs too. I would do anything for a nice steak, roasted potatoes and asparagus."
Perry grinned, raising his eyebrows. "Define anything."
Della knew exactly what was on his mind. "Forget it! Tell me, what are you going to have, hot dogs or chili?"
"I vote for hot dogs. Otherwise, Matlock is going to be up earlier then usual playing that guitar of his. I could handle the guitar if he just wouldn't sing."
Della could not help but laugh at the pained look on Perry's face. "Come on Counselor, let's see if we can get a hold of Paul."