The Case of the Stolen Artifact

Chapter 21

1

The alarm clock sounded at 6:00 the next morning. This time Ben Matlock wasn't getting in the bathroom before he did. He reached over and pulled his chair to the side of the bed. Using the bars above his bed, the chief lowered his body into the wheelchair. Not bothering to put on a bathrobe, the detective wheeled out of his bedroom and into the main room of his office residence.

The aroma of coffee invaded his nostrils. The bathroom door was closed. He could hear the southern accent of a singing Ben Matlock. Ironside couldn't believe it. Well at least he could beat Matlock to the coffee.

The detective wheeled his chair into the kitchen. The light on the coffee maker was on, but the coffee pot was empty.

Mark came out of his room. He was already fully dressed. "Forget it, Chief. There isn't any fresh coffee."

"What do you mean there isn't any fresh coffee? I thought you picked up some."

"Ben told me not to bother. He told me he'd already brought the coffee," Mark explained.

"Then why isn't there fresh coffee?"

"Well, there is, but . . ."

Ironside didn't give him time to explain. "Then put on another pot."

"You won't drink it," Sanger said.

"Why not?"

"Because he bought decaffeinated. Not only is it decaffeinated, it is Southern Seville Orange."

Ironside looked at coffee pot. "You must be joking."

Mark reached for the bag of the specialized coffee and showed it to his boss.

Chief Ironside shook his head. "You're not joking."

With a smirk, Mark said, "I'm not joking."

"This is Perry's fault. If he hadn't . . ." A twinkle appeared in the chief's eyes. "Mark, put on another pot of coffee."

Confused, Mark questioned, "You really aren't going to drink that stuff, are you?"

Ironside scrunched his features. "Of course not, but Perry is." A big wide dimpled grin appeared on his face.

Mark smiled. This was going to be one of those mornings. He could feel it now.

Ironside wheeled up the ramp to the bathroom, pounded on it with his fist, and shouted, "Come on, Willie Nelson, you're not the only one who needs to use the bathroom."

The door opened and Ben stuck his head out. His hair was soaking wet. It was clear he had just stepped out of the shower. "Do you really think I sing like Willie Nelson?"

"Oh, sure, and I sing like Waylon Jennings," Ironside said sarcastically.

"Maybe we should do a duet," Ben said with a grin.

"Not in the bathroom while you have no clothes on." The grin disappeared from Matlock's face. He frowned and shut the door.

Ironside shook his head and turned his wheelchair around. As he came back down the ramp, Mark was grinning.

"What's so amusing, Mister Sanger?"

"Matlock would never suggest a duet if he ever heard you sing."

Ironside lowered his chin, pointed at the kitchen and said, "Breakfast! And do it without singing."

Mark turned and headed back into the kitchen.

Della Street came out the bedroom she and Perry slept in. She headed directly for the kitchen. "Is that coffee I smell?"

"Della, take my word for it, you do not want to drink the coffee," Ironside said. He looked over at the bathroom and shouted, "Are you going to stay in there all day?"

The bathroom door opened and Ben Matlock came out in his bathrobe. "Can't a man take a shower in peace around here?"

"I intend to if you'll stop that flaming yodeling," Ironside's said.

"Yodeling! I sing pretty good," Matlock said indignantly.

"You mean pretty well. Will you at least speak proper English if you're going to represent me?"

"That's how we talk in the South."

"I'm not surprised after listening to you sing," Ironside quipped.

Ignoring Ironside's remark, Matlock said, "I'm going to get dressed."

"Good idea." Ironside watched Matlock head up the ramp toward the door. "On second thought, if you're going to wear that same suit, maybe you'd better stay in your bathrobe!" he called out in a parting shot.

Mark and Della were laughing when Ironside turned around. "Robert, maybe you'd better take it easy on Ben. He's representing you today, you know," Della said.

Ironside grinned. "I just can't help it, Della. I know an easy target when I see one." He turned his chair around again and rolled toward the ramp. I'm going to take a shower."

The door opened and Conrad McMasters walked in. "Good morning, everyone." He went into the bathroom and shut the door.

The chief turned his chair around. Perry had joined Della and Mark. They stood there with straight faces until they saw the look on Ironside's face. All three burst out laughing at the same time.

When they stopped, the chief decided to get the last laugh. "Mark, get Perry a cup of coffee, will you, please?"

"But . . . "

With a stern look, the chief said, "Coffee!"

Sanger shrugged and went into the kitchen.

Confused because Robert wouldn't let her drink the coffee, she attempted to ask why. Robert . . . "

"Della, sit down for breakfast," Ironside interrupted her. "Mark, where's that coffee?"

Mark brought a mug full of coffee and set it on the table in front of Perry Mason, who sat down ready for the young man to serve breakfast.

Ironside watched his brother as he lifted the cup and took a sip. The look on his face turned sour. "What in blazes are you trying to do? Poison me?"

Ironside and Mark roared with laughter. "That's for cursing me with Ben Matlock," Ironside said, even though he knew Matlock was probably second only to Perry himself as an attorney.

"What is this stuff?" Perry went into the kitchen, reached into the cupboard, removed a glass, filled it with water from the tap, and tried to wash the horrible taste out of his mouth.

"Decaffeinated Southern Seville Orange." Ironside grinned. "I owed you one for spoiling my chili with those hot dogs last night."

Della laughed with Mark and Ironside. The fake hurt look on Mason's face made her laugh harder. When she regained control she said, "Well, Counselor, I seem to remember something you said about comic relief."

Mason couldn't resist her amusement. He started laughing. Della, Mark, and the chief joined in.

When the laughter died down, Ironside told Mark, "If McMasters ever gets out of the bathroom, don't forget to serve him his coffee."

They started laughing again.

2

Mark pushed Ironside's chair into the room at the Hall of Justice. Commissioner Randall and Mayor Patrick Simpson had already arrived. Both men went directly over to him. "Bob, I believe this is just a formality now with Terry Cox shot dead."

"Nothing is a formality, Dennis. Internal Affairs will conduct this hearing no different than if Sergeant Cox was here."

"But Chief, the only witness against you is Will Grays. With Cox gone, he'll probably back down on his story," the mayor said.

"We'll see," Ironside said.

"Where's your attorney?" the commissioner asked looking around the room.

"Hopefully changing his suit." Ironside wheeled way from the mayor and commissioner, leaving them wondering what the comment meant.

Outside the room, Ben Matlock was just about to enter when Perry Mason and Della Street approached him. "What are you doing here, Mister Mason?" Ben asked. "Chief Ironside isn't having you take over, is he?"

Mason smiled. "No, of course not. It would be a conflict of interest for me to handle his case. I just wanted to sit in on the hearing if that's all right with you."

Ben looked at the young lawyer and said, "Well, I guess so, but you aren't to say anything. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly," Perry answered.

Ben stood there looking at the younger man. Della wondered if he wasn't just a bit intimidated by Perry. Then again, the man had tried dozens of criminal cases and his record was extremely impressive.

Matlock grabbed the doorknob and then looked back at Mason. "I understand you drank some of my coffee this morning. What did you think of it? It's a special brew."

"Oh . . . well, I liked it as well as Bob did," Mason said. Della had to turn away to keep Matlock from seeing the smile on her face.

"In that case, I'll send some to both of you when I get home." Matlock grinned, opened the door and entered the room where the Internal Affairs hearing would be held.

Mason could hear Della chuckling. "Now just what are you going to do with the coffee he sends you?"

Mason grinned. "Send it to Bob."

Della laughed as he held the door open for her to enter.

Ben Matlock was already seated beside his client. He opened his briefcase and arranged his papers on the table. He waited for the proceedings to begin.

Murray Simons sat at the table directly to the right of Matlock and Ironside. He had been chosen by Internal Investigations to handle the hearing. They felt, as a long-time friend of Robert Ironside, the hearing would never be considered unfair. If Ironside was to be disciplined or dismissed from his position, no one would be able to say he didn't have a fair hearing.

Russell Klammer sat in the middle of five members of the Internal Affairs panel. These men would determine the fate of Robert Ironside, a more than 20 year veteran of the San Francisco police force. Each one of them had known the chief throughout his career on the force. Klammer had hand-picked the men to serve on the hearing. Despite each of them having known Ironside, Klammer felt they would be completely fair in their judgement. Not one of them would allow Ironside to be railroaded. On the other hand, they wouldn't hesitate to vote to dismiss Ironside if he had done something deserving of that dismissal. The mayor had made it clear he wanted the hearing to be fair.

"If everyone's ready, I think it's time to call this hearing to order. "Chief Ironside, do you understand the charges against you?" Klammer asked.

Ben Matlock stood up. "He does indeed understand them. I want to point out my client is completely innocent of the charges which have been leveled against him. And I would also like to point out . . . "

"Mister Matlock, you'll be given ample time to speak on the chief's behalf, but I remind you we have a procedure, with which you should have familiarized yourself."

"I did indeed do that, Your Honor," Matlock declared.

"You don't need to refer to me as Your Honor," Klammer told him. "You may call me Captain Klammer."

"That's fine," Matlock said with a wave of his hand. He sat back down beside Ironside.

"All right then. Lieutenant Simons, you may call your first witness," Captain Klammer said.

"Captain, our first witness would have been Sergeant Terry Cox, but he isn't able to testify."

Matlock stood up. "I think the panel should be informed Sergeant Cox was shot and killed attempting to kill Officer Duffy, who would be a witness of what happened at the museum if he weren't in a drug-induced coma."

Captain Klammer sighed. "Mister Matlock, if you've read up on these proceedings, then you know you're not to interrupt them. You'll have the chance to examine each of the witnesses. Is that clear?"

"It's very clear, Your Honor. However, I want it on the record one of the star witnesses against my client is an attempted murderer, and probably in on the robbery at the museum."

"Mister Matlock, as I've already stated, you may call me Captain, not Your Honor. Furthermore, there isn't any proof of Sergeant's Cox's involvement in the robbery at the museum."

"Oh come on!" Ben exclaimed. "He attempted to kill one of the witnesses to what went on there! How can you say he didn't have anything to do with it?"

"That's enough, Mister Matlock. Chief Ironside hasn't been brought up on charges of being in on the museum robbery. Therefore, it has no bearing on this hearing."

"No bearing! You must be kidding!" Matlock shouted. "It's been inferred Chief Ironside attempted to help Alexandra Hughes steal the Chinese Tiger the first time and was complacent in allowing her to do so the second. I'd say it has a lot of bearing on the case!"

"Mister Matlock! Sit down," Captain Klammer said sternly.

"Or you'll what? Hold me in contempt of court," Ben mumbled, but loud enough for the captain to hear as he sat back down.

Ironside looked over at his lawyer. "Whose side are you on?"

"They're trying to ignore facts which are pertinent to our case. I'll not allow them to get away with it."

Della and Perry were sitting at the back of the room. Della leaned into Perry and said, "Colorful, isn't he?"

Mason smiled. "At least we know he isn't going to allow them to railroad Bob."

"Aren't you afraid Ben will alienate the panel? It could hurt Robert."

"No. Despite the way he's going about it, Della, he's right," Mason told her.

"Lieutenant, call your next witness," Captain Klammer called out.

"I call Sergeant Ed Brown," Murray said.

The doors were opened by the officer standing outside the room. Ed Brown entered. After the sergeant took a seat, Murray began. "Sergeant Brown, you work for Chief Ironside, is that correct?"

"It is."

"Would you say the chief always follows the law to the letter?"

Matlock was on his feet again. "Oh, for heaven's sake! The only thing Chief Ironside is charged with is allowing Alexandra Hughes to steal the Chinese Tiger. If Lieutenant Murray wants to bring out a time or two when the chief may have used unorthodox methods, then I'll be happy to bring up the hundreds of times he's followed the law to the letter." Matlock picked up some of the papers on the desk and threw them back down. "What's that mean, anyway? Which letter? There are 26 of them in the alphabet!"

Perry put his hand over his mouth to hide the smile. He'd heard Matlock could be quite the character in the court room, but he must be outdoing himself with this performance.

Some members of the Internal Affairs panel were attempting to stifle smiles and out-right laughter without much success. Captain Russell Klammer was charged with keeping order. He was becoming frustrated with Ben Matlock. "Mister Matlock, sit down! Lieutenant Simons, please keep your questioning of Sergeant Brown on the subject of Alexandra Hughes' theft of the Tiger and Chief Ironside's part in it."

"You need to stipulate which time," Matlock said, "since Chief Ironside has not been formally accused of collaborating with her on this second theft."

Klammer rubbed his temples. Why couldn't Perry Mason have defended his brother? This should be a quick hearing. Instead, at this rate, they were going to be here all day. "Only the first time, Mister Matlock. I would think you would realize that since Chief Ironside is only accused of helping her in the first theft."

"Tell that to Lieutenant Simons," Matlock said. He sat back down.

Murray had to hold back a smile. It wouldn't do to have the man in charge of the internal investigation team amused by the antics of the subject's attorney. The entire idea of Bob Ironside helping to steal the Tiger was ridiculous in the first place. Bob Ironside no more tried to help Alexandra Hughes get away with stealing the Tiger than he did. Murray wondered who was pushing the mayor and the city council into this farce. Someone didn't want Chief Ironside investigating. As soon as Terry Cox was shot and killed by Lieutenant Reese, the hearing should have been called off. Matlock was right; Cox had been up to his ears in the entire sordid affair. Just the fact that he was responsible for finding the phony witness should have been enough for Internal Affairs to call the whole thing off.

"Lieutenant, you may continue."

"Sergeant, when you entered the mansion where Louis Blaine, Eli Schneider, and Alexandra Hughes were staying, what order were you given by Chief Ironside?"

"To go to the door and ring the doorbell. I was supposed to find out if they were there," Ed said.

"And were they?" Simon asked.

"Yes."

"What happened when you discovered they were there?"

"They tried to run," Ed told him.

"And what did you do?"

"Mark Sanger and I went after them."

"But, Chief Ironside did not, is that right?"

Ben Matlock was up again. "Objection! Is a man in a wheelchair supposed to chase them down in order to prove he wasn't letting them get away?"

"Mister Matlock, this is not a court of law. This is a police hearing. There aren't any objections here. Please remain silent. You'll have your chance to question Sergeant Brown."

Ben sat back down.

"No, the chief did not go after them. Since I've worked with him a long time, I am quite certain he couldn't wheel his chair fast enough to catch up with them."

Ben laughed aloud. "My point exactly!"

Murray ignored him. Keeping his attention on Sergeant Brown, he pointed out. "He was outside where he did confront Alexandra Hughes when she came out though, wasn't he?"

"We didn't even know if we'd find any of them there. It was an educated deduction on the chief's part."

"He guessed where they might be?" Murray asked.

"Chief Ironside doesn't guess, Lieutenant. We had good reason to believe they were there."

"So Chief Ironside stayed behind knowing there were only two of you to contend with three of them?"

"He quite often stays behind. We're the brawn, he's the brains," Ed said.

"But he did stay behind to deal with Alexandra Hughes, isn't that right?"

"No, he stayed behind to wait until we reported back to him," Ed corrected.

Murray sat down. "That's all."

"Alright, Mister Matlock. It's your turn," Klammer said.

"I don't have any questions," Matlock said.

"No questions?" Klammer said with disbelief. "You certainly had plenty to say while the lieutenant was questioning the witness."

"All I have to do is to present this," he said, pulling a stack of papers out of his brief case. He took them over to the panel. "These are reports of Chief Ironside's cases after he was shot. In every one I'm presenting, he stayed behind while his officers went in. Anyone with an ounce of sense knows why he'd stay behind and let his officers handle the arrests. If they don't, they certainly shouldn't be on this panel." Ben went over and sat back down.

Perry looked down. Della could see he was trying to hide his amusement. She whispered to him, "I'd give a week's pay to know what Robert's thinking right now."

Perry had to keep from laughing. "He's either calling me a few choice names or he realizes Matlock is actually hitting it out of the park."

"Lieutenant, do you have anyone else to call?" Klammer called out.

Murray Simons called Mark Sanger, who reported exactly as Ed Brown had. He then called Will Grays.

Grays did not know about the death of Sergeant Terry Cox as Lieutenant Carl Reese had successfully kept it away from the press at Ben Matlock's request. If there was one thing Ben hated, it was someone who'd been bought to lie on the stand. He was not only going to destroy his testimony, he was going to see to it he went to jail for trying to frame his client for money.

Murray Simons, unlike Grays, had been told about the death. The door opened and the police officer allowed Will Grays to enter the room. He came forward and sat down. Murray stayed at his table, but chose to stand. "Mister Grays, I understand you live next door to the mansion where Alexandra Hughes stayed."

"That's right. But, my house is just a simple one. It's nothing like the one they were living in," Grays answered.

"What did you see that day?" Murray asked.

"Well, Ironside's van pulled into the long driveway and parked to the side. I watched those two men go up to the door." He pointed at Ed and Mark. "They rang the doorbell and when the door opened, all hell broke loose. They took off running in pursuit of the people who went out the back door. Alexandra Hughes came running out another door. She met Chief Ironside, gave him the Tiger, and he told her they'd split the money when the Tiger was sold on the black market."

"Then you didn't see her attempt to run down Chief Ironside?"

"No, they were working together."

"You're sure of that?" Murray asked.

"Of course I am," Grays said, feigning indignation.

Murray sat back down. Matlock was on his feet, but before he could ask a question, Conrad McMasters entered the room. He headed for the front of the room and went directly to Matlock. Conrad handed him several sheets of paper. Matlock didn't attempt to maintain a poker-face; he sported a huge grin on his face. Conrad turned and sat down beside Mark Sanger.

"Mister Gray, you were paid to finger Chief Ironside, weren't you?" Matlock accused.

"No, of course not. Sorry, Mister Matlock, but I am telling the truth," Grays said. "Chief Ironside is the one who lied."

"Really? Are you sure of that?" Ben said with a smirk on his face.

"Of course I'm sure."

"Didn't Sergeant Terry Cox pay you to frame Chief Ironside?"

"That's ridiculous. I only met Sergeant Cox once; the day he came to question me."

"And he didn't offer you a bribe?"

"No, he did not."

Matlock grinned and walked back to his table. He looked at Ironside and winked. Picking up the papers Conrad had just given him, he walked over to Will Grays. "This is a copy of your bank records, Mister Grays. It shows a rather large deposit." He handed the bank records to him.

"Yes, it's money I've been saving and keeping in my house for years. When I realized how much had accumulated, I decided it would be safer in the bank, so I made a deposit."

"But, this is not just a deposit. It is a bank-to-bank transfer," Matlock said. The corners of his mouth were turned up slightly.

Will Grays sat silently. He didn't realize Cox had made a transfer. He told him he made a deposit into his account. How could a cop be so stupid as to do a bank-to-bank transfer? He had just lied and Matlock had caught him since it didn't show up in his account as a simple deposit. He didn't know what to say.

Grays had contacted Cox and told him he had decided the money he'd given him at his house wasn't enough. If he was going to set up Ironside, he wanted more money. He was taking a huge chance. Everyone in San Francisco knew it wasn't easy to fool the detective. Cox hadn't been happy about it, but he agreed right away. He called Grays later that day and told him the money was in his account. It hadn't occurred to him the fool would do a wire transfer and leave a money trail.

"Mister Grays, I can prove the money came from an account which belonged to Terry Cox, and was transferred to an account in your name."

Grays had to think of an explanation. His testimony against Ironside would result in another large amount of money deposited to his account by Cox. He didn't want to lose that money. "Well . . . ah . . . I paid Cox for security work he was about to do, but decided he couldn't do the work because of his job as a police officer. That transfer was a return of that money." Grays was rather pleased with himself until Matlock made his next statement.

"But, you told us you had never met Sergeant Cox until the day he came to question you about Chief Ironside and Alexandra Hughes," Ben said.

"Ah . . . I guess I was wrong about that. I just didn't think about it," Grays said. He knew his answer was weak; he just didn't know what else to say.

"You certainly are wrong about it." Matlock walked back to the table and picked up another paper. Bringing it back to Grays, he handed it to him. "You also forgot to mention Terry Cox filled out another wire transfer form. This one was to be made by the bank tomorrow. Do you know whose account the money was supposed to go into, Mister Grays?"

Will Grays said nothing. He knew exactly where it was to go. Cox was supposed to make another deposit into his account after the hearing was over, and Ironside was removed from his position. Again, the moron left a paper trail. Did he really think Ironside wouldn't find it? What a fool.

"Well, Mister Grays. Can you explain this wire deposit?" Matlock demanded.

"No, I haven't a clue as to why he would do that."

"I'll bet you don't have a clue that Sergeant Terry Cox was shot and killed by a police officer when he attempted to kill Officer Duffy."

The look of shock on Grays face was telling. At least he would receive the money tomorrow. The police would have to prove Cox paid him a bribe. They couldn't prove it wasn't security money. With the cash Cox had given him on that first visit, Grays had actually brought some security equipment with the intention of having it installed.

"I know nothing about what Sergeant Cox was involved in. I simply told him the truth about what I saw and heard regarding Chief Ironside."

"Is that right?" Matlock said, a grin spreading across his face.

"That's right, Mister Matlock."

Once again Matlock walked back to the table and picked up another paper provided to him by Conrad McMasters. He took it back to Grays and dangled it in front of him. "Your phone records, Mister Gray. They show a two-hour phone call to Phoenix, Arizona. Your sister lives in Arizona, doesn't she?"

Grays shifted in his seat. "Yes."

"And what is the date of this two-hour phone call to your sister?" Matlock held the paper out so Will Grays could read it. When he didn't answer, Ben continued, "It's the exact day Chief Ironside was next door. The same day Alexandra Hughes almost ran him down with the car she was driving. The same day you were on the phone with your sister in a two-hour phone call."

"I stepped away from the phone for some air. That's when . . . "

"No!" Ben shouted. "We spoke with your sister. She said the two of you hadn't spoken in a couple of months, so you were on the phone for the entire time catching up." Ben stared into the man's eyes. "You were inside on the phone. You didn't see or hear anything that day. You were paid by Terry Cox to come here and lie, to frame Chief Ironside because Terry Cox hated him. And now, you won't even get the money he promised. Money can't be transferred after a person's death."

"What! But that money is mine!! He promised . . ." Grays stopped in mid-sentence realizing what he'd just done.

"I have nothing further, Captain Klammer." Ben walked over and sat down beside Robert Ironside. The chief stared at him. Ben turned and looked at him with a grin. "Your brother couldn't have done any better than that."

Ironside continued to stare for a moment before saying. "You still haven't changed that flaming suit."