The Case of the Stolen Artifact
Chapter 24
1
Ironside had been looking forward to this day since the whole mess had begun. Today was the day his brother would end this nightmare. The phone beside his bed rang. Picking up the receiver, he barked, "Ironside."
"Chief, it's Ed."
Just hearing the sound of his sergeant's voice allowed the detective to sit back on the pillows and relax. Knowing he and Katherine were safe removed the cloud above him. "Welcome home, Ed. When did you get in?"
"Just landed. I'm taking Katherine to my place where we both can get showers. We'll see you at the courthouse."
"Is Katherine with you?"
"She is and she wants to talk to you," Brown replied.
"Put her on."
A moment later, he heard the voice he longed to hear since he found out she was missing. "Hello, Robert."
"Katherine. You don't know how good it is to hear your voice."
"It is?"
"Of course it is. Why would you even doubt it?" Ironside asked.
Katherine didn't want to bring up what she had seen happening between him and Alexandra Hughes. He certainly had enough on his mine at the moment. "I was afraid I'd never see you again. Thank you for sending Ed and the special forces after me."
"That was Ed who did that. He and Becker enlisted the help of the State Department."
"It doesn't matter who did it, you sent Ed."
Ironside smiled. "Did you think I wouldn't as soon as I discovered you were in trouble?"
"No, I guess not. Robert, I can't wait to see you, if you want to see me."
Ironside could detect something was bothering her, but dismissed it when he considered what she had been through. "Yes, I want to see you. Perry should end this trial today. Everyone will go back home and life can return to normal for us."
Katherine almost laughed at that remark. What exactly was "normal" with a detective of his caliber? "May I see you afterward?"
"You have no choice. Hopefully we'll all be having a celebration dinner."
"Then I'll see you after court," Katherine said. "Robert, I love you."
Ironside smiled. "I love you too." He returned the receiver to the cradle. He had spoken to Eve earlier when they first arrived back in San Francisco as well. The tension he'd been feeling had lessened now that he knew both his officers and the ladies were all safe and back in San Francisco.
Pulling his chair to the bed, he put on his bathrobe with a struggle, and lowered himself into his wheelchair. Robert Ironside wheeled into the main room of his office-residence. Mark, Perry, and Della were already seated at the table in their bathrobes. He wheeled over to the table. Della smiled when she saw him wheel in.
"Good morning, Robert," she said.
"Why aren't you people showered and dressed?"
Mason smiled. "Just listen."
"I don't hear anything," Ironside said. Then the voice of Ben Matlock came loud and clear from the bathroom singing the strains of 'Sweet Georgia Brown.' The chief groaned and said to Sanger, "Put on a pot of coffee, Mark. We might as well drink it until we can get into the bathroom."
"I don't think you want me to do that," Mark said.
"And, why not?"
"Because Ben replaced the coffee I just bought with more Southern Seville Orange," Mark revealed.
"Why the blazes did he do that?" Ironside snarled.
"I think it is my fault, Bob," Perry confessed. "He asked me what I thought of the coffee. I told him I liked it about as much as you did." Everyone at the table started snickering.
"That's just great. No coffee and we probably aren't all going to have time to get a shower." Ironside shook his head as they listened to Ben Matlock singing in the shower.
2
Perry and Della made their way into the Hall of Justice. The usual crowd of reporters followed them and shouted questions as they walked. Perry smiled and kept moving. When Ironside's van pulled up, they left Mason and ran toward the chief. He was coming down in the lift as the mob of reporters crowded around him.
"What's going to happen today, Chief?" One of them called out to him.
"Do I look like I have a crystal ball?" Ironside snarled. Mark pushed the chief's wheelchair toward the entrance of the building. The reporters cleared the way. They knew better than to stand in front of his wheelchair with Mark pushing. The young man didn't stop. He would wheel the chair right into them.
Ironside joined Perry and Della inside. They heard a commotion at the door, and a moment later Gary Sullivan appeared. Mason approached him immediately.
"Mister Sullivan, I'd like to speak with you. There have been some developments you should know about."
"I'll find out in court. You don't have anything I don't already know." Sullivan pushed his way past the attorney.
Ironside witnessed the exchange and wheeled over to his brother. "That's not like him. He always listens to the defense attorney."
"Perry experiences this all the time. It comes from all the hype the papers and television shower on him," Della said as she walked up to them.
"Well, he's in for a surprise," Ironside said, wheeling his chair to the courtroom.
The courtroom was filled to capacity. There wasn't an empty seat in the room. It was the norm for a trial Perry Mason was involved in. Mason led Della up the aisle and opened the gate for her. She took her seat on Alexandra Hughes' left where she was already seated at the defense table. Mason sat down on Alexandra's other side.
The lawyer glanced back. Paul and Conrad were nowhere to be seen. He'd sent both of them on an errand on a hunch he had while lying awake in bed.
The bailiff shouted out, "All rise. The Honorable Judge Herman Thatcher presiding." The judge entered through his chamber door, sat down, and told everyone to be seated.
"Mister Mason, are you ready to call your next witness?"
"I am, Your Honor. The defense calls Katherine Deneurve to the stand."
Kathrine came forward, was sworn in, and sat down. Matlock questioned her about how she came to fly to Italy. She testified she was held against her will and was rescued by Sergeant Brown and the special forces team. Matlock then questioned her on whether she went to the museum. She told the court about the call she received and that she went because she thought the call was made on behalf of Robert Ironside. Matlock turned her over to the prosecutor for questioning.
Gary Sullivan stood up. "Mrs. Denuerve, you are Robert Ironside's lover, are you not?"
Both Mason and Matlock shot out of their chairs and shouted, "Objection!" at the same time. Mason sat back down since Matlock had been the one who examined Katherine.
"You don't have to give a reason for your objection, Mister Matlock. It is sustained. Mister Sullivan, I warn you, I will not tolerate you embarrassing this witness."
"It goes to bias of the witness," Sullivan argued.
"The objection was sustained, Counselor."
Sullivan nodded. He showed no remorse over his question. "What is your relationship to Chief Ironside?" He turned to Matlock. "Bias of the witness, Mister Matlock."
"Robert and I are seeing each other privately," she answered.
"So, you want to see him and his brother win this case?"
"Naturally."
"Who called you to the museum?"
"I don't know," she said.
"So, you don't know that it wasn't someone who was put up to it by Mister Mason or Chief Ironside, do you?"
"Objection!" Matlock called out.
"I withdraw the question," Sullivan said knowing he had gotten his point across.
After Katherine stepped down, Matlock called Tracy Oliver to the stand. "Now, Mrs. Oliver, did you receive a call luring you to the museum?"
Sullivan wanted to object, but the judge had used the same word, so he felt would overrule the objection despite the fact it was a leading question. So, he remained quiet.
Tracy Oliver testified about the call she received, her subsequent trip and captivity, as well as the escape Eve Whitfield orchestrated. Matlock again turned the witness over to the prosecutor.
"Mrs. Oliver, were you ever involved with Chief Ironside?"
"If you mean romantically, well, not exactly."
"Yes or no?"
"We dated."
"Yes or no?" Mrs. Oliver.
"Yes."
"So you, too, would like to see Chief Ironside win this case?"
"Chief Ironside is not trying this case, Mister Sullivan" Tracy said.
"But, he is working it with his brother, isn't he?"
"Yes."
"Then you would like to see the defense win the case?"
"Of course."
"Thank you, that is all. I have no more questions for these biased witnesses."
"Objection!" Mason Matlock shouted in unison.
"Sustained. Mister Sullivan, I'm warning you."
"I apologize, Your Honor."
"Mister Mason, call your next witness," the judge ordered.
"The defense calls Mrs. Donna Wilson to the stand." Once she was sworn in, Perry Mason stood up and took over. "Mrs. Wilson, tell the court what you do for a living."
"I'm a paid member of the city council."
"In fact, you are second in charge behind Mayor Patrick Simpson, are you not?"
"That is correct."
"Do you have access to the city funds?" Mason asked.
"I'm not sure what you mean, Mister Mason. I vote on the council in deciding where the funds are spent."
"What I mean, Mrs. Wilson, is you have the ability to authorize money to be paid out, do you not?
"I do."
"And, have you, on occasion, authorized money to be paid out?"
"Of course, but not without the authorization of the city council."
Mason walked back to the defense desk and Della handed him a paper. Returning to the witness, he handed her the paper. "Is this one of the items you authorized to be paid out?"
She looked at it and handed it back to Mason. "Yes, it is."
"Then, that is your signature on the paper?"
"It is."
"Tell the court what that particular item authorized," Mason requested.
"It was funds given to the museum for operating expenses. We budgeted money to them in our last budget."
"Can you explain why they didn't receive the funds?" Mason thundered.
Stunned by Mason's question, she said, "That's not possible. I wrote that check myself."
"I can call the curator of the museum who will testify he didn't receive any money from the city," Mason said.
"I don't understand. I gave that check to the council secretary to send to the museum." She said.
"Will the secretary verify that?"
"She can't."
"Why not?"
"Because she died of a heart attack six months ago."
Mason walked back to Della who handed him another paper and a ledger book. He gave it to Wilson. "Tell the court what those two items are, Mrs. Wilson."
After examining the items in her hand, she explained, "One is a copy of the city council's bank statement; the other is the ledger for checks and deposits written."
"Do you see a discrepancy between the two?"
Wilson squirmed in her seat. "Why yes, the ledger shows the return of the $100,000.00, but the bank statement doesn't show a deposit for it." Murmurs could be heard all over the courtroom.
Mason retrieved another paper from Della and handed it to the witness. "And, what does that bank statement show?"
She frowned after glancing down it. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary, Mister Mason."
"Look at the ledger and compare the dates," Mason insisted.
Once she read the records, she looked up at him. "There are checks listed as written that have never cleared the account."
Della came forward and handed him the checkbook. Mason went back to his witness. "The stubs for those checks are in this checkbook. Tell the court whose initials are on each check stub."
"They're mine. I write many checks that come from different departments, authorized by the department head."
Mason pointed at the stubs. "What department head authorized these payments?"
She checked the stubs and then looked uncomfortably at the attorney. "I don't know; there are no department head initials on any of the checks."
"How could that happen?"
"Sometimes I received requests to pay from the different departments over the phone. If they meet what is in the budget, I pay them. The department head will later come in and sign them."
"Why aren't these stubs signed?"
"I don't know, they should've been signed by the department head," she said. She clearly was becoming upset.
"Please look at the ledger and add up the total of the checks not on the bank statement. Tell the court what that amount is."
She looked down and mentally added the checks. Looking back at Mason, she said, "$100,000.00." The courtroom broke out in loud chatter, which was quickly silenced by the judge's gavel.
"So the books are missing $100,000.00, isn't that right?"
"It can't be," she said.
"How else would you explain it, Mrs. Wilson?"
"I can't explain it."
Mason went back to the defense table and Della handed him a new set of check stubs, a ledger, and some bank statements. He went to the bench and said, "I would like to enter this set of city council records as defense exhibit A."
"Just a minute, Mister Mason. I think this is a job for city auditors. I object to it as being incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial. It has nothing to do with the current case," Gary Sullivan complained.
"Your Honor, I request a wide latitude as all of this will become very clear. The missing money is connected to the murder of Howard Jergens," Mason said.
"Objection overruled," Thatcher said. "Continue, Mister Mason."
Perry Mason walked back over to the witness stand and handed the new set of ledgers and books to Donna Wilson. "Mrs. Wilson, these records represent transactions from ten years ago and the other from twenty years ago. If you look at them, you'll see the exact type of transaction; a large check written, then recorded as returned, but with no deposit. There are also checks totaling the exact amount of the missing deposit. Those checks were never cashed."
She looked at the records. "But, there is a difference here."
"Yes, there is. What is it?" Mason asked.
"There is a later deposit made for the same total at a later date. It's all in the records."
"Not exactly. There are two sets of records. The one with the missing deposit and uncashed checks. It was removed and the other sheet put in its place, hiding any evidence of the money being removed and then deposited later. The large check was deposited in a foreign bank. One with a very poor clearing house."
"That doesn't make any sense, Mister Mason."
"It does when you compare it with these records." Mason went back to the defense table and brought out another set of records. "These are records found in the window of Howard Jergens' hotel room. The money embezzled from the city was deposited to an overseas account in the name of Howard Jergens." Again, the courtroom broke out in chatter, and was silenced by Judge Thatcher.
"On first glance we thought all of these records were of Howard Jergens' account. Chief Ironside is the one who determined there were two sets of records. One was his own bank account on the foreign bank and the other is a copy of the city council's account. The $100,000.00 was placed in the account but the check in each case took three months to clear the city council's checking account. In the meantime, the funds were used to purchase stolen artifacts from all over the world.
I can call Eve Whitfield to the stand who will testify the room she and Tracy Oliver were held in contained stolen paintings, jewelry, and artifacts that have been taken from museums, including right here in San Francisco. Once they were sold on the black market, the money was sent back here and deposited into the city council's account, and a new sheet put into the ledger book erasing all traces of the money that went out to such people as Terry Cox for exchanging the ledger sheets. To Francois Montre for helping to marked the stolen artifacts. And to Nino Martini for doing the same."
The room broke out with everyone talking at once. The media started pushing and shoving, trying to get cameras centered on Mason and the city council member. The judge banged his gavel several times and shouted, "Order in the court. We will have order or I'll clear the courtroom."
Once it quieted down, Mason continued. "Mrs. Wilson, you led the city council in demanding Chief Ironside be removed from the investigation and signed off on the Internal Affairs investigation against him, didn't you?"
"Yes, but only because there was an accusation. I didn't believe one word of it. Chief Ironside is an honest cop and one who has an outstanding record with the SFPS"
"You wanted him off the case, didn't you?" Mason pressed.
"Only long enough to clear him," she said.
"Did Howard Jergens decide to cheat you out of the money on the sale of the Tiger?"
"What? You can't believe I had anything to do with that."
"You have regular large deposits made in your account for the last ten years."
"So what? They're all legal."
"You found out Howard Jergens wasn't going to give you any money on the sale of the Tiger. The money wouldn't be returned to the city council's account and you would be discovered. Isn't that right?"
"No!"
"You went to the museum and you shot him dead and framed Alexandra Hughes. You were to split the sale of the Chinese Tiger with Blaine and Schneider, isn't that right?"
"No!"
"And when you found out Officer Duffy was recovering, you had Sergeant Terry Cox go to the hospital to kill him, didn't you?"
"No, no, no!"
"Kevin Powers demanded more money, so you slipped into the museum and you killed him too, didn't you?"
"No!"
Gary Sullivan shot out of his chair. "This is outrageous! Mason is throwing out accusations without any proof whatsoever."
"I wouldn't exactly say that. There's plenty of proof of fraud and embezzlement, but Mister Mason, you'd better start proving these accusations and right now!" Judge Thatcher said.
Mason turned to his witness. "Did you kill Howard Jergens?"
"No!"
"Did you send Sergeant Terry Cox in to kill Officer Duffy?"
"No!"
"And did you kill Kevin Powers?"
"No! No! No! How many times do I have to say it? You can't prove any of this."
"No?"
"No, none of it."
"Well, we'll see about that," Mason said. "Your Honor, I'd like to call a witness to the stand to prove the nature of accusations I've made, but I reserve the right to recall this witness."
"Mister Sullivan, do you have any questions for this witness?" Judge Thatcher asked.
"No, Your Honor. It's clear Mister Mason is trying to get his client off by making false accusations he can't prove."
"You may step down, Mrs. Wilson, but you are not to leave this courtroom."
Donna Wilson stepped down, walked toward the gate, stopped and gave Mason a look that would have had the weak shrink from her. She walked through the gate and sat down in the front row behind the prosecutor."
Mason turned toward the spectators and said, "The defense calls Mayor Patrick Simpson to the stand."
Mayor Simpson came through the gate and was sworn in. After sitting down, Mason approached him. Mister Mayor, how long have you served on the city council?"
"About thirty years now."
"And how long as mayor?"
"Ten years."
"Did you have any idea money was being embezzled?"
He shook his head. "None. Donna has been on the council longer than I have. I trusted her completely."
"Did you authorize any of the checks in the most recent embezzlement?"
"No, Mister Mason, I had no idea."
"Have you ever authorized the funds in the manner Mrs. Wilson just testified?"
"No, sir. It isn't the practice in place. Checks can't be written unless they are initialed by department heads. You can check that."
"I did. Not one department head would admit to asking for the funds to be issued without initialing the check stub. Is this practice written in the procedure manuals?" Mason asked.
"No, I don't believe it is, but it is well known nevertheless."
"Did you know Howard Jergens?"
"No, I did not."
"Did you ever see Mrs. Wilson with Howard Jergens?"
"No, but I saw her with Terry Cox many times. He used to come to the office and ask for her."
"To your knowledge did Mrs. Wilson know of the smuggling ring?"
"I can't be sure, Mister Mason, but I once asked her about the very large checks she was depositing on a regular basis."
"What did she say?"
"Objection! Hearsay," Sullivan complained.
"Overruled. I think we need to get to the bottom of this," Thatcher said.
"She said the money came from overseas."
He turned and looked at Donna Wilson. "Overseas. Did you ever check on it?"
"Why no. She has always been a trusted member of the council. I had no idea she could be involved in something like this."
Mason walked back to the defense table and leaned on it. "Mister Mayor, do you have any overseas bank accounts?"
Simpson looked at him, puzzled by his question. He hadn't been expecting it. "No, my account is with the Wells Fargo Bank. You're welcome to my records if you'd like."
Mason picked up a paper. "I already have them. As the only other more than 20 year member of the council, we had to check you out as well."
Simpson smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't expect anything less."
Mason smiled back at him. "I'm glad you agree because we certainly haven't gotten the truth from you on the stand." The courtroom broke out in murmurs.
Sullivan was on his feet again. "Oh, please! Is Mister Mason now going to make all the same accusations of the mayor that he did with Mrs. Wilson?"
Mason turned and grinned at the deputy district attorney. "Actually, that is exactly what I plan to do." The courtroom again became loud with chatter and the media were taking pictures and pointing cameras at Perry Mason.
"Mister Mason, I'm warning you! I will hold you in contempt of court if you make one accusation you can't prove. This court has had enough of false accusations."
"Your Honor, the previous witness, Mrs. Donna Wilson knew every question I was going to ask her. She was well aware of the accusations I was going to make. Every one of those accusation are true and can be proven, just not against Mrs. Wilson. She agreed to help us trap this witness into perjuring himself on the stand."
Della handed Perry another set of papers. Mason took them. "The theft-ring I mentioned has been in existence for 20 years; ten years after Patrick Simpson first was elected to the city council. Arrests are underway. The villa of Montre has been raided and the valuable contents confiscated. So have the contents where Officer Whitfield was held."
Mason continued, "The paper I hold in my hand is an overseas account in the name of Patrick Simpson. This paper was removed from his study after he left for court this morning with a search warrant conducted by Sergeant Ed Brown. It contains records of the money Mayor Simpson has paid Sergeant Terry Cox over the years for removing and changing the records in the city council ledgers. He did, indeed, ask for Donna Wilson each time. The mayor interrupted her every time and she was pulled away, giving Cox the time to switch the records. Mrs. Wilson is willing to testify to the fact.
Mayor Simpson attempted to get Chief Ironside removed from the investigation because he is well aware of the chief's capabilities as an investigator. Furthermore, he came directly to you, Judge Thatcher, in hopes you would exercise your power as a judge and remove him. When that didn't work, he got Terry Cox to pay a witness to lie about Chief Ironside conspiring to steal the Chinese Tiger the last time Miss Hughes was in town."
"Your Honor, I object to this circus. Mister Mason is testifying and he isn't even under oath."
"Overruled. The court and the city of San Francisco are entitled to learn about any wrongdoing by its mayor. Go ahead, Mister Mason."
"He called for an Internal Investigation of Chief Ironside and put Sergeant Terry Cox on the investigative team. When Ben Matlock, along with his private investigator, Conrad McMasters, were able to prove Terry Cox had paid the witness to fabricate a story, the witness admitted to being paid to lie about what he saw. Coincidentally, the money he was paid came out of money from the city council's account which could be traced to the money that was sent from the mayor's overseas account. Chief Ironside was cleared of any wrong doing.
"Then we come to the frame up. He lured Tracy Oliver and Katherine Denuerve to the museum so they would be mistaken for Alexandra Hughes. He had his co-conspirators, Montre and Martini, lure them to their respective villas with the intention of having them killed so they couldn't tell what they knew," Mason asserted.
"When he learned Officer Duffy was improving and would live, he ordered Terry Cox to kill him. Proof of that was found in Cox's apartment, which was searched with a warrant by Lieutenant Carl Reese this morning. Officer Cox had a device hooked to the phone on which he took the call. It was recorded. Lieutenant Reese found the recording in a hidden safe in the closet, which also contained records in his writing regarding all of his dealings with the mayor and Howard Jergens.
Chief Ironside went to the museum with Ben Matlock and me and we located a third bullet. The first bullet killed Howard Jergens; the second was shot into the chest of Officer Duffy when he interrupted them." Mason walked back to the defense table where Della handed him a bullet. "We discovered this third bullet in the floor next to where Duffy was shot.
Terry Cox managed to switch the bullets in the evidence room. The gun entered in evidence was the one used to shoot Howard Jergens. The bullet in the floor was from that same weapon. It had to be discharged because only one shot was fired from the murder weapon, the one that killed Jergens. The bullet which entered the chest of Officer Duffy was shot from another gun, Terry Cox's gun. He got a bullet from the police shooting range where the mayor practices target shooting. He exchanged that bullet for the one that was removed from Officer Duffy . . . Terry Cox was there that night with the mayor. He shot Duffy and the mayor killed Howard Jergens who was blackmailing him into forcing the mayor to continue their caper, only without any money. Jergens had enough on him to turn over to the police. It was a bluff as he knew an investigation would eventually show his involvement in the theft ring. The mayor panicked and killed him. He also killed Kevin Powers because he didn't trust him to keep his mouth shut."
Mason took a deep breath and said, "And for the final proof. The villa where Eve Whitfield and Tracy Oliver were held was owned by Mayor Patrick Simpson. Last night Officer Duffy was brought out of his coma. I have a signed statement he dictated to Chief Ironside that he was shot by Terry Cox and Mayor Simpson shot the fatal bullet into Howard Jergens. He also stated he overheard Blaine and Schneider, who were also there, hold Alexandra Hughes at gun point and order her to remove the Chinese Tiger. Officer Duffy saw them leave with it before he lost consciousness. Paul Drake located a hidden video that shows Mayor Simpson at the scene of the murder."
A pin dropped on the floor could've been heard in the room. Mayor Simpson hung his head. "I had no choice, can't you see that? I was taking all the chances and he wanted to collect all the money. Hughes is a thief anyway. She belongs in jail. She was the perfect one to pin it all on."
A completely stunned Gary Sullivan stood up slowly. "Your Honor, due to these developments, I move all charges against the defendant be dropped."
"Defense concurs," Mason said.
"Case dismissed. Bailiff, take the mayor into custody." He stood up and banged his gavel. "Court is adjourned." He left the bench and headed for his chambers. Just before he entered, he turned and looked at Perry Mason and Robert Ironside, two men who served justice with honor. He smiled thinking how lucky the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles were to have them. He disappeared into his chambers.
Alexandra Hughes threw her arms around Perry Mason and hugged him. Thank you, Mister Mason. Thank you for saving my life." She turned to Robert Ironside. "Thank you, Bob, for believing in me. I know I'm not out of trouble. I'll probably still face jail time."
Ironside was silent for a moment. "The only thing we have you on is the attempt to steal the Chinese Tiger the last time you were in town. If you help us get it back, I think I can talk the curator out of pressing charges."
Alexandra lit up like a Christmas tree. "I believe I know exactly where they are. It is probably the last place they think you would look."
"Sandy."
It was the first time Bob had used her nick-name since she arrived back in San Francisco. "Yes, Bob."
"I will only help you on one condition," he told her.
"What condition?"
"You give up your current profession." Ironside said.
She smiled, although it was a sad smile. "I have not . . . practiced my current profession since the last time I was here in San Francisco. You have my word. I have no intention of ever going back to it."
"Then, let's go get the Tiger."
3
Mark Sanger pulled Ironside's van to the curb. Five police cruisers pulled in behind him. Ed Brown's dark blue Ford was already parked across the street. When the chief came down in the lift, Ed, Eve, and Carl met him on the other side. "All right, Carl, you take half the men around the back. Ed, you and Eve take the other half to the front. We have the warrant. Don't announce yourselves, just go in. Kick the doors down if you have to."
Alexandra Hughes got out of the vehicle and stood beside Ironside. She put both hands on his shoulders, and there they waited.
Ed and Eve pulled out their service revolvers and headed up the sidewalk. It was déjà vu all over again as Ed had gone up the same sidewalk to arrest the same two men, and pick up the same Chinese Tiger. He sent Eve to one side of the door and he went to the other. He nodded at Eve who nodded back in acknowledgement. Sergeant Brown lifted his leg and kicked the door. The lock gave way as the wood door frame splintered. With their guns raised, they ran inside. The uniformed cops followed them in.
As soon as Louis Blaine and Eli Schneider heard the sound of the door being kicked in, they headed for the back door. They were met by Carl Reese and the other cops who had joined him. With Carl and the other officers pointing guns at them, and Ed Brown and Eve Whitfield coming up behind them, they had no option but to surrender.
"How did you know where to find us?" Schneider asked. "We didn't think you would ever think of this place."
"We didn't," Ed said as he and Carl cuffed them.
"Sandy," Blaine said."
"She's right outside. Perry Mason got her off, but then the truth was on her side," Eve said.
Carl walked over and picked up the Chinese Tiger. "The curator is going to be delighted to see this. The Chinese government has been bending his ear since it was taken."
Ed read them their rights and led them outside. He stopped them in front of the police detective. Blaine and Schneider looked at Alexandra standing beside Ironside with her hands on his shoulder. Carl handed the Tiger to Eve.
"You could've made a lot of money on this one, Sandy. What is it about him that turns you to putty?" Schneider asked.
"I guess it's because he was always straight with me. I could trust him. He's a good man. When he told me last time that I had made two commitments and I could only keep one; I should have chosen him instead of the Tiger."
"You may have gotten out of the murder charge, but at least we can rest knowing you're going to jail, too," Blaine said.
"Wrong again, Blaine. The curator isn't pressing charges since she helped us get the Tiger back. She's free to go." They both looked at Alexandra with hatred. "Take them away, Ed," Ironside ordered."
All the patrol cars left except one. Alexandra and Ironside were left alone on the sidewalk since Mark never got out of the van. Alexandra had tears in her eyes. "I meant it, Bob. I made a mistake not choosing you. It is one mistake I'll regret for the rest of my life."
Ironside looked up at her. "This is it, Sandy. It's the last time I'll ever help you. I suggest you stay out of trouble."
"Bob, is there any chance . . . "
"No!" Ironside said immediately. "I have a good thing going with Katherine and I don't intend to mess it up."
"You love her?"
"I do."
"Then, I'm happy for you. At least I know I left a lasting impression. Two women who have attracted you look exactly like me. When you look at Katherine I know you'll see me."
Ironside shook his head. "No, when I look at Katherine, I see a woman I love and can trust. I could never trust you, Sandy. I still don't."
"Then what we had meant nothing to you?" Alexandra asked.
"No, it meant a lot to me; more than it meant to you. You chose the Tiger over me."
"I'll always treasure what we did have," she said quietly. "I will always love you."
He took her hand and kissed it. She bent down and kissed him. This time, he didn't push her away. The kiss meant nothing to him, but he couldn't hurt her any more than she was hurting now. She had come to a crossroads the last time she was in San Francisco, and she chose the wrong road. She would have to live with it. He had already learned to. He had long since moved on. He had Katherine and a future with her he was looking forward to.
"The police officer will take you wherever you want to go, Sandy. Our paths will never cross again." This was a chapter in his life he wanted closed for good and she had to do the same.
She nodded at him. "Goodbye, Bob."
"Goodbye, Sandy." He watched as she turned, walked away, and got into the patrol car. As it pulled from the curb, he saw her turn and look back at him.
4
Ironside woke up the following morning. Katherine was asleep, his arm around her as she lay with her head on his chest. He gently removed his arm, but she woke up anyway.
"What time is it?" She asked.
"Early. I want to get into the bathroom before Ben and Conrad get up. Hopefully, Perry and Della aren't awake yet either." He pulled his chair up to the side of the bed after Katherine helped him into his robe. She put her robe on and wheeled him into the kitchen. Ironside couldn't believe it. There were Ben and Conrad standing by the bathroom door! Ben had his hand on the handle.
"You've got to be kidding," Ironside said.
Perry, Della, and Mark were sitting at the table in their bathrobes. All of them were grinning. Perry got up and walked over to his brother. "Ben has a surprise for you, Bob."
"What surprise?"
Ben Matlock walked over to him. "Conrad and I are going to wait until you use the bathroom first. We've put out a towel, set your shower chair in the stall, and there's a fresh bar of soap waiting for you. We stopped at a store and picked up your favorite coffee which we will brew for you. Your breakfast will be ready when you get out of the shower."
Ironside was speechless for a moment and then he found his voice. "What's the catch?"
Ben shrugged his shoulders. "No catch."
Ironside looked back at Perry and Della who were still grinning. He wheeled past them, up the ramp, into the bathroom, and closed the door. They heard the water turn on and Ironside let out a yell. Everyone began to snicker.
A few minutes later, the door to the bathroom burst open and the detective wheeled out, his face and hair wet. "There's no hot water. Why is there no hot water?"
"Well, Chief . . ." Ben said and stopped.
"Well what?" Ironside said.
"Since I got here, the water has never been very hot. I like really hot showers. I got up early and I didn't want to wake Mark, so I called downstairs to find out where the hot water heater is located. They told me which room it was in down the hall. I went down there and saw the dial was already up quite high; almost to maximum actually. I turned it up the rest of the way and, well, the bottom of the tank gave way and all the water in the tank dumped on the floor."
Ironside sat there and stared at Ben Matlock who was grinning from ear to ear. He looked at his brother, Della, and Mark who were trying to keep from laughing. He couldn't stop himself, he burst into laughter and everyone else joined him.
When the laughter died, he looked at Matlock. "You better be able to cook."
"Oh, I can cook." Matlock told him. The table was already set. Ben hurried into the kitchen.
The door to the office opened and Paul Drake came in with Eve, Ed, and Carl Reese. "What's for breakfast?" Paul asked.
Matlock came out of the kitchen with a large plate of eggs covered in chili. Perry and Della chuckled and everyone started laughing again.
"What in the devil is that?" Paul asked.
"I just tried it for the first time," Ben said. "I call them chili eggs. I heard the chief isn't really fond of eggs, so I decided to dress them up a bit."
Paul looked at Eve. "How would you like to join me for breakfast at a nice restaurant?"
"I'd love to," Eve said, taking his arm.
Ed looked at Carl who nodded at him. "Hey, does that invitation extend to us?" Ed shouted.
"Come on!" Paul called over his shoulder.
"I'm coming too," Conrad called out as he ran up the ramp to join them. He slapped Mark on the shoulder. Come on, don't just stand there." Mark took one look at the chili eggs and chased after Conrad.
"But, we're in bathrobes," Mark said.
"Don't worry about it. I've got clothes down the hall."
Ben Matlock dished up the chili eggs for everyone who remained and sat down. Perry and Della just stared at their plates. Ironside grinned and started eating his chili eggs. He looked up at his brother and Della who were staring at their plates. "Well, don't just sit there. Ben went to all this trouble to fix us breakfast."
"Well, Perry?" Della said, picking up her fork.
He looked at his plate again and said, "You first." Della had to turn her head to keep Ben and Robert from seeing her bite her cheeks to stem the laughter.
"You know, Ben. You're not such a bad guy after all," Ironside said. "And, you're a hell of a good lawyer."
Matlock grinned as he shoved a bit of chili eggs into his mouth. "Thanks, Chief. You're as good a detective as everyone says you are."
Della caught Perry's eye and smiled.
Ben stopped eating for a moment. Turning toward Perry, he confessed, "You were very impressive in the courtroom. I can see why everyone raves about your abilities. I want you to know I enjoyed working with you."
Perry smiled. "Thank you, Ben. You did a masterful job defending Bob as well."
"Ben, I have to know," Ironside said. "Do you really have more than one of those suits?"
"Well, of course I do," Matlock said indignantly. He looked down at his plate and scrunched up his face. "This really is terrible."
"I'll tell you what," Perry said. "Let's get dressed and I'll buy breakfast."
"You're on," Matlock said as he pushed his chair back." He went down the hall to get dressed as Perry and Della disappeared into the next room to do the same.
Katherine came back into the room dressed, makeup on, and her hair done. When she saw Robert sitting at the table alone, she said, "Where is everyone?" She picked up the fork that was on Perry's plate. Pushing the food around on the plate, she said, "Don't tell me. Let me guess. They all went out to breakfast."
Ironside grinned, reached across the table, picked up Perry's plate and dumped the contents on his own plate.
Perry and Della came out of the bedroom, still pulling on clothes. When Katherine saw them, she said, "Mind if I join you?"
"Come on, Katherine," Della laughed. They walked up the ramp and left Robert Ironside by himself eating his chili eggs.
The End
I remind everyone I have no legal training. Please accept this for what it is intended, entertainment. Thank you to Journeythroughtime for proofing a good share of this story and for my new beta, Eternal Crush Haver for taking over the job. Special thanks to those of you who have read and reviewed this story.
I have no doubt Mason and Ironside will get together again in the near future.
Kathleen
Kaleen1212