Chapter 4

"Daddy, daddy, I've found a girl...!"

Ed sat up on the couch. Huh? His autistic son wasn't interested in social contacts at all, let alone in girls. But as a matter of fact he was pulling a girl into the living-room.

Although Brown had never seen her before, he knew instantly who she was: Kitty Granger, Harry Granger's younger daughter. She was only about Danny's height. Yet like most kids with Down's she was a little chubby, and she reminded him of raspberry sweets. In comparison to her Danny looked like a toothpick.

"Come here, you two!" he said friendly, feverishly thinking about what he would have to do now. "Hello, you are Kitty, aren't you?"

"Yessir. Are you sick?"

"I'm fine. – Danny, where did you meet Kitty?"

"On my way home from school. Dad – she said that she saw people going into the swimming pool. But what would they do there in January?"

Alarmed Ed asked back: "Are you sure about this, Kitty?"

"Yes, went swimming. But no water." She started to giggle. "Swimming without water!"

"Dad, where is Chief Ironside?" Danny knew that Ironside had been hiding there while his father was in prison.

How much could Ed tell his son? Usually he kept work and family strictly apart. "I'm not sure, Danny."

Jerry Abbey had called him. The Chief hadn't arrived at headquarters. Ed knew that his car had been followed, probably by Mob people, when they had left the hospital.

"Let me call headquarters. We can't take any risk."

Ed dialed the number. "I need three units at the Red River swimming pool. Whatever is happening there - the situation must be handled with utmost care and circumspection. Commissioner Ironside's live may be at stake."

"Sir... I don't understand... we heard that you were dead..."

"Well, I'm not, and there's no time for small-talk now."

Mark had flown to Denver when he heard of the trouble his friends were in. He had arrived just after lunch.

He entered when Ed hung up.

"Mark, I need you to drive me to the swimming pool. Please help me get out to my car, will you?"

Eve, who had followed Mark, protested. "Darling, you can't do this!"

"Eve, I have to go. I can't leave the Chief alone."

Mark pulled him to a standing position. He knew that this was madness – but he couldn't see an alternative. Eve helped Ed put on his coat over his pajamas.

"Please, honey, take care of Kitty, but don't tell anybody that she is here."

Eve's heart was heavy when her glance followed her husband's black Ford, while she prepared some chocolate milk for her son and his very special guest.


Ironside heard the intruders at the door. As his right arm was still sore, he held his gun ready in his left hand. His aim was almost as good that way.

"Ironside, we know that you are here! Come out. We don't want to shoot you!"

Of course they did. They could not let him live, he knew too much. They would be passing in front of his crate; there was no other way in.

Very carefully, guns drawn, they advanced, with enough space between them that he would not be able to hit both at once. They acted like professionals. Still he could not just shoot them without a warning. This wasn't the Wild West.

When the first one had halfway passed the crate, he opened the last wire. The panel fell down and like a cascade all the toys rolled out.
The first mobster, nervous anyway, was taken aback. He stumbled over the toys and over his own feet. The second intruder, brought out of his equilibrium by his pal, didn't fare any better. Trying to get out of the area covered with the unpredictably moving objects they fell into the empty basin for the non-swimmers. It was only about half a yard deep, but one of them seemed to have hurt his ankle. Swearing and groaning he bent down. His partner let himself get distracted just long enough for Ironside to emerge from behind his crate.
He pointed his .38 at the two men in the basin. "Put your guns onto the edge of the basin and then your hands on your head!" he ordered coldly.
They didn't have much of a choice. Resigned they complied.
As if they wanted to make fun of them, two or three of the Sagex toys followed them down into the basin.

"Take three steps back!"

"Sir, this is nothing personal..." started one.

"I'm not interested. You are under arrest for attempted assault on a police officer. You have the right to remain silent..."

He didn't get any further.


Mark didn't respect the speed limits. "So you expect to find the Chief and probably some crooks there. Did you have a special reason to order three teams?" he asked.

"Statistical probability. One may be on Fisette's payroll, two will be straight. The two will hopefully be able to deal with the one and with the intruders."

"You were wrong when you went to prison thinking that the good guys would keep the upper hand," Mark pointed out.

"Let's hope that I am right this time."

Surprised, Mark noticed that behind his usual politeness Brown sounded exactly as cold as Ironside. His best friend was in danger, the man whom he owed almost everything in his life. Therefore his well-trained civility could not cover his basic instincts: Wanting to protect this man at any price.

When Mark and Ed arrived at the gate of the swimming pool, the scene in front of their eyes was chaotic: Policemen in uniforms and in plain clothes shouting at one another and pointing at one another...