Brothers in Arms

Chapter 2

Ironside wheeled his chair into his bedroom. For years, the chief's bedroom was located on the right hand side of the office. Recently one of the side rooms had been cleared and remodeled. It gave the chief a little more privacy. It had been Eve's suggestion to make the office seem more professional, at the same time give the chief an actual bedroom. Ironside had no objection and Commissioner Randall was forth coming with the funds for remodeling.

Mark was going through the chief's closet looking for casual warm clothes to pack in his suitcase. The chief had plenty of suits in his closet but what he had in suits, he lacked in casual wear. "Chief, maybe we should do some shopping. You could use warmer clothes than what you have in here for your trip."

Ironside looked in the closet and pulled out a couple pull over shirts. "Pack these, Mark. They will be plenty warm enough. Make sure you throw a sweater or two in there as well."

Mark took the shirts and packed them in his suitcase. He watched the expression on his boss's face. He seemed to be a million miles away. "Chief, this is none of my business but you did say that I of all people had a right to speak my mine where you are concerned so there is something I wanted to talk to you about. I was hoping you would feel free to talk to me but you have been silent."

Ironside already knew where Mark was going with this but his simply was not in the mood to talk about it. "Some other time, Mark. I need to get ready for my trip with Perry."

Mark would not be deterred. "I can talk and pack at the same time and so can you."

Knowing his aide was not going to drop the subject, Ironside looked and him and said, "Alright, what is it?"

"For the past six months you have not been yourself. I am not talking about your work. I am talking about you. You are distance with Eve, Ed and me. Your temper is shorter than usual and we have to drag you out of here and force you to go out and have a good time. I am not going to say you are depressed but at the very least, you are withdrawn from us. I am guessing the reason for all this is Barbara is on your mind." Mark waited for a response from his boss.

"It will pass Mark," He said in hopes Mark would drop the subject. However, his aide was not finished.

"Chief, she said she needed some time. You know when kids are involved with a divorce it takes longer. She did call once. I am sure she will call again. Give it more time. It might help to get your mind off it if you went back to going to ball games with us and stop turning down friends when they call to invite you out. Even the commissioner has noticed. You have turned him down several times when he's invited you out."

Ironside knew Mark was right and he guessed he just had not thought about the impact his mood would have on his staff. Mark, Eve and Ed were more important to him than just staff members. If Mark noticed his mood then certainly Eve and Ed did as well. Just this morning Eve made a jester toward him. "Your concern is duly noted and appreciated, Mark. Maybe this fishing trip with Perry is just what I need."

Mark nodded. He wanted to say more but he noticed the chief purposely left out any discussion of Barbara. Maybe the chief was right. A fishing trip with his brother might be just what he needed right now. He would let it go at that.

Neither of them heard the office door open. Ed strolled into the chief's bedroom. "All packed?" he asked.

"Just about," Mark said.

Eve poked her head in. "I am just in time."

"Just in time for what," Ironside asked.

Eve pushed her way past Ed. She was carrying several boxes from a local men's clothing store. She walked over and set them down in front of their boss. "You are going to need some casual clothes and something warmer to wear than your dress shirts. We took up a collection. We want you to be better dressed than Perry." She opened the boxes.

Ironside looked in the boxes. Eve had picked out several shirts and pants for cooler weather. He noticed a smaller box that had thick heavy socks. The final box had a pair of boots. "The socks and boots will keep your feet warm up in the mountains."

"I have no feeling in my feet, Miss Whitfield," Ironside pointed out.

"All the more reason why you should protect them," Mark said. "Just because they have no feeling doesn't mean they still can't get frostbite."

Ironside looked down at all the clothes his staff had generously purchased for his trip and felt guilty for his behavior over the last few months. Sometime he forgot they cared as much about him as he did about them. However, the chief always had a hard time with expressing his appreciation. "If you three could afford all this then I am paying you too much," he barked.

Eve and Ed smiled at one another. Mark knew his boss was touched by their thoughtfulness but habit was not going to allow him to show it. That was the typical Ironside trademark avoidance of expressing his feelings. "What do you say we all go out to dinner," Ed suggested.

Ironside looked up and said, "Only if you let me buy."

"I don't have a problem with that," Mark said. "Do you, Ed?"

"Not a problem with me. What about you Eve?" Ed joked.

"I think it's a marvelous idea." She grinned. "How about prime rib, chief? We have not had that in a long time." Mark and Ed voiced their approval.

"I was thinking more on the lines of hamburgers and French fries," Ironside said with a twinkle in his eye.

It was not lost on Ed, Eve or Mark that the play side of their boss had finally returned. "You really want hamburgers?" Eve mocked disappointment.

"What's wrong with hamburgers?" Ironside said as he raised his voice.

"Oh, nothing." Eve replied.

"Nothing," Ed and Mark said together.

"Good," Ironside said. Then with a grin he added, "Prime rib it is."

Ed, Eve and Mark were all smiles, happy to have lifted the chief out of the funk he had been in.

xxxxx

Perry and Della sat by the fireplace in Perry's apartment sipping bourbon. Perry had his arm around Della while she had laid her head on his massive chest. Neither spoke, content to be in the others company. Perry's dinner had been delicious and both of them had over eaten. Finally, Della broke the silence. "Don't you think you should get some rest? You have to be up awfully early in the morning to catch your flight to San Francisco."

"I am resting," Perry replied.

"I meant sleeping," she chided him.

"I'm not tired. Besides, I can sleep on the plane. Bob's van is equipped for him to drive it so he can drive part of the way. I just want to sit here with you and enjoy the solitude and your company," Perry said.

"I called Robert's office early this morning. Eve answered the phone. She said he has not been in the best of moods lately. She thinks it's because he has not heard back from Barbara,"

"I know," Perry said. "Ed has told me the same thing when I have called there. Barbara said she wanted some time to deal with the divorce. Bob will just have to be patient. I intend to get his mind off of that for a couple weeks."

"It will be good for him to get away. Dealing with that serial killer must have taken a lot out of him," Della said.

"He's pretty tough, Della. I do not think we have to worry about him. He will work everything out in time. Now enough about him. What do you want to do for the rest of the evening?" He said with a mischievous grin.

Della laughed. "Why don't we do something we will not be able to do for the next two weeks?"

"That is just what I had in mind." Perry took Della's hand and guided her down the hall.

xxxxx

Tony Castle walked around Dennis Randall's cabin. With a flashlight and shovel in hand, he went around to the back. Castle found the crawl space. He shined a flashlight into it. Using the shovel, he began digging out the bottom of the crawl space. For twenty minutes, he continued digging. Once he was satisfied, he had dug far enough back to be under the living room he stopped and went back to the truck.

Castle lowered the back door of his pickup. He pulled out a container. It held a gas that would put people to sleep. Castle reached further into the truck for a remote device and a long skinny tube. He then headed back to Randall's cabin. When he arrived, he went to work in the crawl space connecting the remote device to the container of odorless gas. Castle then connected a long tube to the container. He shoved the tubing into a hole that went into the cabin. The first part of his plan was now in place.

xxxxx

Ed arrived at the airport just as Mason's plane touched down. He headed for the baggage department to pickup up his passenger. After waiting twenty minutes, he spotted Perry Mason standing at one of the carousels waiting for his baggage. Ed walked toward his boss's brother.

"Hello, Perry," Ed said with a smile.

"Ed, it's good to see you," Perry smiled as he offered his hand. Ed shook his hand and Perry asked, "How's he doing by the way?"

"He's perked up a bit. I think he is really looking forward to this trip with you. He took us all out to dinner last night and actually sprung for prime rib," Ed answered.

"Prime rib! All I have ever gotten out of him is….." Perry started to say.

"Chili," Ed interrupted with a grin.

Perry's bag rounded the carousel and he pulled it off. "Shall we go?"

The two men headed for Ed's car. Ed took Perry's bag. Once it was placed in the trunk of the car, they settled into Ed's vehicle for the trip to the chief's office/residence.

"How was the flight?" Ed asked him.

"Oh you know, if you've been on one commercial flight you've been on them all," Perry answered. While looking straight ahead Perry inquired, "So has Bob heard from Barbara yet?"

Ed's expression darkened. "Once, but he wasn't in the office. She refused to leave a phone number. She said she would call back. She hasn't as of yet. I cannot help but wish she had never shown up in San Francisco. Every time he has had some time to heal the wound gets opened again," Ed said with bitterness.

"She called once. She will call again. She's been through a lot too, Ed." Perry said in Barbara's defense. "You would not want to deprive him of happiness with her, would you?"

"No, Perry. But I would like for her to show up and provide that happiness instead of leaving him in the lurch." Ed complained.

"Give it time, Ed. Bob is a strong individual. He will live through it. At any rate, I am going to see to it that he has a good time for the next two weeks and forgets about it for a while. However, if she calls you give her Randall's cabin phone number," Perry requested.

"I would not do anything else. You have not been on the receiving end of the chief's lectures when we try to decide what's best for him," Ed said.

Perry smiled. "Sounds a bit like what happens to me when I do the same for Della." Their conversation turned to cases Perry had handled in court and Ed told him all about the Moonlight Killer case. Before they knew it, they were pulling into the police garage by the elevator to the chief's office.

xxxxx

Paul Drake entered the police station and headed for Lt. Arthur Tragg's office. His secretary announced him to Lt. Tragg who immediately cleared him to come in. Paul entered Tragg's office. Hamilton Burger was sitting in front of Tragg's desk. It was obvious to Paul that he had interrupted something.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your company, Mr. Drake?" Tragg said.

"Lieutenant, I was hoping you would run this guy through the system and let me know if he has a record. If so, what for and has he served prison time." Drake handed Tragg a sheet of paper with Tony Castles name, description and current address.

Tragg took the paper. "May I ask why or is this something you are doing for Perry in which case I am supposed to do it without being told a thing."

Paul sat down in the chair next to Burger. "I am trying to prevent a possible attempt on a cop's life, Lieutenant."

Burger looked at Drake. It was clear from the look on Drake's face that he was being straight with the lieutenant. "What cop?"

"I do not know that yet. I have to find this guy to find out," Paul said.

"How do you know he is planning on killing a cop?" Tragg said as he sat forward.

"Some information has come to light that indicates it might be a possibility. My client is trying to prevent that from happening," Paul said.

"Is Perry your client in this case?" Hamilton asked.

"You know I can't tell you that," Paul said.

"Well, just exactly what can you tell us?" Tragg said with irritation in his voice.

"Only that there is someone who thinks it might be a possibility. That person does not know who the cop is or even if the cop is from Los Angeles or elsewhere. I have nothing concrete. We are simply being cautious. If we discover there is something to this you will certainly be the first to know," Paul insisted.

Tragg looked into Drake's eyes. He read people quite well and he had no doubt Drake was telling the truth. "Alright, Drake. I will check him out and get back to you. "

"Thanks, Lieutenant. The sooner the better in case there is something to this," Paul said as he got up and left the room.

"So what do you think?" Hamilton asked.

"I think he is working for Perry and one of Perry's clients provided the information. Perry is trying to be sure the cop is protected if it turns out to be true," Tragg said.

"That was my take also," Hamilton said. "I agree with Drake on one thing he said."

"What's that?" Drake said.

"The sooner the better," Hamilton responded.

xxxxx

The door to Ironside's office opened. Ed walked in with Perry Mason. Perry came down the ramp. His brother turned his wheel chair toward him. "So Della finally kicked you out of the office for a little R&R, huh?" Ironside said with a grin.

"Look who talking, I don't doubt you needed a little push by Eve, Ed and Mark to get you out of yours," Perry return the grin. He walked over to Ironside and the two brothers shook hands. "It sure is good to see you Bob."

"I had Mark load plenty of bourbon into the van. If we don't catch any fish we can life on the bourbon," Ironside quipped.

Eve noticed immediately how quickly the chief's attitude had changed for the better as soon as his brother had entered the room. This is just what the chief needed, she thought.

Mark grabbed Perry's bag and said, "I'll just load this in the van." He disappeared out the office door.

"Sit down, Perry. Eve, get him a cup of coffee, will you please." Ironside called out. Eve immediately headed to the kitchen to comply. "So tell me, how's Della?"

"She's fine Bob. She was already issuing orders in the office when she pushed me out." Perry took the cup of coffee from Eve as she brought it to the table.

"I have a feeling she runs that office all the time," Ironside said while sipping hot coffee.

Perry laughed. "That she does! Hey, it just occurred to me this is the first time I have seen you in anything but a suit. I was beginning to think you lived in those things."

"I do, most of the time. I do not get to take vacations very often. Besides, these clothes are new. My staff was afraid I would be underdressed around a high priced lawyer such as you," Ironside teased.

Do not blame me you decided to become a cop. You could have studied to be a lawyer," Perry told him.

"If I had you would not have found it so easy in court," Ironside said.

Ironside's staff watched the playful exchange between the two brothers and all three agreed silently that this is just what the chief needed. They knew he would enjoy his vacation with Perry.

"Mark, how about some lunch before we leave?" Ironside suggested to his aide.

"Already in the works chief," Mark called out from the kitchen. A few minutes late Mar brought out club sandwiches, chips and soft drinks for everyone.

Ironside looked at the Coke in front of him. "I know we have something stronger then this in the kitchen," he said to Mark.

"It is packed for when you reached Commissioner Randall's cabin. Remember you both are driving this afternoon," Eve reminded her boss. "You would not want to get pull over, Chief, for driving under the influence."

"I have a good lawyer," Ironside barked.

Mark put a Coke down in front of Perry. "He can't bail you out of jail if he's in there with you."

After finishing lunch, Perry stood up. "We better get on the road Bob. It will take us quite a while to get there."

Everyone said his or her goodbyes as Eve kissed the Ironside on the cheek. "Don't worry about the office chief. We will take care of things."

Perry and Ironside went down to the police garage. Ironside pushed the button to the lift and was raised into the van. Perry got behind the wheel and pulled the van out into traffic.

Neither man had any idea their vacation would turn into a nightmare.

xxxx