I, the Accused
Chapter 15
1
Philip Brody walked over to the inmates in the cafeteria. He had an extremely uneasy feeling about the latest developments. He couldn't believe the governor of California would actually release the whole prison population. It made zero sense to him. Nobody, not even Robert Ironside, was worth that. What were they up to?
Nevertheless, he would inform the inmates what the decision was regardless of its ridiculousness.
He was approached by Larry Sanders. "Well, what did they have to say?"
"They are going to release the entire prison population at precisely 9:00," Brody informed him.
"Are you really that stupid, Brody? There is no way in hell that they are going to release everybody in this prison. You are aware that nearly everyone here is a murderer."
"Well, they said they were going to. I don't think you realize how valuable Ironside is to the city."
"Nobody is that valuable. They have something up their sleeve. Something is going on. Instead of accepting their promise blindly, you should be trying to figure out what they are doing."
Saunders couldn't believe this idiot. He wondered if he had made some kind of deal with the authorities. Maybe they promised him they wouldn't send him to this prison after he was convicted of the two murders. Something was going on, but it wasn't the prisoners being released. There was no way that was going to happen.
"I say we stick to the original plan. Waste one of the guards immediately, that will certainly get their attention."
"Oh that's brilliant, Saunders. Then they back off on the deal completely. You know how these prison riots end up. They handle them in three ways. They either negotiate, wait us out, or storm the place. I am betting they will wait us out. I don't think there is any way we can get into the warden's office."
If that wasn't confirmation that Brody had no intention of killing a guard, Saunders didn't know what was. He was simply trying to save his own skin. Brody did not care about any of the inmates in the prison. They could all be killed in the storming of the prison, and he wouldn't lose any sleep over it whatsoever.
He watched as Brody walked over to the nearest table, climbed up on it, and stood there. He shouted over the noisy crowd. "Listen up! We have heard from the authorities. They are going to give us what we want. Precisely at 9:00, they are going to release everyone. Their condition is that we do not try to get into the warden's office. Ironside, his sergeant, and the warden, as well as his secretary are not to be harmed. They are going to trade their safety for our release."
A cheer went up in the cafeteria. Saunders couldn't believe it. All of these men could not possibly be that stupid. There was no way they would be released. Saunders just couldn't stand by and allow Brody to get away with lying to the men. He made a deal, Saunders was sure of it. He walked over to the table and climbed up beside Brody.
"You guys need to wake up. I don't care what Brody says. There isn't any way they are going to release the entire population of this prison. Not even Ironside is worth that much to them. I say Brody has made some kind of deal to save his own skin, and to hell with the rest of us."
Everyone in the cafeteria started talking at once. None of them had ever actually trusted Brody. Saunders, on the other hand, was one of them. All of them began to wonder whether they should listen to him instead of Brody.
"I think Larry is right," Kyle Scott shouted. "Releasing an entire population of a prison has never been done before. I don't believe for a minute that it is going to be done here either."
The inmates began shouting. No one seemed to be listening to anyone else. Brody knew that if he didn't do something, he would lose control of all of them. He should have taken Saunders out as well. He should have known that he would become a problem. With Bricker out of the way, he would try to take his role as the boss inmate in the prison.
"Listen to me!" He continued to shout and stomp on the table to get the attention of the men in the room.
"Why should we listen to you? You're not one of us. In fact, you have always been on the other side!" one of the inmates shouted. "Larry is one of us. He is not going to take any crap from anybody, including Ironside. He stood up to him, that is why he is here. He didn't give up his boss."
"Is that what you think?" Brody shouted over the noisy crowd. "Why don't you ask him what really happened? He didn't stand up to Ironside at all."
The room became suddenly silent. Larry Saunders looked out among his fellow inmates. He had to do something. He didn't dare let them believe anything Brody said. "He's lying to you. Who are you going to believe? Philip Brody who has been abusing everybody in this prison ever since he became a guard, or me? I'm one of you."
"You may be one of them, but you're lying to them. You didn't stand up to Ironside." Brody turned and looked directly into the crowd of inmates. "Saunders was supposed to get Ironside to tell him where a fink was hiding in witness protection services. He was sent into the Danner Institute where Ironside was staying for tests. When things went bad, and Ironside's sergeant showed up, Danner and Ironside were able to get him to reveal the whereabouts of Danner's family. He made a deal. He turned over on his mob boss. You don't have to take my word for it. Just demand that Ironside tell you the truth."
Saunders was beginning to panic. He did not like the looks on the faces of the inmates in front of him. They were beginning to doubt him. "Don't believe him! None of that is true. I didn't make any deal with Ironside or the district attorney."
"Just ask Ironside!" Brody said. "Better yet, just look at the sentences he received and what Carl Fenton got. He's only here for a short period of time. Fenton will spend the rest of his life in prison. He's lying to all of you. He probably made another agreement with Ironside, and I have no doubt he is saving his ass, and he will do it at our expense. You can bet on it."
The chatter in the room became louder as the inmates considered what Brody was saying. Saunders was showing signs of panic. How would he convince the men that Brody was the one who was betraying them. He was the one who cared about them, and would have made the best deal for them he possibly could. It certainly didn't include believing they were all going to be released to save Ironside. Hell, if the President of the United States was the one in the warden's office, they still would not release the entire population of the prison.
Saunders had to make a last ditch attempt to sway the men to his side. He shouted as loud as he could over them. "You men know me. Do you really think I am the kind of man who would rat on the mob? Think about it! If I were going to make a deal with Ironside, would I have ended up serving any time at all? Would you, if you were in my place? Brody is the one you can't trust. You should know that already. When did he ever put you first?"
Brody could see Saunders was not swaying the inmates. The seed he planted was taking root. Saunders would be lucky to live the day out let alone walk out of the prison at 9:00.
Suddenly, the room became quiet. Then one of the men came forward. Staring at Saunders, he expressed his anger. "Brody is making perfect sense. How could Ironside know where Banner's family was being held if Saunders didn't give them up? Gentleman, I believe we have a rat fink among us, and it isn't Brody."
"And you know what happens to guys who rat out their friends?" another inmate yelled.
The chatter around the room became louder and more aggressive. Saunders knew he was in trouble. He turned around, jumped off the table and attempted to run. Brody pulled the gun from his waist and shot Saunders in the back.
"All right, we move forward. We wait and start leaving the prison at 9:00," Brody shouted over the noise.
Kyle Scott didn't trust Brody. He had no doubt that he shot Larry Saunders to keep him quiet. Scott didn't believe that Saunders ratted out his mob boss. If only he hadn't panicked, he might have been able to convince the men that it was Brody who betrayed them. Like Saunders, he didn't believe for a minute the authorities were going to let everyone walk out of the prison. That was just ludicrous.
Well, he wasn't going to make it easy for Brody. "Why did you wait till 9:00? Why can't we walk out of here right now? By waiting until 9:00, you give them time to set us up."
The men all started talking at once again. "That's a good question, Brody!" One of them shouted.
Philip Brody raised his hands in an attempt to quiet down the inmates. He suspected Scott didn't believe they were going to walk out at all. In all actuality, he didn't believe it either. He had grown to the point where he didn't really care much. One minute he thought he could still get away with it since there was only Bricker's word that he killed Jeremy Smith and Chuck Baldwin. Then on the other hand, he also knew the detective talent of Robert Ironside. If he left any clues, no matter how minuscule, there wasn't any doubt Ironside would find them. No, he wasn't getting out of this prison. Nor was he going to spend years behind bars. His life was worth nothing now.
The most important thing to him was to make sure that Ironside and Brown never left the prison alive.
"The reason for waiting until the sun goes down and it is dark, is because we have a better chance of getting away. In the daylight they can pick us off one at a time." Brody could tell that it made sense to the inmates. Most of them were shaking their heads in the affirmative.
When he could see that Brody had convinced them about the 9:00 time, Kyle Scott shouted over the crowd. "So, Brody, did you pull those two men who are trying to get into the warden's office? One of the conditions was that you leave Ironside and the people in that office alone."
"Why in the world would you make that condition?" one of the men shouted. That crippled deserves to die!"
A shout of approval went around the cafeteria. A lot of the inmates were arrested by Ironside. They didn't want to see him leave the prison alive either.
Once again, Brody used his hands in an attempt to calm everybody. "It was their condition. If I didn't agree, they weren't going to give us what we wanted. However, just because I agreed doesn't mean we have to keep to that agreement. I personally am going to wait behind and kill Ironside when he comes out of that office."
"Why should we believe you?" Kyle Scott certainly didn't believe him. "If you stay behind to kill him, you'll never get out of here."
Brody can see the doubts seeded among the men. Damn Kyle Scott! Maybe he should just shoot him dead on the spot right now. If he thought it wouldn't cause a problem with the inmates, he wouldn't hesitate. He couldn't stand the man. He was just another scumbag murderer.
"Ironside killed my father and my brother. I don't care if I have to spend the rest of my life in prison, or get killed in the process. He's not leaving this prison alive."
That seemed to placate everyone in the cafeteria, except Kyle Scott. Unfortunately, he didn't think saying anything further would do any good.
"Okay then, let's take a vote. I'm all for doing what you guys want. Do we wait till 9:00? All those in favor?" Most of the prison population raise their hands. There were very few who did not.
"Then it is settled. We leave this hell hole at precisely 9:00," Brody told them.
2
Ross Howard hung up the phone with Ironside. He didn't like what he had to do, but he knew he would do it anyway. If he didn't get killed in the process, at least Ironside promised to get him transferred to a lesser prison. It would get him out of what was considered one of the most violent and dangerous prisons in the country.
He went over to the door of the utility room. Opening it just a crack, he peeked out into the corridor. Howard couldn't see anyone. It appeared to be deserted. Since he knew exactly where the surveillance room was, he entered the hall, turned to his left, and quietly hurried toward it. His nerves were on edge. If he ran into anybody, they would take him directly to Philip Brody. Howard would be used as leverage to get Ironside to come out of the warden's office. Despite the fact that Ironside was the one who put him in prison, he still had no desire to see harm come to him. Howard didn't have any doubt Ironside would come out of that office if Brody threatened to kill him if the detective did not comply. He didn't want to see that happen. Right now, Chief Ironside was probably the only one that actually believed him when he said he didn't kill Jeremy Smith.
With his heart pounding, he arrived at the surveillance room. Staying to one side of the door, he peeked into the window. Todd Rogan sat in a chair in front of several monitors. He was definitely alone, at least as much of the surveillance room that Ross Howard could see. Well, this was it. He couldn't stay here out in the hall where he was vulnerable to being seen by any one of the inmates in the prison. He tapped on the window, opened the door and went in.
"Chief Ironside sent me. He said you would give me a gun to arm myself with," Howard told him.
Rogan stood up, walked over to Ross Howard, and pulled the gun from his waistband. "I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. If you get caught, Brody will kill you for sure. He is not going to want you around as a witness against him."
"I know that. I do not have any choice. When you are forced to take sides, you take sides with the winning team. I have had experience with Chief Ironside. There is no way I would bet against him coming out on top of the situation."
"Then you are aware," Rogan said, "the FBI and the National Guard are going to storm this place at 9:00."
Howard nodded. "Yes, I am. Ironside has a plan. My question is, are you on board? Ironside said the surveillance system covers the door of the warden's office."
Rogen knew exactly where Howard was going with this conversation. He decided to head him off as he didn't want him in the surveillance room any longer than necessary. "Relax, Howard. I have no intention of betraying Robert Ironside. It would be a fatal mistake. Besides, he has agreed to help me. I trust him. I accidentally killed my father. As I told him, I'm willing to serve my time, but I don't deserve life in prison. By helping him, he agreed to reopen my case. I would be crazy to betray him. No one will know when you approach the warden's office. You have my word."
"That's good enough for me, kid. Okay, we need to draw the guard's attention so I can get into place. Can you do that?" Howard asked.
"Not only can I do that, but I have already taken care of it. I contacted them and told them you were headed to solitary confinement and hiding under the bed." He laughed. "They had to go in to check under the bed. They aren't very bright. You would never fit under the bed. They went in anyway. Since what I did for a living was create security systems for computers, I hacked into the controls for solitary confinement. As soon as they entered, I shut and locked the doors. They aren't going to give you any trouble."
"Couldn't Ironside and his sergeant just go ahead and take out the guards at the front gate? They are armed, aren't they?" Howard asked.
Rogan shook his head. "You have been in that area." He pointed to the monitor that showed the front gate. "Those guys would see them coming from quite a distance away. Besides, they report to Brody every fifteen minutes. If they saw them coming, Brody would know it immediately and he would beat it over here to get Ironside and Brown. No, I already discussed it with the chief. Not to mention that Ironside is in a wheelchair. He couldn't get out of the line of fire if they started shooting. He said it wasn't an option, especially when I told him those guys are reporting to Brody."
"Won't Brody check with the guys who were stationed at the warden's office?" Howard asked.
"That is a risk, since they learned the warden's door can be opened by the computer system. Unfortunately, one of them was convicted of killing the man in charge of a bank's computer system. He worked for a company that was servicing it. When he was caught hacking into it to transfer money into an offshore account, he killed the man who caught him. He got to thinking there might be a way into the office by way of the computer system. He started checking and found out that was the case.
He shut down the security system in the office and made sure I couldn't turn it back on. He was about to contact Brody and tell him. I told him I would contact him and let him know that his orders were for them to capture you in solitary."
"But that doesn't make sense. Why would they bother with me when they were so close to getting Ironside?" Howard asked.
Rogan laughed again. "I told you they were not very bright. They fell for it, hook, line, and sinker."
"But Ironside is vulnerable now," Howard said.
"Yeah. He knows that. You better get in place."
Howard nodded and left the surveillance room.
3
Robert Ironside checked his watch. They didn't have long to wait. It was nearly 8:00. Brody was told 9:00, but the FBI was concerned the inmates would be lined up at the gate. Depending on how many of them were armed, it could lead to gunfire. They decided to move up the time without letting Brody know. Once they shut off the electricity in the prison, the guards at the gate would not be able to see the FBI and the National Guard coming. When the inmates realized they were overwhelmingly outnumbered, Ironside was not optimistic that they would stand down.
Ed Brown watched his boss. After having worked for him for many years, the sergeant could read him to a point. He could tell the chief was uneasy. If Brody tried to check with the inmates who were supposed to be outside the warden's office, he would know something was up. The detective now knew the outer door was open and there wasn't any way for them to lock it now. All they could do was sit and wait for the FBI to move in.
4
Darkness fell over the prison. Eve and Mark waited, knowing the raid on the prison would begin soon. They were worried about the chief and Ed. The plan was risky. Their boss informed the FBI the door to the warden's office was no longer locked, protecting them from the inmates. The only saving grace was that the inmate in the surveillance room was able to lure the two men at the warden's office into solitary confinement. How long would it be before Brody tried to check with them and find out they were no longer there?
Mark started pacing back and forth. "What are they waiting for?"
"They are going in at 8:00, Mark." Eve tried to soothe his concerns despite the fact she was feeling the same.
Sanger checked his watch. "That's a half hour from now. The chief and Ed could be hostages right now."
There wasn't anything further she could say that would settle Mark's nerves, so Eve remained silent. She knew he was just as worried as she was.
5
Using the intercom, Brody contacted the inmates at the gate. "What's the situation there?"
The closest man to the intercom walked over and answered. "All is quiet here, Brody. When are you going to start the men toward the gate?"
"Very soon." The truth was, Brody didn't care when they headed for the gate. None of them were getting out of the prison. The whole thing was a ruse for whatever they really had planned. "Okay, stay alert." He cut off the connection. Next he tried to contact the inmates outside the warden's office. They didn't answer the summons. After trying the second time with the same results, he became uneasy. Something was wrong. They should have answered immediately. He decided to check it out, but would do it on his own without alerting anyone there might be a problem. He waved Kyle Scott over to him.
"I know we have our differences, but we do want the same thing. I am going to check with the guys at the gate. I want to be sure the FBI is not going to try to screw everyone over. Then we will start moving the men to the gate. You are in charge here. I'll call you on the intercom as soon as I know it is safe to move them. That hall would leave them open to slaughter. I want to make sure that doesn't happen."
Scott wasn't sure he could trust Brody. He didn't believe the authorities were going to let everyone walk out of the prison. There just wasn't any way that was going to happen. Anyone who believed it was not realistic. Yet, he was beginning to believe Brody believed it. Brody didn't care about the inmates, of that, he had no doubt. He did care about his own hide. He was right that the hall could mean the slaughter of anyone caught there if the FBI intended on raiding the prison, which was exactly what Scott believed they would do. Since no one would listen to him, there wasn't anything he could do about it. Knowing that, he wasn't going anywhere near the gate.
Brody left the cafeteria. He pulled the gun from his waist and headed toward the warden's office. Everything was under control, so why was he so nervous? He was running the prison and the inmates. There shouldn't be anything to worry about. The FBI would raid the prison soon. He would be hiding near the warden's office. When Ironside came out, he would shoot him dead. He didn't care what happened to him after that. He would probably be shot dead as well by the FBI. It didn't matter. All that mattered to him was that Ironside was dead.
He had a good idea what the FBI would do. They were not going to wait until 9:00. They would start the raid before, figuring to catch the inmates off guard. He arrived near the warden's office. The inmates who were supposed to be guarding the door were gone? "What the hell?" He cautiously approached the door. He smiled when he saw it was slightly ajar. The inmates figured out how to get it open. But, then where were they? He really didn't care. This was better than he had hoped. He went into the outer office. He would just sit here and wait for Ironside to come out. When he did, he was a dead man.
6
Ironside hung up the phone. "The raid is about to begin," he informed Ed. "I checked with Todd Rogan. As expected, Philip Brody is in the outer office. He knows the FBI isn't going to release anyone."
"Chief, his entire plan was to kill you," Ed said. "I am going out that door first."
"No you are not and neither is anyone else. We are going to force him to come in here."
"He's not going to do it knowing both of us are armed."
"Make that three of us," Warden Leyton said.
"He has no choice if we don't go out," the chief pointed out. "Get into position, Ed. Warden, you and your secretary move to where Ed is on the other side of the door."
7
The order was given. The electricity shut down in the prison. Kyle Scott sat down on a table and threw his gun to the floor. The inmates started running for the exit of the cafeteria. With no one to lead them, it turned into complete chaos. The FBI, backed up by the National Guard, stormed into the prison. Gunfire erupted immediately, and the two inmates at the gate were gunned down.
Inside the outer office. Philip Brody kicked the door open and threw tear gas inside. With his gun in his right hand and holding a flashlight in his left under the gun, he quickly spotted Ironside. Sergeant Brown's line of fire was obscured by the half open door as Ironside had just given the order for him to move to the other side. Brody pointed the barrel of the gun at Ironside's head.
8
The FBI and National Guard moved quickly throughout the prison. They were equipped with gas masks and began throwing tear gas one after another toward the inmates. With burning eyes and coughing, inmates started dropping their guns and surrendering. Those that didn't were shot. Within only a few minutes, almost all of them were under control. The FBI spread throughout the prison to capture and subdue the rest.
9
The gun went off, but Ironside was not shot. Philip Brody fell to the floor with a bullet in his back. Behind him stood Ross Howard with the gun that felled the prison guard.
Brown, coughing and rubbing his stinging eyes, moved Philip Brody's body out of the way and wheeled Ironside out of the warden's office. The warden and his secretary followed them out. Coming through the door, two FBI men raised their guns at Ross Howard.
"Don't shoot!" Ironside shouted. "Stand down!" The FBI backed off immediately.
He wheeled over to Ross Howard, who turned the gun around and handed it to the detective. "He just saved my life." Ironside nodded his approval to Howard. "It was his voice you heard initially that led to saving lives."
Howard smiled. "No, Chief. It was the 'People's Voice'." He offered his hand to the detective who shook it.
"I hope you don't mind solitary until we can get you transferred out of this prison, Mr Howard."
Howard smiled. "I'll live with it."
"If only you had just allowed your wife to divorce you," Ironside said.
"Yeah, well, isn't hind sight wonderful?"
"Get these people out of here!" the man in charge yelled as more FBI agents entered the outer office. They escorted the coughing detectives, the warden and the secretary out of the tear gas filled room.
"There's a prisoner in the office," Ironside informed them. "Brody needs medical attention."
10
Ironside wheeled outside the prison. When Eve and Mark saw him and Ed coming out, they ran to greet him. Eve put her arms around the detective.
"I'm alright, Eve," Ironside told her.
Mark shook hands with Ed and the two men embraced. While Eve hugged Ed, Mark looked down at his boss. "You went in there to solve a murder. What took you so long?" Ed and Eve laughed. Both knew Mark was relieved to see Ironside unharmed.
"I solved the murder, Mark. The problem was the inmates decided to have an unauthorized party in the cafeteria. You know how I hate parties. I locked myself in the warden's office to avoid being the guest of honor." He grinned at his aid.
The FBI man walked toward Ironside with Todd Rogan. "Chief Ironside, this inmate wants to speak with you. Since he was the one who helped us, I brought him out."
"Mr Rogan, I presume," Ironside said.
Todd smiled at the detective. "Yes, sir."
Ironside put out his hand and Rogan shook it. "We could not have pulled this off without your help. Thank you. Your case will be reopened, and my office will handle it. I have no doubt your sentence will be shortened to a much shorter period. In the meantime, you are going to be put in solitary until we can get you transferred out of here."
"Thanks, Chief. I appreciate it, and I'm glad you got out of there unharmed." They shook hands again and Todd Rogan was led away.
Captain Gary Delong walked up to Ironside. "That was close, Chief."
"Too close," Ironside said. "What's the situation in there?"
"Thirteen inmates dead. Five with gunshot wounds, but they will live. Chief, we found Barry Corey."
When he said nothing further, Ironside said, "Dead?"
"I'm afraid so. I'll contact his wife."
"No, I'll do it," the chief insisted. "At least Philip Brody will pay for what he did. He will become a member of the prison population."
"Actually, no he won't. He died about ten minutes ago."
"Ross Howard will not face charges," Ironside said.
"Under the circumstances, that is not going to be a problem. Your testimony of his cooperation and saving your life will prevent that from happening."
Eve's cell phone rang. She removed it from her purse. Looking at the screen, she smiled. "It's the commissioner." She handed the phone to Ironside.
"Hello, Dennis."
"Bob, are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
"What about Ed?"
"He's all right as well. So is the warden and his secretary. Philip Brody was shot dead. Ross Howard did it."
"Howard!"
"Yes. He cooperated completely. Dennis, he saved my life. We need to go to Herman Thatcher and get him transferred out of here. He won't last a day in the prison population. I'm having him put in solitary until we can get him transferred. I am reopening the case on Todd Rogan. Without his and Howard's cooperation, this could have been a lot worse."
"I'll work with you on that. Why don't you go back and get some rest."
"Dennis, I don't need rest, I need food."
"I'll tell you what. You finish up there and meet me at the Wharf. Dinner for you and your staff is on me. And call Katherine. She's quite worried about you.
"I'll do that. I can give a statement to the FBI later. I'm going to go over and see Barry Corey's wife. Then I'll meet you at the Wharf."
"What about Corey?"
"He didn't make it, Dennis. I suspect he was Brody's third victim."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Randall was quiet for a moment before saying, "You scared 10 years off my life this time, and I can't afford it."
"Why, Dennis, I didn't know you cared."
"I don't. It's just that I'm used to having you around."
Ironside chuckled. "I'll see you at the Wharf in about an hour." He hung up the phone and handed it back to Eve.
Looking up at his staff, Ironside raised his voice. "Well don't just stand there, the old man's hungry!" He started wheeling his chair toward the van.
The End
I do not own the Ironside characters. They are the creation of Collier Young. All other characters were created in my mind for the purpose of telling the story.
The character Ross Howard was borrowed from the Ironside episode "I, the People." The part was expertly played by Milton Berle.
References were made to the episode, "This Could Blow Your Mind."
Kathleen
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