Return of the Crown Prince
Chapter 08
8.1
The alarm went off beside Robert Ironside and Barbara Jones, not that he needed one. He always awoke up before the alarm went off. Today was no different. Ironside reached over and turned it off. Barbara began stirring in his arms. "It can't be morning already," she mumbled.
Ironside kissed her lightly. "Rise and shine. Time to be bright eyed and bushy tailed" He removed his arm out from under her and reached for the bar above the bed to pull himself into a sitting position. He waited a moment while watching her. Ironside smiled. She was not making any move that indicated she was going to get up. "Either get up now, my love, or I am getting in the shower first." Barbara was not a morning person, but he was. Ironside thought to himself, 'that is proof that opposites do attract.'
Finally she opened her eyes, looked in his blue ones and mumbled, "How can you be so wide awake just like that?" She snapped her fingers.
"I have been awake for over an hour now. Are you getting up or do I get the shower first?" He raised his eyebrows at her.
"No way, Robert Ironside! If you shower first, there will be no hot water left for me or Mark." She pushed the covers back and grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed. After putting in on she laid across the bed, putting her hand on Ironside's chest and ran her fingers through his chest hair. "I'll only be a minute." She leaned in and kissed him.
"That will be the day," he grumbled.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She said, looking up at him.
"I said that will be the day when a woman only takes a minute to get ready in the morning."
She laughed at him, got off the bed and headed for the bathroom. Ironside reached down to the foot of the bed, grabbed his pajama pants and with some difficulty put them on. There was a knock on the door. "Come in Mark!" Ironside shouted.
"Do you need some help or is Barbara going to help you?"
"She's in the shower. Help me into my chair would you, Mark." Mark grabbed his robe and helped Ironside put it on. His boss put his arm around Mark's neck and the young man helped lower the detective in his wheelchair. "Is the coffee on?"
"On, perked and ready for consumption," Mark said. He left the room. Ironside wheeled out following him. When he arrived at the table, Mark had already set the morning paper there for him. He picked it up. Right there on the front page was a good size picture of the prince kissing Eve. They did not have much of a problem getting a decent photo from that distance, he thought. He would keep that in mind the next time the press wanted to get closer. Mark walked over and placed a cup of coffee in front of his boss. Ironside picked it up and began sipping the caffeine-filled cup.
"What's for breakfast?" He asked.
"Oatmeal coming right up." Mark set his breakfast in front of him.
"You better jump in the shower. Eve and the prince will be here shortly. I want to get the chips injected and get over to the Hall of Justice." Ironside told his aide. Heeding his boss's suggestion, he headed toward the bathroom that Barbara had vacated.
Ironside had finished his breakfast and was reading the paper when Barbara walked in. She served up some oatmeal and carried it and a cup of coffee to join Ironside at the table. "You did not sleep well last night, Bob."
He put the paper down. "I am sorry. Did I keep you awake?"
"I woke up a couple of times. I could tell by your breathing that you were awake. Are you worried about Eve?"
Ironside stared into space. "I will feel better when the kidnappers are in custody."
They made small talk for a few minutes. Then Barbara carried their dishes to the kitchen. She walked back to the man she loved. She leaned down and kissed him. "I have to be getting to work, Robert. Will I see you tonight?"
"I will call you, "he said. She kissed him once again and left the office.
"The bathroom is all yours," Mark told Ironside as he re-entered the room.
"The detective wheeled up the ramp towards the bathroom and what he hoped would still be a hot shower. He called over his shoulder, "You better put on another pot of coffee, Mark. There isn't enough in the pot for our coffee-a-holics."
A half an hour later Ironside wheeled to the main table freshly showered and shaved and dressed in a dark gray pinstriped suit. As he reached the table, Ed and Carl walked into the office. Both men headed for the kitchen. Mark handed each of them a cup of coffee. They joined Ironside at the table.
"I guess our friends decided not to make a move yesterday," Carl said as he slid into a chair next to Ironside. Ed remained standing sipping his coffee.
"We had the crown prince too well covered. You did a good job protecting the prince. I could spot our boys all along the entire route. If I could, so could our… friends."
"That's what you said you wanted." He picked up the paper and looked at the picture of Eve and the crown prince. "Unfortunately, not everything went as planned. Sorry about the press getting through. One of the boys misunderstood his assignment. He thought he was supposed to keep them away from the plane so he had them held behind that gate. Eve is not going to be happy when she sees this picture."
Ironside wondered if she would be unhappy about the picture or whether she was unhappy about the assignment altogether. He would have to pull her aside. There could be no doubts in her mind. He needed her at her best and on her toes.
The door to the office opened. A man in a military uniform entered the office and approached the ramp. "I am looking for Chief Ironside. My name is Captain Gary Bahr."
"Come in Captain," Ironside said. "I'm Chief Ironside. We have been expecting you."
Captain Bahr walked down the ramp and approached the wheelchair bound detective. "Sir, I was sent by Washington to put tracing chips in the crown prince and a…" He pulled a sheet of paper out of his uniform jacket and unfolded it. Before he could find the name he was searching for, he was interrupted by Ironside.
"Officer Eve Whitfield," he said. "Sit down Captain, Eve and the crown prince have not arrived yet. Mark, get the captain a cup of coffee."
"No thank you sir. I never drink the stuff," Bahr said politely.
"That is more than I can say for the people around here. They keep Maxwell House in business," Ironside said with a gruffness to his voice. Mark said nothing but he could have pointed out that the chief drank more coffee than anyone else in the office.
The door opened and Eve walked in with the crown prince. "Good morning everyone, " Eve said cheerfully.
"A most beautiful morning, " the crown prince observed.
"Good morning," Ironside returned as did the others. "This is Captain Bahr. He is here to insert the chips. Ironside looked over at Captain Gary Bahr. He noticed that the man's uniform did not seem to fit him very well. "In my day uniforms were tailor made to fit us. Yours, Captain, looks two sizes too big for you."
Bahr glanced up at Ironside. "Well yes sir, they still are but I had been very sick. I lost a lot of weight. Unfortunately, I am not due for new uniforms for a while."
"Did you shrink a couple inches as well?" Ironside asked, pointing down at the cuffs of his pants. They were long enough that the heel of his shoes was stepping on them.
"Oh, please Mr. Ironside, don't say anything to my superiors. I flew into San Francisco in civvies. I forgot to pack my uniform pants. I had to buy a pair of pants this morning before I came here. I did not have time to find a pair with the proper length."
"Chief Ironside, the mayor is giving me the key to the city in less than an hour. Should we not get on with this process?" The crown prince asked.
Ironside stared at the captain. "Mr. Ironside? I would think you would be one to observe rank."
Bahr looked at him. "I'm sorry sir, no offense was intended, Chief Ironside."
Ironside continued to stare at Bahr for what seemed like an eternity to the army officer. Bahr looked away. There was something about the man's eyes that bothered him. "Yes, Your Highness, we should get on with it. Captain," Ironside said, never taking his eyes off of the officer.
"Yes, well, the chip is inserted just behind the ear. He picked up the medical case that he had brought into Ironside's office. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a set of keys. After searching through the keys, he settled on one, which he inserted into the lock of medical case. The lock sprang open. Bahr opened the case and pulled out what appeared to be a gun. "This instrument will force the chip under the skin. It will be virtually undetectable." He then retrieved a small computer with a screen of about eight inches. Bahr sent it up on the table. He removed a power cord, plugged it into the computer and said, "This will need to be connected into your electricity."
"Ed!" Ironside called out. Brown walked over to the chief's desk, opened a drawer and pulled out an extension cord. He went back to the table and plugged the computer's cord into the extension cord. Finally, Ed plugged the extension cord into a nearby wall plug.
"Okay, Captain, you have juice," Ironside barked.
Captain Gary Bahr flipped up the top of the computer and booted it up. "This computer might not look like much but it will do the job. You will be able to track your subjects no matter where they are and that even includes in an airplane. Now if we are ready I will inject the chips."
"Your Highness, Eve!" Ironside called out.
Eve and Miguel approached the captain. "What would you have us do?" The prince asked.
"Please have a seat. It will sting for a moment when it is injected," the captain said.
"Just a minute, Captain," Ironside said, stopping the process. "I would like to see this chip."
"That is the beauty of this chip, Chief Ironside." You can't see it. It is microscopic. This gun will inject it into each of them. It cannot be seen upon any kind of examination, x-ray or any type of detection devise. May I continue?"
Ironside nodded. He wheeled away from the table and motioned for Ed to follow. Whispering to him, he said, "Call Washington. Get Artie Hinson on the line. I want this man's identity confirmed." Leaving the main room, Ed went into Mark's room and shut the door.
Eve was the first to have the chip inserted behind her ear and under the skin. She flinched as Captain Bahr pulled the trigger on the device the pierced her skin. Bahr then moved on to the crown prince. He tipped his head to give Bahr the necessary access. He too flinched slightly as his skin was pierced.
Bahr turned the computer toward Ironside so that he could see the screen. "You will notice sir that the programming shows a map of where each of the subjects is located. On the bottom of the screen it shows the exact address, if available. In this case it gives the address of this building. If you press this link," he said as he pressed it, "it will pick up their unique heat signature, therefore showing you exactly where to find them in the building. They will never be out of you sight, so to speak."
Ed re-entered the room. Carl moved out of the way as Ironside backed up his chair. Ed went directly to him. He leaned over his boss. "He checks out, Chief. He fits the description of the man now with us. He flew commercial. His identification was checked at the airport."
"What about his health. Did you check on his story about having been sick?" Ironside asked.
Having been taught to be thorough, Ed had picked up on the conversation regarding Bahr stated sickness. "Yes, sir. According to Artie, Gary Bahr had picked up a rare sickness when serving in Iraq. He was brought back to the United States and had been hospitalized for nearly three month."
"I don't like it Ed. Something in my gut tells me something is not right and I trust my gut instincts." Ironside looked over at Bahr while he showed Mark and Eve how to operate the computer program. "Ed, I want either you or Carl shadowing Eve and the crown prince. I just can shake this feeling so I am not going to ignore it."
"Ok Chief. I'll talk to Carl and one of us will be with them around the clock." Ed assured him.
"No, don't worry about them after they are in for the night. We have them well covered. Just keep on eye on them while they are out," Ironside ordered.
"Ok Chief."
"We will plan the kidnapping after we get back from the Hall of Justice." Ironside wheeled back toward the table.
"The last thing is the smart phone application. Chief Ironside, you have been given clearance for three log ins. Who would you like me to set up?" Captain Bahr asked.
"Set Ed and Carl up," Ironside said.
"And the third one? I presume you want me to set up your smartphone?"
"No, Set up Mark's cell phone with the third log in," Ironside said.
"I am sorry sir, but the Defense Department stated it would have to be a police officer name by you." If he had said anything else, Ironside would have arrested him on the spot. Still something bothered him about this man.
"Chief, he can set up your phone. I'll operate it for you," Mark suggested. Ironside nodded in agreement. Mark walked over to the desk, opened the top drawer and pulled out a smart phone. He walked back and said, "this is Chief Ironside's phone." He handed it to Captain Bahr.
Bahr turned on the phone. He studied it for a moment. "Sir, are you aware there are sixty five unread email messages, thirty two unread text messages and twenty two voice mail messages?" Eve, Ed and Mark started snickering.
Ironside blew out a breath as his voice was dripping with disgust. "Text messages, email message, voice mail messages … doesn't anyone talk face to face anymore?"
"How do you stand the reminder sounds that constantly go off?"
Eve chuckled. "He has the sound turned off."
"Oh." Bahr finished with Ironside's phone and handed it to Mark. "Well that's it, Chief. Does anyone have any questions" When no one asked any he put his uniform hat on his head and said, "Well if you people will excuse me, I have a plane back to Washington to catch. "Goodbye, Chief Ironside."
Ironside looked around for Carl who had not said a word since he sat down beside the chief when he came in. "Carl, have one of your men follow him. Make sure he actually takes a plane back to Washington. " Carl reached for a phone, barked out some orders to whoever was on the other end and hung up.
"Shall we be on our way Eve?" The crown prince asked.
"Yes, of course," she smiled. "Let's go get the key to the city. They headed up the ramp and out of the office.
"I'll watch them. You go to the Hall of Justice with the chief," Carl said to Ed and left the office.
"Let's go gentlemen," He said to Mark and Ed.
8.2
Phillip York watched the news. There was plenty of coverage regarding the engagement of San Francisco native, Eve Whitfield and the crown prince. York watched as CNN kept running the segment of the prince kissing Eve as he greeted her. They covered his last visit to San Francisco and reported that Eve had been his guide while in San Francisco. The network built it up as a impossible romance that had not only become possible but had become a reality. They showed the couple entering police headquarters. CNN reported that Eve Whitfield had been working for Chief Robert T. Ironside but that the former chief of detectives would be looking for a new officers in the new future to serve in his office.
A knock on the door drew York's attention from the television. He walked over to the door. Standing in front of it with his hand on the doorknob, York called out, "Who is it?"
"Tristan Chapman," the man said.
York opened the door. "You're late." He shut the door after Chapman stepped inside.
"When you find out why I am late, I think you will overlook it."
York walked over to the television and shut it off. "Alright, why are you late?"
"I was scoping out police headquarters. A military officer showed up their with the tracking devices."
"Tell me something I don't know. I know what Ironside is up to. Are you forgetting my contact in Washington?"
Chapman walked over and sat down. He reached into his pocket and removed a package of cigarettes. After lighting up one, he puffed on it for a couple of drags and and said, "what you don't know is Ironside had his right hand man call Washington and check on the identity of the officer who came to his office."
York turned his head sharply in Chapman's direction. He walked swiftly over to him. "Was Green's cover broken?"
"No. Artie Hinson checked with the Defense department. Ironside's boy describe Captain Gary Bahr and the Defense department concurred that the man that showed up at Ironside's office was indeed Bahr."
"Why would the Defense department do that? They don't even look a thing alike?"
"Because our friend happened to be at the Pentagon. He swithched the Bahr's picture in the defense department computer for Brian Green's. So you see, the lieutenant that took the call described Green to Ed Brown." Tristan Chapman grinned.
"You can wiped that stupid grin off your face, Chapman."
"Just what the hell is the matter with you? We dodged a bullet and you can't think of anything to do but attack me. Everything is fine. Ironside is not anywhere as near as smart as people think he is. He fell for it hook, line and sinker."
York snorted. "He's a lot smarter than you are. Why do you think Ironside was checking in the first place?"
"Who cares? He fell for it."
"The hell he did! Ironside had his man check because he was suspicious. He suspected that the man that showed up was not who he was supposed to be. Otherwise, genious, he would not have been checking on him. He was not fooled one bit."
"He accepted Green as Bahr as soon as he got the description."
"And the man in Washington said you knew Ironside better than anyone around," he said disgustedly.
"What the hell is the matter with you," Chapman snarled.
"If Ironside suspected something was wrong, he won't stop looking until he finds the truth."
"Oh, so now you know Ironside better than I do, huh?" Chapman's tone had turned sarcastic.
"I watched the man closely when he investigated the murder of the president's wife. He is a brilliant detective. He did not accept Green and a simple description is not going to satisfy him. He will continue checking."
"So what if he does. He is not going to find out anything." Chapman insisted.
York shook his head. "I can see why our Washington contact did not put you in charge of this operation. If you know Ironside better than anyone, then no one knows him at all."
"You give Ironside too much credit, York."
"And you don't give him enough. If you underestimate the man, you will end up in one of his cells. Now if that is what you want, fine but I am not going to be sitting there along with you. I'll take care of this." He picked up the phone and dialed. He listened for a moment and then said, "Green is on his way back to Washington. He has become a liability. He apparantly is not a good enough actor. Ironside is snooping around about him. I don't like liabilities. Make sure he can't ever tell Ironside what he knows. In other words, kill him and make sure his body is not found." York hung up the phone.
He turned around and looked at Chapman. "I don't like this. We had better accelerate our plans. Tell the boys to pick up the prince and his fiance."
"What about the chip Ironside had inserted in them?"
"I know how do deactivate them. I have no doubt the crown prince will want a repeat of his night out the last time he was here and that means the Lighthouse. We will take them there."
"When?"
"That is what you are going to find out. Keep an eye on them. Call us immediately when they show up at the Lighthouse. I'll take it from there. Now get out of here. I have another matter to take care of," York said as he went to the door, open it and waited for Chapman to leave.
8.3
"Hi Chief," Duffy said as Ironside entered the jail.
"Well Duffy. You sure do get around," Ironside said.
"I am here because you asked for me," he said.
"Now just why would I need you?" Ironside barked.
A couple of the men chuckled. They were a bit envious that Duffy was always showing up at scenes where Ironside was in charge. They assumed Duffy was one of Ironside's 'boys'.
"Bring out the prisoner," Ironside said. Duffy went in and brought out Neil Weeks. "Cuff him," Ironside ordered.
"Ed, I want you in that black and white. You are riding with Weeks."
"Yes, sir."
"Mark and I will meet you at the Hall of justice. Let's go Mark!" Ironside called out over his shoulder as he turned to leave. Mark stepped in behind his boss and pushed his wheelchair out of the jail.
"Hey Duffy, looks like you are not Ironside's boy after all," one of the officers called out to a great deal of snickering from other officers.
Ed watched the men. He knew many of them were jelous of the fact that Duffy ended up serving under the chief on so many ocassions. Ed knew Ironside was teasing Duffy when he told him he didn't need him. Duffy knew it too. He did not like the attitudes of the men. If they were as dependable as Duffy, they might end up assigned to Ironside when needed. He decided they deserved to be put in their place. "Duffy, bring the prisnor. We will do exactly what Chief Ironside discussed with us," Ed said.
Duffy held back a smile as he watched a few jaws dropped. "I am ready if you and the chief are, Ed." Duffy put a hand on Weeks's left arm, while Ed took the right. They led the prisoner out of the jail in front of the rest of the officers.
8.4
Three police patrol cars pulled up in front of the Hall of Justice. Mark pulled the van besid them and double-parked the van. Ironside pressed the button. The van door opened. The lift dropped into place and the detecive wheeled his chair on to it. As soon as he did, he was lowered to the ground.
Ed and Duffy exited the the police car. They sandwiched Neil Weeks between them. Everything was going smoothly until the crack of a rife sounded and then all hell broke loose.