Murder at Saint Mary's

Chapter 16

16.1

Ironside took one last look around. "Remember, Ed, take no chances with Eve's life. Take Carl with you. Make sure you keep your distance. No one is to move in until I give the order. That includes you."

"What about your life, Chief? Isn't it just as important as Eve's or Mark's... or mine for that matter?"

Ironside looked at the detective friend he had been working with for years. He was always touched by the love and concern his people showed for him. He wished it was part of his personality to show his feelings... but it wasn't. "Sergeant, regardless what happens, you are not to lose this man. You are to bring him in... alive if possible but one way or the other you will bring him in. Do not worry about me. Is that clear?" His voice was gruff and loud.

Ed wanted to protest. Bringing the man in was not worth the chief's life and he wanted to say so... but he would not. He knew his boss wanted this man badly. He had attacked and attempted to kill Sister Agatha and Mark and kidnapped Eve. He would have killed Commissioner Randall if he had thought he would have been able to get out of a building full of law enforcement officials. He murdered in cold blood San Francisco citizens... and he did all of this in Ironside's town. He knew his chief would not rest until the man was in police custody.

"Yes, sir, that is clear," Ed answered, respect for his boss was obvious in his voice.

Ironside softened his voice. "Just follow the plan, Ed. I don't intend to sacrifice myself. I want Eve out of this unharmed. After that all bets are off."

Ed nodded but said nothing. There wasn't anything else to say. He only hoped he was not seeing his boss for the last time. He watched as Ironside wheeled his chair out of his hospital room and down the hall.

16.2

Ironside sat quietly with his thoughts as the elevator lowered him to the hospital garage. When it arrived he hit the button that kept the door shut. He thought about Eve. She was so young and she had her entire life ahead of her. She was being held by a man who would snuff her life out without a second thought and with no remorse. Morgan Haynes was nothing but a monster, a killer who had no compassion for human life. He had spent a lifetime taking the lives of nameless people for money. The chief was not kidding himself, Eve meant nothing to this man. She had been just a means to get to him and he knew it. Well, he was not going to harm her. Ironside would see to that. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his cellphone. Pressing an icon for a texting program he had Mark download some time ago, he typed two messages into the smartphone. The program allowed him to send the messages one at a time when he pressed a chosen button on the phone. Mark had set it up so that all the chief had to do was press the power button. Afterwards he placed the cellphone under his right leg.

He reached over and pressed the open button on the elevator. The doors opened and Chief Ironside wheeled out. He looked around for his vehicle. It was parked just a few feet away. He hoped Ed was able to get in and out of the van without Haynes spotting him.

The former chief of detectives wheeled over to the van and pressed the button that would lower the lift. The door opened and the lift went to the ground. Ironside turned his chair around and backed onto the tray. Pressing the button, the lift once again went into action, carrying the detective up and into the van.

He got behind the wheel and locked his chair into position. Now all he could do was wait. He did not have to wait long as the phone rang almost immediately. The chief picked it up and barked into the phone, "Ironside."

"Just exactly what the hell do you think you are doing, Ironside? Just get back onto that lift and wheel your go-cart to where I tell you to."

"How far do you think you would get with me and Eve in a car with you?" Ironside asked in the gruffest voice he could muster.

"What are you talking about? Who did you tell? You were supposed to tell no one. I told you I would kill Whitfield if you did not do as I told you!" Morgan Hayes shouted into the phone.

"I did not tell a soul. Your face has been plastered all over this city with every cop on the force. They see Eve and me in a car with you and one of our sharp shooters will pick you off or at least try to. I would prefer it that way but I can't take the chance they will miss and hit Eve or me," he replied, waiting to see if Haynes bought his explanation.

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Ironside waited. Haynes finally spoke up. "Alright, we will come to you. If the van is bugged, I will kill your police lady."

"What do you take me for? I am not about to endanger Eve's life. The van is not bugged." The chief was telling the truth. He had not had the van bugged but his cellphone's GPS was turned on. Ed would be able to track them through that phone.

"You better be telling the truth because if I find a bug in that van, you are going to lose your pretty police officer. We will be right over." The phone went dead.

Ironside saw a sedan pull up in front of the van. Haynes got out of the vehicle, pulling Eve out after him. He watched as they approached the van.

"You better get in the back where you won't be seen," Ironside told him.

"Get in the front seat, Officer Whitfied." Eve did as she was told. Haynes stepped on the lift tray and jumped into the van. "Close the door, Chief."

Ironside nodded at Eve who pressed the button and the lift returned inside the vehicle. He turned to Haynes and said, "Well?"

Haynes checked Ironside's pockets for a weapon or a phone and then said, "Just start the engine. Drive out of the garage and I will tell you where to go from there. I am only going to say this just once. If either of you try anything, I will kill the pretty lady. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Ironside replied without changing his expression. He started the van and drove toward the exit. As it neared it, a patrol car pulled in.

"Just be cool and you will both make it out of this garage alive," Haynes said, eyeing the vehicle.

The officer rolled his window down indicating he wanted to talk to Ironside. Haynes shoved the barrel of his gun in the detective's ribs. "Hello, Charlie," Ironside said to the officer after rolling down his window.

"Hi, Chief. I just wanted to make sure you were not alone. Commissioner Randall issued orders not to allow you out of the building unless Eve or Ed were with you until we apprehend Morgan Haynes but I see Eve is with you."

"I think the commissioner is being over cautious. I can take care of myself," Ironside said.

"I don't doubt that, Chief but his orders do supersede yours."

Charlie looked down at the rear driver's tire. "Hey, Chief, that tire looks a little low. I better take a look at it."

"Forget it, Charlie. I'll have Mark look at it when he's back at work."

"Sorry, but the commissioner said to make sure you are safe." He got out of his patrol car and walked toward the back of the van.

"Ironside…" Haynes' voice was menacing. "I'll kill him and then Whitfield if…"

"Take it easy," Ironside said quietly. "Don't give him any reason to become suspicious. Do you take me for a fool? I have no intention of doing anything that will endanger Eve. Just stay calm, Haynes."

Haynes tried to look out the window to watch the police officer but all he could see was the top of his head. "You better not be trying anything," Haynes whispered.

"Are you always this nervous?" the chief asked. "I would think a man in your profession would be calmer."

Charlie came back to the driver's window. "You might want to stop at a gas station and put some air in that tire, Chief. It is a bit too low. You don't want to hit any pot holes with it. It might blow."

"Alright, Charlie. Thanks. I'll do that right away," Ironside promised.

"Alright, Chief. I have fulfilled my orders from the commissioner. Be careful and keep your eyes open."

"I always do," Ironside said. He rolled the window up and the two vehicles passed each other.

When he pulled the van out of the hospital garage, Haynes told him, "Turn left and head away from here. I'll tell you when to turn."

Ironside did as he was told but put on his blinker on when they came up on the first gas station.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Haynes almost shouted.

"I am stopping to have Eve put air in that tire. Do you want to blow a tire?"

"I'll check the tire. You stay in the van." He reached forward, ripped the police radio apart and then did the same with the phone connection.

"That was not very smart, Mr. Haynes. If Headquarters need to get a hold of me and can't they will put out an APB on this van."

"Then we will all play it cool when they find out. Just like at the hospital garage."

"You call that cool?" Ironside said sarcastically.

"Just shut up and don't try anything. Officer Whitfield is coming with me. You try anything and you will need to add someone new to your staff." He motioned for Eve to get out of the van. She glanced over at Ironside who gave her a slight nod. The policewoman opened the door and jumped down, followed by Morgan.

Ironside watched in the rear-view mirror as Morgan Haynes checked the tire. Haynes ran his hand all around the front of the tire and then behind it just as Ironside had expected him to do. He could not believe the man called himself a professional. So far everything was going as planned. He reached over and opened the glove box after glancing at Haynes. Ironside pulled the service revolver Ed had place under all the paperwork. He had expected Haynes to find the gun immediately. It turned out to be a major break. He placed the gun next to his right side. He had to be sure Haynes would not detect it. It could be fatal for Eve if he did. He would have liked to just shoot Haynes upon re-entering the van but he could not take the chance Haynes would see the gun before he could make sure Eve was safe.

The side door opened and the lift went down. Haynes held his silenced gun close to his body to conceal it from anyone that might be looking their way. "Get in, Officer." Eve did as she was told.

Haynes jumped into the van. When he turned to press the button to bring the lift back in, Ironside winked at Eve. Having worked with Chief Ironside for several years, it was all Eve needed to know the chief had a plan but then he always did. She just wished she knew what it was so that she could assist him if and when necessary. She would just have to keep her eyes and ears open. The chief would give her a sign sooner or later. Until then her eyes would be discreetly glued on her boss.

"That tire is low, Chief, but not dangerously low as your officer indicated. I could not detect any sabotage either. Good thing for you and even more so for Miss Whitfield. Now, I am assuming you got the gun out of the glove compartment. You see, I left Miss Whitfield in the trunk of the car and checked out the van. I decided to test you. Your declaration of not doing anything to endanger Miss Whitfield was not very truthful. I now know you will try anything to get out of this. Let me save you the trouble, Ironside. You are not going to get out of this. Because of you I am finished as a hired gun. Up until now no one had my fingerprints or my face. Now they have both. For that you will pay… with your life. One more stupid move like the one you just made and Miss Whitfield will pay for it with her life. Now give me the gun."

Ironside looked at him to decide whether or not to try to bluff but knew it would be utterly insane to try. Haynes would call that bluff and he had the better hand. He reached beside the right side of his body and handed the gun over to him. But before he did, he pressed the power button on his cellphone.

"Now that was smart, Chief. Start the vehicle and let's get out of here." He put Ironside's gun into his pocket.

Ironside turned the ignition and pulled the van out of the gas station.

16.3

Lieutenant Carl Reese looked down the road. "Is that thing working?"

"Yes. They are about five blocks ahead of us." Ed picked up the police receiver and said, "This is Sergeant Brown. No one is to move in until either Lieutenant Reese or I give the order. Remember, Haynes will be able to spot a tail. Stay back."

"How do we know when to move in? The chief could have let some of us in on his plans," Carl complained.

"You know the chief. He is more concerned about Eve than he is about himself."

"Did Charlie get the timer hooked to the tire?"

Ed nodded. "Haynes looked that tire over pretty close. We won't know if he found the remote control until we try to blow the tire."

"How do we know when to blow the tire?"

That was the part of the chief's plan that Ed was uneasy about. "The chief said we would know when to do it. He would not tell me. He was concerned Haynes may have had the room bugged or had someone listening."

"How are we going to know? We are five blocks behind him. How the hell are we supposed to know when to set off the remote control when we can't even keep them in sight?" Carl was frustrated and concerned and he did not try to hide it.

"We just have to trust the chief. I suspect he will make his move and then release Otto."

"You mean if Otto is released. I don't understand how he is going to do it without Haynes knowing it. The chief can't exactly move that fast. What if Haynes discovers Otto inside the bench seat?"

Ed sighed. "He won't. That dog will do exactly what the chief tells him to do. He won't make a sound until he issues him a verbal order. He doesn't have to physically release Otto. The seat is not latched. Otto will come out when the chief orders him to."

"I hate trusting Eve's and the chief's lives to a dog."

"That is no ordinary dog. He's a cop."

"Yea, well I would feel better if the chief had put a human in that bench seat."

"He couldn't. He figured Haynes would be somewhere close enough to see me enter the van. If I did not come back out, he could have decided to kill Eve. The chief would not take the chance. We snuck Otto in using the van to shield him. He practically crawled into the van."

"A cop could have crawled into the van. Why use the dog?"

"Carl!" Ed called out in frustration.

"Alright, alright. Sometimes I just don't understand the chief."

Ed's cellphone began to chirp. He reached in his pocket and pulled it out. It was a text message. "It is from the chief!" He read the message. 'Wait for my order to blow the tire.'

"How is he sending a text without Haynes knowing it?"

Ed smiled. "Mark... that's how." Ed reached for the police radio. "All units, stand by."

16.4

"Alright, Ironside, take the highway out of town."

The chief took the ramp into the highway. "You are never going to get away, Mr. Haynes."

Morgan Hayes put his head back and laughed. "I have walked in and out of that hospital of yours, right among your cops... removed the rifle from a building full of cops. I will walk away from this just as easily. Without you to lead them, they will be chasing their tails."

Eve who had not said a word since Chief Ironside had joined them could no longer keep quiet. "You are even a bright killer. Do you really think the police won't find you if you kill Chief Ironside? The force will not let you get out of state. Your visa has been cancelled. You can't get out of this country. And your bank accounts have been frozen. You are broke, Mr. Haynes. You think you are so clever but it was the chief that found out who you are. It is only a matter of time before you are behind bars."

Haynes was silent for a moment. He had hundreds of thousands in those accounts. He had lost it all. All because of Ironside.

"There is an empty house off the highway. Take the next exit. It's the end of the line for both of you."