Scrabble Spells Murder
Chapter 18
18.1
Officer Fran Belding checked the chamber of the service revolver Mark Sanger had given her. It was fully loaded. She looked around the room for a place to conceal the weapon. She had to make sure that Vincent did not find the only protection that Ironside had provided her with. Fran trusted Chief Ironside. He always knew what he was doing.
Perhaps he was right about catching Vincent Mortimer in the act of trying to kill her as part of his sick version of a Scrabble game. Where did he ever get the idea that a Scrabble game led to murder? It was just a board game for people's enjoyment.
She shook her head at the thought that she was even trying to figure out the motives of a killer. They did not think like normal human beings. Vincent was living proof of that. Simply because Robert Ironside had him kicked out of the police academy, he decided to go on a killing spree to punish him. Not that she would want anything to happen to Chief Ironside, but when their beef was with him, why did they go after innocent people, instead of going after him directly?
Fran looked into the drawer of the night stand and then chided herself for even considering placing the gun there. Even if she put it under the contents of the drawer, it would be one of the first places Vincent would look, if he suspected she was up to something.
Vincent, like all other crooks, would underestimate Robert Ironside. It was amazing with his reputation, that they allowed him to outsmart them. She wondered if it was the chair that caused them to get careless. No, it wasn't the chair, it was Ironside himself. He was always able to use his wit and intelligence to force them to make a move ... a wrong move. When they did, that was when the wheelchair-bound detective had them.
Fran continued looking for a place to hide the .38. Nothing seemed to satisfy her. It had to be somewhere that she could retrieve the weapon quickly. Her life just might depend on it.
Fran could not think of any place to put the gun. She had it out in the open long enough ... too long for that matter. She had to make a decision. She took one last look around and it dawn on her; the best place would be somewhere on her person.
She glanced down at the jogging suit Mortimer had provided her to wear. The waist band of the pants would never hold the pistol. It weighed too much to stay in place. She could not take the chance of the gun falling to the floor, especially in Vincent's presence.
Fran walked over to the closet, opened the door, and looked inside. She would love to have this woman's wardrobe. Of course, most of the clothes in the closet would not be acceptable for the job she did. The chief definitely would admire some of these clothes on women but would also frown on them on his policewomen. They simply were not professional enough for police work.
Fran noticed a hanger on the rod that was filled with belts ... all kinds of them. She decided that this was a woman who like to dress up her outfits with a belt of some kind. Fran smiled as she realized the answer to her problem was on that hanger.
Officer Belding walked over to the hanger containing the belts and began to look through them. She had to select one that was heavy enough to hold the revolver, yet light enough it would not show through the jogging suit she was wearing. After a short search, she selected one she felt would do the job. It had the correct thickness and was heavy enough to place the gun between the belt and her body.
She pulled it from the hanger and placed it around her waist. After buckling it, she walked back into the bedroom, took the gun off the bed and placed it behind her back, inside the belt. Walking over to the mirror, she checked to see if the weapon would be too bulky and risk discovery. Fortunately, whoever wore these clothes, was slightly bigger than Fran. Satisfied that the sweatshirt was baggy enough but still unwilling to take any chances, she decided she would make sure that she kept her back to Vincent.
Even though she had the element of surprise on her side, she had to be sure that it remained one that she could use. She sat down on the bed and waited for Vincent Mortimer to return.
18.2
Ironside watched as Colin Mullen worked on his computer. He left the area of the desk and began pacing in his wheelchair.
The door to the office opened and Commissioner Randall came down the ramp. "Bob, what is going on? You can't possibly be thinking of using Sister Agatha as bait to catch this maniac?"
Ironside raised his hand to silence the commissioner. He motioned for Randall to follow him into the old pool room. The commissioner glanced over at Colin Mullen, working on Ironside's computer and became alarmed.
He followed his top detective into the room and closed the doors behind him. He turned to Ironside and said, "What the devil is Colin doing messing with your computer? I thought we agreed that we were not going to take the chance of the Hacker discovering any tampering with that system."
Ironside just stared at Randall which prompted the commissioner to examine his clothing. "What? Did I spill eggs on my suit?"
"No, Dennis. No eggs," Ironside said, thinking about how he was going to break the news to him.
"Are you just going to sit there or are you going to tell me what the devil you are up to? You are a consultant to my office and I am consulting you. So, please explain why Colin is messing with your computer."
"I want the Hacker to know that I am trying to trace him," Ironside informed him.
Randall looked at Ironside as if he had lost his mind. "You can't be serious, Bob! If he found out you are trying to trace him, he will not give you the clue to the next victim."
"I already know who the next victim is," Ironside told him.
Randall looked up in surprise. "Who?"
"Sister Agatha from Saint Mary's Hospital," Ironside responded.
"Sister Agatha! Is that why you are using her as bait? Did you assign police to protect her?" Randall asked.
Ironside gave him an indignant look. "Do you think I am a rookie?"
A bit embarrassed that he had asked a question about what would have been routine procedure, Randall back-pedaled. "I didn't mean to sound like you don't know what you are doing. You have not been keeping me informed. Now I find out that Sister Agatha is the next target. I thought you only received a one-word clue. How can you be sure it is Agatha on the strength of a one-word clue?"
"Dennis, I am sure. It is Agatha."
"Alright, I will trust you on that. Now why are you letting Colin mess with your computer? You know very well what he threatened if we tried to trace him."
"We can't sit back and do nothing! Sooner or later we won't figure out the clues in time and someone is going to get killed. We have to stop being reactive and become proactive."
"By letting him know that we are tracing him? You can't be serious! He has the advantage. He knows everything we are doing and we haven't a clue who he is," Randall complained.
"We know who the Hacker is," Ironside revealed.
Shocked, Randall stammered, " ... What?"
"We know who he is." Ironside told him what had happened at the Bay and how he had come to the conclusion. He told him that Mortimer had been off work every time there had been an attempted killing.
"Vincent Mortimer ... I can't believe it. He has been working for us for quite a while now. His work has been outstanding. Are you quite certain that he has no idea you are on to him?"
"I do not believe so, but it doesn't matter. We are going to start taking control and force him out into the open." Ironside then told him what they had planned.
"You are taking quite a chance with Sister Agatha's life. I hope you know what you are doing," Randall said, expressing concern. "Why don't you just arrest him?"
Not hiding his frustration, Ironside responded, "Dennis, you know the answer to that. We don't have anything concrete on him. We have to catch him in the act."
"And if he kills Sister Agatha?"
"He won't," Ironside growled.
"You can't guarantee that, Bob, and you know it."
"I trust my staff," Ironside said.
"Even if you are able to prevent him from harming Agatha, what if he gets away?"
"It would only be temporally. He has to go back and silence Fran."
"Silence, Fran! You mean he has her?
"He does. Carl and Ed found out where he has her hidden."
"And you have not gotten her out of there? Bob, I don't want to tell you how to do your job but ... "
"Then don't!" Ironside snarled at his boss. "Fran is armed. She is a trained policewoman. She can handle herself. If he gets past us, she will take care of him."
Commissioner Randall got up. He knew his friend well enough not to push him any further. He had said his peace. He would have to allow Ironside to handle this his way. "Alright, Bob. Be careful and keep me informed." As he left, he glanced over at Colin Mullen. He hoped Bob knew what he was doing. Randall could not argue with his results, but he did sometimes question his methods.
Ironside wheeled directly to Colin Mullen. "How much longer?"
Colin looked up and said, "I have the trace in place, Chief."
"How long will it take for our man to discover it?" Ironside asked.
"Just as soon as he logs in," he told him.
Ed, Eve and Mark joined their boss at the computer. "Chief, what about Fran?" Mark asked.
"You gave her the gun and a phone, didn't you?" Ironside looked at Mark.
"I did."
"Well then?"
"Shouldn't she be warned what is going on," Ed questioned.
"Of course she should. You don't think I would put an officer in that position without keeping her informed?" he snarled, sarcastically.
They ignored his sarcasm as Colin Mullen stood up. "That should do it. As soon as he logs in, he will discover the trace. If there is nothing else, Chief, I will be going."
"Just a minute Mr. Mullen. Can you put some words into the system that he will find? But put them in the system in a way that he won't suspect they were planted for him to see?"
Mullen looked at Ironside thoughtfully, then nodded his head. "I suppose it could be done. What did you have in mind?"
"I want him to know exactly when Sister Agatha is going to be on that boat," Ironside said.
"That is simple. I don't have to plant a thing. I would suggest that you have Sister Agatha send you an email telling you that she can not accept your dinner invitation because she will be on the boat."
"That is not a bad idea, Chief," Mark said.
Ed added, "Emails show up on the side of the main screen of the SFPD program. He would see an email received from Sister Agatha the second he logged in. I am sure that would draw his attention."
"I am not convinced he would fall for that," Eve said, skeptically.
"I don't see why not," Mark said.
"Emails have been coming in on the computer since this started," Ed said. "It is well known that the chief does not like to text or use cell phones. Vincent Mortimer would be aware of that."
"It is the timing that concerns me. Besides, how often does Sister Agatha actually email the chief?" Eve pointed at the computer.
"Quite often," Ironside spoke up. "Mostly complaining that I have not been in for therapy but she also emails me regarding the charity event. Occasionally, she even emails just to say hello."
"Well then, what do you think?" Eve asked. "Will it work, Chief?"
"I think it could. I have no doubt that Mortimer has already checked out what is on my computer. He would know that Sister Agatha does email me." Ironside looked back at Mullen. "Okay, Colin, you can go now. That will be all."
Colin Mullen picked up his gear, nodded at Ironside and left the office.
"I'll contact Sister Agatha." Ed got up and headed for a phone.
"Just a minute, Ed," Ironside called out, stopping him in his tracks.
Mark and Eve waited as Ed returned to the table. He sat down as the three of them waited for their boss to continue.
"If he can hack into my computer, I have no doubt that he can hack into any computer here at headquarters. I don't want a call to Sister Agatha made from here. How can we be sure that he is somehow not monitoring the phones in this office as well?"
"Then you want to make the call from outside the office?" Ed asked.
Ironside frowned and said, "I think I will call on Katherine tonight.
His staff looked at him in puzzlement.
18.3
Katherine hurried to the door as soon as she heard the bell. She opened it quickly and smiled. Good evening, Robert. I can't tell you how happy I was to hear from you this afternoon. Come in, please come in."
Robert Ironside grabbed both sides of the door frame and pulled his wheelchair into her living room. Katherine led him into spacious surroundings.
Ironside noticed the lighting in the room was very low. He glanced into the dining room and saw that the table was set, complete with burning candles and a bottle of champagne with crystal glasses.
He smiled up at Katherine. It was then that he noticed that she was wearing a beautiful white dress that hugged her curves and supported a low neckline. She had on a single strand of pearls with earrings to match. Her perfume invaded his nostrils. He took her hand and smiled up at her. "You look absolutely beautiful tonight."
She squeezed his hand and said, "It is not often I get to entertain you in my home."
He felt a pang of guilt. This case had consumed his time and he had not called her, let alone spent much time with her. "I am sorry, Katherine. I have not meant to neglect you. There is nothing more I enjoy than spending time with you. It is just this case has ... "
Katherine let go of his hand as she interrupted him. "No apologies! I understand. You have a job to do and it has never been my intention to pressure you when you have a case to resolve."
"Thank you, but that is no excuse for me to ignore a beautiful woman." Ironside smiled.
Katherine led him into the dining room. As he got a closer look, he saw the trouble she had gone to for him. He realized how much he missed spending time with her. He once again took her hand. "Very nice." Reaching up, he placed his hand behind her neck, and pulled her into a long passionate kiss. When they parted, he said, "I have missed you, Katherine."
She ran her hand down his cheek. "I was afraid you had tired of me."
"Not a chance," he said and kissed her hand.
She smiled. "Let's have dinner."
Ironside wheeled to the placing that contained no chair as Katherine disappeared into the kitchen. She returned with a large bowl of chili. He chuckled.
"What's the matter, Robert, were you expecting something else?" She was amused by his reaction.
"Well, something more..."
"Classy?" she said.
He chuckled again. "It's just that the table..." He stopped in mid-sentence. "Nothing could be classier than the beautiful woman in front of me."
She laughed. "I see you result to flattery when you attempt to cover up"
He could not help it, he joined her with a laugh of his own. "Don't take that as disappointment. "I love chili."
"I know. That is why I made it for you. So, we will have your favorite meal and enjoy a bottle of champagne.
They moved over to the table as Katherine dished up the chili. She poured champagne into both their glasses and then sat down.
"How is the case going?" Katherine asked as they began to eat their dinner.
"We don't have to discuss the case tonight," he told her.
She reached out and intertwined her fingers with his. "I once told you I would always be there as a sounding board for you. Besides, I talked to Sister Agatha. She told me about the email she was asked to send you. You are getting ready to set a trap for the Hacker. You should soon know who he is."
"I already know who he is," he announced. "but you are right about springing the trap."
"Are you directly involved in springing this trap?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"You are not going to worry about me are you?"
"Just a little. I am allowed to worry a little. You said so yourself."
"If it makes you feel any better, this is one I have to leave to my staff. Mobility prevents me from being of much use in this plan. I had to get outside the office to talk to Sister Agatha and since there is not much else we can do tonight, I decided to call you... take advantage of the lull."
"I am glad you did, Robert. I have missed you as well."
Their conversation turned to the winery, a discussion of current events, and books they both had read. When dinner was finished, they retired to the living room. It had chilled so Katherine put some logs in the fireplace, started them burning while Ironside transferred to the couch in front of it.
She went back to the dining room, brought a bottle of wine and glasses with her when she returned. She took her place beside him while he put his arm around her.
"This is what I have missed. We have not been able to cuddle like this since we were in the Sawtooth Mountains," she said, turning her head up to him.
He looked at her and then lowered his lips and kissed her.
Afterwards she stared into his blue eyes. "Would you like to spend the night, Robert?"
There was no mistaking the meaning in her words. "Are you sure you are ready for that? I don't want to rush you. I can wait. You are worth waiting for."
"You are not rushing me. I want you, Robert." She continued looking into those expressive blue eyes.
Ironside reached into his pocket and removed his cell phone. He sent a text to Mark, telling him he would not be back until morning. After completing the text, he put the phone back into his pocket. Cradling her chin, he kissed her and said, "Shall we retire for the night?"
Smiling at him, she responded, "Let's go down the hall where it is more comfortable."
"More comfortable than this fabulous couch?" he asked, playfully with a glint of desire.
"Much, much more comfortable," she whispered.
Katherine got up and helped him back into his chair and wheeled him down the hall.
TBC...