Scrabble Spells Murder
Chapter 23
23.1
As Mark raced the van towards the Bay, everyone inside remained quiet. No one wanted to interrupt the chief while he was thinking. They could only imagine what was going through his mind. He could have gotten Fran out of that house just as soon as they had discovered where she was, but he had chosen to leave her there in order to obtain enough evidence on Mortimer to put him away for the rest of his life.
None of them were in favor of the chief doing this alone. They had not been in favor of it the last time he had decided to go to the bay and retrieve the last clue, even though it had resulted in the chief figuring out who the Hacker was. It had nearly cost Chief Ironside his life. If it had not been for the fact that Vincent Mortimer was not through toying with the detective, Ironside would have drowned in the Bay.
"I don't suppose we could talk you out of this, Chief?" Ed's face showed the concern that he was feeling for his boss and friend.
"Let's not start this again." Ironside's voice was gruff and short as he tried to head off another discussion about how he was going to handle the situation. He appreciated his staff's concern, but he was not going to take a chance with Fran's life. Right now, he just wanted to go after her and bring her back safely.
"Chief," Eve addressed him, "we are not trying to tell you how to handle this. Ed and I just want you to allow us to be close at hand to help in case you get in trouble. Let Ed come on the 'Thunderbird' with me. We can have an extra tank and a scuba diving suit. Ed could follow you down at a distance."
"No, I am not taking a chance that Mortimer will spot him. We are going to do this my way. It is not open to negotiation!" His voice left no doubt to his officers and aide that the discussion was closed. The rest of the trip to the Bay was traveled in silence.
When they reached their destination, there were boats everywhere. The area was crowded with would-be fisherman ready to go out and claim the title of the best in the San Francisco area.
Eve, dressed in Agatha's nuns outfit, got out of the van. She could hear the whistle of the lift as Ironside exited the vehicle. Ed and Mark stepped out to join Eve and the chief.
Ironside looked up at his officer and aide. "What are you two doing? Get back in the van and get out of here!"
A car pulled up and Carl Reese got out. He walked over to join his fellow officers. He nodded to Ironside and said, "The Coast Guard called and said everything is set exactly as you asked."
"Good. Thanks, Carl. Now you join Mark and Ed and get out of here." He turned his chair to wheel away. Eve took one last look at her friends and followed her boss.
Carl got in the van. Ed and Mark just stood there looking down. Ironside turned his chair back towards them. "What the devil are you waiting for?"
The two men turned and got back into the van. Mark sat in the driver's seat with his hands on the wheel. "Are we going to let him do this? Mortimer intends to kill him. We just can't stand by and let it happen."
"What do you suggest, Mark? I don't like this any better than you do but we can't just disobey a direct order," Ed said.
"Well, I can!" Sanger slammed his hands on the steering wheel. "I am not a cop."
Carl looked at Mark, knowing how close he was to the chief. "You may not be a cop, but he's still your boss." From the back seat, he looked in the driver's rear-view mirror to see Mark's face. He felt for the young man. All of them cared about the chief, but Mark lived with him day to day, taking care of him. Sanger had been on a down-hill slide and, probably would have ended up in prison for a very long time, if Ironside had not taken an interest in him. He had been living with and assisting the man for some time now. Carl knew how hard this had to be for him.
"Okay, so we find a way to help him without disobeying his orders," Sanger suggested.
Ed looked at Mark with interest. "Exactly what did you have in mind?" Brown asked, grinning.
"Well, I always did want to enter a fishing contest," he replied, raising both eyebrows. "After all, he gave us strict orders to do nothing. We might as well get some fishing in. He can't find fault with that."
The grin suddenly disappeared from Ed's face. "You would be surprised at what the chief can find fault with." He was having second thoughts.
"Well, are you in or not?" Mark asked them.
"I'm not," Carl said immediately. "The chief gave us an order." He waited for Ed to respond. He knew that Mark needed Ed, if he was going to go ahead. Carl outranked Ed, but not when it came to the chief and he knew it. Even if he backed up Ironside's order with one of his own, these two men would ignore it... if they were willing to ignore the chief. What they did not realize was that Ironside had everything under control, as far as Carl was concerned. He would not need them. He had to be sure of that in order to protect Fran. Mortimer was not going to get away. Yet, he could not blame them for wanting to protect the boss.
Ed said nothing for a moment. He looked at his friends. He knew the chief would still consider it a breach of his orders. Nevertheless, he just was not comfortable leaving him on his own. He had on many occasions used his wit to get out of dangerous situations, due in part because crooks always underestimated him. Vincent Mortimer worked at police headquarters for years. He would know all the stories as to how the chief had gotten the better of his opponents. He certainly would be less inclined to underestimate him.
Finally, Sergeant Brown made up his mind. "How do we get a boat and where do we sign up?"
"You know someone with a boat. What about Jerry?" Mark asked.
Ed nodded. Jerry owed him and he would be here today. "Let's go."
Carl watched as they walked away. He wondered if the chief had not made a mistake keeping all of them out of the loop. Then again, maybe he knew them well enough to know they could not stay out of it. Ironside did not always reveal his reasoning for the way he did things.
23.2
Eve wheeled Ironside up to the side of the 'Thunderbird.' She pulled out her service revolver. "Let me check out the boat first, Chief." Ironside nodded in acknowledgement.
Eve climbed over the side of the 'Thunderbird' and went below. With the revolver in her right hand, and the handle supported with her left hand, she move cautiously. She almost chuckled at the sight she must be in nun's garb with a revolver in her hand.
She immediately noticed the writing on the mirror behind the bar. After she had checked the entire interior of the boat, she went back to the mirror. Written in red lipstick, she read the message.
'Ironside, if you want to save Belding, you will go after her alone. You will find her at the coordinates written below. You will go after her with no oxygen equipment. If you cheat this time, Belding will die.'
Eve wrote the coordinates and the note down on a piece of paper and returned to Ironside. She handed it to the detective. He read it and said, "You can remove Sister Agatha's outfit, Eve. He has no intention of going after her. He wants me."
"Alright, Chief. Let me change and then we can be off."
"No, Eve. You are not going."
Officer Whitfield started to protest, but Ironside interrupted her immediately. "I will not take chances with Fran's life. I am going to do exactly as Mortimer says."
"Chief, You can't do that. He intends to kill you. It is obvious that he plans on doing that by drowning you since he is not going to allow you to use oxygen. You have to let me help you. The Coast Guard offered to help and you refused. You sent Mark, Ed and Carl away. I am the only one left that can help you."
"No, Eve. You are not to interfere, and that is an order," he said, looking directly into her eyes.
"I can pilot the boat." There was desperation in her voice.
"I can handle the boat, myself. Now go join Mark and Ed." Ironside motioned for the officers to help him aboard the 'Thunderbird.'
She wanted to argue further but knew it would be futile. When Robert Ironside made up his mind, he was immovable. She watched as he was helped aboard. He started it up and eased it out into the crowded Bay.
22.3
Vincent Mortimer had everything in motion. Ironside would be along shortly. He went over the side of the boat and splashed into the water. He felt a certain amount of satisfaction that, after all the years Ironside had been bullying people, he would finally pay. He felt even more satisfaction that he would be the one to deliver his sentence. Mortimer had already paid a pilot to fly him to Mexico, where he would spend the rest of his life. He would never be able to return to the United States again. The neighbor to the south would become his new playground.
Since his sights were set higher than computers, he would approach the drug cartels and show them a way of using the internet and computers to their advantage. It would take him some time, but he would win their trust. If he didn't, well... he could use computers to steal from them. Either way, he planned on becoming a very rich man. He would no longer have to struggle for the meager salary that he earned from the San Francisco Police Force.
Mortimer swam downward towards the submersible and Fran Belding. He would disconnect the air that was being pumped to her and hook her up to an oxygen tank with limited air. That way, if she and Ironside did happen to get away, there would not be enough air in the tank to sustain them both. At least one of them would die and, if he knew Ironside the way he believed he did, he would sacrifice himself to save her. He could always go after Belding before he left for Mexico.
When he arrived at the submersible, he was pleased with what he saw. Belding had a look of terror in her eyes. He did not know her well enough to know that she was only conveying that look to throw him off guard for what was to come.
Fran did nothing as he placed a new oxygen tank on her back and again tied her to the underwater vehicle. She was privy to information that he was not. If Vincent wondered why she did not fight him, he did not show it.
When Mortimer had Fran secured once again, he swam away from her to head for one last task; then he would return and wait for the Ironman on Wheels.
23.4
Eve recognized the two men on the boat who were getting ready to move out into the Bay. "Just exactly what are you two up to?"
Ed looked up to see Eve, no longer dressed in nun's clothing. "We are going fishing. We entered the contest."
Mark stepped out of the boat to stand in front of Eve. "We were just about to come and find you as Carl told us the chief would not let you stay with him."
"You aren't by any chance going to try your hand at fishing where the chief is headed, are you?"
"We realized, without knowing where he was headed, chances of finding him before everything goes down are about nil," Ed said.
Mark touched Eve's shoulder. "Did you find out where he was going before he cast you off?"
"Oh no you don't! I am not going to disobey the chief's orders. If I tell you where he is headed, he will know it."
Ed joined Eve and Mark. "Look, Eve. Carl would not tell us where to find him. You have to tell us. Mark and I are not going to interfere unless the chief gets in trouble. We know he can handle himself, but Mortimer has worked around us for years."
Eve was torn between following Ironside's orders and joining Mark and Ed to help him. She came to a decision. What could the chief do? Fire all three of them? "Alright. There was a note on the mirror, written in lipstick. I have the coordinates." She cited them to Ed as he wrote them down.
23.5
With the wheels locked on his wheelchair, Robert Ironside guided the 'Thunderbird' to the coordinates Eve had provided him. He had never intended to allow Eve to go with him. The detective knew his staff would find some reason for disobeying his orders.
He did not want to take the chance that Carl would actually obey his orders and refuse to tell them where he was going. Eve, on the other hand would probably give in to Ed and Mark, and hand them his location.
Ironside had been concerned that Mortimer might find out if he ignored his instructions to handle it by himself. This way, he was sure Mortimer would already be underwater to confront him. Ed, Mark and Eve would be able to stay under Vincent's radar and move in if he needed them. They would have enough sense to stay away if he did not.
The further he maneuvered the boat towards the coordinates, he realized Mortimer was leading him out, and away from the fishermen. Up ahead, he spotted an empty boat. No doubt, Mortimer had arrived in that boat. He would not be returning to it, though. Vincent was going to try to escape in the Coast Guard submersible. Just as Ironside had suspected, Vincent was already underwater.
The former Chief of Detectives slowed the 'Thunderbird'. He released the break on his chair, wheeled over to the back, and anchored the boat. He wanted to be sure Ed knew exactly where he went down so that he and Mark would stay out of sight unless needed. He also wanted to cut off one of Mortimer's escape routes. With the Coast Guard strategically placed, and other measures that had been taken after the locating of the Coast Guard's underwater vehicle, Ironside had tried to cut off every avenue of escape Mortimer would have.
Chief Ironside removed the right arm of his wheelchair, and dropped it on the deck. He wheeled over to the side of the boat. Reaching down, the detective picked up the rod that was used to shock a shark if it got to close. Obviously, he did not plan on using it on any sharks; just Vincent Mortimer if the opportunity arose. He slipped over the side of the boat and into the water.
As Ironside entered the water to rescue Fran Belding, Mark Sanger and Ed Brown were changing into scuba diving suits that they had been able to acquire. Ed's friend, Jerry, had consented to allow them to borrow the 'Dancing Doll.' ** Jerry's fishing boat had been involved in one of their cases in which Ironside and his team had been able to bring down two warring mobsters. While Ed and Mark got ready to join the boss underwater, Eve reminded them, "Don't interfere unless the chief needs help, and make sure he does not spot you, or we will all have to answer to him."
"We just want to make sure he is safe," Mark said.
"Just remember to stay out of sight or none of us will be safe from the chief," Eve responded with a smile.
Brown grinned. "Keep the boat here. As soon as we are sure that he has everything under control, we will get back here; beat a hasty retreat and get out of here before he surfaces," Ed told Eve.
Eve acknowledged him with a smile. "I may just beat that hasty retreat before you get back and let you deal with the chief."
Mark and Ed grinned and went over the side of the 'Dancing Doll.'
Vincent Mortimer pulled himself up over the side of the 'Thunderbird.' He placed a bomb on the boat and set the timer. Just in case Ironside managed to get away with Belding; he would make sure they did not go far. He had no intention of losing to Ironside this time. He was sure he had thought of everything.
He would now get back in the water and make sure that Ironside and Belding never made it to the boat. Vincent pulled the mask over his eyes; the mouthpiece into his mouth; sat on the side of the 'Thunderbird' and fell backwards into the water.
Ironside swam to the location where he knew Fran was tied to the submersible. It took him no time at all to find her. He could see the relief on her face. He remove the mouthpiece from her mouth and placed it in his own. As soon as he filled his lungs with air, Ironside placed it back in Fran's mouth and went to work on the ropes binding Fran to the submersible. He glanced down at the gage. He did not have much time. She would run out of air in a matter of minutes.
Ironside stopped suddenly when he noticed the bomb inside the underwater vehicle. He could see that it was still set up to be exploded remotely. He went back to work on the ropes. He had to get Fran out of there.
Where was Mortimer? Vincent wanted to drown him in the same manner which he had saved him from in the Bay, the day he went after the bottle with the clue. Had he just decided to blow them up instead? No, it did not make any sense. Mortimer had him beaten that day and he wanted Ironside to know that by drowning him now. He needed the underwater vehicle to make his escape. It was the only explanation for demanding he come down here with no air.
Ironside's lungs were beginning to burn. He reached up and again took the mouthpiece from Fran to fill his lungs with air. Afterwards, he placed it back in her mouth.
The expression on Fran's faced changed as her eyes widen. The chief knew why. He turned in time to brace himself for the oncoming attack by Vincent.
Mortimer grabbed the detective and tried pulling him deeper into the water. Ironside fought him, knowing he could not venture very far from Fran. Without the air from her tank, he would drown just as Mortimer had planned.
As the two men struggled to gain control of the other, Mortimer knew he held the advantage. All he had to do was keep Ironside away from Belding and allow him to run out of air. He would enjoy watching the detective die.
Mortimer could not believe the upper body strength in the chief. Ironside was overpowering him. He had been moving them closer to Belding and Vincent could not seem to stop him. Using his knee, he kneed Ironside in the stomach. It did the job as it knocked out what air Ironside had left in his lungs.
Now all Vincent had to do was to keep Ironside away from Belding. He maneuvered behind the detective and put his arms around his neck. It would only be a matter of seconds now.
Ironside knew he had one chance only. He reached down and pulled the rod from his belt, turned it around and zapped Mortimer. The electrical shock sent him reeling backwards. The chief went directly to him, tore the mouthpiece from him, and filled his lungs with air. Mortimer tried in earnest to fight him off but, Ironside's upper body strength was too much for him. The detective used the knife he had brought with him to cut the hose to Mortimer's tank.
Swimming back over to Fran, he finished removing the ropes as the two started moving away from the underwater vehicle; sharing what little air they had left.
For a paraplegic, the chief was a good swimmer but without the use of his legs, he could not generate any speed. Fran had a hold on him but they were not moving fast enough away from the submersible. It was only a matter of time before Mortimer set it off.
Then Ironside noticed two divers swimming their way. Ed and Mark! As he expected, they had disobeyed his orders and this was one time he was glad they had. He and Fran had run out of air and would not make it to the surface.
Gesturing to the tank, Ironside was able to inform Ed they were out of air. Ed shared his air with the chief as Mark did the same with Fran. Mark and Ed took hold of their friends, and began swimming as fast as they could, to put as much distance between them and the submersible.
Below them, Mortimer's air was leaking at an alarming rate. If he was to beat Ironside, he only had one choice. He reached for the remote on the side of his belt and pressed the button.
The submersible blew up! Ironside felt the explosion behind them but with the help of Mark and Ed, they had put enough distance between them that all of them were unharmed. When they hit the surface of the water, the chief looked for the 'Thunderbird.' Just as he started swimming towards the boat it exploded into flames.
"I trust you have a boat out here," he said to Ed.
"The 'Dancing Doll,'" Ed said, pointing.
"Which one of you gentlemen is going to tell Sister Agatha about the 'Thunderbird'?" Ironside demanded.
"Which one of us?" Ed exclaimed.
"Yes, you," Ironside barked. "That's your punishment for disobeying my orders.
"I think I would rather you bust me down to traffic duty than tell Sister Agatha," Ed replied.
23.6
Mark pulled the chili off the stove and placed it in the middle of the table. Ironside poured bourbon in the glasses closest to him and passed the bottle to Carl Reese to pour the rest.
Katherine sat on Ironside's right with Eve on his left. "Chief, there is something I don't understand," Eve spoke up.
As Ironside began to eat his chili, he said, "And what is that?"
"If the Coast Guard had located the submersible, then why didn't they just go down there and rescue Fran?"
"The chief would not let them," Fran explained. "When the Coast Guard divers reached me, they discovered if they tampered with the bomb, they could set it off. When the chief came down, Vincent had removed that particular threat, but it was still set up to explode remotely."
"But why not just send down experts to defuse it?" Mark asked.
"We had no way of knowing if Mortimer was in the area," Ironside told them. "I could not take the chance that he would set it off. No, this time I had to play by Vincent's rules."
"Then Fran knew you were coming?" Katherine inquired.
"Yes, the Coast Guard was able to let me know but I had no idea what the chief was going to do. I just had to be prepared to assist him. Unfortunately, I wasn't much help."
Ironside looked at Fran. "You shared your air with me. I would have drowned otherwise. You could not have been of more help," he smiled. Fran looked up and smiled back at him.
All of that just because the chief stopped him from becoming a cop," Ed said. "All the years I have been a cop, I still don't completely understand the criminal mind."
"None of us do, Ed. We just have to try to keep a step a head of them," Ironside told his sergeant.
"Well, I am just glad you came out of it unharmed, Robert," Katherine said, as she placed her hand over his.
"I trust you did not worry too much."
She smiled at him and said, "Just a little."
"All I can say is this is one case, I am glad is over with," Eve said.
"No more than I am," Fran added.
"You all deserve some playtime," Ironside said. "Why don't we clear the table after dinner and play a game."
"That's a great idea chief," Mark said. "We have not had time to do that in quite a while. What game did you have in mind?"
Ironside wheeled over to the desk and grabbed a box. He placed it beside his right leg and wheeled back. "I had this board made especially for a large number of people." He opened the box and pulled out a huge board, pushed the chili pot to the side and set the board in the middle of the table. With a grin on his face, he said, "How about a nice game of Scrabble?"
Everyone groaned in unison.
The End
**Refers to the episode 'The Ghost of the Dancing Doll.'
Author's Notes:
Thank you to all of you who have followed this story and reviewed. I appreciate your support and am happy to know you have enjoyed it.
A big thanks to Journey Through Time for her work as my beta as well as to Lemonpig, who proofed the first half of the story.
A new Ironside story is in the works.
I do want to dedicate this story to Mounty Swiss who has decided to stop writing. She has written many Ironside stories for hours of pleasure reading for Ironside fans.
I do hope she decides to return at a later date and continue to share her talent with us. Thank you, Mounty for all your hard work!
Kaleen1212