The Case of the Deadly Scalpel

Chapter 3

1

"Damn Ironside!" Governor Moran paced his office in a rage. His subordinates stood at the back of the room silently, allowing their boss to blow off steam. "How dare that son of a bitch dictate to me what to do about the prisons."

"Just ignore him, Governor, go ahead and order the release of the prisoners anyway. He's just a police detective. Nobody is going to pay attention to him," one of his aids suggested.

The governor turned on him in anger. "Have you been living in a cave or on another planet? Of course people listen to him. Especially the people of San Francisco! The damn detective is a legend. Everybody is going to listen to him. Releasing those prisoners now would be a PR nightmare! I've got the wardens of every prison in the state complaining about overcrowding, And there isn't a damn thing I can do about it. Thanks to Ironside! Get Commissioner Randall on the phone immediately."

His secretary hurried over to his desk, looked up the number for Dennis Randall and dialed."

"Commissioner Randall's office," his secretary announced.

"Governor Moran's office calling for Commissioner Randall."

Betsy raised her eyebrows. She had an inkling regarding what this was about. She was glad she was not going to be on the receiving end of this conversation. "One moment and I will see if Commissioner Randall is available." She pressed the whole button before giving Moran's secretary the opportunity to say anything else.

"Yes Betsy," The voice of the commissioner came over the intercom.

"Commissioner, Governor Moran is on the line for you."

Randall's sighed. He knew this phone call was coming. Furthermore, Moran was not going to be happy. He wasn't going to change a thing because he was under orders from Mayor Ted Barr.

"Thank you, Betsy, I'll take the call." The commissioner picked up the receiver and punched line one. "Hello, Governor Moran. How are you doing, sir?"

"How do you think I'm doing? That damn Ironside held a press conference. Who in the hell authorized that?"

"The mayor authorized it, Governor. As you know, I cannot go over the mayor's head."

"You could have talked Ironside out of that press conference," he snarled.

"Actually, no I could not have. Quite frankly, I agree with him and so does the mayor. The release of those prisoners would be directly into San Francisco. It is our job to protect the citizens in this city. You are proposing to turn loose murderers and rapists. I'm sorry, Governor Moran, but that is unacceptable. If the mayor hadn't authorized that news conference, I would have. You are simply going to have to figure out another way of easing the overcrowding in the prisons. Perhaps Chief Ironside has the right idea. Maybe it's time you go to the legislature and ask for funds to build another prison."

"Oh really! How do you think that would go over with the legislature? They are not going to authorize funds to build another prison."

"No disrespect intended, but that is the state's problem not San Francisco's. Those prisoners are not going to be released in the city. If you do, I will authorize Chief Ironside to pick them all back up and take them back to the prison."

"Where do you get off?! You don't have the authorization to do that."

"Then I'll tell the chief to go on national TV. Believe me, he will be more than willing." The governor slammed the phone down in the commissioner's ear.

Commissioner Randall pulled the receiver away from his ear. That had gone just about the way he thought it would. He hung up the phone and went back to work.

2

After making love, Perry and Della laid in the king size bed in each other's arms. Mason had to admit to himself that the cruise was just what both of them needed. They had been working so many cases and taking vacations that became more work than vacation, that both of them were exhausted. Just to see the look in Della's eyes made the entire trip worthwhile.

So far, they spent more time in the cabin than on the decks of the Pacific Princess. Long gone were the days where they could go anywhere without being recognized. Perry couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that he had been mistaken for Raymond Burr more than once. Unfortunately, that wasn't any better than being recognized as Perry Mason. He wished more people had the sense to give them space and allow them to enjoy their vacation. Unfortunately, many people were starstruck, and the minute they saw the famous couple, they had to come over and talk to them or get their autograph.

Della turned in his arms and smiled at the lawyer. "Thank you for agreeing to this cruise, Perry. I know we have been kind of stuck in the cabin, but when the ship docks at the first port, we can go into the city and enjoy ourselves. You may be recognizable in the United States, but I am betting that we will be left alone in foreign countries."

Mason wasn't so sure of that. After all, he had defended clients in France. Then again, they would not be docking in France. Only time would tell. Quite frankly, he didn't care if they never left their cabin. They could have their dinners served to them right where they were. Yet, on the other hand, he would certainly like to go dancing with Della while on the ship.

With his winning record in defending the President of the United States against the murder of his wife, which he did not commit, Mason had become known all over the United States. Hopefully, that notoriety would not extend to the ports in which the Pacific Princess would dock.

Interrupting his thoughts, Della asked, "You didn't think to tell Robert where we were going, did you?"

"Della, we don't have to tell Bob everything. He didn't need to know that we were going on a cruise. After all, his jurisdiction ends in San Francisco."

"Tell him that. He keeps a pretty close eye on you. If he can't reach us, he may call the governor and send out the National Guard to locate you."

"Didn't you listen to the news? Bob held a news conference condemning the governor for still considering releasing prisoners to stop the overcrowding in the prisons. I have a feeling Governor Moran is not going to be really happy with him right now. I don't think he'd send out the National Guard for Robert Ironside for any reason."

"Nevertheless, he is your brother, Perry. If we go away for an extended period of time, he should be told. If for no other reason, he doesn't worry about us. If you can't get the governor's help, he could very well start an investigation on his own."

"All right, you win. As soon as we reach the first port, I'll call him and let him know where we are. Now, can we quit discussing my brother?"

Della smiled and crawled up onto Mason's chest. "What do you say we go get something to eat. I'm hungry."

"You know what happens every time we step outside this cabin."

"We can't hide in here the entire cruise." She pulled away from him and got out of bed. "Get up, Perry. Let's go to the dining room and get something to eat."

"Why don't we just order in?"

"Because I am getting cabin fever." She pulled the covers back from him. "Get up! Or I will go check out the male population of the ship." She grinned at him.

"All right, if that's what you want. But I'm telling you, we won't get one peaceful moment."

Mason got up. The two of them took showers, got dressed and left the cabin.

3

She couldn't believe she was at the hospital. She knew her mother would be worried out of her mind. She wanted to tell her what she was up to, but she just couldn't. She wouldn't approve. Teresa knew that.

Teresa stood outside Corbin Schulte's room. She didn't want to see him, but she had no choice. She was out of money, and he was her only source to get it. She certainly couldn't ask her mother for it. She had to disappear for a while. Of course, Teresa would not tell him she was going away. He would never give her the money if she did. No longer would she take orders from him. He was a despicable human being, well, if he was human in the first place.

If her mother knew what she had been doing, she would be horrified. It was a good thing she didn't. Teresa would not be able to face her ever again. She cursed the day she ever met Corbin Schulte. She couldn't stay in San Francisco. Sooner or later, some nosey reporter would find out her transgressions and report it, or at the very least, hint at what she was doing. She couldn't do that to her mother. Her mom was the person she loved and respected the most in the world. Being on the city council, she was trying to make life better for the citizens of San Francisco. That was certainly more than Teresa had been doing.

Her mother would be terribly worried about her, but there wasn't anything she could do about that. If she stayed, she would eventually humiliate her city council mother. Teresa would not do that. She loved her too much, and she knew the council position was extremely important to her. She supposed she should resent it as it was the reason her mom hadn't kept a very close eye on her. How did she mess up her life the way she had?

"Are you going to stand there, or are you going to come in?" Corbin Schulte asked.

Teresa reluctantly walked into the room. Schulte had a private room. He was the only one in the hospital room. She had been hoping he would have a roommate.

"Have you been keeping up your appointments?" he asked her as she entered the room.

"I wanted to talk to you about that. Corbin, I simply can't do this anymore. I have to think of my mother. She is a city council member. If she found out about any of this, she would be embarrassed."

Biting his lip and shaking his head, Schulte wasn't about to allow her to quit. "Now you listen to me, you little bitch. You will do exactly as I tell you to do. Nothing more, nothing less. You're right about one thing, your mother would be mortified and embarrassed if she found out. Not only that, what would it do to her position on the city council? You will quit when I say you can quit, not until then. You keep your appointments, do you understand me?"

"What about you, Corbin? Does your wife know you have been cheating on her? Suppose I tell her?"

"Go right ahead. She knows I cheat on her. You see, my wife is just a money grubbing bitch. She won't leave me because of the money. I have a prenup. If she walks away, she gets nothing. So you go right ahead. In the meantime, who do you think would suffer more, you or I, not to mention your mother. Maybe I'll just tell her anyway."

"You do and I'll kill you!"

Nurse Jill Gilbert walked into the room. She pretended she didn't hear what she did.

"When am I going to get some damn food? I'm hungry. I wasn't served any breakfast."

"I am sorry, Mr Schulte, but the only thing you will be allowed today is liquids. You will be having surgery in the morning. They can't take a chance that you will regurgitate during surgery."

"That's ridiculous! The surgery is tomorrow, not today. Get me something to eat!"

"I'm sorry, sir, I can't do that."

"Then call Ben Stern and tell him I want to talk to him! And don't wait all day to do it."

The nurse checked his vitals and left the room as quickly as she could. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, was patients who behaved in the manner Schulte just did. She understood a person's mood was not good in the hospital, but did they ever hear that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar?

Furthermore, there was something about the man. She didn't trust him, and she didn't like him either. He was trying to force that girl to do something. She had no idea what it was. She didn't hear the whole conversation. Yet, she knew something unethical was going on.

She would call Dr Stern and let him know what Schulte was demanding. It wouldn't do any good, as he wasn't going to get anything but liquids anyway.

After she left, Schulte turned his attention back to Teresa. "I know you will do as you're told. If you don't, I will tell your mother what you've been doing. Furthermore, I will send word to the press anonymously. I'll ruin both of you!"

Teresa turned and left the room. The tears rolled down her cheeks.

4

Sergeant Brown and officer Whitfield rang the doorbell of Samantha Maynard. Within a minute, the door opened. A young lady in her early twenties greeted them at the door. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and stood about 5 ft 2 inches. It was obvious that she was in bed when they arrived. Her hair had the appearance of a wild mustang whose mane hadn't been combed in eons.

She looked at both of them with a look that could be considered less than approving. "Yeah, what do you want? Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying."

Sergeant Brown removed his detective credentials from his suit coat pocket. Flipping it open, he held it up for her to see. "I'm Sergeant Brown and this is Officer Whitfield. We work for Chief Ironside. Can we come in? We would like to ask you some questions regarding Teresa Farnsworth."

She rolled her eyes. "You must be kidding. She is such a drag. What would I know about her?"

"That's what we would like to find out," Eve said. "May we come in?"

"And if I say no?"

"Then we will take you downtown as a material witness," Brown replied.

"In other words, you're going to bully me as all police do. Come in, ask your questions, and then get the hell out of my apartment."

Brown and Whitfield followed her in. It was basically a one room apartment. The living room and the kitchen were combined. The bed was one that had to be pulled out of the wall. It was down and in place. She had yet to make the bed and close it.

She turned around and looked at them. "Don't expect me to invite you to sit down. Just ask your questions."

Eve raised an eyebrow and looked at Ed. The feminine touch would not do any good in this case. Since he was the ranking officer, she let him take the lead.

"You know Teresa Farnsworth, is that correct?" the Sergeant asked.

"I know of her. I don't really know her. As I told you, she's a real drag. I wouldn't hang around her."

"Do you have any idea where she is?" Eve asked.

"Boy, the police department is really hiring dumb cops, aren't they? Were you listening? I told you I don't hang around her. I have no idea where she could be."

Ignoring her rudeness, Brown continued. "We were told that she and others attended parties in a man's house outside of town."

Before he could say anymore, she interrupted him. "Yeah, they're all a bunch of losers. It doesn't surprise me that they would hang out with that loser."

"Do you know this man's name?" Sergeant Brown inquired.

"Why do you want to know? Is Farnsworth in trouble?"

"She has been missing for a few days." Eve told her.

"Well, that's not my problem. She shouldn't have been hanging out with him to begin with. Both of them were constantly into illegal drugs, which by the way, I don't do."

"What is the man's name?" Sergeant Brown asked.

"It's Corbin. I don't know his last name. Nor do I know where he lives. I only know that it's somewhere outside of San Francisco. I've never been to his house."

Eve gave Ed a quick look. She was pretty sure they were both thinking the same thing.

"Thank you for your help." Sergeant Brown reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a business card. He handed it to Samantha Maynard. "If you can think of anything else that might help us, call Chief Ironside's office."

She took the card, but both Ed and Eve knew better than to expect a phone call from her anytime soon. Maynard wouldn't help them anymore than she already had.

Ed and Eve left her apartment. After settling in Ed's Ford, neither said anything for a moment. Finally, Eve spoke up.

"I believe Dr Ben Stern is doing surgery on Corbin Schulte."

"And Corbin Schulte lives just outside of San Francisco," Ed added.

"You don't suppose …"

"I don't know, Eve. But you know what the chief would say. There's only one way to find out."

Brown picked up the receiver of the telephone in his car. Contacting Chief Ironside, he waited for him to answer the phone. Ultimately, it was Mark who answered.

"Chief Ironside's office."

"Mark, let me talk to the chief."

"Chief, Ed is on the line."

Ironside wheeled over to the table. Punching the line with his index finger, he picked up the receiver. "Yes, Ed."

"Chief, we just left Samantha Maynard's apartment."

"Just exactly who is Samantha Maynard?" Ironside asked.

"We found out she was associated with Teresa Farnsworth. She told us that Teresa spent a lot of her time and a man's house just outside of San Francisco."

"That's nothing new, Ed. We already knew that."

"But what we didn't know was his name. She didn't know his last name, but she did know the first name. She said his name was Corbin."

Ironside was silent for a moment. "That simply is not a common name. It might be a coincidence, but Corbin Schulte lives just outside of San Francisco."

"That's exactly what Eve and I were thinking. We're headed out to his house now."

"Don't bother, he's in the hospital. He's having back surgery. Ben Stern is performing the surgery. I'll meet you at the hospital. We will both talk to him."

"All right, Chief. We'll see you there." Brown hung up the phone.

"Mark, let's go!" Ironside shouted as he headed up the ramp.

3.5

Perry Mason and Della Street entered the dining room on the Pacific Princess. Mason looked around for a table that might be partially concealed from the rest of the room. Unfortunately, there wasn't one. He chose a table on the far side. Taking Della by the elbow, he escorted her over to the table. He seated her first and then sat down beside her. Looking around the room, he could see several people staring at them.

"Isn't this dining room beautiful, Perry?" Della asked.

"Yes, very nice."

The waiter walked up to them. He handed each of them a menu. "Can I get you something to drink, sir?"

"Yes. Two glasses of champagne please," Mason responded. The waiter left the table to get the champagne.

Mason casually glanced around the dining room. He noticed several people staring at them. When he caught their eye, they looked away from him. He figured it wouldn't be long before someone approached their table. Mason wondered how really famous Hollywood stars handled the notoriety. How did they ever eat out in public without constantly being disturbed.

The waiter returned with their drinks. He set one down in front of Della and then Perry. "Have you decided what you would like to order?"

Mason had not looked at the menu. While he was watching the people in the room, Della had been going over the menu. She realized what Mason had been doing.

"I'll order for both of us," she told the waiter. "We will both have a ham sandwich on rye, a bowl of fruit on cottage cheese, and tapioca pudding."

Perry looked up at her and wrinkled his nose. As the waiter left the table, Mason complained. "What kind of lunch is that? I am not really crazy about rye bread. Couldn't we have had something more substantial than that?"

"Perry, we eat on the run so much when you have a case. When we are away from the office, you need to eat more healthy food. Hamburgers, hot dogs and french fries are not what I consider healthy."

"We are on vacation. We can eat anything we want to," Mason said.

Della smiled. "Not if I am doing the ordering. I would like you around for many years. I'm not going to let you fill your arteries with all that grease."

"I like greasy food."

"We get plenty of that by eating hamburgers when we're working. Besides, look at this room. It is very classy. Do you really want to order hamburgers?"

"Quite frankly, yes."

She shook her head and changed the subject. They talked about where the ship would dock and what they would do when they got there.

It wasn't long, and the waiter returned with their lunch. He set it down in front of themselves. Mason sighed and began eating.

On the other side of the room, Carly Williams had been waiting for Mason and Street's lunch to be served. She figured that once it was in front of them, there would be less chance that they would get up and walk away when she approached them.

Williams was a hungry reporter, and she was not talking about food. So far, her career was less than satisfying. She mostly was assigned puff pieces. She wanted to be a serious reporter. The big stories were always assigned to the top reporters at the Los Angeles Times.

Carly always kept up with the gossip section of the newspaper. The two people sitting across the room were quite often the subject of that column. Dinner the previous night in the Captain's quarters did not allow her to ask Mason the questions she really wanted to. If she was going to be stuck with puff reporting, there was one big puff story sitting at that table across the room. She would get the skinny on those two.

Everyone speculated whether Mason and Street were more than boss and secretary. Neither one of them would ever comment about it when asked. Carly would find out for sure. After all, what were the two of them doing on a cruise together? Nobody would believe they were on a case on the Pacific Princess. No indeed, it couldn't be business, it could only be monkey business.

She could never understand why they kept their relationship quiet. Everybody suspected they were a couple anyway. So, why did they attempt to hide it? If they just came out and said they were a couple, all of the gossip would probably just totally disappear. It would no longer be the juicy news that it was right now.

It was time to go over and see what she could find out. Carly stood up and walked toward the famous couple.

Della Street spotted her first. She lowered her eyes and whispered to Perry. "Don't look now, but that reporter we had dinner with last night is headed our way."

"I told you we should have just ordered in and stayed at the cabin."

Carly approached them. "Hello, Mr Mason." She stared at the lawyer. He certainly was a very handsome man. As an afterthought, she turned to Della and greeted her. Without being invited, she sat down.

Della raised an eyebrow and looked over at Perry. She knew how much that kind of thing agitated him. Yet he smiled and said, "Miss Williams, is there something I can help you with?"

"Actually, there is. I was wondering if you would be willing to submit to an interview?"

"Miss Williams, Miss Street and I work one case after another. It is a rare occasion when we can get away from the office. We are not inclined to do interviews in the first place, let alone when we are on vacation."

"Oh, so you admit you are on vacation together, is that right?"

Della could see that Perry was becoming irritated. When dealing with people, he normally was charming and polite, however, she was concerned that he might snap back at the nosy reporter.

"I don't think you understand," she said. "This is a working vacation for both of us. We have a lot of paperwork to go over. We thought it would be nice to get out of the office and handle the paperwork here."

Mason raised an eyebrow. Della Street just told a fib. They didn't bring any paperwork with them at all. He couldn't help but admire that she was trying to keep him from losing his temper with the reporter.

"Do you really expect me to believe that? How many secretaries go on vacation with their bosses?"

"How many bosses demand their secretaries work 10 to 18 hours a day?" Mason countered. "The least I can do is give Miss Street a vacation. Unfortunately, vacations in my office don't include leaving work behind." Now Della had him telling fibs!

"So you're telling me this is a working vacation?"

"That's right," Mason confirmed.

"Come on, Mr Mason. Why don't you just admit the two of you have taken a cruise together. There would be much less gossip about the two of you if you just admitted you are having an affair with your secretary. Nobody would care."

Della knew there would be no controlling Perry any longer.

"This conversation is over. I would appreciate it if you would leave our table immediately," Mason said, barely controlling his anger.

"And if I refuse? What are you going to do? Walk away and leave your food behind. I'm not going anywhere until you agree to an interview."

Mason caught the waiter's eye. He waved him over to the table.

"Yes, Mr Mason. Is there something I can get for you?"

"You can tell this young lady to leave our table. I have already done so and she refuses."

The waiter turned to Carly Williams. "Miss Williams, we have a strict policy about bothering prominent people. You will leave Mr Mason's table at once or I will inform the captain. He has a zero tolerance policy for pestering famous people."

Carly Williams stood up. "All right, Mr Mason. You have won this battle, but I guarantee, I will be the one that wins the war. You will give in to that interview." She stood up and left the table.

"I am sorry, Mr Mason. I will definitely mention it to the captain. We will make sure that Miss Williams bothers you no further."

"That will be much appreciated," Mason told him. Please bring me a bill. I've lost my appetite.

"There will not be a bill, sir. On behalf of the Pacific Princess, I apologize for the disruption of your meal. We will see to it that it doesn't happen again."

Mason stood up, took Della by the elbow, and escorted her out of the dining room.

She said nothing as they walked away. She knew the best thing was to let him calm down and let his anger dissipate. Of all people to be on the ship, there had to be a reporter looking for dirt on them.

Carly Williams walked away from Mason and his secretary with satisfaction. She couldn't believe they were still denying their relationship. It was so obvious to her. How could they not see that? Maybe she would take a different approach. If it were true that they really weren't a couple, which she doubted, then why not make a play for Perry Mason. After all, he was handsome and successful. The man would be a great catch for any woman.

She almost laughed at the thought. She knew she didn't stand a chance with him. There wasn't any doubt in her mind that Della Street and Perry Mason were having an affair. She was going to prove it with both pictures and a story. She would bust their relationship wide open on the pages of the Los Angeles Times.

The couple walked along the deck. Mason stopped and looked out over the beautiful blue water. Della could tell his anger was definitely subsiding. Leaning on the railing, they watched as a killer whale suddenly leaped out of the water and came crashing back down, sending water flying in their direction. Mason grabbed Della and shielded her with his body.

They began laughing as Mason was soaking wet. He had succeeded in keeping Della fairly dry.

"You're all wet, Mr Mason." She started laughing again.

"I maybe all wet, but you'll have to admit when you're with me you have a whale of a good time!"

"Very clever. I think maybe we should go back to our cabin so you can change your clothes."

"What for? I'd rather stay here with you and look out over the ocean. It's much more romantic."

"The last thing I want is for you to catch a cold and have to spend your time in bed."

Mason grinned. "I don't see a downside to that."

He put his arm around her as they looked out over the ocean.

"Well, you two certainly look cozy."

They turned around to see Carly Williams standing there.

"Miss Williams, stalking is against the law," Mason said, his tone quite stern.

"Stalking, Mr Mason? I simply decided to come out here and get some air. You don't own the ship. I can go where I want for fresh air. I had no idea you were out here."

"I'll bet," Mason said. He took Della's elbow and led her away from the reporter.