The Case of the Deadly Scalpel
Chapter 5
1
"The son-of-a-bitch! What am I supposed to do?" Harry Parker grumbled to himself. He was hosting a get together of over a dozen people. Schulte promised him the girls. Now he was told they would not be showing up. What was worse, the idiot chose now to go into the hospital to have elective surgery.
This was an important deal for him. He made that clear to Corbin. He promised him the girls would be there. Harry went out of his way to provide the girls for the attendees, and they weren't the kind of men you disappointed.
He would kill the idiot if he weren't in the hospital. There was too much of a chance someone might catch him in the act. One thing for sure was, he was going to pay for this. He would get to him one way or another.
He parked his car in the hospital parking lot and headed for the entrance. He could care less if Corbin was in the hospital. Harry was going to make this right. Harry wasn't going to face a room full of mobsters and tell them he didn't deliver what he promised.
Pulling his hat low over his forehead, he hurried forward down the halls to the elevator. Taking it to Shulte's floor, he searched the numbers on the doors until he arrived at his room. He hoped it was a private room. He didn't want to be overheard.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Corbin snarled.
"You know why I am here. Why did you pull the girls? I got seven wise guys waiting for them and the girls you promised are not going to show up."
"What the hell are you talking about? I arranged it before I came into the hospital."
"One of your girls called and said you canceled. She said you are not doing business with me anymore. Do you know what this means? I owe them a ton of money. Providing the girls is how I pay them back. I have to provide for them when they come to town. You know that. Do you know what they will do to me?"
"I didn't cancel anything. How could I do that from a hospital bed? What girl said I canceled?"
"Teresa Farnsworth. She said you would not be providing the girls anymore." Harry Parker ran his hand down his face. "For God's sake, they could kill me."
"Calm down, Harry. I'll send in some of the older gals."
"Are you stupid or what?" he shouted. "They want the young ones."
"Well, I can't round them up from a hospital bed. I have warned you on several occasions that the younger ones are harder to control. You still keep asking for the ones that are mere babies."
"That's what they want. I am warning you, Corbin. If they come after me, I will make sure they come after you too. If they won't, I'll do it myself! So, I suggest you get on the damn phone and round up those girls, and do it now. The boys are due in town soon."
Corbin picked up the phone. After dialing Sharon Duncan, he waited a minute and then said, "Sharon, I need seven ladies tonight. Can you provide them for me?"
"What? I thought you had your own ladies! You mean to tell me you can't control them?" Parker complained.
Putting his hand over the telephone mouthpiece, Schulte growled, "Shut the hell up, and let me take care of this."
"God this is a mess!" Parker fretted.
After arguing with Sharon for a couple minutes, Corbin slammed the phone down. "She won't provide them."
"Why not"
"Because she says I owe her some money."
"How could you owe her money?"
Schulte just stared at him without answering his question.
"You bastard! You kept more money then you were supposed to, didn't you. She discovered it and demanded you pay her the money you owe her. That's it, isn't it? Because you stole from her, I am now in big trouble."
"So what. I drummed up business for the whore. I am not paying her one red cent. She got all she is going to get from me."
"You led me to believe they were your ladies! "
"I never said they were. It's not my fault you assumed that."
"What the hell am I going to do? I don't have the money to pay them. This was how I was paying them back. I am a dead man." He put his head in his hands. Looking up, the look on his face turned deadly. "You better watch your back when you get out of here. I wouldn't be surprised if you find a knife in it". He stormed out of his room.
Schulte didn't care. He carried a gun with him all of the time. Anybody who messed with him would find themselves in an early grave. When he got out of this hospital, he was going to beat the hell out of those girls, especially Teresa Farnsworth. They would find out in a damn hurry that they couldn't mess with him.
2
Mark wheeled Chief Ironside up to Samantha Maynard's house. Sanger rang the doorbell. It didn't take long as the door opened almost immediately.
Maynard rolled her eyes. She knew who the man in the wheelchair was. He was that damn crippled cop that the city seemed to love. Well, she didn't. She had no use for cops whatsoever. They were all on the take and spent their time bullying people in San Francisco.
"I can't believe you people are back here again. What the hell do you want this time?"
Ironside had no patience for rude people. "Have you ever tried saying may I help you?"
"I have zero desire to help you in any manner. So tell me what the hell you want?"
"I suggest you allow us to come inside. That is, unless you would prefer to answer questions downtown. It makes no difference to me," Ironside said.
She shook her head in disgust. This man was no different than the last one that was here. "You have about 5 minutes of my time. That's all I'm going to give you. If you don't get out after that, I will be filing a complaint with the police department."
"You do that Ms Maynard. I'll be more than happy to provide you with the proper documents." Ironside stared her straight in the eye.
If Samantha had the time, she would make them take her downtown. That way she could claim police brutality. Unfortunately, she had to go to work shortly. She didn't have time to waste on this detective. She stood back and allowed Ironside to enter her home. Unlike the last time police officers came to her home, she didn't lead them into the living room. She stood there in the hall, crossed her arms across her chest.
"Ask your questions and then get the hell out of my home. I have to go to work. If I get fired for being late, I'll sue the damn Police Department.
Ironside reached into his suit coat pocket and pulled out the picture of Corbin Schulte he had taken earlier. "Is this the man Teresa Farnsworth was associating with?
Maynard stood there for a moment. She wasn't going to make it easy on these pigs. How she hated cops! Finally, she took the picture out of Ironside's hand when he shoved it at her. Staring at it for a moment, she looked up at the detective, and handed it back to him.
"Well, is that the Corbin you told my officers about?" Ironside demanded.
"Yeah, that's the scumbag she's been hanging around with."
He placed the picture back into his suit coat pocket. "What do you know about him?"
"I don't know anything about him. Now, will you get out of my house?"
The former Chief of Detectives ignored her request. "If you don't know anything about him, how did you know that Teresa Farnsworth was associated with him? How did you come in contact with Teresa Farnsworth in the first place?" The one thing Robert Ironside did well was read people. Maynard wasn't telling him the truth. She knew both of these people a lot better than she claimed.
"What difference does it make? I don't have anything to do with either one of them. Now will you get out!"
"I am not going anywhere until you tell me the truth.
How did you know either of them?"
If she didn't get the cripple out of her house pretty soon, she was going to be late to work. She already had what they called demerits against her; she couldn't afford to accumulate anymore of them.
"Corbin Schulte is a pimp. Farnsworth is one of his prostitutes."
The revelation did not come as a surprise to Ironside. Schulte had been on his radar for some time. Unfortunately, he was extremely devious in the way he did business. He was very careful about the contact he had with the young girls he was using.
"How do you know he was a pimp?" Ironside asked.
"I just know."
"That's not good enough, Miss Maynard. You need to tell me how you know."
Samantha Maynard began squirming. If she didn't tell the crippled detective, she was concerned he would drag her downtown. Yet, telling him how she knew was embarrassing. It was a part of her life she wanted to put behind her. She was one of the few girls who actually got away from Corbin Schulte.
"You'll just have to take my word for it, Ironside."
"That's Chief Ironside," Mark said.
She looked at the young man who accompanied Ironside. Obviously, they were hung up on titles. Well, titles didn't mean a thing to her.
"I am a police detective, I don't have the luxury of taking anybody's word for anything. Everything has to be checked out. Now, are you going to tell me how you know, or am I going to take you in. You can stay at the station as long as you want. I will get an answer."
The only way Samantha was going to get rid of this boorish cop was to answer his question.
"All right, I'll tell you. Four years ago, Corbin came to me and told me I could make a lot of money. All I had to do was take instruction from him and meet clients. What he didn't tell me was that he was a pimp. He wanted me to become a prostitute. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't any good at it. I couldn't stand having all of those horrible men touch me. I wanted out. He wouldn't allow me out. He said if I wouldn't service the clients, then I would have to at least service him. I was forced to for about a year. Then my brother moved back to San Francisco from New York City. My brother is 6'7 and is 250 pounds of pure muscle. I told him what Corbin was making me do. He was furious. He went to his house and beat the crap out of him. He told him if he didn't leave me alone, he would be back. I haven't heard from Corbin Schulte since. I hate the man. I haven't been able to have a real relationship with any man since. He ruined my life."
"Would you be willing to testify against him in a court of law?" Ironside asked. He lowered and softened his voice considerably.
Her tough demeanor broke down. She started to cry. "I can't go through it again. Please don't make me. I couldn't take it. I can't tell the whole world what I did. As it is, I only leave my house to go to work. I never go anywhere else. I just can't. I know it's silly, but I keep thinking everybody is staring at me and thinking what a piece of trash I am."
"Miss Maynard, there are counselors that can help you. If you would like, I will arrange for you to see one at no expense. I can promise you one thing, I am going to nail Corbin Schulte. He will pay for what he has done to you and other girls."
"So he goes to jail, so what. I won't be satisfied until he is dead."
"I can't do anything about that, but I can get him off the streets. Thank you for your help. If you decide to take me up on the offer of a counselor, contact me at police headquarters."
Ironside nodded at Mark. The young man stepped behind his wheelchair and pushed him to the door. When they arrived back at the van, Mark pushed the button that lowered the lift tray to the ground. Ironside turned around and backed his chair on the lift. Mark pushed the button again, walked around the van, and got in behind the wheel. He sat there for a moment.
"This vehicle doesn't move itself, Mr Sanger."
"Chief, I was just thinking about that girl."
"I know, Mark. What happened to her explains her attitude. I am going to nail Corbin Schulte to the wall. He is done in this city."
Sanger had no doubt the chief would do exactly that.
3
Perry Mason defeated Della Street in their third game of shuffleboard. He looked at her and grinned. "Are you up for another game, or have you had enough punishment?"
"Don't gloat, Mr Mason. I am going to beat you in the next one."
Mason laughed. "You are a glutton for punishment." He really didn't want to play shuffleboard anymore. There was only one way to get out of it. He would allow her to win the next game. He figured she would be satisfied with ending their competition with a win. "You go first." Using a sweeping gesture of his hand, he moved out of Della's way.
"Mr Mason, I would like to speak with you."
Mason and Street turned around, only to be confronted by Carly Williams. Mason was normally charming and polite to everyone, but this woman didn't deserve that. "What do you want, Miss Williams?"
"I want an interview with you and Miss Street. You will answer my questions about your relationship."
"Our relationship is none of your damn business," Mason said forcefully.
She chuckled. "You are a public figure, Mr Mason, and a free game for the media. All I am asking is that the two of you come clean. If you do, I promise you the article I write will be very flattering for the two of you. However, if you refuse, I have plenty of proof that the two of you are more than boss and secretary."
Carly turned on her cell phone and pulled up the gallery. Turning the face of the phone toward the couple, she started moving from one picture to another.
"As you can see, these are pictures of your cabin. It shows that the two of you are definitely staying in the same cabin. You rented adjoining rooms, but you are not using the one. If you don't agree to an interview, I will write the article my way and will provide these pictures as verification of what I write. When I get done, you will definitely not be able to sue me or my paper."
"So because we have refused to give you an interview, you are now going to resort to blackmail."
"No, Mr Mason. I am not blackmailing you. I am giving you a choice as to how I print my article. It is with either your cooperation or without it. That's not blackmail."
"Are you trying to tell me the law?" Mason snarled. "I think, young lady, I know the law far better than you do. What you are proposing is blackmail, whether you think so or not. Furthermore, you are guilty of breaking and entering."
"I didn't break in. You left your door unlocked."
"Under the law, it doesn't matter. When you enter without permission, it is breaking and entering. Your pictures are proof of exactly that."
"Mr Mason, you could avoid all this if you just sit down with me for an interview regarding your relationship with Miss Street."
"You don't seem to understand. If I go to the captain, he will have you arrested for breaking and entering. I suggest you give me your camera and allow me to delete all of those pictures. That and leaving Miss Street and me alone will keep me from having you arrested. Otherwise, I'm going straight to the captain from here. Now, what will it be?" Mason stared at her. His anger was apparent.
"I don't think you'll do that. The simple truth is, that if you can have me arrested at all, is the fact that a trial would bring out your relationship with Miss Street. Since you are adamant about keeping it secret, you certainly aren't going to have me arrested. So, Mr Mason, I am calling your bluff."
"Miss Williams, I have worked for Mr Mason for some time now. I can tell you, in no uncertain terms, he doesn't bluff. He will have you arrested."
Carly Williams stared at the two of them. Would he really do it? That really wasn't a big deal to her. She had been arrested before, and it always turned out the party backed down with some kind of agreement. Would Mason do the same? She found it hard to believe that he would do it. He seemed to go to great lengths to protect Della Street. Yet, her employer told her if she did anything again that was illegal, he would fire her.
As a lawyer, Mason was just about the best there was. She didn't doubt that he knew the law. The question was, was he actually bluffing? After all, she did not break into their cabin. He left the door unlocked. Carly was torn. She didn't want to lose her job, on the other hand, she had an explosive story with the pictures to prove it.
She decided she couldn't take the chance. She already worked for the biggest newspaper in California. If they fired her, she would probably be done in the state. No paper anywhere else would hire her. She handed Mason her cell phone.
The lawyer opened the phone gallery and proceeded to delete all of the pictures of his and Della's cabins. When he was done, he handed the phone back to Carly Williams. "I am going to warn you one last time. You are to leave Della and me alone. Any further stalking or breaking and entering on your part, and I will not be as forgiving. Find yourself another story. We are not it." Mason took Della by the elbow and led her away.
4
Sherry Schulte entered her husband's room. He could tell by the look on her face that something was wrong. "Are you all right, dear?"
"Should I be?" She had received a visit by Joey. She didn't know what his last name was since he wouldn't give it to her. When she opened the door of their home, the man pushed his way directly into the house. Alarmed, she reached for the gun that sat on the table beside the door. Joey knocked it out of her hand. "Where's your husband?"
She backed away from him. "He's not here. He's in the hospital."
"Which is exactly where I would put him right now if he were home! Where are the girls he was supposed to supply?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about. I suggest you leave this house before I call the police."
Joey backhanded her across the mouth. "I wouldn't suggest that. I could just as soon kill you as to look at you. You tell him he better come up with those girls. I've got all the guys coming in, and I promise them those girls."
Shocked, Sherry couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was her husband providing prostitutes for visiting salesmen, or businessmen? She knew he made a lot of mysterious phone calls. Sherry just figured that was part of his job; that he couldn't share any of it with her. But prostitutes? What in God's name was her husband involved in?
"You tell him, lady. Tell him he will regret it if he doesn't come through, and so will you." Joey turned and left her house.
Should she call the police? There had to be an explanation. The man must have had the wrong house. Since he never mentioned Corbin's name, she was certain of it. Or was she? Could this be the reason for all of the secrecy? No, he just couldn't be involved in anything illegal. Sherry was torn between keeping it to herself and confronting her husband. In the end, confronting him one out.
Grabbing her purse, she headed out the door and drove to the hospital where she went directly to her husband's room. She had to know. If it was true, how could she ever stay married to him? The problem was, she had signed a prenuptial agreement when she married him. If she left him, she got nothing.
"Who is Joey?" she demanded when she arrived.
"I don't know what you were talking about." Yet he expected he did.
"Somehow, I have a feeling you know exactly what I am talking about. Joey came to the house and demanded to know why you hadn't provided the girls. Does that mean anything to you? Just exactly what are you involved in, Corbin?"
Maybe it was time that he got rid of her. Yes, a divorce was in order. Then again, if he divorced her, he would be forced to give her a lot of money. If she divorced him, she would get nothing. He couldn't divorce her. He wasn't giving her one red cent. Whatever possessed him to marry the woman in the first place? Corbin knew he would never get rid of her. She wouldn't divorce him. She knew full well she would get nothing. The only thing he could do was make her life so miserable, that the money would become less attractive.
"It's none of your business, Sherry. Stay out of it. I don't answer to you," he snarled.
"There's where you're wrong. Joey, whoever he is, said you either provided the girls or both you and I would regret it. Since my safety is in danger, you do answer to me. I want to know exactly what you've been up to, Corbin. And don't try to tell me that it is work you can't talk about. You are a pimp, aren't you? You're providing prostitutes for gangsters."
"Nobody uses the word gangsters anymore. Since you insist on knowing, yes I provide them with girls. They are not people you want to mess with. Believe me, they'd just as soon kill you as to look at you."
"Those were Joey's exact words. I can't believe you put me in this position. It's bad enough that you're into something so illegal, but to put my safety in danger is inexcusable."
"Oh stop whining! Joey isn't going to do anything. He doesn't have the authority. It takes a much higher up to make that decision. Now, I would appreciate it if you got the hell out of my room. I have surgery tomorrow, and I don't need you in here upsetting me."
"Suppose I just go to the police."
He grabbed his wife's arm and put his hand around her throat. "That would be extremely stupid! You wouldn't live one day after doing so. I'm telling you, don't mess with these people. Now get the hell out of my room." Using the strength that he had from the bed, he shoved her backwards. She fell into the wall.
It was the first time Corbin ever abused her physically. She left the room in tears. What was she going to do? He was probably right, if she went to the police, whoever these people were, would kill her. If she didn't, she feared for her safety anyway. The man had threatened both her and Corbin. What in God's name was Corbin involved in?
5
Ben Stern didn't want to do the surgery on Corbin Schulte. He was almost certain it would be a failure. Why did he let him talk him into it? Actually, he knew why. Schulte was blackmailing him. He never before allowed a patient to talk him into what he did. He believed in the oath he took to help people, but he shouldn't have done it. Schulte had been holding it over his head ever since. He understood the man was scared. Anyone facing the loss of the use of their legs would be scared. It wasn't any reason for the man to force him to do something he felt was wrong. Schulte threatened him. If the surgery didn't work and it probably wouldn't, what would the man do then? Would he actually go through with his threats?
If only he had listened to him in the first place, Ben could have done the surgery when it had a chance of being successful. Spinal cord surgery was never a given. Robert Ironside was proof of that. Ben had hoped he could put him back on his feet with surgery when he showed signs of feeling in his legs. Unfortunately, it was a failure and the chief was still in a wheelchair and would more than likely spend the rest of his life in one unless some form of surgery came along that would reverse his condition. Chances of it happening in Ironside's lifetime were slim. Schulte was twenty years younger than the chief, and it might be possible in his lifetime. Who knew what advances in medical technology would bring? Right now, it was not possible. If only he could get through to Schulte.
Ben would have to perform the surgery tomorrow unless he could convince Schulte to cancel it. He didn't hold up much hope he would. Nevertheless, he had to try. He headed for his room. Not looking forward to the conversation, he took his time thinking about what he would say to the man. He cursed the day he helped Schulte. It came back to haunt him with a vengeance. Now he was trapped. He was in a position to force Schulte's hand. The only problem was that he wasn't certain he could cover up what he did. The last thing he wanted to do was lose his license to practice.
He reached Schulte's room. Standing in the doorway, he watched the man. He was lying there staring out the window. Ben could only imagine what was going through his mind. It was time to quit putting it off. He entered his room.
"Corbin, I would like to talk to you," he told his patient.
"What about this time? Don't think you are going to back out of the surgery. I have no intention of letting you. I am going to have the surgery and you are going to perform it. Nothing else is acceptable to me. I am not going to end up in a wheelchair."
That wasn't a good start to the conversation. Still, it was exactly what Ben expected he would say. He had to try anyway. "Corbin, all the tests indicate the chances of the surgery working are very poor. My personal opinion is it will be a failure. You waited too long. Please, consider canceling the surgery. I will do everything I can to help you adjust. Maybe in the future a medical procedure will become available. I would be happy to do the surgery at that time."
Schulte shook his head. "I can not live in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. We are going through with the surgery. You told me it had a 75% successful rate."
"That was several weeks ago, and it did at that time. You waited too long. The paralysis is too advanced."
"Now you listen to me, Stern. You are doing the surgery. I will not end up in a wheelchair. You told me the chances of success were good. Don't give me that crap about waiting too long. I don't know what your real reason for not wanting to do the surgery is, and I don't care. Don't think you are going to back out! You know what will happen if you do."
"Corbin, be reasonable. You can't hold me responsible for what I told you several weeks ago. I called you several times telling you that you needed to stop putting it off; that the longer you waited, the less chance of success. The window has simply closed. It's too late."
"It's not too late. Now, get the hell out of my room. I'll see you in the morning." Schulte turned away from him and went back to staring out the window.
Ben had no choice but to give up. There wasn't any changing the man's mind. He was setting himself up for a big disappointment. The doctor would have to perform the surgery, as useless as it was going to be. There was no way around it. Schulte wasn't going to change his mind. He would operate on him in the morning. He didn't have to ask how this was going to look if Schulte decided to retaliate against him. With tests that showed a very poor chance of success, it would appear Ben did the surgery simply to collect his fee. After all, it was a very expensive procedure. It was possible he could be accused of defrauding the insurance company.
With his patient visits completed, he headed back to his office. There had to be a way to refuse to do the surgery and protect himself from Schulte's wrath afterwards. He just had no idea what it could be. Ben left the hospital and walked to his nearby office.