The Case of the Deadly Scalpel
Chapter 4
1
Ironside and Mark Sanger arrived at the hospital at the same time as Ed and Eve. The chief was determined to find out if Corbin Schulte was the individual Samantha Maynard was talking about.
After being lowered on the van's lift, Ironside allowed Mark to push his wheelchair into the hospital. His detectives followed him inside.
Ed went around his boss and headed to the main desk. Pulling out his detective credentials, he showed them to the woman manning the desk. "Sergeant Brown, San Francisco police. I would like the room number of Corbin Schulte."
The woman didn't even bother to look at his credentials. It didn't matter to her if he was a policeman. Room numbers of patients were given out all of the time. Her nimble fingers ran across the computer keyboard as she checked to find out exactly where Corbin Schulte was located.
"He's in room 343." Without another word, she turned back to her paperwork in front of her.
Sergeant Brown shook his head. It seemed courtesy was becoming a thing of the past. He left her and went back to Chief Ironside. "He's in room 343."
Ironside nodded and headed for the elevators. His staff followed him down the hall. When they arrived, Mark pressed the button and the doors opened immediately. Ironside turned his chair around and backed inside. Once everybody was in, Mark pushed the button for the third floor. It immediately began to rise. They arrived at their destination and the elevator doors opened. Ironside looked up at the signs to see which direction room 343 was located. Once determined, he turned his chair to the right and began wheeling down the hall. Checking the numbers as they moved forward, the elite crime unit stopped at room 343. Ironside put his hands on both sides of the door frame and pulled his wheelchair into the room.
Corbin Schulte looked up. He refrained from rolling his eyes, although that was exactly what he wanted to do. What the hell was Ironside doing in his room? He didn't like it. He was able to stay under his radar all these years. Yet, since he didn't know the man personally, he couldn't help the feeling that this had something to do with Farnsworth.
"Well, if it isn't the famous San Francisco detective. I must warn you I am in a really lousy mood. I haven't had anything to eat today and they will not feed me. I never heard of anything so ridiculous. The surgery is tomorrow. There is no reason why they couldn't have fed me breakfast and lunch. I might understand eliminating dinner."
Schulte would not look him in the eye. Ironside always felt one could tell much from the look in a person's eyes. Despite the fact some people would try to mislead you, much of the time their eyes would give them away. It was the main reason Ironside didn't trust people who would not look him directly in the eye.
Schulte turned his attention away from the detective. He stared out the window. "I can't imagine why you would need to talk to me about anything. You are aware that I am having surgery tomorrow, are you not?"
"I am fully aware of it," Ironside confirmed. Already, he didn't trust Schulte or what he might say. The man was avoiding looking at him. "Nevertheless, I have questions that must be answered."
"I think Dr Stern would be against you upsetting me a day before I am to have very serious surgery."
"Since you have no idea what I am going to ask you, why do you assume my questions will upset you. Or, do you have an idea as to why I'm here?"
"No, I don't have the foggiest idea of what you are doing here. Nor do I understand why it is necessary for you to bring your entire staff into my room, upsetting my day."
"It remains to be seen whether I will be upsetting your day. Now, I will get directly to the point. Do you know Teresa Farnsworth?"
"I never heard of her. Oh, wait just a minute, isn't she the daughter of Gladys Farnsworth who is on the city council?"
Ironside noted Schulte still was not looking at him. He continued to stare out the window. "That's the one."
"Other than knowing she is the daughter of a city council woman, I haven't the slightest notion of why you would be asking me."
"What about Samantha Maynard? Do you know who she is?" Sergeant Brown asked.
"No, I have no idea who she is either. What the hell is this all about? Why are you pestering me a day before I am having serious surgery? Quite frankly, I think you should leave. I have no connection with either one of these girls."
Ironside found it interesting that he referred to them as girls and not women. It indicated to him that Schulte knew they were extremely young. "If you do not know either one of them, then how did you know they were girls and not women?"
Schulte fidgeted with the table that was pulled over his bedside. "Oh for God's sake! I refer to women as girls all the time. If you're trying to make something of that, you really don't deserve your reputation. This is getting ridiculous. I would like you to get the hell out of my room or I am going to call in a nurse to bring security."
"Let me be the one to break it to you, Mr Schulte. Not even hospital security could throw me out of this hospital. I would suggest you stop your belligerent attitude and answer my questions. The sooner you do, the sooner I can leave. Now, do you want to rethink your answer regarding Samantha Maynard?"
Red-faced and angry, Schulte lashed out at the detective. "Just why would I want to do that? Are you calling me a liar, Ironside?"
"Samantha Maynard identified the man that Teresa Farnsworth was hanging out with. She said his name was Corbin and he had a house just outside of San Francisco. Does that sound familiar, Mr Schulte?"
"I see. Just because my name is Corbin and I live outside the city, you are here to blame me for her disappearance. You're barking up the wrong tree. I don't know Samantha Maynard or Teresa Farnsworth. Now, I'm telling you to get the hell out of my room!"
The detective wasn't the least bit intimidated by Schulte's behavior. The one thing he accomplished was Schulte was now looking him straight in the eye. Ironside had no doubt the man was lying. It was written all over his face. One of the detective's strong suits was the ability to read people. Schulte was an open book. The chief turned and nodded his head at Eve Whitfield. She removed her phone from her purse, pressed the on button twice, which brought up the camera, and took a picture of Corbin Schulte.
"Who the hell do you think you are?! I suggest you delete that immediately. I didn't give you permission to take a picture of me."
Ironside backed his chair away from Schulte's bed. "I don't recall asking for your permission. Ed, you and Eve take that picture back to Samantha Maynard and see if she can identify Mr Schulte as the individual she and Teresa Farnsworth have been hanging out with."
"You son-of-a-bitch! You have no right to do that!"
If there was one thing Ironside could not stand, it was a self-righteous crook who thought he could lie his way out of a situation. "I am investigating the disappearance of a young girl. I will use all measures at my disposal to find her. You are not being forthright with me. Now, I will ask you one more time, do you know Teresa Farnsworth?"
"All right, all right, I know her. Not very well, but I am acquainted with her," Corbin snarled at the detective. Out of anger, he shoved the tray away from the bed. It banged up against the wall and spilled the water.
"Exactly how did you become acquainted with her?" Ironside demanded.
"She ran some errands for me. That's it. I don't know her other than that. I paid her to take care of a few things for me."
"What errands did she run and what things did she take care of?" Ironside asked.
"What difference does it make? They were just odds and ends. I can't remember exactly what I had her do. She was willing to do it, and I needed someone to help me. That's it, Ironside. That's all I'm going to tell you."
The detective ignored his last remark. "Has she ever been in your home?"
"Is there something wrong with your hearing? I said I wasn't telling you anything else. We're done here. Now get the hell out!"
Dr Ben Stern walked into the room. "What is going on here?"
"Ironside is harassing me! That is what is going on," Schulte shouted.
"Keep your voice down. This is a hospital not a tavern." Stern looked at the wheelchair bound detective. He had known Robert Ironside for years. He wouldn't be in Schulte's room without good reason. "Robert, what is going on? Why are you here?"
"Teresa Farnsworth is missing."
"The councilwoman's daughter?" Stern wondered.
"That's right. According to a witness, she has been seen at Mr Schulte's home."
"And I told him that she ran a few errands for me. That's it. He won't leave. He's harassing me, and I'm not going to put up with it. Get him the hell out of my room!"
"I read people rather well," Ironside said, "and you know more than you're telling me. I would suggest that you come clean and tell me what you know about this girl or . . ."
"Or what? You'll drag me downtown? I'm in the hospital for an operation. Dragging me downtown would go over really well when I go to the press." He looked over at the detective with a smirk on his face.
"I am sorry, Robert, but this is going to have to wait. I can't have this kind of commotion in the hospital."
"You hear that, Ironside? Get the hell out of my room!"
"If I can prove that girl has been at your house, and she shows up dead, I'll find some way to charge you as an accessory after the fact. I'll be back after your operation." Ironside wheeled his chair around and left the room. His staff followed him out.
"I would suggest you get him off my back. If you don't, you know the consequences."
Ben Stern regretted the day he ever helped Corbin Schulte.
2
"Perry, let's go for a swim." Della shook the attorney awake.
Mason could barely keep his eyes open. "Della, do you know what time it is?"
She picked up the clock from the bedside table. "Yes, it is 3:00 in the morning."
"You don't go swimming at 3:00 in the morning." Mason attempted to roll back over, but she grabbed his arm.
"You said that we would have to go swimming in the middle of the night to avoid attention. I want to go swimming."
"Della . . ."
"Perry . . ." She gave him a pouty look.
Mason sighed. He knew he was going to give in to her. He almost always did. "Are you sure you want to go swimming at this hour?"
She smiled and nodded her head.
He threw back the covers. "All right, go put your suit on." He watched as she disappeared into the bathroom. Mason figured he had no one to blame but himself. He did say they would have to go swimming in the middle of the night. He just didn't think she took him at his word. Getting out of the bed, he went over to the dresser, opened the drawer and pulled out his swimsuit. After putting it on, he waited for Della to return.
Della walked into the room in a two piece swimsuit. Perry closed the distance between them. Taking her in his arms, he suggested, "Why don't we forget the swim and stay right here? I am sure we can think of something to do."
"Perry, you can't avoid leaving this room. We came on this cruise to enjoy ourselves. So, let's go enjoy a middle-of-the-night swim. No one is going to be up at this hour. It will just be you and me." She pulled out of his arms.
Della walked over to the closet and pulled out their robes. She put hers on and handed the other one to Mason. "Now let's go to the pool."
Mason relented. His strong-willed secretary wasn't going to take no for an answer. What could it hurt? No one would be up at this hour anyway. She was right. He put on the robe she handed him, picked up the towels she brought from the bathroom, and the couple left their cabin.
Down the hall, Carly Williams was wide awake. Peeking out of her cabin, she spotted Mason and Street coming down the hall. With the attire they had on, it was obvious they were headed for the pool, unless of course, they were going to jump overboard. She laughed at the thought. She had been waiting for something like this. Mason and Street figured no one would be awake to observe them. Boy, were they wrong. That was why she retired to her cabin quite early. She wanted to get some sleep before the lawyer and his secretary sneaked out of their cabin for an early morning swim. She waited until they passed her room. Grabbing her camera, she left her cabin to follow them. She would get proof the two of them were having an affair. It was obvious anyway. Carley couldn't understand why they didn't know that. No boss took his secretary on a cruise unless they were involved.
Carly kept her distance from the couple. If they discovered she was following them, they certainly would head back to their cabin. Working vacation! She didn't believe it for a minute. Hell, she didn't believe it for a second, let alone a minute.
When Carly arrived at the pool, Mason and Street were the only ones there. She wondered if there were any rules regarding swimming in the pool at this late hour. It didn't seem to matter to the famous lawyer and his secretary. She watched them swim and dive underneath the surface of the water. When they came up, Mason had Street in his arms. Carly hit the jackpot! She raised her camera to take a picture of the two in what was obviously a very intimate embrace between them.
Before she could snap the picture, someone reached over her shoulder and snatched the camera out of her hand. The Los Angeles Times reporter turned around to meet the glare of Captain Anthony Reagan. "Hey, that's my camera. I would appreciate it if you would give it back to me."
"One of my waiters told me you were harassing Mr Mason and Miss Street in the dining room. I figured you would try to pull something like this."
Carly reached for her camera, but he pulled it away. "Give it back, Captain. It's my personal property!"
"It may be your property, but this is my ship. People pay good money to take a cruise on this ship. I will not have their privacy invaded. You are to stop stalking Mr Mason and Miss Street immediately. I do not tolerate famous people being pestered. They have a right to enjoy their cruise without your interference."
"Sorry, Captain, famous people are fair game. They can't expect complete privacy." She pointed at the pool where the couple was just climbing out. "That is a story, a big story. I don't think you understand how much the public in LA like to read about them. There is much speculation they are having an affair. That pretty much proves it. I am going to get pictures and the story."
"You are going to do no such thing. You are to leave them alone. If I find out you are stalking and bothering them any further, I will have you put out at the nearest port where you will be forced to find your own way back to the States. Am I making myself clear?" Captain Reagan said sternly.
Carly decided not to argue with him. She would back off for now. There wasn't any other choice. She was certain the captain would make good on his threat. "Alright, you win. I'll leave them alone. Now, can I have my camera back now?"
"No, you may not. I will hold on to it. You can pick it up with the purser before you depart at the end of the cruise. Now, go back to your cabin."
She was livid. The problem was the captain was literally a God on the ship. He could pretty much do as he pleased and get away with it. Besides, there was always her cellphone. Nowadays, the quality of cellphones is excellent. She would be able to conceal the phone and get the pictures. She just would have to avoid the captain.
Carly Williams left Captain Reagan and headed back toward her cabin. When she arrived, she stood by her door. She opened it, reached in and removed her phone from the stand. Carly looked down the hall both ways. Not a sole was in sight or could be heard. Taking her phone, she hurried down to the cabin Mason and Street were sharing. At least she believed they were sharing. They booked two adjoining cabins. Carly was betting one of them was empty. She had every intention of finding out.
Trying the knob, she grinned. They failed to lock their cabin door! A perfect opportunity! She opened the door and went in. Looking around the cabin, it became obvious to her they were sharing it. Carly walked over the dresser and began opening drawers. She found both men and women's clothing. Checking the closet, she found the same. She strolled into the bathroom to find both male and female toiletries. Carly began taking pictures with her phone. She took pictures of the bathroom, closet and dresser drawers. She had all the proof she needed that Mason and Street were sharing just one cabin.
She heard voices outside the door. Oh God! Mason and Street were returning. She had to get out of there before they discovered her in their cabin. If they found her, she had no doubt the captain would make good on his threat and leave her at the nearest port. If the adjoining door of the next cabin was locked from the other side, she was in deep trouble. Carly turned the knob. Relief filled her as she realized it wasn't locked. She opened the door and entered the adjoining cabin. She turned on the lamp on the dresser and looked around. As if the pictures she had taken weren't proof enough, the cabin which she now found herself in showed no signs of being occupied. She again started taking pictures with her phone. She had the scoop of the year on Mason and Street! Now, if only she could have gotten that picture of them in the pool embracing. If the captain hadn't interrupted her, she would probably have pictures of them kissing as well. What a cruise this was turning out to be!
She backed away from the door. It was time to get out of there. She had just about everything she needed. She backed directly into a suitcase and fell over top of it, landing on the floor.
Mason turned toward the sound coming from their adjoining cabin. Della joined him.
"What was that?"
"I don't know, but I am certainly going to find out," he answered. Walking over the door that joined the two cabins, he opened it and looked inside. Their empty suitcases were right where they left them. Yet, he didn't remember one of them lying open on the floor.
Della entered the cabin. Looking at the lamp, she turned to Perry and asked, "Did you turn on this lamp?"
He realized someone must have been in the room. "No, I didn't turn on that lamp, nor did I knock over that suitcase." He pointed at the one that was open on the floor.
"But, how would anyone get in here?" Della asked.
"I didn't lock the door, Della. I didn't see any sense in doing so. No one is up at this hour, and we weren't gone that long. Clearly someone was here, turned on the light and knocked over that suitcase."
"Do you suppose it was the cleaning lady?" Della wondered.
"She would have no reason to clean. We just arrived. No, someone other than the cleaning lady was in this room, and I have a pretty good idea who it was."
"Are you going to go to the captain?"
"I can't prove it was that reporter. I think I should mention it to him anyway. I won't tell him I believe it was the reporter. I'll just tell him what we found and let him make up his own mind. He will probably come to the same conclusion I did." Taking Della's elbow and shutting off the lamp, Mason led her back into the other cabin. They ended their morning excursion and went back to bed.
3
Cobin Shulte was fuming. That damn girl was putting his entire operation in jeopardy. He couldn't afford to have Ironside nosing around it. He had run-ins with the detective before and it was never pleasant. No one in their right mind tangled with that man. Why did he choose Teresa Farnsworth. He should have known the bitch of a councilwoman would enlist the help of Ironside if anything went wrong with her damn daughter. Yet, so far he made more money with her than with any of the other girls. Farnsworth was by far the most beautiful of the girls he had chosen over the years.
True, he didn't allow them to make much money. He collected most of it, and by rights he should. He was the one taking the chances. He was well aware he could go to jail if caught. He wasn't about to allow the Farnsworth bitch to ruin things. He made a ton of money off the girls. It was amazing how many men out there preferred girls who were so young. He laughed at the thought. There were a lot of perverts. One day he just decided to take advantage of them.
Shulte was worried about the surgery he was about to have. What if it didn't work? He couldn't bear the thought that he would have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. He didn't care how successful Ironside was sitting in the rolling cart. As far as he was concerned his life would be over. He would be useless. How could he possibly intimidate the girls if he could even walk? They would not be the least bit scared of him.
If Stern screwed up the surgery, he would sue the hell out of him and his insurance company. At least if his life as he knew it was over, he would at least be able to live it comfortably. He closed his eyes. Just how comfortable could he possibly be in a wheelchair? He would destroy Ben Stern's life, that was for sure. What was the saying? An eye for an eye. If he was destroyed, then so would be Stern. He would see to it that he never practiced medicine again.
The door opened and, speaking of the devil, Ben Stern walked into his room.
"It is about damn time, Stern! What the hell took you so long?"
"Cobin, you are not the only patient I have to look in on," Stern said wearily.
"Don't tell me about your other patients. I couldn't give a damn about them. Why in the hell did you choose this hospital to do the surgery? The nurses are terrible. I can't even get them to bring me something to eat. You should have told them I could eat today"
"Corbin, no one is allowed to eat the day before surgery. You are no exception. Besides, I want to talk to you about the surgery. I didn't get the chance when Chief Ironside was here. I got I got the tests back. It simply doesn't look good. I don't believe the surgery will be successful. Things are too far gone at this point."
"What? Are you out of your mind?! If you don't do the surgery, I'll never walk again."
"The chances of the surgery being successful are not very good. More than likely, it will do nothing but cause you a lot of pain. I must recommend that we cancel the surgery and we will assign you a psychologist to help you except your new disability. I would even recommend that you sit down with Chief Robert Ironside. He is living proof that you can still lead a full productive life."
"Now you listen to me. You are going to go ahead with the surgery. For your sake, it better be successful. I have every intention of completely destroying you if it isn't. I will not live out my life sitting in a wheelchair. Furthermore, I can't stand Ironside. I have no desire to sit down and talk to the man."
"Corbin, be reasonable. I told you several weeks ago that if the surgery was going to be successful, it had to be done right away. You ignored me. The test results are telling me that it is too late for the surgery to be successful. You need to accept that, Corbin."
"I accept nothing. How would you like it if I revealed your dirty little secret? I don't give a damn about you, Stern. I would be more than happy to destroy you for good. So, if you want to continue practicing medicine, you damn well will go ahead with the surgery. You got that? I am tired of this conversation. We are going ahead with the surgery. Do you understand me?"
Ben was wishing that he never treated Corbin Schulte in the first place. Now he had an impossible situation on his hands. There was less than a 2% chance that the surgery would be successful. Even if there was any measure of success at all, Corbin Schulte would only be able to walk for a short period of time, and then it would be with the aid of crutches. He would never be able to walk unaided. He would begin to experience deterioration, and his ability to even walk with crutches would end.
How could he get through to the man? The surgery would be for nothing. Somehow, he had to convince Schulte to accept his new disability. On the other hand, he couldn't allow the man to destroy his life.
Ben was a good surgeon and he knew it. He didn't want to do anything else. His entire life was centered around helping people with spinal cord issues. He had to try again to get Schulte to understand his situation.
"Corbin, listen to me. The surgery isn't going to do you any good. If you agreed to have the surgery when I first brought it up, you had a chance for recovery."
"I didn't need it at that time. I was able to walk. What was the sense in putting myself through it when I didn't need it then. I need it now. I'm losing the ability to walk. What the hell is a matter with you?"
"You did need the surgery at the time. I told you it would deteriorate the longer you waited. Now, you have simply waited too long. The surgery will not do you any good. The chances of success are so low, it isn't worth going through it," Ben told him.
"Who are you to tell me that it isn't worth going through it? You are not the one who is losing the use of your legs. I'm telling you right now, you are going to do the surgery. If you don't, you know what I will do. Don't think for a moment that I won't do it."
"And if the surgery doesn't do you any good? What then?" Ben asked.
"For your sake, it better work. Now I suggest we get on with it. And, bring me something to eat!"
"No, if you insist on going ahead with the surgery, there isn't any way you can have anything to eat today. Water only."
Schulte was not happy, but he realized there wasn't any way Stern was going to budge on this particular point. He didn't have any choice but to give up. "Fine, I'm not happy with this. I don't see any reason why I cannot be given food. So, we are going to go ahead with the surgery, right?"
"If you insist."
"I certainly do insist."
"Then I will see you in the morning." Without giving Corbin Schulte any more time to object, Ben Stern walked out of his room.
Dr Stern headed back to his office. He couldn't believe he was going to go ahead with the surgery. Unfortunately, he didn't see any way out of it. Schulte was blackmailing him. There was no other term for it. It was plain and simple blackmail. Yet, then knew he would go ahead and do the surgery. He couldn't allow the information to become public. It could ruin him, and he definitely wanted to continue to help people. One mistake, just one mistake! As a result, he put himself in this position. Despite it being against his better judgment, the surgery would go forth.
If it failed, and he certainly believed it would, would Schulte make good on his promise to destroy him? Had he agreed to the surgery when Ben first brought it up, it had a chance of success. Now it had next to none. Ben couldn't help but worry about what Corbin Schulte would do when the surgery failed.