The Case of the Malevolent Mugging, 8/?
Title: The Case of the Malevolent Mugging, chapter eight
Fandom: Perry Mason
Rating: T/PG-13
Word Count: 3,455
Main Characters: Perry Mason, Hamilton Burger, Lieutenant Tragg, Lieutenant Anderson, Lieutenant Drumm, Amory Fallon, Edith Fallon
Supporting Characters: Della Street, Paul Drake, Erna Norden
Summary: The characters reunite and more ideas are discussed. Meanwhile, Steve and Sergeant Nichols discover a new twist.
Fanfiction.net Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8342827/8/
Notes: Sorry about the delay, everyone. I got sidetracked writing about Wesley Lau’s character from The Alamo, Emil Sande, over at 31_days. The story kept flowing, so I kept writing. This chapter has been in progress for a couple of weeks. Also, I’m bringing back Sergeant Nichols again. I created him when I wasn’t sure if I had Brice down well enough, and I decided that there was a place for him here, since Brice isn’t with Steve and Steve needed someone to talk to.
Chapter Eight
Hamilton had requested to be contacted as soon as there was any news about Andy, even if it meant he would be awakened in the middle of the night. That being the case, when the phone rang after four A.M., he started out of a shallow sleep and grabbed the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Burger?”
Hamilton perked up at Tragg’s voice. He sounded like he was in a good mood. And there was surely only one thing that could cheer him now.
“What is it, Tragg?” he demanded. “Has Andy been found?”
“Yes!” Tragg’s smile could be felt over the phone. “And he’s alright. He just needs to take it easy for a few days because of his leg having been hurt. But it’s nothing serious.”
“That’s a relief.” Hamilton sat up in bed, all thoughts of sleep evaporated. “Where was he?!”
“Well, that’s an odd thing. He was with your friend Jefferson Pike.”
“What?!”
“Eh, it’s a long story,” Tragg said. “The police got the news not long ago from Andy himself, and it was passed on to me after an . . . incident. I went there to make sure Andy was alright. I didn’t want to wake up you or the others until I was sure the news was on the level and that Andy was alive. I’m sorry if I did wrong, Mr. Burger. The helicopter was leaving right then.”
“Oh no, that’s alright,” Hamilton said. “I was asleep anyway, so I didn’t know the difference. But I’m glad you called now. I’ll let Perry know.”
“I thought you might,” Tragg said.
“What’s this about an ‘incident’, though?” Hamilton frowned.
“Just that a couple of hooligans broke into my house right before I got the news,” Tragg growled. “They wanted Andy and knew that there had been a mix-up with him and Fallon. They’re behind bars now. Maybe once they know Andy is safe and sound we can get them to talk.”
“Good luck with that,” Hamilton said.
“Thanks,” Tragg said wryly. “We’ll need it.
“Well, I’ll let you go. We’re still at the hospital, but we’ll hopefully be leaving soon.”
“Alright. Thank you, Tragg. I don’t want to hold you up, but maybe I’ll come down for just a minute to see you and Andy.”
“You’d better call Perry first, though,” Tragg said. “And then I suppose he’ll call Della and Paul. They’ll all be wanting to know.”
“I know. I’ll see you later, Tragg. And I’ll want a full account of everything that’s happened.”
“You’ll get it,” Tragg assured him.
Hamilton hung up, only pausing for a moment to let the wonderful news sink in. Andy was alive and well and back with them. Yes, Perry and Della and Paul would want to know immediately.
He dialed Perry’s number, his hands trembling, his heart gathering speed. This felt like a dream again, but this time, one that was too good to be true. So many times these sorts of cases did not have a happy ending. Andy was very lucky, or blessed, or something, that he had made it through. And he surely knew it better than anyone.
Perry was every bit as relieved and thankful to hear the news. As Hamilton had thought, he endeavored to let Della and Paul know. The outlandish time of night did not make a difference; they, too, would want to be awakened and told.
“Oh, I’m so glad,” Della exclaimed, practically in happy tears when Perry called her.
“He must have lives like a cat,” was Paul’s comment.
“I’m going down to the hospital to see him,” Perry said to first one, then the other. “Want to come?”
Della and Paul each confirmed it, although Della wondered if so many descending on Andy would be overwhelming right now.
“We shouldn’t keep him long,” she said. “He must be ready to drop.”
“I agree,” Perry said. “We’ll just see him for a moment.”
After making plans to all meet at the hospital, they went their separate ways.
****
“Amory?”
Amory looked up with a start as Edith spoke. She was studying him, her eyes worried.
“Yes?” he asked. “What is it, Edith?”
“Are you alright?” Edith’s gaze traveled to the letter still in her husband’s hands. “You haven’t said a word since the police left.”
Amory exhaled, sharply. “Oh, I don’t know.” He slapped the letter on his lap. “This is just so much to take in.” He regarded his wife in despair. “I’ve felt so bitter towards Ned ever since I realized he’d betrayed me. And now I’m faced with this!” He waved the letter at her. “If I’m to believe it, he was sorry for what he did to me, to us, to the company. But I don’t know that I can forgive him.”
Edith gently laid her hand over his. “I don’t know what to say,” she said. “We both know that it would be better if you could, Amory. But when someone hurt you as deeply as he did, of course it would be hard. And all the ways of trying to convince you to find a way to do it sound so hollow and trite and unfeeling.”
Amory nodded. “I don’t want to feel this way,” he said. “I want to find it in me to forgive him. I know I should in any case, but especially with this. I just don’t know if I can.”
“Well . . .” Edith squeezed his hand. “Wanting to is an important step. Maybe it will just take some time.”
“Maybe,” Amory consented.
Edith sat down. “Do you think the police will find that knight statue?”
Amory sighed. “Who knows. If they can track it down by who bought it at the police auction, and if there is a secret compartment, and if the new owners haven’t found and opened it . . .” He shrugged. “Then maybe there’s a chance.”
“You make it sound so complicated,” Edith said.
“I know, that’s a lot of ifs,” Amory said. “And there’s others. I guess I’m just a cynic.”
“You’re a practical businessman,” Edith said firmly.
“I suppose,” said Amory.
“You are. And a good one.”
“I’m glad you think so. I don’t always feel like it, particularly when I’m the one who made Ned a partner.”
“You couldn’t have known what would happen.” Edith hesitated. “And back then, I think Ned wasn’t mixed up in anything crooked. That probably only came later, after he got himself in so much debt.”
“Maybe.”
After a moment of silence Edith said, “I wonder what Ned got involved in that scared him so badly.”
“It could have even been some kind of organized crime.” Amory stared down at the letter. “He doesn’t really give any indication of it in here. It must all be in that information he hid away in the statue.”
Edith nodded. “I guess he didn’t want to say in the letter.
“It’s so strange about that policeman, isn’t it?”
“My non-existent twin?” Amory shook his head. “It’s . . . I don’t know what to think about it. It’s so surreal. It’s unreal. This sort of thing just doesn’t happen in real-life. And somehow it’s odd that he’s a good person, too. In most fiction accounts, the double is a villain. Unless you’re reading The Prince and the Pauper.”
“Well . . . I guess there’s you and Lieutenant Anderson being mistaken for each other and kind of getting switched, but it’s not much of a Prince and the Pauper parallel.” Edith shuddered. “I can’t stand to think of you ending up in a horrible place like where Lieutenant Anderson was being held.”
“I don’t think I could’ve made it out of there the way he did,” Amory said. “Even if I’d tried, one look at those dogs probably would have made me surrender.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Edith smiled fondly. “Don’t sell yourself short, Amory. You’re resourceful.”
“But not the type to gamble with my life. Lieutenant Anderson’s been trained to do that everyday. His mind works in channels I’d never dream of.”
“I guess so,” Edith consented. “Well . . . Amory, you’d better try to get some more sleep before the doctor comes back. He won’t be too happy that you had police visitors again.”
Amory sighed, sinking back into the pillows. “I doubt I can sleep any more now. Not after this letter.”
Edith took it from him and placed it in her purse. “There’ll be plenty of time to think about it later. Please, Amory. Try?”
Amory nodded. “I’ll try,” he consented. “I just don’t expect too much.” He closed his eyes and attempted to relax.
Edith leaned back in the chair. She wasn’t so sure she would be able to sleep, either. There was so much to take in, and the amount seemed to increase by the hour. Nevertheless, before she quite knew what was happening, she was in a doze.
At her side, Amory remained awake for some time, thinking, turning the words of the letter over and over in his mind until they blended with other echoes of the past. Ned’s betrayal. Amory’s arrest. Testimonies in court. Frank’s confession. By the time he finally worked himself into an exhausted sleep, it was nearly dawn.
****
It was as soon as Tragg and Andy left Amory’s room that they were met by Hamilton, Perry, and the rest-relieved and amazed and overjoyed to find Andy alive and well. Lucy and Mrs. Norden, having already reunited with Andy, had been visiting with Jimmy, as well as Perry and company, while waiting in the hall for Amory’s room to be vacated.
“Andy,” Perry smiled, clapping a hand on Andy’s back. “Welcome home.”
“It’s about time,” Paul said.
“Thank God you’re safe,” Hamilton declared.
“Are you alright?” Della asked, worried as she took in Andy’s ragged appearance.
Andy looked to each of them and the others in turn, exhausted and ready to collapse but touched by their coming. “I’m fine,” he said, managing a smile. “Thank you. Thank you all.”
They went back to the waiting room, but upon finding it too crowded to talk, left the building altogether and stood outside by their cars. Andy stumbled, more from reaching the end of his endurance rather than from his leg.
Hamilton was the closest to him. He reached out, steadying his colleague and friend. “Andy, you need to rest,” he exclaimed.
“I know,” Andy mumbled.
“Oh, you’re probably still not feeling well from the chloroform, either,” Lucy fretted.
“I’m alright,” Andy emphasized. He opened the door of Tragg’s car and sank into the passenger seat. “We need to figure out how to solve this case.” He leaned forward, massaging his eyes.
“Nothing more is going to be accomplished with you almost asleep on your feet,” Tragg told him sternly. “I’m going to drive you home, Andy. No arguments now.”
Mrs. Norden nodded in agreement. “Please, Andy,” she begged. “The case will still be here in a few hours. You won’t even be able to think how to fix it without sleep.”
“I’ve worked without sleep before, Mama,” Andy said.
“And it’s bad for you and the case,” Tragg grunted.
Andy managed a weak smile. “I only learned from the best.”
Tragg rolled his eyes. “Bah!” He walked around to the driver’s side of the car.
Andy watched him, not about to argue any further. At this point, he was not sure he would even make it to bed. He had the feeling that the instant they drove off, he would drop off.
Tragg would not be in the least surprised if he did. And he was also not surprised when Andy picked up a thread of conversation with Hamilton even while swinging his legs into the car.
“Oh, Mr. Burger, you mentioned that Sampson was having trouble with a case. What was it again?”
“The Thompkins case,” Hamilton said in surprise.
Andy nodded slowly, leaning into the plush seat. “It’s strange, isn’t it,” he said as Jimmy, Mrs. Norden, and Lucy climbed into the back of the car.
Lucy paused and blinked at him. “What’s strange?”
“That name Thompkins,” Andy said. “It’s so much like Thompson.” Half-asleep, he pulled the seatbelt down and snapped it into place.
Hamilton was wide awake. He gawked at Andy, his mouth hanging open.
Tragg was looking too. “You know, Mr. Burger, we were all saying how atrocious the handwriting was,” he said. “It’s a long-shot, but is there any chance we could have made a mistake and read Thompkins for Thompson? As in Ned Thompson, Amory Fallon’s business partner?”
Hamilton shook his head and shrugged. “I guess it’s possible,” he admitted. “We never even thought of it, since we finally deciphered it as Thompkins. Sampson has the file and the papers; I’ll ask to see them today.”
“You do that,” Tragg said. “We’ll see you later.”
Andy nodded. “Goodbye for now. I’m sorry I can’t be more accommodating.”
“You’re fine, Andy,” Perry said. “All you need is some good rest. After what you’ve been through tonight, of course it would be overwhelming to run into so many more people to talk to.”
Andy managed a smile. “Thank you for understanding, Perry.”
“We all do,” Della smiled back.
They stepped back as the car drove away. “Well,” Paul mused, “that’s going to give them something interesting to work on.”
Hamilton looked to Perry. “What do you think, Perry?” he wondered. “Could this unsolved Thompkins case really be mixed up in this mess with Andy and Mr. Fallon?”
“With the group out to get ‘Thompkins’ as the ones who abducted Andy?” Perry supplied. “Well, without reviewing the case, Hamilton, I don’t know what to think. But I’m certainly willing to consider the possibility. It sounds worth looking into.”
“I’ll have to get our handwriting experts to take another crack at those notes,” Hamilton said. “See if they think they actually might say ‘Thompson’ instead.”
Paul sighed. “And if they do, then we’ll probably all get involved,” he deduced. “And it’ll be a very busy day.
“Goodnight, folks. I’m going to try to get some sleep.”
“Before Perry wakes you up in two hours to investigate,” Hamilton remarked.
“Oh, I was thinking of giving him two and a half,” Perry deadpanned.
Paul rolled his eyes Heavenward. “Woe is me.”
****
Steve stood at the gate, glaring at the vacated compound in utter annoyance.
He could still hardly believe that everyone had escaped in such a short amount of time. They could not be far away, and yet there was no trace of anyone in any direction, save for the tire tracks leading up the mountain and to the lodge.
“Well, what do you make of this, Sergeant?” he frowned.
Sergeant Nichols shook his head. “I don’t know what to make of it, Lieutenant. It’s almost like they vanished into thin air.”
“Or underground. But we can’t find any trapdoors, either.” Aggravated, Steve turned away. “There’s not so much as one dog hair!”
“. . . And there’s no hope that the snipers will reveal their comrades’ secrets?” Nichols said without hope.
“Very little,” Steve replied. “They’re still close-lipped about everything, judging from what I was told on the radio just now.”
“But Lieutenant Anderson is safe?” Nichols asked. He had already been informed, but he wanted to make sure the news was correct.
“Lieutenant Anderson is fine,” Steve nodded. “He was dizzy from the chloroform and he was limping, but it’s nothing serious. They had him looked over at the hospital. Lieutenant Tragg just called to let me know.
“And he said Amory Fallon figured out the code in that bizarre note Andy was given. The only problem now is finding the chess knight statue Fallon mentioned. And there’s an expensive chessboard, too. Tragg figured we should also look for that.”
“So there might be a secret drawer in a chessboard?” Nichols said, incredulous.
“It doesn’t sound that much more insane than a secret compartment in a statue,” Steve returned. “It’s all we’ve got to go on.”
He turned away, heading for the car. “There’s nothing more we can do here,” he said. “Let’s let the lab take over. We’ll follow up that lead we started about J.K. Stratton and then check on Andy.”
“In that order?” Nichols chased after his superior. “It isn’t even light yet!”
Steve checked his watch. “It won’t be long now,” he said. “By the time we get back to the city, it’ll be light.”
Nichols sighed. “Unfortunately, you’re right. Why did I decide to go into the detective division? It sure wasn’t for the hours.”
“Maybe you liked the paperwork and the dead-end leads,” Steve said wryly.
“Haha.” Nichols rolled his eyes. “Maybe I did. Or maybe I was like a lot of other young police officers who thought the detective division would be filled with nothing but excitement and car chases and gunfights.”
“Which aren’t even that fun when you’re right in the middle of them,” Steve remarked.
They got into the car, with Nichols in the driver’s seat. As he drove away from the bunker, he glanced with curiosity to his companion. “What about you, Lieutenant?”
“Huh?”
“Why did you join the detective division?” Nichols was curious. He and Steve had rarely worked together, but he had heard good things about the young, efficient Lieutenant from Tragg, Andy, and Brice. From all that Nichols had seen, Steve deserved their good words and their faith in him.
Steve leaned back as he pondered his answer. “It probably sounds cliché,” he replied at last. “But the simple truth is that I wanted to do my part to keep the streets safe. It’s been a well-known fact for years that Los Angeles doesn’t have anywhere near enough police officers for the number of civilians. I thought I could do whatever possible to make a difference. Working in Homicide seemed a good choice; many of the most vile criminals are there.”
Nichols nodded slowly. “You’ve done good work, from all I’ve heard.”
“Oh? Whom have you heard it from?”
“Lieutenant Tragg’s talked about you.”
“Lieutenant Tragg doesn’t give out compliments easily.”
“It was just one time, when I was first going to be on a case with you. But I could tell from what he said that he was very impressed with your record. And with you.”
“I see,” Steve mused. “Thank you for telling me, Sergeant.”
“Of course, Sir.”
It was indeed growing light as they arrived back in downtown Los Angeles. Steve took out his phone and located the address of the Stratton Works building.
“I’ve heard that Stratton gets to work outrageously early each day,” Steve said. “Let’s drive over there and see if it’s true. If he isn’t at work yet, we’ll go back to his house in Beverly Hills.”
Nichols agreed without protest. It was certainly an odd angle to the case. “No one answered the door when we tried last night,” he said.
“It’s possible he wasn’t home,” Steve said. “Or maybe he didn’t want to talk to the police.”
The building looked completely silent when Nichols pulled over to the curb several moments later. But he and Steve both seemed to have an odd foreboding about the locale as they got out of the car. They exchanged troubled looks.
It was only after drawing closer to the front doors that they caught sight of the fresh red puddles on the concrete. Steve broke into a run, hurrying ahead of Nichols. As he weaved around a square pillar, he nearly stumbled over a limp body. He dropped to his knees, checking for a pulse.
Nichols soon caught up. “Dead?” he asked in concern.
Steve shook his head. “There’s a weak pulse. Call an ambulance!”
Nichols fumbled and drew out his phone. “It isn’t Stratton, is it?”
“No.” Steve was bewildered. “I don’t know who it is. But he’s wearing a red baseball cap with pins-just as Lieutenant Anderson’s missing informant was supposed to.”
Nichols nearly dropped the phone while dialing. “Why would he be here?!” he cried.
Steve leaned over the body, hoping to quell the bleeding. “I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I don’t know at all.”
Fandom: Perry Mason
Rating: T/PG-13
Word Count: 3,455
Main Characters: Perry Mason, Hamilton Burger, Lieutenant Tragg, Lieutenant Anderson, Lieutenant Drumm, Amory Fallon, Edith Fallon
Supporting Characters: Della Street, Paul Drake, Erna Norden
Summary: The characters reunite and more ideas are discussed. Meanwhile, Steve and Sergeant Nichols discover a new twist.
Fanfiction.net Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8342827/8/
Notes: Sorry about the delay, everyone. I got sidetracked writing about Wesley Lau’s character from The Alamo, Emil Sande, over at 31_days. The story kept flowing, so I kept writing. This chapter has been in progress for a couple of weeks. Also, I’m bringing back Sergeant Nichols again. I created him when I wasn’t sure if I had Brice down well enough, and I decided that there was a place for him here, since Brice isn’t with Steve and Steve needed someone to talk to.
Chapter Eight
Hamilton had requested to be contacted as soon as there was any news about Andy, even if it meant he would be awakened in the middle of the night. That being the case, when the phone rang after four A.M., he started out of a shallow sleep and grabbed the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Burger?”
Hamilton perked up at Tragg’s voice. He sounded like he was in a good mood. And there was surely only one thing that could cheer him now.
“What is it, Tragg?” he demanded. “Has Andy been found?”
“Yes!” Tragg’s smile could be felt over the phone. “And he’s alright. He just needs to take it easy for a few days because of his leg having been hurt. But it’s nothing serious.”
“That’s a relief.” Hamilton sat up in bed, all thoughts of sleep evaporated. “Where was he?!”
“Well, that’s an odd thing. He was with your friend Jefferson Pike.”
“What?!”
“Eh, it’s a long story,” Tragg said. “The police got the news not long ago from Andy himself, and it was passed on to me after an . . . incident. I went there to make sure Andy was alright. I didn’t want to wake up you or the others until I was sure the news was on the level and that Andy was alive. I’m sorry if I did wrong, Mr. Burger. The helicopter was leaving right then.”
“Oh no, that’s alright,” Hamilton said. “I was asleep anyway, so I didn’t know the difference. But I’m glad you called now. I’ll let Perry know.”
“I thought you might,” Tragg said.
“What’s this about an ‘incident’, though?” Hamilton frowned.
“Just that a couple of hooligans broke into my house right before I got the news,” Tragg growled. “They wanted Andy and knew that there had been a mix-up with him and Fallon. They’re behind bars now. Maybe once they know Andy is safe and sound we can get them to talk.”
“Good luck with that,” Hamilton said.
“Thanks,” Tragg said wryly. “We’ll need it.
“Well, I’ll let you go. We’re still at the hospital, but we’ll hopefully be leaving soon.”
“Alright. Thank you, Tragg. I don’t want to hold you up, but maybe I’ll come down for just a minute to see you and Andy.”
“You’d better call Perry first, though,” Tragg said. “And then I suppose he’ll call Della and Paul. They’ll all be wanting to know.”
“I know. I’ll see you later, Tragg. And I’ll want a full account of everything that’s happened.”
“You’ll get it,” Tragg assured him.
Hamilton hung up, only pausing for a moment to let the wonderful news sink in. Andy was alive and well and back with them. Yes, Perry and Della and Paul would want to know immediately.
He dialed Perry’s number, his hands trembling, his heart gathering speed. This felt like a dream again, but this time, one that was too good to be true. So many times these sorts of cases did not have a happy ending. Andy was very lucky, or blessed, or something, that he had made it through. And he surely knew it better than anyone.
Perry was every bit as relieved and thankful to hear the news. As Hamilton had thought, he endeavored to let Della and Paul know. The outlandish time of night did not make a difference; they, too, would want to be awakened and told.
“Oh, I’m so glad,” Della exclaimed, practically in happy tears when Perry called her.
“He must have lives like a cat,” was Paul’s comment.
“I’m going down to the hospital to see him,” Perry said to first one, then the other. “Want to come?”
Della and Paul each confirmed it, although Della wondered if so many descending on Andy would be overwhelming right now.
“We shouldn’t keep him long,” she said. “He must be ready to drop.”
“I agree,” Perry said. “We’ll just see him for a moment.”
After making plans to all meet at the hospital, they went their separate ways.
****
“Amory?”
Amory looked up with a start as Edith spoke. She was studying him, her eyes worried.
“Yes?” he asked. “What is it, Edith?”
“Are you alright?” Edith’s gaze traveled to the letter still in her husband’s hands. “You haven’t said a word since the police left.”
Amory exhaled, sharply. “Oh, I don’t know.” He slapped the letter on his lap. “This is just so much to take in.” He regarded his wife in despair. “I’ve felt so bitter towards Ned ever since I realized he’d betrayed me. And now I’m faced with this!” He waved the letter at her. “If I’m to believe it, he was sorry for what he did to me, to us, to the company. But I don’t know that I can forgive him.”
Edith gently laid her hand over his. “I don’t know what to say,” she said. “We both know that it would be better if you could, Amory. But when someone hurt you as deeply as he did, of course it would be hard. And all the ways of trying to convince you to find a way to do it sound so hollow and trite and unfeeling.”
Amory nodded. “I don’t want to feel this way,” he said. “I want to find it in me to forgive him. I know I should in any case, but especially with this. I just don’t know if I can.”
“Well . . .” Edith squeezed his hand. “Wanting to is an important step. Maybe it will just take some time.”
“Maybe,” Amory consented.
Edith sat down. “Do you think the police will find that knight statue?”
Amory sighed. “Who knows. If they can track it down by who bought it at the police auction, and if there is a secret compartment, and if the new owners haven’t found and opened it . . .” He shrugged. “Then maybe there’s a chance.”
“You make it sound so complicated,” Edith said.
“I know, that’s a lot of ifs,” Amory said. “And there’s others. I guess I’m just a cynic.”
“You’re a practical businessman,” Edith said firmly.
“I suppose,” said Amory.
“You are. And a good one.”
“I’m glad you think so. I don’t always feel like it, particularly when I’m the one who made Ned a partner.”
“You couldn’t have known what would happen.” Edith hesitated. “And back then, I think Ned wasn’t mixed up in anything crooked. That probably only came later, after he got himself in so much debt.”
“Maybe.”
After a moment of silence Edith said, “I wonder what Ned got involved in that scared him so badly.”
“It could have even been some kind of organized crime.” Amory stared down at the letter. “He doesn’t really give any indication of it in here. It must all be in that information he hid away in the statue.”
Edith nodded. “I guess he didn’t want to say in the letter.
“It’s so strange about that policeman, isn’t it?”
“My non-existent twin?” Amory shook his head. “It’s . . . I don’t know what to think about it. It’s so surreal. It’s unreal. This sort of thing just doesn’t happen in real-life. And somehow it’s odd that he’s a good person, too. In most fiction accounts, the double is a villain. Unless you’re reading The Prince and the Pauper.”
“Well . . . I guess there’s you and Lieutenant Anderson being mistaken for each other and kind of getting switched, but it’s not much of a Prince and the Pauper parallel.” Edith shuddered. “I can’t stand to think of you ending up in a horrible place like where Lieutenant Anderson was being held.”
“I don’t think I could’ve made it out of there the way he did,” Amory said. “Even if I’d tried, one look at those dogs probably would have made me surrender.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Edith smiled fondly. “Don’t sell yourself short, Amory. You’re resourceful.”
“But not the type to gamble with my life. Lieutenant Anderson’s been trained to do that everyday. His mind works in channels I’d never dream of.”
“I guess so,” Edith consented. “Well . . . Amory, you’d better try to get some more sleep before the doctor comes back. He won’t be too happy that you had police visitors again.”
Amory sighed, sinking back into the pillows. “I doubt I can sleep any more now. Not after this letter.”
Edith took it from him and placed it in her purse. “There’ll be plenty of time to think about it later. Please, Amory. Try?”
Amory nodded. “I’ll try,” he consented. “I just don’t expect too much.” He closed his eyes and attempted to relax.
Edith leaned back in the chair. She wasn’t so sure she would be able to sleep, either. There was so much to take in, and the amount seemed to increase by the hour. Nevertheless, before she quite knew what was happening, she was in a doze.
At her side, Amory remained awake for some time, thinking, turning the words of the letter over and over in his mind until they blended with other echoes of the past. Ned’s betrayal. Amory’s arrest. Testimonies in court. Frank’s confession. By the time he finally worked himself into an exhausted sleep, it was nearly dawn.
****
It was as soon as Tragg and Andy left Amory’s room that they were met by Hamilton, Perry, and the rest-relieved and amazed and overjoyed to find Andy alive and well. Lucy and Mrs. Norden, having already reunited with Andy, had been visiting with Jimmy, as well as Perry and company, while waiting in the hall for Amory’s room to be vacated.
“Andy,” Perry smiled, clapping a hand on Andy’s back. “Welcome home.”
“It’s about time,” Paul said.
“Thank God you’re safe,” Hamilton declared.
“Are you alright?” Della asked, worried as she took in Andy’s ragged appearance.
Andy looked to each of them and the others in turn, exhausted and ready to collapse but touched by their coming. “I’m fine,” he said, managing a smile. “Thank you. Thank you all.”
They went back to the waiting room, but upon finding it too crowded to talk, left the building altogether and stood outside by their cars. Andy stumbled, more from reaching the end of his endurance rather than from his leg.
Hamilton was the closest to him. He reached out, steadying his colleague and friend. “Andy, you need to rest,” he exclaimed.
“I know,” Andy mumbled.
“Oh, you’re probably still not feeling well from the chloroform, either,” Lucy fretted.
“I’m alright,” Andy emphasized. He opened the door of Tragg’s car and sank into the passenger seat. “We need to figure out how to solve this case.” He leaned forward, massaging his eyes.
“Nothing more is going to be accomplished with you almost asleep on your feet,” Tragg told him sternly. “I’m going to drive you home, Andy. No arguments now.”
Mrs. Norden nodded in agreement. “Please, Andy,” she begged. “The case will still be here in a few hours. You won’t even be able to think how to fix it without sleep.”
“I’ve worked without sleep before, Mama,” Andy said.
“And it’s bad for you and the case,” Tragg grunted.
Andy managed a weak smile. “I only learned from the best.”
Tragg rolled his eyes. “Bah!” He walked around to the driver’s side of the car.
Andy watched him, not about to argue any further. At this point, he was not sure he would even make it to bed. He had the feeling that the instant they drove off, he would drop off.
Tragg would not be in the least surprised if he did. And he was also not surprised when Andy picked up a thread of conversation with Hamilton even while swinging his legs into the car.
“Oh, Mr. Burger, you mentioned that Sampson was having trouble with a case. What was it again?”
“The Thompkins case,” Hamilton said in surprise.
Andy nodded slowly, leaning into the plush seat. “It’s strange, isn’t it,” he said as Jimmy, Mrs. Norden, and Lucy climbed into the back of the car.
Lucy paused and blinked at him. “What’s strange?”
“That name Thompkins,” Andy said. “It’s so much like Thompson.” Half-asleep, he pulled the seatbelt down and snapped it into place.
Hamilton was wide awake. He gawked at Andy, his mouth hanging open.
Tragg was looking too. “You know, Mr. Burger, we were all saying how atrocious the handwriting was,” he said. “It’s a long-shot, but is there any chance we could have made a mistake and read Thompkins for Thompson? As in Ned Thompson, Amory Fallon’s business partner?”
Hamilton shook his head and shrugged. “I guess it’s possible,” he admitted. “We never even thought of it, since we finally deciphered it as Thompkins. Sampson has the file and the papers; I’ll ask to see them today.”
“You do that,” Tragg said. “We’ll see you later.”
Andy nodded. “Goodbye for now. I’m sorry I can’t be more accommodating.”
“You’re fine, Andy,” Perry said. “All you need is some good rest. After what you’ve been through tonight, of course it would be overwhelming to run into so many more people to talk to.”
Andy managed a smile. “Thank you for understanding, Perry.”
“We all do,” Della smiled back.
They stepped back as the car drove away. “Well,” Paul mused, “that’s going to give them something interesting to work on.”
Hamilton looked to Perry. “What do you think, Perry?” he wondered. “Could this unsolved Thompkins case really be mixed up in this mess with Andy and Mr. Fallon?”
“With the group out to get ‘Thompkins’ as the ones who abducted Andy?” Perry supplied. “Well, without reviewing the case, Hamilton, I don’t know what to think. But I’m certainly willing to consider the possibility. It sounds worth looking into.”
“I’ll have to get our handwriting experts to take another crack at those notes,” Hamilton said. “See if they think they actually might say ‘Thompson’ instead.”
Paul sighed. “And if they do, then we’ll probably all get involved,” he deduced. “And it’ll be a very busy day.
“Goodnight, folks. I’m going to try to get some sleep.”
“Before Perry wakes you up in two hours to investigate,” Hamilton remarked.
“Oh, I was thinking of giving him two and a half,” Perry deadpanned.
Paul rolled his eyes Heavenward. “Woe is me.”
****
Steve stood at the gate, glaring at the vacated compound in utter annoyance.
He could still hardly believe that everyone had escaped in such a short amount of time. They could not be far away, and yet there was no trace of anyone in any direction, save for the tire tracks leading up the mountain and to the lodge.
“Well, what do you make of this, Sergeant?” he frowned.
Sergeant Nichols shook his head. “I don’t know what to make of it, Lieutenant. It’s almost like they vanished into thin air.”
“Or underground. But we can’t find any trapdoors, either.” Aggravated, Steve turned away. “There’s not so much as one dog hair!”
“. . . And there’s no hope that the snipers will reveal their comrades’ secrets?” Nichols said without hope.
“Very little,” Steve replied. “They’re still close-lipped about everything, judging from what I was told on the radio just now.”
“But Lieutenant Anderson is safe?” Nichols asked. He had already been informed, but he wanted to make sure the news was correct.
“Lieutenant Anderson is fine,” Steve nodded. “He was dizzy from the chloroform and he was limping, but it’s nothing serious. They had him looked over at the hospital. Lieutenant Tragg just called to let me know.
“And he said Amory Fallon figured out the code in that bizarre note Andy was given. The only problem now is finding the chess knight statue Fallon mentioned. And there’s an expensive chessboard, too. Tragg figured we should also look for that.”
“So there might be a secret drawer in a chessboard?” Nichols said, incredulous.
“It doesn’t sound that much more insane than a secret compartment in a statue,” Steve returned. “It’s all we’ve got to go on.”
He turned away, heading for the car. “There’s nothing more we can do here,” he said. “Let’s let the lab take over. We’ll follow up that lead we started about J.K. Stratton and then check on Andy.”
“In that order?” Nichols chased after his superior. “It isn’t even light yet!”
Steve checked his watch. “It won’t be long now,” he said. “By the time we get back to the city, it’ll be light.”
Nichols sighed. “Unfortunately, you’re right. Why did I decide to go into the detective division? It sure wasn’t for the hours.”
“Maybe you liked the paperwork and the dead-end leads,” Steve said wryly.
“Haha.” Nichols rolled his eyes. “Maybe I did. Or maybe I was like a lot of other young police officers who thought the detective division would be filled with nothing but excitement and car chases and gunfights.”
“Which aren’t even that fun when you’re right in the middle of them,” Steve remarked.
They got into the car, with Nichols in the driver’s seat. As he drove away from the bunker, he glanced with curiosity to his companion. “What about you, Lieutenant?”
“Huh?”
“Why did you join the detective division?” Nichols was curious. He and Steve had rarely worked together, but he had heard good things about the young, efficient Lieutenant from Tragg, Andy, and Brice. From all that Nichols had seen, Steve deserved their good words and their faith in him.
Steve leaned back as he pondered his answer. “It probably sounds cliché,” he replied at last. “But the simple truth is that I wanted to do my part to keep the streets safe. It’s been a well-known fact for years that Los Angeles doesn’t have anywhere near enough police officers for the number of civilians. I thought I could do whatever possible to make a difference. Working in Homicide seemed a good choice; many of the most vile criminals are there.”
Nichols nodded slowly. “You’ve done good work, from all I’ve heard.”
“Oh? Whom have you heard it from?”
“Lieutenant Tragg’s talked about you.”
“Lieutenant Tragg doesn’t give out compliments easily.”
“It was just one time, when I was first going to be on a case with you. But I could tell from what he said that he was very impressed with your record. And with you.”
“I see,” Steve mused. “Thank you for telling me, Sergeant.”
“Of course, Sir.”
It was indeed growing light as they arrived back in downtown Los Angeles. Steve took out his phone and located the address of the Stratton Works building.
“I’ve heard that Stratton gets to work outrageously early each day,” Steve said. “Let’s drive over there and see if it’s true. If he isn’t at work yet, we’ll go back to his house in Beverly Hills.”
Nichols agreed without protest. It was certainly an odd angle to the case. “No one answered the door when we tried last night,” he said.
“It’s possible he wasn’t home,” Steve said. “Or maybe he didn’t want to talk to the police.”
The building looked completely silent when Nichols pulled over to the curb several moments later. But he and Steve both seemed to have an odd foreboding about the locale as they got out of the car. They exchanged troubled looks.
It was only after drawing closer to the front doors that they caught sight of the fresh red puddles on the concrete. Steve broke into a run, hurrying ahead of Nichols. As he weaved around a square pillar, he nearly stumbled over a limp body. He dropped to his knees, checking for a pulse.
Nichols soon caught up. “Dead?” he asked in concern.
Steve shook his head. “There’s a weak pulse. Call an ambulance!”
Nichols fumbled and drew out his phone. “It isn’t Stratton, is it?”
“No.” Steve was bewildered. “I don’t know who it is. But he’s wearing a red baseball cap with pins-just as Lieutenant Anderson’s missing informant was supposed to.”
Nichols nearly dropped the phone while dialing. “Why would he be here?!” he cried.
Steve leaned over the body, hoping to quell the bleeding. “I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I don’t know at all.”