Hangman's Oak

Chapter Four

Walking to my car, I turned on my smartphone to check for messages. PJs had texted for progress; Mary Farr's message said a prospective client wanted to see me. I texted Mary to make an appointment for the following week, if that were okay, or refer the client to another agency as I was too busy this week. I scrolled through my contacts to call PJs when my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but it had the police prefix.

"Hello?"

"What the hell are you doing at Cutter's house?"

"Hi, Marty. Nice to speak to you, too."

"Answer the question."

"Are you watching me? How sweet. Should I wave?"

"I said, answer the fucking question!"

"Don't get apoplexy. I'm just paying respects and doing my job."

"Listen, bitch. Stay out of my investigation. I don't need a dyke bimbo screwing it. Frank's not here to pull your tits out of the wringer any more. Stay away or you'll regret it."

"Is that an official police threat, or just you blowin' smoke out your ass?"

"You've been warned."

Martin Standish has always been a pain in the butt. He's competent only when he doesn't trip over his biases. I thought the years as Frank Taylor's partner had taught him something. With Frank retired and back in Chicago, Marty has no one to keep him in check. It was in my best interest to stay off his radar, yet still do my job. I called PJs.

"Hello, Rachel. Have you discovered anything?"

"I know you want answers, but all I have are questions. I can implicate George Cutter as one of your uncle's killers. To the police that just makes your family's motives stronger. No help there. This could take awhile. The police will keep harassing you, I'm sure. My best advice? Say nothing without your lawyer."

"Ms. Andrews agrees. She's already informed the detectives in charge, as well as their boss."

"Carmen's like that. I'll get something to you soon. Bye."

I called Andy. "It's Rachel. I've got some people I need to identify in a photo I know you'd like to see. You free?"

"If you buy lunch, we can meet in an hour."

"How about Phil's?"

"Tavern or Tearoom?"

"Your choice."

"Tavern. See you there."

On the way to Phil's, I circled around to my office to make copies of Cutter's photo without the lynching victim. I put the marked-up glassine sheet in a folder in my desk. Andy and I arrived at Phil's at the same time; found a table with good lighting; ordered drafts, medium rare burgers with everything and fries. After the waiter brought our beers, I showed Andy the original photo.

"Where'd you get this?"

"Can't say, but I bet it's the same one your contact told you about. I've another you can have that only shows the six men. I know this is George Cutter on the end. The man next to him could be Fred Russell. I need to ID the other four. I hope they're as well known as Cutter and Russell."

The waiter brought our food, and Andy moved the photo under the table. When he left, he brought it back out and studied it.

"It's hard to tell. These guys look really young. As you said, this happened nearly 70 years ago. If any of them are alive, they're in their late eighties or nineties. The two standing beside the body could be Harold Brock and Gene Upman. I've interviewed them over the years. Upman died last year. I think Brock is in hospice. The others I don't recognize. I'll have to check our photo archives to be sure. If they share the same pedigree, we should have photos of them."

"Certainly hope so. When your source told you about the photo, did he say if it were framed or not?"

"Framed? Are you serious?"

"It's possible. A picture frame is missing that could hold a copy of this."

"Hanging corpse with framed photo attached. My editor would orgasm for that shot."

"Can't see the police sharing their photos with you. Have you heard anything new?"

"Off the record, the autopsy showed that Cutter may have died before he was hanged. Results are inconclusive. He'd ingested enough painkillers to kill two horses. Also, he had stage four cancer."

"Cancer?"

"Inoperable. I have a question."

"What's that?"

"Who took this photo? Was there a seventh guy?"

"George Cutter took it. You can see the cable release in his right hand."

"If Cutter took the photo, how did his killer get it?"

"That, my friend, is the $64,000 question. Someone printed this recently as well as the written-on one attached to his body the police have. I've no idea why or how they found it in the first place. I can't see Cutter or any of the others printing it. At the very least it shames them, and it implicates them in the hanging. Murder has no statute of limitations. Unfortunately, that still leaves PJs' family as prime suspect. Although how one of them could have gotten the picture is a mystery too. No one in PJs' family has access to Cutter's home, much less his darkroom."

"Cutter's darkroom?"

"Shit. Didn't mean to let that out. Yes, this was printed in Cutter's darkroom, and I bet the one on his body was printed there too. Please keep it under your hat for now. I promised the person who gave it to me that I'd keep it under wraps."