Black Sky (A Mystery-Thriller) Read online

  “Why?”

  “She did some tests and don’t think he passed. Is that what you done?”

  “You don’t need any tests, Sheriff. Just look at the man.”

  “Look at him?”

  “Everything you wanna know bout a man is in his eyes. You just gotta look long enough. And I ain’t talkin’ no glance. You stare right into them eyes and you lock on to him. Your souls’ll just come together and you’ll see what’s inside him.”

  “And you had this magical experience with our friend in the jail?”

  “Yes I did. When they caught him I went and stood right there in front of him and we stared in each other’s eyes. It isn’t him. So, I figure whoever really killed these girls is gonna get a big laugh outta killin’ another one after this boy hangs for his crimes. And I’ll be the only one in town to hire.”

  “Well, I think you’re wrong. I think he did it and that’ll be the end a it.”

  “Go talk to him.”

  I finished my beer. “Talk ta him?”

  “Yeah, sit down in front a him and talk to him. Look in his eyes. Then come back here and tell me he did it.”

  I sighed and then paid my tab and said, “Goodnight,” ta Doolin fore leavin’ the bar and steppin’ out inta the moonlight. I looked and saw my house down a ways and then looked the other way and saw the Sheriff’s Office. I took off my hat and ran my hand through my hair and then took my time puttin’ the hat back on. Then I walked down ta the office.

  When I came in, Dean was asleep. He stirred and woke with a start when he heard the keys jingle and I lit a lantern and came and sat by him. He didn’t get up.

  “How’d you do it?” I said.

  “Do what, Sheriff?”

  “Outsmart them tests the Doc gave you. She seems like a keen lady. I don’t reckon she would use those tests less she believed in em.”

  “I didn’t do nothin’ Sheriff.”

  “Just like you didn’t try and rape Suzie?”

  “Sheriff, I ain’t never hurt nothin’ in my life. I was born a slave in Georgia and my mama ran off when I was young with me. My father was left behind and they killed him for what me and my mama did. See my mama learned to read and she taught me. That was why we had to run. They was gonna kill her for it. Whip her to death. So I ain’t never take a life. Cause I ain’t never wanna be like that, Sheriff. I gonna be better than that. That’s what my mama always said. We gotta be better than the people that try and hurt us.”

  I swallowed and took my hat off and held it in my hand. “Did you kill em girls?”

  “No, sir.”

  “You a Christian man, Dean?”

  “Yessir.”

  “You swear on the Good Book you tellin’ the truth?”

  “That’s just blasphemous, sir. I would never do that.”

  I bit the inside a my cheek, lookin’ at him. “You married?”

  “Yessir.”

  “Where’s your wife?”

  “She back home in Boston with my mama. That’s why I came out here. Seek my fortune in California and then send for her.”

  “Son, ain’t nothin’ in California but madness and the bottle. And you can get that anywheres.”

  He was quiet a long time. “Sheriff, they gonna hang me for this, ain’t they?”

  I put my hat back on and stood up. “Not if I have any say in it.”

  CHAPTER 23

  In the mornin’ I found Betty and Dr. Haywood sittin’ at the table. Breakfast was all laid out and I sat and held Betty’s hand and we said a blessin’. Don’t know if the doctor was a religious person or not, many folks back East weren’t, but she closed her eyes and bowed her head.

  As I was puttin’ peach jam on some bread Dr. Haywood looked at me and grinned. She somehow knew I’d changed my mind.

  “Suppose you know,” I said.

  “I can read it on your face. You don’t hide your emotions very well. But that is a good thing. It means that you are in touch with them.”

  “I talked ta him last night and damn it if I don’t believe him. But this type a person you keep talkin’ bout, the morally insane, this person is probably a good liar, right?”

  “Yes, they constantly lie. Even when they don’t need to.”

  “So he could just be lyin’ ta me.”

  “It’s possible, but I don’t believe so. These men can’t recognize emotions of fear. They can’t fake that.”

  I took a bite a the bread and washed it down with some fresh milk. “Well we better go talk ta the mayor.”

  “I met him. He’s a charming man.”

  “You and I have different meanin’s for that term then,” I said, standing up and takin’ a bit a bacon off a plate. I kissed Betty and headed out the door, Dr. Haywood followin’ me.

  We got outside and I put on my hat and Dr. Haywood took out an umbrella she kept next ta the door. She opened it up and lightly placed it on her shoulder and we began walkin’ through the street. The first thing I noticed was the horse shit. It was everywhere. Even in a week’s time it was pilin’ up and the streets that were normally clear flat dirt were now turnin’ ta mud.

  We went up and passed the mayor’s office and went straight ta Ruth’s house. I knocked on the door and waited and Ruth answered in a loose nightgown showin’ off her breasts. I looked down so as not ta be indecent.

  “Mayor here, Ruth?”

  “Sure. Hang on.”

  We waited a beat and then the mayor came out.

  “Sheriff, Dr. Haywood,” he said with a grin, more for her than me, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “I need ta talk ta you, Tom. That boy we got locked up. I don’t think he killed Missy or Rebecca.”

  “He confessed.”

  “I know, but you saw how em boys worked him over. He woulda confessed ta anythin’.”

  Tom took a deep breath, like he was frustrated after speakin’ with a child. “Jesse, we got the Fourth a July parade coming up. Folks from all over are coming down to our little town, they’re going to buy out everything at the mercantile, Gunner is going to make more money than he does all year, the livery, the whorehouse, the general store, everyone relies on this parade and the day before. Everyone needs it. I will not have the specter of some maniac running around cutting up girls hovering over this occasion. The boy confessed, he was found raping a woman, that’s all there is to it.”

  Dr. Haywood said, “Mayor, this type of man that is killing these girls, he is quite interesting actually, much like an animal. He has a singular purpose to his existence. To kill. Nothing else matters. There is nothing else he looks forward to and nothing that brings him pleasure except that. He must kill. From what the sheriff has told me, your Fourth of July parade is quite chaotic, especially at night. I wouldn’t be surprised if he killed one or even two or three victims in those couple of days. It’s simply about opportunity with him.”

  “Perhaps at Harvard such things garner you accolades, Doctor, but out here we care about practicalities. You will soon leave and write your article or book about your wild experience out in New Mexico but the people of this town will still be here, wondering how they’re going to make ends meet since they didn’t have the Fourth of July.”

  “Tom, we can’t let folks come in from outta town. They don’t know what they gettin’ inta.”

  “They’re getting into gambling, women and booze, Sheriff. And I expect you to keep the order around here. Take whatever precautions you deem necessary, that’s why I hired you, but I won’t turn this place into a ghost town because of you and the Doctor’s gut hunches.” He looked ta us both, a look that said the conversation was over. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”

  He went back inside and we stood there lookin’ at each other.

  “Now what?” she said.

  “I want ta talk ta Suzie Musgrove.”

  We went over ta the Musgrove’s home and I stood outside the door listenin’ in. Suzie was home and I could hear her talkin’ ta somebody. I knocked and the talki
n’ went quiet. I knocked again and it was still quiet inside.

  “Suzie, it’s the sheriff, I heard ya in there so open up. Open up now, come on.”

  A long period a quiet fore I heard feet shufflin’ on the wood floors. And then the door opened and she was standin’ there lookin’ pale.

  “What can I do for you, Sheriff?”

  “What can you do for me? You know what you can do for me.”

  “I surely don’t.”

  “You never came and talked ta me bout Missy.”

  “Oh, right. I forgot.”

  “You just forgot, huh? One a your friends is killed and you just forgot?”

  “Why are you upset? I didn’t do nothin’.”

  I took off my hat. “I know. I’m sorry, this is just frustratin’.” I looked ta the Doc and then ta my hat. A bit a tumbleweed or straw or somethin’ was on it and I flicked it off. “This boy you said tried ta violate you, what happened?”

  “I told them men what happened already.”

  “Bounty hunters ain’t the law, Suzie. I am. Tell me what happened.”

  “I was just out back feedin’ the chickens and I heard something nearby and I looked over and saw that man. He was acting like he was looking for something. He asked me if I’d seen his dog, or something such, and I said no. And he came up to me and said that it was a little black dog and I said I ain’t seen it and then I was going to go inside cause he gave me an awful feeling. And so I turn away from him and I feel him jump on me. He pinned me down to the ground right over yonder and I screamed and I kept screaming. And he covered my mouth with his hand but them two men had already heard and they came over and roughed him up some. And that’s what happened, Sheriff. Hand to heaven.”

  I looked into her eyes…and couldn’t tell nothin’. Damn Doctor and Doolin got me all sideways.

  “Suzie, this boy, they gonna hang him. You certain you tellin’ the truth?”

  “Why would I lie about something like that, Sheriff. That don’t make no sense.”

  I put my hat back on. “No, it don’t. If I need ta talk ta ya again don’t duck from me young lady.”

  “I won’t.”

  As I was turning ta leave Dr. Haywood said, “How long have you been a prostitute?”

  “How dare you—”

  “Doctor,” I said, “that’s nuff. Let’s go.”

  I took her by the arm and led her off the steps and we were on the street again.

  “Was that necessary?” I said.

  “Yes. If it wasn’t true she would have been more shocked and less angry.”

  “Doc I don’t know what’s right or wrong right now. My head’s just a big mess and I ain’t sure exactly how ta clear it up. But I don’t wanna go accusin’ folks a things that they may not have done just yet.”

  “And what about Dean? Do you want to execute ‘folks’ for crimes they haven’t committed?”

  “We’re not sure one way or the other. This is a small community. You start accusin’ people and other people will talk. Could ruin someone’s reputation for no reason at all.”

  “I’d like to speak with Dean again.”

  “Go ahead, Andy should be in.”

  “I’d like to speak with his attorney as well.”

  “Hasn’t been given one yet.”

  “Well can we rush that?”

  “There’s only two attorneys in town. One of em will prosecute him and the other will defend. That’s the way it’s done. Be honest, it don’t matter which is which cause they both terrible.”

  She looked like she wanted ta say somethin’ but instead just turned and walked off toward the office.

  CHAPTER 24

  The next day was Dean’s arraignment before Judge Gerald Stoney.

  Stoney was an ex-solider, like myself, and hard as a rock. He didn’t take no guff from anyone and there was a legend in the town that someone once tried ta rush him on the bench and he pulled out his Smith & Wesson and shot em dead right there in the courtroom, finished the trial with the dead body layin’ there, found the man guilty and then had the corpse hung up in the town as a warnin’ fore lettin’ it be buried.

  Technically, the judge served at the discretion a the mayor but Mayor Ford seemed frightened a the judge in a way he weren’t a others. So the judge got ta do just bout anythin’ he well pleased.

  The courtroom was in the mayor’s office and several chairs had been brought in and set about. I came in just a little fore anythin’ started. The windows were clean, cleaner than I seen em. Probably cause this was the first trial we had in bout six years. The courtroom was filled with people, whisperin’ softly ta each other. Wasn’t much ta do in the town and this seemed ta pass for entertainment.

  The two attorneys were Willard Cox and Jacob Anderson and I saw that Dean had been assigned Willard as his defense counsel. Andy was there as the bailiff and he said, “All rise,” and everyone stood as Judge Stoney walked in.

  “Please be seated,” judge said, sittin’ down. “Bring out the defendant bailiff.”

  Dean came out in chains. He was starin’ at the floor and wouldn’t look up. Andy helped him over ta the defense table and he sat down next ta Willard and they began speakin’ with each other in hushed tones. The judge let em talk and when they was done Willard and Dean stood up.

  “Mr. Johnson,” the judge said, “you’re here accused by indictment of aggravated murder, a capital offense in the state of New Mexico, alleged to have occurred on June the twelfth at one in the morning and June the twenty-fourth at around eight in the evening. How do you plead?”

  “My client pleads not guilty your Honor.”

  “So noted.”

  “Your Honor, if I may, I would like to address the issue of bail,” Willard said.

  Jacob stood up. “The State would oppose any bail, Your Honor. Mr. Johnson has no ties to the community and would surely flee if released. And I don’t think I need to address how dangerous he is. Just lookin’ at him you can tell.”

  “I object to that,” Willard said loudly.

  “We’re not in trial, Willard,” the judge said.

  “I still object.”

  The judge stared at him a moment. “All right. Objection noted. Jacob, quit sayin’ the defendant looks guilty.” He turned back to Willard. “Feel better?”

  A slight chuckle from the crowd a onlookers. Willard turned red and didn’t say nothin’.

  “Bail is denied,” the judge said. “Anything else? Okay, I’m setting a trial day in four days time, July the first. Any objections?”

  Willard said, “Your Honor, I need time to investigate this case and get my witnesses in order.”

  “My understanding is there are only two witnesses and they are testifying for the prosecution. Motion denied. You can be ready in four days just as well as four months. Now if that’s all, court is dismissed.” The judge hit his gavel, rose, and walked outta the room.

  The crowd began leavin’ as well once Dean was taken out. I saw Dr. Haywood there on the front row. She came over ta me.

  “Four days to prepare a murder trial? That’s ludicrous.”

  I shrugged. “Don’t see what the difference would be. He’s gonna be convicted either way. Ain’t no one in this town gonna let him loose.”

  She glanced round and then said, “Sheriff, you believe him, don’t you?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Well what’re you gonna do?”

  “Bout what?”

  “About the fact that an innocent man is going to die over this.”

  “We don’t know if he’s innocent. But there’s nothin’ I can do anyhow. The mayor won’t help him and his accuser don’t change her story. Up ta the jury now.”

  “You can’t trust a jury, you just said it yourself.”

  I shook my head. “Negro from outta town accused a killin’ whites…no, he ain’t gettin’ a fair hearin’. But it’s all we got.”

  That night I went ta the mayor’s house. He lived alone as he wasn’t married but I
never once went over there without some woman or other bein’ there. His house was just on the outside a town but was surrounded on each side with buildin’s and I got the impression that he did this on purpose. That he was scared a somethin’.

  The exterior looked like any other buildin’ in the town but the interior was imported this and fine that. Marble busts he’d had shipped in, rugs from Persia, furniture from France, a wardrobe handmade in New York. I had heard that ta clean his suits he had the tailor here in town unstitch all his suits, wash the fabric, and then restitch em cause he feels washing the whole thing affects the design adversely.

  I never did ask him how he made his money.

  Knockin’ on the door, I stood by and the mayor himself opened it. He had a pipe in his hand and I could smell bourbon on his breath. The night air was cool and a breeze was blowin’ over the trees next ta the house and I heard a can a sorts tumblin’ round somewhere.

  He stepped ta the side and motioned for me ta come in.

  The mayor’s house smelled like frankincense and candles was lit all round. He led me inta his front room and sat down cross from me on a fine little sofa and I sat in a chair. A fireplace was next ta me but it wasn’t lit and the two logs in there didn’t look like they ever been lit. Up on the mantle were black and white photos of a man and woman, lookin’ sophisticated and domineerin’. The mayor took up a tumbler a bourbon, had a long drink, and then placed it back down.

  “This is the first time I ever seen you alone at home.”

  “She just left.”

  I nodded. “Never been much’a Casanova myself. I always found it hard ta talk ta women. Usually I’d just make a fool a myself.”

  “Betty is quite striking. You must’ve done at least something right.”

  “That was an accident. I rode up on her when she had fallen off her horse up at this popular ridin’ spot near where we lived. I tried ta act very manly, you know, very dapper. And instead I fell off my horse inta puddle a mud. I thought she’d never wanna see me again, but instead she said she fell in love with me right then.”