Chapter 11 Investigation

She stood on the scaffold, rope around her neck. She could see him running to her, but he didn't seem to get any closer. He was calling her name and then he wasn't. Instead he was gasping for air, his face turning blue. He staggered and fell reaching his hand toward her. "Help me! Help him!" she yelled. No one moved or even looked at them.
The judge nodded and the last thing she saw as the trap door opened was his lifeless body, fallen mere feet from her.

Julia sat up suddenly awake with a start, a small scream escaping her lips. This woke William who sat up as well. "Did you have another nightmare?" he asked as he put his arms around her trembling shoulders, drawing her close to him.

"Yes, I'm afraid so" she whimpered.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"It was the worst one yet. We both died." She hugged him tightly.

"They're just dreams" he said, but not with much conviction. "You're the psychiatrist. Tell me they'll stop after a while, won't they?"

"Yes, I suppose. Do you still have nightmares as well?"

He hesitated, then said "yes from time to time. I try to tell myself to ignore them but they seem so real at the time. But we'll get through this. At least now when we wake up we have each other. We're not alone any more."

She kissed him then snuggled into his chest. "I feel safer already because you're here."

They lay in each other's arms until it was time for them to rise for the day.

"Did you hear that.?"

"What?" asked William drowsily.

"That noise downstairs."

"It's probably the maid."

"No. She's off. There it is again."

"I heard it that time. Wait here." William got up and pulled on his trousers.

"Be careful, William."

William crept down the stairs in his bare feet. Just as he reached the first floor he heard the back door slam. He ran toward it and through it. But he was too late and saw no one.
As he turned around he noticed a piece of paper on the table. He picked it up and read it.

'Detective Murdoch, I guess you've deduced by now that I'm not James Gillies. Good for you. I would watch my back though if I were you.'

"William, are you alright?" Julia called from the top of the stairs.

"Yes. I'll be right there."

Murdoch was on the phone. "He's been in our house. I can't leave Julia here alone. Yes. Okay. But at least two constables when I'm not here. Right, I'll be there when they get here."

He turned to Julia. "I have to go into the office. Two constables will be here with you until I get home. Don't go anywhere without them."

"And you watch your back!"

"George, what have you?" the detective asked as he walked into the station house.

"Here are the copies of the photographs you asked for. Sir, do you think the Black Hand could have a 'hand' in this?

Murdoch smiled. "I don't think so George. They wouldn't leave notes. They'd just kill me. Let's take these pictures around to the stationery shops and ticket agents again and see what we find."

The two policemen set out. Witnesses seemed to vaguely recognize one or two of the photos, but no real identifications. William was beginning to feel frustrated.

"Let's see if we can track down these 5 fellows, George. Get Henry to help you and bring them all in for interviews."

"Yes sir."

Later in the day Murdoch interviewed 3 of the 'suspects'. The fourth had left Toronto and the fifth no one could find.

"Well sir, it looks like a dead end."

"No, George. I'm pretty sure I know who it is now."

"Really sir?" Is it one of these fellows whose picture is here?" he asked, indicating the 5 photographs.

"I think so. Look at them again, George. Who do think among them would be the maddest at me? "

"I don't know sir. My guess would be this one." George pointed to the likeness of former Constable Randell Townsend of Station House 5, the one man they had been unable to find.

"Precisely" answered Murdoch. "Now the hard part is finding him before he finds me."

Detective Murdoch looked over Townsend's file again although he didn't really need to refresh his memory. That case stayed all too fresh in his mind even after all these years. Townsend had raped a young girl in Chinatown and then caused the death of a fellow constable in trying to cover up his crime. Murdoch had had to investigate fellow policemen and had himself therefore become quite unpopular with the Constabulary, so much so that the Chief Constable had tried to have him take a position in Winnipeg for his own protection.

Murdoch related his theory to Brackenreid who nodded in agreement. "This is some nasty business, Murdoch. I hate for this mess to raise its ugly head again. We'll keep this among our own station house for now."

"I agree sir. But the sooner we find him the better. I'm going home now. I'll look at it with fresh eyes in the morning."

"Watch your back, Murdoch."

The detective smiled. "That's what everyone keeps telling me to do."