Chapter 7

Rolly and Melanie rode into town the next day and Roland went about trying to secure lodging.

"Roland, please let me hang around until you have to go. I promise I won't get in the way of your rescue operation, and maybe there is a chance I can get in trouble, but at the very least give me a few days to feel safe until I have to go back out there."

"OK, maybe you can help me out. You know the value of things down here and I need to deal with Crimson Jack's belongings. I have a plan for that, which might just get you into trouble. First thing is that I want you to go out and buy a sexy dress, you probably also want another everyday dress. That one looks pretty beat up after your tumble."

The next day Rolly presented his letter to the shire reeve. Collin was not happy about the situation. It was a death sentence to attack one of the lord's taxmen, but Crimson Jack was wanted dead or alive. The reeve would have to report this to Lord Timson.

That afternoon Rolly was summoned to an audience.

Lord Timson, Earl of Wentfordshire, was a serious looking man who appeared to be fit and in his early sixties. After looking over the letter Rolly had delivered to the reeve, along with several other reports, Lord Timson said, "Roland of Kansas. The law of the land is death to anyone who interferes with a tax collector, but because of this man's heinous deeds you will be granted a pardon from the death sentence. Your answers to the following questions will determine if any further actions are to be taken.

Rolly felt the room getting warmer and said to himself, This is not good, hopefully the old man just wants to yank my chain to show his power to the peanut gallery. If he's a sadistic bastard I could be in trouble.

"Why were you on my lands?"

"My Lord, I was traveling through the land on my way to Silverton, and along the way I repeatedly heard of the vile deeds of Crimson Jack. Being a bit of a detective, and having a lot of time to think while on the road I realized a pattern to the dates and deeds. Knowing my distant cousin, Melanie, was in what I believed to be a possible target house, I decided to watch the house for the days I though the maniac might strike. I had about given up when the events that have been described to you occurred."

"Did you know that the man was a tax collector?"

"No, Lord Timson, I was informed of that fact either by the wool merchant or by Mathew Village Guard. I cannot remember which."

"And you came here instead of avoiding the possibility of reprisal?"

"Your Grace, I was raised by an honorable father to be an honorable man. I expect others to be the same until they prove otherwise. Mathew Village Guard assured me that the shire reeve was an honorable man -- and I can use the reward."

The last comment seemed to put a crack in Lord Timson's stone face.

"Yes, quite understandable. I will not contest the reward that was allotted to my reeve, and I will not contest your right to the villain's possessions, which are not little, but in return I ask that you tell others that you were acting as my agent. I can't have people thinking that they can kill my taxmen, for any reason. If they thought that they could murder and then get away with it by placing a dagger in the man's hand I would go bankrupt."

"Yes, Your Grace. I fully understand the situation and will be happy to say and do as you wish."

"Good, the reeve can help you gather Gunther's assets. That is all."

Gunther of Wentford was a reasonably wealthy man, no doubt from overcharging on taxes in addition to taking what he could from those he murdered. It was believed that the killer had taken nothing but money from the homes, but Rolly and Melanie discovered a hidden closet in the house that held mementoes take from the victims. Miniature portraits and cameos, lockets, locks of hair, and undergarments were found. Rolly gave the portraits, lockets and cameos to the reeve, and asked that they be returned to any surviving family members.

Official notice was released that Crimson Jack had been killed, and Rolly paid the town criers to announce an auction of the murderer's possessions.

While that was being set up he went about trying to rescue Damsel Jenna from the butcher. His plan was to send Melanie in as a customer to see if she could get the butcher to go for her too, but Melanie's bad luck held, and the butcher more or less ignored her. Rolly would have to think up a plan B after the auction.

People throughout history have loved a bloody spectacle, and Rolly was prepared to make a profit from that. He had the beautiful Melanie, in her low cut dress, act as hostess and he was master of ceremonies. He had also made sure that there was plenty of ale for sale to the crowd, and he contracted some musicians for the day.

With the crowd gathered, he began his tale by recounting the gory deeds of Maniac Jack, and then how Lord Timson had contracted men to audit his tax collectors; men such as himself, honorable and from another land to avoid corruption. His Lordship would not stand for corruption. During that investigation under the supervision of the good Shire Reeve Collin, the pattern of Crimson Jack began to emerge and men were sent out into the countryside to capture the villain.

Rolly changed the facts a little so that the good people wouldn't think that the tax collector knocking at their door was going to kill them. In his story the killer poisoned a pack of dogs and then broke into the house. Rolly described having to break in himself. The fight was downplayed to show the man as a coward and Mathew Village Guard as a hero. Hopefully the good people of the area would put better locks on their doors after that. Looking over, Rolly saw that Reeve Collin was amused by the story.

The price for the furnishings from the killer's house was somewhat low. People did not want to sit down for dinner at the man's table, but the little items such as flatware and silverware got good prices. Everyone wanted to be able to say, "This spoon belonged to Crimson Jack."

Of course Rolly made up a good story for anything that could possibly be involved in the murders. Every single kitchen knife was given a story -- some even had a bit of fresh chicken blood on the handle -- the direct evidence linking the item to the crime was found in the hidden closet -- so he said.

Finally came the items taken off the body at the scene. A little chicken blood was dabbed onto some of the ropes and gags that did not have Jack's blood on them. Last of all was the odd little razor knife, obviously used to do the most heinous of deeds on the victims. By that time it was a drunken orgy of bidding, and Rolly had cleared three times what the items were actually worth.

After the bidding was over, Rolly had the musicians play for the crowd, and he turned it into a street party. Then he and Melanie slipped away to the cottage he had rented.

After dropping Melanie off and telling her he would be right back he snuck away to the bank and deposited the money. While he was there he contracted with the bank to sell Gunther's house for a percentage and place the money in Rolly's account.

Rather than rush back to the cottage Rolly decided to wait and play a hunch. He snuck back and watched the house to see if anyone had plans to murder him in his sleep for the money or the woman. Before thieves' hour could arrive, last call was heard in the taverns. Many of which were filled with rowdy men who had been drinking all day and were keyed up on stories of mayhem. From the loud talk it sounded as if several wanted to wake up Rolly and buy him a drink.

Rolly watched from the shadows as five idiots banged on his door and woke a terrified Melanie. She told them that Rolly would be right back. Patience is not something that drunks have so their enthusiasm soon wore off. One of the men vomited in the bushes, and two of his buddies ran out of gas and decided that it was time to go home, so they helped the sick man away, singing songs as they went.

The two left behind, who were angry that Rolly wasn't there to drink with them, worked each other up to the point that they decided Rolly didn't need such a fine woman. Who was she to tell them to go home, they thought, so they broke the door down.

They slapped Melanie until she quit screaming, gagged her, tied her arms, and put a pillow case over her head. The larger of the two men slung her over his shoulder and they went back out the way they had come.