One Good Deed(118)

“You may well be right about that, since Mrs. Pittleman suggested to me that you were quite cunning and had perhaps killed your own mother and father.”

Now Jackie looked at Marjorie with a homicidal expression.

“Stop badgering the witness, mister, right now,” ordered Richmond.

Archer put his hands on the witness box rail. “Do you recall that Mr. Shaw and I saved your life when a man named Dickie Dill and another fellow named Malcolm Draper attempted to murder you in your bedroom?”

“Yes, of course I do. You were both very brave and nearly died helping me.” Jackie’s features softened. “I would be dead but for what you did.”

Archer’s features also relaxed. “Well, I have to say the same about you. Without your well-placed lamp against Dickie Dill’s head, I don’t think I’d be here today.”

The two shared a meaningful look before Archer said, “Now, did your father employ Malcolm Draper at some point in time?”

She looked confused. “Mr. Draper? No, he worked for Hank.”

From his jacket pocket Archer took the photo of the two men.

“Can you identify the men in this picture?”

“Objection,” said Brooks. “I’ve never seen that photo.”

Archer walked it over to him and held up the photo. “You recognize these two men?”

Brooks looked mightily confused but nodded.

“Then can I show Miss Tuttle?”

Brooks glanced at the judge, curtly nodded, and sat down.

“Go ahead, Archer,” said the judge.

Archer walked back to the witness box and showed the picture to Jackie.

“It’s my father…and Malcolm Draper.” She blanched and gazed up at Archer. “I don’t understand.”

Archer took the photo back. “Let me see if I can clear it up for you. Malcolm Draper went to work for Hank Pittleman right about the time that your father took out the loan from him, correct?”

“Yes, I believe that’s what Hank told me. He thought he was a good man.”

“But what if Draper was actually working for your father while he was also employed by Hank Pittleman?”

“But why would that be the case?”

“Your father told me that he wanted to take the loan out from Pittleman’s bank, but the man refused him.”

Brooks jumped to his feet. “Objection. Your Honor, the defendant is testifying without the benefit of being under oath.”

“Sustained,” barked the judge.

“Okay,” said Archer. “Let me put it this way then. Based on what you know of the two men, would it strike you as possible that Mr. Pittleman wanted the loan to be a personal debt, so he could charge more interest and because he liked your father owing him directly?”

“That sounds like Hank, actually. But it still doesn’t explain why Draper would be working for my father while also working for Hank.”

“Did you know that Mr. Draper would go out to the slaughterhouse most nights?”

Richmond said, “Hey now, we’re getting far afield here.”

“I’m gonna bring it back around, Judge, I swear,” said Archer. “And Mr. Shaw had that in his notes.”

“Well, hurry it on up, then.”

“No, I didn’t know,” said Jackie.

“I worked out there butchering hogs. And on payday they could only make half wages. Now, I wondered about that because it looked like the hog business was doing fine. But what if Mr. Draper was going out there to cook the books, so to speak? And maybe he was doing that to Pittleman’s other businesses, too.”

Archer saw Brooks jump to his feet to object, but forestalled this by saying, “That was actually Mr. Shaw’s idea. It’s in his notebook where he wrote everything down. And Mr. Brooks said those notes are part of the official record, so I can use what’s in there as part of my defense, just like he’s been doing this whole time to make the jury believe I’m guilty.”

All eyes went to a helpless-looking Brooks.

“Well, Mr. Brooks?” said the judge, who was regarding Archer in a somewhat more favorable light.

Brooks said, “That is…correct. And…I waive any objection I might have made.”

Archer continued his questioning. “And Mr. Shaw found a mess of unpaid bills that he thought Draper had tossed in the trash so Mr. Pittleman wouldn’t see them.”

“And you think my father had him do this? Why?”

“Well, let’s look at your father for a minute. He’d had bad farming years due to the drought. But Mr. Pittleman, he had water on his property and had the cash to truck in more if needed. I think maybe that didn’t sit well with Lucas Tuttle. And then he has to borrow money from the man. That must’ve stung his pride. And then, what does Hank Pittleman do? He starts using you as his—what did you call yourself again?”

Jackie looked down and said something.

“I couldn’t quite get that, Miss Tuttle.”

“I was his chattel,” she said sharply.

“That’s right. Like his property. Must’ve made your old man mighty upset. And then, someone goes into Hank Pittleman’s hotel room and cuts his throat.”

“So who do you think killed Hank, Mr. Archer?” she asked.