Paul Doherty - The Gallows Murders

'Well, no. As I have said, it was a father and five sons. The eldest, Robert, would stay in the tavern and pretend that his father and brothers were with him. They'd amassed quite a fortune. One day a merchant stayed at the tavern, months earlier one of his comrades had been attacked and killed. Now this merchant had given his friend a bracelet, a midsummer present which he saw on the wrist of one of the Sakkers. The merchant immediately returned to London and laid this information before the sheriffs. The gang was caught by Theophilus Pelleter.'

‘Who?' I interrupted, intrigued by such a strange name.

Theophilus Pelleter. One of the under-sheriffs,' Mallow replied. 'He lives with his daughter in Catte Street.' His eyes softened. 'A good man, straight and true. I understand that when the plague visited the city, Pelleter stayed at his post and did what he could.'

I stared across the tavern where a cat, a rat caught between his jaws, padded out from the kitchen and disappeared into the stableyard.

'Anyway,' Mallow continued, 'Pelleter laid a trap. The entire gang was rounded up and appeared before King's Bench where, because of their crimes, the judges ruled that their tavern be levelled to the ground. They were to be hanged on special gibbets constructed on the site.' 'And did they all die?' Benjamin asked.

That's when the threats were made!' Wormwood snapped. The father and only four of his sons were captured. The eldest, Robert, escaped. Apparently, the night Pelleter and his men ringed the tavern, Robert was away. He returned to find his father and brothers captured.'

'So, why didn't he swear vengeance against the under-sheriff?' Mallow looked shamefacedly away. The rest of his guild shuffled their feet and stared into their cups. 'Well?' I asked.

Mallow looked up. To answer your question, the under-sheriff and the other law officers were responsible for taking the gang back to the tavern and making sure lawful execution was carried out.' ‘Yes, yes, I can understand that,' Benjamin replied.

'Before the tavern was razed,' Mallow continued, ‘We er…' 'Helped yourselves?' Benjamin asked.

Well, we claimed the prerequisites of our office. Most of the tavern had been looted. What was left we took. Pelleter refused to have anything to do with it.' 'But hangmen always claim their dues,' I insisted.

'Oh, tell him!' Wormwood snapped. Tell him what really happened!' 'I will,' Snakeroot declared. When you hang a man, Master Daunbey, you can do it fast or do it slow. The Sakkers were an evil, malicious coven. By slipping the knot around the back of their heads, we ensured they strangled slowly. All five of them took a long time dying.' And the under-sheriff allowed this?' I asked.

Mallow answered. 'Like any law officer, once the ladder was turned and the men were hanged, he and his assistants rode back to London. If you look at the rules, Master Daunbey, the hangmen must attend the bodies until they are dead.' And the threats?' I asked.

Mallow breathed out a sigh. The executions took place at noon. Three or four hours later, as we prepared to return to London, a mysterious archer began to loose arrows at us from the trees. We concealed ourselves behind the death-cart, then we heard a man shout. He was Robert Sakker and he vowed he would seek vengeance for what we had done. We waited a while, then we left for London.' 'And you've heard nothing of it since?' I asked.

'A few days later,' Toadflax replied, 'the sheriff of Kent came to inspect the corpses we had gibbeted; he found all five had been removed for secret burial. A note, signed by Robert Sakker, declared vengeance against those responsible for the slow and malingering death of his father and brothers. The note vowed that the perpetrators would suffer just as bitterly.' And was Undershaft part of this?'

'Oh yes,' Mallow answered. 'Like me, he knew about the Sakker crimes. The women who had been raped, their throats cut. Master Undershaft believed in the notion of "eye for eye and tooth for tooth". He was party to what we did. But nothing happened, even though we received many threats.' He stared round at his companions. ‘We forgot it.'

'Do you think?' Wormwood interrupted. 'Sakker is behind the deaths of our colleagues?'

'It's possible,' Benjamin replied. 'He may have come into London to pursue a path of retribution.'

'But you said that these deaths are linked to the blackmailing letters being sent to the King,' Mallow said.

Benjamin looked at me and shook his head. 'I believe so, but I have no proof.' He replied. That is a complete mystery.' "What was Robert Sakker like?' I turned to Mallow.

The chief hangman shook his head. 'I don't know, sir. You'd have to ask Pelleter, the under-sheriff.' 'Do you have anything else to add?' I asked.

'We've spoken enough,' Mallow replied. He leaned over and pushed a stubby finger into my chest. We've talked to Sir Edward Kemble,' he continued. The constable says you were sent into London to end this villainy, yet you haven't.' He waved round at his companions. ‘We are still being threatened and the letters are still being sent.' His words dropped to a whisper. "You should be careful, Master Shallot; otherwise we may have a meeting of a different sort.'

I stood up, kicking the stool away, my hand going to the dagger in my belt. Benjamin intervened. He rose, genially thanked Mallow and his companions and, tugging me by the sleeve, took me out of the tavern. 'I could tickle his ribs with my dagger!' I swore.

Benjamin stopped. 'And that will get us nowhere. I understand your fear, Roger. The King will not forget our future.' He pulled me into a corner of a narrow, dark alleyway, staring around to make sure we were not being followed. 'If we can make no progress in this,' he whispered, 'then, Roger, I will follow your advice. I have money with a goldsmith in London. If we have to flee beyond the seas, then we shall do it, but it shall be in my way and at a time of my own choosing.' 'And what now?' I asked desperately. "We go and see Pelleter.' We found the under-sheriff's house just near the Guildhall. Benjamin, hoping the law officer was at home, pounded on the door of the thin, narrow house which looked as if it had been pushed in between the mansions on either side. It was not well kept: the hall windows were dusty and holed, the beams cracked, whilst the front door hung askew on its hinges. Benjamin knocked again. We heard a soft footfall and the door was opened by a young woman.

Oh, the precious sight! Even now, down the long, dusty corridors of the years, I can picture her. How can you describe a song in flesh? She was about seventeen or eighteen years old, tall and slender. Large, beautiful brown eyes in an angel's face: the hair was a dull gold, her skin glowed. Benjamin and I just stood there like two schoolboys drinking in the sheer beauty of her: high cheekbones, perfectly formed nose and the sweetest of mouths. She stared coolly back, though you could see the laughter in her eyes.

'Good morning, sirs!'. Her voice was soft and rich. 'Good day, sirs!' she repeated. I saw a flicker of alarm in her eyes as she went to close the door.

'I am sorry,' Benjamin stammered. ‘We need to see Under-sheriff Pelleter.'

The laughter returned to those beautiful eyes. 'I'm his daughter. Miranda.' We are from the Tower,' Benjamin explained.

Miranda smiled. She was dressed simply enough in a blue gown, not too tightly fitting; really it hung on her like a sack, whilst the ruff round her neck had seen better days. But that smile! Like the sun coming out from behind the clouds! She laughed softly and beckoned us in; her eyes never left Benjamin and a stab of jealousy made me catch my breath. (No, Benjamin was not the most handsome of men. He was tall and strong and his black hair tended to straggle but his eyes were good and clear. Women were always attracted to him. And me? Oh, poor Shallot! I look what I am, a rogue born and bred! Attracted to the doxies, the molls, the besoms, the saucy tavern wenches, but women like Miranda? Miranda! Miranda! She still lives, you know? Well, not in the flesh: read Shakespeare's play The Tempest, you'll find her there with old Prospero.)