Michael Jecks - The Malice of Unnatural Death

Maurice watched him for a moment or two, torn between the undercroft and the hurriedly departing man, and then, his interestpiqued, he set off after him.

The alley was narrow and dingy, but at least there was less breeze. In Stepecote Street the wind whistled about a man anddrew all heat from his body, or so it seemed. Here in the darkened alley, Maurice felt warmer. The buildings reached out overheadand almost touched, and there were many little corners and narrowings, so he kept losing sight of the man, but then, as hecame to a wider stretch, he caught sight of him again a short distance away. The man drew off his cloak and let it drop tothe floor. Then he pulled off his surcoat and stared at it as though with revulsion, before balling the cloth and using itto wipe at his arms and feet. He dropped it into the cloak and wrapped it up tightly, before throwing them over into a cornerand striding away.

Maurice waited until he was gone, then trotted to the clothing where it lay. He unwrapped the cloak and felt the stickinessof the blood at the same time as his nostrils warned him. Quickly he drew his fingers away.

He could not remain here with that incriminating evidence. Turning, he hurriedly walked back to the street. There, he couldnot help but notice that there was no shouting or calling. The hue and cry was unaware of the crime.

And then, as he stared about him, he saw another figure come back up the stairs, glance about him and cross the road with slow, pensive steps.

Maurice watched with a frown, then leaned against a wall to watch. He had no idea what was happening here, but he was intriguedenough to risk staying and seeing what happened.

Baldwin and Simon met the coroner a short way from the Palace Gate, and all three turned south towards the great city gateand Will Skinner’s house.

His wife was there, sitting on their stool at the table. ‘What do you want here again?’

‘Where is your husband?’ the coroner demanded.

‘Fetching food. What do you want with him?’

‘We have questions for him. How long will he be?’

‘Not long. Not long.’

She was as good as her word because very soon there was the tramp of feet outside, and the door opened. In the doorway stood Will Skinner, and he shot a look at his wife, then stared at the three men. To Simon it looked as though the older man shrivelledat the sight of them, and he felt a certain sympathy for him. He was old, weary, working ridiculous hours in the attempt toearn some money, and now he was being questioned by three officers as though he was himself a suspect in their enquiry. Which Simon supposed he was, if an unlikely one.

‘Skinner,’ Baldwin said, ‘I want you to tell us again what happened on the night you found the first body.’

‘Why? Do you think he lied to us all?’ his wife cackled.

‘There, Margie, my love, be still,’ Will said. He tried to pat her hand, but she snatched it away, her eyes blazing with hatred.

It had been the same every day since that terrible one when he had got home in time to see the walls collapse. Even from the road the heat had been appalling, and he had felt asthough his brows were going to be scorched away. It was a scene from hell. Margie had done all she could, running inside totry to rescue the children, because as the fire took hold they could be heard inside, screaming for help. But no one couldget near them. By the time Will got there, thank Christ for His mercy, the screams had already been stilled. If he had heardhis little children pleading for help and rescue, he wasn’t sure that his mind could have coped with the strain.

Just as Margie’s hadn’t.

‘I was there in the lane that night. I often stop there, just to look at my house.’ And to pray for my dead children, he addedto himself. ‘While I was there, I saw the man lying on the ground. I thought he had a great cloth about his neck. It lookedlike it. But when I approached him, I saw that it was blood. So much blood from one man … it was terrible.’

‘And no surprise,’ his wife added.

‘Why would it be no surprise, woman?’ the coroner pressed her.

‘Because in a place like that, where God could let my little babies burn to death, any man is likely to be murdered. If thesweet innocents were killed, why not an older man whose life is full of sin and corruption?’ she wailed, and now she had herarms wrapped about her misshapen torso, and was rocking back and forth, her eyes fixed on the distance — or perhaps the past.

The coroner cleared his throat and, unusually for him, appeared to be struck with shyness in the face of her grief. ‘Perhapsthat is so,’ he allowed. ‘But for now, I need to deal with the actual agent of the man’s death.’

‘I told you before: I saw no one. But I did see that strange thing earlier. That was when I should have gone down the alley,but when that thing became a cat and walked up to me like a demon stalking a soul, I fled. I am sorry, but the thought ofstanding there with that creature staring at me was too terrifying. That is why I only went down the lane later.’

‘So you returned on your rounds,’ Baldwin said, listening with a glower of concentration fixed to his face.

‘Yes. I knew I had to go there again, and this time when I stood at the top of the alley I saw nothing. The cat was gone,and so was the shape I thought I’d seen. I was very fearful, masters, but I can’t afford to lose my wage as watchman. I enteredthe alley and until I reached my old house there was nothing to make me scared.’

‘You told me that the shape and the cat were things you saw on the next night, when you found the body of the king’s messenger. Why did you lie?’

‘I don’t know. I didn’t think it mattered that much, and the things were still in my mind all that night, and since then too. It preys on me, sir. I cannot help it, it’s just always there. I am scared that some night I’ll be there outside my children’sdeath place, and I will be struck down too … oh, God, I wish it might happen soon! ’

He collapsed, his hands going to his face as the tears ran down both cheeks and his voice faltered. Baldwin sucked at histeeth to watch the display of grief. He had known loss himself, and he could feel compassion for a man who had lost so much,but then he caught sight of the man’s wife, and had to look away.

The woman’s face showed only fierce, brutal glee at her man’s suffering.

Exeter Castle

Lady Alice had been feeling rather light-headed and uneasy since the little hussy’s departure, although, to be fair, she hadbeen up until late the night before. It was better to think that her sense of subtle dislocation was due to the deprivationof sleep than to the foolish behaviour of one silly chit of a girl.

Yet for all her inward protestations of calmness and the fact that she had not been upset in the least by the servant’s suddendisplay of lunacy, there was a small part of her that felt an unreasonable anxiety.

Lady Alice had floated serenely through life. Nothing that she had ever needed or desired had ever been withheld from her,and she had the knowledge that at all times she need only mention a whim and it would be fulfilled. She was enormously fortunate,and sometimes that sense of good fortune could leave her with this little — well, doubt .

She knew full well that she was considered a beauty. The admiring glances of men followed her like the inevitable tributedue a queen, and she was aware of the reaction of men to her features and body without being tempted by any. She was contentwith her match. No, more than that … she could happily state that she was very fond of her lord. And he did all he couldfor her. She was fully aware of that. He had raised himself from a position of near poverty as a mere rural knight into thispost of power and influence by his assiduous political negotiating.