Michael Jecks - The Death Ship of Dartmouth

‘How on earth did he suddenly know that?’

‘It was when we heard Philip Kena’s wife being attacked. She was gagged — Vincent or Odo put their hands over her mouth to stop her screaming — but we could hear her trying to cry out. It fair put the fear of God into Danny. He knew he had heard that sound somewhere before. That afternoon, he suddenly realised it was the sound of a woman in terror with a man’s hand over her mouth.’

‘That sounds like a guess,’ the Coroner said.

‘Except the two of them were talking about her, and said she was just like a “French whore”. They’d been the two who killed Madam Pyckard. That’s what Danny believed. When the ship sank, it covered up their evil deed.’

‘Why didn’t he tell his master? He worked for Pyckard, didn’t he?’

‘Yes. Paul Pyckard saved him and his brother Moses. When it happened, all those years ago, he didn’t realise what he’d seen. He was nothing but a boy. It was only much later, quite recently, that he understood what must have happened.’

‘What of Adam?’

‘Danny thought Adam was innocent; he had done nothing with them. He was never their ally, and Danny saw him about the ship fighting to save her. No, it was only Odo and Vincent who were in the cabin with Mistress Pyckard.’

‘What made Danny suddenly tell you all this?’ Baldwin snapped.

‘I was there when he heard about the woman. I don’t know exactly what it was, but I think that later on, Odo was boasting about fondling Mistress Kena, saying how ripe her body was. Danny got all upset, and he shot from the room. Outside, when I saw him and asked him what was wrong, he said that Odo and Vincent had raped Mistress Pyckard. He was in a terrible state — really shaken up.’

‘What did you do with this information?’

‘I told Danny to keep his mouth shut or Odo would kill him. If he spoke of it to anyone, he’d be killed.’

‘He took your word for that?’

The battered man winced. ‘I warned him that if he told his master, poor Master Pyckard would die all the sooner from a broken heart. It would be kinder to let him die in ignorance of the truth.’

‘Kinder indeed! While you went to tell him instead,’ Baldwin commented sourly.

‘I needed money! I knew what would happen if I didn’t replace what I’d borrowed from Hawley. He’d kill me.’

‘What did Pyckard say?’ Simon pressed.

‘He said he was thankful for the information, and that he’d see what he could do.’

‘What of Danny?’

‘I don’t know. I have no idea what happened to him, the poor lad.’

‘Who killed all the crew?’ Simon asked.

‘I don’t know! I swear it! I wasn’t on the ship. I didn’t see what happened any more than you!’

Baldwin and Simon left Peter to the care of Rob, and took the Coroner out to the road.

‘It is clear enough who killed the men on the ship, then,’ Baldwin said.

‘Beauley,’ Simon responded.

‘His ship was there, yes. He is the only one who could have brought this ghost-like Adam back to shore,’ Baldwin said.

‘Hold hard!’ the Coroner exclaimed as the other two set off for Hardness. ‘What is all this?’

‘The answer to the whole riddle of the ship lies at Beauley’s house,’ Baldwin said, but refused to answer more questions until they had reached it.

Here they were directed out to the back of the property, where they found Master Beauley talking to a shipwright about a new vessel.

‘You are increasing your shipping?’ Baldwin asked, glancing at the wright as he picked up a large scroll detailing expenses and listing requirements.

‘Yes. I have some money set by, and I want another craft. Why are you so interested in the daily workings of a mere merchant seaman?’

Baldwin eyed him closely. ‘I am not impressed with men who kill for money and then use the money for their own benefit.’

Beauley’s smile broadened, but there was an edge to his voice when he said, ‘You accuse me of killing?’

‘Aye,’ the Coroner rumbled. ‘Odo and Vincent and their crew.’

‘I deny it! On my life, my mother’s life, and the Gospels, if you want. I deny I’ve had any part in killing any man against the law.’

‘Who did, then?’ Simon asked.

‘How would I know?’

‘Because it was you who took their bodies and the rest of the crew from Pyckard’s ship, naturally,’ Baldwin stated.

‘What makes you say that?’

‘Adam.’

Beauley stared at Simon for some while, trying to guess whether he was bluffing or not. The silence was lengthy, but Simon remembered Baldwin once saying that when questioning a man, it was best to ask once and then wait until the other man gave an answer. It came, at last, in the form of another question. ‘He admitted the murder?’

‘Tell us what you did. He said you killed the men on your ship, and that you threw them overboard yourself,’ Simon grated.

‘He said what ?’ Beauley glared. ‘The lying shit! They were dead when we came to the ship!’

‘Tell us your side of the story, then. Otherwise we may have to arrest you as well,’ Baldwin said.

‘Very well. I was paid, and paid well, as you can see, to race to catch up with Pyckard’s little ship. It would be waiting for us in the sea, so we were told. All we had to do was take on board the crew, and leave the ship looking as though it was scuttled. That was all.’

‘This was at Master Pyckard’s request?’ Simon confirmed.

‘Of course. Who else?’

‘How many died?’

‘Ask Adam — I wasn’t there. Certainly we took off eight men, including him.’

‘Did you know anything about the men aboard? About what they had done?’

‘You don’t think I’d have got involved if I hadn’t, do you? Of course I knew what they’d done. They raped poor Amandine and told everyone she died in a storm. Odo and Vincent were always prone to violence, especially when they had drunk enough. The fools raped her, killed her, and the ship crashed into the rocks, fortunately for them. It explained her death. Otherwise they would have found that hard to get away with.’

‘So you took these eight men from the ship and set it alight?’

‘No. It was Adam who burned the ship. Only superficially — Pyckard didn’t want the Saint John to be too badly damaged.’

‘Why all this subterfuge? Why not just have them stabbed in town?’ Baldwin demanded. ‘All this effort and trouble … it seems ridiculous!’

‘Ask his steward. Moses will tell you. He knew everything about Pyckard’s business.’

The three waited in Pyckard’s hall while a young servant went to find Moses. There was a jug of wine on the sideboard, and Simon lifted the lid and sniffed the interior. He poured a mazerful and lifted it in silent toast to the dead master of the house.

Pyckard’s mark was all over the place. His body might be in the church, but his soul yet remained here. His chair was still at the fire as though waiting for him to return to it; his cloak and hat sat on top of a chest in the corner of the room as though he had walked out to his privy for a moment before leaving to go and view his ships.

For all that, the room reeked of spilled ale and wine from his wake. From the sour odour near the sideboard, Simon guessed that several of his seamen had participated overenthusiastically in the celebration of his life and thrown up before returning to the drinking.

‘Lordings.’

Moses had entered quietly, like a monk. He was clad in black in memory of his master, Simon thought, and stood surveying them with a sad but confident expression, like a man who knew his position in the world and was content. The only indication that he was not completely at ease was the twitching of his fingers: he picked continuously at the hem of his sleeve. Seeing all their eyes upon him, he crossed the floor noiselessly, to stand before them all beside his master’s chair. One hand upon it, he faced them resolutely, or, as Simon guessed, resignedly.