Pat McIntosh - The Merchant's Mark

‘Yes?’ said Kate.

‘Our Ecky never said such a thing in his life.’

‘He said there was something about a barrel, and a yett, and a key. And he said the fellow said Billy had cheated him.’

‘It was a’ havers,’ said William, suddenly abandoning his brother’s reputation. ‘You don’t need a key to seal a barrel.’

‘Did Billy seal the barrel?’ asked Alys hopefully.

Jamesie shrugged again. ‘He never said. He said Billy was feart for the Axeman.’

‘We kenned that,’ said Andy. ‘Is this all you’ve got, you pair of useless loons?’

‘Naw,’ said William unexpectedly. ‘Other thing he said, he’d seen the fellow wi the axe in the Hog afore. Wi two other men.’

‘Men? Not a girl?’ said Alys. ‘We still need to look for this Maidie.’

William shook his head. ‘He just said men.’

‘When?’ Kate asked. ‘Did he know the other men? Or describe them?’

‘He didny ken them, for we asked him that. He said one had a hat wi a feather in it.’

‘Like half the householders in Glasgow,’ said Andy in disgust. ‘You’re a useless — ’

‘When was this?’ Kate asked.

‘No yesterday but the day afore. Wednesday,’ said William, counting on his fingers.

‘Did he hear what they were saying?’ asked Alys.

‘Naw.’

‘They stayed in a wee corner, by theirsels,’ elucidated Jamesie.

‘But,’ said William, ‘he reckoned Mattha Hog knew them, for they got the good ale without asking for it.’

‘A pity they never got the fellow’s name,’ said Kate, once the men had been thanked and sent out to the bothy.

‘I said the man with the axe was not acting alone,’ said Alys. ‘But why was he in Glasgow on Wednesday? That was before the cart ever came home with the barrel on it.’

‘Maybe they’d missed it on the road,’ suggested Babb, running her thread across the beeswax.

‘It still makes little sense,’ said Alys, and frowned down at her seam.

‘I think we only have half the picture,’ said Kate. ‘We’ve no more than we can learn here in Glasgow. Gil may have the other half.’

‘True,’ agreed Alys, and sighed. ‘I wonder when he will be home?’

And when he comes home, thought Kate, will he set Augie Morison free?

The inquest on Billy Walker was an altogether more expeditious affair than the one on the unknown head in the barrel. This probably had something to do with the imminent arrival of the King and half the court; most of the supporting column had already arrived and the outer yard was full of men shouting over laden mules and oxcarts full of cushions, folding furniture and half of the Master Cook’s batterie de cuisine. French curses floated over the chaos; as Kate was hoisted by Babb up the fore-stair into Sir Thomas’s own lodging she heard Alys giggle.

The corpse lay on a hurdle propped on trestles in the midst of the hall. In deference to Mall’s feelings, and possibly those of the other women present, someone had spread a length of canvas over it. Mall herself was stationed near the bier, dry-eyed and apprehensive, her beads in her hand and a clean apron over her worn blue gown. The woman beside her was so like her she could only be the sister from Greyfriars Wynd.

‘He’s done better wi the assizers this time,’ muttered Andy as one of the men-at-arms set a chair for Kate. ‘There’s Mattha Hog again, but the rest’s no so close wi him as Thursday’s lot was. Just the same, I should ha sent our men to find some of our own friends. And you stand here, Ecky Soutar, where I can keep my eye on you.’

The serjeant bore in the burgh mace, and Sir Thomas made an entrance, took his seat on the dais and dealt briskly with the business of choosing the assizers, ignoring any suggested names of which he did not approve and ending with a group of sheepish citizens being sworn in by the clerk in batches of five.

‘Right, neighbours,’ said the Provost when this was complete. ‘We’ve the body of a man here, and this court is convened to establish who he is, how he died and if we can tell who was responsible.’

‘If ye dare,’ said someone from behind Kate.

Alys twisted round to look, and Sir Thomas stretched himself up, glaring. ‘Who said that? Andro, see who it was. Another word and you’re out of this chamber, whoever you are.’

‘Jemmy Walker, was it no, maister?’ muttered Ecky Soutar to Andy, who gave him a look that silenced him. Sir Thomas was speaking again.

‘Now, neighbours, the first thing is to determine who the dead man is. Has any of you looked on him?’

With some shuffling of feet, the assize admitted that the most of their number had keeked under the canvas, and that those who had done so were agreed that the corp was Billy Walker, that had been carter to Maister Augustine Morison of Morison’s Yard in the High Street. Sir Thomas nodded, and his clerk wrote the name down.

‘And who found him dead?’ he asked.

‘That was me,’ said Andy with reluctance.

After her recent experience of questioning witnesses, Kate admired the economy with which Sir Thomas extracted what Andy had seen when he opened the coalhouse door, and had it confirmed by the serjeant, who was more subdued than Kate had seen him. Then it was her turn; Sir Thomas very courteously bade her stay where she was, and came down into the hall to take her evidence, followed by his clerk. The assize were let out of their pen to come closer, so that they could hear her, and she described how Billy had broken into the house, how she and Babb had trapped him, and how they had questioned him and shut him in the coalhouse.

‘We thought he’d be safe there till the morning,’ she said, and was surprised to find her voice shaking.

Alys, beside her, put a hand on her shoulder, and Sir Thomas said gruffly, ‘There, now, you wereny to ken. Is there any questions?’ he demanded fiercely of the assize.

‘Aye,’ said someone. ‘Ask the leddy what Billy Walker was after, breaking in like that.’

‘He said he was looking for treasure,’ said Kate. They keep coming back to that, she thought. We can’t deny it forever.

‘Which is daft,’ said Andy at her other side. ‘When it’s well kent my maister keeps his coin up here wi you, Provost, and there’s never been treasure in Morison’s Yard.’

‘And what was the leddy doing in Morison’s Yard anyway?’ said another voice. ‘It’s nane o your house, is it?’

‘I’m there to keep an eye on the bairns,’ said Kate, raising her chin.

‘Oh, aye,’ said the serjeant. ‘These bairns I never saw. I didny see them yesterday either.’

‘They’re six and four year old, a bit big to miss. Maister Morison fetched a barrel of spectacles last week to the pothecary’s,’ said Kate rather tartly. ‘Maybe you should go and try some, serjeant.’

There was laughter, and Serjeant Anderson scowled. Sir Thomas looked round.

‘Is there any more questions for Lady Kate?’ he demanded. ‘Right. Thank you, my leddy. Now who was it heard a noise in the yard?’

Ecky Soutar stood forward and admitted to having heard a noise, thought it was a cat knocking something down, and gone back to sleep.

‘Hmph,’ said the Provost. ‘I’ll wager your master’s steward had a word to say about that.’ Ecky’s eyes slid sideways to Andy, and he gave a shamefaced nod. ‘Well, and what time was this?’

‘I don’t know, maister,’ said Ecky. ‘It was still dark, that’s all I can say, sir.’

With some evidence from the serjeant about the amount of blood on the coal, at which Mattha Hog looked smug and Mall looked as if she might faint, and about the absence of blood on any of Morison’s household, Sir Thomas wound up the questioning. The assize was led off to the refreshment presumably waiting in an inner chamber, and Sir Thomas stepped down from the dais again and came to speak to Kate.