Paul Doherty - The Waxman Murders

‘Oh, certainly, and she did do so furtively.’ He coughed. ‘Berengaria now lodges with me, but I have not asked her myself. I dare not intrude. I tell you this,’ the parson stammered, ‘because others may have seen her. I only saw her return on two or three occasions. I thought that confirmed the rumours. I mean, when a lady goes to the market, her maid always accompanies her, so it’s a matter of logic, isn’t it? What was Lady Adelicia doing so as to dismiss her maid, to let her go where she wished? But,’ Warfeld shrugged, ‘you’d best ask them yourselves.’

Corbett felt uneasy at Parson Warfeld’s glib answers. Was the man just nervous or was he hiding something, simply unwilling to become involved?

‘Are you finished with me, Sir Hugh?’

‘No, Parson Warfeld, I’m certainly not, and I want you to stay until I am. You are to administer the oath to each witness on the Book of the Gospels. When you have done this, you may leave and I will quickly question each person. So, you’d best bring in Wendover.’

A short while later the captain of the city guard swaggered insolently in, sword slapping against the top of his boot. Corbett glanced quickly at Ranulf and winked. The Senior Clerk in the Chancery of the Green Wax sprang to his feet, roaring at Wendover to show more decorum. How dare he come into the presence of the King’s justice bearing arms? Did he not know the law on treason? The sword belt was immediately unbuckled and handed to Chanson and a more humble captain took his seat to mumble the oath. Corbett waited until Parson Warfeld had left.

‘Master Wendover,’ he leaned across the table, ‘you are on oath so I’ll come quickly to the point. You are Lady Adelicia’s lover, the possible father of her child.’

Wendover glanced nervously about.

‘Yes or no!’ Ranulf bawled.

‘Yes!’ Wendover replied.

‘For how long?’ Corbett asked.

‘About a year in all.’

‘And you met at The Chequer of Hope tavern?’

‘Lady Adelicia was most insistent; you see, I have a chamber there. She came disguised, though I knew others saw us. I heard the tittle-tattle myself. Lady Adelicia didn’t seem to care, almost as if she wanted Sir Rauf to discover her indiscretions. Perhaps she was more in love with loving than with me.’ Wendover blinked and Corbett glimpsed the anxiety in the man’s face. His eyes were bloodshot, lower lip quivering. Wendover was highly nervous or else he’d been drinking, possibly both.

‘And that Thursday afternoon when Sir Rauf was murdered?’

‘It was as usual; she came with her maid, Berengaria-’

‘Ah yes,’ Corbett interrupted. ‘What happened to the maid when Lady Adelicia was closeted with you?’

‘She was left to her own devices. She was often sent on shopping errands so that when Lady Adelicia returned to Sir Rauf she could show what she’d been doing.’

‘And that was what happened on that particular day?’

‘Yes, yes. What Berengaria did and where she went. .’ Wendover shook his head. ‘I don’t know.’

‘And you, Captain Wendover, what did you do? I mean you dallied with your lady of plaisaunce, and afterwards. . Did she leave first or you?’

‘I left first.’

‘Why?’

‘I had to go back to the Guildhall. I was becoming nervous.’

‘Or tired of Lady Adelicia? She was so importunate?’

‘I was becoming nervous, Sir Hugh. I left the chamber, she was sleeping.’

‘And you went back to the Guildhall?’

‘Yes, yes, I did.’

‘You have witnesses to that?’ Corbett asked.

Wendover shrugged and looked away.

‘But you could have gone to Sir Rauf’s house. I mean, he was a wealthy man.’

‘How could I!’ Wendover almost shouted. ‘I never went there. Adelicia had told me enough about Sir Rauf and his iron-bound coffers, his special locks, his chamber fortified like a strongroom. Why should I go there?’

‘To rob him?’

‘But he was never robbed. When Sir Walter went across later, I accompanied him. Sir Rauf was killed, but nothing was missing.’

‘Did you search?’

‘Yes, yes, we did, but nothing was disturbed.’

Corbett leaned back in his chair, resting his elbows on its arms. He stroked the pommel of his sword on the table before him.

‘And before all this, Wendover? Before Sir Rauf and Lady Adelicia? Were you born in Canterbury?’

‘Yes, Sir Hugh, baptised at the font of St Mildred’s church. I was a foundling. I’m now past my thirty-fifth summer. I’ve been a soldier most of my life.’

‘You have been Castledene’s man?’

‘Oh yes, Sir Hugh, always his faithful retainer.’

‘You were with him on board ship when The Segreant and The Caltrop trapped The Waxman and its crew?’

‘Oh yes.’

‘What happened?’

‘As you say, we trapped that pirate against the Essex coast, Sir Walter and the Hanse ship. How, I don’t know, but I heard the chatter. How Paulents had suborned Blackstock’s lieutenant, a man called Stonecrop. He gave Sir Walter the times and seasons. . but you’d best ask him.’

‘And when the ship was captured?’

‘Blackstock refused to surrender. We had royal archers aboard, Welsh longbowmen; they shot him down. Sir Walter later had Blackstock’s corpse stripped and hung by the neck from the poop.’

‘And Stonecrop?’

‘Sir Walter showed him little mercy. He may have been a traitor but he was still a pirate. Sir Walter had him thrown overboard. Most reckoned he’d die in the freezing, turbulent seas. I later heard rumours that he may have reached land, but he never reappeared in Canterbury.’ He shrugged. ‘At least to my knowledge.’

‘Sir Walter trapped The Waxman for a reason, didn’t he? He was searching for a particular document.’

Wendover pulled a face, slouching on the stool, shoulders hunched. ‘I don’t know, Sir Hugh. There was chatter about a manuscript kept in a coffer. After the ship was taken, Sir Walter and Paulents were beside themselves when they could not find it. They scoured that ship from prow to stern. It was all in vain. Sir Walter was very angry.’

‘And afterwards?’

‘We rounded the Colvasse peninsula and sailed up the River Orwell, where we berthed for a while. Sir Walter was searching for Blackstock’s half-brother Hubert, but there was no sign of him; never has been either.’

Corbett let his hands fall away from his face and leaned across the table. ‘And Maubisson? You were in charge of the city guard. Your instructions were to guard that manor carefully, and yet four people, visitors to this kingdom, indeed the King’s own guests, were brutally murdered. No, no, don’t gossip about suicide.’ Corbett half laughed. ‘They were killed, hanged! How, Wendover?’

‘I don’t know,’ the captain replied wearily. ‘I’ve thought about it time and time again. We knew Sir Walter’s visitors were coming. Maubisson was prepared, stores laid in. I searched every chamber. We ringed that manor house. The foreigners arrived, looking tired. I had a few words with them. They went into the manor house, and locked and barred the doors and shutters. I circled the house with my men; the rest you know. Until we knocked at that door and demanded entrance, we saw, we heard, we glimpsed nothing untoward. Sir Hugh, I truly don’t know what happened.’

‘And Servinus?’

Wendover sighed. ‘A tall man, no hair, I remember that, dressed in black leather like. .’ he flicked his fingers towards Ranulf, ‘a professional swordsman, a former mercenary. He had a harsh face, with heavy-lidded eyes.’

‘He was well armed?’

‘Oh yes, he had a war belt. When I saw him enter the house, he also carried an arbalest. I would reckon he’d be a difficult man to kill.’