Peter Tremayne - The Dove of Death

‘That explains why you were up at such an hour, but not how you came to be in the Abbot’s room.’

‘My room is adjacent to the lady Trifina’s room for, when she is staying here, I am appointed her personal attendant and I am so placed that she can call upon my services when she requires.’

‘And Trifina’s room is where?’

‘At the far end of the corridor. I left my room and was making my way along the corridor…’

‘Without a candle?’ Fidelma asked sharply. ‘You did not have one when I came upon you.’

‘The candle in the Abbot’s room was mine.’

‘So what happened? Tell us in your own words. You came along the corridor…’

‘As I was about to pass the Abbot’s room I heard a noise, the sound of a groan. Believing the Abbot might be ill, I paused and knocked on the door. There was no response. I saw that it was slightly ajar and so I pushed it open.’

‘Ajar?’ Fidelma interjected. ‘Not closed?’

‘Ajar,’ confirmed the girl.

‘Continue.’

‘I pushed it open and called to ask the Abbot if he was ailing or required anything. There was no response.’

‘No groan?’

‘No sound at all. I raised my candle and entered the room. I saw the Abbot lying still on the bed. I think I spoke again, asking if he was all right, but there was no reply. I moved across to the bed, put down my candle and bent over him. I felt something hard as I did so…it was the handle of the knife protruding from his chest. I felt blood on my dress. I turned and fled the room in panic…’

‘And nearly collided with me,’ Fidelma ended. ‘Now tell me, you say that you heard him groan before you entered the room?’

‘I did.’

‘Perhaps it was his last dying breath,’ offered Budic. His eyes were focused at some point on the ceiling and he did not see Fidelma’s irritated glance at his interruption.

‘One presumes,’ she continued, ‘with such a wound that it would have been the cause of an almost instantaneous death. However, you heard nothing else — no sound of anyone leaving the room by another exit? For surely the killer must have been in the room.’

‘There is a window,’ the girl replied quietly.

‘So when you entered the room,’ Fidelma went on, ‘did you observe if the window was open?’

‘No, but there is a sheer drop below it.’

‘The door was ajar, you say. Had you seen any movement, anyone coming from the Abbot’s room as you came along the corridor?’

The girl shook her head. ‘I saw nothing else. I saw no one leave the room as I approached along the corridor.’

‘Now this window in the room,’ reflected Fidelma. ‘I examined it. It was closed.’

‘So we have a mystery again,’ Riwanon intervened. ‘How did this killer leave the bedside of the murdered Abbot? Could someone from the outside have entered the fortress?’

Fidelma gave a thin smile.

‘I have already asked Boric, who I took the precaution of summoning through Iuna, to examine the area and grounds adjacent to see if there was any sign of any egress or exit.’

‘And therefore…?’ came Riwanon’s prompt.

‘There is none. Whoever killed the Abbot knew the way in and out of his room. Also, they must have known which bedchamber he had been assigned.’

Iuna shifted nervously in her chair.

‘Which means?’ demanded Riwanon.

‘The conclusion, according to Iuna’s statement,’ Fidelma went on, ‘can only be that the killer left in the darkness moments before she came down the corridor. That someone has to have access to this fortress and know their way about this building, even to the location of the room where the Abbot was sleeping.’

‘Supposing that it was the Abbot who was the intended victim…’ Budic still had a trace of a smile on his face.

Fidelma turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

‘Can you expound on that remark?’ she asked.

‘Perhaps this killer was not committing a premeditated murder. Perhaps they were merely a thief, a thief who wandered into a room by chance, woke the occupant by accident and struck out to silence him.’

‘It is an interesting theory,’ said Riwanon. ‘Perhaps we should make a search for missing items?’

‘I doubt whether anything is missing.’ Fidelma’s expression did not change. ‘And it would still mean that the killer had knowledge enough to wander this place at night, knowing their way around. There is one other thing that we are already forgetting.’

‘Which is?’ Riwanon leaned eagerly forwards.

‘The strange message that brought the Abbot here yesterday. It purported to be from your husband, Riwanon. Was that message designed to lure the Abbot here, to bring him to his death?’

‘Lure?’ Brother Metellus’ brows were drawn together. ‘You mean that the message was purposely sent to bring him here, for him to be killed? That sounds dramatic.’

‘It is something to be considered,’ Fidelma said calmly.

‘But who could have done such a thing?’

‘Isn’t that what we are discussing?’ Riwanon sighed impatiently. ‘All I can say is that the message was not sent by my husband.’

‘The point is,’ Eadulf intervened, ‘who would want to kill Abbot Maelcar?’

Brother Metellus could not restrain a chuckle, saying, ‘He was not the most likeable of men. There are plenty who would not shed a tear at his demise.’

‘According to what you have told us, Brother Metellus, that would include yourself?’ Fidelma pointed out dryly.

His shoulders tensed for a moment before he relaxed with a rueful laugh.

‘Just so, lady,’ he conceded. ‘As well as many members of the community at Gildas. And there are many more who are no longer of the community, those whom the abbot expelled when they did not agree with his new Rule, who would doubtless bear a grudge against him.’

Fidelma turned to Iuna. ‘One more question:…how well did you know Abbot Maelcar?’

Iuna started. ‘ Know him?’

‘Abbot Maelcar did know you, didn’t he?’ she said, before the girl could deny it. ‘I saw from his expression that he recognised you last night.’

The girl regained her composure quickly, saying, ‘He has been to Brilhag several times to see Lord Canao. Of course, I know him.’

‘He seemed to be arguing with you in the kitchen last night,’ Fidelma said gently.

Iuna looked shocked for a second, and then sighed. ‘He was remonstrating with me for not making Confession under his new religious rule.’

Fidelma saw the closed look on the girl’s face and realised that pursuing things further at this stage would not help them make progress.

‘I think we can allow you to go and change out of that bloodstained gown,’ she said gently.

The girl rose, glanced at Riwanon, who nodded as if to confirm Fidelma’s suggestion, and hurried off.

Fidelma turned to Brother Metellus. ‘Do you know the scribe who accompanied the Abbot here?

‘Brother Ebolbain? Not well at all. Only by sight.’

‘Will you find him and bring him here? We should hear if he has anything to add to the reason why the Abbot came here.’

Brother Metellus left the great hall.

Fidelma went to the table where, at the beginning of the gathering, she had placed something wrapped in a cloth. Now she carefully unwrapped it and held it up, so that Riwanon could see it.

‘I wonder if you recognise this, lady?’ she asked.

Riwanon frowned at the object.

‘Why would I recognise it, apart from the fact that it’s a knife?’

‘Examine it,’ invited Fidelma.

‘It’s a hunting knife.’

‘Rather it is a dagger used in warfare,’ Fidelma corrected. ‘But what I wanted you to particularly notice, and express if it means anything to you, is the symbol engraved on the handpiece.’