Peter Tremayne - The Council of the Cursed

The entire gathering was now hanging onto her every word.

‘So what has happened to this missing reliquary box?’ asked Bishop Leodegar. ‘Who has it?’

‘It had been stolen by the conspirators when Dabhóc was killed, of course.’

‘But why did Abbot Dabhóc take this box to Bishop Ordgar’s chamber?’ the bishop wanted to know.

‘He did not. Abbot Dabhóc was killed in his own chamber from where the box was stolen.’

‘I am confused,’ Clotaire confessed.

‘It is a complicated story,’ admitted Fidelma. ‘When Beretrude’s ambitious son came here he had two confederates apart from his mother. One was Brother Andica, the stonemason, who tried to kill both Eadulf and myself. Fortunately, the statue he pushed down on us did not kill us as intended. While Eadulf was taken to Brother Gebicca, the physician, to have his injury seen to, I went up to look at the plinth from where the statue had fallen. I wanted to make sure whether it had, indeed, fallen of its own accord or whether someone had pried it loose as we passed underneath. My assumption that it had been deliberately pushed down on us was proved correct. Now, a young man, afterwards identified as the stonemason Andica, had offered to show me to the gallery from where the statue fell. As I was examining it, he tried to push me from the galley, misjudged and fell to his death.’

There was a gasp from her listeners. The physician, Brother Gebicca, coughed dryly, dispelling the moment of drama.

‘Are you also saying that the bite of the viper which you received was another attempt to kill you?’

Fidelma shrugged, glancing at Beretrude.

‘No one can say. I will not pursue it. I am sure Beretrude has other matters of importance to deal with. The murder of Abbot Dabhóc might have commenced as a simple robbery. Our killer could have been in Dabhóc’s chamber, attempting to steal the reliquary box, when Dabhóc returned unexpectedly. His bad timing cost him his life. I do not believe it was so, because the killer would have reasoned that, with the reliquary box stolen, Dabhóc would have raised the matter with the bishop and the relics of Benignus of Hibernia would become known. No, Dabhóc was killed to keep him silent, as was Gillucán when the killer thought he knew about the relics.

‘So Dabhóc was killed and the box stolen. Then what? Leaving Dabhóc in his own chamber and the reliquary box missing might lead to too many questions. Why not camouflage the intent as well as the action? We see a devious mind at work. Bishop Ordgar had not returned to his chamber so his wine was easily drugged. When he was unconscious from its effects, the body of Dabhóc was taken into his chamber. But why would Bishop Ordgar want to kill the abbot? This is where the tortured mind of the chief conspirator devised a complication that really confused everyone. The murderer had heard of the row at the council earlier that evening. He went to Abbot Cadfan’s chamber, put a note under the door and knocked to rouse him before disappearing. As Cadfan truthfully told us, the note invited him to Ordgar’s chamber at once. He went there and was clubbed unconscious by the waiting killer. The note was removed. Then Dabhóc’s body was brought to the chamber and the scene was set. The murderer had tidied Dabhóc’s own chamber. The reliquary box was given to Brother Andica, who went to hide it in the vaults below the abbey. Everyone would now think that either Ordgar or Cadfan had murdered Dabhóc as part of the continuation of their quarrel.’

‘Are you saying Brother Andica was Gundobad?’ sneered Bishop Leodegar. ‘That is not true. I knew Brother Andica well and he was certainly not the son of Beretrude.’

‘And Andica was not from Divio,’ confirmed Fidelma. ‘Andica was just one of the main conspirators. He used his skill as stonemason here to maintain regular contact with Beretrude who was raising warriors to support the insurgency. There were, as I have said, two other conspirators in the abbey. The third was female; she it was who arranged the abduction and selling of the married women and their children.’ Sister Fidelma waited while those present absorbed her words before continuing.

‘Even in the best-laid plans, something may go amiss. In this case, it was the assignation of Sigeric and Valretrade. Passing by Ordgar’s chamber, Sigeric saw the door open and discovered the situation. His delay in rousing the bishop saved his life. Valretrade, on her way to meet him at the sepulchre where they always met, found herself confronted by Andica and his female co-conspirator. Luckily, they decided not to kill Valretrade but to place her with the other women to be sold as slaves. It was a more practical and profitable way to silence her than killing her.’

‘And who is this female conspirator?’ asked Clotaire.

‘Sister Valretrade will tell us. She was the witness who saw two of the conspirators hiding the reliquary box.’

Valretrade looked towards her with a puzzled expression.

‘I told you that I only recognised the stonemason, Brother Andica, who was carrying the reliquary box. The second figure was holding the lantern. I knew only that she was a woman, a religieuse. I was tied up, gagged and blindfolded, and only freed from those bonds in Beretrude’s cellar.’

‘So when I went to meet her in the vaults,’ Sigeric interrupted, ‘Valretrade had already been made a prisoner?’

‘Exactly so, Brother Sigeric,’ affirmed Fidelma.

Clotaire sighed impatiently. ‘Are we going to learn who this female is, Sister Valretrade? Fidelma claims that you know.’

‘Well, I suspected it was Radegund. But I could not see her.’

Sister Radegund heaved a sob and muttered: ‘It is not true. Not true.’

‘Valretrade, think back,’ pressed Fidelma. ‘You told me that you left your chamber to keep the assignation with Sigeric that night. Your custom was to light the candle as your signal. But that night you unwittingly changed the custom. What did you do that you had not done before?’

Valretrade frowned as she mentally went through her actions.

‘I left the candle alight,’ she said suddenly. ‘I had taken it from the window to my bedside to look for something and did not extinguish it as was my custom before I left the chamber.’

Fidelma was now looking in one direction.

‘But one person did not realise that you had made that mistake, did they?’

Sister Inginde was shrinking back as if she was making ready to flee, but with a nod from Fidelma, two of Clotaire’s warriors had seized her by the arms. She went limp and gave no resistance.

‘Sister Inginde told me that she knew that Valretrade had gone to see Sigeric. How did she know that? Valretrade told me she was not in the chamber when the signal was made. However, the candle was alight. Sigeric’s candle had been rekindled, which indicated that she had not turned up at the meeting place. Inginde implied that she was in the chamber when Valretrade left. She was not, and could only have known that Valretrade had gone to keep an appointment in the catacombs that night if she, herself, was there. She was not only the third conspirator but also the principal contact with Beretrude. She was involved in the sale of the married women. She identified them and arranged their abduction. She also wrote the notes that Valretrade and the others were supposed to have written. So, as I said before, neither Abbess Audofleda nor Sister Radegund were involved in that matter. They accepted the appearance of the notes and were pleased to do so, as it solved their problem of what to do with the presence of married religious in the Domus Femini .’

Fidelma looked towards the tearful Sister Radegund.

‘Initially I suspected you, especially when I followed you to the villa of your Aunt Beretrude. Then I learned of your relationship and that you often went to your aunt on matters of business.