Peter Tremayne - Hemlock at Vespers

“Not necessarily. But think of it in this way; think of a forest path strewn with dead leaves, twigs and the like. An animal might move quietly over such a carpet but can a human? Could a man or woman creep up so quickly behind someone walking along and strike them before they knew it?”

“Then we must question the girl further,” snapped Heribert, “and force her to confess.”

Fidelma looked at him in disapproval.

“Confess to what?”

“Why, the killing of the other girl,” replied Heribert.

Fidelma gave a deep sigh.

“There is another more plausible explanation why Sister Delia did not hear her assailant creep up behind her.”

The Abbot frowned in anger.

“What game are you playing? First you say one thing and then you say another. I do not follow.”

The Abbess Ballgel intervened as she saw Fidelma’s facial muscles go taut and her eyes change color.

“Fidelma is a qualified advocate used to these puzzles. I suggest we allow her to follow her path of reasoning.”

The Abbot sat back his face set in a sneer.

“Proceed, then.”

“Before I come back to that point, let us proceed along another route. The savagery with which Sister Cessair was attacked, the fact that her features were mutilated, the fact that Sister Delia was left unmarked except for the blow that laid her unconscious, means that Cessair was, indeed, singled out particularly in this attack. She was, as I said before, attacked out of some great malice toward her.”

“It is logical, Fidelma,” agreed the Abbess.

“Then we must consider who had such a hatred of Cessair.”

She paused and allowed them to consider her proposal in silence.

“Well, we can eliminate almost everyone,” the Abbess smiled briefly.

“How so?”

“Brother Cano was her lover. Sister Delia was her closest friend in the abbey. Cessair made no enemies… except…”

She suddenly hesitated.

“Except?” encouraged Fidelma gently.

The Abbess had dropped her eyes.

It was Abbot Heribert who flushed with anger.

“Except me, you mean?” He rose to his feet. “What are you implying? Because I uphold the teaching of celibacy? Because I forbid any liaison with women among the members of my community? Because I urged the Abbess to forbid Sister Cessair to see Brother Cano as I had forbidden him to meet with her? Are these things to be thrown at me in accusation that I murdered her?”

“Did you?”

Fidelma asked the question so quietly that for a long time it seemed that the Abbot had not heard her.

“How dare you!”

“I dare because I must,” replied Fidelma calmly. “Keep your bluster to yourself, Abbot. We are hear to discover the truth, not to engage in games of vanity.”

Heribert went red in the face. He was inarticulate with rage.

The Abbess Ballgel leant forward.

“Abbot Heribert, we are simply intelligent people trying to resolve a problem. Our pride and self-regard should not impinge on that process for we are seeking the truth and the truth alone.

Abbot Heribert blinked.

“I resent being accused-”

“I did not accuse you, Heribert,” Fidelma replied. “Your unthinking pride did so. But, since you have raised this matter yourself, I put it to you that you certainly had no liking for Cessair.”

He stared at her and then shrugged.

“I have made that evident. No. I disliked her for she was a distraction to Brother Cano. Indeed, she was a distraction to all the young men in my community. I have even seen young men like Brother Sinsear moonstruck in her presence.”

“My mentor, the Brehon Morann of Tara used to say-it is easier to become a monk in one’s old age,” sighed Fidelma.

Abbess Ballgel hid a smile.

“Anyway,” Fidelma continued, “as Abbot you were expecting Sisters Cessair and Delia to arrive at Fosse at noon or so I am led to believe?”

“Not precisely. I was expecting two sisters of Abbess Ballgel’s community to arrive but I did not know who they would be. Had I known one was going to be Sister Cessair….”

“What would you have done?”

“I should have stopped her coming to mislead Brother Cano further into temptation’s way.”

“Cano was misled?” queried Fidelma. “I thought he was in love with Cessair?”

The Abbot stirred uncomfortably.

“Women are the temptresses by which the saintly fall from grace.”

He did not meet Fidelma’s flashing anger. But Fidelma, realizing it impossible to overcome the misogynist’s prejudice, decided to ignore the remark.

“Ballgel, why did you choose Cessair and Delia to bring the vial of blood for the service this morning?”

“Why?”

“Someone knew that Cessair was going to be walking along that forest track.”

The eyes of the Abbess widened.

“Why, it was Sister Delia who came to me last night and asked if she be allowed to take the vial for the blessing. She also asked me if she could choose a companion to accompany her.”

“You did not know that she would choose Cessair?”

“As a matter of fact,” smiled the Abbess, “I presumed that she would. They have been inseparable companions.”

“You knew that she would choose Cessair to accompany her through the forest of Seneffe even though the Abbot disapproved on Cessair? Isn’t that strange?”

“Not at all. I am like you, Fidelma. I refuse to be dictated to as to who I can send here or there.”

Abbot Heribert’s mouth set in a grim line. He was clearly displeased but did not say anything.

“So Sister Delia was the only other person who knew Cessair would go with her, apart from yourself, Ballgel?”

Abbess Ballgel looked carefully at her friend.

“You will remember, Fidelma,” she said softly, “that you arrived at Nivelles only a short time after Brother Sinsear had brought us the dreadful news.”

Fidelma smiled sympathetically.

“I do remember. And you need hardly remind me that you would have had no time to have done the deed. Besides, it would be very difficult for an abbess to absent herself from her abbey for the time needed to do carry out this murder. I also presume that you would have had no motive either?”

Before Ballgel could respond, Abbot Heribert interrupted.

“It would like be difficult for an abbot to absent himself from his abbey,” he said shortly.

“I had not forgotten, Heribert,” Fidelma said solemnly. “Tell us, as a matter of record, where you were about noon?”

Abbot Heribert shrugged. “I will play the game to the end,” he said heavily. “Today, being the anniversary of the death of the Blessed Gertrude, we have a midday Angelus followed by a service of remembrance not only for Gertrude but in memory of the Blessed Foillan whom she allowed to build our abbey. The vial of the holy blood is brought to the abbey just before the midday Angelus bell is sounded.

“At ten minutes before midday I was standing with several Brothers awaiting the appearance of the two Sisters, who usually carry the vial from Nivelles. I did not know who they would be. When midday came and the bell was tolled, I thought that the only thing to do was proceed with the service although without the vial.”

“Did you not send anyone to look for the Sisters?’

“I was informed that Brother Sinsear had already left to escort the Sisters through the forest. So I did not need to.”

“I see. Go on.”

“Well, we performed the service and when it was over there was no sign of the Sisters nor of Brother Sinsear.”

“Brother Sinsear had come straight to Nivelles to alert us,” pointed out Ballgel.

“It was some time before Brother Sinsear returned,” agreed Heribert, “and told us the appalling news and we immediately set out to the forest. We had barely reached there when you arrived.”