Peter Tremayne - Hemlock at Vespers

Abbot Colmán followed her unhappily along the corridors of the palace toward his chamber. “You were harsh, Sister. After all, she has just been widowed and is only eighteen years old.”

Fidelma was indifferent.

“I meant to be harsh. She felt nothing for Fiacc. He was merely a source of income for her. She proclaims her motto without shame- lucri bonus est odor ex requalibet.”

Colmán grimaced. “Sweet is the smell of money obtained from any source. Isn’t that from Juvenal’s Satires?”

Fidelma smiled briefly.

“Send for Irél, Tressach and Garbh to come to your chamber. I think I can now solve this problem.”

It was not long before the three men crowded curiously into the Abbot’s chamber.

Fidelma was seated in a chair before the fire while Colmán stood with his back to it, a little to one side. His hands were clasped behind his back.

“Well now.” Fidelma raised her head and regarded them each in turn before addressing the warrior, Tressach. “How long have you been a guard at Tara, Tressach?”

“Three years, Sister.”

“And how long have you patrolled the compound containing the tombs of the High Kings?”

“One year.”

“And you, Irél? You are captain of the guards of Tara. How long have you been here?”

“I entered the service of the High Kings some ten years ago. Conall Cáel was still High King then. I have been captain here for the last year.”

She looked from one to another and shook her head sadly.

“And how long has Séchnasach been High King?” she continued.

Irél frowned, not understanding the logic of this question. He regarded Fidelma as if she were joking. But her expression was completely serious.

“How long? You must know that, Sister. Everyone does. It was three years ago when the joint High Kings, Diarmait and Blathmac, died of the Yellow Plague within a week of one another. That was when Sechnasach became High King.”

“Three years ago?” pressed Fidelma.

“You must remember, Fidelma,” interrupted Colmán, wondering how she could have forgotten. “You were in Tara on that occasion yourself.” But she ignored him and continued to direct her questions to Irél.

“And is the High King in good health?”

“To my knowledge thanks be to God,” Irél replied, becoming slightly defensive.

“And his family?” continued Fidelma remorselessly. “Are they in good health?”

“Indeed, the High King is blessed.”

“I told you as much myself when you arrived earlier,” frowned Colmán, wondering if Fidelma was losing her memory.

“So what is the purpose of the new grave being dug behind the tomb of Tigernmas?”

The question was asked so softly that it took a moment or two for its implication to sink in. Fidelma’s fiery green eyes were fixed on the keeper of the cemetery.

Garbh’s mouth dropped open and he began to stutter. Then he hung his head in silence.

“Hold him,” instructed Fidelma calmly. “He is to be held for premeditated murder and grave robbery.”

With astonished expressions, Irél and Tressach moved close to the side of the keeper of the cemetery.

Fidelma now rose languidly to her feet and gazed sorrowfully at Garbh. “There has been no death of a High King or any member of his family during the last three years. Sechnasach is still young and healthy. Why, then, dig a new grave in the cemetery of the High Kings? Will you explain, Garbh, or shall I?”

Garbh remained silent.

“You started digging the grave in order to construct a small passage into the tomb of Tigernmas, didn’t you, Garbh?”

“For what purpose would one want to enter an ancient tomb?” demanded Colmán, chagrined that he had not spotted such an obvious matter as the new grave.

“To rob the tomb, of course,” replied Fidelma. “Where were all the gold, silver and jewels that would have been buried with Tig-ernmas? Only a single bar and some gold jewelry lay discarded on the floor of the burial chamber. Tigernmas was a king of many legends. But it was well known that he ruled a rich court. Following the custom of our ancestors, rich grave goods would have been placed there to serve him in the Otherworld.”

Irél was looking shamefaced. Fidelma had pointed out this very fact to him and it had not registered.

“But there is much to be explained,” he pointed out. “How did the judge, Fiacc, come to be there? Had he spotted Garbh’s intention and tried to catch him?”

Fidelma shook her head. “It was Fiacc’s idea to rob the tomb in the first place. Fiacc had married a mercenary young woman. Fiacc had also made several mistakes in judgment and had become destitute through the payment of compensation. He was desperately in debt. He needed money badly. He needed money prior to his hearing before the Chief Brehon tomorrow. Money to cover his debts and money to keep his capricious young wife. It was Fiacc’s idea to rob the tomb of Tigernmas, which, according to the chroniclers, contained great riches. But how was he to do it on his own?”

“Do you have the explanation?” Colmán asked.

“When he arrived at Tara, Fiacc spent a day or so in the cemetery examining the tomb. He realized there was only one way to get access without attracting any attention. He enlisted the aid of Garbh, the keeper of the graves. Once Garbh saw the simplicity of the plan, greed took over. Money is always a great incentive.

“Garbh was always in the cemetery, repairing tombs. It was Garbh’s job to dig the graves when a High King or his family died. No one was bothered when Garbh started to dig a grave near the sepulcher of Tigernmas. No one even thought to ask why he was digging a grave. Everyone saw Garbh at what was presumed to be his usual lawful task.

“Garbh and Fiacc broke into the tomb of Tigernmas this evening. When you come to examine the new grave which Garbh has dug, and which he meant to fill in tomorrow, you will find traces of a short tunnel into the tomb. It will come up under the floor, under one of the granite slabs. One of those slabs, Irél, with the scratch marks on it which you so rightly observed had been made by ropes used to reset it into its proper place in the floor. The plan was that Garbh and Fiacc would extract the riches and reseal the passage so that no one would know that the tomb had even been entered. A few items were overlooked in the haste to extract everything. A bar of silver and some jewelry were left behind. But that was all.”

“How did Fiacc die?” demanded Irél, trying to follow the story.

“Was it the curse of Tigernmas that struck him down?” Tressach asked fearfully.

“Fiacc died,” replied Fidelma coldly, “because Garbh decided that he did not want to share the easy money that had come his way. Having been shown the almost effortless way to gain riches, Garbh wanted those riches for himself. He waited until he and Fiacc had removed all the loot from the tomb and were cleaning up. Fiacc you see, being a judge, was very meticulous about his planning. In case, some accident caused the tomb to be opened, he had decided that the dust on the floor, which would show evidence of their activity and might provide a clue to their identity, should be swept away.”

Irél groaned. Again Fidelma had pointed this out to him and it had not registered as important.

“Go on,” he urged. “You have told us why Fiacc died. Now tell us how exactly he died.”

“It was after the spoils had been removed and the cleaning finished that Garbh, using a fé, the measuring stick for graves, stabbed Fiacc in the back and thought he had killed him. He then left the tomb, resealed the entrance, and went back to the grave he was digging, perhaps filling in the tunnel after him. We shall see that later. I would imagine that he has stored his spoils in or near his cabin.”