Peter Tremayne - The Monk Who Vanished

‘I do. I remember hearing some lamentation from the brethren over poor young Brother Daig. Indeed, he was no more than seventeen years.’

‘There was also the captured raider who lay trussed up nearby.’

Brother Madagan’s eyes flickered with momentary fire.

‘Sister Scothnat told me that he had been captured but not killed. Had I known then what I know now, I doubt not that I would have risen and killed him myself.’ Fidelma felt the intensity in his voice. He hesitated and relaxed. ‘You condemn me for the thought? A Brother of the Faith should not give voice to such natural feelings of hate and anger? Yet Daig was such a gentle soul and would have harmed no one. He had no violence in him and yet that animal struck him down. I will not pray for his soul, Sister Fidelma.’

There was a brief silence.

‘I will not ask you to,’ Fidelma replied gravely. ‘What I will ask you to do is cast your mind back to that time, Brother Madagan. Do you remember being carried back to your chamber?’

Brother Madagan rubbed his chin.

‘Vaguely. The apothecary came to check on each of us, I think. He bent over me. I was still trying to recover consciousness. He saw that I had received a blow on the head but not an open wound and told two young brothers to help me to my room and bathe and bind my head.’

‘The apothecary?’ Eadulf leant forward eagerly.

‘Brother Bardan. We have no other apothecary here.’

‘Then what happened?’

‘I was carried to my cell as he instructed.’

‘Had he examined the others before you? Or did he examine you first?’ Fidelma asked.

‘As I recall — remember that I was only partially conscious — I think he examined Brother Daig first. He was quite moved by the fact that the boy was dead. They were close. It was only when Brother Tomar insisted that he must look to the living that he came to me. While he did so, two of the Brothers were removing the body of Cred and another two removing that of Brother Daig.’ He grimaced without humour. ‘I think that the last thing Iremember was hearing the whining merchant arguing with Brother Bardan.’

‘The merchant? Do you mean Samradán?’ asked Fidelma hastily. ‘Was he in the courtyard at that time? Surely he was hiding in the chapel vaults with the women of the community?’

‘No. I remember he was definitely in the courtyard and arguing with Brother Bardán. He was demanding something. Protection, I think. I recall now that Brother Bardán shouted to him that he should fend for himself because people lay dead and dying. I am afraid the merchant is a selfish man.’

‘Fend for himself for people lay dead and dying? Were those Bardán’s words?’

‘Yes. You have stirred my memory, Fidelma.’

‘So you were the last to be removed from the courtyard?’

‘With the exception of the raider,’ agreed Brother Madagan.

‘Well, it is good to see that you are recovering, Brother Madagan.’ Fidelma rose from her place, and Brother Madagan followed her example hesitantly.

‘Sister Scothnat says that the attack was carried out by the Uí Fidgente. Is that true?’

‘We do not know,’ corrected Fidelma. ‘It is only suspicion that lays the blame on them.’

Brother Madagan sighed.

‘We have to be suspicious of our enemies. It is our only defence against betrayal and treachery.’

‘Suspicion is the mother of suspicion, Brother Madagan,’ replied Fidelma. ‘If you let suspicion into your heart you will allow all trust to exit from it.’

‘You may be right,’ Brother Madagan said. ‘However, we may place our trust in God … but we should ensure our horse is tethered safely at night. I only ask because an Uí Fidgente has arrived here. I do not like him. He says he is a dálaigh.’

‘I know. He is what he says he is, Brother Madagan. His name is Solam and he proceeds to Cashel to plead the case of his Prince before the Brehons there. I am to plead against him.’

‘Is it so?’ Brother Madagan seemed about to say something else and then he smiled and left them almost abruptly.

Eadulf glanced at Fidelma.

‘Brother Bardán and Samradan were both in the courtyard with that warrior. My wager would be on Brother Bardan. I think he is our main suspect. The motive is obviously vengeance for the death of his friend, Brother Daig.’

Fidelma considered the matter for a moment.

‘Perhaps. There is a doubt in my mind. It could well be that the warrior was killed in order that he did not reveal who sent him and his comrades. Also, you are quite forgetting the disappearance of the contents of the warrior’s saddle bags from the stable. Why would Brother Bardan remove the contents of the saddle bags if he had killed the warrior merely out of vengeance?’

Eadulf groaned. He had indeed forgotten the very reason why they had set out to look for Brother Bardan in the first place.

‘We’d better find Brother Bardán,’ he said. ‘I did not see him at either the service or the meal.’

He was surprised when Fidelma replied: ‘We do not have to question him at the moment. We know where he was at the time when the warrior was stabbed. We know he had the time and opportunity. But I am not satisfied how it links up with everything else that has happened here. Are you sure that Brother Bardán did not come in for the meal?’

‘I didn’t see him.’

‘We shall keep an eye on him without alarming him.’

‘There has been no word about the discovery of the remains of Sarnradán’s driver,’ Eadulf added with an involuntary shiver.

Fidelma wrinkled her nose distastefully.

‘Sometimes those taken by wolves are never found. I will say a prayer for the repose of that poor man’s soul.’

They entered the cloisters and were about to cross the courtyard towards the guests’ hostel when Eadulf suddenly pulled Fidelma back into the shadows.

She opened her mouth to protest but was silenced by a finger placed to Eadulf’s lips. The Saxon monk jerked his head in the direction of the cloistered passage on the far side of the courtyard.

She looked across.

There was the small, pale-faced figure of Solam, the dálaigh of the Uí Fidgente. He was talking animatedly and waving his arms. He seemed excited. She was not sure to whom he was talking for the other figure stood behind one of the columns of the cloisters. That it was a religieux was obvious from what little she could see of the figure’s habit.

‘Our lawyer friend seems rather agitated,’ muttered Eadulf.

‘I wonder why?’ mused Fidelma. ‘Can we get near without being seen?’

‘I doubt it.’

‘Let’s try anyway.’

They began to walk slowly and as quietly as they could along the cloistered corridor along one side of the courtyard before turning downthe other. They could hear Solam’s voice raised slightly but could not make out what he was saying.

Then his voice stopped, as if in mid-flow.

‘I think we have been seen,’ muttered Eadulf.

‘Walk on as if you are not aware of them,’ instructed Fidelma softly. She increased her pace slightly.

By the time they came to the corner, with a view along the far corridor, the two figures had vanished. Solam had obviously entered one of the nearby doorways which gave access to the guests’ hostel. Of the other figure they could hear the slapping of leather sandals on the flagged stones as the wearer hurried away. Eadulf ran forward and peered through the stone arches across the courtyard. A door banged on the far side.

At that moment, Abbot Ségdae appeared through another side door. He halted when he saw Eadulf standing there, a little breathless from the exertion of his sudden run.

‘I heard a door slamming,’ the abbot announced with disapproval in his voice.