Paul Doherty - By Murder's bright light

‘How would Bracklebury know Bernicia?’ Cabe muttered.

Athelstan shrugged. ‘Oh, you never know, Master Cabe, in this world of lies, greed makes strange allies. Anyway, somehow or other, you became convinced Bernicia knew where the silver was. So you planned to meet her and used Bracklebury’s name.’

Cabe drank from the tankard and sneered.

‘But, if Bracklebury was her ally, how could I appear as him?’

‘That I don’t know,’ Athelstan replied truthfully.

‘Something had changed your mind so that you believed Bracklebury may not have double-crossed you but that Bernicia certainly had: Anyway,’ Athelstan continued, ‘you took Bernicia to a secret drinking place, invited yourself back to her house, cut her throat and ransacked the place.’

‘What proof do you have of this?’ Cabe snapped.

Cranston leaned over, tapping the table. ‘I’ll be honest, not much, my bucko. But, there again, perhaps if we took you back to that secret drinking-place, who knows who might recognise you?’

Cabe’s face became even paler.

‘Come on,’ Cranston urged gently. ‘Sooner or later the truth will be out.’

‘What happens-’ Cabe looked up. ‘What happens if I tell the truth, as I see it?’

Cranston gestured with his hand. ‘Murder is murder, Master Cabe, and murderers hang. But those who turn king’s evidence may seek the royal pardon and agree to leave England’ – Cranston screwed up his eyes and looked towards the door of the tavern – ‘for, shall we say, three years?’

Athelstan grabbed the seaman by the arm. ‘For the love of God, Master Cabe, tell us the truth!’

‘Can I have some wine, Father?’

Cranston ordered him a goblet of claret. Cabe sipped at it carefully.

‘These are the facts,’ he began tonelessly. ‘Roffel was a murdering bastard. God forgive us, it wasn’t the first time he attacked a ship and killed the prisoners, but this time it was special. Roffel was looking for something.’ He shrugged. ‘Ah, well, you know what happened. Afterwards Bracklebury and I decided to confront him. Now, perhaps, Roffel meant to lock the cabin door but he didn’t; anyway it was very rare for us just to walk in. On that morning, however, we did; Roffel was sitting at his table, the money belt before him, silver coins spilling out. We knew at a glance what had happened. Roffel just roared at us to get out and said he would hang us if we ever did that again.’ Cabe rubbed his face. ‘Well, Bracklebury and I were furious. It wasn’t the first time Roffel had stolen our shares.’ Cabe glanced at Athelstan. ‘Whatever you think of me, Father, I am a good seaman and I am not frightened of anything that walks on earth. My whole body is one scar from head to toe. And for what? Stale wine, cheap whores, a damp bed in some seedy alehouse?’ He picked up his goblet and gulped at the wine. ‘Bracklebury and I laid our plans, but then Roffel fell ill and died.’

‘Did you murder him?’ Cranston interrupted.

Cabe raised his hand. ‘Before God, I had no hand in Roffel’s death!’

‘Did Bracklebury?’

‘God knows! Anyway,’ Cabe continued, ‘Roffel’s death gave us the opportunity to search the cabin. We went through everything but there was no trace of a belt full of silver. The ship anchored in the Thames, Bracklebury took Raffel’s corpse ashore and, for a while, we acted our parts. We allowed the sailors to have their whores on board then, as you said, Bracklebury cleared the ship. Bracklebury was a good mate but I didn’t trust him fully so we agreed that, about each hour, he would flash the signal lamp towards shore and I would answer.’ Cabe licked his lips. ‘The rest of the officers were too drunk to remember where each of us wandered off to. I spent most of the bloody night on that quayside fearful of everything. What happened if Bracklebury didn’t find the silver? What happened if Bracklebury did and decided to flee? It was then that I saw the whore Bernicia standing on the quayside, looking out to the ship. I heard Bracklebury curse her and the misbegotten creature disappeared.’ Cabe slurped his wine. ‘The mist shifted – sometimes it blanketed the God’s Bright Light completely, at other times it parted. I saw the signals being flashed and the admiral’s boat go across. We had expected that but Bracklebury said he would fob him off.’ Cabe splayed his fingers out on the table top. ‘The next morning I thought I was in a nightmare. The God’s Bright Light was deserted. There was no sign of Bracklebury or the rest of the watch. I immediately concluded that Bracklebury had found the silver and either killed his two shipmates and fled or shared it with them and jumped ship.’ He smiled thinly at Cranston. ‘But it wasn’t as simple as that, Sir John, was it? There was all the mystery of who kept passing the signals between the ships and neither myself nor anyone else had seen anyone leave or approach the God’s Bright Light .’ Cabe tapped the table top. ‘That did intrigue me, because Bracklebury couldn’t swim.’ Cabe gulped at the wine and stared beseechingly at Cranston. ‘You promise I won’t hang?’

‘I promise.’

‘Well, two days ago I got a note. It was written in some scrivener’s hand but it bore Bracklebury’s mark, a circle with a dot in the centre. It simply said that he had jumped ship and was in hiding from the law. The message also claimed that, somehow or other, Bernicia had seized the silver. The whore had double crossed everyone!’

‘You know Bernicia was a man?’ Athelstan asked.

‘Yes, I discovered that when I killed the slut.’

‘So, you did murder Bernicia?’

‘Oh, yes,’ Cabe replied. ‘I followed her to that drinking-hole.’

‘You didn’t wonder how Bernicia could have found the silver?’

‘At first I did. But then I remembered Bernicia being on board, just after we docked, and thought perhaps she could have found it then.’

‘Why did you use Bracklebury’s name?’

‘Well, in his note he said that he was in hiding because you, Sir John, had circulated his description along the riverside as well as in the city. Now, I was still suspicious. I thought Bracklebury could be playing some devious game.’ Cabe shrugged. ‘So I went to that tavern and met Bernicia. I didn’t actually say I was Bracklebury but merely hinted at it.’ He blew his lips out. ‘Bernicia didn’t seem to know the difference and that, I thought, proved the message correct – Bernicia must have the silver. So I killed her. I then ransacked the house but found nothing.’ Cabe laughed softly. ‘Do you know, I still thought Bracklebury was alive and that I’d fallen into some subtle trap. When his body was washed up, I just gave up.’ Cabe paused and looked at Athelstan. ‘You never explained how that happened?’

The friar shrugged. ‘Perhaps it was the river battle or perhaps the rope worked loose!’

‘When I saw his corpse,’ Cabe continued flatly, ‘I didn’t know anything any more.’ He blew his cheeks out. ‘I’ve told you everything.’

‘Do you know who sent that message?’ Cranston asked.

‘No, but-’

‘But what?’ Cranston insisted.

‘What if Bracklebury is still alive? What if that corpse is someone who just looks like him? Where is the other member of the watch, Clement? Who else knew about the silver? Who knew Bracklebury’s personal mark?’ Cabe leaned over the table. ‘Sir John, in God’s name, what did happen?’

‘In God’s name,’ Cranston replied slowly, ‘we don’t really know.’

‘What about me?’ Cabe asked.

‘When does the God’s Bright Light sail?’

‘In two days’ time.’

‘Be on it!’ Cranston ordered. ‘And I’ll see to it that, before it sails, you’ll get a royal pardon. That pardon will only be effective provided you are not seen in London, and I mean London, for the space of three years!’