Peter Tremayne - Act of Mercy

‘You were not worried that the tavernkeeper would raise the alarm and, because you had fled, you might be implicated in the murder?’

‘We left money for our lodgings. We ensured that the door of Canair’s room was shut and hoped it would be well after dawn when her body was discovered. We believed everyone was still asleep but, as we were leaving, we saw the tavernkeeper loading his cart by torchlight outside. He did not see us. We hurried back to the Abbey, and took our seats in the refectory, so that when other members of our party appeared, they did not question that we had spent the night there.’

Fidelma stroked the side of her nose with her forefinger, pondering matters. It was such a strange story that she had no doubt that the young man spoke the truth.

‘And was everyone else at the Abbey, everyone in your party?’

‘Yes, they were.’

‘No one suspected that you had not spent the night there?’

Brother Guss shook his head but added, ‘I think Crella was suspicious. She kept giving us dirty looks.’

‘So Canair did not turn up and the two of you told no one your story and then you all came on board.’

Brother Guss made an affirmative gesture.

‘I thought everything was all right. Muirgel had taken charge and allotted the cabins as I told you before. She took one for herself in the hope that we might get together later. But even before we sailed, Muirgel called me into her cabin. She was pale and trembling, almost out of her mind with fear.’

‘And she told you why?’

‘She said that she knew Canair’s murderer was on board.’ He pointed to the cross Fidelma still held in her hand. ‘She saw someone wearing that cross. It was Canair’s cross and she was never without it. She once told Muirgel it was a gift from her mother. Muirgel swore that Canair was wearing it when she left us all to visit her friends. It could only have been taken afterwards from her body by the person who killed her.’

‘But that was surely not enough to frighten Sister Muirgel. She obviously recognised the person with the crucifix. She could have gone to the captain and told him everything.’

‘No! I told you — she was very frightened. She said she knew why Canair had been killed, and that she would be the next victim.’

‘Did you seek further explanation from her?’

‘I tried. When I asked her how she knew, she quoted a verse from the Bible.’

‘What verse?’ Fidelma asked quickly. ‘Can you remember?’

‘The words were something like this:

‘Wear me as a seal upon your heart,

As a seal upon your arm;

For love is strong as death,

Jealousy cruel as the grave;

It blazes up like blazing fire,

Fiercer than any flame.’

Fidelma was reflective.

‘Did she explain what she meant by it?’

Brother Guss flushed.

‘Muirgel had … had known men before me; I’ll not deny it. She told me that she and Canair had once been in love with the same man. Then she would say no more.’

‘In love with the same man? “Jealousy cruel as the grave”?’ Fidelma sighed. ‘There is a glimmer of sense here but not much. Are you sure that she told you nothing further?’

‘Just that she knew that the person who killed Canair would kill her before the voyage was done.’

‘The motive being jealousy?’

‘That’s right. She told me that she was going to lock herself in her cabin all day, pretending to be seasick.’

‘Then I came on board and young Wenbrit thought I should share her cabin,’ said Fidelma.

‘Yes — she protested at your presence, but even though you were removed she still felt vulnerable. That was when she evolved this plan to hide and leave her bloodstained robe in her cabin. She wanted people to think that murder had already taken place so that they would not search for her.’

‘She was going to pretend to be swept overboard in the storm?’

‘No. We did not know a storm would descend on us. She was simply going to leave a bloodstained robe to make it look as though she had been stabbed. The idea was to get people to think that she had been killed and thrown overboard during the night. The storm merely confused matters. People thought she had been washed overboard during the night. We then cursed ourselves for leaving the robe because it complicated matters.’

‘Indeed; had you not left the robe to be found, we would have accepted that Muirgel had been the victim of an accident.’ Fidelma smiled grimly. ‘And you, obviously, supplied the blood for the robe.’

Brother Guss’s right hand went automatically to his left arm and then he shrugged.

‘I cut my arm to supply the blood for the robe,’ he confirmed. ‘I did not know you had already seen the robe. I wondered why you were so interested in the fact that my arm was hurt. I had to improvise.’

‘That certainly made me suspicious of your involvement in her so-called death. Where did she hide? The mate scoured the ship without a trace being found.’

‘Simple enough. She hid under my bunk. Brother Tola is a sound sleeper. Not even the trumpets announcing the Second Coming would awake him. She had to get out now and then for obvious reasons, but did so during the night or just at dawn before anyone stirred. It was very simple. Who would think of looking under my bunk?’

‘And this morning?’

‘She rose early and felt that it would be safe to go back to her own cabin. No one, she told me, would think of looking there now that she was officially dead. I was going to join her after breakfast.’

‘What do you think happened then?’

‘She was seen and murdered by the same person who killed Sister Canair.’

‘Very well. You implied you knew who killed her, or rather, whom you suspected of killing her. Are you referring to the same person on whom you put the blame during our talk yesterday?’

‘Crella? Yes, I believe that it was she who came and muttered outside Muirgel’s door that night. It was Crella who was spying onus. She was jealous of Canair and she was jealous of Muirgel, although she pretended to love Muirgel as her friend.’

‘But you did say that Muirgel did not reveal the name of the person whom she suspected? She did not tell you the name of the person she had seen with Canair’s cross? It is only your suspicion that it was Sister Crella?’

‘I told you, I think-’

‘I want facts,’ Fidelma cut in sharply, ‘not your suspicions. Did Muirgel say who she was afraid of?’

The youth shook his head.

‘She did not,’ he admitted.

Fidelma rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

‘We cannot act on suspicion, Guss. Unless you can give me something more substantial, then …’ She let the sentence hang in the air.

‘Then you are going to let Crella escape?’ Brother Guss accused angrily.

‘My concern is to discover the truth.’

The youth stared belligerently at her for a moment and then his features dissolved into a mask of misery.

‘I loved her! I would have done anything for her. Now I am afraid for my own life, for Crella must know now that I was her lover and tried to hide Muirgel. How far does her jealousy spread?’

Fidelma eyed the young man sympathetically.

‘We shall be wary, Brother Guss. In the meantime, take comfort from the thought that you loved Muirgel and if, as you say, she loved you in return, then you were twice blessed. Remember the Song of Solomon, for that is the verse which Muirgel was quoting to you. The next verse is:

‘Many waters cannot quench love;

No flood can sweep it away.’

Brother Guss could not bring himself to rejoin his companions but had returned to his own cabin to grieve alone. Fidelma joined Murchad outside the door where he was standing with the sailor named Drogon.