Peter Tremayne - Act of Mercy

‘Why do you suspect that this is the weapon?’ She phrased her question carefully. ‘How did you come by it?’

‘Brother Guss planted it in my cabin.’ Crella gulped ‘I had gone along to have breakfast. Then you came in and told us of Muirgel’s death. I was returning when I bumped into Guss in the corridor. I did not like the way he was staring at me. He brushed by me and went up on deck. I continued into my cabin. It was then I found the knife.’

Fidelma’s eyes dropped to the bunk; she could not see under it from where she stood.

‘Where was it hidden?’ she asked.

‘Under the bunk.’

‘How did you spot it?’

‘By luck, I suppose.’

‘Luck does not make one’s vision see through solid objects! It could not be seen from any point in this room unless you were down on your knees peering under the bunk.’

Crella was not flustered.

‘I came back with an apple in my hand. When I opened the door, I dropped my apple. It was as I was bending down to pick it up that I saw the knife.’

‘You did not actually see Guss put it there, did you? Your account does not explain why you think he was responsible.’

‘Because we were all at breakfast — with one exception. Brother Guss was not there. You claimed that he was in his cabin, but I saw him coming from his cabin. Guss has been trying to implicate me in Muirgel’s killing. He told everyone that I was the murderer.’ She frowned. ‘He must have told you.’

‘Where did you hear that he had told everyone that you were the murderer?’ demanded Fidelma.

Crella hesitated. ‘It was from Brother Cian. Guss had told him; Cian told me.’

‘What did you do? You had found the knife and Cian told you that Guss was accusing you. What then?’

‘I was so furious I went charging up on deck to confront Guss.’

‘But you left the knife here in your cabin.’

‘How did you know?’

‘Because you did not have it in your hand when you were on deck. A moment ago you reached under your bunk and took it out.’

‘I suppose I did leave it here.’

‘Strange, therefore, that you did not confront him with the weapon. Wouldn’t that be the normal thing to do?’

‘I don’t know. I just wanted him to know that I was wise to his little tale about secret sexual relations with Muirgel. I just meant to warn him that he would not get away with his claims!’

‘And he did not, did he? He was so fearful of you that he backed away from you and fell overboard.’ Sister Crella began to protest but Fidelma went on sternly, ‘A fine ruthless killer was this Brother Guss, who not only killed but planted evidence — and yet, when faced by a woman in full view of everyone, he was so scared that he allowed himself to be literally driven overboard .’

Sister Crella listened to the sarcasm in her voice.

‘He planted the knife and accused me!’

‘Sadly, we cannot now question Brother Guss,’ observed Fidelma dryly. ‘It seems that everything is so conveniently tied up with this death.’

Crella regarded her suspiciously.

‘I don’t know what you mean.’

‘Tell me, why are you so sure that Muirgel was not having an affair with Guss? That is something that I still do not understand.’

Crella raised her jaw defensively.

‘You do not believe me?’

‘Did Muirgel have many affairs?’

‘We were both normal young women. We each had our amours.’

‘So she always told you with whom she was having affairs?’

Crella sniffed defensively.

‘Of course.’

‘When was the last time she told you about an affair?’

‘I mentioned it before. She was having an affair with Cian. In fact, I had a brief affair with Cian before I tired of him.’

‘Isn’t the truth rather that Cian dropped you for Muirgel?’

Crella coloured hotly.

‘No one drops me.’

‘Didn’t that make you jealous and angry?’

‘Not enough to kill her! Don’t be ridiculous. We often swapped lovers. We were close friends and cousins, don’t forget.’

‘And you believe that she was still having an affair with Cian and not with Guss?’

‘Not with Guss, but I think she and Cian had some sort of row just before we set out from Moville.’

‘Why are you so sure that she was not having an affair with Guss? In spite of Muirgel’s frankly libertine views?’

‘Because she would have told me,’ Crella said doggedly. ‘Guss is the last person she would have an affair with. He was too serious. It is obvious to me that when Guss became moonstruck on her and she rejected him, he plotted her death and then killed her.’

‘What’s your explanation as to why and how Muirgel hid herself on this ship for a couple of days, trying to lead people into thinking she had been swept overboard?’

‘Maybe it was to escape from Guss’s unwanted attentions.’

‘Then why didn’t she let you in on the secret? I am sorry, Crella, but I have to tell you that the evidence points to the fact that Guss, indeed, was her lover. There is one other matter. How do you explain about Sister Canair?’

Fidelma looked deeply into Crella’s eyes to judge her reaction.

A slight expression of bewilderment could be discerned there.

‘Sister Canair? What about her?’

‘Are you claiming that Guss killed her as well?’

The bewilderment grew and was unfeigned.

‘What makes you think Sister Canair has been killed?’ the girl demanded. ‘You didn’t even meet our company until after we set sail. How do you know anything about Sister Canair?’

Fidelma stood examining the girl for a moment or two and then she smiled briefly.

‘No reason,’ she said, dismissing the subject. ‘No reason at all.’

She turned and left the cabin holding the knife.

Either Sister Crella was telling the truth, or … Fidelma shook her head. This was the most frustrating case that she had ever been involved in. If Sister Crella was telling the truth, then Guss must have been an exceptional liar. If Brother Guss was telling the truth, then Crella must be the liar. Who was telling the truth? And who was telling the lies? She had always been taught that truth was great and would prevail. But with this matter she could not begin to recognise the truth.

It would serve no purpose to lay the complete story as told by Guss before Crella. She would merely deny it, if she was guilty, and without any further evidence, it would lead nowhere. Fidelma, it seemed, had reached a dead end.

Murchad pointed to the black coastline emerging from the haze on the sea.

‘That is the island of Ushant.’

‘It looks a large island,’ Fidelma observed, from her position at his side. During the last few hours she had been considering the story that Guss had told her about Sister Canair’s death and the involvement of Muirgel and himself. Had Muirgel been killed because she was a witness? Or had Guss been right that there was another motive? And if he were, and that motive was jealousy, could Crella have been the killer? Had Guss met his own death because of it? Fidelma knew that Crella’s truth was certainly not the truth of Brother Guss but she had no firm evidence to solve the riddle.

An hour or so previously, they had held a service for Sister Muirgel and committed her body to the deep; it was the second service they had held for her, more subdued and restrained than the first. At the same time, they held a remembrance for poor young Guss and commended his soul to God’s keeping. It was odd knowing that one among them did not share the sentiments that had been uttered during the service. Now, it was late afternoon with the sun lowering in the cloudy western sky which was streaked with darkening billows. It was growing chilly and slowly, above the horizon, the dark coastline had emerged and drawn closer. The gloomy coast to which Murchad was pointing must have been a few miles in length.