J. Tomlin - The Templar's Cross

The room was comfortable enough, with a peat fire on a small hearth and two simple wood chairs drawn up to a table nearby. Law sat in one facing the man. “Maister Wrycht.”

The man sat, clasped his hands together, leaning his elbows on the table, and gave Law a frank, open look. “I had reason to be less than honest with you. Mayhap what you would consider good reason. Mayhap not. But reason, I assure you.”

Law smiled and nodded politely, holding his tongue.

“The story I telt you about my wife was a lie. You must have guessed that by now.”

“Ach, that.” Law scratched his ear. “I admit that I ne’er much believed it.”

“But if you knew it was not true-” His brows drew together in a deep frown.

“I believed in your coins. You’re a good actor but not that good.”

The man shook his head, still frowning.

“I’ve spent my life in service to a lord of high degree.” His mouth twisted in a wry smile. “You are not one and were paying too much for a simple job. But for the coin, I was willing to ignore it.”

The man’s brow smoothed and he leaned back in his chair, examining Law’s face. At last he said, “You would still ignore it then? But you would want more coin, I suppose.”

Law stopped him with a raised hand. “That depends…” He breathed a soft laugh. “Is your name Blinsele or Wrycht?”

The man grimaced and said, “It is Wrycht. Johne Wrycht. Neither maister nor lord, if truth be telt.”

“The truth I am interested in is about the murders that happened last night.”

Wrycht stiffened. “I had nothing to do with them!”

“Two murders within hours of our meeting in my room-do you think that I’m stupid, man? Can you tell me it was chance when one was working for you and one the man you sent us to seek? You cannae expect me to believe that.”

The lines around Johne Wrycht’s mouth deepened, his lips drawn into a thin line. He pushed back his chair to take a turn around the room, clenching and unclenching his hands. “No, I cannae tell you that. What happened was partly my fault, though I’ll swear on any saint that you name that it was not I who spilt their blood.”

“De Carnea carried a dagger that could have struck the blow that killed Duncan. It may be that you misjudged that he was not dangerous, but that I’d not blame you for.” Law shook his head. “Duncan was a knight and well used to danger. Only someone he didn’t fear could have come close enough to kill him with a dagger thrust. And someone strong enough to kill in two fast strokes, for Duncan had no other marks on him.”

The man turned to face Law, face creased with a frown. “Did you tell the assize who had hired you?”

“No. I said I’m no tittle-tattler. It would have brought them no closer to the killer had I spoken, so I kept you out of it.”

Wrycht seemed to deflate. “I need your help. I’ll pay for it. I have gold to give you.” His shoulders slumped; he flopped down in the chair placing his hands palm down on the table to stare blankly at them. “We were in Rome-had mutual friends. He had a plan to gain a great profit from this scheme, more than anyone could dream, but could not do it alone.”

“How? I still must ken what this is about. There are two men dead. I’m not going further blind.”

Wrycht’s gaze darted around the room, his hands twitching. After a moment, he shook his head. “That I cannot tell you.”

Law slapped a hand down hard on the table. “Then there is no way I can help you.”

“You are already in it. Can you truly walk away?” The man gave Law a sly look. “They might come after you next.”

Shaking his head, he asked, “Did you truly not ken where de Carnea was?”

“No. I needed to find him to discover what he had done with…what we were seeking. I needed to find out who he was meeting and where…” Wrycht chewed his lower lip.

Law rubbed his chin. “If Duncan spotted de Carnea and followed him-it seems possible that de Carnea was meeting someone, a buyer mayhap.”

“If de Carnea met someone, whoever that was might have seen Duncan.”

“Certes, Duncan had no reason to attack de Carnea. If it had been whomever he met, he would have had a chance to defend himself, nae been attacked from behind.”

“De Carnea went armed with a dagger like any man might. Mayhap he did kill Duncan, though I thought him too much a coxcomb to be a killer.”

Law shook his head. “It looked as though de Carnea was killed first, so who kent you were seeking him or that he had something worth stealing?”

“Damn you, I have no idea! Whoever it was is likely to kill me next.” He held up his soft, uncallused hands. “You see I am no fighter. When I returned from hiring you, I could tell my room had been searched. I left certain items with dust on them so I would know if they’d been touched. It must have been whoever killed the two of them.” He jumped up, chair scraping on the floor as he shoved it back.

Law growled impatiently in his throat. “You talk about paying a goodly sum, but what good can I do you if you won’t tell me what is going on? The only way to keep you alive is probably to catch whoever killed de Carnea. Holy Mother of God, all I know is the dead man’s name. That is nothing to go on.”

Wrycht cocked his head and regarded Law thoughtfully. He let out a flamboyant sigh. “All right. Since I must, I’ll confide in you, but you wullnae believe my tale it is so fantastical.”

Law smiled and waited for him to go on.

“What do you know of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, commonly known as the Knights Templar?”

“Very little but that they were charged with heresy and executed, but that was a hundred years ago. What does it have to do with someone murdering Duncan and de Carnea?”

“Then you are not aware that they were one of the richest orders ever to exist in Christendom?”

“Not particularly.”

“Aye, they were. True, they had originally been Crusaders but with the favor of the pope. Throughout the Crusades, the Templars served as guards for columns on the march and led the charge in battle-for kings of every kingdom. They had so much favor with the pope that in 1139 Pope Innocent excused the Templars from obedience to any local laws or taxes except his own. Thanks to that, they soon became very, very rich indeed. In fact the order served as bankers for most Crusaders and pilgrims.

“Then Jerusalem was lost. First the Templars retreated to the seaport of Acre, and then in just a few years lost that as well, their last foothold in the Holy Lands. What they did not lose that saved them was the ability to loan money. They lent to the crowned heads-for they remained rich beyond belief. But in the end that was what destroyed them.” Wrycht went to the windowsill where a pitcher and cups sat. He poured two cups of wine, brought them back and handed one to Law.

“So…”

After he took a long drink, Wrycht went on. “By 1307, they were as much moneylenders as knights. King Philip of France was deeply in debt to them, so deeply he could ne’er have repaid what he owed. Unfortunately for the Templars, about that time they cast out a knight who went to Philip with some stories that he could use against them. Or mayhap he bribed the man. Who can say? Anyroad, they were charged with pissing on the image of Christ in their ceremonies, of sodomy, and other great sins.”

Law flinched but Wrycht continued after a pause.

“Under torture, the Templar Maister Jacques de Molay confessed. The pope allowed Philip to use this as an excuse to seize all the Templars’ vast treasure-but he was too late.

“When de Molay was burnt at the stake, much of the treasure had already disappeared. The treasure included a great cross that had been formed specifically to carry away accumulated gold and one of the largest gems in their vaults-” He held up his clenched fist. “-a ruby as large as this.”