The Medieval Murderers - Hill of Bones

Eldred nodded. ‘Prior Hugh stopped by this gate for a moment, to chat with me, then he went on his way. Walter was here, too.’

‘What did Hugh say?’ asked Cole.

‘He asked about Adam. I said I thought a wolf had killed him, although Walter disagreed, and repeated the bishop’s theory about an accident. But Hugh did not believe that nonsense – he was not stupid. And Adam’s wounds were not caused by falling on sharp stones. They were made by teeth. Wolf’s teeth.’

‘How do you know it was not a dog?’ asked Cole.

‘I just do,’ replied Eldred firmly. ‘And the same beast killed Hugh, because there cannot be two such creatures in the area.’

Gwenllian regarded him sceptically. ‘Are you not afraid to be out here, then?’

‘I am safe enough in daylight. But there is a full moon the day after tomorrow, and wild horses will not drag me outside the abbey then.’

Cole and Gwenllian argued about what they had learned as they walked back to the Angel. He was of the opinion that Dacus had trained an animal to kill. She believed the injuries could have been made by a weapon, and felt Savaric and his henchmen, the smugly pious Robert, Walter and the belligerent Pica made far more convincing suspects.

‘I know dogs,’ Cole insisted. ‘And I have Dacus’ measure, too. I am right, Gwen.’

‘But Bath is a small town. How could Dacus keep such a beast hidden? Someone would see it, and the game would be over.’

He had no answer, and they walked the rest of the way in silence. A group of minstrels was singing near the abbey gates, and it was apparently an unusual event, because a crowd had gathered to listen. It included all their suspects. Frustrated by their lack of progress, Cole advanced on Bishop Savaric before Gwenllian could stop him.

‘Hugh’s throat was torn out,’ he said bluntly. ‘So was Adam’s. Yet you claim their deaths were accidental. Surely, you must see that is unlikely?’

‘Unlikely, but not impossible,’ replied Savaric curtly. ‘Besides, there are no wolves in Bath. You are wasting your time here, and I strongly advise you to leave the matter alone.’

‘You heard him,’ said Osmun, coming to loom menacingly. Fevil did the same, crowding forward in an effort to intimidate. Cole turned on him.

‘You accompanied Reginald to Canterbury, but you did not protect him from-’

‘How could he protect Reginald from a fever?’ sneered Osmun, interposing himself between them. ‘And it was a fever, not poison, before you make any unfounded accusations.’

‘We have already discussed this,’ said Savaric quickly, as hands dropped to the hilts of swords. ‘But I will repeat it. There is nothing suspicious about the deaths of Reginald, Adam or Hugh, no matter what the gossips tell you.’

Cole stared at him for a moment, then stalked towards a gaggle of clerics that included Robert, Walter, Pica, Trotman and Lechlade. Savaric rolled his eyes when he saw his assurances had not been believed, and Osmun and Fevil exchanged furious glances. Gwenllian stifled a sigh. Antagonising men who might be murderers was reckless, and she wished her husband would leave the talking to her.

‘You told Hugh to climb Solsbury Hill,’ Cole said, homing in on Robert. ‘Why?’

The sacrist jumped at the irate voice behind him, but quickly regained his composure. ‘Because he had spent the day agonising over Adam and Reginald. I suggested a walk to clear his head. Unfortunately, someone – or something – was waiting for him.’

‘Seraphim,’ nodded Trotman, pig-like face earnest. ‘With sharp claws.’

‘Nonsense,’ declared Pica. ‘Savaric killed them, just as he killed Reginald. He never saw eye to eye with Hugh, while Adam’s virtue put him in a bad light. He – or his henchmen – dispatched all three.’

‘No,’ said Robert quietly. ‘Reginald died of a fever. However, Adam and Hugh were murdered, although I cannot believe the bishop did it. It must be someone else.’

‘Dacus?’ asked Cole, looking to where the master of the hospital stood with his patients. He was solicitously gentle with them, wholly different from the man who had broken the news of Adam’s death with such calculated cruelty.

‘Definitely not Dacus,’ said Robert. ‘He speaks hotly, but there is no harm in him. If he has offended you, ignore it. He cannot help his untamed tongue.’

‘There is harm in him – he is responsible for the rumour that Reginald was murdered,’ countered Trotman. ‘He has never accepted that Reginald died of natural causes.’

‘His claims are a nuisance,’ agreed Walter. ‘And I wish he would not waylay strangers and challenge them to visit Solsbury on a full moon, either. It creates a bad first impression of our town. But his virtues outweigh his faults. Look at how his patients love him.’

They turned, and even Cole was forced to acknowledge that Dacus had a way with his charges. They jostled for his attention, and the affection they felt was clear in their faces. Cole watched for a while, then turned to leave, but Walter caught his sleeve.

‘Listen to Savaric,’ he whispered. ‘The King ordered you here because he had to appoint someone to assess what happened to Prior Hugh, but he is not interested in the truth. All he wants is a verdict of accidental death, so he can put the matter from his mind.’

Cole freed his arm. ‘What are you saying? That Hugh was murdered?’

Walter grimaced. ‘No! It was an accident, as I have already told you. I merely suggest that you give John what he wants. No good will come of doing otherwise – not for you, and not for Bath, either.’

Cole watched him slink away, then turned to Gwenllian. ‘When I hear remarks like that, it makes me even more determined to uncover what really happened.’

‘We have a number of suspects for these murders,’ said Gwenllian as they sat in their room at the Angel that night. It was late, because Cole had been trawling the taverns for information, although with scant success. ‘And Adam and Hugh were murdered, no matter what else we are told. I am not sure what to think about Reginald, though.’

‘I have one suspect,’ said Cole. ‘Dacus.’

‘Dacus is on the list,’ said Gwenllian, more to humour him than because she believed it. ‘So is Savaric. He does not want us here, and maintains, suspiciously, that Hugh and Adam had accidents. He also benefited from Reginald’s will. I doubt he killed anyone himself, but he may have ordered Osmun and Fevil to do it. They claim to have been dicing together when Hugh and Adam died, which is no alibi at all.’

‘Dacus may have enlisted them as accomplices,’ conceded Cole. ‘Or Pica, who claims to have been sleeping when Adam and Hugh were killed. Moreover, Pica was also in Reginald’s retinue on that fateful journey to Canterbury.’

Gwenllian nodded. ‘Pica wants to be Abbot of Glastonbury, and it would not be the first time an ambitious man has killed to achieve his objective. I am suspicious of Robert, too. He was the one who told Hugh to walk up Solsbury Hill – an excursion that cost the prior his life.’

‘But if Robert were guilty, he would not be insisting that Adam and Hugh were murdered,’ Cole pointed out. ‘He would be saying it was an accident or seraphim, like everyone else. Moreover, I am under the impression that he suspects Walter of the crime.’

‘Walter is a strong contender,’ acknowledged Gwenllian. ‘His grief for Hugh is insincere, he is Savaric’s toady, and he was made prior the moment Hugh died. He has plenty of reasons to kill, but no reliable alibi-’

Suddenly, Cole leaped to his feet, grabbed his sword and kicked over the lantern, plunging the room into inky darkness. An instant later, the door flew open and an arrow thudded into the mattress. Instinctively, Gwenllian dived for safety beneath the bed.