The Medieval Murderers - Hill of Bones

‘The animal we heard in the Angel!’ she exclaimed. ‘It was you!’

‘Fevil cannot help the sounds he makes,’ said Savaric. He spoke distractedly, still trying to process what Walter had told him. ‘You would fare no better if you had no tongue.’

‘For God’s sake, Fevil!’ howled Walter, as the big man faltered. ‘We will lose everything if Savaric surrenders. Finish Cole!’

‘Wait!’ It was Osmun, climbing slowly to his feet. Fevil obeyed instantly, and Cole backed away, using the opportunity to catch his breath. Osmun addressed the bishop. ‘Are you saying you are innocent of killing Adam and Hugh?’

‘Of course I am innocent!’ cried Savaric. ‘What do you think I am?’

Osmun gazed at him in confusion. ‘But you used bribery and coercion to make Cole abandon his investigation. Why would you do that if you had nothing to hide?’

‘Because the King does not want me to co-operate,’ explained Savaric, clearly affronted. ‘But I had nothing to hide personally.’

Gwenllian grimaced. The news of John’s duplicity came as no surprise.

Walter was also staring at Savaric, his expression one of confusion. ‘But the dog was yours, and if you did not set it on Adam and Hugh, then who did?’

‘You should choose your followers more carefully,’ said Gwenllian to Savaric in the silence that followed Walter’s question. ‘They believe you capable of terrible things.’

‘My immortal soul may be stained with many sins, but murder is not one of them,’ said Savaric firmly.

Osmun exchanged a glance with Fevil, who nodded. ‘We believe you.’

‘Good,’ said the bishop drily. He glared at Walter. ‘And now you have some explaining to do. You can begin by telling me why you tried to kill Sir Symon with my crosier. Because his wife is right: there is blood on it.’

‘I planned to rinse it off,’ said Walter bitterly. ‘But I was shaken after our narrow escape in the Angel, and then I forgot.’

‘That does not explain why you took it in the first place,’ said Savaric angrily.

‘Because I needed something to defend myself with,’ snapped Walter. ‘Cole is a skilled warrior. And it was the only thing to hand.’

‘Beating him with it was not defending yourself,’ said Gwenllian icily.

‘I was frightened,’ said Walter sullenly. ‘We were supposed to shoot him while he was asleep. Instead, he was awake and fighting with terrifying ferocity.’

‘A misunderstanding, then.’ Savaric raised his hand when Gwenllian started to object.

Walter nodded eagerly. ‘Yes, and we did it for you. They had learned that a dog killed Hugh and Adam, and it was only a matter of time before they also learned that Pica had given you an especially savage one. We decided that if they died during a raid by robbers…’

‘The King would be unlikely to launch a second enquiry to Hugh’s death, and I would be spared,’ finished Savaric.

‘He was going to try to murder Symon again,’ said Gwenllian, angry that the matter was going to be ‘forgotten’. She regarded Walter contemptuously. ‘How much did you pay the smith to keep my husband’s sword, to ensure he was unarmed today?’

‘Too much,’ muttered Osmun. ‘Given that Cole just went out and borrowed another.’

But the knights and Walter were more interested in regaining Savaric’s approval than in answering Gwenllian’s accusations. When they went to clamour at him, she stood next to Cole, her mind working fast.

‘We now know that Walter, Osmun and Fevil are innocent,’ she said. ‘They would not have felt the need to protect Savaric if they were the culprits. And Savaric is innocent, too – his denials were convincing, and so was the oath he swore. So who is left?’

‘Dacus,’ replied Cole shortly.

‘And Robert, the man who sent Hugh to Solsbury Hill. And Pica.’

‘If you thought Pica was guilty, you should have raised the matter when we cornered him about Lechlade.’

‘It did not occur to me. However, he has no alibi for either death, and he was the one who brought this fierce grey dog to Bath.’

‘The dog,’ said Cole thoughtfully. ‘If Osmun and Fevil are innocent, then so are their hounds. Ergo , perhaps Pica’s grey hound is the animal that-’

‘Join me for a cup of wine,’ called Savaric, breaking into their discussion. He nodded that Walter, Osmun and Fevil were to leave; they did so reluctantly. ‘We must assess this situation, and discuss how it can be resolved to our mutual advantage.’

‘No,’ said Cole immediately. ‘I will not do anything against my conscience.’

Savaric gazed at him wonderingly, and shook his head. ‘No wonder the King wants rid of you! Conscience indeed!’

Gwenllian’s eyes narrowed. ‘What makes you think John wants rid of him? Did he say so when he wrote the letter asking you not to co-operate with his investigation?’

Savaric shot her a patronising glance. ‘He would never commit such a request to parchment! I deduced it from the fact that he sent Sir Symon here in the first place – too much time has passed since Hugh’s death, and there is no evidence to convict a culprit. The case is unsolvable, and John knows it. So of course he does not want me to co-operate.’

‘Then why did he order me to try?’ asked Cole, confused.

‘I imagine you have done something to annoy him – he wants an excuse to oust you.’

‘The solution lies in the grey dog,’ said Gwenllian to Savaric, as Cole winced. ‘Pica gave it to you, but now neither you nor your knights can tell us its whereabouts. I believe Pica took it back, and used it to kill.’

‘Pica!’ exclaimed Savaric, eyes gleaming. ‘I might have known! And his motive is obvious, of course: Adam and Hugh both thought Glastonbury and Bath should be united. They haled from Glastonbury themselves, and wanted to foster closer relations.’

‘Adam was from Glastonbury,’ acknowledged Cole. ‘But…’ He trailed off, and reluctantly began considering the possibility that Dacus might not be the culprit after all.

‘So now comes the difficult part.’ Savaric addressed Gwenllian, recognising her as the one with whom business could be done. ‘If you tell John that you have solved the case, he will be livid. In essence, you will have outwitted him. However, Pica is a thorn in my side, and I would like him gone. Another charge of murder against him would suit me very well.’

‘So what do you suggest?’ asked Gwenllian.

‘I own some skill in politics,’ said Savaric with a modest shrug. ‘So I shall draft the letter you will send the King. I shall phrase your findings in a way that will condemn Pica, but that will not antagonise John. Then we shall both have achieved our objective.’

‘No,’ said Cole uneasily. ‘It smacks of dishonesty and sly dealing.’

Gwenllian laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. ‘Consider our choices, Symon. We can submit our own report, and let John expel you from Carmarthen. Or we can accept Savaric’s help. I do not want to leave our home, and it is not just us who will suffer if you are ejected. The town deserves better than to be ruled by one of John’s creatures.’

Cole nodded reluctant agreement. Then he sat in the window, staring moodily into the street, while Gwenllian and the bishop worked.

Gwenllian felt vaguely tainted by the time they left the Bishop’s Palace. Cole did, too, and was angry about it.

‘What we have done is wrong. Your letter lists all the evidence that proves Pica stabbed Lechlade, but only hints that he murdered Adam and Hugh. Ergo , he will be charged only with Lechlade’s death – for which he will claim self-defence. And he will go free.’