The Medieval Murderers - Hill of Bones

Gwenllian sighed. ‘Very possibly, but he will never be Abbot of Glastonbury, and that will be his real punishment. I hate to admit it, but Savaric’s letter is a masterpiece of duplicity: it lets John know we solved the case, so he cannot accuse us of disobedience, but it does so in such a way that even he cannot take offence. We may keep Carmarthen yet.’

Cole pulled a face to register his distaste. ‘I wish Richard had not died. He was not much of a King, but he was better than the scheming devil we have now.’

‘Not so loud, cariad !’

‘I do not care,’ said Cole sullenly. ‘I hate devious politics.’

‘So do I, but we will go home tomorrow, and then we can forget about Bath. However, there is one question we have not yet answered: where did Pica keep this dog? He sleeps in the abbey guesthouse, and someone would have noticed if it was there.’

‘There is only one place it can be – the Prior’s Garden. Do you remember Walter telling us how Reginald built kennels there?’

‘Yes, but he also said they are used for storing the urine that will be used for tanning hides over the winter.’

‘Precisely! A dog will stink if kept in close confinement, and what better than urine to conceal it? Besides, such an unpleasant place will deter visitors. Shall we go there now?’

He led the way to an attractive arbour that was separated from the rest of the precinct by a wall. Once inside, it did not take them long to locate the row of sheds. They reeked, and Gwenllian gagged. Cole opened a door, and was greeted by a medley of snarls and grunts.

‘It has been starved,’ he said, disgusted, ‘and kept close-chained. It is muzzled, too, so it cannot bark. Pica is a monster to have done such a thing.’

Gwenllian poked her head around the door and saw an enormous grey animal. Before she could advise against it, Cole had removed the muzzle and was feeding it scraps of the dried meat he always carried with him – no soldier liked to be without supplies.

‘Please do not let it off the leash,’ she begged. ‘It looks half mad to me.’

‘It will have to be destroyed,’ said Cole sadly. ‘What a pity! It was once a fine animal.’

Walter’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment when he learned what had been happening in his domain, although his surprise quickly turned to indignation.

‘How dare Pica use my outbuildings for his private menagerie – especially for a beast that has claimed the lives of two men. What if it had escaped? It might have attacked me.’

‘Yes,’ said Cole, and Gwenllian was under the impression that he wished it had. ‘But it would have been Pica’s fault, not the dog’s.’

‘I suppose it would.’ Walter softened. ‘I shall tell Eldred to feed it well tonight, and dispatch it tomorrow. Do not worry, he will not let it suffer.’

Cole nodded, although Gwenllian could see he was not much comforted. They left the abbey in silence, and it was some time before he spoke.

‘Are you sure Pica is the culprit? Dacus seems a much more likely candidate for abusing animals than he.’

‘He does,’ agreed Gwenllian, taking his arm sympathetically. ‘But yes, I am sure.’

‘Then I suppose you must be right,’ said Cole, a little resentfully. ‘You usually are.’

It was the deepest part of the night when Gwenllian woke to find herself alone. There was a full moon, and its silvery rays had fallen on her face. She rose and dressed, supposing Cole was in the tavern downstairs, drinking to wash away the dirty taste of politics, but the place was empty. Her stomach lurched when she realised where he had gone. She hurried to Iefan, and shook him awake.

‘I think Symon has gone up Solsbury Hill.’

Iefan blinked. ‘Why would he do that?’

‘Because Dacus challenged him to go. He was unhappy earlier, and I am afraid that if Dacus is there and makes wild remarks about Adam… Will you come with me?’

As Cole still had Iefan’s sword, the sergeant borrowed another, and they set off to where the hill was a black mass against the night sky. The moonlight made walking easy, and it was not long before they reached the bottom. Then there was a peculiar howl.

‘Was that a wolf?’ asked Iefan uneasily.

‘Hurry!’ urged Gwenllian, breaking into a run.

They were breathless by the time they reached the top. Cole was there, sword in his hand, and at first, Gwenllian assumed he was alone, but then she glimpsed a movement in the shadows. It was Dacus, gripping the leash of Pica’s dog. She was glad it was upwind of her, sure it would attack if it could sense her fear. She crouched down, straining to hear what was being said. The wind that kept the dog from catching their scent also blew the words towards her.

‘You came,’ Dacus was saying. ‘I did not think you would have the courage. I thought I would have to find another way to kill you.’

‘Why would you want to kill me?’ Cole asked quietly.

‘Because you are corrupt.’ Dacus’ voice was hard and cold. ‘I know what you did today. You helped Savaric concoct a tale that will conceal the unsavoury happenings at Bath and let Pica take the blame. But you are Adam’s friend, so what else should I expect?’

‘Adam was not corrupt.’

‘He was evil!’ Dacus’ anguished cry set the dog growling. ‘He poisoned Reginald. I know – I was there.’

‘He was a healer. He would never-’

‘He was a healer, and that is why he itched to be master of the hospital. But Reginald was master as well as bishop. So Adam killed him.’

‘But Adam did not want that post,’ argued Cole. ‘He wrote and told me. He was old and tired, and wanted to spend his final days in prayer.’

‘You are wrong! He was evil and a killer.’

‘My wife always insists on evidence to support that sort of claim. So what is yours? Did you find toxins in his possession? Did you see him administer a dose of-’

Dacus made a curious hissing sound, and jerked the dog’s leash. ‘I do not need evidence. I know a guilty man when I see one. But you will regret coming here tonight. Like Adam and Hugh, you will be tested and found lacking. I will kill you, just as I killed them.’

In the darkness, Gwenllian gaped in disbelief.

‘But there cannot be a third man found with his throat ripped out,’ Dacus went on. ‘So I have dug you a grave.’

He nodded to a gaping pit Gwenllian had not noticed before. It was black and sinister in the moonlight, like an opening to Hell.

‘I knew you had murdered Adam from the first time we met,’ said Cole. ‘My wife said they were cat hairs on your habit, but I knew they belonged to a dog.’

‘It is not a dog, it is a wolf.’ Dacus ruffled the beast’s fur. It twisted around, as if to bite, and he tightened his grip on its collar. ‘And when I saw Pica training it to kill lambs, I knew what I had to do. I stole it from Savaric’s palace.’

‘Pica must have hoped it would hurt the bishop,’ muttered Gwenllian to Iefan. ‘He may be innocent of killing Hugh and Adam, but he has committed many other crimes.’

‘You hid it in Reginald’s kennels,’ said Cole. ‘Muzzling it, so it could not bark-’

‘I have not fed it since you arrived,’ interrupted Dacus, tightening the lead savagely. ‘It is ravenous. It will tear your throat out, and I will dance in your blood.’

To Gwenllian’s horror, Cole laid his sword in the grass, then raised his hands to show he was unarmed. ‘Enough, Dacus. Listen to me. Adam did not kill Reginald. No one did. It was a fever. I spoke to his physicians yesterday, and-’

‘Liar!’ hissed Dacus. ‘God thought I was right to kill Adam, because He immediately started granting miracles at Reginald’s tomb. Reginald was like a father to me, and Adam deserved to die for killing him. And so did Hugh, for asking too many questions.’