Mark Newton - Retribution

Sulma Tan nodded. She commenced cutting around the lips to gain access to the mouth. She carved with all the delicacy of a fresco painter setting about applying colours to fresh plaster. There was an art to this, too, I realized, as she placed a piece of flesh to one side.

This process went on for some time, pulling layer after layer of skin and flesh away and placing the pieces on a metal dish, rooting down to see if there was anything of note. Minutes turned into an hour, maybe more. I was impressed at her skill. Here was a royal secretary, someone whose life had been spent on more important matters, cutting away at a corpse’s face with a sound knowledge of science behind her.

Eventually, after some consideration, Sulma Tan concluded, ‘There is nothing here. No creature of any kind, no trail left. The saliva was genuine. How do the two of you explain this now?’

We stared at each other for some time, the silence heightening our sense of confusion. Our contemplation was interrupted when a knocking came at the door, and a voice called in Kotonese for Sulma Tan.

‘Please excuse me.’ Sulma Tan washed her hands in the small bowl to one side before engaging in a short conversation at the door.

Leana whispered to me, ‘The creature could have long gone.’

‘Or it was never there in the first place,’ I replied.

‘Spirits save me, you believe the ghost stories instead?’

I was about to mutter something sarcastic, when Sulma Tan closed the door and marched back to the table. ‘Borta has arrived to look at Grendor’s body. Out of respect we should not keep her waiting, no?’

Another table, another body; this day was turning out to be gratuitous in its scientific rigour. However, Grendor of the Cape had not yet been cut open. He lay there with a cloth covering the lower half of his body, his brutally scarred, naked chest exposed to the room, his wife standing beside his resting form, while Leana and myself waited patiently in the adjacent chamber.

‘Can she not hurry?’ Leana whispered. ‘It has been some time now. It is not as though she is the one looking for clues.’

A shake of my head was all that was required. Leana was used to my ways. Death was very businesslike to her, which was perhaps not a terrible way of dealing with the large quantities of it we had both seen. Treating it so matter-of-factly was a sound way to cope. However, I had my own way of dealing with things — as Polla, my goddess, would approve.

Respect. Dignity.

These were the very underpinnings of a civilized society, in life or death. They were also among the core values of the Sun Chamber. Without attitudes like these we would resort to being warring factions and savage people, much like the pale-skinned Maulanders who had been subdued by Detratan troops so very recently.

No, we would be patient. We would allow Borta all the time she needed to mourn her husband. And, just as important, we would be seen to be patient and respectful, for we were also ambassadors for the Sun Chamber.

On a small side table behind us at the back of the room, and because of the lack of windows in this subterranean place, by lantern light Sulma Tan was busy making calculations in a ledger, presumably to do with her census.

‘I’m sorry to interrupt,’ I said, ‘but I have a question related to the case and your census work.’

She looked up at me, her eyes glimmering in the light of the lantern. ‘What is it?’

‘Two bodies have been worked upon in some way,’ I continued. ‘Such work has been done from within this prefecture. And if not, at the very least close by it. We need to track down whether or not there could be such a building — say, a workshop — where this could be carried out. Even a disused shop might provide some valuable insight.’

‘That is asking for quite a lot,’ she replied.

‘But you will surely have such information from the census?’

‘Yes, but the volume of such information is enormous.’ Sulma Tan was determined, however, and I knew that it wasn’t in her character to say no to such challenges. ‘But we can do this. I will task one of the other administrators with finding possible venues. Not merely workshops, but we will have a list of all disused buildings. Somewhere out of sight, perhaps?’

‘That makes sense. Hidden discreetly away. Somewhere where there is not a large amount of footfall, I’d wager. It might all come to nothing, of course, but it’s an avenue worth pursuing. If we do have the resources, we might as well use them.’

‘Yes, yes. We have the resources.’ Her answer came as if I had issued her some kind of challenge she could not refuse. Now that she was open to the suggestion, I pushed her further.

‘It would be even better if you could map them out along with the locations of murder. .’ I realized that might have been asking a lot.

‘This is simple enough, yes. We have plenty of maps, and so I can commission any necessary alterations. I will make it so.’

‘While we can access this information, I’d like to build up a picture of who the killer might be, because I suspect it is someone within the prefecture.’ I explained my earlier notions about the class of the killer. ‘It is possible they have had connection with the military in some way, or with the bishop’s organizations. If they have received medical training or instruction in the arts of butchery, then I would like to know of their existence.’

‘That information,’ Sulma Tan said, ‘could be even more of a challenge. . There could be thousands of names. The census is simply a broad list, though admittedly divided into current trades. As for people’s former lives. .’

‘Even so, we have to try. You can do this, right?’

‘Of course I can.’ She was incredulous I had to ask.

The door opened and Borta was standing there, dressed soberly in a black gown. Several cressets burned brightly behind her. She looked indignant and I asked her what was wrong.

‘His amulet is missing,’ she snapped.

‘I’m sorry?’ I asked. The rest of us became suddenly focused on Borta.

She led us into the adjacent chamber and we all filed in around the resting body.

‘I’ve looked through his belongings that you left over there,’ she said, ‘and everything was present — apart from an amulet.’

‘Nothing has been removed,’ Sulma Tan said. ‘His possessions are exactly as we found them. I can assure you access has been restricted.’

‘What kind of amulet was it?’ I asked.

‘One he wore around his neck. It was a circle of gold, decorated plainly, with occasional geometric shapes. With a gemstone the size of a coin set in the centre.’

‘The gemstone,’ I said, thinking of the ring we found hidden in the bishop’s mattress. It was still in my pocket. ‘What colour was it?’

‘Red. A ruby.’

‘Definitely a ruby?’ I asked.

‘I’m not completely sure.’ A pause. Borta searched her memory. ‘I always thought it a little ugly if I’m honest. It did not seem the thing one wore for ornamentation. I expected rubies to be. . more refined?’

Leana glanced at me knowingly.

Sulma Tan said, ‘You two know something, yes? Have you seen this missing amulet?’

‘No.’ I reached into my pocket and produced the envelope, opening it for her to look at.

Sulma Tan gestured for me to show Borta, though she was annoyed I had not shown her this piece of evidence.

‘But was the stone the same colour as this?’ I asked, offering her the envelope.

She peered inside, uncertain at first. ‘It seems so. Yes. It has that curious cloudiness.’

‘You need to be sure, because I do not think this is a ruby.’ I plucked it out and handed it to her, while Leana brought a lantern over so that she could see it better. The stone glimmered in the light. ‘Well it looks close enough,’ Borta said, ‘but sadly I have little expertise with precious stones. Grendor was very good with such things and he brought me home some lovely items.’