Brother Bairne shook his head.
‘Even a good swimmer in these waters would surely not last long.’
‘I’ll try my best,’ Murchad was saying. ‘The best is all that I can try.’
Fidelma moved to Brother Bairne’s side.
‘When you cried the warning, what was it that you saw?’ she asked softly so that the others would not hear her question.
‘Saw? I shouted a warning because Guss was stumbling too near the edge.’
‘But did you see why he was backing himself into that dangerous position?’
‘I do not think he realised he was.’
Fidelma was impatient.
‘Did you see Sister Crella threatening him?’
Brother Bairne looked shocked.
‘Sister Crella threatening him? Are you serious?’
‘You did notice Sister Crella on the for’ard deck with him?’
‘Of course. They were speaking together and then Brother Guss began to move backwards, a little rapidly, or so I thought. I cried the warning but he stumbled and fell.’ Brother Bairne was examining her with some perplexity.
‘Thank you,’ Fidelma said. ‘I just wanted to make sure of what you had seen, that’s all.’
She walked slowly back to the stern deck, her head bent slightly forward in thought. As the minutes went by, a feeling of depression descended on everyone. It was a full hour later before Murchad called off the search.
‘I am afraid there is nothing that we can do for the poor boy,’ he told Cian, who had again asserted his leadership of the party. ‘I think he went under almost immediately. There is no hope now. I am so sorry.’
Fidelma went below and made her way to Sister Crella’s cabin.
Sister Crella was lying on her back staring up at the deck above. As Fidelma entered, she sat up with a hopeful expression, saw Fidelma’s grim features and her own hardened.
‘Murchad has called off the search for Brother Guss,’ announced Fidelma. ‘There is no hope of finding him alive.’
Sister Crella’s face was immobile.
‘Now perhaps you will tell me what you meant?’ went on Fidelma. Sister Crella’s voice was tight.
‘It should be easy for a dalaigh such as you to know what the seventh union means.’
‘The seventh union?’ Fidelma’s eyes cleared. ‘Do you mean the seventh form of union between man and woman? The law term that means secret sexual relations?’
Sister Crella closed her eyes without replying.
‘Yes, I know the law on the seventh union,’ Fidelma agreed, ‘but there is nothing about it that makes sense in these circumstances. Why did Brother Guss react in the way he did?’
‘I merely told him that I knew how he had been pestering Muirgel.’ Her eyes were bright, her gaze defiant. ‘You see, I think Guss killed her because she would not respond to his advances.’
Fidelma lowered herself on to the chair in the cabin.
‘Pestering? That is an interesting word.’
‘What else would you call it when one person tries to enforce their attentions on another?’ demanded Sister Crella.
‘So you believe that Brother Guss forced his attentions on Sister Muirgel, and that she did not respond to him?’
‘Of course. He was a moonstruck youth — just like Brother Bairne. Muirgel did not want to have anything to do with him. Of that I am sure.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘Because Muirgel was my friend. I told you before — there were no secrets between us.’
‘Yet Muirgel did not tell you that she feared for her life and had gone into hiding on this ship, did she? If there was no relationship, why did Muirgel ask Guss to help her to hide … even from you?’
Crella stared angrily at Fidelma.
‘Guss has been telling lies about Muirgel.’
‘How do you explain, then, that it was Guss to whom Muirgel turned when she felt threatened?’ insisted Fidelma. ‘That it was Guss who helped to hide her during the last two days?’
‘That spotty-faced youth was saying that he was Muirgel’s lover. That is why I challenged him on the seventh union.’
She suddenly bent down and reached under the bunk, drawing out a long slim knife in one continuous motion, then she stood up and brandished it before her. Fidelma rose quickly to her feet, her mind reacting swiftly, thinking that she would have to defend herself from attack. However, Sister Crella simply stood staring down at the knife for a moment. Then she held it out, hilt towards Fidelma.
‘Here, take it.’
Fidelma was startled.
‘Go on!’ snapped Sister Crella. ‘Take it! You’ll see it has dried blood on it still.’
‘What is it?’
‘The knife that probably killed my poor friend, what else?’
Fidelma took the knife carefully from her grasp. It was true that there were signs of dried blood on the blade. Whether it was, indeed, the murder weapon she did not know. Nor could she prove it was not the weapon. It was a knife usually used to cut meat.
‘Why do you suspect that this is the weapon?’ She phrased her question carefully. ‘How did you come by it?’
‘Brother Guss planted it in my cabin.’ Crella gulped ‘I had gone along to have breakfast. Then you came in and told us of Muirgel’s death. I was returning when I bumped into Guss in the corridor. I did not like the way he was staring at me. He brushed by me and went up on deck. I continued into my cabin. It was then I found the knife.’
Fidelma’s eyes dropped to the bunk; she could not see under it from where she stood.
‘Where was it hidden?’ she asked.
‘Under the bunk.’
‘How did you spot it?’
‘By luck, I suppose.’
‘Luck does not make one’s vision see through solid objects! It could not be seen from any point in this room unless you were down on your knees peering under the bunk.’
Crella was not flustered.
‘I came back with an apple in my hand. When I opened the door, I dropped my apple. It was as I was bending down to pick it up that I saw the knife.’
‘You did not actually see Guss put it there, did you? Your account does not explain why you think he was responsible.’
‘Because we were all at breakfast — with one exception. Brother Guss was not there. You claimed that he was in his cabin, but I saw him coming from his cabin. Guss has been trying to implicate me in Muirgel’s killing. He told everyone that I was the murderer.’ She frowned. ‘He must have told you.’
‘Where did you hear that he had told everyone that you were the murderer?’ demanded Fidelma.
Crella hesitated. ‘It was from Brother Cian. Guss had told him; Cian told me.’
‘What did you do? You had found the knife and Cian told you that Guss was accusing you. What then?’
‘I was so furious I went charging up on deck to confront Guss.’
‘But you left the knife here in your cabin.’
‘How did you know?’
‘Because you did not have it in your hand when you were on deck. A moment ago you reached under your bunk and took it out.’
‘I suppose I did leave it here.’
‘Strange, therefore, that you did not confront him with the weapon. Wouldn’t that be the normal thing to do?’
‘I don’t know. I just wanted him to know that I was wise to his little tale about secret sexual relations with Muirgel. I just meant to warn him that he would not get away with his claims!’
‘And he did not, did he? He was so fearful of you that he backed away from you and fell overboard.’ Sister Crella began to protest but Fidelma went on sternly, ‘A fine ruthless killer was this Brother Guss, who not only killed but planted evidence — and yet, when faced by a woman in full view of everyone, he was so scared that he allowed himself to be literally driven overboard.’
Sister Crella listened to the sarcasm in her voice.
‘He planted the knife and accused me!’
‘Sadly, we cannot now question Brother Guss,’ observed Fidelma dryly. ‘It seems that everything is so conveniently tied up with this death.’
Crella regarded her suspiciously.