'Cynric.' Kenyngham looked around for the small Welshman whom he knew would not be far away. 'Find out where the beadles are, and then come back to me.
Matthew? Have you any idea what prompted all this?'
Bartholomew told him about Michael finding the goat's head on his bed, while the other Fellows AN UMl)OlY ALLIANCE exclaimed in horror. Michael paled as he considered the implications of Walter's poisoning — that someone had wanted him to receive the goat's head sufficiently to kill for it.
Bartholomew went to examine Walter again, and came back satisfied that he was recovering. The Fellows stood in a small group around Kenyngham, confused and fearful.
Father William muttered prayers to himself, while Father Aidan and Hesselwell looked on in shock.
Kenynngham ordered the students back to their rooms and Cenric returned from the back gate with Jonstan.
'I saw and heard nothing!' said Jonstan, appalled. 'I have been patrolling the lane and keeping a permanent watch on the back gate since dusk. We saw nothing!'
'Do not worry, Master Jonstan.' said Kenyngham, seeing the alarm in the jovial Proctor's face. 'You did your best. I suspect we are dealing with clever and committed people.'
'But I am committed,' saidjonstan, stung. 'I have been overseeing my men and ensuring that the lane is checked constantly since dark. I saw Doctor Bartholomew and Brother Michael return, and I am willing to wager that they did not see me!'
The surprise on Bartholomew and Michaels faces told the watching Fellows that Jonstan's claims were true.
'I set up a regular patrol once the night became quiet,'
Jonstan continued.
'How regular?' asked Bartholomew.
'Every quarter of an hour,' saidjonstan, his eyes still wide with shock.
'Then that is probably why you did not see the intruder,' said Baitholomew. if you were working to an established pattern, it would not take much to work it out and slip into the College when you were furthest away.'
Jonstan's face fell. Kenyngham rubbed at his eyes wearily. 'This cannot go on,' he said, i will not have the lives of College members threatened, and poisoners breaking in. Come, Master Jonstan. We must discuss what more can be done.'
He held out his arm to indicate that Jonstan was to precede him to his room.
'Poor man,' said Hesselwell, watching the dejected Jonstan leave. 'He thought he was being rigorous by establishing a regular pattern in his checks, while all the time he was achieving quite the reverse.'
Bartholomew nodded absently. He watched Gray and Bulbeck with Walter, although the porter was now able to walk on his own. Bartholomew was pleased at his students' diligence, and knew they would remain with Walter until he gave them leave to stop.
'Who is doing this?' asked Aidan, his prominent front teeth gleaming in the candle-light. 'Why would anyone mean Michaelhouse harm?' i cannot imagine,' said Hesselwell. i wondered whether it might be a commoner, or perhaps one of the students, but that is unlikely. It must be an outsider.'
'What makes you so sure?' asked Bartholomew, surprised at Hesselwell's quick deduction.
'Because everyone in College knows that Walter sleeps all night when he should be on duty, and would know there would be no need to use poison in order to sneak unseen into the building.'
'But the gate is locked and barred,' said Bartholomew, gesturing to where the huge oak plank was firmly in place. 'Even if Walter were asleep, it would be difficult to break in." 'There are places where the wall is easily breached, as you know very well, Bartholomew,' said Hesselwell.
'And before you ask me how I know, I occasionally have problems sleeping, and sometimes walk in the orchard at night. I have seen students using it, and I imagine you have used it yourself while out on your nocturnal ramblings.'
His tone was unpleasant, and Bartholomew resented the accusation in his voice. He had only ever climbed across the wall once, and would not need to do so again now he had the Master's permission to be out to visit patients. Alcote looked on with malicious enjoyment.
'And how would this intruder present Walter with the poison and be sure he took it?' Bartholomew demanded.
'Would you eat something that appeared miraculously in the middle of the night?'
Hesselwell smiled smugly. 'I would not. But Walter might. He is not intelligent, and his greed might well get the better of his suspicion.'
Bartholomew realised that Hesselwell was right, although it galled him to admit it. It did seem more likely that the person who poisoned Walter and left the grisly warning for Michael was from outside Michaelhouse, for exactly the reason Hesselwell suggested: that everyone inside knew Walter slept, and that it would not be necessary to kill him to move about the College unnoticed.
'Where is Deynman?' said Bartholomew suddenly, looking around him.
Gray and Bulbeck looked round briefly, and shrugged, more interested in Walter than in Deynman's absence.
When Bartholomew had hauled Walter out into the yard, Deynman had stayed in the porters' lodge. Bartholomew began to walk across to the lodge, and then broke into a run. He shot into the small room, staggering as he slipped in the mess on the floor, and gazed at Deynman who was kneeling in front of the table, chopping the remains of the pie into ever smaller pieces. He grinned cheerfully at Bartholomew.
"I am looking for the poison,' he said.
Bartholomew leaned against the door in relief at seeing Deynman unharmed. He had been afraid that Deynman might have eaten the pie to see whether it had been poisoned. His eye was caught by a goblet on the table.
He picked it up and looked at it before taking a cautious sip. It was slightly bitter and there was a grainy residue at the bottom of the vessel. He spat it out and looked at the bottle. It was not a kind that was kept in College.
He inspected the chopped remains of Walter's pie: it was covered with some of Agatha's hard, heavy pastry and had, without doubt, been made in Michaelhouse.
'The poison was in the wine, Robert,' he said, and explained why. Deynman looked at the mess he had made, and his face fell as he realised that his initiative had failed.
Bartholomew relented at Deynman's crestfallen attitude.
'I will show you how to test for certain poisons,' he said, trying not to sound weary. 'But you are unlikely to find any of them by chopping something into tiny pieces.
Go and help Sam and Thomas. I am trusting you to make sure that tonight Walter rests, but does not sleep. If he loses consciousness, fetch me immediately.'
Deynman'sface brightened at being given such responsibility, and he scampered off to do as he was told.
'Is that wise?' asked Michael, looming in the doorway and watching him go. 'The boy is a half-wit.'
'Oh, hardly that,' said Bartholomew. 'He tries hard. I will give the others the same instructions before I retire.
It is about time they had some practical training. With any luck it might put them off. They might choose a monkish vocation instead.'
'Heaven forbid!' said Michael. He became serious.
'Did you learn anything from Walter? Who poisoned him and when?'
Bartholomew rubbed a hand through his hair. Now the initial excitement had worn off, he felt exhausted.
'Walter had a close call. Whoever left that head was determined that you would get it.'
Michael shuddered. 'We should talk to Walter,' he said.
Out in the yard, Walter had recovered to the point of grumpiness. He glared at Bartholomew. 'My throat hurts,' he said aggressively, 'and I can still taste mustard.'
Bartholomew raised his eyebrows. 'Would you like some of that wine you were drinking in the lodge, to wash away the taste?'
Walter spat. 'I thought it had an odd taste about it. I should have known that no one gives gifts for nothing.'