‘Yet there is a link. The death of Abbot Segdae, of Ciarnat and of Mael Anfaid are all connected …’ Fidelma stopped abruptly.
Brehon Faolchair shook his head. ‘I cannot see that.’
Fidelma turned to the three bemused boatmen. ‘I have only one question more for you. I presume that you are all local men?’
‘That we are, lady,’ agreed the leader.
‘You know this river well?’
The fellow could not help a smug grim. ‘An Mhaigh? I know the river well, lady, from the place where it rises and all along its sixty-two kilometres to where it empties in the sea estuary.’
‘Its flow doesn’t look powerful,’ she said, looking at the almost calm waters.
‘You should see it after a rainstorm, lady. The river drains the plains here and just north of where we are now is An Lubach, the twisted river that reinforces it. Downstream at the Ford of Oaks the river becomes a tidal one and the tide often pushes against the flow downstream.’
‘You say that you found the body in the water but snagged by these rocks here on the bank?’
‘That is so.’
‘So the body could have been pushed into the water further upstream and then floated down here in the current?’
The boatman held his head to one side as he considered. ‘It depends, lady. Today the river is calm, the flow not great. I don’t think a body would float far today. Apart from that, it could have easily been seen if it floated by the quays before reaching this area.’
It was a good point. ‘How long do you think he has been dead?’ Fidelma asked Eadulf.
‘Not more than a cadar,’ he replied, using the native measurement for a quarter of a day. ‘Perhaps even less than that.’
‘So it is likely that he was killed at this point rather than floating here from upstream?’
‘Given the nature of the river and the quays, it is possible,’ Eadulf returned thoughtfully. ‘It cannot be said to be a certainty.’
‘A short search of this area of the bank would be useful. We may find something,’ Fidelma said. She then addressed the boatmen, telling them, ‘You have been most helpful, and we are grateful for your service.’
‘I know these men,’ Brehon Faolchair added, ‘so I will ensure their help is properly acknowledged and rewarded.’
With the boatmen dismissed, they made a search of the immediate surroundings, but it produced nothing unusual or that they could connect with the death of the religieux. Brehon Faolchair then asked Conri and Enda to carry the body to the township, to the Abbey of Nechta. There, Brother Eladach, the young man’s uncle, seemed too shocked to fully take in what had happened. Fidelma and her companions left the Brehon with Conri to help him. Then she led Eadulf and Enda away, across to a deserted part of the river near the wooden bridge.
It was obvious to Eadulf that Fidelma had chosen this isolated spot as there was something on her mind which she did not wish to speak about in front of anyone else. Eventually, she found an old fallen tree, bleached into a grey-white log by the sun, to provide a seat for them by the riverbank. The two men sat down with her and waited while she stared moodily at the whispering river.
‘It makes no sense,’ she suddenly said aloud.
Eadulf shifted his weight on the log. He agreed entirely but he did not feel inclined to comment. It was Enda who spoke.
‘Forgive me, lady. I am a simple warrior and only when playing fidchell, wooden wisdom, do I excel in solving conundrums. However, if there is a link between the three murders, surely one has to go back to the first murder as a starting point.’
‘And so?’ Fidelma said to encourage him.
‘As you know, I do not believe that my friend, Gorman, killed Abbot Segdae.’
‘Belief is not knowledge,’ Eadulf interrupted grumpily.
‘That is true – but what if this plan to destabilise Prince Donennach’s rule was not the result of Abbot Segdae’s murder but the cause of it?’
Fidelma was about to chide the young warrior but then she hesitated.
Enda went on thoughtfully, ‘I was trying to think of a reason – a good reason – why Gorman would flee from the fortress, knowing that you had made a successful appeal for a new hearing.’
‘And did you find an answer?’ Fidelma wanted to know.
‘What if Gorman was persuaded to escape by the same person who killed the abbot? As I said, what if the murder itself was part of the plot to cause such conflict?’
‘That is rather far-fetched,’ Eadulf objected. ‘Aibell was the one who arranged for Gorman to escape from the fortress, she the one who bribed the guard and arranged the horses. Are you now saying …?’
‘Then there is also the involvement of Ciarnat and Mael Anfaid,’ Fidelma butted in. ‘How does that fit into your plot?’
‘Well, I still think that is the link, lady.’ Enda would not give way.
A call interrupted them. It was Conri, coming from the Abbey of Nechta.
‘Brehon Faolchair has asked me to find you. There is to be a meeting with Prince Donennach immediately in the great hall.’
Fidelma was not enthusiastic. ‘For what purpose would this meeting be? The investigation of the recent deaths has not yet truly begun.’
‘It is Abbot Nannid who has demanded it, lady.’ Conri shrugged. ‘He was with the prince when we reported Ciarnat’s death. He was not happy about it and will be even less so when he hears of Brother Mael Anfaid’s demise.’
Fidelma rose from her seat with a sigh. ‘No doubt he will use the new deaths to put more pressure on Prince Donennach. We had better go and placate him.’
As she fell in step with Conri, she said in a quiet voice: ‘I have a request to ask of you, Conri.’
‘Which is? You have only to ask, lady.’
‘Abbot Nannid and his steward have been absent from Mungairit for some months now. He must have left soon after we resolved the mystery there.’
‘Ah, you’ve heard the story of how he arrived here and ordered the rebuilding of this little community of Nechta?’
‘Don’t you find that strange?’
‘It’s not strange that he should try to assert his authority over all the religious communities of the Ui Fidgente,’ replied Conri thoughtfully, ‘but now that you mention it, it is odd that he should spend such a long time away from his own abbey.’
‘One of the largest abbeys in the Five Kingdoms and one which must take a fair amount of work to govern,’ added Fidelma.
Conri rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘What is it that you are suggesting?’
‘I was wondering whether there have been any communications between here and Mungairit in recent months?’
‘Mungairit is, as you recall, a closed community so little news comes from them as a rule. Anyway, I have spent much of my time at my own fortress at the Ford of the Oaks – where I have my own herds and fields to attend to. So I am not sure what has passed between here and there.’
‘Surely messengers from the abbey would come to keep Abbot Nannid informed of events? Does he not send regular messengers to Mungairit?’
‘Have you asked Brother Eladach?’
‘He mentions that Abbot Nannid has gathered gold and silver from the community to send to Mungairit, but he does not seem to know about regular communication.’
‘What are you thinking, lady?’
‘How many days would it take a fast horseman to ride from here to Mungairit? Two or more?’
‘A fast rider should easily make it within two days, avoiding the river route and going by way of the low-lying land to the east. In fact, I have such a warrior in my command. He is a great rider and his horse is a powerful beast. He could leave here immediately.’
‘Could he do so without alerting anyone as to his destination or the questions he must seek answers to?’
‘If so ordered, lady. What do you think he might learn if he rode to Mungairit? I cannot see that he would return here with information that would save Gorman or resolve these other mysteries.’
‘I simply want to know why Abbot Nannid has spent so much time here.’