‘I met him only once at a gathering of the Council of the Brehons, but our paths have never really crossed. He is from the Corco Mruad in the north-west of the kingdom and I have had no cause to spend time there. He is quite young and has a reputation as one who has never made false judgements. I am told he arrives later today.’
She rose and began pacing the floor of their chamber deep in thought, and now she came across to join him at the window.
‘Are you sure your brother used the word custodes?’ It was not the first time she had asked the question.
‘I have told you exactly what he said,’ Eadulf replied patiently. ‘Why do you refuse to let me challenge Brother Bosa? Didn’t Egric indicate he was at the bottom of this entire affair?’
‘Your brother also asked who Brother Docgan was.’
‘That was the person Egric told Gormán he and Victricius were due to meet in Cluain Meala. We now know there is no such person.’
‘It is a Saxon name, you said, and it means “little dog”.’
‘Knowing the meaning doesn’t help.’
Fidelma whirled around and immediately continued her pacing.
‘You will wear a groove in the floor soon,’ Eadulf said in exasperation. ‘Look — my brother identified Bosa with his dying breath. There is no need to delay — we should challenge him immediately!’
Fidelma’s features were like the onset of a thunderstorm as she halted and turned to face him. Then she caught herself. Her features softened in sympathy and she placed a hand on his arm.
‘It’s hard, Eadulf, I know. You had not seen Egric in ten years, and just when you thought you had found him again, he was snatched away by death. But you must not let emotion cloud your vision.’
‘He said. .’
‘I know what he said, and it confirms what I have been thinking. I believe that I know who is behind these killings. . all these killings. . and I am now trying to work out a means of ensnaring that person.’
‘Maybe if you shared your knowledge with me, we could find some way,’ retorted Eadulf dryly.
‘When you cast your mind over everything that has happened, you will realise that there is no witness to any of the murders apart from the killer or killers. It is difficult to go to law without witnesses. We have none to the attack on Victricius now that Egric is dead; no witness to the murders of Brother Cerdic, Rudgal, Sister Dianaimh and of Beccan. We do not even have a witness to the attempt on our lives.’
‘And you really believe that they are all linked?’
‘Oh yes, they are. And one by one, the people who could have provided witness have been eliminated. Sadly, even this man Maon and his companion are now dead — but that cannot be helped.’
‘You believe that Beccan was referring to Maon when he talked about taking medicine to someone in the woodman’s hut?’
‘Beccan was not good at remembering names. My brother once commented on it, if you recall. He suspected that because Beccan was no good at remembering names, he had to write them down. Beccan needed a fictitious woman’s name to cover the fact that he was actually meeting Maon. As Maon could be used for either a man or a woman, he decided to stick with the real name so that he could remember it.’
‘That is a circumstantial deduction,’ Eadulf argued.
‘This whole affair rests on circumstances. What we call “indirect evidence under the law”. But while the law acknowledges ground for suspicion, even the accusation of guilt cannot be made without what we call the “arrae cuir” — a number of reputable people who individually make accusation. Even then, it is not valid if the accused can demonstrate some innocent reason to explain that these suspicions are not justified. That is the frustration.’
‘So you know who is at the centre of these mysteries, but you can’t accuse them because you don’t have the evidence?’
‘Correct. I have no conclusive proof with which I could demonstrate that guilt before Chief Brehon Fíthel, who must now judge the matter.’
‘In some ways your law system here is good, Fidelma. In other ways, I prefer that of my own people. If there are grounds for suspicion, the person is charged and it is up to him or her to show their innocence.’
‘Let us stick to the law as it applies here,’ Fidelma replied. ‘You said that Maon and his companion tortured Egric to make him reveal. . reveal what? Where something was hidden? We both know what that something is, and I think you now understand how it came into the hands of Victricius and your brother.’
Eadulf gave an unwilling gesture of affirmation.
Suddenly, Fidelma was smiling. ‘Eadulf, I think I have finally found a way to get the evidence. In fact, I am ashamed that I did not think of it before. Let us find Gormán.’
Puzzled, Eadulf hurried after Fidelma as she set off in search of the Commander of the Warriors of the Golden Collar.
He was at the Laochtech and greeted Fidelma with a tired smile.
‘I hope you are here to tell me to release Deogaire, lady,’ he asked hopefully. ‘I am not only getting problems from him, but now I have to put up with criticism from Aibell. I didn’t know that she knew him.’
‘Has Aibell been here?’ Fidelma was annoyed. ‘I told her I would inform her when she would be allowed to see him.’
‘You may recall that she was never any good at accepting orders, lady,’ Gormán replied glumly. ‘She’s been here several times, demanding to see Deogaire. Of course, I am following your orders, but you would think from her manner that I had turned into some kind of ravening monster.’
‘I am sorry that this has become a problem between you both.’ Fidelma was contrite. ‘However, I think we must hold him one more day. At the moment, there is a task I want you to undertake. I want you to seek out some people, but in a manner whereby they will think that they are meeting you by accident. Above all, they must not know that you have spoken to any of the others.’
Gormán’s eyes brightened. ‘Is this a secret task, lady?’
‘Something like that,’ smiled Fidelma. ‘What I want you to do is spread some gossip. Have you talked to anyone in depth since you came back with Eadulf after the attempted rescue of his brother?’
‘We reported to you and to the King, of course.’
‘But to no one else?’
He shook his head. ‘My duties have kept me busy, lady. But I should think that the King might have told people like Abbot Ségdae what happened.’
‘What happened, yes — but now I want you to remark casually that Eadulf brought back a small leather box. Egric had hidden it but Eadulf recovered it — and being anxious about it, took it straight to Brother Conchobhar who has placed it securely in his apothecary.’
Not only did Gormán look startled, but Eadulf as well.
‘A leather box?’ Gormán ran a hand through his hair trying to understand.
‘It is a ruse,’ Fidelma explained patiently to them. ‘The people you tell must know that the box is in safekeeping with Brother Conchobhar; that it had been in the possession of Eadulf’s brother and that Eadulf is worried about the safety of its contents. Is that understood? Above all, it must appear as if you were confiding only in the individual you speak to.’
‘I don’t understand it, lady.’ But Gormán shrugged and grinned, ‘However, I shall ensure the message is passed on in the form of gossip, as only a warrior sometimes knows how to gossip about things he doesn’t understand. Now, who are the people you want this information to be made known to?’
Brother Eadulf shifted uncomfortably in his seat on the cold floor in the corner of Brother Conchobhar’s apothecary, wishing he could get up and stretch to ease his cramped limbs. Fidelma was similarly seated on the opposite side of the room. He wondered whether old Brother Conchobhar had fallen asleep in his little back room. Then he spared a thought for Gormán, hiding in the shadows of the chapel’s side entrance across the small courtyard that separated the two buildings. It was the only place where he could view the door of the apothecary. It was a night without stars and no trace of moonlight penetrated through the clouds. Eadulf had no conception of the passing of time but was sure it was well after midnight. He was pessimistic that this so-called ruse of Fidelma’s would work.