Shroud of Dishonour (18 page)

“Do you think we should arrest Grimson and the others after all, de Marins?” Roget said. “Now that we know there is a possibility they may have committed the crimes, Sir Gerard may want to question them further.”

Bascot shook his head. “No. It would be best if an attempt is made to verify Sven’s story first even if, as Thorson says, it would only indicate that he and his wife were in Hull, and not the two sailors. We should also try and find out if either of the seamen was noticed in Lincoln over the days they claimed to be in the estuary. Askil’s parti-coloured eyes are distinctive. I have seen the variance before, but usually in horses and cats. It is not common in humans and I am sure this rarity would be noticed by any who saw him, especially in the bawdy house where Elfreda worked. It might be worthwhile checking with Verlain again, and the other harlots in the stewe, as well as people in the neighbourhood of the house where Adele Delorme lived.”

There was another reason that Bascot wanted to delay the arrest of Grimson and the sailors. Thorson had mentioned that the ferry across the Humber went from the small town of Barton, and that was the village where the newly initiated Templar man-at-arms that had professed to be ill on the night of Elfie’s murder came from. Also, the other brother, Thomas, the horse-handler that had travelled from Temple Hirst to the Lincoln enclave, would have made many trips to the Humber estuary while carrying out his duty of taking the Order’s mounts for transport overseas. The animals were mainly loaded on vessels at Faxfleet, which was a town at the western end of the estuary and not a far distance from either Barton or Hull. It was quite possible that either of these Templars, especially young Alan, had known Robert Scallion, since the trader had used Hull as his main port of lading. Bascot could not tell either Roget or Thorson about his suspicions because the details about both Templar brothers would be considered information that was to be kept within the Order. Before he recommended the arrest of Sven and the others, he needed to obtain d’Arderon’s sanction to question Alan and Thomas and try to determine if there was a possibility it was they, and not any of the Grimson party, who were involved in the crimes.

Roget, voicing his agreement that a description of Askil and Dunny be circulated in Lincoln town, interrupted Bascot’s unspoken thoughts and pulled the Templar’s mind back to the conversation.

“But it will take some time for Sir Gerard to check on Grimson’s story; not only is Hull a far piece for a messenger to ride, there is also the time it will take the bailiff in the port to speak to each of the witnesses on Grimson’s list. While Sven and his wife may comply with your order not to leave Grimsby, I have doubts about Askil and Dunny. Now that Scallion’s boat has been brought home, they have no ties to keep them here. If they decide to leave the area, it would not be difficult for either of them to hire on as crew of an oceangoing vessel and soon be far away from England’s shores.”

“I will keep a careful eye on them,” Thorson promised, “and a word from me will ensure that none of the boats putting into our harbour will take them on board, as crew or otherwise. If any of them, including Sven and Joan, do not report to me exactly as you directed, I will place the others under arrest and lock them up in the town gaol to await Sheriff Camville’s pleasure.”

T
HAT SAME AFTERNOON, SHORTLY BEFORE THE WORKING DAY in the scriptorium drew to a close, John Blund gave Gianni’s note to Nicolaa de la Haye, as he had promised. The castellan had just finished dictating the last letter of the day and was about to dismiss Blund when he handed her the piece of parchment on which the boy had written his speculations about the son of one of her tenants.

“Young Gianni asked me to give you this, lady,” the secretary said. “The boy feels there might be some connection between these recent murders and a person whose name was recorded in one of the documents he was copying.”

Nicolaa scanned the paper and looked thoughtful. “Have you read this, John?” she asked.

“I have,” Blund assured her. “The hypothesis may seem nebulous but, bearing in mind Gianni often observed facts that were of assistance to Sir Bascot when the Templar was investigating similar mysterious deaths, I thought it only right to bring his observations to your attention.”

Nicolaa nodded. “And you were quite right to do so, John,” she assured him. “As you say, his postulations are uncertain, and all of them would hinge on whether or not Roulan joined the Templars or some other monastic order. If it was, indeed, the Templars that he joined and, as my bailiff told Lambert, was forced by pressure from his family into taking holy orders over his licentious ways, it is quite possible, as Gianni suggests, that he left behind someone who was devastated by his leaving. A girl he had promised to marry, perhaps, and considered his desertion a betrayal. Especially if she was enceinte. The humiliation of bearing an unwanted child is a stigma that is not short-lived. It could easily foster hate in her heart, one that has festered, and is now directed both at the Templars for taking her lover away from her, and prostitutes for being the cause of his downfall.”

She thought about the notion for a moment before speaking again. “The more I consider the suggestion, John, the more viable it seems. We have good cause to remember that it was a woman who was responsible for wreaking havoc in Lincoln once before and caused a number of deaths before de Marins discovered her identity. It could have been a female that enticed Elfreda to the Templar chapel and also knocked at Adele Delorme’s door. Neither harlot would have been as wary of one of their own gender as they would have been of a man.”

She looked down at the paper and studied it further. Finally, she made her decision. “It is best to wait for de Marins and Roget to return from Grimsby before looking into the background of Jacques Roulan. If their journey has been successful, it may prove unnecessary. But if they return empty-handed, I will ensure Gianni’s suggestion is conveyed to the Templar as soon as possible. In the meantime, send an instruction to my bailiff at Brattleby. Tell him to report to me at once. It was from him that this rumour about Roulan came; perhaps he knows more details about the matter. If any are pertinent, I will add them to Gianni’s message before I pass it along to de Marins.”

As Blund prepared to leave, Nicolaa added, “And, John, convey to Gianni my commendation for his initiative. The boy has an intelligent and enquiring mind, we must do all we can to foster its development.”

I
T WAS LATE IN THE AFTERNOON OF THE NEXT DAY BEFORE Bascot and Roget returned to Lincoln. The Templar turned off the road just before they reached the gate into the town and took the track that led around the city walls to the preceptory, while the captain went directly to the castle to report to the sheriff.

It was almost the hour of Vespers when Bascot rode into the commandery. The brothers were beginning to gather in the compound, waiting for the small bell atop the chapel to ring and signal it was time to attend the late afternoon service. All eyes turned towards Bascot as he rode his horse to the stables and gave it into the care of a groom. He saw no disquiet on the faces of the men that formed the delayed contingent, only resignation mixed with a tiny glimmer of hope that he had at last discovered information that would exonerate them of culpability and allow them to leave.

Serjeant Hamo was standing near the blacksmith’s forge. When Bascot entered the commandery, he gave the knight a brief nod and then strode across the training area and through the door at the rear of the refectory that led to d’Arderon’s office. The serjeant was gone for only a few moments and, when he reappeared, walked over to Bascot and told him that the preceptor would be pleased to hear his report of what had transpired at Grimsby as soon as the service of Vespers was done.

The bell above the chapel began to chime and Bascot followed the others into the church. With so many extra men in the commandery, the small chapel was crowded, and each man brushed the shoulders of those standing next to him. As Brother John opened the service with the prayer of lauds for the dead, Bascot felt a deep sorrow rise within him. It was a familiar emotion, one that had occurred during every previous case of murder he had investigated. The wilful slaying of another human being reminded him of a poisonous creeping plant, spreading its miasma from the dead person to everyone associated with the victim. The murder of the prostitute in the chapel where he was now standing had left Elfie’s little daughter, Ducette, an orphan. And whether or not Scallion’s death was connected to the killings in Lincoln, his murder in a heathen brothel had brought deep grief to his sister, Joan, and his lifelong friend, the steersman Askil. Murder not only spawned death, but also grief in equal measures. The act was insidious.

When the service was over, Bascot went directly to d’Arderon’s office. After the long ride from Grimsby, during which he and Roget had stopped only to partake of the provisions Thorson’s wife had thoughtfully packed for them, Bascot was hungry, but he would have to wait until after he had spoken to d’Arderon to partake of the light evening meal that was being served in the refectory.

Emilius was with the preceptor when Bascot went into d’Arderon’s office. Both men listened without speaking as they were told of the conversation Bascot and Roget had with Bailiff Thorson and their interviews with Joan Scallion and subsequently, her husband, Askil, and Dunny. He then went on to relate Thorson’s suggestion that it was possible that one, or both, of the seamen could have reached Lincoln via the Ancholme River and committed the murders.

“We must fervently hope that the charge against our brother in Acre is false,” d’Arderon said, “but whether it is or not, if the relatives and friends of the boat owner believe it to be true, it is conceivable that one of them is seeking revenge for his death. If that is what happened, then all of our brothers in the preceptory can be absolved of guilt.”

Emilius immediately concurred, and Bascot could see the glimmer of hope on their faces. The rumour that it had been a Templar who had murdered a Christian in the Holy Land was a stigma on the Order, but Acre was far away and the truth about the incident may not be learned for many months, if at all; their first priority must be to absolve, if they could, the brothers stationed in the Lincoln commandery. It was with great reluctance that he dashed the two officers’ burgeoning optimism as he explained that two of the men in the contingent, Alan of Barton and Thomas of Penhill, could quite easily have been friends, perhaps of long standing, of the dead boat owner.

“Scallion did most of the English end of his business with merchants in Hull,” he told them. “He loaded commodities, mainly wool, from the Yorkshire area and, for a commission from local merchants, delivered them to ports in Flanders and Normandy. He would then, apparently, travel down the coast of the Iberian Peninsula, stopping at ports in Spain and Portugal and buying items such as wine, furs and even small loads of timber that would be easy to sell to merchants in the Holy Land. Once in Outremer, he made his regular purchase of the onions that had proved such a popular item, along with a small supply of spices and silk, and returned home, selling the cargo at ports along the way. Each voyage might take him a year or more, but he usually returned to Grimsby at the end of each trip to visit his sister before going to Hull to arrange his cargo for the next journey. Since this would necessitate spending some weeks in the Hull area, it is feasible he would have been known in Barton and quite probably Faxfleet, and could have come into contact with both Alan and Thomas.”

The information slightly daunted the preceptor, but he took the time to reflect on what Bascot had told him. “That may be true of Alan,” he said finally, “for he admits that he grew up in Barton, but not necessarily of Thomas. Delivering the preceptory’s horses to Faxfleet would only bring him into contact with the captain and crew of a ship belonging to the Order. He would have no reason to mingle with crews of other vessels anchored along the estuary. It is quite possible he may never have heard of Scallion, let alone met him.”

“I agree, Preceptor,” Bascot said. “But I still think it would be prudent to question Thomas as well as Alan. We must be certain that neither man knew the trader before we can acquit them of any involvement in his death.”

“If they are guilty, they will lie, and will be warned of our interest in them,” Emilius said in a depressed manner.

“That may not be an undesirable outcome, Draper,” Bascot replied. “If one, or both, is responsible for the harlots’ deaths, knowing of our suspicion will prevent them from making an attempt on the life of another prostitute. That alone makes questioning them worthwhile.”

Emilius reluctantly nodded and then said to d’Arderon, “And the rest of the contingent, Preceptor, if they are now deemed clear of involvement, will you allow them to depart for Plymouth? All of them grow restless with the delay. Such a mood is not beneficial for morale.”