Swords of Haven: The Adventures of Hawk & Fisher (18 page)

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Authors: Simon R. Green

BOOK: Swords of Haven: The Adventures of Hawk & Fisher
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“For a minute there,” said Hawk, “I wondered...”
“Yeah,” said Fisher. “So did I.”
Hawk turned to Gaunt, who was kneeling by the body. “Careful, sir sorcerer. We don’t want to destroy any evidence, do we?”
Gaunt nodded, and rose to his feet. “His throat’s been torn out. There’s no telling what the murder weapon was; the wound’s a mess.”
“That can wait for the moment,” said Hawk. “Is your isolation spell still holding?”
“Yes. I’d have known immediately if it had been breached. There can’t be any more doubt; the killer has to be one of us.”
“All right,” said Hawk. “Go on down and wait with the others. And you’d better take a look at Katherine Blackstone. She’s in shock. And coming so soon after the last shock to her system...”
“Of course,” said Gaunt. He nodded quickly to Hawk and Fisher, then made his way back down the stairs. Hawk and Fisher looked thoughtfully at the body.
“We can’t afford to wait till the experts get here in the morning,” said Fisher. “We’ve got to find the killer ourselves.”
“Right,” said Hawk. “If we don’t, there might not be anybody left come the morning.”
5
 
Blood
iN
ThE NiGhT
 
“Well, first things first,” said Hawk. “Let’s check the body.”
He and Fisher put away their weapons, knelt down beside Bowman, and studied the dead man carefully. Bowman’s throat had been torn apart. Hawk frowned grimly as he examined the wounds.
“This wasn’t done with a sword,” he said slowly. “The edges of the wounds are ragged and uneven. It could have been a knife with a jagged edge.... See how it’s ripped through the skin? What a mess. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear Bowman had been attacked by some kind of animal.”
“Right,” said Fisher. “Take a look at his chest and arms. 99
There were long bloody rents in Bowman’s shirtfront. Similar cuts showed on both his forearms, as though he’d held them up to try and protect his throat.
“Strange, that,” said Hawk, indicating the torn and bloody arms. “If he had time to raise his arms, he should have had time to use his dagger. But there isn’t a drop of blood on the blade.”
“Maybe he dropped it in the struggle,” said Fisher. “It must have all happened pretty fast. Bowman never stood a chance. Poor bastard.” She sank back on her haunches and stared unhappily at the body. “You know, Hawk, I wouldn’t feel so bad if I hadn’t disliked Bowman so much. There were times when I could quite happily have run the arrogant bastard through myself. I was so sure he was the murderer....”
“I know what you mean,” said Hawk. “I’d almost convinced myself he was the killer. It all made sense. He had both the motive and the opportunity ... and I didn’t like him either.” He shook his head tiredly. “Well, we can’t apologize to him now, lass. But maybe we can bring his killer to justice. So, with Bowman gone, who’s the main suspect now?”
Fisher rubbed her jaw thoughtfully. “Katherine? She was first on the scene at both the murders.”
“I don’t think so,” said Hawk. “A knife in the chest is one thing, but this ... Whatever actually made these wounds, there must have been a hell of a lot of strength behind it to have done so much damage in so short a time. A starving wolf couldn’t have done a better job on his throat. And remember, Katherine was standing right over the body when we found them, and there wasn’t a trace of blood on her clothing.”
“Very observant,” said Fisher approvingly. “Whoever killed Bowman had to have got blood all over him. Did you see ...”
“No,” said Hawk. “I checked them all carefully as they filed past me, and no one had any blood on their clothes. The killer must have had time to change.”
“Damn,” said Fisher. “It would have simplified things.”
“There’s nothing simple about this case,” said Hawk dourly. “We’d better check all the rooms, just in case there’s some bloodstained clothing to be found, but I’m betting we won’t find a damned thing. Our killer’s too clever for that.”
“What about Stalker’s sword?” said Fisher suddenly.
“All right,” said Hawk. “What about it?”
Fisher gave him a hard look. “You said you wanted to run some tests on it. What did you have in mind?”
“Nothing, really,” said Hawk. “I just didn’t want him looming over me with a sword in his hand. Remember, at the time all he had on were his trousers and boots. Where was his shirt? It occurred to me that he might have had to take it off because he’d got blood on it.”
“I see,” said Fisher. “You know, Hawk, we’ve been on some messy cases before, but this has got to be one of the messiest. Nothing makes sense. I mean, I can understand someone wanting Blackstone dead; he had more enemies than most of us make in a lifetime. But why Bowman? And why rip him apart like this?”
“Beats me,” said Hawk. He got to his feet, and then bent down again to retrieve Bowman’s dagger. He studied it a moment, and then tucked it into the top of his boot. Fisher got to her feet and looked down at Bowman’s body. “Maybe ...”
“Yeah?”
“Maybe he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He came out onto the landing, maybe to use the bathroom, and saw something or someone he shouldn’t have. So the killer hit him then and there, on the spot. No time to be subtle or clever; just do the job.”
Fisher thought about it. “That doesn’t explain the savagery of the attack. Or the nature of the wounds. I don’t know about the throat, but those cuts on his chest and arms look a hell of a lot like claw marks to me.”
“So what does that mean? He was killed by an animal?”
“Not necessarily. Remember the valley killer a couple of years back? Everyone thought it was a bear, and it turned out to be a man using a stuffed bear paw strapped to a club.”
“Yeah,” said Hawk. “I remember that case. But why should the killer use something weird like that, when a knife was good enough for Blackstone? Unless ...”
“Unless what?” said Fisher as Hawk hesitated.
“Unless this is a different killer,” said Hawk slowly. “Remember, Visage swore she’d kill Bowman in revenge for his murdering Blackstone....”
“Two killers under one roof?” said Fisher incredulously. “Oh, come on, Hawk! It’s hardly likely, is it? I know what the witch said, but that was just anger and grief talking. I mean, you saw her. Can you honestly see a timid, mousy little thing like her tearing into a man like this?”
“No, I suppose not.” Hawk scowled suddenly. “Mind you, I have seen something like this before....”
“Really? Where?”
“In the Hook,” said Hawk grimly. He looked at the body, and shook his head angrily. “This case gets more complicated all the time. Come on, let’s check the bedrooms. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“That’ll be a change,” said Fisher.
They started with the first door on the left at the top of the stairs, the spare room that Gaunt had opened up for Katherine after her husband’s death. The room looked dusty and empty. The single oil lamp was still burning, and the bed obviously hadn’t been slept in. The sheets hadn’t even been turned back.
“Odd, that,” said Hawk, looking at the bed. “She’d had a terrible shock, and Gaunt had given her a sedative, but she didn’t go to bed. She should have been out on her feet, but she hadn’t even changed into her nightclothes.”
“Maybe she was waiting for someone,” said Fisher. “Bowman, for example.”
“Yeah,” said Hawk. “That would explain what he was doing out on the landing.... Okay, let’s take a look around.”
“Apart from bloodstained clothing, what are we looking for?”
“Anything, everything. We’ll know it when we see it.”
“That’s a great help, Hawk.”
“You’re welcome.”
They searched the room slowly and methodically. It didn’t take long. The wardrobe was empty, and so were most of the drawers in the dressing table. There wasn’t anywhere else to hide anything. Hawk looked under the bed, just on general principles, but all he found were a few piles of fluff and an ancient chamber pot with a crack in it. He straightened up and looked vaguely about him, hoping for inspiration. Fisher was leaning over the dressing table.
“Found something, lass?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe. Come and take a look.”
Hawk moved over to join her. Fisher had found a small wooden box pushed to the back of one of the dressing table’s drawers. The wood had been nicely stained and polished, but there was nothing special about it. Hawk looked at Fisher enquiringly. She grinned, and flipped open the lid. A tangled mess of rings, earrings, and necklaces glistened brightly in the lamplight. There were gold and silver, emeralds and rubies and diamonds, all mixed carelessly together.
Hawk picked out a ring and inspected it closely. “Good quality,” he said approvingly. He dropped the ring back into the jewel box, and studied the collection thoughtfully. “That little lot is probably worth more than both our annual salaries put together. And she didn’t even bother to lock the case.”
“Which means,” said Fisher steadily, “that either she’s very careless or she’s got a lot more like that at home.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” said Hawk. “So, what’s your point?”
“Think about it, Hawk. Suppose Katherine and Bowman got together and decided to kill Blackstone, for the reasons we’ve already established. Then Katherine decides that while she still wants the prestige and the money, she doesn’t need Bowman anymore. He comes to her room, they argue, there’s a fight, and she kills him.”
“With what?” said Hawk. “Where’s the murder weapon? She was standing right over the body when we got there, so she couldn’t have had much time to hide anything. And even though she was fully dressed, there wasn’t a spot of blood on her. And anyway, we’ve got the same problem with her as we had with Visage. How could she possibly have caused wounds like those? Even if she had such a weapon, she’s not exactly muscular, is she?”
“You’d be surprised what people can do, when they’re angry enough,” said Fisher darkly.
“Yeah, maybe. Let’s try the next room.”
The next room proved to be the bathroom. Hawk and Fisher stared open-mouthed at the gleaming tilework and the huge porcelain tub. It was at least six feet long and almost three feet wide. Beyond the tub was a delicate porcelain washstand with its own mirror, and a wonderfully crafted wooden commode.
“Now that’s what I call luxury,” said Fisher, bending over the bath and running her fingers lovingly over the smooth finish. “No more copper tub in front of the fire for me, Hawk. I want one of these.”
“You have got to be joking,” said Hawk. “Do you have any idea how much something like that costs? Besides, from what I’ve heard, those things aren’t really healthy.”
“Not healthy? How can a bath be not healthy?”
“Well, think of all the steam and water in such an enclosed space. You could end up with rheumatism.”
“Oh, but think of the luxury,” said Fisher wistfully. “Feel how smooth this is, Hawk. And imagine being able to stretch out in one of these, up to your chin in hot water, soaking for as long as you wanted....” She looked at him sideways. “There might even be room for both of us....”
“I’ll order one tomorrow,” said Hawk. “But you can ask for the raise we’ll need in order to pay for it.”
They chuckled quietly together, and then set about searching the bathroom. It didn’t take long; there was nowhere to hide anything.
“I don’t know,” said Hawk finally. “Could something have been stuffed down the commode, do you think?”
“I wouldn’t have thought so,” said Fisher. “If it was blocked, it would probably have flooded over by now. Of course, there’s only one way to be sure....”
“If you think I’m sticking my hand down that thing, you’re crazy,” said Hawk. “It was just an idea, anyway.... Come on, let’s try the next room.”
“That’s where we left Blackstone.”
“We’d better take a quick look, just to be sure.”
“What about Bowman?” said Fisher suddenly.
Hawk looked at her. “What about him?”
“Well, we can’t just leave him lying out there on the landing, can we? I thought maybe we could put him in with Blackstone. At least he’d be out of the way there.”
“Makes sense,” said Hawk. “All right, let’s move him.”
They left the bathroom, and went back to where Bowman lay huddled on the landing. He looked smaller somehow, now that he was dead. Hawk took his shoulders while Fisher took the legs, and between them they got him off the floor. The carpet clung to Bowman’s back for a moment, stuck there by the drying blood, and then he came free.
“He’s heavier than he looks,” said Fisher, panting a little as she backed away towards Blackstone’s door.
“You should worry,” said Hawk. “You’ve got the lighter end, if anything. And he’s staring at me.”
Fisher backed into the closed door and kicked it open. She and Hawk then manoeuvred Bowman’s body through the doorway and dropped him unceremoniously on the floor next to Blackstone. They waited a moment while they got their breath back, and then looked about them. Hawk took in the uneven trail of blood Bowman’s body had left behind on the landing carpet. He winced slightly. Gaunt wasn’t going to be pleased.

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