Company of Liars (43 page)

The bailiff shook his head. ‘You can go on home if you
want to, Ella, but I've told your sister and now I'm telling you. They found the corpse, so the law says they have to stay here till the coroner's questioned them.’

So we waited. Some of the men also wanted to go, arguing that they were not witnesses, just the town's representatives, but the bailiff was having none of it. So, grumbling, they lit a fire and sat round talking in low voices and drinking the generous quantities of ale brought out by Ella, courtesy of the town's coffers. The little boys who were leaning silently against their mother cheered up when they were given a hunk of cheese and an onion apiece. Rodrigo sat by himself away from us all, staring at the ground. Cygnus went across and sat down near him. He didn't try to engage him in conversation, but merely sat so that he would know he was not alone.

The afternoon wore on. It was bitterly cold. A raw wind sprang up and the cloth over Jofre's body billowed as if the body beneath was rising. A couple of the men went across and anchored it with stones. Above, in the sky, a pair of kites wheeled round in lazy circles looking for prey, their wings glinting rust red in the bright glacial sun. Finally, as the shadows began to lengthen, the town gates opened and a small man on an overlarge dun-coloured mare rode out, followed by a young lad who rode saddleless on a mule. From his pained expression the ride had been long and hard. The night watchman followed behind them on foot.

The bailiff stumbled to his feet, his legs so stiff from the cold that he almost fell and hobbled across to the rider. Removing his leather cap, he bowed low, as though he was greeting royalty.

‘Body's over here, coroner, sir.’

The coroner tossed him his reins as if he was a stable lad. ‘Let's get on with it then. I want to be finished before dark.
No sense hanging about. Are you ready, Master Thomas?’ he bellowed at his clerk.

The clerk, who was rubbing his aching backside, hastily donned a small writing board which hung suspended from a strap around his neck and scrabbled in the mule's pack for parchment, quill and a flask of ink, getting more flustered by the minute.

The coroner impatiently tapped the side of his boot with his riding whip. ‘Now, who found the corpse?’

The bailiff thrust the reins of the coroner's horse at one of the other men and pointed to the two lads who, now that strangers had arrived, were once again clinging to their mother's skirts.

‘These two lads came across the body when they were taking a short cut to the river this morning, bit after ten or thereabouts.’

‘Did they raise the hue and cry?’

‘In a manner of speaking,’ the bailiff said cautiously. ‘They told their mother.’

‘Anyone identify the corpse?’

I glanced at Rodrigo, still sitting away in the scrub. He hadn't even looked up when the coroner arrived.

I stepped forward. ‘The body is that of Jofre, apprentice musician.’

‘You're the boy's master?’

‘No, sir, I am a camelot. Jofre and his master are among a group of us who travel together for safety. His master's over there, but he's very distressed.’

The coroner glanced over at Rodrigo. ‘I imagine so, all that time wasted training the boy, now he'll have to start again with another, I suppose. Apprentices are more trouble than they're worth, bone idle and ungrateful, the lot of them. So when did the boy go missing?’

‘Jofre left our lodgings yesterday morning. We are lodging outside the town. We believe he may have come into the town, but he didn't return last night. One of our company gave birth last night. It was a long and difficult labour. It kept us all busy, so we didn't start looking for him until first light.’

He nodded. ‘Quite. So the boy was in the town all night.’

‘Begging your pardon, sir, but it wasn't all night.’ The night watchman hovered nervously at the coroner's elbow, twisting his hood in his hands. I had the impression that he'd been pushed forward, for he kept glancing behind him as he spoke. ‘The lad left the gates alone at curfew, sir. Locked the gate behind him myself. Likely he was attacked on the road on the way home. But it wasn't in the town, sir, that it wasn't.’

‘Good, that narrows the time down then. Let's take a look at this apprentice of yours, shall we?’ He turned to the townsmen. ‘Gather round, everyone. As jurors the law requires that you view the corpse.’

The men made a wide circle round the body, and Cygnus and I joined them. The bailiff dragged the corner of the cloth and this time uncovered the whole corpse. There was a gasp and several of the men including Cygnus turned away. The young clerk's hand shook so violently that a great blot of ink fell across the parchment, obliterating several lines. Even the coroner hesitated for a moment, swaying on his heels, then he stepped forward and looked down.

Jofre was lying sprawled naked on his back. His body was covered in blood, not only from the wound in his throat, but from what appeared to be dozens of jagged bites. But the worst thing, the thing that made even the night watchman gag, was that his genitals had been ripped away, leaving a raw and gaping wound.

The coroner swallowed hard. ‘Now, men, observe the teeth marks and scratches on his body and limbs. The throat has been ripped out, and the… and the private parts. Typical of a dog attack to go for the throat. I'm sure you've seen something similar yourself when a dog starts savaging sheep. Turn the corpse over, if you please.’

The bailiff moved forward and beckoned one of the men, but he backed away. Finally another came forward and together they rolled Jofre over.

‘Ah yes, as you see, men, more teeth marks and scratches. I would suggest this boy has been attacked by a dog, more likely a pack of them. Have you had any trouble from dogs worrying sheep hereabouts?’

The bailiff spoke up. ‘No dogs, coroner, but these past nights there's been reports of a wolf howling. Watchman heard it, sir. Others heard it too.’

The coroner raised his eyebrows in a manner that reminded me of Zophiel. ‘A wolf? In these parts?’

Several men nodded emphatically.

‘Seems unlikely. But if you say so, a wolf it is then.’

He prodded Jofre's leg with the toe of his boot as if trying to rouse him.

‘Stiff, but in this cold weather that won't tell us much by itself, hard frost last night, but it fits with what the night watch says, that he was attacked on the road going back to his lodging sometime after the curfew bell. Well, men, I must ask you to talk it over amongst yourselves and give me your verdict, but I don't think there's much doubt what happened. No need to debate this overlong. I'm sure you're as anxious as I am to close this business and get to the tavern.’ He rubbed his hands. ‘I'm sorely in need of hot mulled ale and a hearty meal, as I dare say are you.’

‘Wait!’ Rodrigo burst through the ring of men. I don't
know how long he had been standing looking at Jofre's body, but his face was drained of colour.

The coroner turned. ‘Ah, yes, the boy's master.’ He held out his hand. ‘My condolences, sir. Once the verdict has been returned you may remove the body for burial.’

I saw the men around us stiffen and glance at one another, but the coroner didn't appear to notice.

Rodrigo ignored the proffered hand. ‘You say a wolf or a dog did this, but that is impossible.’

The coroner shrugged. ‘Up to the jury, of course, but you can see the bite marks.’

‘I can also see that the body is naked. He must have had clothes when he left the town. You think a wolf or a dog strips a body before it attacks it?’

The coroner looked slightly taken aback. ‘Watchman, what have you to say? Was the boy dressed when he left the town?’

The man shuffled forward, looking anywhere but at the body. ‘I think so, sir.’

The coroner began tapping his whip impatiently against his boot again. ‘Come now, man, you think so? You surely remember whether or not someone walked through your gates naked.’

The watchman glanced nervously behind him again.

‘It was dark, sir… he had a cloak… he could have been naked under the cloak.’

‘Why, in God's name, would a man walk around naked in midwinter? You men, did anyone here remove his clothes?’

Several men shook their heads, but no one met the coroner's eyes.

Rodrigo was on his knees bending forward. ‘These marks on his buttocks and legs, the skin is scraped off. Earth and
stones stuck in the wounds.’ He looked up. ‘The body was dragged across the ground.’

A big, burly man walked up. His nose was squashed sideways as if it had once been broken in a fight. He scowled at Rodrigo. ‘Wolves drag their prey off to eat it, any fool knows that.’

‘A sheep or a child, yes, but to drag the weight of a man? And what happened to his clothes?’

The man's face darkened. ‘I dare say he took his clothes off himself. Look, we all know what your lad was into. Maybe he'd arranged to meet someone outside the town gates. So busy giving him one, he didn't notice the wolf till he sprang. A bare backside, all white in the moonlight, heaving up and down, the wolf must have thought it was a pig. And he wasn't far wrong, was he? Anyhow, we've got our verdict, coroner. Killed by a wolf, we're all agreed.’

The coroner nodded, rubbing his hands against the cold. ‘Excellent, excellent. Have you taken that down, boy? You must also record that since the wolf caused the death, the wolf in question is declared deodand. Bailiff, it's your duty to see the beast is hunted down, and since the town has been negligent in allowing a dangerous animal to attack travellers within its boundaries, the price for its head must go to the Crown, not the hunter. The town will hand over the bounty for the wolf's head at the next assizes. Make sure you record that, Master Thomas.’

The bailiff and the men looked mutinous. This was nothing but a thinly disguised fine, and they knew it. Coroners always found a way to fine you for something, however careful you were. The coroner began walking back to his horse, but Rodrigo ran after him and grabbed his arm.

‘Is that all you are going to do? Will you not question
other people in the town? If he was out here with someone, then they must be found to testify.’

The coroner shook him off impatiently. ‘What is the point? We know what happened.’

I stepped forward. ‘Forgive me, sir, but we don't know. A lone wolf would only kill for hunger. Having made a kill, it would settle down to eat, not run off. There are no signs that the flesh was gnawed or the entrails eaten. And a single wolf could not make all these bite marks both behind and in front of the person he had leapt upon. As you said yourself, sir, it looks as if the boy was attacked by a pack of dogs and the dogs could have been deliberately set upon him.’

‘Come now, who would do that?’ The coroner took the reins in his hand and mounted his horse. He leaned down wearily. ‘Watchman, did anyone follow the boy out here with dogs?’

The watchman said hastily, ‘No, sir, no one left after curfew. More than my job's worth to let anyone in or out after curfew. That's a thing I'd never do, sir. Value my skin too much for that.’ He flashed a scared glance in my direction.

For a moment I was tempted to reveal our visit a few nights before, but the watchman looked so terrified, I couldn't do it to him. I had a feeling he was being threatened into lying by someone he feared much more than the law.

I looked up at the coroner. His mount was skipping sideways restlessly, impatient to be off. ‘Sir, threats were made against the boy in town because of his friendship with a young man called Ralph. At least send for this Ralph and ask him if he saw Jofre last night.’

‘I can save you the trouble of that, coroner.’ I turned to
see the man with the broken nose standing directly behind me. ‘Ralph left the town early yesterday morning. Gone to stay with his future bride's family. He'll not be back till after they're wed.’

‘Then he'll be no help to us in this matter. Besides, the verdict by the jury has been recorded, can't go changing it now.’ The coroner looked at Rodrigo. ‘Best thing you can do now is take the body up to the church for burial, then start looking around for a new apprentice. I dare say you'll find plenty of likely lads who –’

The town gate burst open and a man came running out, shouting his message before he had even reached the group. ‘Bailiff, you're wanted… come quick… Yeldon has fallen… to the pestilence.’

The coroner's eyes opened wide in alarm. ‘God's teeth, that's only three miles west from here.’

The bailiff and most of the men were already hurrying back towards the gate. The coroner stared after them, then wheeled his horse around in the direction of the river.

‘Come, Master Thomas, don't lag, we've some hard riding ahead.’

‘But I thought we were going to have supper,’ the clerk wailed.

‘In there? Don't be a bloody fool, man. If someone brought them news of the pestilence, the chances are they brought the pestilence as well.’ He glanced over at Rodrigo. ‘As for you, Master Musician, if you've any sense you'll bury your apprentice and get back on the road as fast as you can, otherwise he won't be the only one you'll be burying.’ He dug his heels into his horse's flank and urged her towards the bridge and away from the town.

Most of the townspeople had disappeared inside the gate, but Broken-nose and another equally big man hung back.
As Rodrigo and I turned to walk back towards Jofre's body, they moved in front of us, blocking our way.

‘Don't even think of burying your boy in the churchyard,’ Broken-nose growled. ‘Cos you won't get the body as far as the church gate.’

I stared at him. ‘Are you denying him a Christian burial, after all that's happened?’

The man shrugged. ‘Just a friendly warning, save you wasting your time. Everyone in town knows he was killed by a wolf –’

‘You know as well as I do that it wasn't a wolf that killed him.’

The man grinned. ‘Coroner's recorded a wolf and if it's written down in his records it must be true. Thing is, there's not been a wolf in these parts for years, so there's rumours going round the town that this weren't no ordinary wolf. It was a werewolf, that's what they're saying. Thing is, if your young friend's been killed by a werewolf, then he'll not rest easy in his grave. Those killed by werewolves become vampires, that's what priest says. Pestilence may have reached Yeldon, but it hasn't come here and it's not going to cos we've got no vampires here. And we'll do whatever we have to do to keep it that way. Understand?’