Hemlock At Vespers (56 page)

She raised a hand, almost in blessing, turned her horse and continued on her way toward Cashel.

THOSE THAT TRESPASS

“The matter is clear to me. I cannot understand why the Abbot should be bothered to send you here.”

Father Febal was irritable and clearly displeased at the presence of the advocate in his small church, especially an advocate in the person of the attractive, red-haired religieuse who sat before him in the stuffy vestry. In contrast to her relaxed, almost gentle attitude, he exuded an attitude of restlessness and suspicion. He was a short, swarthy man with pale, almost cadaverous features, the stubble of his beard, though shaven, was blue on his chin and cheeks and his hair was dark like the color of a raven’s wing. His eyes were deep-set but dark and penetrating. When he expressed his irritability his whole body showed his aggravation.

“Perhaps it is because the matter is as unclear to the Abbot as it appears clear to you,” Sister Fidelma replied in an innocent tone. She was unperturbed by the aggressive attitude of the priest.

Father Febal frowned; his narrowed eyes scanned her face rapidly, seeking out some hidden message in her features. However, Fidelma’s face remained a mask of unaffected candor. He compressed his lips sourly.

“Then you can return to the Abbot and report to him that he has no need for concern.”

Fidelma smiled gently. There was a hint of a shrug in the position of her shoulders.

“The Abbot takes his position as father of his flock very seriously. He would want to know more details of this tragedy before he could be assured that he need not concern himself in the matter. As the matter is so clear to you, perhaps you will explain it to me?”

Father Febal gazed at the religieuse, hearing for the first time the note of cold determination in her soft tones.

He was aware that Sister Fidelma was not merely a religieuse but a qualified advocate of the Brehon Law courts of the five kingdoms. Furthermore, he knew that she was the young sister of King Colgú of Cashel himself, otherwise he might have been more brusque in his responses to the young woman. He hesitated a moment or two and then shrugged indifferently.

“The facts are simple. My assistant, Father Ibor, a young and indolent man, went missing the day before yesterday. I had known for some time that there had been something troubling him, something distracting him from his priestly duties. I tried to talk to him about it but he refused to be guided by me. I came to the church that morning and found that the golden crucifix from our altar and the silver chalice, with which we dispense the communion wine, were both missing. Once I found that Father Ibor had also vanished from our small community here, it needed no great legal mind to connect the two events. He had obviously stolen the sacred objects and fled.”

Sister Fidelma inclined her head slowly.

“Having come to this conclusion, what did you do then?”

“I immediately organized a search. Our little church here is attended by Brother Finnlug and Brother Adag. I called upon them to help me. Before entering the order, Finnlug was master huntsman to the Lord of Maine, an excellent tracker and huntsman. We picked up the trail of Ibor and followed it to the woods nearby. We were only a short distance into the woods, we came across his body. He was hanging from the branch of a tree with the cord of his habit as a noose.”

Sister Fidelma was thoughtful.

“And how did you interpret this sight?” she asked quietly.

Father Febal was puzzled.

“How should I interpret this sight?” he demanded.

Fidelma’s expression did not change. “You tell me that you believed that Father Ibor had stolen the crucifix and chalice from the church and ran off.”

“That is so.”

“Then you say that you came across him hanging on a tree.”

“True again.”

“Having stolen these valued items and ran off, why would he hang himself? There seems some illogic in this action.”

Father Febal did not even attempt to suppress a sneer.

“It should be as obvious to you as it was to me.”

“I would like to hear what you thought.” Fidelma did not rise to his derisive tone.

Father Febal smiled thinly.

“Why, Father Ibor was overcome with remorse. Knowing that we would track him down, realizing how heinous his crime against the Church was, he gave up to despair and pronounced his own punishment. He therefore hanged himself. In fact, so great was his fear that we would find him still alive, he even stabbed himself as he was suffocating in the noose, the knife entering his heart.”

“He must have bled a lot from such a wound. Was there much blood on the ground?”

“Not as I recall.” There was distaste in the priest’s voice as if he felt the religieuse was unduly occupied with gory detail. “Anyway, the knife lay on the ground below the body where it had fallen from his hand.”

Fidelma did not say anything for a long while. She remained gazing thoughtfully at the priest. Father Febal glared back defiantly but it was he who dropped his eyes first.

“Was Father Ibor such a weak young man?” Fidelma mused softly.

“Of course. What else but weakness would have caused him to act in this manner?” demanded the priest.

“So? And you recovered both the crucifix and chalice from his person, then?”

A frown crossed Father Febal’s features as he hesitated a moment. He made a curiously negative gesture with one hand.

Fidelma’s eyes widened and she bent forward.

“You mean that you did not recover the missing items?” she pressed sharply.

“No,” admitted the priest.

“Then this matter is not at all clear,” she observed grimly. “Surely, you cannot expect the Abbot to rest easy in his mind when these items have not been recovered? How can you be so sure that it was Father Ibor who stole them?”

Fidelma waited for an explanation but none was forthcoming.

“Perhaps you had better tell me how you deem this matter is clear then?” Her voice was acerbic. “If I am to explain this clarity to the Abbot, I must also be clear in my own mind. If Father Ibor felt that his apprehension was inevitable and he felt constrained to inflict the punishment of death on himself when he realized the nearness of your approach, what did he do with the items he had apparently stolen?”

“There is one logical answer,” muttered Father Febal without conviction.

“Which is?”

“Having hanged himself, some wandering thief happened by and took the items with him before we arrived.”

“And there is evidence of that occurrence?”

The priest shook his head reluctantly.

“So that is just your supposition?” Now there was just a hint of derision in Fidelma’s voice.

“What other explanation is there?” demanded Father Febal in annoyance.

Fidelma cast a scornful glance at him.

“Would you have me report this to the Abbot and inform him that he need not worry?; that a valuable crucifix and a chalice have been stolen from one of his churches and a priest has been found hanged but there is no need to worry?”

Father Febal’s features grew tight.

“I am satisfied that Father Ibor stole the items and took his own life in a fit of remorse. I am satisfied that someone then stole the items after Ibor committed suicide.”

“But I am not,” replied Fidelma bitingly. “Send Brother Finnlug to me.”

Father Febal had risen automatically in response to the commanding tone in her voice. Now he hesitated at the vestry door.

“I am not used—” he began harshly.

“I am not used to being kept waiting,” Fidelma’s tone was icy as she cut in, turning her head away from him in dismissal. Father Febal blinked and then banged the door shut behind him in anger.

Brother Finnlug was a wiry looking individual; his sinewy body, tanned by sun and wind, proclaimed him to be more a man used to being out in all sorts of weather than sheltering in the cloisters of some abbey. Fidelma greeted him as he entered the vestry.

“I am Fidelma of—”

Brother Finnlug interrupted her with a quick, friendly grin.

“I know well who you are, lady,” he replied. “I saw you and your brother, Colgú the King, many times hunting in the company of my Lord of Maine.”

“Then you know that I am also an advocate of the courts and that you are duty bound to tell me the truth?”

“I know that much. You are here to inquire about the tragic death of Father Ibor.” Brother Finnlug was straightforward and friendly in contrast to his superior.

“Why do you call it a tragic death?”

“Is not all death tragic?”

“Did you know Father Ibor well?”

The former huntsman shook his head.

“I knew little of him. He was a young man, newly ordained and very unsure of himself. He was only here about a month.”

“I see. Was he the newest member of the community then? For example, how long has Father Febal been here?”

“Father Febal has been priest here for seven years. I came here a year ago and Brother Adag has been here a little more than that.”

“I presume that your little community were on good terms with one another?”

Brother Finnlug frowned slightly and did not reply.

“I mean, I presume that there was no animosity between the four of you?” explained Fidelma.

Finnlug’s features wrinkled in an expression which Fidelma was not able to interpret.

“To be truthful, Father Febal liked to emphasize his seniority over us. I believe he entered the Church from some noble family and does not forget it.”

“Was that attitude resented?”

“Not by me. I was in service to the Lord of Maine. I am used to being given orders and to obeying them. I know my place.”

Was there a slight note of bitterness there? Fidelma wondered.

“If I recall rightly, the Lord of Maine was a generous man and those in his service were well looked after. It must have been a wrench for you to leave such a employer to enter religious life?”

Brother Finnlug grimaced.

“Spiritual rewards are often richer than temporal ones. But, as I say, I have been used to service. The same may be said for Brother Adag, who was once a servant to another lord. But he is somewhat of a simpleton.” The monk touched his forehead. “They say such people are blessed of God.”

“Did Father Ibor get on well with Father Febal?”

“Ah, that I can’t say. He was a quiet young man. Kept himself to himself. I do not think he liked Father Febal. I have seen resentment in his eyes.”

“Why would he be resentful? Father Febal was the senior of your community. Father Ibor should have recognized his authority without question.”

The monk shrugged.

“All I can say is that he was hostile to Father Febal’s authority.”

“Why do you think that he stole the items from the church?”

Fidelma asked the question sharply.

Brother Finnlug’s expression did not alter.

He simply spread his arms.

“Who can say what motivates a person to such actions? Who can know the deep secrets of men’s hearts?”

“That is what I am here to discover.” Fidelma replied dryly. “Surely, you must have an idea? Even to hazard a guess?”

“What does Father Febal say?”

“Does it matter what he says?”

“I would have thought that he was closer to Father Ibor than either Brother Adag or myself.”

“Closer? Yet you said there was hostility between them.”

“I did not mean close in the manner of friends. But they were priests together. Of similar social backgrounds, unlike Adag and I. As brothers of this community, our task was more like servants in this church rather than the equals of Fathers Febal and Ibor.”

“I see.” Fidelma frowned thoughtfully. “I am sure the Abbot will be distressed to learn that this is the way your community is governed. We are all servants of God and all one under His Supreme Power.”

“That is not exactly the Faith which Father Febal espouses.” There was clearly bitterness in his voice.

“So you do not know why Ibor might have stolen the items?”

“They were items of great value. They would never be poor on the proceeds of that wealth.”

“They?”

“I mean, whoever stole the items.”

“You have a doubt that Father Ibor stole them, then?”

“You are sharp, Sister. Alas, I do not have the precise way with words that you do.”

“Why do you think Father Ibor hanged himself having fled with these valuable items?”

“To avoid capture?”

“Your reply is in the form of a question. You mean that you are not sure of this fact either?”

Brother Finnlug shrugged.

“It is difficult for me to say. I cannot understand why a priest should take his life in any event. Surely no priest would commit such a sin?”

“Would you say that you cannot be sure that Father Ibor took his life?”

Brother Finnlug was startled.

“Did I say that?”

“You implied it. Tell me, in your own words what happened during the last two days. Had there been any tension between Ibor and Febal or any one else?”

Finnlug set his jaw firmly and stared at her for a moment.

“I did hear Father Ibor arguing the night before he disappeared.”