The Straw Men (28 page)

‘If I make no progress,' he whispered, ‘perhaps I am following the wrong path, but where is the right one?' Athelstan felt himself slacking. He was hungry but also tired and did not want to brave the cold outside. He prepared himself for sleep, wrapped a heavy military coat around him and lay down on the cot bed, murmuring the opening words of the sequence from the Mass of the Holy Spirit. He fell into a deep sleep, disturbed slightly by Sir John returning, but then slipped back into his dreams even as the good coroner wished him goodnight. Both were awakened, just as a greying dawn broke, by the bell booming out the tocsin. He and Cranston hurriedly dressed, stumbling out into the eye-watering, limb-numbing freezing air. Mercifully it had not snowed but what lay on the ground had hardened into a sheet of slippery ice. The sky was crystal clear, the stars beginning to disappear. Somewhere a night bird shrieked, answered by the bell-like howling of a dog. The tocsin continued. The tower buildings emerged out of the mist like brooding monsters. Torches flared. Shouts and cries trailed. An archer, stumbling on the ice, hurried up pointing to his right.

‘Bowyer Tower!' he exclaimed, though the rest of his words were muffled and lost. Cranston and Athelstan, clinging on to each other, staggered and stumbled until they reached the circle of cressets clustered near the soaring Bowyer Tower. Cornelius, Lascelles and Thibault were already there. A man-at-arms was pointing up the side of the tower while another was pounding on its locked door. Cranston and Athelstan joined them, staring up through the gloom at Master Samuel, dressed in his robe and cloak, dangling by his neck from a thick rope lashed to some clasp in the chamber window, its shutters wide open, through which Samuel had either been flung or thrown himself. Samuel's corpse exuded its own singular horror, just swaying slightly, the toes of his boots pointed down, hands by his side, fingers slightly curled, his frosted face almost hidden by his hair. The creak of the rope and the clattering of one of the shutters provided a sombre, funereal sound.

‘The morning watch found him.' Thibault, shrouded in his cowled cloak, edged his way out of his circle of henchmen. He pointed back to where the man-at-arms still pounded at the door. ‘We cannot gain entry. Apparently no one else is within.' He paused as an enterprising archer brought along a close-runged ladder which could reach the window.

‘Why not go through the one below?' Cranston pointed to the shuttered window of the ground chamber just beneath the swaying feet of the corpse.

‘If we have to,' Thibault rasped. ‘But this is swifter. Right.' He gestured at the archer to go up the ladder.

‘No,' Athelstan intervened, ‘I will go.' And before Cranston could stop him, Athelstan, begging the archer to hold the ladder steady, climbed up. As he passed the corpse he noticed its clothes were stiff with cold, the hands and face deeply frosted; the open shutters were also covered in a white dustiness which showed they'd been open for most of the freezing night. He reached the chamber and clambered in. The braziers had sunk low in the chilly air. Athelstan, murmuring the requiem, found a taper and hastened around the room. He lit the large lantern horn on the table. As he did so he noticed the rumpled bed, the one goblet and food platter on top of a trunk. The lights of the lantern and freshly lit candles strengthened, making the shadows shift. Athelstan scrutinized the goblet and platter but could smell nothing tainted. He swiftly surveyed the rest of the chamber.

‘Thibault will sweep through this like the wind,' Athelstan whispered to himself, ‘so I must be just as quick.' He examined the clothes hanging from pegs as well as a few lying on the floor. The small treasury casket crammed with coins seemed untouched. The other coffers and chests simply held clothes, belts and hoods. Eventually Athelstan discovered what he was looking for, a small iron-bound chancery coffer. He hastily sifted through its contents: bills of purveyance, indentures, memoranda and a few personal letters, as well as strange jottings on scraps of parchment made against the names of villages, towns and hamlets. ‘The fruits of your spying,' Athelstan murmured. He studied these carefully but put them back. At the bottom of the coffer he found a book; it looked like a leather-bound book of hours, but when he undid the clasp he realized it was a master book of plays, masques and dramas. Samuel must have copied these from other manuscripts. He ignored the calls and shouts from below as he continued his search. He realized this was not Samuel's personal chamber, just temporary lodgings in the Tower, so there would be no secret hiding place. Satisfied that he had done what he could, Athelstan crossed to the door and studied the eyelet high in the wood. He pulled this back and peered out – it was very similar to the one in the door of Eli's chamber. Athelstan pushed and pulled back the shutter, noting how smoothly it moved. Athelstan stood staring at it wondering about the possibilities but the continued shouts from below shook him from his reverie. He drew back the bolts and turned the great key in the lock. The stairwell outside was empty and cold, its corners coated with mouldy cobwebs. He returned, took a candle and went down the stone spiral staircase. The door at the bottom was bolted and locked but the key was missing. Athelstan crouched down, holding the candle close to the ground. He caught the glint of metal then looked back at the gap under the outside door, wide enough for a constant draught of icy air. Athelstan ignored the hammering and shouts from outside. He picked up the key and studied the door to the ground floor chamber slightly set back in a narrow recess to his left. He tried the key in its lock but it didn't work. He grasped the iron ring and pushed hard; the door still held firm. From outside Cranston shouted his name.

‘My apologies, Sir John,' he murmured. ‘You must be worried – I did not intend that.' He unlocked the outside door and was virtually pushed aside as Thibault rushed in, shouting at his men to search Master Samuel's chamber and cut down the corpse.

‘Well,' the Master of Secrets turned on Athelstan, ‘you took your time!' Athelstan glanced swiftly at Sir John, who knew exactly what he'd been doing.

‘I had to look for the key,' Athelstan shrugged, ‘but now you are in. Master Samuel is dead, probably suicide: the door of his chamber was locked and bolted from within. I would like his corpse laid out on the bed – I must examine it.' Thibault nodded and, pushing through the throng, tried the door to the bottom chamber.

‘It's locked,' Athelstan declared, ‘and there is no sign of any key.'

‘Force the shutters,' Thibault shouted over his shoulder, ‘and where is Rosselyn, my captain of archers? He should be here!' Thibault, followed by Athelstan and Cranston, walked up the steps. Samuel's frozen corpse had been hauled back through the unshuttered window and laid on the bed. Cornelius, who had been trailing behind them, bustled through to administer Extreme Unction. Athelstan and the rest waited until he had finished, then the friar swiftly inspected the corpse. He established that there were no wounds to the back of the head, no scars or cuts to the hands or wrists. He pulled up the ice-sodden jerkin and scrutinized the dirty white torso marked with old scars but displaying no fresh wound or injury.

‘So,' Athelstan declared, straightening up, ‘according to the evidence, late last night or very early this morning, Master Samuel, for whatever reason,' Athelstan pointed to the great iron clasp fastened into the wall beneath the window, ‘took the rope intended for escape should a fire break out. He secured one end to that clasp; the other he tied around his neck and threw himself out of that window.' Athelstan picked up the sawn-off noose and examined the slipknot.

‘Samuel would be skilled in that,' Cranston declared, ‘constantly packing, lashing up coffers, baskets and chests.' Athelstan agreed and returned to the corpse to examine the deep weal around Samuel's throat. The wound was a dull red where the coarse rope had tightened and dug deep into the flesh. Turning the head, Athelstan examined the contusion caused by the bulky knot behind the right ear. The friar knew enough about hangings, be it execution or suicide, to realize all was in order. ‘God forgive me,' he whispered, ‘if I can call it that.'

‘Pardon, Brother?' Thibault tentatively approached the bed, pausing at the crashing which broke out below as the thick shutters on the lower chamber eventually shattered and crashed to the ground. This was followed by a sharp wail and keening.

‘The Straw Men,' Cranston declared. ‘They must have heard the news.'

‘Master Thibault! Master Thibault!' An archer came bounding up the steps, bursting into the chamber. ‘Master Thibault!' He paused for breath. ‘
Domine
– you must come, you must see this! Rosselyn is dead, foully murdered.'

Thibault swept from the chamber, Cranston and Athelstan hastening behind. A crowd had assembled, blocking the entrance to the lower chamber. Thibault screamed at them to stand aside then, followed by Cranston and Athelstan, entered the dark, foul-smelling room. Grey light poured through the now-open window. Two archers stood, torches held high; their juddering glow only made the sight they were guarding even more hideous. Rosselyn, dressed in his leather jacket and leggings, sat on a high stool with his back against the wall. The hood of his jerkin had been pushed back, his face all twisted, his right eye half open. Blood crusted the mouth and nose. The look frozen on his face by death was one of agony at the long rapier dagger which had been thrust deep into his left eye socket.

‘Lord and all his angels,' Athelstan breathed, wrinkling his nose at the rank stench. He peered closer: the corpse's face was stained with filth, the slimy dirt on the dead archer's clothing glimmering in the torch light.

‘The bucket.' One of the archers leaned down, picked up the leather pail and handed it to Athelstan. He sniffed at the fetid smell then did the same to the corpse.

‘The bucket was probably left here,' the archer observed. ‘Used to clean up some mess then never emptied. Well,' he shrugged, ‘not until now. The assassin must have poured it over Rossleyn – he reeks like a midden heap. Why should someone do that?'

‘Sharp of eye and keen of wit,' Athelstan congratulated the archer. ‘I wish I could answer your question.' He took the cresset torch from the man's hand and paused at the cries and wails coming from outside. Athelstan pointed at the door. ‘Master Thibault, please ensure that no one goes up to Samuel's chamber. I would be grateful if the door to this room was closed over.' Thibault, now clearly frightened, fingers to his lips like a fearful child, could only nod in agreement. He went to it, shouted his orders and came back, slamming it behind him.

‘What is this?' the Master of Secrets whispered. ‘Rosselyn was My Lord of Gaunt's most trusted henchman, he kept guard here in the Tower. He was a veteran, a seasoned soldier; how could he be killed so easily, like some pig in a sty?' He crossed over to the corpse: staring into the face as if the dead man could answer. Athelstan carried the torch and crouched, scrutinizing the corpse: the mire from the bucket had mixed with the blood which had spouted from the pierced eye, as well as the nose and mouth, to form a gruesome black mask.

‘He certainly died swiftly,' Athelstan observed. ‘The dagger is long and sharp; it would shatter the humours of the brain. Rosselyn was sitting down. The attack was so swift, so deadly he'd be shocked, unable to move. Strange.' He lowered the torch as close as he could, aware of Thibault standing beside him. ‘Oh, yes, very strange,' he mused.

‘What is?' Cranston queried.

‘Sir John, Master Thibault, the dagger pierced the eyelid – look at the right eye half open. Now that could just be an effect of death, but I suspect that Rosselyn had both eyes closed when he was stabbed. You, sir,' Athelstan beckoned at a second archer, ‘bring your torch closer.' The extra light illustrated the full grotesque horror of Rosselyn's face: the thick veil of dirty blood, the half-open right eye, and the dagger pushed into the left almost to the hilt so deep, so violent that the eye had burst like an overripe plum.

‘Was he asleep?' Thibault asked. ‘Drugged with some opiate?'

‘I asked myself the same question about Samuel,' Athelstan declared, drawing away. ‘But there was only one goblet, a small flagon and a food platter. I detected no taint. Is there anything here?' Athelstan grasped the second torch and, holding both up, walked round that dismal, desolate chamber with its flaking walls and crumbling plaster, a squalid mess underfoot. There was nothing but rubbish, broken pieces of tawdry furniture and a few cracked pots and bowls. ‘This hasn't been disturbed for months, perhaps years,' Athelstan commented.

‘The chamber was unused,' one of the archers agreed. ‘A storeroom for rubbish.'

Athelstan moved to the open window, gratefully breathing in the fresh air. He peered out; night was over but a dense mist had swept in. He examined the shutters, the ruptured clasps and shattered bar.

‘I helped to break in,' the archer declared. ‘The shutters were firmly clasped.'

‘And?'

‘We climbed in and saw poor Rosselyn. Who could do that? He would not give up his life easily.'

‘What else did you find?' asked Athelstan, moving back to the corpse. He gently moved the head and felt the grizzled hair at the back. ‘No blow,' he declared. ‘I do believe Rosselyn was conscious and awake when he was murdered. Well?' Athelstan turned back to the archer. ‘What else did you find?'

‘The chamber key, close to his boot.'

‘That was probably slid back under the door.' Athelstan grasped the handle of the rapier dagger, drawing it out, trying to ignore the stomach-churning plopping sound, not to mention the blood and mucus which seeped out. Athelstan felt his robe brush the dead man's right hand; the fingers were curled but Athelstan glimpsed the scrap of parchment pushed there. He pulled this out, beckoning forward the archer now holding both torches.