‘But we are not witnesses to anything,’ protested Baodain. ‘The boy – girl, if you like – simply joined the end of our line. We did not know she was carrying a corpse in her wagon. We knew nothing until the wagon caught fire. We put it out. Ask him!’ He thrust a finger at Eadulf.
‘There are still questions to be answered,’ Fidelma replied.
Escrach remained aggressive. ‘And if we answer, can we go? Can we get on with earning our living? Our purpose in coming to Cashel was to take part in the Great Fair – and that is our only purpose.’
‘The Cleasamnaig Baodain,’ Fidelma sighed reflectively. ‘The Performers of Baodain. I know that you have been here before to perform at the Great Fair. So, if you fulfil your obligations to me under the law, then there is no reason why you should not proceed to the fairground at Rath na Drínne. Are you prepared to answer my questions, fully and without prevarication?’
‘Ask your questions, lady,’ Baodain bade her. ‘The sooner it is done, the better.’
‘Then if you will bring seats for me and Brother Eadulf, we can begin.’
Baodain looked at his wife, who took a stool from the wagon and placed it with the others by the fire. They seated themselves on these but Escrach preferred to sit on the steps of the wagon outside the circle. Her expression was still unfriendly.
‘Firstly, I would know something of your band. How many are there?’
‘We number seventeen adults.’
‘And children?’
Baodain glanced at Escrach who answered curtly, ‘Seven children.’
‘And you travel in six wagons?’ When Baodain nodded, Fidelma continued, ‘And then you were joined by a seventh wagon, the one driven by a girl, although everyone thought she was a boy, and that wagon contained the body of a man.’
‘We keep telling you: we did not know about that.’
‘Where exactly did this girl join you?’
‘We already told him,’ Escrach said, jerking her head towards Eadulf.
‘So now tell me,’ Fidelma instructed.
‘We were watering our animals at a pool by the side of the marsh road, the one called the Slíge Dála. It was there that this wagon joined us. I had noticed it came from a side track, from the northern side of the marsh road. It is a small track before you come to the larger road which runs north to Durlus Éile.’
‘There’s nothing but marshland at that spot,’ Fidelma stated. ‘So the girl just appeared out of the marshes and asked if she could follow your wagons?’
‘Yes. She drove up with her ox wagon and asked if she could follow us to Cashel. I said that as long as she kept up with us, she was welcome. We did not plan to halt, nor were we prepared to slow down for her. You see, we wanted to get here before sundown. In fact, we were delayed a little in moving off because Ronchú had a problem with his wagon harness and had to drop back in the line.’
‘Did you not ask this young fellow, as you thought the girl to be, for a name? You did not enquire who he was, nor why he was travelling alone to Cashel?’
Baodain shrugged. ‘With the Great Fair coming up, it is not unusual to meet wagons heading for Cashel. No name was volunteered, nor was it asked for.’
‘So the first you knew of any problem was when smoke was noticed and you had to stop to put out the fire. How were you alerted? I understand you were driving the first wagon, so five other wagons were interposed between you and the newcomer.’
‘We were alerted by Comal blowing her adharc.’ Eadulf knew that this was a kind of horn. ‘Each of our wagons carries a horn which can be used as a warning or simply to keep in contact with one another.’
‘Who is Comal?’
‘Comal and her partner Ronchú were in the sixth wagon, therefore were closest to the newcomer.’
‘What do this couple do in your troupe?’
‘Ronchú is a conjuror and Comal is his assistant.’
‘So you heard an alarm blown on a horn, stopped the wagons and ran back to see what the problem was?’
‘We could see the problem immediately as smoke was billowing everywhere. Then we saw the driver lying by the roadside. I called for someone to attend to them as I believed they had been overcome by the smoke. I then went to unharness the oxen from the affected wagon and lead them to safety. While this was being done, Ronchú and others gathered to put out the blaze. But it produced more smoke than destructive flames.’
‘You did not see the cause of the fire?’ asked Fidelma.
The man blew out a breath. ‘The origin of the fire seemed to be from the black stuff that had been in an overturned bucket by the driver’s seat. I think it was Echadae who pointed out that water seemed to have little effect. Several of us took brooms and brushes to beat it out. That was more effective and the flames were soon extinguished, but they produced a great deal of smoke.’
‘What had happened seemed obvious enough,’ Escrach went on. ‘The girl had that bucket of flammable material near her seat at the front of the wagon. She must have tried to light it and the flames became too strong.’
‘But why light such a dangerous mixture while driving along a highway?’ Fidelma said. ‘It makes no sense.’
Baodain and Escrach exchanged a glance and shrugged at the same time.
‘The girl was young,’ Escrach said. ‘Maybe she did not realise her danger.’
‘But what would she have ignited this bucket with?’ Fidelma wanted to know.
‘No tinderbox was found on or by the wagon,’ interrupted Eadulf, ‘and to guide a team of oxen while at the same time trying to strike a spark to ignite the tinder would require an exceptional talent. It just doesn’t make sense.’
Baodain struggled with the conundrum and finally gave up. ‘Well, there was no other means and no one else to ignite it. It’s a mystery. We tried to put out the flames and, having succeeded, were about to turn our attention to the driver when you and the warrior arrived.’
‘Very well,’ Fidelma said. ‘So let us proceed to another mystery: what caused the death of the girl? The wagon that she drove was suddenly in flames, or rather the part where she was sitting. Let us suppose that she jumped down from her seat as the left side of her body was on fire. She manages to run a short distance before collapsing – dead – on the ground. Between where she had been seated to where she was found was little over a fortach in distance.’
Eadulf knew that was just less than four metres – or a fortach as it was called in Fidelma’s language.
‘The body was found by the rear wheel of the next wagon,’ Eadulf said. ‘That would have belonged to Ronchú, the conjuror, and his wife Comal.’
‘That is so,’ Baodain confirmed.
‘So, how do you think she died?’ asked Fidelma.
Baodain again exchanged a puzzled glance with his wife before turning back to her. ‘We assume that she must have been overcome by the smoke, or succumbed to the shock of her burns. Anyway, she was unwell before she joined us.’
Fidelma frowned quickly. ‘What makes you say that?’
‘When the boy as I thought her to be first joined us, I noticed that his speech was slurred and his breathing quite hoarse and rapid. Comal told me just a while ago that she thought the girl was ill or drunk. Ask her. If anyone can judge if someone has taken too much alcohol, then it is Comal.’
‘Why is that?’ Fidelma asked.
‘On our journey, Comal has become our distiller so that if we camp far from a tavern then she can provide us with a good braccat. But she never allows anyone to imbibe too much, for there is always the safety of the wagons to consider.’
‘We will question Comal and Ronchú shortly,’ Fidelma announced. ‘In fact, we shall probably want to talk to everyone. There is a third and possibly even greater mystery, of course. The man in the wagon had been dead for some days when it joined you. So who do you think murdered him?’
Escrach sighed. ‘Obviously, the girl did. If she did not start the fire by accident, then she must have been trying to hi
de the evidence by setting her wagon ablaze.’
‘Then who killed the girl? For she died from neither smoke nor shock – but was murdered.’
There was no disguising the shock on both the players’ faces. Escrach recovered first.
‘Someone else must have been hiding in the wagon, without us knowing. They must have attacked the girl and then ran off,’ she said belligerently.
Fidelma smiled softly at her, as if agreeing. ‘A good theory – except if they did so, where did they hide afterwards? You were in the middle of the marsh road, with flat bog country on all sides. Did anyone see this mysterious attacker run off? Where would the murderer run to unless it was straight into a bog which would have been certain death unless they were hauled out? I presume no such person was rescued at the time? There is one other matter that negates that theory.’
They both stared at her, puzzled.
‘When the wagon was opened by Eadulf, both doors were secured from the outside.’ There was a silence as Fidelma watched their expressions and then she said casually, ‘I am interested that neither of you have asked how she was murdered.’
No one answered her.
‘I can tell you now that she had been poisoned a few days before, and only at the time of the fire did the poison complete its lethal task.’
Baodain was staring at her as if under a hypnotic spell. Escrach had dropped her eyes and was examining her hands. Fidelma waited, as if hoping that one of them would say something.
‘So the deaths are nothing to do with us?’ Escrach asked finally. ‘She and the man – the second death in the wagon – they were poisoned before they joined us.’
‘Yet there is the matter of the mysterious fire,’ Fidelma pointed out. ‘I have yet to complete my enquiries. Until that happens, you will remain encamped in this spot until I give you permission to move. I have to warn you and your troupe once more, not to create such scenes as I witnessed when I arrived here. You will keep the peace and behave in a manner in which we expect all citizens of Cashel to behave. The warriors of the Nasc Niadh, the King’s Bodyguard, will be vigilant, so please do not try their patience. If you co-operate with us, tell the truth and keep the peace, then we will treat you fairly.’
Baodain grimaced. ‘We have no option, lady.’
In response, Fidelma’s lips formed a thin line. ‘That is right. You don’t.’
She rose with Eadulf and set off back to where Aidan was waiting for them. After a few paces, she stopped and turned back to Baodain and Escrach.
‘I almost forgot … Cleasamnaig Baodain, the Performers of Baodain. I presume each one of those travelling in your company is a performer of some art or other. What feats do you and your wife perform?’
‘I run the company,’ Baodain replied with a shrug. ‘I tell stories, sing songs, and my wife and I play several instruments. I usually play the timpan and the cuslennach, while Escrach is wonderful on the cruit.’
Eadulf knew the timpan was a small three- or four-stringed instrument hit by a bow while the cuslennach were pipes, but he found it difficult to envisage the belligerent Escrach playing sweet melodies on the cruit, which was a type of harp. He glanced at Fidelma and saw the twitches in the corner of her mouth and realised she was sharing his thought.
As they walked back to Aidan, Eadulf could hardly contain himself, for it was the first he had heard of the girl being the victim of poison.
‘So I was right,’ he said. ‘The girl was poisoned. I mentioned my suspicion to Brother Conchobhar.’
Fidelma swiftly told both men of her meeting with the old physician earlier and some of the conclusions that had been drawn.
She turned to Eadulf. ‘Brother Conchobhar believes that the girl imbibed Devil’s Bread, as you call it, but that would not act immediately even in a massive dose.’
‘I was taught some classic symptoms at the great medical school of Tuaim Brecain,’ Eadulf replied. ‘Baodain has just mentioned two of those symptoms – difficulty in breathing and the slurring of speech as if one was drunk.’
‘Which only confirms that the girl had been poisoned before she joined Baodain’s travellers,’ agreed Fidelma.
‘Well, I think the murderer will be found among Baodain’s Players,’ Aidan said obstinately. ‘The fire must have been set to hide the evidence. To me it is clear that the person who killed the girl is either part of this band or is hiding in one of their wagons.’
‘The fire is one thing, but the poisoning happened some days before the girl joined Baodain’s troupe,’ Fidelma repeated. ‘That is the mystery.’
‘I still reckon someone in the troupe must be involved,’ Aidan said. ‘Should I double the guard around them?’
‘I don’t think they will give you any more trouble,’ Fidelma assured him, ‘but your company should certainly remain alert.’
‘Did Brother Conchobhar agree that the girl was probably poisoned at the same time as the man in the wagon?’
‘It seemed a logical assumption but it is an assumption nevertheless.’
‘But it shows us that the members of Baodain’s troupe are innocent of poisoning them.’ Eadulf glanced at Aidan.
‘There is still the mystery of the fire.’ The warrior was stubborn.
‘I agree. Let us ask some questions of this Ronchú and Comal who first alerted the company to the fire,’ Fidelma decided.
Eadulf indicated one of the wagons; he had recognised the couple. A young, fair-haired woman stood on the driver’s seat, engaged in tying a piece of the canvas covering to a support. A man sat on a camp stool nearby and rose nervously as he saw them approaching, calling to the woman to draw her attention to them. She descended from the wagon with a supple dexterity. The pair stood side by side, waiting as the others approached.
‘I am told you are Ronchú and Comal,’ Fidelma greeted them.
‘We were not part of the protest against your guards,’ the man replied immediately. He was a thin individual with gaunt features as if he had never eaten well. His sandy hair was uncombed and his grey eyes had a rheumy quality. This was deceptive, for Fidelma quickly saw how they flickered from side to side and appeared not to miss the smallest movement or expression. He appeared to have a nervous habit of massaging his left wrist with his right hand – and he did so throughout the conversation.
‘That is right,’ chimed in the woman. ‘We want no trouble. That Escrach can be too domineering at times. She has most of the performers under her thumb.’
Fidelma smiled pleasantly. ‘But she doesn’t boss you?’
Comal was young. Fidelma put her at half Ronchú’s age, and attractive, with fair hair and violet eyes set in a face that would cause any man to look twice. Eadulf had already formed the theory that she was Ronchú’s assistant because audiences would have their eyes focused on the girl and therefore allow the conjuror to perform his sleight of hand. Eadulf was a confirmed cynic about such entertainers as conjurors.
The girl was about to respond to Fidelma when Ronchú interrupted. ‘Baodain and his wife are the leaders of our troupe of performers, lady. It is their right to lead while we are with them.’
‘And how long have you been with them?’ Fidelma asked.
‘We joined them at the Oenach Tailtean last summer.’
The Great Fair of Tailtean was held in Midhe, the Middle Kingdom, which was the territory of the High King and regarded as one of the oldest and greatest of the gatherings being held at the ancient Feast of Lughnasa.
‘And how long have you been performing together?’
‘I joined Ronchú the year before,’ intervened the girl.
‘And you come from …?’
‘We are always between places. Such is the nature of travelling folk performing at the various fairs,’ explained Ronchú.
‘And you are conjurors, I am told.’
‘Ronchú is the conjuror while I assist and help him set out his equipment,’ said Comal.
‘And what sort of tricks do you do?’ Eadulf asked rath
er contemptuously.
It was evident that neither Ronchú nor the girl liked their act to be dismissed as mere tricks.
‘We perform ceremonial magic,’ Comal began but Ronchú nervously interrupted her, for he knew that it was ill-advised to speak of ceremonial magic to a religieux.
‘We perform many harmless illusions to entertain the ordinary folk, Brother.’
‘I am also told that you, Comal, brew braccat for the company when you are travelling. That is quite an accomplishment.’
The girl made a dismissive gesture. ‘I learned the art of distilling strong drink from my mother. Sometimes our journeys are long and we pass through uninhabited terrain, so my skill comes in handy.’
‘I believe that you were the one who sounded the alarm to tell the others that the end wagon was on fire?’ Fidelma said.
‘That is so. I blew the horn as soon as I noticed the flames and smoke coming from behind. Ronchú brought the wagon to a halt and ran back to see what he could do while I let the others know.’
‘Tell us about it … no, first tell us what you knew about this strange wagon that had joined you and also of its driver.’
Comal glanced at her partner and then shrugged. ‘Neither of us knew anything about it. We were watering our horses at a spring along the marsh road when her wagon joined us. We believed it was driven by a young boy until … well, until the Brother here told us differently.’
‘You did not notice anything unusual about it or its driver before the fire?’
‘We meet so many wagons on the roads when we’re travelling,’ Ronchu said, ‘and there was nothing to distinguish this one from any of the others that we had seen. It was unusual in design, I’ll grant you that – but I have seen such vehicles before. Some have been brought over by the Britons who escaped into this country when the Saxons invaded their land. As for the driver, we just thought that he was a boy. That’s all.’
‘One thing I did notice, and I told Baodain about it because I disapprove of it in such a young person,’ the girl put in, ‘was that he, or she, seemed to be drunk.’
The Second Death (Sister Fidelma Mysteries) Page 5