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Authors: Susanna Gregory
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tunics.
‘Surely, one of you must have climbed down at some point for more supplies? Or even stood for a moment to stretch and take
a breath?’
‘We did come down from time to time,’ acknowledged one called Peterkin. ‘But we were in a hurry, so did not waste time gawking
around. All I can say is that there was no body behind our tiles at dawn this morning, because I went behind there to pee.
And I would have noticed.’
‘Someone entered our College and hid a corpse among your supplies,’ said Michael, rather accusingly. ‘In broad daylight. Surely,
one
of you must have seen something to help us find out who did it?’
There were a lot of shaken heads and muttered denials. ‘You cannot let your mind wander on roofs,’ said Peterkin, rather sanctimoniously.
‘It is asking for accidents.’
Michael sighed his exasperation, and tried a different tack. ‘Did any of you know Drax?’
‘Not really,’ replied Yffi. ‘We all drink in the Griffin, which he owned, but we rarely spoke.’
‘I did not like him,’ said Blaston unhappily. ‘He knew this winter has been hard, and that decent men are struggling to make
ends meet, but he still charged top prices for his wares.’
‘That is true,’ said Yffi, while his lads nodded agreement. ‘Why do you think he bought prayers from Michaelhouse? His conscience
plagued him, and he needed your masses to salve it.’
‘But none of us were angry enough about it to kill him,’ added Peterkin hastily.
Michael asked a few more questions but they elicited nothing useful, so he ordered them back to work. When they had gone,
he stood next to the stack of tiles and squinted at the roof.
‘If Yffi and his boys
were
all up there, they would
not
have been able to see down here – although we would still have been able to hear their banter. So they may be telling the
truth.’
Bartholomew nodded. ‘Drax was not a large man, so it would not take many moments to haul him here and deposit him. The killer
could well have done it while Yffi and his apprentices were on the roof and Blaston was in the stables. Of course, he would
have to hope none of our students happened to be looking out of the window at the time.’
‘But it could have happened when they were transfixed by Yffi’s lewd banter,’ mused Michael. ‘I was interested to hear that
those pilgrims were nosing around at the salient time, though, especially that pardoner. You know what I think of pardoners.
Perhaps Fen saw our home anddecided it looked like a good repository for the body of his victim.’
‘Why would he do that?’ asked Bartholomew, startled by the assertion. ‘If he did kill Drax, why risk capture by toting the
corpse around?’
‘Pardoners are an unfathomable breed,’ declared Michael, never rational where they were concerned. ‘Who knows what passes
through their sly minds? But I shall find out when I interrogate Master Fen later. I do not want you with me, though. You
are too willing to see the good in people, and he will use your weakness to his advantage.’
‘As you wish,’ said Bartholomew, relieved to be spared the ordeal.
Cynric had been busy while Bartholomew and Michael had been talking to the workmen, and not only had he arranged for servants
to carry Drax to St Michael’s Church, but he had conducted a systematic search of the College buildings, too, and was able
to report that there were no signs of blood or a struggle in any of them.
‘What about the grounds?’ asked Michael. ‘In the orchard or around the vegetable plots?’
Cynric shook his head. ‘The grass would have been trampled if a murder had occurred in the wilder parts, while I would have
seen blood around the bits that are more carefully tended. Drax was not killed in the College, Brother. I am sure of it.’
‘So you
were
right, Matt,’ said Michael. ‘Drax was killed elsewhere and was dumped here. But why? The tiles will go on our roof soon,
so he was not
‘Surely, one of you must have climbed down at some point for more supplies? Or even stood for a moment to stretch and take
a breath?’
‘We did come down from time to time,’ acknowledged one called Peterkin. ‘But we were in a hurry, so did not waste time gawking
around. All I can say is that there was no body behind our tiles at dawn this morning, because I went behind there to pee.
And I would have noticed.’
‘Someone entered our College and hid a corpse among your supplies,’ said Michael, rather accusingly. ‘In broad daylight. Surely,
one
of you must have seen something to help us find out who did it?’
There were a lot of shaken heads and muttered denials. ‘You cannot let your mind wander on roofs,’ said Peterkin, rather sanctimoniously.
‘It is asking for accidents.’
Michael sighed his exasperation, and tried a different tack. ‘Did any of you know Drax?’
‘Not really,’ replied Yffi. ‘We all drink in the Griffin, which he owned, but we rarely spoke.’
‘I did not like him,’ said Blaston unhappily. ‘He knew this winter has been hard, and that decent men are struggling to make
ends meet, but he still charged top prices for his wares.’
‘That is true,’ said Yffi, while his lads nodded agreement. ‘Why do you think he bought prayers from Michaelhouse? His conscience
plagued him, and he needed your masses to salve it.’
‘But none of us were angry enough about it to kill him,’ added Peterkin hastily.
Michael asked a few more questions but they elicited nothing useful, so he ordered them back to work. When they had gone,
he stood next to the stack of tiles and squinted at the roof.
‘If Yffi and his boys
were
all up there, they would
not
have been able to see down here – although we would still have been able to hear their banter. So they may be telling the
truth.’
Bartholomew nodded. ‘Drax was not a large man, so it would not take many moments to haul him here and deposit him. The killer
could well have done it while Yffi and his apprentices were on the roof and Blaston was in the stables. Of course, he would
have to hope none of our students happened to be looking out of the window at the time.’
‘But it could have happened when they were transfixed by Yffi’s lewd banter,’ mused Michael. ‘I was interested to hear that
those pilgrims were nosing around at the salient time, though, especially that pardoner. You know what I think of pardoners.
Perhaps Fen saw our home anddecided it looked like a good repository for the body of his victim.’
‘Why would he do that?’ asked Bartholomew, startled by the assertion. ‘If he did kill Drax, why risk capture by toting the
corpse around?’
‘Pardoners are an unfathomable breed,’ declared Michael, never rational where they were concerned. ‘Who knows what passes
through their sly minds? But I shall find out when I interrogate Master Fen later. I do not want you with me, though. You
are too willing to see the good in people, and he will use your weakness to his advantage.’
‘As you wish,’ said Bartholomew, relieved to be spared the ordeal.
Cynric had been busy while Bartholomew and Michael had been talking to the workmen, and not only had he arranged for servants
to carry Drax to St Michael’s Church, but he had conducted a systematic search of the College buildings, too, and was able
to report that there were no signs of blood or a struggle in any of them.
‘What about the grounds?’ asked Michael. ‘In the orchard or around the vegetable plots?’
Cynric shook his head. ‘The grass would have been trampled if a murder had occurred in the wilder parts, while I would have
seen blood around the bits that are more carefully tended. Drax was not killed in the College, Brother. I am sure of it.’
‘So you
were
right, Matt,’ said Michael. ‘Drax was killed elsewhere and was dumped here. But why? The tiles will go on our roof soon,
so he was not
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