Suffer Little Children

be the subject of investigation?' she said sharply. 'This seems a contrary thing—that he kept the possessions of Dacan but sent the body to Laigin.'

Tola shrugged diffidently.

'Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that one cannot preserve a corpse,' he replied with a grim smile. 'Anyway, by that time, Brother Midach, our chief physician, had arrived back at the abbey and took over the arrangements. He was the one who authorized the removal of the body.'

'You said that was almost six days later?'

'That's right. A Laigin ship had arrived to demand the body. Of course, by that time, we had already placed the body in our own crypt, a cave in the hill behind us where the abbots of this monastery are interred. We had the corpse placed aboard the vessel from Laigin and presumably the Venerable Dacan's relics will now reside in Fearna.'

Fidelma shook her head in bewilderment.

'Does it not seem curious that Laigin was so quick to learn about the death of Dacan and so quick to demand the return of his body? You say that the Laigin ship arrived here six days after the killing?'

Tola shrugged expressively.

'We are a coastal settlement here, sister. We are constantly in touch with many parts of the country and, indeed, our ships sail to Gaul with whom we regularly trade. The wine in this abbey, for example, is imported directly from Gaul. With a good tide and wind, one of the fast barca could leave here and be at the mouth of the River Breacan within two days. Fearna is only a few hours' ride from the river's mouth. I have sailed there myself several times. I know the waters along this southern coast well.'

Fidelma knew the capabilities of the barca, the lightly built coastal vessels which traded around the shores of the five kingdoms.

'That is, as you say, with ideal conditions, Tola,' she agreed. 'It still seems to me to show that Abbot Noe learnt very quickly of his brother's death. But, I'll grant you, it could be done. So Dacan's body was returned to Fearna?'

'It was.'

'When did the warship of Laigin arrive here? The one that still is at anchor in the inlet.'

'About three days after the other ship left for Fearna with the body of Dacan.'

'Then obviously both ships were sent by Laigin within a few days after Dacan's murder. The Laigin king must have known what he was going to do almost as soon as he received word that Dacan had been murdered.' She was speaking half to herself, as if clarifying a thought.

Tola did not feel that he was required to make any comment.

Fidelma gave a long sigh as she pondered the difficulties of the case. Finally, she said: 'When you examined the body of Dacan, did any other matters strike your eye?'

'Such as?'

'I do not know,' Fidelma confessed. 'Was there anything unusual?'

Tola gestured negatively.

'There were just the stab wounds that caused his death, that is all.'

'But there were no bruises, no signs of a struggle prior to his being bound? No marks of his being held down by force in order to bind him? No mark of his being knocked unconscious in order that he could be bound?'

Tola's expression changed as he saw what she was driving at.

'You mean, how could his enemy bind him without a struggle?'

Fidelma smiled tightly.

'That is exactly what I mean, Tola. Did he calmly let his attackers bind his hands and feet without a struggle?'

Tola looked serious for the first time during their conversation.

'There were no bruises that I saw. It did not occur to me…'

He paused and grimaced in annoyance.

'What?' demanded Fidelma.

'I am incompetent,' sighed Tola.

'Why so?'

'I should have asked this very question at the time but I did not. I am sure, however, that there were no bruises on the body and, while the bonds on the wrists and ankles were tight, there was no bruising to show how they had been administered.'

'What were the bonds made of?' Fidelma asked, wishing to check what she had learnt already.

'Torn pieces of cloth. As I recall they were pieces of linen and dyed.'

'Can you recall the dyes?'

'Blue and red, I believe.'

Fidelma nodded. The evidence concurred with that given by Brother Conghus.

'I suppose that they were thrown away?' Fidelma queried, presuming the worst.

She was surprised when Tola shook his head.

'As a matter of fact, no. Our enterprising apothecary, Brother Martan, has a morbid taste for relics and decided that the bonds of Dacan might one day become a much-sought-after and valuable relic, especially if the Faith recognizes him as a man of great sanctity.'

'So this Brother…?'

'Martan,' supplied Tola.

'So this Brother Martan has kept the material?'

'Exactly so.'

'Well,' Fidelma smiled in relief, 'that is excellent. However, I will have to take temporary charge of them as being evidence pertinent to my inquiry. You may tell Brother Martan that he will get them returned as soon as I have done.'

Tola nodded thoughtfully.

'But how did Dacan get himself bound by his enemies without a struggle?'

Fidelma pulled a face.

'Maybe he did not suspect that they were his enemies until later. Just one more point of clarification, though, and then I think we are done. You said that the body was cold and implied that it had been a long time dead. How long?'

'It is hard to judge. Several hours at least. I do not know when Dacan was last seen but he may well have been killed around midnight. Certainly the death occurred during the night and not later.'

Fidelma found herself focusing on the oil lamp which stood on the table by the cot.

'Dacan was killed sometime about midnight,' she said reflectively. 'Yet when he was found the oil lamp was burning.'

Cass, who had been more or less a silent spectator to Fidelma's questioning of Brother Tola, was watching her with interest.

'Why do you remark on that, sister?' he queried.

Fidelma went once more to the lamp and picked it up carefully so as not to spill any oil from it. Silently, she handed it to him with equal care. He took it, the bewilderment on his face increasing.

'I do not understand,' he said.

'Do you notice anything odd about the lamp?'

He shook his head.

'It is still filled with oil. If this is the same lamp, then it could not have been burning more than an hour from the time Brother Conghus discovered the body.'

Sister Fidelma sat on the cot in her chamber, hands linked together at the back of her head, staring upwards into the gloom. She had decided to call a halt to the investigation for that evening. She had thanked Brother Tola for his help and reminded him once more that, on the following morning, Brother Martan must hand over to her the strips of cloth that had bound Dacan. Then she had bade the young, enthusiastic Sister Necht a 'good night's repose' and told her to report to her again with Brother Rumann the next morning.