The Spider's Web

begun with doubt. ’

‘You are not free until you have ceased to doubt.’

‘I thought even Christ doubted at the end,’ Fidelma pointed out with a benign look that belied her sharp retort.

Father Gormán looked scandalised.

‘Only to demonstrate to us that we must remain true to our conviction.’

‘Is that so? My mentor, Morann of Tara, used to say that convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than outright lies.’

Father Gormán swallowed and was about to reply when she raised a hand to still him.

‘I did not come to debate theology with you, Gormán of Cill Uird, though I shall be happy to do so once my business is ended. I came in my role as advocate of the courts.’

‘About the killing of Eber,’ added Eadulf quickly, for he judged that Father Gormán would not be so easily deflected from his course.

Father Gormán looked reluctant for a moment to give up the argument about religion but then bowed his head.

‘Then there is little I can help you with. I know nothing.’

‘Nothing at all?’

‘Nothing.’

‘But your church stands a yard or so away from Eber’s apartments. I understand that you sleep in this church. Of all the people in the rath you were the closest to Eber’s apartments. It might be expected that you were best placed to have heard something.’

‘I sleep in the room next to this,’ Father Gormán said, pointing to a small door behind them. ‘But I can assure you that I knew nothing of the killing until I was roused from my sleep by the noise of people outside Eber’s apartments.’

‘When was that?’

‘After sunrise. The people had word of Eber’s death and gathered outside his apartments. It was the hubbub of the people whichfirst woke me and I went out to find out what was amiss. I knew nothing before that.’

‘I thought Rome offered strict rules as to the time of rising,’ Eadulf put in slyly.

Father Gormán regarded him with disfavour.

‘You may know, brother, that what is good for Rome is often not good for us in the more northern climes. Rome can say that a religious must rise at a certain hour. That is fine in Rome for the day gets lighter there earlier and there is justification for rising early. But what is the point of a man rising in the darkness and cold of these latitudes because his brothers in Rome rise at that hour?’

Fidelma was smiling broadly.

‘So there is some good to be salvaged from the rules of the church of Colmcille?’

Father Gormán’s eyes narrowed as her thrust went home.

‘You may have your joke, sister. The fact remains that the rules of the church of Rome are the rules as consecrated by Christ … in the matter of theology and teaching. We can differ only when geography and climate make them impractical.’

‘Very well. I will not argue … for the present. You rose just after sunrise and it was only then that you discovered what had happened to Eber. You had been fast asleep all night?’

‘I had offered the midnight Angelus and retired to bed. Nothing had disturbed me.’

‘You heard no scream or cry for help?’

‘I have said as much.’

‘You see, when a man is attacked in such a manner as Eber obviously was, it seems to me that he might scream for help.’

‘I was told that Eber was stabbed as he lay sleeping. Hardly time for a cry for help.’

Fidelma pursed her lips thoughtfully.

‘Hardly time for a cry for help?’ she repeated slowly. ‘No time to cry out as someone who was blind, deaf and dumb was able toenter the room without disturbing anyone, take a knife and stab Eber savagely several times? All this while, Eber lay in a room with a lighted lamp?’

It seemed that she was speaking half to herself.

‘I heard nothing,’ Father Gormán insisted.

‘Did it surprise you when you learnt that it was Móen who had been found by Eber’s body and that he had, according to witnesses, been the killer?’

‘Surprise me?’ Father Gormán thought a moment. ‘No I cannot say surprise was my reaction. Allow a wild animal to run loose in your home and expect it to turn on you and bite you.’

‘Is that how you saw Móen?’

‘As a wild animal? Yes. I saw that child of incest as no more than a wild beast. I would not allow that child of incest within the walls of this chapel. He was God’s accursed.’

‘Would you say that was a Christian way of dealing with someone who was afflicted?’ interrupted Fidelma in indignation.

‘Should I argue with God against His punishment of this creature? Punishment it was, depriving him of that which makes us human. Didn’t the Christ tell us: “The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth”? God punishes us as much as He rewards us.’

‘You seem sure that God created Móen to punish him. Perhaps he created Móen in order to try the extent of our Christian faith?’

‘That is an impertinence.’

‘You think so? I am often accused of impertinence when people cannot answer, or are unwilling to answer, a question. Poor Móen. It seems that he was not well tolerated in this place after all.’

It was a statement that implied a question.

‘Do you rebuke my Christian ethics, sister?’ There was a dangerous edge to the priest’s voice.

‘It is not for me to do so, Father Gormán,’ replied Fidelma blandly.

‘Quite so!’ snapped Father Gormán, misunderstanding her slight emphasis.

‘Then you have no qualms in believing that Móen is responsible?’ interspersed Eadulf, trying to ease the growing tension.

Father Gormán shook his head.

‘What qualms should I have? There were witnesses.’

‘But have you never asked what reason Móen must have had to do this?’

‘Probably he had several reasons. The creature lives in his own private world, cut off from the rest of us. Who knows his logic, his reasoning? He does not have to have the same reasons and motives that we in this world do. He is of the other world. Who knows the bitterness and hate that he harbours in his world for those more blessed in this one?’

‘Then you do allow him some human feelings?’ Fidelma thrust quickly.

‘I would allow an animal those feelings. Ill-treat a dog, for example, and it may one day turn on you.’

Fidelma leant forward thoughtfully.

‘Are you saying that Eber may have ill-treated Móen?’

‘I am giving you general reasons not specific ones,’ the priest replied defensively.

‘Did Teafa ill-treat Móen?’

Father Gormán shook his head.

‘No. She doted on the creature. All the family of the chieftains of Araglin are perverse.’

Fidelma quickly took the bait that he had unwittingly offered.

‘Are you including Eber in that statement?’

‘Him especially. Let us pray that Crón takes after her mother and not her father.’

Fidelma’s eyes narrowed.

‘Yet many have told me that Eber was kindliness and generosity itself; that he was well respected everywhere in Araglin. Was I told falsely?’

Father Gormán allowed a bitter smile to twist his mouth out of shape.