“As lawyers, is it not our duty to imbibe as much information as we can?” she demanded. “Our knowledge must surely be as wide as we can make it, otherwise how can we profess to set ourselves up as judges of other people’s actions?”
Brehon Gormán seemed confused for a moment.
Fidelma continued in a confident tone: “Now, I shall want to see the person who found Brother Eolang’s body, the apothecary who examined it and, of course, the abbot.”
“The body was found by Brother Petrán,” the Brehon responded sourly. “The apothecary is Brother Cruinn and you will find the abbot confined to his chamber. I do not think there is need for me to accompany you for I am conversant with their evidence. It is of little importance.”
Sister Fidelma raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She glanced at the surly Brother Dubán.
“Then perhaps Brother Dubán will show me where I may find them?”
Brother Dubán reluctantly led the way to the herb garden of the community. There was a single brother working in it.
“Petrán tends the garden and you will see our apothecary’s shop in the far corner. There you will find Brother Cruinn.”
Brother Dubán turned and walked swiftly off without another word.
The rotund, red faced religieux who was tending some bushes in the garden, turned as she approached. He frowned for a moment and then gave a friendly smile.
“Sister Fidelma?”
“Do you know me?” she asked, puzzled by the greeting.
“Indeed. But you would not know me. I was in the court when you defended Brother Fergal from a charge of murder. Have you now come to defend our abbot?”
“Only if I believe him to be innocent,” agreed Fidelma.
“Innocent enough,” the man was now serious.
“I am Brother Petrán and I found the body of poor Eolang.”
“But you do not believe that the abbot is guilty?”
“I do not believe that a man should be condemned on the evidence of a claim based on obscure maps of the stars.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“I was going to go to market to buy new plants for the herb garden. This involved crossing the lake,” he added unnecessarily.
“I went to the pier where our boat was tied up. It was then that I saw the body of Brother Eolang in the water under the pier.”
“Under the pier?” Fidelma asked quickly, with emphasis.
“The pier is made of thin wooden planking. Some of it is loose and missing. You have to look down to make sure you step surely. That was how I was able to see him. I was keeping my eyes on where I was placing my feet. I saw the body between a gap in the planking. Mind you, I do not suppose I would have looked down so closely at that spot had it not been for the man calling to me and pointing down.”
Fidelma tried not to show her surprise.
“What man?” she asked slowly.
Brother Petrán did not seem perturbed.
“There was a man on horseback on the far bank. As I came onto the pier he started to shout and wave to me. I wondered what was up. It was too far to hear any words distinctly. He kept gesturing with his arm toward the water and that was when I looked down and saw the body.”
“Are you saying that this man might be a witness to what happened?” she asked quietly.
Brother Petrán shrugged.
“He certainly spotted the body and drew my attention to it.”
“Did you tell the Brehon this?”
“He thought it was irrelevant because of the evidence that showed the abbot’s involvement.”
“Can you describe the man on horseback? Did you know him?”
“He was a stranger. But he rode a fine horse and was dressed as a warrior. He carried the standard of the King of Cashel.”
“Then he must have been a messenger of the King, passing on his way to Cashel,” Fidelma cried in relief.
“We can find him.” Fidelma paused a moment and then continued: “What then? What happened after your attention was drawn to the body?”
“I raised a cry for help and, being a good swimmer, I jumped into the water and brought the body ashore. By that time Brother Cruinn, our apothecary, had arrived to help me.”
“And the man on the far bank?”
“When he saw that I had brought the body out of the water, he raised his hand and rode off. There was little else he could do for there was no boat on his side of the water.”
“You say that you could swim?” Fidelma went on. “Do you know if Brother Eolang was a swimmer?”
Brother Petrán shook his head immediately.
“He came from a small fishing community, islanders, who believe that it is wiser not to know how to swim for it is best to be drowned outright, falling into heavy, merciless seas, than prolonging the agony and torture of the body and soul by vain struggle.”
Fidelma suppressed a shiver at the idea.
“I have heard the philosophy although I do not agree with it. Was there no one else who came except the apothecary?”
“No one.”
“Do you know how long Brother Eolang had been in the water?”
“I do not. But the apothecary, Brother Cruinn, said. .”
Fidelma held up her hand to silence him.
“Perhaps we should leave Brother Cruinn to recount what he said,” she advised. “You can only give evidence as to your own views.”
Brother Petrán’s glance wandered past her shoulder and focussed.
“Then there is no better opportunity to hear his words for here is Brother Cruinn.”
Fidelma turned and saw an elderly man coming through the garden. He was strongly built, the arms of his robe rolled up around the elbows showing strong, muscular forearms. His hair was gray and eyes deep blue. He seemed puzzled at seeing the female religieuse in the herb garden.
Brother Petrán introduced her and the apothecary’s face relaxed.
“I was the one who noticed that this was no mere drowning, Sister,” he said with complacency.
“Poor Eolang. He assisted me as apothecary, you know.”
“Perhaps you will accompany me to the wooden pier and explain, on the way, the circumstances which aroused your suspicions?”
They left the herb garden and passed through a small door in a high stone wall which led immediately onto the bank of the island. Fidelma saw that the lake was very wide at this point. The pier, standing on wooden piles, was certainly old. Some of the planking was rotten and did not seem secure.
“This is in need of repair,” Fidelma commented.
“Indeed. It is only used for landing materials for our garden. The primary landing stage is at the main gate as you will have doubtless observed when you arrived.”
“Was there a specific reason why Brother Eolang was here?”
The apothecary rubbed his chin.
“He had gone out in the boat that morning to deliver something to the mainland and so, I presume, he was returning it so that Brother Petrán could use it to go to the market. Brother Petrán found his
“His purse was found in the boat?”
“He had probably forgotten it when he climbed onto the pier.”
“I understand that Brother Petrán retrieved the body of Brother Eolang from the water and then you
