'Who?' Gerard demanded to know. 'Who is dead?' But the guardsman merely shook his head and resumed his sprint in the direction of Palin's house.
Gerard raced toward the temple, fearing the worst.
CHAPTER 12
Gerard burst onto a scene of chaos and panic. On one side of the temple grounds, the scaffolding that had supported workmen had partially collapsed and swung away from the building at a crazy angle. There, people were swarming about aimlessly, trying to help and mostly getting in the way. The few individuals who appeared to possess some sense of purpose were digging among the rubble of fallen beams and stone, evidently looking for victims.
Several injured workmen and clerics had been taken aside and were grouped in a cluster at one edge of the site. Some of them sat dazedly, favoring hurt arms and legs. Others lay stretched out on the ground, moaning occasionally. Odila moved among the injured, offering what comfort she could.
Gerard hurried over to her.
'Are you all right?' he asked, noting with concern a bad scrape above her left eye where oozing blood was congealing to form a dark crust.
She nodded, her face still blank with shock.
'What happened?'
'Some sort of accident. The scaffolding just gave way at one corner.'
Gerard scanned the ranks of injured. 'An accident! Is anyone badly hurt?'
Odila shook her head, her braids coming loose and spilling hair down one side of her face. 'Just one person, and unfortunately that is Salamon Beach,' she said, nodding to a figure completely covered with a tattered cloak. 'He was right underneath the structure when it collapsed.'
Gerard strode over to the figure and peeled back a corner of the cloak. Salamon Beach gazed up at him with milky, sightless eyes. His features sagged with the weight of death. Blood pooled on the ground beneath his head, the back of which had been crushed by falling debris. Gerard covered the dead man again, then started in sudden recognition.
Salamon Beach, cloaked like this and cradled in the arms of Mishakal's statue, plainly evoked the bloodied figure in his dream.
So was this what the dream, and for that matter Usha's painting, had been trying to tell him? That there would be some sort of accident here? If it actually was an accident.
More people arrived on the scene as word of the tragedy spread throughout Solace. Kaleen led Argyle Hulsey, the local healer, over to attend to the injured. The healer moved swiftly and professionally among them, assessing the extent of the various injuries.
'How is Stonegate?' Odila asked Kaleen. 'Was he badly hurt?'
Kaleen shook her head. 'Shaken up, and his arm badly bruised, but he's all right.'
'Who is Stonegate?' Gerard asked, coming up behind them.
'The chief foreman on the project,' Odila explained. 'He works-worked-directly under Salamon.'
'So he would stand to benefit from this misfortune.'
Odila stared at him. 'No! What do you mean?'
'Just that this Stonegate might not have liked being the architect's underling. Maybe he wanted to be in charge and saw this as his only opportunity for advancement.'
Odila shook her head. 'Gerard, you are too wrapped up in the pressures of being sheriff. You don't know Stonegate. That's not like him at all.'
'Maybe,' Gerard said, chastened. But he made a mental note to question this Stonegate as soon as the possibility presented itself.
Kaleen watched Argyle Hulsey proceed through the ranks of the injured. 'Maybe I should see if I can help, even if it's only to offer those who are hurt some tarbean tea.' She moved off to consult with the healer.
'I don't know what I'd do without her,' Odila said with a sigh, watching Kaleen stride purposefully away. 'She's become my right hand in the preparations for the dedication, and she's not even one of my clerics.'
'She's certainly a competent young woman,' Gerard said, staring after Kaleen as well. She had a saucy step, even in the midst of this unhappy scene, that was a pleasure to behold.
'As for doing without someone, now I don't know what I'm going to do without my architect,' Odila said ruefully, turning back to Gerard. 'It's a sad loss. And I fear it'll put us days behind.' Across the way, someone had apparently organized the workmen into tackling the job of dismantling the damaged scaffolding. The scaffolding swayed precariously, but held together as men began removing the pieces plank by plank and strut by strut. 'Salamon Beach certainly seemed like a, uh, valuable person,' Gerard said, searching for tact. 'But difficult.'
'Yes, he could be difficult,' Odila agreed. 'Although he and I were able to get along all right. And he was worth all the extra bother of dealing with him.'
'Did he have any enemies that you're aware of?'
'Salamon? No, not enemies exactly.' She paused, then hurried on. 'There was something strange that happened a few nights ago. I had almost forgotten, until now.'
'Go on,' Gerard urged when she fell silent again. 'Well, I was coming out of the temple after dark. Everyone else had gone for the night, and I don't think Salamon knew I was still here. I spotted him arguing with a couple of men. They were really pushing him around and abusing him. Then they finished their business and took off into the night. When I asked Salamon about it, he tried to laugh the matter away, but something was wrong. I just couldn't tell what.' She shook her head. 'For that matter, I still don't know.'
Gerard frowned, thinking about the curious incident. On the side of the temple, the attempt to dismantle the scaffolding had hit a snag. Gerard stared in that direction but couldn't make out what the difficulty might be. 'These men,' he said, 'did you recognize them?'
Odila shook her head again. 'Never seen them before. But I did get a good look at one of them. It was only by moonlight, but I wouldn't soon forget a face like that.' She described the thick, brushlike mustache that obscured the man's upper lip, and the vicious scar that ran from the corner of his left eye down to somewhere under his shirt.
Gerard scratched at his beard, self-conscious about disfiguring scars that left their bearers immediately recognizable. 'Could they have rigged an accident of this sort?'
'Oh gosh, I don't know.' Odila shrugged. 'It is probably nothing more than an inopportune accident. A construction site like this is certainly a dangerous place. This just serves to remind us all of that fact. We all of us need to be more careful, I suppose.'
'I suppose.' Gerard let the matter drop. Judging by the worried expression on her face, Odila had enough to fret about right now. He decided not to pester her anymore that day about Salamon Beach. And now was not the time to tell her about Usha's painting either. A dwarf with his right arm in a makeshift sling hurried over just then, a sheaf of pages rolled under his left arm. 'Lady,' he said, bowing to Odila.
She acknowledged the greeting with a nod and turned to Gerard. 'This is Stonegate.' Then, addressing the dwarf, she asked, 'Do you have any idea how long it'll be before we can get started again? And will we be able to complete the project without Salamon to oversee the design?'
'We're clearing away the debris, Lady. It's difficult to be certain at this point, but I believe we'll soon be able to resume work and be back on schedule in a day or two. Of course I would not presume to fill the architect's shoes,' he added seriously. 'But fortunately, he had brought us to within sight of completing the project. I believe I can get us the rest of the way.'
Odila dipped her head in a grave nod, then absently tucked the loose end of her braid behind her ear. 'Thank you.'
The dwarf's barrel chest swelled with pride. 'Lady,' the dwarf said simply. Gerard had to admit he seemed an upstanding fellow, not the suspicious type. Stonegate started to turn back to the construction site, then paused and added to Gerard, 'I almost forgot. Someone who says he works for you wanted you to come see something before we proceed with any further repairs.'
