A Killer in Winter

‘A little stolen regularly over long periods will make pennies add up. Also, remember that all their meals and beds are provided by the people who hire them. When you have no living expenses you can amass a fortune quickly, even if you are only adding a few coins a day.’

‘Ingenious,’ said Michael. ‘But it sounds a slow and tedious way to gain riches to me.’

‘That may be so, but it is easy and, if you are careful never to take too much, it is safe. It is better than standing in icy marketplaces singing to people who would rather you were silent.’

‘The Waits stole a sizeable sum of money at the King’s Head,’ said Michael. ‘If they are only interested in pennies, then why did they take Harysone’s gold?’

‘That is obvious: because they had not been hired by the King’s Head,’ replied the singer impatiently. ‘The tavern was so full of travellers that it would have been impossible to pin the blame on any one person.’

‘Sheriff Morice pinned it on the Chepe Waits,’ said Michael. ‘He knew the identity of the thieves immediately.’

The singer was suddenly furtive. ‘I imagine someone must have slipped him a hint.’

‘I see,’ said Michael, raising his eyebrows and treating the singer to an amused smile. ‘I wonder who that could have been.’

‘If the Waits are known for petty theft, then why has no one denounced them?’ asked Bartholomew.

The singer shrugged. ‘I do not think their habits are well known – not here, at least – and who would believe me if I started making accusations? People would say I was just trying to steal their custom, or that I was jealous because my troupe has not been hired by a wealthy College.’ He gave a rueful grin. ‘And they would be right.’

‘I do not think the Waits have friends in high places, though,’ said Bartholomew, thinking about another of the singer’s claims. ‘They were the last to secure employment this year.’

‘Not quite the last,’ the singer pointed out bitterly. ‘I have no idea why they are in Cambridge. They were doing well in Chepe, where they have their influential friends. They secured a lot of business there – to the exclusion of the rest of us, I might add – over the last five years or so. I cannot imagine why they abandoned such a lucrative situation to come here.’

‘You said they give what they steal to a friend, who sells it for them,’ said Bartholomew. ‘Is this friend with them now? Is it the same person, or do they vary their “friends” between towns?’

‘I have no idea,’ said the singer. ‘I only know what I do because Frith once confided in me when he had fleeced a particularly wealthy patron, and was of a mind to brag. Doubtless he has since wished he held his tongue.’

‘Have you told anyone else all this?’ asked Michael.

The singer grimaced.‘Several people, although none have listened as long as you. But you should hire us instead, Brother. I promise we will not take your salt dishes or your inkpots.’

‘Perhaps next year,’ said Michael. ‘Here are a few coins. Buy yourself and your companions some spiced ale, and you may find your singing is the better for it.’

CHAPTER 9

‘That was interesting,’ said Bartholomew, as he and Michael picked their way between the walls of snow in the High Street. ‘The Waits have been seen with Norbert, Gosslinge and Harysone. I wonder if any of them is the “friend” who takes their stolen property and converts it to pennies.’

‘Not Gosslinge,’ said Michael. ‘He was in the employ of a respectable merchant. Why should he waste his time with pennies?’

‘It might explain why he was wearing rags,’ suggested Bartholomew. ‘He exchanged his livery for shabby clothes as a disguise while engaged in illegal activities.’

‘It might, I suppose. And then he and the Waits had a falling out, and Frith rammed the vellum down Gosslinge’s throat. But would they kill the man who was going to sell their goods? I imagine you need to be very careful about who you trust when you turn criminal, and new and reliable accomplices would not be easy to find.’

‘Perhaps Gosslinge wanted more money, but they refused.’

‘And killed him? Why? It is not as if Gosslinge could go to the Sheriff with his information, because that would see him hanged, too.’

‘Then what about Norbert as the accomplice?’ ‘Norbert seldom left the town. He could not have helped with stolen goods in Chepe.’

‘The singer said he did not know whether the accomplice travelled with them, or whether they had different help in different places. Norbert may have been their Cambridge man.’

‘But, like Gosslinge, Norbert died five days after they arrived,’ Michael pointed out. ‘Does that mean he was not good at his job, and so they stabbed him?’

‘Perhaps he tried to cheat them. Who knows what sort of arrangement they had?’

‘But, again like Gosslinge, why kill their accomplice when replacement partners in crime would be difficult to come by? I am more inclined to believe that the accomplice is Harysone.’

‘I wonder why that does not surprise me,’ muttered Bartholomew dryly. ‘On what grounds?’