A Killer in Winter

Abigny stared at him in surprise, then laughed. ‘All the power you have accrued from being the Bishop’s spy and the Senior Proctor has made you insolent, Michael! It is none of your business who I am meeting, and you have no right to question me. I am no longer a scholar, and am therefore outside your jurisdiction.’

‘I apologise,’ acknowledged Michael, with a grin Bartholomew sensed was not genuine. ‘I only wanted to ask you about Gosslinge, now that Philippa is not here to contradict you.’

Abigny gave a bleak smile. ‘You have already heard all I have to say: Gosslinge was a puny little man who hid when there was hard work to be done; he was lazy and grasping; and he had an inflated opinion of his worth. He despised me because I am employed by the law courts – “priests’ dirty work”, he called it.’

‘Did he indulge in criminal activities, then?’ asked Michael, exchanging a meaningful glance with Bartholomew. Perhaps Gosslinge had been the Waits’ accomplice after all.

‘I doubt it,’ replied Abigny. ‘Walter was intolerant of any kind of wrongdoing by his servants, despite the fact that he used questionable practices himself to make his business a success. Gosslinge had a good life, and I do not think he would have risked losing it by breaking the law.’

‘Walter engaged in criminal activities?’ asked Michael, surprised. ‘I thought he was a Prime Warden, and a fine, upstanding member of London society.’

‘Oh, he was,’ said Abigny wryly. ‘At least, that is what he wanted people to believe. His good reputation meant a great deal to him. Why else would he go to the inconvenience and discomfort of a pilgrimage?’

‘To atone for a mortal sin?’ suggested Michael dryly.

Abigny laughed again. ‘Do not be ridiculous! Walter had no fear of Heaven or Hell, and the pilgrimage was undertaken solely because he believed the murder of Fiscurtune – which he always claimed was perfectly justified, by the way – might damage his chances of being Lord Mayor.’

‘His chances of becoming Lord Mayor look slim at the moment,’ remarked Michael.

Abigny grinned. ‘Perhaps that was the real reason for his death – he embarked on a pilgrimage without being properly contrite, and was struck down by God.’

‘Why did Turke think he was justified in killing Fiscurtune?’ asked Bartholomew. ‘You said he stabbed an unarmed man during a guild meeting. That does not sound justified to me.’

‘Walter was one of those men who believe they can do no wrong,’ replied Abigny. ‘How Fiscurtune’s death appeared to me and a good many others was irrelevant to him. He believed he killed Fiscurtune honourably after many years of provocation.’

‘You mentioned Turke was not wholly honest in business,’ said Bartholomew. ‘What criminal activities did he enjoy?’

‘I did not say they were criminal,’ corrected Abigny. ‘I said they were questionable. He was ruthless, and destroyed more than one competitor as he made his way to the top. You will not find anything flagrantly illegal in his past, but there is a lot of unpleasantness and unkindness.’

‘I am puzzled by Gosslinge’s role in all this,’ said Bartholomew. ‘I do not understand why Turke employed someone lazy and indolent – even if he did remain on the right side of the law.’

Abigny hesitated. ‘I could give you my views on the matter, but I have no evidence to back them, and there is no point in telling tales now that both are dead. It would hurt Philippa, and I do not want to do that. And anyway, I thought you had agreed to leave Walter in peace.’

‘Turke, yes, but not Gosslinge,’ said Michael craftily. ‘I am not entirely satisfied that his death was natural.’ He raised an eyebrow at Bartholomew, who stared at the ground, chagrined. ‘I cannot allow him to be buried until I am sure there is nothing sinister about his demise.’

‘Really?’ asked Abigny, surprised. ‘You think someone might have done away with him? I do not think it was Turke, so do not waste your time exploring that line of enquiry. He was too angry about Gosslinge’s disappearance to have had a hand in it himself.’

Bartholomew rubbed his chin as he considered the clerk’s claims. Was Abigny telling the truth about Turke’s level of irritation over the servant’s death, or was he just trying to dissuade them from including Turke in Gosslinge’s murder investigation? Bartholomew realised with a shock that not only had Philippa changed to the point where he barely knew her, but so had her brother. Bartholomew and Abigny had shared a room for several years, and had been good friends, but Bartholomew now found himself questioning everything Abigny said.

‘You still have not answered Matt’s question,’ said Michael, as Abigny leaned against a wall and flexed one of his feet, wincing as he did so. ‘Why did Turk employ a lazy scoundrel like Gosslinge?’