The Hand of Justice

Quenhyth was outraged. ‘That is a terrible thing to say! Besides, I heard Paxtone say in a lecture once that he has no use for Water of Snails, because it brings about excessive wind. He would never prescribe such an old-fashioned remedy.’

Redmeadow agreed. ‘I attended that lecture, too. Rougham is the guilty culprit here, not Paxtone. Paxtone does not go around poisoning his patients. I do not think the same can be said for Rougham.’

‘But we cannot prove that Rougham sent Warde the poison,’ insisted Bartholomew.

‘Well, Warde said he did, and so do Master Thorpe and Bingham,’ said Michael, exchanging a triumphant glance with the students. ‘Things are not looking good for Rougham at all.’

Bartholomew was not happy with Michael’s conclusions, and felt the ‘evidence’ was too open to alternative explanations for Rougham to be charged with Warde’s murder. He insisted they should investigate further before openly accusing the Gonville physician, and decided they would begin by visiting Lavenham the apothecary, to ask whether he recognised the phial and then to question him about the possibility of a mistake with ingredients. These were not questions he wanted to put to a man who supplied most of his medicines, but, he felt he had no choice.

‘Do you think Warde’s death is related to the murders in the mill?’ asked Michael, as they waited outside the porters’ lodge for Quenhyth to emerge. Bartholomew had forced him to confess immediately, and did not want to leave the College until he was sure the lad had done his duty. ‘That if Rougham killed Warde, then he also dispatched Bottisham and Deschalers? We did find that other phial in the King’s Mill. Remember?’

Bartholomew shrugged, most of his thoughts on Walter. ‘It is possible that Rougham murdered Deschalers using whatever was in the pot we found, then was obliged to kill Bottisham because he inadvertently witnessed the crime — and that he used the nails to disguise what had really happened. It is a simple enough solution, but, again, it is not one we can prove — especially given Rougham’s aversion to surgery and sharp implements. And we must remember Bernarde’s testimony: he did not see Rougham or anyone else escaping after the two men died.’

‘Ignore Bernarde’s story for now,’ said Michael. ‘Do you find Rougham a plausible suspect?’

Bartholomew considered the question for a long time. ‘I would not be surprised to learn he eased a patient into an early grave to benefit himself in some way. That is what he has been saying about me, so such things have obviously occurred to him. But I do not see him sneaking around dark mills armed with nails.’

‘You claimed originally that Bottisham and Deschalers both died from wounds to the mouth. Are you now saying that one might have been poisoned — and that only one actually died from stabbing?’

‘It is possible. Many poisons are impossible to detect, and we did find that phial: someone obviously swallowed some strong substance in the King’s Mill. However, if you recall, that pot was full of dust. It may have been dropped there the night Bottisham and Deschalers died. But, equally, it may have been there for a good deal longer and have nothing to do with their deaths.’

‘Do you still have it?’ asked Michael.

Bartholomew handed it to him, and the monk held it up, next to the one from Warde. They were identical.

‘That does not mean anything, Brother,’ warned Bartholomew, seeing the monk’s eyes light up with glee. ‘All apothecaries use phials like that for powerful potions. We will never prove it contained something lethal; just that it once held something strong.’

‘Water of Snails?’ asked Michael hopefully.

‘Yes, perhaps. Along with a host of other things.’

‘I excelled myself in tact and cunning at Julianna’s house yesterday,’ said Michael, mulling over the information for a moment, and then addressing a different issue. ‘Acting on your suspicions, I mooted the possibility that Deschalers might have planned to change his will, but she did not put her hand in the air and admit to killing him before he could send for his clerk.’

‘I imagine not.’

‘Then I had a pry in his office, while the entire house-hold was preoccupied with a tantrum thrown by Julianna’s daughter — she is a feisty brat, just like Dickon. However, I found no stray wills. I think Deschalers really did leave everything to her, and did not change his mind at the last moment.’

‘She and her new husband would hardly leave a second will lying around for you to discover,’ Bartholomew pointed out. ‘Edward can read, and neither is stupid. If Deschalers did change his mind about heirs, then you will never find evidence of it just by rummaging through his possessions.’

‘Here comes Quenhyth,’ said Michael, not deigning to acknowledge that his friend was right. ‘Crying like Julianna’s baby. Poor Walter. How will he manage without Bird?’