‘Carrying the object?’
Brother Rogallach nodded.
‘You did not follow to see if you were needed?’
‘I concluded that he would have come to find me if he needed me. I believe that whatever it was Bishop Luachan had given him, he went to place it elsewhere than in his chamber.’
‘Did he have a special place for storing things? Treasures and the like?’ enquired Eadulf.
Brother Rogallach shook his head. ‘Not specifically. However, I did hear the door that led out to the kitchen open and concluded that he had gone outside.’
Eadulf leaned forward excitedly. ‘You suspect that he may have gone to the pantry … perhaps to the uaimh?’
‘It is not beyond the realm of possibility,’ agreed Brother Rogallach.
‘But it is speculation,’ Fidelma pointed out, turning her remark to Eadulf.
‘You’ve absolutely no idea what it was that Bishop Luachan brought to the High King that night?’ pressed Eadulf, ignoring her.
Brother Rogallach sighed. ‘Only that it was a circular object. The only other person who would have such knowledge is Bishop Luachan himself.’
Eadulf was disappointed.
‘Well,’ Fidelma said, ‘you need not worry further about it, Brother Rogallach. At least you are looking better.
‘Thanks to Iceadh’s noxious potion, my head is not aching as much,’ admitted Rogallach. He raised a hand to massage his brow a little and gave a rueful smile. Then he frowned. ‘What made you come to the pantry, lady? It was certainly a lucky thing for me that you and Brother Eadulf did so.’
‘We were actually looking for you,’ Fidelma told him.
‘Why me?’ asked the bollscari.
‘We have been questioning everyone who was there on the night that Sechnussach was slain,’ explained Eadulf.
Brother Rogallach nodded in understanding. ‘Of course. I was not thinking. I knew that you had arrived and were questioning witnesses. There is not much I can add to what you must know already. Like the others that night, I was roused by a noise … ’
‘A scream?’ suggested Eadulf.
‘Perhaps. It is hard to say. You know what it is like when a noise arouses you from your sleep. You don’t really know what it was and you spend a few moments trying to identify it. When I had all my senses, I heard others waking and there was movement in the corridor. I left my bed and went to see what the commotion was.’
‘And was everyone in Sechnussach’s chamber by the time you arrived?’
Brother Rogallach looked thoughtful. ‘We crowded around the door together. Irél has his chamber on the lower floor and he arrived and pushed through us. I can’t remember the order in which everyone arrived. Oh, I just remembered. As I passed by the rooms of the other servants — the senior servants are on the same floor with me — I saw Torpach’s door opening and he was just coming out. He asked me what was happening. I replied that I did not know and then I realised that people were at the door of the High King’s chambers. I noticed that Brónach’s door was still closed. I paused to tap on it to alert her in case she had not been roused. I called to her and receiving no answer, opened the door. She was not in her chamber and so I moved on, thinking she was already awake and in attendance.’
‘And was she?’ asked Fidelma.
‘I am not sure. I had the feeling that she was not there when I arrived and that she only turned up later.’
‘And you took charge?’
‘As I pushed my way into the chamber, I think Irél was just behind me. In matters of this sort he has precedence, being the commander of the High King’s bodyguard. So I stood to one side while he took charge to ensure that the assassin was dead and that a search of the apartment was made to make certain there were no accomplices.’
At Fidelma’s request, Brother Rogallach sketched what had happened but it was substantially the same story as they had been told before.
Outside the apothecary of Iceadh, Fidelma glanced reprovingly at Eadulf.
‘One of the secrets of being a good investigator is never to reveal what you know or suspect, and to avoid showing your reactions to what others might tell you. Nor is it wise to suggest ideas to witnesses.’
Eadulf was apologetic. ‘I was thinking about Sechnussach hiding the object and it is just that sometimes, after so long a time trying to demolish a stone wall, when it starts to crumble a little, you cannot help giving a shout of joy.’
Fidelma was still disapproving. ‘I cannot agree with your specific analogy, Eadulf. But I do see your point.’
‘I think that this object, this circular thing, is linked with the assassination. Sechnussach obviously hid it in the uaimh below the pantry. Whoever killed Mer was looking for it. I think that when Torpach said he saw Sechnussach in the kitchen at an early hour, it was because the King had sneaked down there to hide it.’
‘It would seem a logical speculation, but it is a speculation nevertheless.’
‘It is a speculation that needs to be followed by a search for information.’
Fidelma acquiesced. ‘I mean to go directly to the uaimh and see if I can find any trace of this circular object. While I do so, I want you to find Caol and Gormán and discover how the search for Cuan is progressing. We should have heard something by now.’
‘But … ’
She sighed impatiently. ‘It is no good both of us going on the same errand.’
Eadulf knew when to compromise. He was leaving the Tech Cormaic when he almost collided with someone. It was the young girl, Báine.
‘You seem to be in a hurry, Brother Eadulf,’ she observed in admonition as she recovered her balance.
‘I am sorry.’ Seeing that the girl was unhurt, he asked: ‘Since I have bumped into you, so to speak, could I ask a question?’
Báine waited with an expectant expression.
‘What is your opinion of Brónach? I was wondering if she is well-liked.’
Báine laughed. ‘Brónach? I think you have been talking to Cnucha. It’s not that she is dislikeable — she has high standards, that is all, and her temper can be sharp. Don’t get me wrong. It is hard to find oneself ordered about all day. Cnucha does not like her, that’s for sure.’
‘And you?’
‘You do not enter service in a great house and expect to be treated as the wife of a lord. Anyway, I shall soon be leaving here … ’
Eadulf was surprised and said so. ‘I thought you had been here some years?’
‘That I have. But it is time for me to leave. This period in my life seems to have ended with the death of the High King. I do not think I could serve another.’
‘Where will you go?’
‘Home.’
‘Which is where?’
‘You would not know it.’
‘Try me.’
‘A little place under the shelter of a mountain to the north-west. The mountain is called Sliabh na Caillaigh.’
‘The Hag’s Mountain?’ asked Eadulf.
The girl smiled and nodded.
‘It sounds a forbidding place.’
‘A place of wisdom much favoured by the ancients,’ replied Báine solemnly. ‘There are sacred buildings set up by the ancients that still stand on the top of the hill. It is a beautiful place. A holy place.’
‘So when will you leave?’
‘None of us can leave until after the investigation that you are conducting. The Great Assembly has to meet and hear the conclusion of that investigation before anyone can depart.’