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Day Four
Math
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“When you say that Hugh told his wife his horse was gone, does that mean it was stolen? Horses don’t just go wandering off by themselves.” Ralph declared this in the voice of a man who knew what he was talking about—as he should. For him, as for all of them, horses were a way of life.
“Not generally, not if they’re tame. Still, it is the question Rhys has asked us to pursue today.” Math eyed his companion, who appeared brighter-eyed than Math was feeling.
He had woken earlier in the day than he otherwise might have liked, since he would be on duty tonight with the king. Being awake, however, meant that he could help Rhys. If Moriddig had died on day one, this was now day four. The festival was half over. Two men had been murdered. He didn’t feel much closer to knowing why than he had that first day.
He and Ralph shared a tent, so Math had kept Ralph up to date with the progress of the investigation. Since Math liked the other man and thought he could be useful, he’d agreed to let Ralph tag along and watch his back. Up until now, Math had been far more concerned with keeping the existence of Gruffydd’s lament to Llywelyn a secret than discovering who killed Moriddig. It didn’t help their progress (or lack thereof) that all the people who seemed to have a stake in Moriddig’s life had alibis for his death.
Math’s biggest concern about including Ralph was that this portion of the investigation might lead back to Gruffydd too. That would be unfortunate, to put it mildly. Ralph’s uncle was the Justiciar of North Wales. No matter how much he liked Math or Rhys personally, his sympathies could never lie with the Welsh.
“What would be good to know is what Hugh’s death has to do with Morrydig’s.” Like the other Normans, Ralph had removed all Welshness from the name, but Math knew whom he meant. “It’s hard to believe the deaths aren’t related. And by hard, I mean impossible.”
“We agree.” And then Math modified the thought. “Rhys agrees. We are hoping that by pursuing Hugh’s killer, we will find Moriddig’s too.”
“Hugh could have killed Morrydig, and then someone killed Hugh in retaliation.” Ralph wrinkled his nose. “But from what you say and I observed, that would have given Hugh a very busy day. He was organizing the festival. People would have noticed he was absent.”
“We might have asked him eventually. Either way, we still have a killer on the loose.”
They began their inquiry regarding the whereabouts of Hugh’s horse at the corral where he would have left it. When the various stable lads on duty gave them nothing but blank looks and shaken heads, they came ultimately to a last youth sitting by himself in a far corner by some trees. Math had seen him watching them out of the corner of his eye while at the same time whittling a slingshot. As it turned out, this was the only Welsh lad among the horse boys, which at first Math assumed was the reason for his isolation.
Until they started talking.
“I saw him with another man.” The lad had answered easily enough, but then he stopped, his eyes on his whittling.
“When was this?”
“The day before he died. He gave away his horse.”
“You’re sure it was Hugh?” Math felt the need to clarify.
“Yes.” The lad twitched his shoulders like he had ants crawling on him. “I know Hugh.”
“Can you describe the other man?”
“He was your height but thinner, dark hair, brown eyes, he had a mole on his right cheek by his eye, and he had a funny laugh.” The youth’s words came rapidly, as if he was reciting them from memory.
“Did you hear what he and Hugh spoke about?”
“They were talking too quietly. But then the man took Hugh’s horse, and Hugh let him go.”
This entire conversation had been taking place in Welsh. Now Ralph nudged Math. “What is he saying?”
Math explained, after which Ralph pursed his lips. “It’s all very odd.”
Math wasn’t sure if he meant the youth or the situation. Either way, he was correct. Then Ralph added, “Ask him which way he went.”
Math had been about to do exactly that when the boy surprised him by answering the question himself in French. Again, he spoke very quickly, as if he couldn’t wait to get the words out. “He went south, but he didn’t get very far, since I saw him later in the common room at the inn on the high street.”
That was news indeed. “Right here in Overton?”
“Yes. He’s still there too, or at least the horse is because I saw it the last two mornings in the stables there.”
“Do you work at the inn too?”
“No.”
By now Math had figured out that the boy would answer a direct question but he wouldn’t necessarily elaborate unprompted. “Why were you there?”
“To check on the horses.”
Ralph tipped his head, curious and entertained by the boy at the same time. “Why would you do that when they aren’t your responsibility?”
The youth’s focus returned to his whittling, implying he’d lost interest in the questions. Still, he answered Ralph’s anyway. “I check on all the horses in the town every day.”
“All of them?” Ralph blinked. “How many are there?”
“Usually there are fourteen at the castle or its outside stables, three at the inn, and eight throughout the town. Today there are twenty-three at the castle, ten at the inn, which is more than those stables should hold, forty-seven in the town, and six hundred and eight in the fields associated with the eisteddfod.” He paused and motioned towards the entrance to the corral, where a man was just arriving dressed in traveling gear and a merchant’s hat. “Six hundred and nine.”
Math thought about and discarded a dozen questions before he settled on, “How do you keep track? One horse looks much like another.”
“Not to me.”
“Will you come with us to point out the horse and the man you saw?” Math asked. “I can clear it with your supervisor.”
“That was Hugh. I don’t know who it is now.” The youth paused for a heartbeat and then added, in reply to Math’s previous question, “You just have to pay attention.”
As they set off towards the entrance to the corral, Ralph muttered to Math under his breath. “Do you believe this?”
“I don’t have to believe it. In a moment, he’ll show us whether or not it’s true.”
“And if it is?”
“Then we will have an invaluable source of information to share with Rhys.”
