mountain of paperwork waiting, but I’m glad of any excuse to put it off for a bit longer. Have you time to seal our bargain with a drink?”
“Thanks, yes, I’ll take a beer.”
He said nothing else till we were comfortably settled in my study, he with a mug of beer and I with some watered wine. I said, “We had a death here last night, and we think the killer is in the woods. Did you see anything unusual?”
”As it happens, I did. I was on my way to tell you when my daughter came to find me. I was up most of last night, our cow had a difficult calving and needed some help. Just after dawn Bran heard something that made him bark.” He glanced down at the big brindled hound, more like a wolf than a dog, which lay quietly beside his stool. “I always take notice when he barks, so I went into the woods to investigate. I found a riderless horse wandering about looking lost. Dark grey with one white sock, rather skinny, but quite lively, and didn’t mind being caught. I looked around for a while, and found the boy who presumably had been its rider. A thin spotty lad with lanky brown hair.”
“ Had been its rider? I don’t like the sound of that.”
“I’m afraid you’re right. He’s dead.”
“How?”
“He was stabbed in the neck.”
“Poor boy.” I felt sorry for him of course, but mainly I was alarmed. We’d assumed he was the criminal in this affair, murdering his master and then escaping. Now it seemed there was another murderer…who was still free.
I told Hawk briefly about Terentius. I mentioned the locked box but not its contents. This situation was growing more complicated by the hour, and I felt instinctively that the fewer people who knew about that particular secret, the better. “We assumed the servant had killed his master, either after robbing him, or perhaps because of some grudge. I suppose it couldn’t be that the boy felt remorse for what he’d done, and took his own life?”
“No, he was attacked from behind. And I saw his murderer’s tracks.”
“Did you now? Tell me.”
“Here’s what I think happened. The boy rode his horse through the trees, parallel with the road, coming from the mansio here and heading east up the Long Hill. He stopped and dismounted about a quarter of a mile from here, and paced about, as if he was waiting for something, or someone. A man’s tracks came from further into the wood and met the boy’s. They must have stood talking for a short while, and then the boy’s tracks headed towards where he’d left his horse. The man followed him, came up behind him, and stabbed him. There wasn’t even a struggle. The horse took fright and ran off, and the man didn’t try to catch it, just went back into the trees on foot.”
“Hawk, you’re a wonder. You can tell all that from the footprints?”
“Oh yes. The attacker was wearing army boots with hobnails, some of the nails quite worn. I haven’t seen those boots before, but I’ll know them again.”
“Again? You think he may still be about in the woods?”
“I don’t know, but it’s possible. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you all this outside in the open. The trees have ears.” He drank some beer.
“What happened next?”
“I haven’t had the chance to do any more. I assume he had a horse of his own waiting in the trees somewhere, or he’d have used the one belonging to the boy. He’s probably miles away by now. Do you want me to look round and see what I can find out?”
“Yes, please, Hawk. Lucius will be sending a report to Eburacum, and he needs to add as much information as possible. Gods…Lucius is out somewhere driving with Vitellia. Suppose they run into the murderer?”
Hawk shook his head. “They won’t. I saw him heading up the Long Hill. He didn’t see me, he was too absorbed in his girl. Beautiful little thing, isn’t she?”
“Yes. But suppose the killer…”
“They’ll be safe enough sticking to the road. And anyway, I don’t think this was a
“Thanks, yes, I’ll take a beer.”
He said nothing else till we were comfortably settled in my study, he with a mug of beer and I with some watered wine. I said, “We had a death here last night, and we think the killer is in the woods. Did you see anything unusual?”
”As it happens, I did. I was on my way to tell you when my daughter came to find me. I was up most of last night, our cow had a difficult calving and needed some help. Just after dawn Bran heard something that made him bark.” He glanced down at the big brindled hound, more like a wolf than a dog, which lay quietly beside his stool. “I always take notice when he barks, so I went into the woods to investigate. I found a riderless horse wandering about looking lost. Dark grey with one white sock, rather skinny, but quite lively, and didn’t mind being caught. I looked around for a while, and found the boy who presumably had been its rider. A thin spotty lad with lanky brown hair.”
“ Had been its rider? I don’t like the sound of that.”
“I’m afraid you’re right. He’s dead.”
“How?”
“He was stabbed in the neck.”
“Poor boy.” I felt sorry for him of course, but mainly I was alarmed. We’d assumed he was the criminal in this affair, murdering his master and then escaping. Now it seemed there was another murderer…who was still free.
I told Hawk briefly about Terentius. I mentioned the locked box but not its contents. This situation was growing more complicated by the hour, and I felt instinctively that the fewer people who knew about that particular secret, the better. “We assumed the servant had killed his master, either after robbing him, or perhaps because of some grudge. I suppose it couldn’t be that the boy felt remorse for what he’d done, and took his own life?”
“No, he was attacked from behind. And I saw his murderer’s tracks.”
“Did you now? Tell me.”
“Here’s what I think happened. The boy rode his horse through the trees, parallel with the road, coming from the mansio here and heading east up the Long Hill. He stopped and dismounted about a quarter of a mile from here, and paced about, as if he was waiting for something, or someone. A man’s tracks came from further into the wood and met the boy’s. They must have stood talking for a short while, and then the boy’s tracks headed towards where he’d left his horse. The man followed him, came up behind him, and stabbed him. There wasn’t even a struggle. The horse took fright and ran off, and the man didn’t try to catch it, just went back into the trees on foot.”
“Hawk, you’re a wonder. You can tell all that from the footprints?”
“Oh yes. The attacker was wearing army boots with hobnails, some of the nails quite worn. I haven’t seen those boots before, but I’ll know them again.”
“Again? You think he may still be about in the woods?”
“I don’t know, but it’s possible. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you all this outside in the open. The trees have ears.” He drank some beer.
“What happened next?”
“I haven’t had the chance to do any more. I assume he had a horse of his own waiting in the trees somewhere, or he’d have used the one belonging to the boy. He’s probably miles away by now. Do you want me to look round and see what I can find out?”
“Yes, please, Hawk. Lucius will be sending a report to Eburacum, and he needs to add as much information as possible. Gods…Lucius is out somewhere driving with Vitellia. Suppose they run into the murderer?”
Hawk shook his head. “They won’t. I saw him heading up the Long Hill. He didn’t see me, he was too absorbed in his girl. Beautiful little thing, isn’t she?”
“Yes. But suppose the killer…”
“They’ll be safe enough sticking to the road. And anyway, I don’t think this was a
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