The Elephants of Norwich by Edward Marston

be found, Ralph. Why leave him so close to the castle when he could have been buried where nobody would ever have found him? There’s calculation here. That house was empty but I dare say that children play in it occasionally and,’ he added, wrinkling his nose, ‘it’s certainly used by people for another purpose. It was only a matter of time before the body was discovered.’
    ‘Unfortunately,’ said Bigot, ‘it just happened to be on the day of your arrival.’
    Gervase was unconvinced. ‘I wonder.’
    ‘Why?’ demanded Ralph.
    ‘Because it might not be such a coincidence.’
    ‘What else can it be?’
    ‘A warning.’
    ‘To whom?’
    ‘To the lord Roger and to us.’
    Ralph frowned. ‘How do you reach that conclusion, Gervase?’
    ‘It’s not a conclusion,’ replied the other. ‘It’s just a possibility that we have to consider. On the very day that we ride into Norwich, a dead body is found in the shadow of the castle. It’s no anonymous corpse left there at random. The murder victim is Hermer the Steward.’
    ‘So?’
    ‘You’ve not read the returns for the Taverham hundred as closely as I have, Ralph. Hermer was not only going to support Richard de Fontenel when he appeared before us in the shire hall. He was actually claiming land in his own right, one of the outliers at the heart of the dispute. It was a gift from his master for services rendered.’
    ‘And the lord Mauger contests that?’
    ‘Not against the steward any longer,’ said Gervase, sadly. ‘The only place where Hermer will be able to state his claim is before his Maker. I trust that God will be more merciful than the murderer.’
    ‘And more merciful than I’ll be when I run that killer to ground,’ vowed Bigot. ‘This was a brutal murder and it must be answered. But go on with what you’re saying, Master Bret,’ he continued as they strolled in through the castle gate. ‘You spy a link between this crime and your presence in the city?’
    ‘A potential link, my lord sheriff.’
    ‘I have my doubts,’ said Ralph.
    ‘Suspend them until we learn the truth,’ advised Gervase. ‘It may be that my guess is wide of the mark. What does seem clear is that the murder of the steward and the theft of the gold elephants are somehow connected.’
    ‘I’d already decided that,’ said Bigot.
    Ralph nodded solemnly. ‘So had I. Hermer was probably killed by someone who wanted the keys to the room where the gold elephants were kept. What puzzles me is this. The lord Richard’s manor is several miles away. Why bring his steward all the way here in order to stab him to death?’
    ‘That’s not what happened, Ralph,’ said Gervase.
    ‘No?’
    ‘Hermer was killed elsewhere then brought here. Under cover of darkness, most likely. You didn’t see the man’s back. His tunic was badly torn as if he’d been dragged along the ground and there were wounds in his scalp and neck. I think that his feet were tied together so that he could be pulled along behind a horse.’
    ‘Who could do such a thing to another human being?’
    ‘We’ve both seen worse on a battlefield, my lord,’ said Bigot.
    ‘That’s different,’ said Ralph. ‘We’re not on a battlefield now.’
    ‘Yes, we are,’ said Gervase as they came to a halt in the bailey. ‘We’re royal commissioners who’re caught in the middle of a battle over land. Instead of fighting with deeds and other legal documents, someone is resorting to more effective methods.’
    ‘That can only mean the lord Mauger,’ reasoned Bigot.
    ‘Is he capable of such an act?’ said Ralph.
    ‘Capable of ordering it, if not committing it.’
    ‘Then he’s the villain you must arrest.’
    ‘Not so fast, my lord,’ said the sheriff. ‘I prefer to gather