The Elephants of Norwich by Edward Marston Page A

evidence before I make an arrest. Mauger is the first person I’ll question but I’ll do so cautiously. He’s as slippery as an eel. Be warned. You’ll have to deal with him yourself.’ He ran a meditative hand across his jaw. ‘The crimes may seem to have Mauger’s signature on them but that could be an illusion. He and the Lord Richard are at each other’s throats. Mauger will rejoice in anything that upsets his rival but that isn’t evidence enough to convict him.’
    ‘You think that he may be innocent?’
    ‘It’s not inconceivable.’
    ‘But he’s the person who stands most to gain.’
    ‘Perhaps,’ said Gervase, thoughtfully, ‘but the lord Mauger is also the person who stands least to gain. Here we are, only a short time after we’ve examined a murder victim and we’re already naming him as the chief suspect. He’s too obvious. What if someone is setting out to incriminate the lord Mauger?’
    ‘Who?’
    ‘Someone who wants to stir up bad blood between him and the lord Richard.’
    ‘That’s easily done,’ said Bigot.
    ‘What advantage would they gain, Gervase?’ asked Ralph.
    ‘I don’t know,’ confessed the other.
    ‘Then they’d have no motive. The lord Mauger does.’
    ‘Motive and means,’ agreed the sheriff, ‘but I was struck by the words that Master Bret just used. He said it was “too obvious”. That’s my feeling. Mauger is cunning and devious. He works in the shadows. Why should he leave a dead body on my doorstep when he knows that it’ll bring me down on his neck?’
    They continued to review the situation and speculate on the possible identity of the murderer. Roger Bigot did not try to exclude them from the investigation in any way. Sensing their ability to give practical help, he took pains to invite their comments. Ralph and Gervase were duly touched. It was not the first time that their arrival in a town had been greeted by a violent death, but they usually had to track down the killer against the express wishes of the sheriff. Bigot was less possessive. He would cooperate with anyone who could lend valuable assistance to him in a murder inquiry.
    It was only when the body was carried past them that they broke off. Placed on a litter and covered with some rough cloth, Hermer the Steward was taken off towards the chapel. The sheriff was reminded of a priority.
    ‘The lord Richard must be informed at once,’ he said.
    ‘Will you go in person?’ asked Ralph.
    ‘No, this is a task for Olivier.’
    ‘Olivier?’
    ‘Yes, my lord. Olivier Romain is my deputy. He won’t relish this particular duty but it has to be discharged. The lord Richard has the right to know of his steward’s fate.’
    ‘How will he react?’
    ‘Violently.’
    Richard de Fontenel was at first stupefied by the news. He took an involuntary step backwards as he absorbed the shock and took in the implications. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse with anger.
    ‘Dead?’ he cried. ‘You’re telling me that Hermer is dead?’
    ‘I fear so, my lord.’
    ‘Where was he found?’
    ‘In a deserted house close to the castle.’
    ‘What on earth was he doing there?’
    ‘We’ve no idea.’
    ‘Who found the body?’
    ‘Brother Daniel, a scribe who travels with the commissioners.’
    ‘Why should a monk go poking around in an empty house?’
    ‘I don’t know, my lord,’ said Olivier Romain, ‘but we should be grateful that he did. The corpse might have lain there unseen for even longer. We believe that your steward’s been dead for a couple of days.’
    ‘What state was he in?’
    ‘That’s immaterial.’
    ‘Tell me, Olivier!’ demanded the other, lurching towards him. ‘God’s tits, man! My steward has been murdered. I want to know what condition he