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Authors: Cora Harrison
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said, “
Excuse me
,” to it. He was dead drunk.’ She looked triumphantly at Mara.
‘Good.’ Mara kept her face serious and businesslike. ‘And now for a more difficult question,’ she added. ‘Could you give me a list of all the people who went up and spoke to him during the hour after midnight – before Cormac realized that he was dead, I mean.’
The twins eyed each other with discomforted looks and Mara’s heart sank. If this sharp-eyed pair, who knew everyone in the room so well, had not noticed anyone, then the mystery of MacClancy’s death might prove very difficult to solve. Her own scholars had yet to be questioned, but she knew them well enough to guess that if they had seen anyone approach the window recess they would have whispered the information to her. This was not the first murder investigation that they had taken part in.
‘I just saw one,’ said Cian eventually and Cael glared at her brother.
‘One is enough to be going on with,’ remarked Mara, trying to keep her voice even.
Cian looked nervously at his sister and then whispered in her ear. A slow smile spread over Cael’s face.
‘Lover boy!’ she exclaimed and then, with a straightforwardness that Mara admired, she said, ‘I didn’t see anyone. You tell her.’
‘I saw Enda,’ said Cian. ‘You know Enda – the Brehon’s assistant. He went up and whispered in his ear. Well, I think that’s what he was doing, anyway.’
Mara’s heart beat uncomfortably fast. For a moment she wished that she had never come to Bunratty and was back in the Burren, but that moment passed. The truth had always to be uncovered. If Enda had done this deed then he would have to confess to it and abide by the punishment that the law would inflict. If true, she thought sadly, it would mean the end of his career as a lawyer. No man, or woman, who broke the law in such a serious matter could be allowed to sit in judgement over others. She looked keenly at Cian.
‘Are you telling the truth?’ she asked.
‘I don’t tell lies,’ he said, affronted.
‘Only cowards tell lies,’ put in Cael. ‘We’re afraid of nothing, afraid of no one so we don’t tell lies.’
‘But there can be other reasons to tell lies,’ said Mara seriously. ‘I’ve known people tell a lie in order to injure someone they disliked. Perhaps you don’t like Enda because you think that Shona, your elder sister, is fond of him.’
‘Or perhaps you don’t want to believe Cian because Enda used to be one of your scholars,’ snapped Cael.
‘That, indeed, could be possible,’ admitted Mara. ‘But I hope that I would test the evidence against my greatest enemy as vigorously as against my greatest friend. How long was it before the discovery of the dead body, before Cormac shouted, that you saw Enda go up to Brehon MacClancy, Cian?’
‘Two tunes back.’ The answer came very readily and Mara acknowledged, with a pang, that his words had a ring of truth about them.
‘Why didn’t you see this?’ She turned with an accusing air towards Cael and was interested to see how the girl looked first taken aback and then thoughtful.
‘What were they playing then?’ she asked her brother.
‘The jig; the “Hey”,’ he said, without pausing.
‘That’s why,’ said Cael. ‘I was standing under the wall cloth on that side of the room for that tune. Some dust fell out of it when I was hopping up and down. I wouldn’t have been able to see the window recess where the Brehon was swigging the mead.’
It began to sound more and more likely to be the truth, thought Mara. The jig had a fast tune, and unlike the reels where the men and women, boys and girls, partnered each other, holding one hand and swinging around, the jig was mainly danced by individuals, each clicking their heels in time to the music and dancing by themselves. The music was fast and furious and people moved around, seeking a new space, or dropping out in order to refresh themselves with a
Excuse me
,” to it. He was dead drunk.’ She looked triumphantly at Mara.
‘Good.’ Mara kept her face serious and businesslike. ‘And now for a more difficult question,’ she added. ‘Could you give me a list of all the people who went up and spoke to him during the hour after midnight – before Cormac realized that he was dead, I mean.’
The twins eyed each other with discomforted looks and Mara’s heart sank. If this sharp-eyed pair, who knew everyone in the room so well, had not noticed anyone, then the mystery of MacClancy’s death might prove very difficult to solve. Her own scholars had yet to be questioned, but she knew them well enough to guess that if they had seen anyone approach the window recess they would have whispered the information to her. This was not the first murder investigation that they had taken part in.
‘I just saw one,’ said Cian eventually and Cael glared at her brother.
‘One is enough to be going on with,’ remarked Mara, trying to keep her voice even.
Cian looked nervously at his sister and then whispered in her ear. A slow smile spread over Cael’s face.
‘Lover boy!’ she exclaimed and then, with a straightforwardness that Mara admired, she said, ‘I didn’t see anyone. You tell her.’
‘I saw Enda,’ said Cian. ‘You know Enda – the Brehon’s assistant. He went up and whispered in his ear. Well, I think that’s what he was doing, anyway.’
Mara’s heart beat uncomfortably fast. For a moment she wished that she had never come to Bunratty and was back in the Burren, but that moment passed. The truth had always to be uncovered. If Enda had done this deed then he would have to confess to it and abide by the punishment that the law would inflict. If true, she thought sadly, it would mean the end of his career as a lawyer. No man, or woman, who broke the law in such a serious matter could be allowed to sit in judgement over others. She looked keenly at Cian.
‘Are you telling the truth?’ she asked.
‘I don’t tell lies,’ he said, affronted.
‘Only cowards tell lies,’ put in Cael. ‘We’re afraid of nothing, afraid of no one so we don’t tell lies.’
‘But there can be other reasons to tell lies,’ said Mara seriously. ‘I’ve known people tell a lie in order to injure someone they disliked. Perhaps you don’t like Enda because you think that Shona, your elder sister, is fond of him.’
‘Or perhaps you don’t want to believe Cian because Enda used to be one of your scholars,’ snapped Cael.
‘That, indeed, could be possible,’ admitted Mara. ‘But I hope that I would test the evidence against my greatest enemy as vigorously as against my greatest friend. How long was it before the discovery of the dead body, before Cormac shouted, that you saw Enda go up to Brehon MacClancy, Cian?’
‘Two tunes back.’ The answer came very readily and Mara acknowledged, with a pang, that his words had a ring of truth about them.
‘Why didn’t you see this?’ She turned with an accusing air towards Cael and was interested to see how the girl looked first taken aback and then thoughtful.
‘What were they playing then?’ she asked her brother.
‘The jig; the “Hey”,’ he said, without pausing.
‘That’s why,’ said Cael. ‘I was standing under the wall cloth on that side of the room for that tune. Some dust fell out of it when I was hopping up and down. I wouldn’t have been able to see the window recess where the Brehon was swigging the mead.’
It began to sound more and more likely to be the truth, thought Mara. The jig had a fast tune, and unlike the reels where the men and women, boys and girls, partnered each other, holding one hand and swinging around, the jig was mainly danced by individuals, each clicking their heels in time to the music and dancing by themselves. The music was fast and furious and people moved around, seeking a new space, or dropping out in order to refresh themselves with a
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