04 Dark Justice by Joyce Lionarons

Author:Joyce Lionarons
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Mystery & Detective - Middle Ages
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Published: 2018-06-13T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

De Bury rubbed at his scar in irritation as he watched Cordwainer stride off, wincing at the near-collision with Justice Marmion. Twas bad enough to have the Eyre Court in session at York while these killings were being done without the King’s Coroner knocking the King’s Justice to the ground in the street. At least Lord Marmion had arrived too late to hear Cordwainer’s comment or to realize that he himself had been standing locked out of the house for more than an hour like a common onlooker.

He greeted Justice Marmion as the gawkers pressed closer and his bailiffs pounded again on the door. Finally, it was opened by a middle-aged woman with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows and wearing a bloodstained scarf and apron. As he explained the situation to Marmion, he tried to hear what the woman was saying. Twas something about a wet floor…God’s blood, she was telling them to stay out lest they track mud into the room! A tall, gangly-looking youth with a streak of blood across his forehead stood behind her, peering into the street over her shoulder. Who were these people, and why had Cordwainer left them in the house?

Justice Marmion was looking at him with a quizzical expression. “I beg your pardon, my lord,” said de Bury. “What was that?”

“I asked if the butcher had been in the stocks for selling bad meat, or if folk had become ill from the meat he sold. Twould be a possible motive for the killing.” Marmion’s displeasure at de Bury’s lack of attention had drawn his thin face into a scowl, and his triangular beard jutted out as he looked down his long nose at the Sheriff.

“If so, twas not recently,” de Bury replied. “Tis a good suggestion, my lord. I shall have my clerk look into it.”

“See that you do so,” said Marmion. “There was a case much like this in Leeds three years ago. The butcher died because he sold a chandler a pork shoulder with worms in it, his throat cut with his own knife. I had the sentencing of it, as the Eyre court was in Leeds at the time. There has not been a case of bad meat in Leeds since.”

“Aye, my lord,” said de Bury, his eyes on Wetherby’s door. One of the bailiffs was gesturing for him to come. “I beg your pardon again, my lord, but my men need my help. Tis not good to let the trail grow cold.”

Marmion sniffed and held a square of embroidered linen to his nose. “I am needed at the Castle, I’m certain,” he said. “May God give you good day.” He nodded to a servant standing at the rear of the crowd and waited while the man jostled the onlookers aside to clear a path for him, turning back to look at the Wetherby’s house. For a moment de Bury thought he would try to approach the woman, but with another disdainful sniff Marmion stalked down Girdlergate with his servant in front of him to clear his way.

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