The Nicholas Feast (Gil Cunningham Murder Mystery) by Pat McIntosh

Author:Pat McIntosh [McIntosh, Pat]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Constable Robinson
Published: 2011-07-19T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

The wolfhound, having made certain that its idol was safe, thrust its long muzzle under Gil’s arm and rolled its eyes at him.

‘Was anything taken?’ Gil asked. ‘Or anything damaged?’

‘Not that we can see.’ Michael grinned. ‘You would hardly tell it’s been done, except for Lowrie’s idea.’

‘And what was that?’ asked Lady Egidia.

‘Hairs,’ said Michael. ‘We knotted one of each of our hairs together in threes, Tod – er, Lowrie and Ninian and me, and put them among our papers where they would fall out if someone else meddled, but they wouldny blow away by accident. That was after William’s chamber was searched,’ he explained. ‘And they were still there after Vespers but no after dinner.’

‘What might they have been looking for?’ asked Alys. She was still wearing the pinched look of distress, but she sounded perfectly composed. Michael glanced at her and went red, to his own obvious embarrassment.

‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘We’ve no secrets. None like that, any wise.’

‘Surely this is some kind of student joke,’ said Lady Egidia. ‘I can mind a tale or two from your time at the college, Gil.’

‘Well, but this was serious,’ said Michael. ‘I mean, there wasn’t any foolery with it. They’d not left any humorous drawings, or stuffed a shirt to look like a lassie at the window, or – or anything.’ He threw another glance at Alys, and went red again.

‘Hm,’ said Lady Egidia.

‘Has anyone else been searched?’ Gil asked.

Michael shook his head. ‘We asked, but nobody’s saying. Oh, and I was to give you this. It’s from Auld – from Maister Kennedy. He said it was in his cassock in Maister Coventry’s chamber and could that be what they sought when his room was wrecked.’

He held out a small red book. Gil took it and turned the pages clumsily, one-handed.

‘It’s William’s writing,’ added Michael helpfully, ‘but it doesny make sense.’

‘Code again?’ said Alys, moving to look over Gil’s shoulder.

‘Not code,’ said Gil. ‘Initials, parts of words, a kind of private shorthand. It’s the boy’s red book with all his notes in it. Some of this will be harder to decipher. I mind now, it was on top of the pulpit in the Bachelors’ Schule where you were all dressing for the play. I asked Maister Kennedy if he knew about it and he took it for safe keeping. Michael, tell him I don’t know if it’s what they sought, but it will certainly be useful. Anything of William’s is likely to tell us something.’

‘Oh, and Jaikie at the yett bade me say he had a word for you,’ added Michael. ‘He said it was about something you spoke about yesternight.’

Feet sounded again in the outer room, the softer scuffle of one of the maidservants in her worn shoes. Jennet bobbed in the doorway.

‘If you please, mem,’ she said to Alys, ‘there’s water hot and set in your own chamber, and a comb and towels and all.’

‘Thank you, Jennet,’ said Alys, and turned to Gil’s mother, the pinched look submerged in the procedures of a civil welcome.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.