Shipwreck (6 page)

“Mrs. Cameron,” he said to the midwife, “I will leave her to you. Come, Will. We have not yet finished.”

William followed the priest back into the hall. He felt as if his heart was in a vice. Seeing the death of such a young and beautiful woman moved him deeply.

A soft hum of conversation rose from the end of the hall. Will saw his mother, and she smiled at him. He felt proud that she would see him performing such important tasks.

“We had better look for that money and make sure it’s safe,” said Father Keegan.

The two of them went over to one of the silent mounds. The priest removed the blanket that Saul had put over the body of the blond-haired man.

“Let’s get the coat off him first.”

Will had never touched a dead body before, and the feel of the cold, clammy skin almost turned his stomach. He was glad he’d had nothing to eat.

Underneath the coat, the man was wearing a thick woollen jersey and black serge trousers. Their damp sea-soaked smell filled Will’s nostrils.

“This man is dressed like a sailor,” Will said to the priest.

“Indeed he is.” Father Keegan turned the man’s hands palms-up and ran his finger over the rough skin. “He certainly has worked like one.”

He felt along the hem of the coat, then quickly tore open the seam. Will held back his gasp of surprise. Gold coins flowed out onto the floor, more than he had ever seen in his life.

“No wonder he was such a heavy burden,” said the priest. “And here we have something more.” He removed a small purse of purple velvet. He untied the string that kept it closed and held the open purse out for Will to see. It was filled with diamonds. “This man did hard work. He could never earn this much wealth in ten lifetimes.”

“Father, I don’t understand. The lady said he saved her. You asked if the blond-haired man was her husband, and she said yes. She told us his name was John. But she is well-born. How could she marry a rough sailor like him?”

Father Keegan’s expression was kind as he glanced at William.

“Such things do happen, my son, but in fact, she never answered my question. I noticed that at the time. I also thought her worry about whether we had spoken to anyone on board was strange.”

Will stared at him, not entirely sure what this meant.

The priest continued. “I would bet that her real husband is lying right over there.” He made his way over to the last body at the end of the row. He pulled away the tarp. The dead man was plump, with a neat beard, black as ink. It was an unnatural colour. He was dressed only in a shirt, vest, and trousers. Will noticed his boots. They were made of fine leather, with fashionable square toes.

“This man dyed his hair,” said Father Keegan. “And he has the soft chin and round stomach of a well-fed man. He was no sailor. I would say he was the merchant who paid for his and his wife’s trip.” The priest leaned forward. “Look, Will, look at his shirt. What do you notice?”

They seemed to have slipped into the role of teacher and student, and Will liked it. Liked being able to please this sharp-tongued man.

Will moved in closer. “The cloth is of fine quality. It feels like pure linen.”

“Yes, but more important, see the tear in that fine shirt.”

The priest unbuttoned the man’s vest and opened the front of the shirt. He pointed to a small hole in the man’s chest, visible even through the grey hair. “The sea has washed away the blood, but I would say that our merchant friend here was stabbed. The wound is a narrow one.” The priest lifted the man’s hands and ran his fingers across the palms. “Look at these cuts on both of his hands, and here, on the underside of his arm. What does that tell you, Will?”

Will lifted his own arms as if somebody was coming to attack him. “He got those cuts trying to defend himself.”

“Quite right. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t successful.”

“Do you think it was the sailor who killed him, Father? For his money?”

“Whoever killed him was not after his money. See, the merchant has a fine gold watch and chain in his vest. And yes, there are coins still in his pockets.” The priest counted them. “Twenty dollars. This money was not touched, and the gold and diamonds were well hidden. But let us not excuse John, the sailor, just yet. Go and check his boots. See if he is carrying a knife. If he is, bring it to me.”

Will, his heart racing, hurried to do as the priest asked. There was a leather sheath stuffed down the blond-haired man’s right boot. Will removed it and returned to the priest. Father Keegan pulled out the knife, which was the kind fishermen used to prepare fish for market. The blade looked sharp and efficient.

“The sheath protected the blade in spite of the water. You can see that the blade is stained almost to the hilt. Even the sea could not wash away all the blood.”

Father Keegan brought the tip of the blade close to the cut above the dead man’s heart. The wound and the knife were the same width.

“I would say we have found our weapon.”

William stared at him in dismay. “If the sailor is a murderer, surely the lady did not help him? She was so...”

He paused, and the priest smiled at him. “Young? Beautiful? History is filled with tales of women of great beauty who were black sinners. However, did you notice the old bruises turning yellow on her arm? And the severe bruise on the side of her face? That one was recent. But she did not get them when the ship ran into the rocks. Somebody had gripped her hard on the arm a while ago. Hard enough to bruise her. The other mark looks as if it was caused by a fist. As if someone hit her on the side of her face.”

Will turned away. He didn’t know if the priest knew what happened at home, but he suspected he did. His mother had been given such bruises more than once by her husband, his father, and Will was deeply ashamed of it.

“Look at this merchant,” continued the priest. “He is many years older than the girl. What is he doing marrying such a child? He cannot have truly cared for her. A man who cherishes his wife would not bring her on a rough sea voyage when she is so close to having her baby. What business could be so important that she had to come with him? And on such an uncomfortable working vessel? This merchant had plenty of money. If he needed his wife to come with him, he could have afforded better.”

Father Keegan paused. His voice was thoughtful. “Why did the merchant think he had to hide his gold and diamonds? Was he the kind of man who feels suspicious of everybody? Perhaps he saw his child wife the way he saw his diamonds and gold. An object to be guarded.”

“Is it possible that she wanted to be on the voyage, Father?” asked Will. “It does seem as if her husband’s killer was one of the crew. Perhaps she was the one who insisted on coming along. Perhaps she and the sailor thought they could easily get rid of the merchant while they were aboard a ship. Men fall overboard all the time.”

Father Keegan chuckled. “William Murdoch, I am glad to hear you are not sentimental, even though you found the young woman so beautiful. What you have said is certainly possible. And her question to me, confirming that Our Lord understands everything and forgives everything. That was from her heart, was it not?”

Will nodded. “If she was guilty of murder, her words have a different meaning. On the other hand, the sailor may have scared her into helping him.”

Again the priest smiled at his clever student. “If he had scared her, she would not have wept as she did when she heard he was dead.” Father Keegan shook his head. “No, that does not fit what we have learned so far. She praised the sailor. She said that he saved her by giving up his place in the rowboat for her. That does not sound to me as if he frightened her.”

Will frowned. “Perhaps the sailor gave up his place so he could go back below deck. Perhaps he wanted to steal the coat of the man he had just stabbed. The sailor didn’t know that all of the crew would be drowned. It was safer for him to crawl onto the rocks and try to escape that way.”

Father Keegan shook his head. “Perhaps he didn’t even know there was gold hidden in the coat. He just wanted it to keep him warm. If that’s true, he and the merchant’s wife were not working together.”

It was William’s turn to grin. “I was only trying to look at every possibility, Father. As you say, not with the heart, but with the head.”

“What else are you thinking?” asked the priest.

“We know this knife killed this man, but we do not know who used it. Even women can be sinners, as you said.”

Father Keegan nodded. “But the reason and the heart must work together, Will. What does your heart say?”

William paused. “My heart tells me that what I have just said is nonsense. Worse than nonsense, if truth be told. Mistress Abigail was no murderer. For all we know, she may have hated the man who treated her so badly, but I don’t think she would kill him.”

“I think I agree with you, against all logic, of course,” said the priest.

William was fast warming to his subject. He felt like an adult, all of a sudden, and he liked that feeling. “Mistress Abigail told us that she was alone in the world. She did not want anybody to claim her child. She may be an orphan, of course. But most people have someone they could pass their child to. So I believe that, in her married life, the young lady was alone. Perhaps those around her didn’t like her. Perhaps they were jealous of her beauty and her wealthy husband.”

Sometimes gossip in the village was about this very thing. A young pretty woman marrying an older man who had property and some wealth. She was the one who the villagers spoke about with disapproval, never the man.

“Very good, Will. Very good. That is not unlikely.”

Will went on. “Mistress Abigail wanted her daughter to be raised by someone who would love her.”

“Mary Ann Pierce will be a loving mother, I know it.”

Will bit his lip. “Father, why did Mistress Abigail die?”

The priest raised his eyebrows. “Surely you do not want to discuss God’s mysterious ways at this moment?”

“No, Father. But I am puzzled. Mistress Abigail bled from the mouth. The midwife said she thought the lady had some broken ribs. How did this happen? I have been tipped out of a boat more than once. I suffered no harm, except for a bellyful of salt water.”

“Let’s find out,” said the priest. “Stay here.”

Father Keegan went over to the curtain and called to Mrs. Cameron, the midwife. Will couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he saw how the woman acted. Mrs. Cameron was shocked at first, but then she agreed. The priest ducked under the curtain. Several minutes later, he emerged. He came over to Will, and his face was angry.

“You are a clever lad, William Murdoch. Her ribs were indeed broken. Her entire side was bruised. The marks of a boot were evident. A square-toed boot.”

Will pointed. “That is what the merchant is wearing. John, the sailor, has on ordinary rubber sea boots.”

Father Keegan stood looking down at the body of the rich man. “He hit her hard on the side of the face. Why we will never know, but clearly he had hit her before. When she fell to the floor, he began to kick her. Perhaps she screamed. The sailor came to her rescue. He took out the only weapon he had, his fishing knife. He stabbed the attacker. He may have hit the heart accidentally. If indeed a man as wicked as our merchant has a heart. The ship must have been sinking when this occurred. John Sailor helped Mistress Abigail to the deck and got her into the rowboat. He sacrificed his own life.”

“Do you think the two of them knew each other before this?” Will asked.

The priest shrugged. “I don’t know. Perhaps the sailor was simply a good man who would not stand by when he heard a woman cry for help. Whatever happened, their souls are in God’s hands, and He will be their judge.” He looked up. “Ah, there is Mary Ann Pierce now.”

A young woman had come into the hall, a shawl over her head. Her body was still soft and full from being pregnant. Her face showed her grief for her dead baby. Mrs. Cameron came from behind the curtain, the newborn in her arms. She handed the baby to the other woman. Immediately, Mary Ann Pierce brought the little one close inside her shawl. Her sad face came alive with joy. She rocked the infant tenderly.

The priest sighed. “I had feared for Mary Ann’s mind, her grief was so large. I do believe she will be all right now.” He poked at the pile of gold coins. “Mistress Abigail, in her innocence, thought I could deal with this treasure by myself. And with her child. Alas, I cannot. The court will have to trace the merchant’s family, and they will have a claim on the money and diamonds.” He picked up a couple of the gold coins. “On Christmas Day, however, we should present our newborn child with a gift. This will be enough money to help Mrs. Pierce care for the baby until somebody comes for her. Who knows? The merchant’s family may decide they do not want an orphan child, and Mrs. Pierce will be able to keep her.”

Father Keegan watched Mary Ann Pierce for a few moments as she cooed to the baby in her arms. His expression was more sad than happy. William wondered what he was remembering.