Murder in Cormyr - Chet Williamson [47]
"Lord Mayor, I regret the comprehensiveness of my examination of you, but I am pleased to say that everything seems to be in order save for your gout. The proper palliative will take a day for me to make, but I shall send Jasper into town first thing tomorrow morning with the tablets to relieve your suffering."
"Thank you, Benelaius," Tobald said. Then he impatiently turned to Lindavar and me. "And out there-did you find anything? Anything to tell us who did this monstrous crime?"
"Two things we know for sure," Lindavar said. "The first is that Grodoveth was beheaded in the same manner as Dovo, and the second is that no one will ever have to seek the tomb of Fastred again."
For a moment, Tobald seemed stricken dumb. Then he said, "Fastred's tomb? You found Fastred's tomb?"
"Grodoveth did," I said. "Or maybe his killer did. At any rate, whatever treasure was there is gone."
"Quite fascinating," said Benelaius briskly. "I shall have to visit it sometime. Now, Tobald, I think it would be best were you to ride home and rest that foot."
"No rest, no rest,' said Tobald."Too much to do for tomorrow."
"Give yourself some time at least," said my master, "before throwing yourself back into your work. And retire early tonight. No drinking at the Bold Bard."
"Very well, Benelaius." Tobald looked at the wizard with pleading eyes."You will find this killer, won't you? Just to know that this fiend is still at large…"
"We shall certainly do our best. Now let Jasper assist you in mounting your horse." I raised my eyebrows, but no one noticed.
Tobald was not an easy man to fling into the saddle, but I got it accomplished. We stood and watched him ride away, his shoulders hunched, his head down. I felt sorry for him, losing a friend, seeing his town dishonored by allowing an envoy of the king to get murdered, and of course, having to put on a cheery countenance for the arrival of the guild bigwigs the next day. Even though the job was primarily ceremonial, a mayor's lot was not always a happy one.
"I am very concerned about Mayor Tobald," said Benelaius quietly, when Tobald had ridden out of earshot. "He is quite naturally upset, but I fear there is more to it than that. I even tested his blood, and extracted… this."
From the folds of his robe he produced a small vial that contained a few drops of a pale yellow liquid. "I have already analyzed a small amount, but I should like you to confirm my findings, Lindavar. First, however, you and Jasper should get out of those wet things."
Lindavar and I went upstairs and changed, putting our muddy clothes down the chute that dropped them into a basket in the kitchen. Back downstairs, Benelaius led the way into his study, where a long and wide bench held a number of wizardry and scientific instruments. Lindavar, in spite of the unfamiliar surroundings, performed the procedure unerringly. I suppose one alembic's pretty much like another when you know what to do with it.
The younger mage added a drop of some reagent from the rows of multicolored vials on shelves above the bench, then fitted the vial securely into a centrifuge. He pumped the foot pedals to spin the device for several minutes, then drew a precipitate out of the vial and placed it on a glass slide. To it he added several drops of other chemicals, under whose influence it turned a variety of unpleasant shades. Finally Lindavar straightened up and looked grimly at Benelaius.
"Blackweed," he said, and Benelaius nodded. "When this enters the system," Lindavar went on, "it will kill in twenty-four hours."
"Don't worry," Benelaius said. "We're in time. I… gave him something for it. He doesn't know."
"But who would want to poison Mayor Tobald?" I asked. As far as I was concerned, the mayor was inoffensive and ineffectual. What threat could he be to anyone?
"And who would want to kill Dovo or Grodoveth?" Benelaius said. "Yet killed they were. Now," he went on, walking toward the door of