Murder in Cormyr - Chet Williamson [68]
Rolf broke off quickly as two of the Purple Dragons slammed him back into his seat and held him there. "Another outburst like that, young fellow," Captain Flim said, "and you'll be in chains with a gag around your head. In fact, I might just hang you on general principles. Now hush yourself."
Rolf glowered at the captain but said nothing more. I heard his angry breath hissing in and out like a swarm of bees.
"As… I was saying," Lindavar went on, "suspicion has fallen on many of you. The young lady here, our involuntary guest"-he glanced at Kendra, who smiled coldly, petting one of the three cats that had made her lap their home- "was… spoken to by both Dovo and the king's envoy in a manner not altogether… gentlemanly."
"You mean they came on to me like pigs," Kendra said dryly.
"In a word," Lindavar said, still not looking in her direction. "Jasper informed us of all that was said by all the parties that night. And you are rather quick with a sword."
"The killings were done with an axe," Kendra reminded us.
"And I suppose you've never seen one of those before," put in Captain Flim, who still eyed Kendra suspiciously.
"And me?" Barthelm said. "Why am / considered a suspect? I, a member of the Merchants' Guild Grand Council!"
"Because any man can be an angry and protective father," Benelaius said, calming the waters. "Both victims offered some insult to your daughter, Mayella, as well as Kendra. But whereas Kendra is skilled at fending off such clumsy advances, your daughter, good Barthelm, is not. It would not be beyond imagining that you should try to defend her honor, as a good father would be expected to do."
"Or a sincere suitor," said Lindavar to Rolf, "which explains your presence here tonight, young man. You have also a hot temper, which you have demonstrated for us."
"Fine, all right then," Rolf spat out. "You think I did it? Take me out and hang me then-I'd die a dozen deaths to defend Mayella's honor!"
"That may or may not be necessary," Benelaius said. "Proceed, Lindavar."
"What about me?" Shortshanks interrupted. "Why'm / here? I had naught to do with that girl!"
"No," said Lindavar. "But you did benefit from Dovo's haunting of the swamp. It kept folk away from the Swamp Rat and brought them to the Bold Bard instead. And not to make any prejudicial statement, but I don't think a dwarf's been born that doesn't lust after hidden treasure, the kind found in Fastred's tomb. Also, an axe was used, and every dwarf warrior's weapon of choice is an axe."
"Well, I'm not a warrior, am I, Mister War Wizard Smarty-Pants? I'm a barkeep, in case you haven't noticed. Come down out of your ivory tower and drop by, and I'll give ye an ale, if you're man enough to handle it."
"And what was given to Dovo, I wonder," said Lindavar, starting to get into it now, "to frighten people away from the swamp? Jasper, tell Mr. Shortshanks what you found in the men's necessary room of his establishment."
"I found Dovo's cloak and hat," I said.
"Which would lead someone of a suspicious nature to think he used the Bold Bard as a base of operations." Lindavar held up a hand to cut off Shortshanks's expected reaction. "But we'll come back to that later."
"What about those two?" said Barthelm, pointing to Khlerat and Marmwitz, both of whom looked extremely nervous. "Did they do it too? Or were we all in it together?" he finished scornfully.
"Their presence here will be explained shortly," said Lindavar. "Now let us turn from suspicions to evidence. Of all the mystifying things about these murders, one of the most baffling was not the presence of a certain piece of evidence, but its absence. Or at least the absence of most of it.
"What were the chances that Dovo-or anyone for that matter-would go into the Vast Swamp at night without a lantern? Granted, the areas near the edges of the swamp are less dangerous than those farther in. But still, it would be foolhardy to go at night without a light. There are patches of quicksand, clinging mire, bottomless pools, hundreds of natural dangers to ensnare the