“Sometime in the night. They found him in the fields outside of the village,” she replied. “The sheriff and his men found him round dawn and then came to take me up.”
He looked at the sheriff. “Ye have quite the profitable business working here, dinnae ye. Kill the mon, take up the wife for murder, and confiscate all the property.”
“Ye cannae prove that.”
Sir Simon smiled. “Oh, I could but I dinnae really have to. What I do have is enough to set the women free. I also have papers to prove Matheson’s property was fully his, sold by the laird himself. I suspicion I will find papers at the other houses. Your hirelings didnae search weel enough.” The glare the sheriff sent MacDuff was enough to confirm Sir Simon’s suspicions that they worked together.
“There were three others,” said Laurel. “They have been hanged!”
“Weel, we will see their names cleared as weel. ’Tisnae nearly enough but at least they will be recalled as murdered nay murderers. How about the magistrate? Is he part of all this?”
“Part of what?” asked the sheriff, and he jumped when Sir Simon slammed his hands down on the table and leaned toward him.
“Dinnae play with me, sir. I can pull in a near army of men to dig out all your secrets. Who is the magistrate here and is he a part of this?”
“The magistrate is Sir Walter MacKray and he doesnae ken anything. He but passes judgment on the prisoners we bring him.” Every word sounded as if it had been pulled out of the sheriff, an unwilling confession.
“I see.” Sir Simon straightened up and looked at Callum. “Can ye watch this lot? I believe I should go inform the magistrate that he sent three innocent women to their deaths.”
“I will go with ye,” said Robbie as he stepped forward.
“Ye cannae leave three men guarding five. Best if ye stay here,” said Sir Simon.
Robbie nodded toward the sheriff. “He could be lying. Magistrate could be part of it all.”
“I dinnae believe he is lying.”
“Two of the men are tied up.”
“Robbie, I . . .”
Robbie walked over to the sheriff’s two guards, grabbed their heads, and slammed them together. He walked back to Sir Simon even as the two men slumped to the ground unconscious. Bethoc stared at the men, then glanced at Laurel and Lorraine and all three women looked back at the guards while fighting not to laugh.
“Numbers are better now. We can go,” Robbie said.
“Of course.” Sir Simon made it out the door before he started to laugh.
Callum shook his head and looked at Uven who said, “Robbie’s idea of a solution to the problem.”
“Simple and direct. Do ye think the magistrate is part of it all?” Callum asked.
“If Sir Simon says nay, then nay. He has a good ear for a lie.” Uven looked at the sheriff. “He kens this fat fool is lying.”
“I havenae killed anyone,” protested the sheriff.
“Nay? Ye took up three women, accused them of murders ye kenned they didnae commit, abused them, and when ye tired of that, saw them sentenced and hanged.” Uven looked at him in disgust. “That was murder.”
The sheriff stuttered as he struggled to protest that charge.
“Hush,” snapped Uven. “Nay more lies. We willnae heed them. Ye are worse than that scum,” he said as he pointed at MacDuff. “They got the blood on their hands but that doesnae make yours clean. Enriched yourself nicely, I wager. Either from what the woman had or by helping yourself to some of the pay meant for these fools.”
MacDuff sat up straighter and saw the truth in the sheriff’s face. “You bastard!”
Uven ignored that and asked the sheriff, “Did ye get to keep one of the properties?”
“Nay! I kept none of the lands. They all went to . . .” He abruptly closed his mouth.
“Ah, nay, there is at least one more player in this game. Best to give up the name. We will find it out anyway,” said Callum.
