Chapter 4: Le Table du Morte
In
response to Father Signoret’s request to see him, Brother Philippe invited
Signoret to lunch on Thursday April 4th at the Black Cross Club.[i] Signoret
brought his cousin Guy and Brother Phillipe had both of them admitted as his
guests. Over a fine lunch, Signoret asked Brother Phillipe about his health,
which the Knight said was excellent and about his meeting with Monsieur
LeDroit. Brother Phillipe admitted to meeting with LeVan though he didn’t
consider the meeting particularly important and he professed ignorance of how
poison could have been found in both LeDroit’s and his glasses. Father Signoret
tried to persuade him to allow the learned Jesuit to examine him, but Brother
Phillipe declined saying that he “felt fine today and God willing he would feel
fine tomorrow.” While he was at the Black Cross Guy overheard several club
members discussing what they seemed to think was a promising investment, the
newly formed Société de Transport et de Stockage de Grain de Paris.
On
the evening of the fourth of April the Provincial Father called Father Gaétan Signoret
into his office and ordered him to investigate and solve a ritual murder that
had occurred recently in the countryside outside Paris. The victim appeared to have
been killed on April 2nd with the body being found early the next morning. To assist
him, Father Signoret asked his cousin Guy to help with the investigation and de
Chambré, who was with Guy when Signoret approached him, offered the use of his
coach and agreed to accompany them. “That sounds like it might be diverting. I
have never investigated a murder before.”
The
murder had occurred outside Maury, a farming village northeast of Paris. At the
village Father Signoret sought out the local priest. Father Denis had an
unpleasantly distracting lazy eye, but Signoret found him to be very helpful. He
confirmed that the victim was a middle-aged local woman. Her body had been found
in the middle of a wheat field and it been viciously savaged by crows. Father Denis
told them that the woman was found first thing in the morning and that she had
been seen by her family just after dinner the previous evening so whatever had
happened must have occurred in the night. The woman had not yet been buried. Father Signoret asked to see the body so that he could pray for the woman’s soul. He
did that, but using his knowledge of medicine, he also made a thorough
examination. Due to the action of the crows he could not determine a
cause of death, but he made a hideous discovery. The victim’s heart was
missing.
At
the murder scene the Jesuit used his hunting skills to examine the site and to
look for tracks. The ground in a circle around the body had been disturbed. The
dirt had been scuffed over.[ii] In
the field nearby he found strange blockish footprints without heel or
toe. The footprints ran either to or from a pole in the field, the murder site,
and a farm road. Other than the odd prints and scuff marks there was nothing to
see except fields filled with green shoots and a few guardian scarecrows.
They
returned to the village to look for other clues. In the tavern they asked the
locals about any strangers in the area or unusual happenings. They learned that
the only stranger seen in the area had been a pretty, colorfully dressed woman
with dark curly hair. At the local tavern she spent some time talking to a farmhand.
That was not unusual, however the very next day the same farmhand broke his arm by
falling in a well. On their return to Paris they passed an ornate coach. Guy
recognized the coat of arms as that of Nicolas Potier de Gesvres the cousin of Louis
Potier de Gesvres Count de Tresmes the Secretary of State responsible for last year’s
Valetelline Treaty. While in disguise, Guy had helped to safeguard the treaty
negotiations. Nicolas was a robe noble and de Chambré said his family
manor—Novion—was somewhere nearby.
On
Friday April 5, Gaston ordered that a pair of Red Guards dressed in civilian
clothing would keep a continuous watch on the Brothers Vitoria Bank. The Guards
would use the Inn of the Bear and the Lion as a location from which to keep the
bank under observation. Later that day they observed four men[iii] gather
behind the bank and then enter through the rear door. All four wore red
handkerchiefs. The first to arrive was a thin, sinister looking young man who
wore a sword and a black cloak. His face was not wholly visible—since a
thin veil hung from his hat to keep the dust out of his eyes. The second was a prim
and neat elderly gentleman. He was stout, did not wear a sword, and his wide
ruffled collar and dark clothing gave him an air of bourgeoisie wealth. His
description matched that of the Bank Manager Bettremieu Moulin. The third man
was dressed like a Spanish Grandee, wore a sword, and concealed his face with a
travel mask. The last man was incredibly fat. He wore a sword and was dressed
in expensive looking fashionable clothing but his clothing had a disordered or
slovenly appearance. The observers noted that each of the men prominently displayed red
handkerchiefs and all but the first man were accompanied by guards dressed in
bright red livery.
Gaston
was slightly acquainted with the Bank Manager. He had seen him at the Vicomte
de Bouvard’s garden party and Gaston’s giant cousin Norbert had briefly worked
for Moulin as a debt collector. Moulin was a financier to the crown and many
nobles. One of Moulin’s head clerks was Benedict LeVan. Gaston knew LeVan from
last year’s diplomatic mission to the Netherlands. In Brussels LeVan had been
suspected of being involved in the attempt to murder the Prince de Cröy and he
appeared to have set up Norbert for an ambush by the minions of a Spanish
Inquisitor. In Amsterdam he was linked to a pro-Spanish spy ring, the Red
Carnation. Gaston requested additional information about the Brothers Vitoria
Bank and the next day he was provided with a short file.
The
Vitoria family of bankers originated with Baltasar de Vitoria, a draper and
moneylender in the city of Barcelona. Baltasar was a founder of the Table of
Exchange, Spain’s first public bank, established in 1401, and his descendants
continued the family business in lending and investment.
By
the sixteenth century, the Vitoria family was one of the Spanish crown’s
leading financiers, making loans to the king and purchasing juros (crown
securities). However, the family fortune was greatly impacted by the crown’s
default on its loans in 1557, and an attempt to diversify its investments in
the New World ended disastrously ten years later when six ships from the
Spanish treasure fleet wrecked in a storm on the coast of Dominica; efforts to
salvage the treasure came to naught, and the Vitoria family faced ruin.
Santiago de Vitoria married the daughter of a Genoese merchant family in
Seville in 1569, recapitalizing the family banking interests and diversifying its
investments. His sons, Alvaro and Gaspar, continue to operate the banking
house, with branches in Madrid, Seville, Genoa, Naples, Paris, and Marseille.
Guy
contributed additional information. One year ago, he and Father Signoret had discovered
that a bank draft on the Brothers Vitoria Bank had been used to buy stolen
documents. The draft was sealed with the arms of Don Antonio de Zúñiga y
Dávila, marqués de Mirabel, the Spanish Ambassador to France.
On
Saturday, based on his suspicion that Moulin or the Bank was
involved Gaston made a long term assignment to have pairs of dependable Red
Guards watch the bank and he had them write up their observations. He collected
the two glasses with the poison traces from Fabré along with a signed statement
of his analysis of the poison. He obtained a sworn statement from Michaud, the
bartender at the Black Cross Club, that on the night of M. LeDroit’s death the
deceased was drinking with Brother Philippe and that he, Michaud, had served
them and had afterwards saved the glasses that they used and turned them over
to Father Signoret. Finally he had Father Signoret write and sign a brief
statement confirming that he had given the glasses from Michaud to Fabré for
analysis.
Saturday
afternoon Father Signoret learned that there had been a second murder. His
cousin Guy and the Seigneur de Chambré accompanied him to Mont-Meillan a dying
village some twenty miles and more from Paris. At the village Father Signoret
consulted the local priest. Father
Pierre told them the body of a middle-aged woman had been found at some place
called Le Table which was some distance outside the village of Mont-Meillan. Reluctantly
Father Pierre admitted to the Jesuit that La Table was once an old pagan site. He
seemed upset about that and about the terrible violence of the murder—the poor
woman’s heart had been torn from her chest.
Even
with Father Pierre’s help they were unable to find a local guide willing to
lead them to La Table. But after a long day of coach riding and hiking they
managed to find it on their own. La Table was a large flat stone in the center
of the remains of a small stone circle. Half the ring stones were gone. The
remaining stones were broken and misshapen things that reminded one of rotted
and broken teeth. The flat stone was encrusted with dried blood. Other bits of
dried blood were scattered around the stone in what might have been a star or a
circle inscribed around the body, but the ground had been disturbed and only faint traces remained. Father Signoret concluded that the killings were part of some
ritual sacrifice. He also noted that both victims were middle aged women. He
hoped that might provide a clue to the ritual and the damned souls behind it.
They
returned to Mont-Meillan. It was late and they were tired, but the village had
no inn so they had to make other arrangements to stay the night. Father Signoret
stayed at the rectory with Father Pierre while Guy and de Chambré managed to persuade
the owner of the local tavern to make his room available for the night. Since
the next day was Easter Sunday and Paris was still 20 miles away they agreed to
Father Pierre’s invitation to attend Easter mass at his church. Their agreement
greatly pleased Father Pierre. The source of his pleasure was the chance to put
one over on Father Giles the pastor of the neighboring church of Saint Vic. It
seemed the two priests were rivals and enemies and Father Pierre saw this as his
big chance to laud the greater pageantry and majesty of his Easter Mass celebration,
which had attracted the attendance of two noblemen and a Jesuit all the way from
Paris, over the paltry Easter celebration of his rival Father Giles.
The
local tavern was named the Sign of the Hanged Man. It was a bleak place with a
cheerless view of the gallows atop the hill to the west. The view was not
improved by the constant sight of its latest victim twisting and turning in the
wind as a warning to others. The tavern patrons were sullen and refused to
answer questions. Unaccountably it seemed that they blamed their visitors for
the recent murder. Their unhappiness with the visitors was manifested during
the night by a stone tossed through their window. The crash woke up both Guy
and de Chambré and caused the rest of their night to be sleepless.
Chapter 5: Bad Wine
Father
Signoret, Guy, and de Chambré attended Mass with Father Pierre. Questioning the locals at the tavern last night had been unsuccessful, so after mass Father Signoret
asked the priest for his help. Through Father Pierre they learned that no
other strangers had been to the village but that several people had mentioned
seeing a lone figure walking the fields at night. Before returning to Paris
they decided to return to the scene of the first murder to make additional
inquiries.
Like
the village of Maury, Mitry bordered the fields where the first murder had
occurred. They visited the local tavern, the Lord of the Green, bought drinks,
and asked questions. Guy and de Chambré were happy to find that the Lord of the
Green’s cellar contained passable and even good wines. After a few drinks several
patrons echoed Father Pierre’s story of a lone figure seen walking across the fields
at night.
Once
he was back in Paris, Father Signoret arranged to meet Gaston that afternoon at
the Fraternité Sainct-Didier fencing school. Both duelists used the school’s
sallé to practice though they tended to train in different styles. Signoret used
the Fraternité to hone his skills in the deceptive French style. He found it a
useful adjunct or contrast to the rational and intellectual precision of the
Spanish style that he favored. His friend Gaston, on the other hand, tended
neither towards precision nor deception when he fought. The soldier favored
straightforward, even headlong, aggression in combat. With Gaston even a
practice session was a fight where one always risked bruises or worse.
Afterwards
the two men walked together towards a tavern where Gaston had offered to buy
them both a drink after their practice. On the way they met Brother Phillipe de
Didonne. Neither Gaston nor Didonne seemed to know each other. Since Signoret
didn’t want to accentuate his friendship with the Captain of the Cardinal’s
Guard to Didonne, he used a fake name when he introduced Gaston. The ruse seemed
to have deceived the knight as Brother Phillipe then said that he was glad to
have seen Signoret and he invited the Jesuit for dinner at his club that Wednesday
night at 9 o’clock. Signoret said he would see Phillipe then.
After
their drink the two returned to the Cardinal’s offices where Gaston resumed his
post. Signoret, who had neglected his secretarial duties during his recent investigations,
went to Père Joseph to explain that his absence was due to an assignment from
his Order to look into two unusual rural killings. He reported his conclusion
that the killings were both ritual murders of some sort. Père Joseph told him
that he was sure that the Cardinal would be interested in the murders,
especially if heresy or devil worship turned out to be involved. He excused him
from his ordinary duties but he insisted that Father Signoret keep him
appraised of developments so that Joseph could advise the Cardinal
appropriately.
When he returned to the city Guy called
for a report from his agents. He learned that it was rumored a major decision had
been reached by the King concerning the situation on the Flanders frontier. He
had decided to build and fully arm a number of new fortresses to defend against
the Spanish. Monsieur Moulin the Bank Manager had been named as the senior arms
investor for the weaponry for the new forts and the Baron De Gras had been
chosen to supervise the construction of the fortresses. Which meant that
Frances defense against the Spanish was in the hands of men who may be involved
in the murder of a French agent.
The
next night Guy received new reports from his agents. Le Serpent told him that so
far Condé had not met with the Duke de Sully, but that on Monday the Duke was
planning to visit the Louvre to speak before the King’s Council. The Duke was
Master General of the Royal Artillery so it was possible his report had
something to do with cannon for the new forts that rumor said the King planned
to build.
Collette
du Pré, Guy’s agent in the Prince de Condé’s household reported two matters.
First she had observed one of the Prince’s clients, the Baron Saint-Giron,
surreptitiously board a red coach with no coat of arms.[iv] She
could not see whether anyone else was inside nor was she able to follow the
coach. In addition to being a client of the Prince, Saint-Giron was currently
the Duke de Sully’s aide. He was also Guy’s enemy. Second, she reported that
she had overheard the Prince tell his wife that he would attend the King’s
Council on Tuesday morning. The agenda included the admission of a new member.
The Prince was already a member of the King’s Council.
The
next day was Tuesday the 9th of April. Guy went to the Louvre in his role as a
courtier to keep an eye on the Duke de Sully and the Prince de Condé. While he
waited in the Great Hall outside where the Royal Council met he noticed and
avoided the Baron Saint-Giron who had entered as the Duke’s aide. The Baron waited
among the various petitioners and courtiers who also waited in the Great Hall.
Guy also noticed Gaston and a squad of the Cardinal’s Guards arrive with
Richelieu. The Guards were not allowed into the council chambers nor were armed men
not of the King’s own guards generally allowed in his presence. I suspect the Cardinal is about to become a
member of the King’s Council, Guy thought as he absently accepted a glass
of wine from one of the ubiquitous palace servants.
Inside
the council chamber, Cardinal Richelieu was presented for consideration as a
new member of the King’s Council. He had the sponsorship of the Queen Mother
and the approval of the King and his membership was quickly approved.
Afterwards the Duke de Sully delivered a report on the status of the Royal
Artillery and the Arsenal’s ability to provide new weapons for the proposed
Flanders forts.
Guy
smiled as he saw Baron St-Giron sneer at him from across the room. I guess he finally noticed me. Then he looked
speculatively at his glass. This wine is
off. He took another sip. This time beneath the flavor of a robust red he noticed
the hint of a metallic taste to the wine.[v] A
sudden pain hit him in the stomach and he heard Fabré’s voice in his head ‘a
fast-acting metal poison. It has a bitter taste so it was probably administered
in something with a strong flavor that he drank. Perhaps a full-bodied red
wine.’
“Damn!
I’ve been poisoned.” His first thought was to find the servant responsible but
a second stabbing pain was followed by graying vision as he almost passed out. He
stumbled towards Gaston and gasped, “I’ve been poisoned…LeDroit…Get…” He was
wracked by a third even greater pain and he lost consciousness.
Gaston
swore than said, “My friend has been poisoned.” He ordered two of his guards to
Guy’s hôtel in the Place Royal to fetch Fabré. “Bring him to the east gate and
tell him to bring his antidotes. And
hurry! Stop for nothing and no one!”
Gaston
knew it would take too long to get permission to admit Fabré to the Louvre.
Instead he would bring Guy outside. He ordered the rest of his men to remain
and guard the Cardinal. “Tell him what has happened and that I said he should
remain here and be on guard.” Then he picked Guy up and carried him to the east
gate and out of the Louvre.
Guy
was in considerable pain and the wait for Fabré seemed interminable. Worse for him I expect, Gaston thought.
The longer he waited the worse Gaston’s mood became. His temper must have been
visible as his guards each took an involuntary step backwards when he looked up
at them. But his look did not deter Fabré who immediately checked his master’s
vital signs and asked Gaston a series of questions about timing, symptoms
observed, and how the poison had been administered. Gaston said, “I think he was trying to say it was the same poison
that got LeDroit. I hope you finished the antidote.”
“I
hope so too,” Fabré said with some asperity. “I haven’t had time to test it
fully.”
“No
time like the present,” Gaston said drily.
Fabré carefully poured the antidote between Guy's lips. Seeing that Guy was being cared for by Fabré, Gaston determined to return to the Great Hall. He ordered the two
guards to stay. “Guard them both...and do whatever Fabré says. He knows best.”
Then he reentered the Louvre to find the Cardinal and make certain he was safe.
Gaston
was surprised that the Great Hall seemed so calm. No one was under attack. The
King’s Council was still in session. His men were waiting on alert. He thought
to find the wine cup that Guy had dropped but some servant had already picked
it up. He glared with suspicion at each of the courtiers in the room looking
for some telltale sign of guilt or satisfaction. Because of this he noticed Brother
Phillipe enter the Great Hall and cross over to the Baron Saint-Giron and pass
him what looked like a red handkerchief. Interesting.
It seems Saint-Giron is up to something and it involves Brother Phillipe.
The untested
antidote acted quickly and Guy was soon in command of his faculties once again. The
first thing he did was to send one of the two Cardinal’s Guards standing over
him to deliver a note of warning to his cousin Father Signoret. Although it would be more
accurate to say that his valet Fabré sent the Guard. For some reason the two
Guards refused his suggestions and commands but willingly did what Fabré told them.
The second thing was to have the other Guard and Fabré help him back into the
Louvre. It took some persuasion before the Swiss Guards at the gate allowed all three
of them to enter. Guy remained just outside the Great Hall as he had Fabré send
the guard to fetch Gaston. Gaston ordered a search to be made for the servant
that gave Guy the wine but he could not be found nor did anyone seem to
remember seeing him before today.
The
next day, Wednesday, Gaston learned that the men watching the Brothers Vitoria
Bank had recognized the coat of arms on two of the coaches that carried people
who entered the bank through the rear entrance. One was a Spanish coat of arms
and the other was the coat of arms of the Baron de Foix-Gras. Père Joseph gave
him new information. He told Gaston that a diagram of the Step-Rocket had
recently been traced to make a copy. The book was still locked in the Arsenal. An
Arsenal guard who had been questioned by Monsieur LeDroit before his death was
missing. The guard was suspected of involvement in accessing the book. Gaston relayed
the information to his friends.
Wednesday
evening, Father Signoret had drinks with Brother Philippe at the Black Cross
Club. They spent all evening talking. They discussed Spanish-French relations,
their loyalty to the True Faith, and their devôt sympathies. Philippe asked if Father
Signoret would be willing to do more than talk? Would he be willing to act to
foster better Spanish French relations and devôt aims? Signoret eagerly said
that he would and that he was willing to take the next step. Brother Phillipe told
him that he would arrange for a secret meeting to determine if Signoret would be allowed to join their organization. He told Signoret to be in the
confessional of the Church of Saint Gervais on
Thursday morning at nine o’clock where he would receive further
instructions. When he returned to the Jesuit Professed House Signoret learned
that a third murder had occurred late Monday night near the village of Jagny.
He sent notes to his friends to arrange to investigate that death the next
morning.
It
was nearly midnight when the two men looked up at the light at the top of the
Tour du Bois. They had arrived from the river side to avoid the guards on the
landward sides of the Louvre. To avoid notice in general the two men were
dressed completely in black and black masks covered their faces. The door to
the tower stair was guarded. Rather than risk an alarm the men decided to
climb the outside of the tower and gain entry through the window. The tower was
old and there were sufficient hand and foot holds for men as well trained as
these two and they had a rope with a padded grapnel.
The
first man paused as he reached the window and looked inside. He stared at the big
man sitting at the desk to make sure it was the right target then he quietly
opened the window and readied his balestrin, the one handed crossbow favored by
some assassins. He took careful aim and fired. The snap of the string was quiet
enough that it would not be heard by the guards below. Once he fired, the
assassin immediately climbed through the window and into the room to make way
for his companion. He knew he had hit his target and he looked over in
anticipation of seeing him incapacitated, racked with pain. His anticipation
was premature, the man at the desk was bleeding, but he wasn’t down and he
wasn’t crying out in agony. The first assassin hurriedly reloaded his crossbow.
Meanwhile his companion reached the now open window and readied his weapon,
aimed, and fired.
But now the man behind the desk was aware. He stood and spun his highbacked
chair so that the bolt impaled the chair instead of his chest. He darted
around the desk as he drew the sword from the sheath hanging from the chair-back and lunged at the first assassin. The assassin leapt sideways to avoid the thrust,
but the big man lunged again catching the assassin in the throat with the point
and then nearly beheading him with a powerful sideways slash of the blade. He
raced towards the second man and shoved him out the window.
Gaston
forced himself to take a breath. The searing pain that radiated from the dart
that had slashed across his shoulder made his muscles cramp and it was
difficult to control the spasms. He picked up the first assassins balestrin to
use in case there were any more assassins. The idea of shooting them with their
own weapon appealed to him as poetic justice. Then he went to the window to look for
the body of the second assassin. He didn’t see a body below, but out of the
corner of his eye he saw a rope snake around the side of the tower. “Sangdieu,
the bastard has a rope.” Switching the balestrin to his left hand, he used his
rapier to cut through the rope as he said, “Let’s see how well you fly.” Gaston
didn’t hear a scream or a thud. He decided that if he was going to risk his
head by sticking it out the window a second time he first wanted to have a familiar weapon in
hand. He set the balestrin on his desk and armed a pistol. He looked out the
window but saw no one. Armed with pistol and sword he went downstairs.
The
assassin couldn’t fly, but he could and did catch a projection from the old
medieval tower to arrest his fall. He moved sideways to get out of sight
from the window then he climbed back down. His mission wasn’t finished, but he
decided that he needed a different approach. He kept to the shadows as he
circled the tower looking for a lone Red Guard. Seeing one he stealthily approached and then attacked from behind with a dagger. He did not use a poisoned
blade because he wanted a silent kill not an opponent shrieking in agony as he
died. A stab in the back dropped Guard. Then the assassin put on the Guard’s
hat and tabard. The front at least was free of bloodstains. Poisoned dagger in
one hand he openly ran up the tower stairs as if he were a soldier rallying to
his commander.
In the dark, the
hat and tabard were enough to fool Gaston and give the assassin the first move,
but Gaston was no longer lost in thought at his desk. He had been attacked and
he was ready for battle. The point of the assassins blade missed as its point
sparked against the wall. Gaston decided that he wanted someone to question not
another corpse so he used a twisting move to disarm his opponent then placed
the edge of his rapier against his foe’s throat. In a cold voice he said,
“You’re mine now.”
Gaston
realized from the tabard the assassin wore that one of his men might be hurt so
he looked for and found the badly wounded Remy Janvier then he loudly shouted for
more men and a surgeon. Once his men arrived he gave them strict instructions to
bind the prisoner, to watch him most carefully, and to keep him alive for
questioning. Then he went to check on Cardinal Richelieu and he doubled the
number of men guarding the Cardinal and put them on alert.
Meanwhile
he sent four Guards to go to the Place Royale. Two men were to bring Fabré
and his antidotes, especially the antidote for the Spanish poison called The Burning. The other two were to warn
Guy of the attack on Gaston and then stay and protect him. Two other Guards went
to the Jesuit Professed House to warn Signoret. Gaston assumed a master duelist
like Signoret could look after himself outside the Professed House and inside he
should be safe from assassins so those Guards were to return once they had warned the
Jesuit. A fourth pair of Guards went to warn the Seigneur de Chambré. Gaston knew
he owed de Chambré for his help rescuing his niece Jeannette and he didn’t know
how skilled the handome man really was with a blade. Since the Seigneur seemed like the sort
of effete court fop that Gaston despised and whose skill with a blade he
sneered at, he decided better to be safe than sorry and ordered the two Guards
to stay and protect de Chambré.
Guy
decided to accompany Fabré to the Louvre to check on Gaston. At the Tour du Bois,
Fabré gave Gaston the antidote to The Burning and Guy identified the dead
assassin as the Louvre servant who had given him the poisoned wine. Both Guy
and Gaston had been attacked by the same source. Gaston checked the Guards one
final time then decided to finally get some rest. Questioning the assassin
could be left to tomorrow or to the professionals. In anticipation of the need
for an interrogation, Guy ordered Fabré to see if he could create some potion
that would make the prisoner tell the truth.
Chapter 6: Spy Games
By
Thursday April 11 three mysterious deaths had been reported in the farmlands
northeast of Paris. Assassins had tried to poison both Guy and Gaston. One of
the assassins had been captured. The assassins used two different poisons. The
poison placed in Guy’s wine was identical to that used to kill Monsieur
LeDroit. That same assassin and a confederate had attacked Gaston using hand
crossbows with poisoned bolts. That poison was known as The Burning. Its use was a signature of the Left Hand of God, an
infamous Spanish assassin, and his minions. Monsieur LeDroit appeared to have
been investigating espionage by Spain and the sympathetic Red Brotherhood. The
Brotherhood was connected to the Paris branch of the Brothers Vitoria Bank. The
Brotherhood’s sign was a red handkerchief. The death of Monsieur LeDroit was
still open and a knight of Malta named Brother Phillipe was the main suspect. The
captured assassin was being questioned and despite the failure of Fabré’s attempt
to create a truth potion, the captive had revealed that he worked for the Left
Hand of God and something called the Red Brotherhood.
As
instructed by Brother Phillipe, Father Signoret went to the church of Saint
Gervais before 9:00AM to hear confessions. From the confessional booth, Brother
Phillipe told him his next instructions. “Go for a walk in the Jardin de
Tuileries today at 4:00PM. Carry a single red rose. Someone carrying a red
bible will approach you. Follow the instructions that they give you.” Signoret
finished hearing confessions then he left the church.
Brother
Phillipe walked from Saint Gervais to the Spanish Embassy. He was followed by Guy
de Bourges who, dressed as an ordinary Paris townsman, easily avoided the
notice of the sinister looking Knight of Malta. Just before 10:00AM Brother
Phillipe reached the embassy. He left a note on the front steps then hurried
down the street. Once he was out of sight, Guy bribed a street urchin to bring
him the note. He quickly opened it and saw that it was in code.
VHOE FROUDFU ZLUI SHE CLCMHUR PHHU QSRVQHFULWH PHPCHSDU UIH UXLMHSLHV JDSEHO UREDBDU GRXS QP PHPCHS IDV ROH SHESRVH XVH SHE FRDFI QLFNXQVZLUFI DU SXH TXLOFDPQRLY DSFIVLY QP LOUHSWLHZ LO UILSE PLMMQDVU GDXCRXSJ VU PLFIHMZHDS D PDVN
Guy
returned to his hôtel in the Place Royale and consulted the key that Monsieur
LeDroit had started. With the text from this message he was able to complete LeDroit’s
key.
A=D
|
E=H
|
I=L
|
M=P
|
Q=T
|
U=X
|
Y=B
|
B=C
|
F=G
|
J=K
|
N=O
|
R=S
|
V=W
|
Z=A
|
C=F
|
G=J
|
K=N
|
O=R
|
S=V
|
W=Z
|
|
D=E
|
H=I
|
L=M
|
P=Q
|
T=U
|
X=Y
|
After
a little trial and error he soon realized that LeDroit’s key was for encrypting
a message. While it could be use for decryption it would be faster to transpose
the letters to make a new table.
A=Z
|
E=D
|
I=H
|
M=L
|
Q=P
|
U=T
|
Y=B
|
B=Y
|
F=C
|
J=G
|
N=K
|
R=O
|
V=S
|
Z=W
|
C=B
|
G=F
|
K=J
|
O=N
|
S=R
|
W=V
|
|
D=A
|
H=E
|
L=I
|
P=M
|
T=Q
|
X=U
|
He
used this table to decrypt Brother Phillipe’s note.
Send contact with red bibleto meet prospective memberat the Tuileries Garden todayat four PM Member has one redrose Use Red Coach pickupSwitch at Rue Quincampoix ArchSix PM interview in third millpast Faubourg St MichelWear a mask
After
decrypting the note, he refolded it, returned to the Spanish Embasssy and used another
street urchin to return the note to the Embassy steps.
Before
he met with Father Signoret Guy changed into a different disguise. He told his
cousin that he had followed Brother Phillipe after he left the confessional
booth in St Gervais to where he dropped off a note at the Spanish Embassy. Guy
intercepted the note which was in code. He used that message to complete
Monsieur LeDroit’s key and then used the key to decrypt Brother Phillipe’s
message which contained the location for Signoret’s meeting with the Red
Brotherhood that evening. Guy told his cousin that he would be nearby when he
met with the Brother Phillipe and his friends.
That
afternoon, Signoret purchased a red rose and, as instructed he walked in the
Tuileries Garden. Shortly after 4:00PM he was approached by a Spanish nun carrying
a red bible. She told him to walk with her. She led him to the edge of the
garden where a red coach with red clad guard and driver pulled up. The nun told
him to get in. Inside were two more guards in red who blindfold him. Then the
coach drove through city streets by on a route with many turns that he supposed
were taken mostly to confuse him. Eventually they stopped in a narrow alley or
tunnel that echoed with nearby street noise. The Jesuit was hustled down a
passage to a second coach[vi]
where he was handed up to another pair of guards.
The
coach took a circuitous path though Signoret thought he could tell when they
crossed the Pont Neuf to the Left Bank and then left Paris. They drove over
country lanes for a time then stopped just after sunset. Signoret heard the
wooden creaking and susurration sounds from one of the many windmills that
encircled Paris. The guards led him inside the mill. He stood waiting until a
voice told him to remove his blindfold. Seated opposite him were three men
wearing red masks.[vii] The man on the left questioned
him in Spanish about his beliefs about Spain, France, the Church, and what was
best for the Church.
They
seemed satisfied with the Jesuit’s responses and invited him to join their Red
Brotherhood, an organization that worked for harmony and unity between Catholic
Spain and Catholic France. After he agreed they had him swear an oath on the Bible
to be true to the Red Brotherhood and to his fellow members, to work for its
aims, and to keep its secrets. They had a document with the same pledge which they
had him sign. As his first assignment they ordered him to spy on Cardinal
Richelieu. He was told to devout and vigilant at all times and to keep the
Brotherhood informed of all that he learned about Richelieu and his plans. Then
Signoret was blindfolded returned to Paris by coach.
The
three masked men sat quietly until the sound of Signoret’s coach had faded. Guy
couldn’t see them but he could hear them. One man said, “I told you he’d join.”
His Spanish was tinged with a noticeable French accent.
A
second voice said, “I don’t know if I trust this Jesuit. He is much too close
to his cousin de Bourges.” This was the same man who had led Signoret’s
questioning. His Spanish had a slight accent, one that reminded Guy of his good
friend the Belgian Spanish nobleman, Jan Gabriel Vizconde de
Cervantes-Esparanza.
A
third voice said, “He should be watched until we are certain of his loyalty.”
The
other two replied in unison, “Yes Excellency.” Their use of this title when
combined with the third speaker’s Castilian-accented Spanish meant that the man
in the center could be none other than the Spanish Ambassador, Don Antonio de
Zúñiga y Dávila, marqués de Mirabel. He suggested that they should discuss the
Baron Saint-Giron’s offer.
The
Frenchman said, “The Baron showed me a diagram of some sort of weapon—a rocket
I think. It was only one page, but that one page proved that he has access to
the Arsenal and that he can get the book we want. However he said he wants a
letter of safe conduct personally signed by the Ambassador before he provides
any additional documents.”
Don
Antonio asked, “Is that all?”
“He
also wants to be made a major general, a French majore general, and he wants
10,000 livres.”
Don
Antonio said, “That shouldn’t be a problem should it?”
The
second man answered, “No, your Excellency. The bank’s resources can easily
cover much more than that sum. The money is not a problem. But how does the
Baron expect us to arrange for him to become a French general?”
The
Frenchman said, “Either through the actions of the devôt faction or our other
supporters. It is also possible that we could purchase a commission for him
should one become open.”
“How
much would that cost us?”
“Another
10,000 livres for the purchase. To ensure that a position is available? That
would be harder to say Excellency.”
Don
Antonio paused, perhaps to see if the second man would balk at the additional
cost. But when no objection occurred he said, “Arrange a meeting.”
The
Frenchman said, “I will do so and will leave a message with the details in the
usual manner.”
“Then
we are done,” Don Antonio said with finality.
All
three joined in a brief prayer and then went their separate ways.
Guy
observed them and mentally counted them down as they left. The first to depart
was dressed like a Spanish Grandee. He wore a sword, and concealed his face
with a travel mask. The Ambassador.
The Grandee was accompanied by a secretary. The two men entered an unmarked
coach driven and guarded by red clad retainers. I didn’t realize the Ambassador had brought his aide. I don’t recall
hearing a fourth man’s voice.
The
next to leave was a prim and neat elderly gentleman. He was stout, did not wear
a sword, and his wide ruffled collar and dark clothing gave him an air of
bourgeoisie wealth. The Banker. His
coach was also unmarked and it had the same red clad driver and guards. The
last to depart was a thin, sinister looking young man who wore a long rapier
and a black cloak. His
face was obscured by the thin veil that hung from his hat to keep the dust out
of his eyes. The Frenchman or should I
say the Knight of Malta? The young man rode off on horseback accompanied by
two more of the red clad guards.
After
he returned to Paris Guy visited Father Signoret. He shared a heavily edit
version of what he learned with his cousin, in part so as not to add to the
number of lies that Signoret would have to tell the Brotherhood. Guy met separately
with Gaston who told him that his watchers had saw Brother Phillipe enter the
Brothers Vitoria Bank between 10:00 and 11:00 that morning. He was only there
for a few moments before he left. This would have been after he stopped by the
Spanish Embassy. Guy thought he had probably delivered a message with the time
and location for the meeting with Signoret to the Banker. Guy gave Gaston a
full recounting of Saint-Giron’s treachery, his price, and the next steps.
Gaston thanked his friend and said that this was the evidence they needed.
When
he returned to the Professed House Father Signoret was summoned into the
Provincial Father’s office. His meetings with the Red Brotherhood had prevented
Signoret from leaving Paris to investigate the third murder so he had nothing
new to report. But the Provincial Father did. He told Signoret that the Jesuit
Order had learned that there had been a massacre in the hamlet of Grange au
Bois which, like the other three murders, was northeast of Paris. A family of
seven or eight people had been killed. Signoret told the Provincial Father that
he would leave immediately to investigate. He contacted his friends, but only
Guy was available. The two cousins went north. They stayed at an inn north of
Paris so they could begin their investigations first thing in the morning.
First
they went to Grange au Bois, the site of the massacre. The hamlet was located near
Herivaux Abbey in the Forest of Clichy. They found a large farm house where the
entire family of seven had been killed. The front door and the most of the
furniture were smashed to kindling. The hearts of three victims were missing:
the father, grandfather, and a 12-year old son. The father had bruises on his
hands and feet and his heart was cut out. The grandfather and a 12-year old son
had been bludgeoned to death before their hearts were removed. Four of the victims:
the mother, teenage son, 2 young girls, and a baby had been bludgeoned to death
but their hearts were not removed.
Next
they went to the location of the third murder. They learned that the third
victim was an 18 year old farm boy. He was found on the ridge overlooking the
village of Jagny. Father Signoret’s examination of the body revealed that he
had a broken neck and both his forearms were fractured in what might have been
defensive wounds. As with the previous two victims his heart had been removed. This body had not be savaged by
scavengers so Signoret was able to determine that the heart had been removed
post mortem. Consistent with the two previous murders there were signs that
there had been some sort of circle or symbol around the body that had been
rubbed out afterwards so that only traces remained.
Guy
summarized the evidence, “So we have one victim killed late each night on
Tuesday April 2, Friday April 5, and Monday April 8. In each case the
victim was murdered away from home and while alone. Each victim had his or her
heart removed. Then sometime after the third murder and before sunrise of the
next day an entire family was massacred together in or just outside of their
own home. Three of the seven victims had their hearts removed, but why? This makes a
total of 10 victims with 6 hearts taken.” Guy turned and asked his cousin, “In the name of
God why does the murderer want their hearts?”
Father
Signoret had no answer, but he said that he was afraid this involved witchcraft
or worse. He said that he would do some reading to see if he could find a
connection or a pattern.
EDIT (28-MAR-2016): Added a few paragraphs to Chapter 5 for events after the PCs returned to Paris.
[i]
Chapter 4 occurred April 4-6, 1624 (07NOV2015).
[ii] Local
villagers wiped out the Hedge Witch’s bloody pentagram.
[iii]
The four men were Brother Philippe, Monsieur Moulin, Don Antonio the Spanish
Ambassador, and Baron de Gras.
[iv]
The red coach belongs to the Red Brotherhood. Brother Philippe is inside. The
two discussed Saint-Giron selling armaments secrets (the stage-rockets) which
may be used to arm the new forts on the Flanders border. Previously Brother
Phillppe met Baron Saint-Giron at the Bishop’s Club. Saint-Giron showed Phillipe
a copy of the diagram for the Step-Rocket as proof that he can obtain more
secret information.
[v] Martin
Pedrosa, the Left hand of God, recognized Guy from descriptions of agents of
the Red Brotherhood. He knew Guy from previous encounters. He warned the
Ambassador that “Guy de Bourges has thwarted the Lord’s plans before. He must
not be allowed to do so again.” The Ambassador agreed and ordered Guy killed. A
Masked Assassin disguised as a court servant was sent to poison Guy’s wine.
[vi] A
black unmarked coach with a driver not dressed in red.
[vii]
Brother Philippe, B. Moulin, and the Spanish Ambassador, hidden in the shadows
above was the Left Hand of God.
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