Page 93 of Highland Flame

“It’s no’ lookin’ guid,” Nash whispered to Cam.

“Is there anythin’ else ye have to say, Cam?” Storm looked over to him, almost as if he hoped there was. Storm was a fair man and didn’t like to punish those who truly didn’t deserve it.

“I have one more piece of evidence, and I think this will prove to ye and everyone that Dun fell on his own knife and that is what killed him.”

“What do ye mean?” asked Bart. “How could ye possibly prove somethin’ as ridiculous at that?”

“Bring in Dun, please,” said Cam, really causing the crowd to go wild now.

“They’re bringin’ in a dead body?” cried one woman.

“Aye, that is exactly what I’m doin’,” said Cam, waving his hand. The butcher, the tanner, the baker, and the undertaker who had just returned all carried in the covered body on a stretcher. Everyone moved aside to give them plenty of room.

“Cam, what is this all about?” growled Ian.

“I had a feelin’ what I’d presented wasna goin’ to be enough proof for some of ye. That is why Nash and I dug up Dun’s body last night to prove it.”

“God’s eyes,” said Storm, shaking his head and sitting back down.

“Dinna expose a decayin’ body in this hall,” shouted Callum.

Cam’s hand was on the blanket that covered the body, as he was about to pull it away.

“Cam, nay. I canna bear to see him again.” Yvaine turned her head and closed her eyes.

“Perhaps, it would be better if ye came down here?” Cam said to the lairds.

Ian and Storm walked down to the body, lifting the blanket to look beneath it.

“If ye’ll notice, the man has a knife wound in the chest,” said Cam. “There is a bump on the head, but that doesna seem to be the cause of his death.”

“Nay, it’s no’,” said the undertaker. “I’ve seen plenty of deaths, and this one was due to the knife. His skull wasna cracked and neither was there a cut on his head anywhere.”

“He’s right,” said Storm, inspecting the body.

“How do we ken that she didna thrust the blade through his chest?” Bart pointed an accusing finger at Yvaine. Cam saw Yvaine’s body trembling, and wanted this to be over as fast as possible.

“I – I didna,” said Yvaine. “I only hit him on the head. Dun never let anyone touch his knife, especially no’ me. And he always had it on him.”

“I have witnesses from town who attest that what she says is true,” Cam told the lairds, nodding at the townsfolk.

“They dug up my brathair’s body in the middle of the night and then stabbed it to make it look like this is true,” Bart continued.

“I had a feelin’ someone would say that, and that is why I made sure I had the same townsfolk as witnesses while Nash and I dug up the body. Ye can ask any of them, and they’ll tell ye that the stab mark in the chest was already there, and we didna put it there at all.”

“That’s right,” said the butcher. “I watched them the whole time.”

“We all did,” said the tanner.

“Dun told me he was goin’ to kill his wife, and he had the knife on him at the time,” said Farlan. “His knife marks are engraved in the drink board in the tavern. I will go and get the board and bring it here myself if ye want to see it.”

“There’s no need for that,” said Storm, after speaking in hushed voices with his father. “Cover up the body and put it back in the ground, please.”

“So, who is goin’ to hang for killin’ my brathair?” asked Bart, sounding bloodthirsty to Cam.

“It seems the one responsible for Dun’s death is already dead,” said Ian.

“That’s right,” agreed Storm. “Dun was a product of his own destruction, and no one here will be blamed.”