“There was an odor in the air like an expensive perfume,” he said, “and three black horses standing just outside the door—not mares like your father’s, but big jet-black horses. Could put a real fright into you…” He shook his head and laughed.
“But come now…Let’s talk about something else,” he said, leering at her. “I just finished making myself a new bed out of spruce. It’s over there in the other room, and it’s nice and big and warm. Would you like to see it?”
Magdalena smiled. “So that your wife will wring my neck? No thanks.”
She emptied the mug in one long gulp and headed out the door. Swaying slightly, she stomped through the snow on her way back to Schongau.
Balthasar Hemerle waved to her as she left, but suddenly he looked serious again. He couldn’t help but think of the men with the black horses. For a brief moment, he thought he could smell a whiff of perfume in the cold winter air. But no doubt it was just the aroma of mulled wine.
Early the next morning, Simon headed out to Altenstadt again. Before dawn, he tiptoed past the room of his snoring father. Bonifaz Fronwieser didn’t get home until late last night, and Simon had to assume he had immediately exchanged the pay from his house call to Alderman Hardenberg for wine and brandy. The bartenders of the taverns behind the Ballenhaus permitted some guests to stay on after the eight o’clock curfew if they had enough change in their pockets. And the esteemed patrician Hardenberg certainly had paid more for his checkup than all the sick farmers put together that week. Enough, at least, for three glasses of the best burgundy.
Simon carefully closed the door and hurried toward the Hof Gate at the end of the street. Leaning against the ruined walls of the ducal castle, the city watchman Josef had already opened the gate reinforced with iron and was staring wearily at the approaching figure.
“Up so early, Simon?” he grumbled. They knew each other well, the young medicus having recently cured Josef’s son of scabies—at no charge, of course. It was always good to befriend one of the city watchmen. That way you could slip into the city through the emergency gate from time to time, even after sunset.
“I’ve got to go to Altenstadt again,” Simon said. “Another patient needs my help there.”
“Is it the same coughing and sweating?” Josef asked, knowing that, in the little town of Altendorf, many people had fallen ill with the strange fever, too. Simon nodded slowly and hurried through the gate. Nobody had to know what he was really doing in Altenstadt. As the watchman watched Simon leave, he drew a Druid’s cross in the snow.
“God forbid the plague should come back to Schongau,” he called to the medicus. “God forbid!” He thanked the Virgin Mary for sparing him the sickness until then.
The road wound up the mountain, and soon Simon felt comfortably warm despite the dry cold. As he walked along, he wondered why he had set out at the crack of dawn to investigate the death of someone who was almost a total stranger to him. He could have stayed in bed, gotten up for a cup of coffee when the church bells rang nine o’clock; he could have sat by the fire roaring on the hearth and watched snowflakes twirling down outside. But, as so often was the case, he was overcome with curiosity, an innate urge to get to the bottom of things. And then, of course, there was Benedikta Koppmeyer. Ever since he had first seen her the day before, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Was he perhaps doing her a little favor by going on this mission?
Simon was headed for the basilica of St. Michael in Altenstadt. It towered above the little houses, a reminder of a time when this small village had been an important commercial center on the Via Claudia August, the old Roman military road. Built of heavy stone blocks, surrounded by a high wall, and flanked by two sky-high towers, the basilica looked more like a castle than a church.
Simon climbed the broad flight of steps to the main portal. Directly above the double doors, a magnificent relief depicted a knight, armed with a shield, helmet, and sword, fighting a dragon. In the mouth of the dragon was the body of a second man. Simon shook his head. Unlike many of his fellow countrymen, he had never felt comfortable with the bloody, monstrous figures and scenes depicted in churches. Such images were no doubt intended to remind people of the horrors of hell, but to Simon they felt more like messengers from a very distant past.
His anxiety subsided only when he stepped inside the church and turned his eyes upward. In the apse over the altar was the most beautiful and largest crucifix in their part of the country. The “Great God of Altenstadt” was known far beyond the borders of this little town in the Priests’ Corner, and even the otherwise rather sober-minded medicus could not deny its appeal. The figure, carved of larch wood, was huge, surely three yards long and just as wide. On either side stood life-size figures of Mary and John. But most striking was the face of the Savior. It looked down on the faithful, not distorted with pain or crying out condemnation, but gently, almost a bit sadly.
When Simon looked down again, he spotted a figure in one of the front pews that he had not noticed before. Perhaps because the person was kneeling, head bowed in prayer. A scarf fell over the figure’s shoulders, and before Simon could say anything, the person stood up, made the sign of the cross, and turned around toward him. Simon was stunned. It was Benedikta Koppmeyer! Her face was even paler now than the day before, and it seemed she had not slept very much. Nevertheless, she exuded an aura of strength unlike anything Simon had ever seen before in a woman. Once the merchant’s widow recognized Simon, she smiled at him wanly.
“I…I didn’t expect to find you here in the church,” the medicus stammered as she walked toward him. In the milky light of dawn, she almost seemed to be floating in space. “I thought you had a room in Schongau at the Stern.”
“I do,” she said softly, holding out her ringed hand for him to kiss. “But I couldn’t sleep, so I came here to pray. This church…is something very special, don’t you think?”
Simon nodded. Apparently, Benedikta could not resist the magical appeal of the basilica, either. Then it occurred to him that she must have made the trip from Schongau even before daybreak.
“You shouldn’t be traveling alone,” he remarked with concern. “A band of robbers is marauding about the countryside at present. A defenseless woman like yourself—”
“I am not as defenseless as I appear,” she interrupted him dryly. Then she pointed to his empty hands and changed the topic. “But you don’t have your bag with you today. Aren’t there any sick people to heal? What else brings you here? Have you come to pray?”
Simon couldn’t suppress a smile. “Unfortunately not. Although I do believe the priest wished I would come to church more often.” He hesitated before continuing. “No, it has to do with your brother.”
“My brother?” Benedikta looked at him with surprise.
Simon nodded, looking around to see if there were other parishioners praying in the church.
“It seems your brother discovered something down in the crypt of the Saint Lawrence Church,” he whispered finally. “Perhaps he was silenced for this reason.”
“But what are you looking for in Saint Michael’s Basilica?” she persisted.
“Well, I hope the priest here can tell me more about the Saint Lawrence Church. After all, it’s part of his parish.”
Benedikta nodded. “I understand,” she said. After hesitating a few moments, she continued. “Would you mind if I came along with you to see the priest? I’d like to learn more about my brother’s death.”
Simon shrugged. “Why not?” he said. “Come along. He’s probably just now preparing for mass.”
They came across the priest in the vestry, holding a dripping chalice to his mouth. Apparently he was sampling the wine to be used in the mass.
“The blood of Christ,” Simon murmured, loud enough so the priest could hear him. “What a blessing that the Savior left us such a delicious legacy.”
Pastor Elias Ziegler was startled but quickly pulled himself together. He turned toward the uninvited guests, noticea
bly angered. He was small and stocky, with a fleshy face and a crooked nose covered with spider veins. Indeed, it looked as though he often found it necessary to test the quality of the communion wine.
“As you surely know, the communion wine turns into the blood of Christ only after it has been consecrated,” he declared dryly. “In its present condition, it is only wine, though a relatively good one.” The priest wiped his mouth and put the chalice down on a silver tablet next to the hosts. Then he wiped his wet fingers on his cassock. His speech sounded a bit slurred. “I assume there is a reason why you have come to disturb me in my preparations for the mass. And with a woman, too, here in the vestry.”
“We’ll make it brief, Your Excellency,” Simon said. He introduced himself and Benedikta. When the priest heard the name Koppmeyer, his ears pricked up.
“Andreas Koppmeyer?” he asked. “The priest at Saint Lawrence Church? I have heard of his death. My condolences to his sister. Does anyone know yet what—”
“I would like you to arrange my brother’s funeral,” Benedikta interrupted. “Is that possible?”
“But…of course.” The priest, too, seemed impressed with her genteel, assured manner. As the head of the largest church in the region, he was accustomed to acting in a high-handed, arrogant manner. But this woman demanded respect. A single sentence from her sufficed to shrink him back to normal size.
“I’ll make all the necessary preparations,” he mumbled. “Don’t worry. When do you want the burial to be?”
They agreed it would be on the following Saturday. Finally, Simon asked the priest the question that got to the heart of his visit. “The Saint Lawrence Church…” he began. “Benedikta Koppmeyer, as sister of the deceased, would like to know more about the church he worked in for so many years. And about its past. Are there documents here in the basilica?”
Pastor Ziegler shook his head. “I’m sorry, there aren’t. The church doesn’t belong to Saint Michael’s parish. You would have to inquire in Steingaden.”
“Steingaden?” Simon asked with surprise.
The priest nodded. “The Saint Lawrence Church belongs to the Premonstratensian Diocese in Steingaden. So far as I know, the diocese purchased the church many years ago, and if the Swedes didn’t burn the relevant papers, then they would have to be there still.”
“And who did the church belong to before that?” Simon asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible. “The parish of Saint Michael?”
The priest laughed. “I shall have to disappoint you once again. We really never had anything to do with the Saint Lawrence Church. No, if the rumors are correct, the church formerly belonged to the Knights of the Teutonic Order, the Templars. But that was very long ago. Why are you so interested in that?”
“My brother always loved his church,” Benedikta said. Her smile could have melted the January ice outside. “I only wanted to know more about the place that had meant so much to him. Perhaps you’d learn something you could use for the funeral sermon.”
“Oh, of course.” Elias Ziegler nodded solicitously. “I’ll see what I can do. Does anyone yet know why—”
“Please excuse us now,” Benedikta mumbled. “I am still overwhelmed with grief and need to be left with my prayers.”
The priest nodded respectfully and watched as the two left the vestry and disappeared outside. Then he turned back to sampling the wine. It was too bad he had to use such good wine for the Eucharist, only to transform it into the blood of Christ.
“We must go to Steingaden,” Benedikta whispered as they hastened through the basilica. “Today, if possible.”
“Do you want me to come along?” Simon asked, uncertain what to make of this plan.
“Naturally. I want to know why my brother had to die. Is that so difficult to understand?”
“No, no. But today?” In the meantime, they had left the church and were standing in front by the portal. Snow blew in their faces. Simon pointed up. “It’s snowing again. It will be hard for us to make progress,” he said with concern.
“Well, I have a horse that will get me there safely and comfortably, even through knee-deep snow,” Benedikta said, then looked at him questioningly. “And you? As the town medicus, you must surely have a horse as well. You are the town physician, aren’t you?”
“Ah, sure, sure, but…”
“Well, then that’s that,” Benedikta said before running down the steps. “Let’s leave in two hours.”
Simon looked at her perplexed, then shrugged and followed her.
“Do you always make such rash decisions?” he asked when he caught up with her.
“I wouldn’t be a successful businessperson if I always weighed and debated everything,” she said. “I’ll leave that to the men when they get together for their night out at the pub.”
Simon grinned. “I hope I never have to do business with you. You would probably palm three barrels of overpriced wine off on me in a blink of an eye.” This was the first time Simon had heard her laugh, and he could feel how much he wanted to please this self-confident, worldly woman.
But now he needed a horse, and he had an idea where he could get hold of one.
Not far from St. Michael’s Basilica, Magdalena was standing on a street corner watching as the two walked down the little road on their way back to Schongau. Only a few minutes before, slightly tipsy, the hangman’s daughter had left the house of Balthasar Hemerle, and now she intended to pay a visit to the tavern keeper in Altenstadt to ask him about the strangers who were there the previous Sunday.
The sight of Simon together with the strange woman from the city hit her like a blow to the stomach. The two seemed to be having an animated conversation, and after a while Simon even placed his cloak over Benedikta’s shoulders. Magdalena thought she could hear soft laughter in the distance. And as much as she tried, she was unable to dispel her suspicions.
The alcohol in her body added to that feeling, overwhelming her with a grim wave of hatred, jealousy, and sadness. Furious, she pulled her bodice tighter and trudged off in the direction of the tavern. Her father had suggested she make eyes at the workmen. He could depend on her doing just that.
“You want what?” The hangman took his pipe out of his mouth and gave Simon a look of disbelief. Simon had found the hangman in the stable next to his house, cleaning out fresh, still-steaming manure. At the hangman’s side, the cow, Resl, watched the nervous young medicus with a dumb stare as he tried not to lose his balance while hopping through the clumps of manure and frozen puddles of urine on the ground. Simon was nervously clutching a felt hat with ostrich feathers and was wearing his best Sunday clothes—a wool coat he had hastily brushed off and, under it, petticoat breeches, a shirt with shiny cuffs, and a knee-length jacket of the finest French cloth. Now he was standing in front of the hangman, nervously repeating his question.
“Would it be possible for you to lend me your horse?” he mumbled. “Only until tomorrow.”
Jakob Kuisl looked at him, thinking it over. Then he broke out in laughter. “My old Walli? That dumb critter? She’ll eat your fine hat like celery and throw you before you even know what happened.” He shook his head, grinning.
Simon glanced nervously at the skinny mare sullenly chomping on some hay at the rear of the stable. It was quite possible that the hangman was correct.
“And just where do you intend to go, all dressed up like that? To Venice, to the carnival?” Kuisl asked, examining Simon’s clothing from top to bottom.
“I…I’m going to Steingaden, to the monastery. Maybe I’ll learn something more there about the hidden crypt in the Saint Lawrence Church.”
In halting words, he told the hangman of his visit to St. Michael’s Basilica and what he had learned there. When he was finished, he casually added, “Benedikta Koppmeyer will accompany me, by the way. She wants to learn more about the death of her brother.”
“Ah, I see.” Jakob Kuisl nodded. He spat into the manure, then picked up the rake and started spreading fr
esh straw in the stable. “That explains the fancy costume. Go ahead, then, and as far as I’m concerned, you can take Walli. I need her only to drive condemned people up the hill to the gallows. And there aren’t any hangings at the moment. But watch out. The beast is as stubborn as a mule—and mean!”
“I…know how to handle horses,” Simon reassured himself. Now, in any case, it was too late to bow out. Benedikta was waiting for him in front of the Stern and he was already late. It had taken him longer than expected to get dressed. Simon was proud of the wardrobe he managed to maintain despite his pathetic salary. Often, the daughters of rich patricians would slip him some money or give him some fine cloth. In spite of his small stature, he was considered a man of the world in Schongau, even though Magdalena kept telling him that it didn’t mean very much in a little Bavarian city.
“Well then, thank you very much!” he exclaimed, a bit too cheerily as he groped his way toward the back of the filthy stable, carefully trying not to soil his jacket.
Walli was waiting for him in her stall. The old, emaciated horse stared at him angrily, stoically chewing on some bits of straw. She appeared not to want to have anything to do with the two-legged creature in front of her. As Simon approached, the horse snorted briefly, reared up on her hind legs, and started drumming nervously against the wooden siding of her stall with her front hooves.
“The bridle is hanging in the corner,” the hangman mumbled, without looking up. “I hope you can manage by yourself. I have to leave. Lechner wants to talk with me about something. Orders from higher up.” He put the pitchfork away, brushed the dirt from his callused hands, and turned toward the door leading to the living room. “Probably one of the aldermen has complained to him again about my selling medications to people illegally. Damn fools!” Then he turned around again. “By the way, if Walli is bad and snaps at you, just pull her ears. Then she’ll calm down for sure.” Cursing under his breath, he stomped out of the stable and into the main room of the house.
Simon stared at the horse in front of him, and the horse stared back with little, evil eyes. The medicus gulped. Finally, he took the bridle from a hook and opened the door to the stall with soothing gestures and gentle words. Benedikta would just have to wait a bit.