The Banquet (standard:mystery, 3415 words)
Author: Hulsey	Added: Jul 22 2003	Views/Reads: 4234/2681	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
(I have edited this story and resubmitted it.) Fallon recieves a mysterious invite to a medieval banquet.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

“Excuse me, this is Robert Fallon. Robert, this is Tanya Jarvis, Victor
Dupont, and David Palmer." 

We exchanged handshakes and they looked just as bemused as I was. "I
must leave you now,” said George. “I'll be back shortly for the 
commencement of the Kings banquet." 

"What a strange man," mouthed Tanya, stirring her cocktail. She was not
a bad looking woman, probably in her thirties, and single, owing to  
the absence of a wedding ring. She had long blonde hair, undoubtedly 
dyed judging by the visible black roots. Such striking green eyes; I 
had not met anyone with green eyes before. She wore a little too much 
mascara and her perfume was strong and irritating to my delicate nose. 
Her long, thin nose was the only feature stopping her from being 
classed in the beautiful bracket. 

"I suppose you received a letter too did you?" 

It was the obese Victor Dupont who spoke. He was an unattractive man.
His few strands of hair were combed across his head; in fact, I swear 
they were glued on. His thick lips and treble chin reminded me of the 
great Charles Laughton in Mutiny on the Bounty. He was nibbling on some 
salted peanuts, awaiting my answer. 

"Yes, in fact I did receive such a letter." 

"What's it all about?" quizzed David Palmer, who looked to me like the
original train spotter. His thick spectacles and poor excuse for a 
moustache, along with his curly, grey, unkempt hair, sparked a hint of 
recognition within me. He seemed disturbed at my staring, as I searched 
my memory, trying to recall where I'd seen him before. 

"It beats me, but it's free and I intend to make the best of it," I
replied. 

“Here, here," said Tanya. 

The more I looked at her, the more attractive she was becoming, and
judging by her actions she had been drinking before she arrived at the 
castle. My mind was definitely on the treble and the competition was 
feeble. She couldn't possibly fancy Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum; and 
after all, I've been told quite often how good-looking I am. 

George returned and we were led to separate changing rooms to change
into our costumes for the night. I felt such a clown when I re-entered 
the bar. My shame dwindled as I realised everyone looked just as stupid 
as I did. 

I wore a white blousy type shirt with puffed sleeves. A rust coloured
vest and tight brown pants completed the transformation. We were able 
to keep our own shoes on, which was a great relief. 

I let out a girlish like giggle when Dupont emerged, dressed in a monk's
habit and reminding me of Friar Tuck. Palmer was dressed similarly to 
me, but only in green. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as 
the lovely Tanya joined us. I hadn't noticed her cleavage earlier, but 
I certainly did now. She was wearing a low-cut bodice, a long flowing 
cream dress, and a sky-blue surcoat with matching headdress. 

The weasel clapped his hands and the numerous guests made their way into
the banqueting hall. The flickering torches caught my attention along 
with the enormous, blazing log fire. The flames reflected onto the 
marvellous stain-glass windows, adding a mystical aura to the occasion. 
Medieval music accompanied us as we followed the line, walking past the 
long wooden tables that were adorned with iron candlesticks. 

Eventually, we halted and stood at our designated places. I was
delighted to be seated next to Tanya, but not so elated, as Friar Tuck 
sat on the other side of me. The pleasant aroma of food from the 
kitchens reached our nostrils. 

The music stopped and the two trumpeters blew a loud fanfare, welcoming
a man who was dressed as King Henry V111. He climbed onto the stage and 
was accompanied by his Queen. The fanfare ceased and the king stood 
facing his guests. 

"Good morrow to ye all and welcome to the Kings banquet. Tis a merry
occasion and tonight ye will be entertained by the Kings own 
performers. Ye will witness the roaming minstrels, the jugglers, 
jesters and so much more. Ye are free to dance after or during the 
festivities. Raise yon goblets ladies and gentlemen and drink to your 
King." 

Again, I thought I'd seen this man before. Of course it was difficult to
say, with his mock beard and the padding, but I'd swear that we'd met 
before. 

"Eat, drink, and be merry!" he bellowed. 

The serving wenches poured out our mead and wine as the juggler took to
the stage. The minstrels played their citterns, recorders and mandolins 
and we took our seats. I felt Tanya's leg touching mine and my loins 
stirred. 

Within minutes, we were served a splendid soup with a blend of fresh
vegetables and a splash of cream, sprinkled with herbs. The main course 
followed; prime sirloin of beef in rich red wine and horseradish sauce. 
Breast of chicken, roasted and served with fresh asparagus, accompanied 
by a mushroom and rosemary sauce. Pot roast lamb, deuce of salmon 
poached in white wine, served with watercress sauce. Roast turkey with 
apricot stuffing; roast potatoes with garlic and herbs. This was indeed 
a feast fit for a King. 

I opted for the chicken and beef, which was delicious. Dupont I swear,
must have sampled the lot. I watched in disgust as he wolfed down the 
food, a chicken leg in each hand, the grease dripping from his 
slobbering lips. I turned to Tanya, who was smiling the way girls 
smile; that take me to bed smile. 

Every time our glasses were emptied of mead or wine, the serving wenches
promptly refilled them. The latest offering of mead tasted bitter and 
Tanya agreed with me, but we put it down to the spicy food and garlic 
we had devoured. 

I wished I had left some room for the delicious dessert of honeydew
lemon and prawns, brandy snap baskets with fresh strawberries, or the 
summer pudding and protiferoles with hot chocolate sauce. Dupont 
certainly had. 

Tanya's hand had wandered to my leg and my first instinct was to remove
it, but what the heck. My divorce had come through and I had no ties. 

A wandering minstrel, dressed in red and white checks took to the floor
and sang ballads as he walked amongst the guests, accompanied by a 
piper and a mandolin playing man. 

I looked to the King and Queen who were looking towards us and
whispering. I held his stare and he smiled. I was bursting with 
curiosity. Who was he and why were we here? Tanya was by now nibbling 
my ear and judging by her gaze, she was drunk. 

The minstrel faced Dupont and he began to sing. 

"They called her plain Jane, Until she was slain, The culprit being the
clown, Stuffed down a drain, Without her mane, Little Jane was cut 
down." 

Dupont dropped his chicken leg to the ground, his face crimson red.
"What foolishness is this?" The minstrel then turned to me. 

"I'll sing you a tale, Of evil and woe, On his way to school, was little
Joe, All that was found was his bloody coat, His bastard tormentor had 
cut his throat." 

I have to admit that I lost control at that stage. Rising to my feet, I
looked towards the King. “You've got it all wrong! You're out of order, 
do you hear me?” 

The King clapped his hands and the minstrel faced the drunken Tanya, who
was lighting a cigarette. 

"At twelve-years old, With hair of gold, Ann was the perfect daughter,
And now she lay cold, For Ann the bell tolled, As she lay beneath the 
water." 

The tears rolled down Tanya's cheeks and her lips trembled as she
mumbled, "I didn't kill Ann. I was cleared wasn't I? I loved my 
daughter... I loved her." 

The minstrel approached Palmer who was by now perspiring heavily,
dabbing his face with his handkerchief. 

"Gentle young Ted, A six-year-old child, Beaten and badly defiled, You
cut off his head, And now he lay dead, Somewhere out in the wild." 

"This is a sick joke, right? I don't have to put up with this. I'm out
of here." 

"Sit down, Palmer," boomed the king. 

The room was silent.  All that could be heard was the cracking of the
fire. The flickering flames projected eerie, dancing shadows on the 
walls. 

"You still don't know who I am do you?" asked the king. 

The voice now registered. “Jeremy Granville right?" 

"Well-done, Mr Fallon; I admire your powers of observation." 

"It was the turn that gave it away. I must say he sang well, but I'd
sack the lyricist," I joked. 

Granville glared at me. "The ballads served their purpose don't you
think?" 

Tanya was now sobbing. 

Granville rose from his throne. "Why are you here? I'm sure you're
anxious to find out... Have a look around the room. Recognise anyone? 
You should do. All of the guests here are relatives of the children you 
callously murdered." 

Dupont staggered to his feet. He appeared a comical figure in his monk's
habit. "But Granville, you defended me. You got me off remember... In 
the public eye I'm innocent." 

"True, I defended you as I defended the others. You all only got off as
you put it because of my skills in the courtroom. After your trial, 
Dupont, I began having nightmares. I kept seeing the face of Jane; her 
agile body stuffed down that drain. She trusted you, the friendly funny 
clown. Only you strangled her didn't you?" 

"You tell me, Granville. You defended me?" 

"Oh, you murdered her all right. The evidence after the trial pointed to
you, only it was too late by then, as you couldn't be tried for the 
murder twice." 

"I loved my daughter, Granville, everyone knows that," said Tanya,
stubbing out her cigarette. 

"When you were sober, I believe you did Tanya; but in drink you were a
monster, who continually beat your daughter. Only one night, you went 
too far didn't you? You hit her so hard that she fell down the stairs 
and died. You then hid her body in a lake, only she surfaced the next 
morning. My skills again got you off. Ann also visits my dreams 
regularly... You see, I developed a conscience; not an asset for a 
solicitor, wouldn't you agree?" 

"You're mad, Granville," yelled Palmer. 

"I'm mad? No, Mr Palmer, it's not I who is mad. It was not I who
sexually assaulted young Ted in the woods that night. And if that 
wasn't enough, you cut off his head with an axe. You know, I hate 
myself? I lay awake at night, thinking over the events of each trial. 
To think you four are only here because of me... Finally, we come to Mr 
Fallon, and if it's any consolation, I really did think that you were 
innocent." 

"But, I am innocent." 

"Silence! Let me finish... Poor Joe made the mistake of his life taking
the short cut to school through the woods didn't he? Who should he 
venture upon, but Mr Fallon? You sexually abused the child before 
cutting his throat. His body was found two weeks later, two miles away 
from your house. Witnesses stated and swore that your car was seen on 
the edge of the woods that day. Also, one of your kitchen knives was 
missing. Again, I saved you from a certain life sentence." 

"Wait a bloody minute. Who made you God, judge and executioner? I've
told you, I'm innocent and now I can finally prove it. Do you think 
I've been on holiday since my trial? I've been beaten, spat upon, and 
my neighbours won‘t even speak to me. My wife even doubted my innocence 
and left me. She and my children had to revert back to her maiden name. 
I was turned away from job interviews, time and time again. Oh yes, Mr 
bloody Granville; I've been serving a life sentence all right, but not 
anymore. This morning, I received a le..." 

Granville loudly interrupted. "Enough! I heard your pleading in the
court. My queen, would you kindly reveal yourself please?" 

She removed her wig, and Joe's mother faced me. "You'll get your
comeuppance, Robert Fallon. My Joe's death has been avenged." 

What she meant by that last statement I was about to find out. 

“And now, you must wonder why I've brought you all here,” said
Granville. “Well let me explain. As I've already stated, my conscience 
troubled me greatly. I decided I could no longer defend child-killers, 
so I called it a day. The images of those four children haunted me; 
they seemed to be calling out to me to do something, so I have. Your 
greed and curiosity brought you here. As far as the outside world 
knows, this banquet today never took place. You see, the owner of 
Langley Castle is a lifelong friend of mine. He kindly let me rent the 
castle free of charge. The food and drinks were kindly donated by the 
relatives of your victims.” 

The hoards of relatives rose to their feet and surrounded us. 

"You see, when your bodies are found many miles away from here, there
will be no obvious connection with this castle. Every person in this 
room has a cast iron alibi." 

"Aren't you forgetting something?" said Dupont, the perspiration making
his sallow skin glisten. 

"And what is that my fat friend?" 

"My mother knew where I was going. You see, you cannot kill me." 

"Oh no? What does your mother know? You have had a strange invite to a
medieval banquet. As I said, there will be no recording of this event. 
There will be no evidence here to say you ever came to Langley Castle. 
Your cars will be removed and dumped many miles away from here." 

"So what're you waiting for, Granville?" shouted Palmer. 

"Waiting for? Why nothing; you're already dead, the four of you." 

I scrambled to my feet. “Meaning what, Granville?" 

"The mead was delicious don't you think? Especially with the touch of
arsenic." 

Dupont held his vast neck, placed his fingers down his throat and
vomited onto the table. 

Granville laughed loudly. "My my, what an animal. It won't do you any
good. 130-195 milligrams of arsenic is enough to kill a man or a woman. 
How do you feel? Have you got a sore throat yet? What about your 
stomach? It's only a matter of time before you develop excruciating 
abdominal pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Total collapse and a 
convulsive death will occur within hours, given the amount you were 
given. A slow agonising death, I'm delighted to say." 

Tanya did not appear to have taken any of this in; she just stared as if
in a trance. Shock is certainly a rapid cure for alcohol abuse. I could 
not help but laugh, when I felt the pain in my stomach. 

"Laughter in death, I admire your courage, Fallon," smirked Granville. 

I looked across at the comical sight of Dupont vomiting, and of Palmer
rinsing his mouth out with wine whilst clutching his stomach. 

"I'm laughing at you, Granville. You've turned into one of them. You're
a murderer." 

"Murderer? Let's call it an execution shall we." 

"You don't understand do you? I'm bloody innocent. I received a letter
this morning. The man who killed Joe has been caught, after attempting 
to stab another young boy. He has admitted to killing Joe!" 

"Nonsense; a plea from a condemned man." 

"I'm certain that if you check the news, you'll see for yourself." 

Granville's eyes bulged as he gripped the arms of his throne. 

Joe's mother put her hand to her mouth; a look of horror etched on her
features. “What have we done? We must get him to a doctor." 

The muttering around the room fell silent, as firstly Dupont and then
Tanya fell to the ground, clutching their stomachs. Palmer was weeping, 
flushing more and more wine down his throat. The stench of human waste 
filled the room, and the back of Palmer's tight pants were brown. 

I felt a burning sensation in my throat and grabbed for the wine. It was
no good; the pain in my stomach was now unbearable as I rolled about on 
the ground. I felt the wetness in the seat of my trousers. Granville 
and his companions tried to console me. I remember being carried out of 
the castle; the cold air of the freezing evening comforting me some. I 
vomited violently and remember being put into the back of a car. Then I 
blacked out. 

I was in hospital for two weeks before they released me. I was told time
and time again how lucky I was to survive. Someone had brought me to 
the hospital and told the duty nurse that I had arsenic poisoning. 
Because they knew immediately what my symptoms were, they were able to 
pump my stomach and save me. Questions were asked, why I was wearing 
such strange clothes and where had I acquired the arsenic? The poison 
probably affected my memory, I told them, and could not recall any of 
it. 

I read the newspapers, and nothing was mentioned of the three
child-killers. My first thoughts were to go to the police, and then I 
reconsidered. I decided against it; after all, I too have a conscience. 



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