“Yes,” Matthias said, a wide grin across his face. “Finally.”
The sheriff entered the church along with the members of the jury; shortly afterward, the archbishop entered, assured of the veneration of all those present. He glided over to his place gracefully, not, however, without Johannes nodding at him deferentially.
The sheriff waited until the archbishop had settled into his seat. “After listening to several witnesses at length”—he threw a brief sideways glance at Andreas—“we can very well put together a picture of what occurred. Now, we shall focus on the charges brought against the defendant for the treacherous murder of the noblewoman, Adelhaid Trauenstein. The prosecutor for this charge will call himself as witness.” He nodded at Matthias, who stood, grinning smugly.
“My good citizens of Heidelberg. You all know me. Whether this woman there”—he pointed to Madlen—“healed the sick or not makes no difference to me. The last time she did so in Heidelberg, as everybody here knows, was when she ripped my son out of my wife’s womb.” He slurred again.
“Not only that, but she committed an even more heinous act, for which she will hang from the gallows. With malice, she plunged her knife into my wife’s already frail body, mortally stabbing her again and again.” He clung to the table so as not to lose his balance.
“Tell me, are you feeling ill?” the sheriff asked.
“I’ve never been better,” he replied exuberantly; Matthias realized immediately how inappropriate his last words were, so he added hastily, “Finally, my poor wife will be avenged, her murderer punished so that I can finally find peace of mind.”
“I think we’ve understood what charges you’re referring to here,” the sheriff reminded Trauenstein.
“Fine,” he replied and plopped down with a thump onto the chair.
“If you’re not feeling well, we can continue the trial tomorrow.”
“No!” Matthias shouted. “Thanks,” he added quickly. “I’m fine.”
“I’ll ask you, counsel for the defense, how does the defendant plead?”
Madlen got up immediately, exactly as Andreas had taught her to do. “Not guilty,” she said, her voice loud and confident. These were the first words she had said to the jury all day.
The spectators became restless again, murmuring and whispering to one another.
“Order in the court,” the sheriff thundered, immediately silencing the voices.
“Good. Thank you. You can sit down now.”
Madlen took her seat again.
“Now, Matthias Trauenstein, I ask you to call your first witness.”
“You have the document. I’ve forgotten the name.”
Some people laughed; the sheriff gave the spectators a stern look.
“Well.” He scanned the document and called the first witness. The guard opened the door and passed on the witness’s name. A young man entered the church; Andreas had seen him often in various taverns in Heidelberg.
“Tell us your name, young fellow,” the sheriff ordered.
“They call me Jasper,” he answered. “I work for Siegmund, the barrel maker.”
“Good. Your witness, Prosecutor.”
“Thank you.” Matthias Trauenstein got up, and Johannes watched him closely. He was not as drunk as he’d appeared to be earlier. Was he playing some sort of game? Johannes doubted that. After all, the Heidelberger had no reason to distrust Johannes.
“What exactly did you see the day my wife was murdered?”
“I was in the tavern on the other side of the street,” Jasper began. “Kilian, Madlen’s brother, was sitting with me at a table. All of a sudden, we heard loud yelling and screaming coming from outside.”
“What was being shouted?” Matthias asked as he gestured impatiently.
“That someone had been killed.”
“And what happened then?”
“We all ran out of the tavern to take a look.”
“And what did you and the others see?”
“The Trauensteins’ front door opened up suddenly . . .” He looked over at Madlen briefly.
“And?” Matthias made another impatient hand movement.
“The defendant came out and ran by us.”
“Where was she running to?”
“Where? I don’t know that.”
“And what did she look like?”
“She was bloody.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Her dress. It was covered in blood.”
“What happened next?”
“You came out and shouted that she had murdered your wife.”
Matthias nodded approvingly.
“I have no more questions.”