“The witnesses weren’t witnesses; they were perpetrators.”
“And they were murdered in order to hide that fact?”
“No.”
“Private—”
“They were killed,” not murdered, Helmat noted, “in order to save the Tha’alani from revisiting the memories of those events.”
“You believe the Tha’alani were involved in the witness deaths?”
“No. But I believe the desire to protect them motivated the killings. There’s a way to determine the truth; one of the four survived.” He met, and held, Helmat’s glare. “If he’s guilty, he would likely face death.”
“The Tha’alanari would be called to confirm.”
Severn nodded.
“You advise against?”
“The reason the Tha’alani are called in is to confirm beyond a doubt that the condemned is guilty. Without that, we’d have to guess.”
“What would you do with the witness?”
“I’d release him.”
“Even if he’s guilty of murder?”
Severn nodded.
“You don’t think he’ll survive long on the streets.”
“Do you?” Severn countered.
“Don’t get emotionally involved with the Tha’alani.”
Severn nodded again.
“...I’ve never been forced to utter those words in this office before.”
“You didn’t want Ybelline involved in any aspect of this investigation, either. And it would be Ybelline who would conduct the interview. There’s no one else she would allow to do it.”
“She said that?”
“She didn’t need to say it. Timorri might never return to the Imperial Service, and he chanced upon memories of the events and recoiled. She’ll be castelord. You said it. Garadin said it. She’ll conduct that interview if an interview is demanded.”
“You’d rather she didn’t.”
“I don’t see the point. I believe he’s guilty. You believe it.”
“That is not the way the law works.”
Severn bowed his head again. He was silent for long enough, Helmat thought he had surrendered, but there was, in the boy’s silence, something almost immovable. “It’s not the way the law works for us,” he said, when he raised his head again.
“What are you suggesting?”
Silence.
“Do you fully understand what you’re asking of me?”