Saturnalia mdf-18 Page 24

  '"Victim"?' I asked coolly. 'That would be as in "unnatural death", would it?'

  'You tell me, Falco. There seemed to be nothing to show.'

  Right. There was nothing to show why Scythax was so reticent either. But I heard voices outside, so I left it.

  The new arrivals were our missing men, Titus and Gaudus. With them was Justinus, intensely anxious about Lentullus. I sent the legionaries home. Scythax stood up and went out, as if leaving us in private; I still felt he was trying to avoid talking to me about that corpse. He still feared I would not let the matter go.

  I stared at my brother-in-law. He was now twenty-six or seven, a tall, slim, fairly fit man who had once had a career in front of him, though he had lost hope in that. He must have been able to keep himself clean at the Spy's house, but cannot have shaved for several days. He looked strained. It was more than his dread over the legionary's fate. Bruised circles under those dark eyes the women all fancied marred what could have been a handsome face. Among all that stubble, there was no trace of his normal wide-mouthed grin.

  'We need to talk, Quintus.'

  In low, level voices, we caught up. It took a while. Justinus maintained he had not known Ganna would be at the Temple of Diana; he was just hoping to find Veleda there. I picked up on that privately, but did not immediately demand how he had known her possible whereabouts.

  During the mess with the Guards, Justinus had realised he was about to fall into Anacrites' hands again, so he made a bolt for it. He found a secret wooden stair that led up into the roof; sometimes the goddess made a ritual 'appearance' to the public, displayed at a window above the portico. Titus and Gaudus saw him go, knew he was vital to our task, and quickly ran after him. Later, when it was safe to descend, they had all gone to my house, but when the others returned and said Lentullus was seriously hurt, Justinus insisted on coming here.

  'I keep remembering all we went through together in Germany.

  We all said Lentullus was hopeless-but he came good, Falco.'

  'Oh I'll never forget him, swinging on the tail of that bloody great aurochs, without a fear, while the beast plunged about and I was trying to stick a tiny knife in its neck…'

  'Heart of gold. You wanted him to keep me out of trouble-yet I ended up getting him into this. I'll never forgive myself, Marcus. He adored you and me.'

  'We gave him the biggest and most exciting adventure of his life.

  He won't blame you.' Justinus blamed himself, however.

  I let him carry on maundering over Lentullus for a while. Then I stopped him: 'So have you seen Veleda?' He looked blank. It had to be an act. 'Or had you merely been in contact with her before Anacrites had you arrested?' He tried to sustain the innocent ploy, so I shouted, 'Camillus Justinus, don't mess me about!'

  'Hush!' he remonstrated, gesturing to Lentullus. I fixed a straight glare on him. He must know I was assessing him. He must realise why. He had worked as my assistant for the past couple of years; he knew my methods. 'All right, Falco…' My gaze did not waver. 'I have not seen her.'

  'Honest?' 'It's the truth.'

  I believed him. All his family were straight. While I had known Justinus keep things to himself-his past liaison with Veleda being one-I had never known him tell direct lies. 'You will need to prove it to the world-so give, Quintus!'

  'Settle down. We're partners, aren't we? There is no necessity totreat me like a suspect.' There was every need for it.

  'Wrong, Quintus. And if you are fooling around with Veleda, ourassociation ends right now.'

  He cursed quietly. Then he told me. 'I knew when she arrived in Italy. You were still in Greece… It was supposed to be kept quiet, but Hades, everyone in Rome was talking about it. When she was at that so-called safe house, I did try to get messages to her.'

  I wanted to ask how, but first I needed to know ifI could trust him. So it was more important to know why. 'Were you hoping to take up where you two left off?'

  Justinus looked sulky. 'There was nothing to take up.'

  'I remember,' I said drily. 'I can still see you now, alleging that nothing had happened between you and Veleda, when every single one of us on that ship knew it was a load of rubbish.'

  'The ship!' he reminded me. 'She gave us the bloody ship, Falco. She saved our lives by letting us escape down the river. Don't you think we owe her something in return?'

  'What? Provide her with a ship to return her to Germany? No, it's too late, Quintus. Rutilius Gallicus has brought her here and she's stuck with her fate. We'll all have to live with it… How did you know about the safe house?'

  'What?'

  'I want to know, Quintus. How did you know where they had put her? Did she write and tell you?'

  'She has never written to me, Falco. I don't even know if she can write. The Celts don't believe in writing things down; they commit important stories, facts, myths, histories to memory.'

  'Spare me the cultural lecture!… Not much point Anacrites putting up a written notice to lure her in,' I commented, to lighten it.

  'Not much point in anything he does.'

  'How did you get on with him, when you were at his house?' 'Relations were cool.'

  'Did he try to recruit you?'

  'As a spy? Yes, he did. How do you know?'

  'The snake tried it on with your brother in the past. What did you answer?'

  'I said no, of course.'

  'Happy fellow. So how did you know Veleda's whereabouts?' I reiterated.

  Justinus at last capitulated, mildly enough. 'I know a man. Slight acquaintance, baths and gymnasium, nothing special. We nod to one another, but I wouldn't say I ever let him strigil my back… When everyone was speculating about Veleda, I happened to mutter that I had once met her. He must have been looking for somebody safe to confide in. He was bursting to share the secret with someone-Scaeva told me.'

  I took a breath so hard it hurt. 'You know Scaeva?'

  XLIII

  'Gratianus Scaeva-brother of Drusilla Gratiana? Lived at the Quadrumatus villa? You know him, Quintus?'

  'Only slightly.'

  'Scaeva was passing messages for you?'

  Justinus shrugged. 'He took letters from me. I got nothing back. Once he had given away where Veleda was, he lost his nerve fast. He was terrified of being found out. He wanted nothing more to do with me-but I kept seeking him out and insisting.'

  'Did you want a reply from the priestess? Were you trying to resume your relationship?' Silence. 'Come on, lad. What were you playing at?'

  'I don't really know.'

  I believed that. 'Wonderful. Every mess in the world is caused by some idiot who can't make up his ridiculous mind about a woman who's not interested.'

  I hit him with the information that Scaeva was dead. Quintus looked shocked. It could be genuine. I told him exactly how it had happened. Then I watched him work out the implications. 'Do you think Veleda hacked his head off?'

  My brother-in-law blew out his cheeks. 'That's possible.' He had seen her amongst her tribal warriors, when they were baying for Roman blood; he knew that her place as a venerated leader depended on showing she was ruthless.

  I liked the fact that he did not rush to defend her. Even so, his personal predicament was grim. Whatever assurances he gave, it looked as if he and the priestess had colluded.

  'What can you tell me about Scaeva? This is urgent, Quintus.'

  'I don't know much. Until recently I tried to avoid him. He was always snuffling and carrying on about his health. Well, that's unfair; he was fed up with it himself He complained that he seemed to have spent every Satumalia of his life lying sick on a couch.'

  'Well, I'm afraid it won't happen this year.'

  'No.' Justinus looked thoughtful. Perhaps he was considering the transience of life.

  I now grilled him on how he came to think that Veleda might have been at the Temple of Diana tonight. His answer made things even more ghastly: according to him, in one of his unanswered letters, he himself suggested it as a plac
e of refuge.

  'What happened to those letters, Quintus?'

  'I don't know.'

  I hoped Veleda had destroyed them. If not, we had to find them. We had to retrieve and obliterate them. Another dirty task for me.

  The thought crossed my mind that Gratianus Scaeva might have been killed because somebody discovered he was acting as an intermediary. If so, his punishment seemed vile. Still, the perpetrator may have deliberately set out to implicate Veleda. It was the kind of trick Anacrites might play.

  'Right. Let's get it straight: Veleda comes to Rome. You think you owe her something for saving us. You offer help; Scaeva takes the letters; she does not reply.' She could have been carrying her reply along to Scaeva, the day Scaeva was killed. It was even possible Scaeva tried to wriggle out of taking her letter to Quintus, so that was why Veleda attacked Scaeva… Somehow I thought not. 'Even in two weeks of freedom she has not tried to contact you, apparently. So did you give up on her, Quintus?'

  He looked vague, as if he could not accept that he and the priestess were past history.

  'Look, you can't have seen Scaeva for over a fortnight. Scaeva has been dead all that time. Did anybody ever tell you Veleda had escaped?'

  'Anacrites. At his house this week.'

  'So tonight-you were just going to the temple on the off-chance of finding her?'

  'Yes, but the moment I spotted the Praetorians, I went frantic. I thought they must know that Veleda was definitely inside-'

  'And you know Ganna?'

  'Never met the girl.' How many men had sworn that old lie to me?

  Justinus saw me thinking it. 'Marcus, Lentullus and I had talked, today at Fountain Court. He told me about Ganna being brought to Rome with the priestess. When the guards pulled her out of hiding, I guessed who she was… What will happen to her?'

  'I don't know. Your big sister went with her, if that helps.' Justinus looked relieved. I felt slightly less confident: Helena would do all she could, but Anacrites was a bitter, single-minded foe. Nonetheless, Quintus and I shared a momentary smile, as we thought of Helena defying him. The first time I met him, Helena and I had yet to become lovers and she was giving me all Hades of a time. Her brother and I had bonded quickly, both overshadowed by her fierce spirit, both adoring her eccentric resolution.

  I felt exhausted. I said I had to go home to see if there was news of Helena. I put Justinus on parole to remain at the station house with Lentullus-to stay there whatever happened to the injured soldier overnight. He agreed the conditions. I was almost past caring.

  Just as I left, he surprised me. I glanced back from the door, raising a weary arm in salutation. Then Justinus suddenly asked me, 'How is Claudia?'

  I took it as hopeful. Mind you, right when I first met him, I had noticed that Camillus Justinus had extremely good manners and a kind heart.

  SATURNALIA, DAY TWO

  Fifteen days before the Kalends of January (18 December)

  XLIV

  Positions were reversed. For once I was the one waiting among the oil-lamp shadows, when Helena crawled in at last, barely able to move from exhaustion. It was a shock to see her still in the strange brown gown she wore to the Temple of Saturn, though at some point since she disappeared in Anacrites' litter, she had plaited her loose hair into an old-fashioned bun like some severe matriarch from the Republic.

  I had been sitting on a chest in a daze until I heard the litter-bearers calling good-night to her. I felt stiff myself, but managed to get to the door to open it for Helena like a uniquely efficient hall porter. 'Dirty stop-out. What time do you call this?' I took her in my arms, very gently. 'Should I check you over for bruises? Or just check how drunk you are?'

  She shook her head in reassurance, as she collapsed against me. 'All we were offered was a small tray of three-day-old date fancies and some foul grape juice. Hospitality from the Chief Spy is not based on the Good Steward's Household Manual… I hope you picked up those cloaks, Marcus.'

  So she was all right. I helped her upstairs, where we fell into bed wearing most of our clothes. I squirmed out of myouter tunic, hoping she had not seen the bloodstains I had acquired from Lentullus.

  Helena fell asleep after me, I think, but she was up first. By the time I sauntered trom our room, she had been to the baths, dressed like herself in a smart red dress and pendant garnet ear-rings, and had begun calming our household-scared slaves; disconcerted soldiers; subdued children; Nux slinking along skirting boards as if she was in trouble; Albia, equally dog-like, defiantly letting us know she was furious at us for staying out all night.

  I had washed my face and put on slippers. I had decided not to shave or change my undertunic. I was master of my house. I had my own style. I wasn't a jumped-up, hidebound, establishment lackey who couldn't yawn if it was a black day on the calendar. People knew what to expect from me. I refused to create anxiety by looking too formal.

  Once everyone had settled down, Helena and I were free to take a late breakfast byourselves. After we ate, we carried warm honey drinks right up on to our roof terrace, where there was a chance we could remain undisturbed. I checked the supports on the wind-blown climbing roses while I reported on Lentullus andJustinus. 'I told your brother to remain with the vigiles. I hope he does. But I haven't the resources-or the will any longer-to hold him to it.'

  'Can I go and see him?'

  'I can't stop you.'

  'Marcus!'

  'Oh I just don't want you seeing the mess the Guards have made of Lentullus.' As Helena stared, I admitted, 'Yes, the lad could die. He may be dead by now.'

  Helena slowly sipped at her beaker. 'Is Scythax a good doctor? Should we find a better man?'

  'Maybe I'll ask around, see if there is a specialist for sword wounds-some old army surgeon, maybe. I don't want to appear ungrateful to the vigiles. Lentullus would have gone under last night, if I hadn't thought of Scythax.'

  I told her about the incident with the dead vagrant. Helena pursed her lips. I could see her filing it away in her library of curiosities. At some point, if a link occurred, she would pull down a mental scroll case and bring out this story, making new sense of it. Meanwhile we were silent, absorbing the oddities.

  'So tell me what happened, sweetheart; how did you get on with Anacrites?'

  I watched Helena sorting her thoughts quietly. 'Well, to begin at the end, Ganna has been placed in the House of the Vestals.'

  'Whose idea?'

  Helena smiled. 'It is secure, and the Virgins will look after her. Ganna understands that nothing can be decided about her own fate until Veleda has been found.'

  'And how painful was it, reaching this resolution?'

  Helena said briefly, 'The man is a pig.' Seeing my look of horror, she took my hand quickly. 'Oh Anacrites didn't assault us. Nothing so direct. He deals in mental indignities. I dare say he would have tried physical mistreatment of the girl, had I not been there-'

  'It's standard,' I confirmed. Without allowing the Spy any credit, I too would have done the same, faced with a tricky enemy and driven by urgency: 'In tough interrogations, even before you start beating them up, you deprive your subject of food, drink, hygiene facilities, warmth, consolation-hope.'

  'Well, Anacrites certainly deprived Ganna of hope.' 'That's not fatal. Nor does it have to be permanent.'

  'Are you as hard as him? No, Marcus. You have better tactics. More practical. First, you would point out the risks of her situation and the possibilities for retrieving something if she co-operates…' Helena was looking morose. 'I did try to persuade Anacrites that he should adopt your methods. I played on the fact that you and he are both working on this problem-working together-' I made vomiting noises. She ignored it. 'Working together now, just as you had done so successfully during the Great Census. I said, you both owe your current prosperity and your high social profile to that experience. Neither of you should forget it.'

  I took the sophisticated route this time; I merely banged down my beaker hard on a garden table. 'So?
' I asked coldly.

  Helena chuckled. 'Oh, it worked, Marcus. Anacrites did exacdy what you would do.'

  'Which is?'

  'He snapped, well maybe I would like to ask the questions then.'

  We both had a chortle, then Helena admitted, 'Of course he was being sarcastic, but I jumped in and thanked him, and took him at his word.'

  I allowed myself to guffaw. I was enjoying the story now. I wished I could have been a gecko yesterday in a corner of the interrogation room.

  'First I suggested that I should like to get comfortable; I asked to use the facilities. Ganna had the sense to come too. A slave was supervising us, but we managed to have a few words together and I impressed on her that the more she said, the better it would look, so the easier things would go for her. And…' Helena paused, reconsidering.

  'That "and" sounds significant.'

  'No, it's nothing. So when we went back, I asked the questions and Ganna confessed pretty well everything.' I noted Helena's 'pretty well', but let her carry on with her version.

  Some we already knew: how at the Quadrumatus house the two women had plotted to escape in the laundry cart, then how Veleda managed it, but went alone. How Veleda sought out Zosime, then afterwards made her way to the Temple of Diana, where a priestess gave her shelter out of sisterly fellow-feeling, while Ganna-by then staying at my mother's apartment-was able to visit the temple and leave messages of support. She was never allowed to see Veleda face to face. But temple attendants always reassured her-until yesterday, when Ganna ran there after my sisters had scared her, and they claimed Veleda was no longer with them. 'Ganna ran away because she found your sisters very frightening!' I found them frightening myself

  'So where is Veleda now?' I asked, giving Helena a narrow look.

  Helena accepted my scrutiny in her serene way. 'Ganna insists that she does not know. Anacrites is all set to make pompous demands of the chief priest. A bad mistake.'

  'Does he not have jurisdiction over temples?' I wondered.