Rosemary Rowe - The Ghosts of Glevum

‘It did not need to. It was under Marcus’s seal. I have the ring — I ordered it removed as soon as the document was brought to me — and it matches perfectly.’

‘And was that the only document you seized?’

He looked impatient. ‘What other did we need? That was evidence enough!’

‘But how could you know that, magistrate? The document was sealed. Unless, of course, you took the ring and put my patron’s seal on it yourself?’ I said, remembering how I had remelted wax and resealed Julia’s writing frame. ‘And why, in any case, should Marcus urge someone else to topple Praxus, if he’s supposed to have murdered him himself?’ I raised the mallet as I spoke.

‘You think you’re very clever, citizen!’ He was breathing hard. ‘But you can’t prove anything. Praxus’s bodyguard will swear they found it, as I said.’

‘And that’s another thing,’ I said. ‘The bodyguard. On the authority of Romnus Nonnius you said. But where is Romnus Nonnius now? In Gaul? Only Praxus and his guard came ahead, I understand. So how did this authority arise?’

‘I assure you, citizen, I have a document. .’

‘Another document? And when did that arrive? It would take days to send a messenger to Gaul and get an answer back. Or did you get it from a member of the bodyguard, perhaps? Along with a letter from your brother, Romnus Nonnius, urging you to find a way to bring down his senior officer so that he could take command instead, and further his plans to be a senator in Rome? Of course, he took care how he worded it in case the note was intercepted, as anyone with any wit would do, but I have no doubt it could be traced to him. Unfortunate that he mentioned his hatred of the Emperor as well.’

Balbus was looking wildly about, but he was a magistrate. He admitted nothing.

I leaned towards him. ‘Why did you do it, Balbus?’

Silence.

‘Very well, don’t answer me, but I believe I know. Because, once it emerged that Praxus’s death was not an accident, there was to be a search. Mellitus suggested it, not you. He was prepared to search the diners as they left. That must have frightened you. A most important person had just been killed, and there you were with a letter urging you to do that very thing. You must have had it on your person then. You’d just received it from a member of the bodyguard.’

‘How did you. .’ he began to say, and then fell silent.

I was quite certain now that I was right. ‘You must have done. As you came into the villa, probably. The bodyguard were posted at the gate. The banquet was the only chance you’d had, since Praxus and his party were staying out of town. And you had clearly read it, since you were so alarmed.’

‘It was found by a guard in front of witnesses,’ he said stubbornly. ‘In Marcus’s private rooms.’

‘Of course. No doubt you seized a chance to slip it back to your brother’s messenger, so that he could conveniently discover it. Then when it was duly brought to you, as senior magistrate, you confiscated Marcus’s ring and used it to seal the document. Your friend who found it, naturally, would swear that it was sealed all along. One touch too many, Balbus. It was that which let you down. How could you know which document to seize if it was sealed?’ I paused as there was a clatter in the street.

He was still defiant. One old man with a chisel is not much of a threat. ‘You can prove nothing, citizen. Your word against a senior magistrate? Anyway, you will not have the chance! Here are my servants. They will take you under charge — and since you unfortunately attempted to resist. .’ He turned. The disturbance was not caused by his slaves. Lercius, Sosso and my servant Junio were standing at the door.

Balbus made a run for it. Sosso would have stopped him, but I shook my head.

‘They will only feed you to the beasts,’ I said, as we heard the councillor disappearing up the lane. ‘And murdering Balbus won’t save Marcus now. Our only hope is in a court of law. Though it will be difficult to prove.’ I told them what I knew.

‘But Balbus is right, master,’ Junio said. ‘He is the senior magistrate, now that Marcus is in jail. Your only witnesses are slaves and thieves. You are in danger too. You need a place to hide.’

I nodded. ‘Corinium’s not safe. Umbris and Mellitus are there, and they’ve been trying to kill me ever since that night — they think that Golbo might have told me what he knew. In fact, I’m sure that’s why Umbris came back to the roundhouse twice: once when he found Golbo, and again when Lercius was there. He came to kill me — not to bring a message to my home at all. I wonder why he decided to tell me what he did — that you were safe and Mellitus was in Corinium? The first thing he thought of, or just to make me feel secure, perhaps?’

‘Remember that he played a double role,’ Junio said anxiously. ‘I sent the message, as he said I did. When he came to the house in Corinium, I asked him to tell you we were there, if he was able to. I hoped you’d know that we had got away — you found the bag?’

‘I did,’ I said. ‘How did you manage that? You left before the soldiers ever came.’

‘Gave it to the turnip-seller from whom I hired the cart,’ Junio explained. ‘The one that drove us to Corinium. I asked him if his household could see that it was hung up in the lane, if soldiers turned up at the roundhouse when I’d gone — said it was a votive offering to the gods. I had to pay him extra in the end, but he gave it to his daughter and said it would be done.’ He grinned. ‘I wasn’t sure it would. Though they are a religious household — I could see that from the amulets they wore — I made sure that there was nothing worth stealing in the bag!’

I thought of the kindling-seller’s wife, and smiled. ‘All the same, I am surprised that Umbris passed on the message that Mellitus was in Corinium.’

‘Perhaps that was to prove that he was not in Glevum when that letter came to light,’ Junio said. ‘If I understand the story rightly, as soon as that emerged, Mellitus turned and fled. He wanted to kill Praxus to gain himself more power, not get mixed up in army politics. No doubt he was delighted when Marcus was arraigned — but it’s clear he wanted to have no part at all in that.’

‘But why on earth did Umbris bring that second message here? That Mellitus and his shadow were in the market place?’

Junio grinned. ‘He didn’t bring that message. It was me. Once I realised the connection between the two, I was very worried. I didn’t even know that you were safe. That’s why I came back — to look for you.’

Lercius gave his idiotic grin. ‘Told you yesterday I’d got a message from your slave. Found him at the roundhouse poking round.’

I sighed. Useless to remonstrate with him. I had not realised that Junio had come himself and Lercius had not enlightened me. I turned to Junio. ‘I had to disappear. There were two lots of people hunting me, it seems — not just Mellitus and Umbris, though that was bad enough, but Balbus and the bodyguard.’ I sighed. ‘Sosso hid me in the swamp. But when you didn’t find me, you thought I might be here, hidden in the workshop? That’s what brought you here?’

‘I thought there was a chance. But as soon as I arrived, I found the troops. I saw them clear the street and hide themselves in buildings round about. I let them hustle me along, with all the rest, and went into the pot-maker’s — I’ve met the potter’s slave before — and kept watch there. I had to make sure I wasn’t seen, of course. I saw what happened to the skinny man.’

‘The skinny man?’ I said.

Sosso nodded. ‘You know. Carried the light.’ His voice was strangely cracked. ‘That night. When we let you out.’