Rosemary Rowe - A Pattern of Blood

The baton stopped. ‘An interesting point, old friend. But even an old man can sometimes find surprising reserves of strength. Perhaps we should ask the medicus what he thinks. In any case, I do not believe that Lupus is quite the invalid he pretends in other respects. He talks of his swollen knees and aching joints, but I saw him move with surprising sprightliness just now, when there was a dagger at his back. He could have hurried to Quintus’s room swiftly enough if he chose.’

I had to admit the justice of that. I had come to the same conclusion myself. ‘And the message,’ I said, slowly. ‘ “Remember Pertinax”. You think he was responsible for that too? Today was the first time he had visited the house, yet that tablet was found at least two days ago.’

Marcus frowned. ‘He must have smuggled it into the house somehow. Or perhaps he had Mutuus write it for him.’ He brightened. ‘Yes, that would account for it. Mutuus is his adopted son, and he would have access to wax tablets if he needed them.’ He stopped, and added more thoughtfully, ‘Lupus must have heard about that attack on Pertinax. I wonder how? He is not on the curia now, and it is not common rumour. Doubtless Lupus had his spies.’

I shrugged politely. ‘It is possible, Excellence. Who, in Corinium, might have known the truth?’

Marcus looked grave. ‘I do not know. Perhaps Lupus can tell us. I shall have him questioned again tomorrow. If the old man knows anything he will tell us, soon enough.’

I took a deep breath. ‘In the meantime, Excellence, have I your permission to continue my own enquiries?’ Privately I was still convinced that, whatever Lupus did, he was not acting alone. This killing had the marks of bold decision: someone had seen an opportunity and acted swiftly. What I had seen of Lupus did not accord with that. Although, I reminded myself, he had deceived us about his arm.

He looked at me wryly. ‘Still doubting, Libertus?’

I thought quickly. ‘I should like to be of some help, Excellence. About that wax tablet, for instance. To prove that you did not bring me here in vain.’

He smiled indulgently. ‘Very well. You have my permission to keep your eyes open. I suppose at the least you can do no harm. It must be disappointing to find yourself superfluous. I suppose Quintus will not even require his pavement, now.’

I had not considered that. I should have done; that commission was a matter of pressing financial interest. I said, hopefully, ‘Unless he has endowed one in his will. We shall know tomorrow, I suppose, when the testament is opened in the forum.’

He made a grimace. ‘Yes, and no doubt as house guests we shall be expected to attend the formalities. It is all very inconvenient — since we were in the house when the death occurred, we shall have to be ritually purified as well — but there is no escape, I suppose. In any case, Libertus, it has been a long day. I should like to retire to my quarters. Go and find a slave to help me. I shall require lamps, of course, and a portable brazier if they have one; the night threatens to be cold. And see if the kitchens can send someone with a tray of something warming — I have not dined substantially today. Although,’ he added, gesturing towards the courtyard, where the lamentation still wailed and moaned, ‘I doubt that I shall sleep, with that confounded caterwauling in my ears all night.’

I did not have to search for long for a slave. The courtyard was dark, but the chief slave had positioned himself outside the door with a candle, and I had hardly set foot on the veranda when I caught sight of Sollers, now dressed formally in a toga, crossing the courtyard with the turquoise page who was holding a lighted link for him. From other rooms in the house one could detect the flicker of lamplight under doorways and through the clouded windows. Maximilian’s lament had dimmed to a sobbing moan.

The doctor stopped when he saw me, and came to join me. I was giving Marcus’s orders to the chief slave.

Sollers heard me out and then nodded to him sharply. ‘See to it instantly. And arrange braziers and lamps for this good citizen, too. He is also our guest.’ He turned to the page. ‘And you, Rollo, go to your mistress and tell her that I will come directly. Leave us the taper.’ The two slaves hastened off together to do his bidding, and Sollers turned to me. ‘I am going to prepare a fortifying draught for her, before she takes her turn at the lament. And I suppose a couch should be prepared in one of the public rooms for Flavius, since His Excellence insists that he should stay here, because of his evidence. I hear Lupus is under lock and key in an attic.’

‘Marcus is convinced he is the murderer.’

Sollers looked at me, his face shadowed and quizzical in the candlelight. ‘But you are not.’

‘Are you?’

Sollers grinned. ‘I confess I am surprised. He would not have been my first suspect.’ He looked at me, that remarkable face glimmering in the taper-light. ‘But I bow to your judgement. You are no mere pavement-maker, I hear. Julia tells me you are an esteemed solver of mysteries.’

It was my turn to smile. ‘And you are a thinker yourself. Whom would you have suspected, citizen? You know the household better than I do.’

He seemed flattered that I had asked his opinion, although he was embarrassed at the question. ‘It is hardly my place, citizen,’ he said at last, ‘but in your position I would have questioned Maximilian. He seems to have had the greatest opportunity. And a motive. You heard that his father threatened to disinherit him? He told him so this very morning, too.’

I nodded. ‘My thoughts exactly. Except that in that case, one would have expected Maximilian to disguise the fact. Instead, he told me about it himself. And look how he reacted to the body. Almost as if he wanted to be accused.’

Sollers looked at me in surprise. ‘I see your point, pavement-maker. I had not considered that. Although Maximilian is a crass young man. He may not even have seen the danger. Or perhaps his arrogance was all a bluff. Certainly he needed money, and he did not love his father. I should not have put it past him to arrange that attack in the street.’ He smiled doubtfully. ‘But perhaps I am wrong and His Excellence is right. They tell me Lupus had bloodstains on his clothes.’

News travels swiftly in a household of servants. I nodded. ‘As you did yourself, earlier,’ I said, and had the satisfaction of seeing him look startled. ‘Even before you examined the body.’

There was a moment’s shocked silence, and then he threw back his head and laughed. ‘Did I, indeed? From when I bled him earlier, no doubt. You are observant, pavement-maker. But I see your reasoning. In your place, I should be suspicious of me. After all, I profit by his will. He leaves me, I think, a small gratuity. Although I promise you, citizen, if I had wanted to murder Quintus, I should have used some subtlety.’

I smiled. ‘You misunderstand me, medicus,’ I said. ‘I meant to argue that a man does not have to be a killer to have blood on his sleeve. Oh, of course it had occurred to me to wonder if you had stabbed him. But why should you do that? All you had to do was introduce a little poison into the wound, or give him a potion, and he would be dead within a week, still thanking you for your loving care of him. You say he had promised you a gratuity, but if he disinherited his son — as you knew he was threatening to do — your portion would soon have been even greater. As you say, you are not unsubtle. Why would you, of all people, choose this moment to plunge a clumsy dagger in his back?’

I was holding the candle and his hand closed warmly around mine for a moment. ‘I apologise, citizen. I underestimated you. I should have seen that a man of your intelligence would appreciate these things at once.’