Ruth Downie - Terra Incognita

“You need to look at Gambax.”

“Gambax? Oh dear, Ruso. Has that girl been working on you again?”

“I’m pretty sure he and Felix were working some sort of scam with the infirmary ordering system. That’s where your fancy wine came from. I checked the amphora and the official mark’s been scrubbed off it. Gambax must have been buying it in for medicinal purposes and selling it to Felix, who distributed it. Only Felix was distributing it a bit too widely and Gambax realized he was going to get caught. Gambax must have seen the chance to finish him off and take over the distribution himself. Now I think he’s found out my clerk is onto him, and he’s tried to finish him too and blame the whole thing on the Stag Man. When Albanus wakes up I’m sure he’ll confirm it.”

Metellus shook his head sadly. “Go and lie down, Ruso. Nobody’s going to go around murdering people over a few amphorae of wine.”

“But if he thought he would be caught and punished-”

“You surely haven’t forgotten the evidence you carried home yesterday?”

“He could have hidden that somewhere and then taken it up there at night when he found out that Rianorix had been released and we were still looking for somebody else. Rianorix got up in the morning, saw it, panicked, and ran.”

“This is all sounding rather desperate.”

“You know Gambax was outside the fort somewhere when Felix was killed.”

“I told you. We checked everyone’s whereabouts. All the people he said he’d been to see actually saw him, and none of them noticed he was covered in blood and carrying a severed head. Perhaps they just forgot to mention it.”

“He could have seen them before he met Felix.” Ruso was aware that he was sounding desperate. “You should at least check his movements last night. Find out if he really was in the barracks polishing his kit when Albanus was attacked.”

“Ruso, the governor is arriving in the morning. I have better things to do than pursue your-”

“Who was it, then? You think Rianorix came back into town last night and tried to murder my clerk? Or did the Stag Man decide to pay a visit?”

Metellus gave him a long look. “I will of course be investigating the attack on your clerk. Let me know when he wakes up, and I’ll come and talk to him. In the meantime, I have to go and welcome another of your girlfriend’s former bedmates.”

“What?”

“Trenus of the Votadini. He’s been disarmed at the border and escorted into Coria for tomorrow’s meeting with the governor.”

“Trenus is a thief and a murderer,” said Ruso. “Tilla didn’t stay with him willingly.”

“Really? She was there for at least two years.”

“She couldn’t get away. If you want a clear-cut example of justice for the natives, why don’t you arrest him? She’ll testify.”

Metellus shook his head sadly. “This is exactly why I warned the prefect about involving an amateur. Your loyalty is commendable, but not appropriate.”

“I suppose you’re going to tell me it’s not that simple?”

“The Votadini are a self-governing friendly tribe, and the governor will be hoping to enlist their help in flushing out the Stag Man. If we invite one of their people to a meeting and then arrest him, there will be enormous political implications. I suppose you do understand that?”

“What I understand,” said Ruso, “is that we’re more interested in doing the easy thing than the right thing.”

Metellus shook his head. “No, no. We are interested in doing the thing that will get the right result. And the right result is that we keep order and make sure the taxes are collected.”

Thessalus was as upset as Ruso had anticipated at the news of the gruesome discovery behind Rianorix’s house. “But I think Tilla’s telling the truth about him,” said Ruso, moving the scrolls to sit in the chair. “He didn’t do it. I think Gambax did.” He explained about the wine deal.

To his surprise, Thessalus laughed.

“I didn’t know about the wine,” he said, “but I had a fair idea about other things. Bedding, clothing, kitchen equipment, tools… Anything you can legitimately buy for the infirmary or any of the medical facilities along the border, all of whose supplies come through us, you can overorder. I’m pretty certain he was passing the surplus on to Felix and I suppose they were splitting the profits.”

“But when Felix took a stupid risk and supplied medicinal wine to the bar where you drank-”

“Ah. I’m afraid that’s where your theory falls down,” said Thessalus. Ruso stopped. “Why?”

“I couldn’t be seen to be drinking it, it’s true, but Gambax knew I dared not upset him because of what he knew about me and Veldicca. He probably told Susanna to keep the wine out of my way, but even if I did see it, what would I do?”

“Oh, hell. I don’t know. Maybe they fell out about something else. He was definitely on the loose out there when Felix was killed.”

Thessalus shook his head. “We’re running out of time, Ruso. And Metellus has his evidence. You have to decide what you’re going to do.”

Ruso scratched one ear. “I’ll try and get some sense out of Aemilia. Felix gave her a ring he didn’t receive until closing time that night. She must have been the last one to see him alive.”

“I mean about me. You can’t prove anything about Gambax, and you said Metellus has checked out everyone else who was in the bar. The only realistic chance of saving Rianorix is if I’m convicted in his place.”

Ruso reached idly for a scroll, perused the name, and put it aside.

He tried to frame his dilemma in one of those educational questions for bright young minds to ponder. A man is asked to lie so that an innocent colleague who does not have long to live can take the punishment of a man who has coincidentally stolen the first man’s.. gods above. By the time the tutor got to, What should he do? the students would be just as confused as Ruso himself.

He said, “If they convict you, what happens afterward won’t be pretty.”

Thessalus took a long breath. Finally he said, “I’m just hoping they’ll make it quick because I’m an officer.”

“You don’t have to-”

“And I’ve got more to go on now, remember. I can remember hitting him on the back of the head with a rock. I can remember hiding the head up near Rianorix’s house. I suppose he found it and didn’t know what to do with it.”

“Nobody’s going to believe that. They’ll know I told you.”

“They won’t know anything unless you tell them. They’ll be guessing. And they’ll do whatever’s politically convenient. Just get me in front of the governor, Ruso. Let me try and convince him. You aren’t going to let me down, are you?”

Miss Aemilia was not receiving visitors at the moment. No, she was not unwell and in need of a doctor. If he really had to know, she was getting ready for the caterers’ dinner this evening.

Ruso explained that his visit was extremely important. Ness informed him that nothing was more important than the caterers’ dinner and besides, he was not to go upsetting Miss Aemilia just when she was feeling better.

“How about Tilla? Is she here?”

“No.”

“I need to talk to her urgently too. About something else. Where is she?”

“Out.”

Ruso gritted his teeth. “I want to warn her,” he said, “that the man who caused all the trouble with her family is in town.”

“She knows,” said Ness.

There was a movement behind her and Aemilia appeared. Her face was unnaturally white and one stray curling rag had escaped from the bright green cloth wrapped around her head. Ruso recognized the early stages of female preparation for an evening out. At this point the effect was alarming rather than attractive, and in the days when she was still interested in what he thought of her, Claudia had shooed him out of her bedroom until the job was complete-a task that could take anywhere from several minutes to several hours.