Lindsey Davis - Last Act In Palmyra

Musa and I were both assuming she had been attacked. Gently but quickly I drew her to a quiet corner. My heart was pounding. She knew that. Before we moved far she stopped me. 'I'm all right.'

'My darling!' I clutched her, for once grateful to the Fates. I must have looked ghastly. She bowed her head on my shoulder briefly. Musa stumbled, thinking he ought to leave us alone. I shook my head. There was still some problem. I might yet need help.

Helena looked up. Her face was set, though she was in control again. 'Marcus, you must come with me.'

'What's happened?'

She was full of grief. But she managed to say, 'I was supposed to meet Ione at the pools of Maiuma. When I got there I found her in the water. She seems to have drowned.'

I remember the frogs.

We had come to a place whose calm beauty should bemuse the soul. In daytime the sacred site must be flooded with sunlight and birdsong. As darkness descended the birds fell silent, whilst all around those still-warm, sensuous waters, scores of frogs started a chorus mad enough to delight Aristophanes. They were croaking their heads off frenziedly, insensitive to human crisis.

The three of us had ridden here on hastily collected donkeys, We had had to cross the whole city northwards, cursing as we were held up twice where the main street, the Decumanus, hit major crossroads; needless to say, both junctions had been undergoing road maintenance, as well as being packed with the usual aimless crush of beggars and sightseers. Emerging through the North Gate, we followed a much less frantic processional road along a fertile valley, coming through prosperous suburban villas that nestled peacefully amongst the trees on rolling hill slopes. It was cool and quiet. We passed a temple lying deserted for the night.

By now it was growing too dark to see our way easily. But when we emerged through an archway at the sacred pools we found lamps hung like glow-worms in the trees and bitumen torches screwed into the earth. Somebody must attend the site, though nobody was visible.

Helena and I had ridden one donkey, so I could hold her close. She had told me more about what happened, while I tried not to rage at her for taking risks.

'Marcus, you know we needed to speak to Ione about her hints regarding Heliodorus.'

'I'm not arguing with that.'

'I managed to have a word with her, and arranged to talk privately at the pools.'

'What was this for – a promiscuous skinny-dip?'

'Don't be silly. Several of us were coming, just to see the site. We heard that people bathe here normally outside the festival.'

'I bet!'

'Marcus, just listen! The arrangements were fairly flexible, because we all had other things to do first. I wanted to tidy our tent -'

'That's good. Nice girls always do their housework before they slip off to a rude festival. Decent mothers tell their daughters, don't be dunked until you've done the floors!'

'Please stop ranting.'

'Don't alarm me then!'

I have to admit I was disturbed by the thought of my girl going near a lewd cult. No one would ever suborn Helena easily, but any informer of standing has been asked by distraught relations to try rescuing supposedly sensible acolytes from the clutches of peculiar religions. I knew too much about the blank-eyed smiles of brainwashed little rich girls. I was determined that my lass would never be sucked into any dirty festival. In Syria, where the cults involved women ecstatically castrating men then hurling the bits around, I felt uneasiest of all about exotic shrines.

I found myself gripping Helena's arm so tightly I must be bruising her; angrily I released my hold and buffed up her skin. 'You should have told me.'

'I would have done!' she exclaimed hotly. 'You were nowhere around to be told.'

'Sorry.' I bit my lip, annoyed with myself for staying out so long with Musa.

A girl was dead; our feelings were unimportant. Brushing off the quarrel, Helena continued her story. 'To be honest, it seemed best not to rush. Ione gave the impression she had an assignation.'

'With a man?'

'So I presumed. She only said, "I'll go ahead. I've some fun fixed up…" The plan was for me to meet her at the pools ahead of the others, but I didn't hurry because I was nervous about interrupting her fun. I hate myself now; it made me too late to help her.'

'Who else was going?'

'Byrria. Afrania had shown interest, but I was not sure she meant to turn up.'

'All women?'

Helena looked cool. 'That's right.'

'Why did you have to go at night?'

'Oh don't be silly! It wasn't dark then.'

I tried to stay calm. 'When you got to the pools Ione was in the water?'

'I noticed her clothes beside the pool. As soon as I saw her lying still, I knew.'

'Oh love! I should have been with you. What did you do?'

'No one else was about. There are steps at the edge for drawing water. She was there in the shallow water on the ledges. That was how I saw her. It helped me drag her out by myself; I don't think I could have managed otherwise. It was hard even so, but I was very angry. I remembered how you tried to revive Heliodorus. I don't know if I did it properly, but it didn't work – '

I hushed her soothingly. 'You didn't fail her. You tried. Probably she was already dead. Tell me the rest.'

'I looked nearby for evidence, then suddenly I became frightened in case whoever killed Ione was still there. There are fir trees all around the site. I seemed to feel someone watching me -I ran for help. On the way back to the city I met Byrria coming to join us.'

I was surprised. 'Where is she now?'

'She went to the pools. She said she was not afraid of any murderer. She said Ione should have a friend guarding her.'

'Let's hurry then…'

Not long after that we were among the same fir trees that had made Helena feel threatened. We rode under the arch and reached the pools, dimly lit and resonant with the frenzied croaking of the frogs.

There was a large rectangular reservoir, so large it must be used to supply the city. It was divided into two by a retaining wall that formed a sluice. On the long sidesteps led down into the water, which looked deep.

At the far end we could hear people cavorting, not all of them women. Like the frogs, they were ignoring the tragic tableau, too lost in their private riot even to be curious. Ione's body lay at the edge of the water. A kneeling figure kept guard alongside: Byrria, with a face that said she was blaming a man for this. She rose at our approach, then she and Helena embraced in tears.

Musa and I walked quietly to the dead girl. Beneath a white covering which I recognised as Helena's stole, Ione lay on her back. Apart from a heavy necklace, she was naked. Musa gasped. He drew back, shamed by the blatant bare flesh. I fetched a lamp for a close look.

She had been beautiful. As beautiful as a woman could wish to be, or a man yearn to possess.

'Oh cover her!' Musa's voice was rough.

I was angry too, but losing my temper would be no help to anyone. 'I mean the woman no disrespect.'

I made my decisions, then covered her again and stood.

The priest turned away. I stared at the water. I had forgotten he was not my friend Petronius Longus, the Roman watch captain with whom I had surveyed so many corpses destroyed by violence. Male or female made no difference. Stripped, clad, or merely rumpled, what you saw was the pointlessness of it. That, and if you were lucky, clues to the criminal.

Still appalled but controlling it, Musa faced me again. 'So what did you find, Falco?'

'Some things I don't find, Musa.' I talked quietly while I thought. 'Heliodorus had been beaten to overpower him; Ione shows no similar marks.' I glanced quickly around the spot where we stood. 'Nothing here implies the taking of drink, either.'