Kelli Stanley - The Curse-Maker

Senicio shook his head again before the head priest could react. “Nothing much. Some gold coins I managed to catch. Heavy things stay in the channel, and that’s what I was looking for when I found-when I found-”

“When you found poor Calpurnius. I see.”

I paused a few moments. “Senicio-did Calpurnius have eye trouble?”

“Yes, sir. Most of us do, in fact.”

“Did he take anything for it? Anyone in particular did he see?”

“Not that I know of, sir. He was the suspicious type, if you know what I mean. Liked to try things himself.”

I nodded. “Thanks.”

The junior priest looked like he might fall down. Papirius asked drily, “Are you done, Arcturus? May I send him away to get clean?”

“Please.”

Octavio asked no one in particular, “Should I open the baths, do you think?”

The question brought Grattius to life. “Of course you must open the baths. Nothing to do with the baths, eh, Arcturus? But you never explained yourself. Why would someone want to poison this drain person?”

I brought out the piece of lead from my tunic pocket.

“ Ultor again?” Grattius exploded. “But we’ve asked you to stop this Ultor business. Bad for the town! Now here it is again!” Grattius glared at me through his piggish little eyes.

Philo said softly: “How do you figure on poison, Arcturus?”

I stared at him. “Same way you did. His expression. He was murdered. The murderer watched him die, then dragged him into the drain. They must’ve arranged to meet close by.”

“Do you have a guess as to what it was?”

“Aconitum.”

The word sent a shiver through the rest of the men, while Philo looked at me thoughtfully.

“Hecate’s poison,” murmured Papirius.

Philo was nodding. “The pain, the paralysis. Even the itching. It makes sense. How was it administered?”

“Probably through an eye cream.”

Grattius exploded. “What about this Ultor business, Arcturus? Does this mean Ultor ’s one of these eye doctors, always trying to sell-”

“Not necessarily. In fact, it’s possible that this may be the last we’ll hear of Ultor .”

“What? You know who he is?”

“No. Still, I have a theory, and if Bibax and Calpurnius were killed for revenge, and I’m right about why, I don’t think Ultor will kill anyone else.”

A broad smile spread across Grattius’s face. “Well, that is good news. It would be decent of you to catch ’em, of course, but as long as he stops this murder business-”

He turned to the others brusquely. “Gentlemen, I’m cold. I’m going home.”

He wagged his head at Octavio. “You mind the baths-I’ll be in this afternoon, and I want my massage. Nobody needs to know about this priest.” He twisted his neck toward Papirius. “And you-you handle telling the ones that need to know-you know, the other cleaners. Get the body out of there and give it a simple burial. At night.”

He shivered. “This air isn’t good for me. See you later, gentlemen.”

He waddled his bulk back up the stairs and the pathway out. Papirius made some priestly noises about taking care of the dead, grabbed Octavio by the arm, and told him to get the furnace slaves, presumably to haul out Calpurnius. They both left, Papirius majestically, Octavio scurrying to do his bidding.

Philo was watching me. “So you think Bibax and Calpurnius were partners, then? Partners in the murders you’ve uncovered?”

I shrugged. “Makes sense. And if they were partners, then Ultor -someone who is being blackmailed, probably, or someone who figured out what they were doing and lost by it- Ultor ’s job is over.”

He thought it over. “I see. You will still try to find him, of course?”

“Try is the operative word.”

He patted me on the shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll succeed. Aconitum was a brilliant deduction.”

“Not really. It adds to the allure-all the associations with Hecate and the Underworld. Makes it seem like Ultor isn’t a person.”

We were walking up the ramp toward ground level. The sun finally agreed to make an appearance.

“Shall I see you later today?”

I shook my head. “I don’t feel much like the baths.”

Philo smiled sadly. “Death is the ugliest thing in the world, and we see too much of it.”

“Especially in Aquae Sulis.”

He stared at me, patted me again on my upper arm, and walked away. I wasn’t sure whether he swallowed the story. The others did, without even tasting it.

The Ultor who killed Bibax and the Ultor who killed Calpurnius were two different people. That lead was written with capitals, deeply etched. This was a copy of a murder that was just three days old.

Calpurnius was killed because he made an appointment with someone-someone he thought he could shake down. He could collect from that someone to not tell me what he’d figured out, and he could collect from me to tell me a little of it. He played both sides against each other, and got the life squeezed out of him. And the poor bastard suffered. He wasn’t feeling any bono now.

I took a deep breath and looked at the spring, filling up with the bubbling, eternal water. Time for my interview with Faro Magnus.

Breakfast was ready by the time I got back home, something simple and quick because she knew I’d be in a hurry. She was watching me stuff my mouth with oats and honey. Our eyes met.

“I wanted to talk to you before you left. I don’t want what happened-I don’t want it to distract you.”

I swallowed hard, reaching for a gulp of cider. “I don’t trust Mumius to hold Faro for long. If I don’t show up early…”

“I know. I found out things yesterday I haven’t had a chance to tell you.”

Deep circles under her eyes this morning. She reached over and put her hand on mine.

“Two people murdered. There’s something evil here, and it frightens me. I can’t help it. Perhaps, Ardur … perhaps the gods sent you here to fight it.”

She took her hand back and put it away before it could distract me. Then she leaned into the basket chair, tucking her legs underneath her, and stared at her half-eaten breakfast.

I said: “I’ll fight, but they-whoever the hell ‘they’ are-don’t fight clean. They’ve targeted you. I don’t know if it’s connected to Bibax, and I don’t care. You’re my priority, goddamn it. Protecting you.”

She looked away, her voice low. “Of course you protect me. I can protect myself, too. I’ve been through the worst they can do.”

I swallowed my oatmeal and stood up to hold her, but she waved me back into the chair, face intent.

“About yesterday. Prunella told me the name of the man Secunda was in love with. I didn’t think it was important until now.”

“Who was it?”

“Faro.”

“Then why the hell-”

“Why was he at the party?” Her mouth formed a tight, bitter line. “I think Mama was saving him for herself.”

“You mean Materna-”

Gwyna shuddered. “Please, Ardur. Don’t mention her name. The sight of her face last night-after-”

“What makes you think Secundus would tolerate-even given the chance that Faro could make himself-”

“Secundus is totally dependent on her. He’s afraid of her. Surely you saw that last night. Although I don’t think it’s come to anything but fantasy on Materna’s part, she broke up their romance, hoping to hold on to Faro, and then threw a bone to her daughter.”

“In the form of Mumius. One better left buried.”

“He’s not that bad.”

“I’m reserving judgment until I see whether he’s still holding the bastard.”