home."
"And this is my kinsman." Pompey lowered his gaze, then stiffened his jaw and looked at the guard in the doorway to my study. "You, there! Call your fellows out of there. All of you, back into the garden."
"But Great One, there's a man in here with a dagger at his feet."
"And a very pretty girl in his arms," added a sniggering voice from inside.
"You idiots! Numerius wasn't killed with a dagger. That much is obvious. Come out of there and leave the Finder's family alone." Pompey let out a sigh, and in that moment it seemed to me that the worst possible outcome had been averted.
"Thank you, Great One."
He made a face, as if displeased at his own restraint. "You can show your gratitude by offering me a drink."
"Of course. Diana, find Mopsus. Have him bring wine." She looked at Davus, then at me, then went into the house. "You, too, Davus," I said. "Into the house."
"But father-in-law, don't you want me to stay and explain—"
"No," I said, grinding my teeth, "I want you to go with Diana. Look after Bethesda and Aulus."
"If he knows something, then he must stay!" snapped Pompey. He looked Davus up and down. "You look familiar. Oh, yes, it comes back to me now. You're the one I lent to Gordianus a couple of years ago, to guard his house while he was off down the Appian Way doing some work for me. Only you guarded his daughter a bit too well, as I recall. I'd have taken your hide off, and then your head. But Gordianus wanted you, and so I let him have you, and here you are. What do you know about this?"
I watched the color drain from Davus's face. Pompey spoke to him in a tone suitable for addressing a slave, and Davus responded subserviently out of ancient habit. He lowered his eyes. "It's as my father-in-law says, Great One. There was no scream, no cry. No one heard footsteps, or anything else. The assassin came and went in silence. The first I knew of it was when my father-in-law gave a yell and I came running."
Pompey looked at me. "How did you come to find him?"
"As I said, I left him alone here in the garden while I stepped into my study for a moment—"
"Only a moment?"
I shrugged and gazed down at the dead man.
"What was he doing here? Why did he come to visit you?" asked Pompey.
I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you might be able to answer that question, Great One. Did you not send him to me?"
"I sent him into the city to deliver some messages, yes. But not to you."
"Then why did you come here, if not to find him?"
Pompey scowled. "Where is that wine?"
The slave boys appeared, Androcles bearing cups and Mopsus a copper flask. Casting furtive wide-eyed glances at the corpse, they made a mess of pouring the wine. I joined Pompey in his first cup, but he drained his second cup alone, downing it without relish as if it were medicine. He wiped his mouth, handed his cup back to Androcles and dismissed the boys with a curt wave of his hand. They ran back into the house.
"If you must know," he said, "I came here straight from Cicero's house up the road. I sent Numerius to Cicero with a message earlier today. According to Cicero, Numerius's next stop was your house. I didn't expect to still find him here. I only thought that you might know where he'd gone next. What business did he have with you, Finder?"
I shook my head. "Whatever it was, he's silenced forever now."
"And how in Hades did anyone get in and out of this garden? Do you think a man could have come down from the roof and then retreated the same way? I don't see how it's possible. The roof is above any man's reach, and the columns are too recessed to be of any use for climbing onto the roof. Not even an African ape could have done it!"
"But two men might have," noted Davus. "One to boost the other, and then to be hoisted up in turn."
"Davus is right," I said. "Or one man alone could have done it, with a sufficient length of rope."
Pompey's scowl intensified. "But who? And how did they know to find him here?"
"I'm sure, Great One, if you
"And this is my kinsman." Pompey lowered his gaze, then stiffened his jaw and looked at the guard in the doorway to my study. "You, there! Call your fellows out of there. All of you, back into the garden."
"But Great One, there's a man in here with a dagger at his feet."
"And a very pretty girl in his arms," added a sniggering voice from inside.
"You idiots! Numerius wasn't killed with a dagger. That much is obvious. Come out of there and leave the Finder's family alone." Pompey let out a sigh, and in that moment it seemed to me that the worst possible outcome had been averted.
"Thank you, Great One."
He made a face, as if displeased at his own restraint. "You can show your gratitude by offering me a drink."
"Of course. Diana, find Mopsus. Have him bring wine." She looked at Davus, then at me, then went into the house. "You, too, Davus," I said. "Into the house."
"But father-in-law, don't you want me to stay and explain—"
"No," I said, grinding my teeth, "I want you to go with Diana. Look after Bethesda and Aulus."
"If he knows something, then he must stay!" snapped Pompey. He looked Davus up and down. "You look familiar. Oh, yes, it comes back to me now. You're the one I lent to Gordianus a couple of years ago, to guard his house while he was off down the Appian Way doing some work for me. Only you guarded his daughter a bit too well, as I recall. I'd have taken your hide off, and then your head. But Gordianus wanted you, and so I let him have you, and here you are. What do you know about this?"
I watched the color drain from Davus's face. Pompey spoke to him in a tone suitable for addressing a slave, and Davus responded subserviently out of ancient habit. He lowered his eyes. "It's as my father-in-law says, Great One. There was no scream, no cry. No one heard footsteps, or anything else. The assassin came and went in silence. The first I knew of it was when my father-in-law gave a yell and I came running."
Pompey looked at me. "How did you come to find him?"
"As I said, I left him alone here in the garden while I stepped into my study for a moment—"
"Only a moment?"
I shrugged and gazed down at the dead man.
"What was he doing here? Why did he come to visit you?" asked Pompey.
I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you might be able to answer that question, Great One. Did you not send him to me?"
"I sent him into the city to deliver some messages, yes. But not to you."
"Then why did you come here, if not to find him?"
Pompey scowled. "Where is that wine?"
The slave boys appeared, Androcles bearing cups and Mopsus a copper flask. Casting furtive wide-eyed glances at the corpse, they made a mess of pouring the wine. I joined Pompey in his first cup, but he drained his second cup alone, downing it without relish as if it were medicine. He wiped his mouth, handed his cup back to Androcles and dismissed the boys with a curt wave of his hand. They ran back into the house.
"If you must know," he said, "I came here straight from Cicero's house up the road. I sent Numerius to Cicero with a message earlier today. According to Cicero, Numerius's next stop was your house. I didn't expect to still find him here. I only thought that you might know where he'd gone next. What business did he have with you, Finder?"
I shook my head. "Whatever it was, he's silenced forever now."
"And how in Hades did anyone get in and out of this garden? Do you think a man could have come down from the roof and then retreated the same way? I don't see how it's possible. The roof is above any man's reach, and the columns are too recessed to be of any use for climbing onto the roof. Not even an African ape could have done it!"
"But two men might have," noted Davus. "One to boost the other, and then to be hoisted up in turn."
"Davus is right," I said. "Or one man alone could have done it, with a sufficient length of rope."
Pompey's scowl intensified. "But who? And how did they know to find him here?"
"I'm sure, Great One, if you
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