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drew in a great, sobbing breath, as if to steady himself before speaking.
    “For one thing, John didn’t kill the senator,” he said. “I was at the Hippodrome and can swear an oath he’s innocent.”
    “You were there?”
    “Yes. And no, before you ask, I didn’t murder the senator either.”
    “I don’t think you’re a murderer, Thomas. A naive fool, yes.”
    “I appreciate your confidence. I’ll knock you down for the insult another day.”
    “What happened, Thomas?”
    “I had some business at the Hippodrome. When I got there the senator was already dead, or at least it looked to be the case. I was just bending down to be certain when John appeared out of nowhere and pushed me aside. ‘Go’ he said. ‘Run.’ I took his advice and just as he raced off in the other direction, Felix and his excubitors appeared. ”
    “Then what?”
    “As it was getting dark, I continued on to Isis’ establishment and—”
    “You went to work?”
    Thomas shifted on his stool. “I had to, didn’t I? I owe Isis money to repay that loan she gave me. And I’m trying to save as much as I can so that Europa and I can—”
    “But you left John in the Hippodrome with a corpse and excubitors pouring in! How do you think it must have looked?”
    “Well, you can hardly go out the door without stumbling over a dead body right now,” Thomas pointed out. “Besides, John is well thought of by Justinian, so I thought he’d have no difficulty persuading the emperor that neither of us had anything to do with it.”
    “If you’d shown your face here after your work was over, you’d have found out a lot sooner that the situation is much graver than you could possibly think. And where have you been all day anyhow?”
    “Oh, here and there.”
    Anatolius got up and looked out the window. The cobbled square below was deserted. Beyond the barracks at the far edge of the open space, the palace grounds spread out their eclectic collection of administrative buildings, churches, and houses set amid groves, hidden gardens, and ponds. With the coming of night windows here and there glowed like jewels under a gray sky, which further out blended with the dark waters of the Sea of Marmara.
    He felt an almost uncontrollable urge to throttle Thomas, even though the fool would have no trouble killing him if he tried. “What was it that took you to the Hippodrome?”
    Thomas reached into his tunic and drew out a small item he kept clasped in his fist. “It was like this, Anatolius. A business opportunity presented itself and I leapt at it quicker than a beggar after a dropped loaf. It was something to do with relics. As you know, I’m an expert on the subject—before I came here I made a living seeking the Holy Grail. I sent a message offering my services to the senator. Being a cautious man, he insisted on my dealing with an intermediary.”
    “Very sensible of him.”
    “I didn’t know the person I’d be meeting, so I didn’t expect to see the senator, and certainly not his cadaver. And a very fresh one at that.”
    Thomas opened his fist to reveal a piece of yellow enameled metal as long as his finger, formed in the shape of a T.
    “This was given to me to take to the meeting. It’s a cross, as you see, but the figure of the Christian god’s son has been snapped off, along with the top. The fellow I was meeting was supposed to have the matching part.”
    Anatolius held the artifact up and squinted at it in the fitful lamplight. He could see the enamel was chipped at the top and that another chip, toward the base, marked where the feet of the crucified man would have been attached.
    Thomas looked expectantly at Anatolius. “Do you think this will help find out who killed the senator?”
    “It might if John were here.” Anatolius handed it back to him. “Since he isn’t, you’d better stay somewhere else for a while. Somewhere no one would expect to find you. If the senator was as freshly killed as you say, it’s possible