by Jane Finnis
He turned to face Quintus. “She was a good swimmer. She couldn’t have just drowned. Somebody murdered her and threw her body into the river.”
Quintus nodded.
“Do you think my father did that?”
“I don’t know. It’s too early to say what happened. But I can promise you this: we will find out.”
We walked him gently to the tent where his mother lay. Titch was standing guard outside it, and after the two of them had stepped in, he said softly, “Mallius is telling everyone he killed her.”
I put a finger to my lips. “I know. Later, I think. Where is Mallius now?”
Titch nodded towards one of the other small tents which had a soldier in front of it. “I put a man on watch outside. We can’t leave him loose, can we? Do you think he did it? I don’t.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “He wasn’t by the river any time. But other folk might think he’s guilty and take the law into their own hands.”
Quintus and Philippus emerged just then. Philippus was shaking now, and sobbing.
“Oh, my poor Mother. How could this have happened? She hadn’t an enemy in the world, not really. Even Father…I can’t believe he’d hurt her. Where is Father now?”
Titch pointed out the tent.
“May I see him?”
“Not for a little while, I’m afraid,” Quintus said gently. “There are some questions we need to ask him.”
“You don’t think he did it? He can’t have done, he wouldn’t…”
“In view of what he’s saying himself, we’ll have to talk to him first. And anyway, there’s something else I’m hoping you can do.”
“Of course. Anything.”
“Somebody has to break the news to your sister.”
“Oh, gods, you’re right. I’ll go and find her.”
“Shall I come with you?” I dreaded the thought of it, but I wanted to help.
“That’s kind of you. But I must do this alone.” He began to walk away, then turned back to me. “Thank the gods you’re here, Aurelia. She may need your help later. We all may.”
“You know I’ll do whatever I can.”
“What I want is the truth about who killed Mother. Whoever it is, I want them brought to justice.”
“That’s what I want too,” I said. “That’s what we all want.”
Chapter XIX
Quintus pulled his Imperial pass from his belt-pouch and handed it to Titch. “Find someone reliable to guard Jovina’s tent. Then look for Trebonius, but don’t waste much time on it, because we need to move fast. If you can’t find him, use my authority. Eurytus has agreed I can handle this until Trebonius turns up.”
“Right.”
“Keep everyone here who hasn’t left yet. Get them all together in one or two tents, and keep them there till we come. Try and make a list of everyone who’s gone already.”
Titch pulled a face. “They aren’t going to like it.”
“Then they can lump it. Aurelia and I will talk to Mallius. If he really killed Jovina, it simplifies matters, and we can let all the rest go.”
Titch said quietly, “Like I just told Aurelia, I don’t believe he did. I didn’t see him down by the river alone this afternoon. He was with the crowd. And he was very drunk, unless he was pretending.”
“He wasn’t pretending.” I said. “By midafternoon he could barely stand, let alone commit a murder.”
“Then why in the gods’ name would he confess to one?” Quintus grumbled.
“There’s only one way to find out,” I said. “Come on, let’s get it over.”
The tent where they’d put Mallius was small and uncomfortable. The wet grass underfoot made everything damp, and all he had to sit on was a folding stool. But in fact when we went in he was sitting on the ground, his back against the leg of a rough table. Not much light penetrated the leather, and a tiny oil lamp made little impression on the gloomy interior. In the shadowy half-dark his slumped figure looked sad and defeated.
He didn’t attempt to rise as we entered, but lifted his head and looked first at Quintus, then at me.
“Antonius…and Aurelia. Philippus has told you what’s happened?”
“Mallius Melandrus,” Quintus said gently, “we’re very sorry to hear about your wife’s death. And you’ve told your son that you killed her. Is that true?”
“Yes, I killed her.” His words were slightly slurred, but fluent enough. “It’s all my fault. I killed my wife. I don’t deny it, and I shan’t try to escape the consequences.”
“Tell us what happened,” Quintus said.
“And why,” I added.
“I did it this morning before the party.”
“This morning?” Quintus and I exclaimed together.
“I mean that’s when I started it. Of course I didn’t know how long it would take to work.”
Quintus stared blankly at him, then glanced at me, but all I could do was shake my head. I didn’t understand either. Mallius didn’t notice our silence.
“It was after I saw those glass goblets she had for her birthday. She was so pleased with them, she insisted on bringing them to the party. They were from a lover. I know they were, although she tried to tell me they were from you, Aurelia. But they weren’t, were they?”
There was no point lying about it now. “No, they weren’t.”
“Who gave them to her, do you know?”
“She wouldn’t say. She was very mysterious, and said they were from someone who shouldn’t be giving her extravagant presents.”
“That’s what I thought. That means it must be Trebonius. And I was so angry that someone was giving her something so expensive, and that she was going to flaunt it in front of everyone. She and Trebonius…there are rumours about them everywhere. I made up my mind I wasn’t going to be treated like that, and I did it.” He got up and stood unsteadily, one hand on the table for support. Yet his gaze was defiant. “Do you blame me?”
Neither of us answered, but again he didn’t notice.
“I didn’t know how long it would take to work,” he repeated. “How could I? I’ve never done anything like that before. I just had to wait. And the party began, and I started to calm down and wish I hadn’t done it. But it was too late.”
His head dropped into his hands, and suddenly the defiant bluster went out of him, and he began to sob. “Too late. Too late! Now what will become of us all?”
“I still don’t understand, Mallius,” Quintus said. “You did something this morning but it only took effect this afternoon. What was it? Did you give Jovina poison?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. I can’t talk about it. All I know is I did it, and now I’m sorry. Oh, gods, I’m so sorry.”
He collapsed slowly onto the ground and lay still. When I bent over him I realised he’d passed out.
“What do you make of this?” Quintus asked.
“I don’t believe him.”
“Nor do I. Yet he’s confessed, we can’t just ignore that and let him go. I’d better arrange for him to be arrested, at least overnight. I need to find Trebonius for that.”
He looked out of the tent entrance. The soldier on guard was still there, and from his shocked expression he’d heard what had been said inside.
“Stay on duty here,” Quintus ordered. “He won’t try to escape, I’m pretty sure of it. Do you know where the commander is?”
“No, sir, I don’t.”
“We’ll find him. Stay here until we do. Understood?”
“Understood, sir.”
We set off in search of Trebonius, but in fact he found us. He strode down from the road towards us, and he looked very angry, indeed.
“Antonius! What in the gods’ name is going on here? My men tell me there’s been some sort of accident, somebody found dead in the river.”
“I’m glad you’re here, Trebonius. We couldn’t find you, and the matter is urgent. It wasn’t an accident, I’m afraid. It was a murder.”
“A murder?” His express
ion changed from anger to disbelief. “A murder? Who’s been murdered?”
“My cousin Jovina.” I watched him closely as I said that. His reaction of horrified astonishment seemed completely genuine, just what I’d have expected.
It cost him a great effort of will to say quietly, “Tell me what’s happened.”
I admired his calmness under pressure, the mark of a good commander, even while I wondered how much of what we were telling him was really news to him. When we’d finished explaining how Jovina had been found, we took him to the tent where she lay.
He gazed at her for a long time, then he left the tent and said, “Thank you for what you’ve done. I’m grateful you were here.”
“It was the least we could do. We did try to find you, but we couldn’t. Were you called back to the fort?” Quintus asked casually. “Nobody seemed to know where you were.”
“I escorted my wife home. She wasn’t feeling well. Then at the fort there was a report of an incident in the village, some stone-throwing outside Brennus’ house. Not aimed at Brennus, of course. My lads banged a few barbarian heads together and it was soon over, but I didn’t want to come back here till I was sure everything had quieted down. I’ll take charge now. So first things first. Have you any idea who could have done this?”
We told him about Mallius’ confession, and how we didn’t believe it.
“I’m afraid I believe it,” he said gravely. “The poor fellow’s not been himself for months now. It’s common knowledge he sees—I mean saw—as little of Jovina as possible, and he was insanely jealous if any man so much as said good morning to her.” He sighed. “He’s drunk now, I suppose?”
“He was. Now he’s unconscious,” Quintus said, “in that tent over there.”
“Very well. I’ll arrange for him to be put under guard for tonight, and we’ll talk to him again tomorrow when he’s sobered up. It’s a sad business, and frankly an inconvenient one at this time. I’ve got my hands more than full without being an officer short. Not that Mallius…well never mind.”
“With respect, Commander,” Quintus said, “could I make a suggestion? I’d like to look into this a little further. We must be completely certain that Mallius’ confession stands up. I’d hate to see an officer convicted of murder when there’s no evidence for it except his own maudlin ramblings.”
“That’s very commendable, Antonius, but as I’ve just indicated, I haven’t the time or resources for any investigations for the next day or two. I’m a simple man, and I don’t see the need to complicate things. There’s been a murder, a dreadful murder, but we have a self-confessed killer in custody. What else do we need to do?”
“I realise you yourself will be far too busy,” Quintus said. “But I have some experience of investigation work, and with your permission, I could continue to look into the circumstances of Jovina’s death, just until we’re sure Mallius was responsible. I’ll report to you, of course, but not get in your way at all. You’ll be on high alert tomorrow, as I understand it.”
“You can say that again. Tomorrow is midsummer. The day when, if you believe that note Terentius was carrying, we can expect another murder, when Eurytus is killed by ‘the Greek’.”
“You don’t sound as if you believe it yourself, Commander.” Or is it just that you’re not overly concerned about whether Achilles kills Hector tomorrow? I added, but only to myself.
“I don’t know what to believe; I really don’t. All I do know is that we must take every possible precaution. Eurytus may already have had enemies before he arrived here, and he’s made a few more since.”
“Such as?” Quintus asked.
“Brennus for one. He’s made a play for his daughter, the younger one, and he and his party almost ran down a couple of his grandchildren on the road the other day. If you want my opinion, that’s why Brennus’ wife didn’t come today. She couldn’t stand being anywhere near him. Brennus himself had no choice. By the way, thank you for looking after him so well, Antonius.”
“Eurytus put you in an awkward situation,” Quintus said. “He seems to think he can do whatever he likes and nobody will dare stand up to him. I hope he’s prepared to take some extra security precautions tomorrow.”
“I’ve tried to persuade him to stay within the fort, we can guarantee his safety there. But he refuses to be, as he puts it, imprisoned by a bunch of barbarians. He says he has to talk to Brennus and one or two of the other native leaders, and he’ll do it at Brennus’ own house. I suppose that’s his way of humiliating the provincials even more…gods, he’s really an odious little man.”
“But a powerful one. So then, you agree that I and my assistant Victor should do a little more checking into how Jovina died? And once you’ve got tomorrow out of the way, we’ll hand over the whole case to you.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “All right, yes. And if there’s any practical help you need, let me know. ”
“Actually there are two things,” Quintus said. “First, could you confirm to your men that you don’t mind our detaining a few people here for a short time while we ask some questions?”
“I’m afraid It’s too late for that. I’ve told them all they’re free to go. I can’t keep guests penned up here like prisoners. If you need to talk to them, you’ll have to find them for yourselves.”
Quintus stiffened, but controlled his temper. “We’ll do that.”
“And the other thing?”
“Could you let us have a small office within the fort? We’ll need somewhere we can talk privately or interview people. Just for a couple of days.”
“Certainly. Talk to Junius about it.” He beckoned one of his aides, who was waiting nearby. “Junius, arrange for an office for Antonius and his assistant, will you? But first we need to see about Mallius.” He began issuing a string of orders. We went back to the small tent Titch had commandeered for us.
It was hardly less depressing than the tiny one where we’d talked to Mallius: wet grass, nothing but folding stools to sit on, a crude apology for a table, and one inadequate lamp. But at least Titch was there, and he’d managed to find a jug of wine and even some leftover party food. He was the only one who was hungry, but we all took a drink. It didn’t do much to dispel our sour mood.
Quintus said what we were all thinking. “How could we have let this happen? There were three of us, all meant to be making sure things went smoothly today and seeing that no harm came to Jovina. And what have we achieved? Nothing.”
“I blame myself,” I said. “I promised her she’d be safe, and I was supposed to be looking after her. I can’t help feeling I’m responsible for her death.”
“You did what you could.” Quintus sighed. “We all did. It was an impossible situation really, out in the open with trees close by. We were up against somebody too clever for us.”
“But Jovina told me just after the meal that she wanted to go off alone into the woods, and she asked me to cover for her.”
“Cover for her? How do you mean?”
“Not draw attention to the fact she wasn’t there and fob off anyone who asked about her. I said I would. I wasn’t happy about it, so I tried to follow her when she left the rest of the guests. But I lost her.”
“She didn’t say why she wanted to get away from everyone?”
“Not in so many words. She seemed excited, and I assumed she was going to meet somebody privately. I did warn her to be careful, and she smiled and said, ‘Some things are worth a little danger.’”
He shrugged. “Well, it’s still not your fault. It’s the fault of whoever she went to meet. One of her lovers, would you say?”
“I can’t think of another reason why she’d want to meet someone secretly. It was either the doctor or the commander.”
“The doctor or the commander,” Titch repeated. “I saw both of those down by the river. At least I’m pretty sure I did.”
“Pretty sure?” Quintus asked sharply. “Why not completely sure?”
“They were both wear
ing cloaks with hoods up, hiding their heads and most of their faces. Them fancy things Congrio has been selling to everyone.”
“That Vulcan’s Shield stuff,” I said. “Yes, there seem to be quite a few of those in evidence today. I don’t think they’re very attractive myself, but they’re popular.”
“They’re a cursed nuisance,” Quintus growled, “if they make it harder to identify people.”
“Well, like I said, I’m pretty sure I saw Trebonius—I got a glimpse of him face-on. And the doctor…he was the right size and build, and the walk was right. Yes, I’d say it was Nikias. Trouble is, I didn’t see either of them with Jovina.”
“Nikias would be my guess,” Quintus said. “Aurelia, didn’t Jovina tell you yesterday that her affair with him had finished, but he was trying to persuade her to revive it?”
“She did. And she said she was tempted, but undecided.”
“He could easily have walked to the party across country from the fort,” Titch put in. “I spotted him lurking in the woods just after everyone got up from the meal. About a quarter of a mile upstream from the duck-racing place, very close to the river. There’s a big old willow tree there, the sort that would make a good landmark if you wanted to arrange a meeting. I almost missed him—he was quite well hid.”
“What was he doing?” I asked, and simultaneously Quintus asked, “Was he alone?”
“Alone, yes, and seemingly waiting for someone, but nobody came near. Kept glancing up at the sun, when there was any sun to see. Then it clouded over, and he started pacing about, getting more and more impatient but still keeping in among the trees. He must have been around a good hour. When the thunder started he headed across country towards the fort. I followed him a short way, till I was sure that was where he was bound, then I came back. Trebonius was behaving much the same, but later on, and he only stayed a short while.”
Quintus sighed. “I was trying to keep watch on Trebonius, which I thought would be easy because mostly he was walking about in full view doing his duty as the gracious host. I saw Jovina wander down to the river, just about the time the sun went in. But like you, Aurelia, I couldn’t keep her in sight. You were chatting to Philippus, I think.”
