Germanicus

32

I knew things were bad as soon as his slimy secretary Bion showed me in.

'Ah, Corvinus.' Lamia was urbane as ever, but I could see he wasn't happy. Not happy at all. 'Good of you to be so prompt. Have a seat.'

I sat down and waited. This was official: the guy was behind his desk this time, and he had a letter in front of him. No prizes for guessing who that was from.

'Suillius Rufus tells me you visited him at the camp and became quite abusive.' His frown didn't lift. 'Something about a dead auxiliary. Perhaps you could give me your version of the story.'

'Did Rufus tell you the man shot one of the people I was with?' I said. 'Wounded another and tried to kill me?'

Lamia's eyelids didn't flicker. 'Yes, he did. Or at least that so you'd told him.'

'You don't believe me?'

'I might have been more inclined to do so if you hadn't been so reticent about giving Rufus your friends' names. And that cut on your cheek could easily have been caused by a clumsy barber.'

I stood up. 'Very well, sir. It seems whatever I say isn't going to carry much weight. Maybe — '

'Sit down, Corvinus.' It was said quietly, but it was an order. I sat. He indicated two slips of paper that were fastened to the letter. 'My Greek colleagues in the records office tell me that one of their clerks by the name of Orosius is missing from his desk this morning. And I have a report from the city guard that a certain Giton, coachman to one Apollonius, brought a corpse to an undertaker's establishment in the Aphrodisian district yesterday afternoon. The cause of death was an arrow wound in the back, although the arrow itself had been removed. The coachman is being held for questioning.'

Uh-huh. 'Very efficient, sir,’ I said. ‘Especially since the records office can't've been open more than an hour yet. And do the city guard report every suspicious death direct to the governor?'

'No.' Lamia was watching me carefully. 'Of course not. I simply wanted you to know where you stood. And where I stand. Am I succeeding?'

'You're doing okay.' I paused, trying not to let the anger show. 'Sir.'

'Good. I'm glad. Now.' He laid the papers to one side. 'As far as the murder of the Cretan is concerned I'm willing to believe that although you were involved you were not directly responsible. Also that there were extenuating circumstances' — I opened my mouth to say something but he held up a hand — 'which we won't go into.'

My temper snapped. 'Like hell we won't! You sent the guy to-!'

'That's enough!' Lamia's hand came down hard on the desk. 'I did not send anyone to do anything. The coachman Giton, as I understand, has admitted to knowing the dead man personally and to there being bad blood between the families. That is sufficient motive for the attack as far as I am concerned, and that particular aspect of the situation is closed, whether you like it or not.' He paused. 'I would, though, very much like to know what the three of you were doing in such an out of the way spot in the first place.'

'Would you believe a serious dice game?'

'Don't be flippant. I'm asking you officially as the emperor's representative in Syria, and I want a proper answer, please.'

'Okay.' If I was going to go down — and it looked more than likely — I'd go down fighting. 'I'm on a commission from the empress to find out who killed Germanicus and why. Orosius was helping. Giton was just a friend of his.'

Lamia's eyes had widened when I'd mentioned Livia. 'But the empress…' he began.

I waited. 'The empress what?'

He laid the letter to one side. 'Nothing. At least nothing that concerns you. And please understand, Corvinus, that none of this does concern you, empress or not. The situation is under control, neither I nor any of my colleagues have anything to feel guilty over, and you, young man, are simply being a complete damn nuisance.' It was the first time ever that I'd seen the guy lose his cool, but it only lasted a second. Then he was his usual polite, polished self. 'Thank you at least for your frankness. However, I have the welfare of my province and staff to consider, as well as my duty to the emperor. The Castor leaves for Rome in five days' time. I'd like you to be on it, please. Bion will make the arrangements.'

Well, I'd known what was coming, I suppose. I stood up.

'And thank you, sir,' I said, 'for your time and your…sense of justice.'

'Sense of justice?' Lamia's mouth twisted. 'Yes. Well perhaps that's a little more developed than you think it is. Goodbye, young man. I don't believe we'll meet again, in the near future anyway. Certainly not in this room. Safe voyage, and my regards to your uncle.'

He didn't offer to shake hands, and neither did I. Bion didn't even look up as I walked past.

When I got back home we had a visitor. Perilla's pal Acutia. They were sitting over cakes and fruit juice in the portico.

'Hi, lady.' I kissed Perilla on the cheek. She gave me a worried look, but I shook my head. 'Tell you later.'

'You remember Acutia, Marcus? Publius Vitellius's wife?'

'Yeah, sure.' I collapsed into a chair and Critias put a full cup of Chian into my fist. Shit. The guy had got it right just when we had to leave. There was a deep philosophical truth hidden there somewhere, but I was too knackered to work out what it was. 'How are you, Acilia?'

'Acutia, Marcus,' Perilla said.

'Oh, don't worry.' Acutia gave a nervous smile. 'I'm quite used to people getting my name wrong.'

'Hey, no. It's my fault.' She was so mouselike I didn't believe it, and I felt as guilty as if I'd slapped her. Nice eyes, though. 'I just don't listen.'

'Acutia called round to ask if I'd like to go shopping with her.' Perilla's voice was carefully neutral.

Despite my downer, I grinned. 'Sounds great.'

'But we're busy this morning, Marcus. Remember you wanted to take me to the Philadelphan Gallery. To see Zeuxis’s Flower Girl.'

'Uh, yeah. Yeah, that's right. Zeuxis’s Flower Girl. I'd forgotten.'

Jupiter! Intellectually, Perilla might be capable of giving Aristotle a run for his marbles but as far as thinking up plausible excuses went a parrot could've done better. And if she really expected me to go and look at a four hundred year old painting just to avoid picking over material with Acutia she'd have to drag me there with a hook.

'Perilla said you'd made other plans.' Acutia looked like a kid who'd just had her Winter Festival pastry swiped. 'Such a pity. Still, the Zeuxis is beautiful. You'll enjoy it.'

'Maybe some other time,' I said.

It could've been something in my voice, but Perilla looked at me sharply. 'What's wrong?' she said.

There wasn't any reason not to tell her, really, even with Acutia there. It'd be all over Antioch by now anyway. 'Lamia's just kicked us out,' I said. 'We're leaving in five days, on the Castor.' Perilla's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything. Nor did Acutia. I wondered if she knew already, and why, or if it was just tact or part of her murine act. 'He was pretty good about it, but five days is all we've got.'

'The Castor is really very nice.' Acutia finally broke the silence. 'It's a government warship fitted out for passengers. So much faster and more comfortable than these terrible merchantmen. Luckily Publius being on the senior staff we don't have to use them ourselves, but still…' Her voice faded away as if she didn't have the energy to finish the sentence, or keep up the act. 'And Antioch gets so busy in the summer. Not to mention Daphne. It's not nearly such a nice place, you'd hate it.'

Perilla was still looking at me. I wished we'd been alone, but short of picking our visitor up by the scruff of the neck and dragging her to her carriage there wasn't a lot I could do. Acutia took a cake and bit delicately. I just knew she'd chew thirty-three times before swallowing. She did.

'Are you going straight back, have you decided?' she asked me. 'Or will you be stopping off on the way?'

Small talk's not my bag. 'If the Castor's a government boat, lady,' I said, 'we won't have that option.'

'Oh, but you will! Of course you will! You don't have to stay with the Castor. I mean, you could change ships at Rhodes. Such a nice place! And if you're not in any hurry you could see some of the Greek cities.' She turned to Perilla. 'Ephesus is so lovely. And I have friends there who would be delighted to put you up. Then my sister is married to a marble exporter in Corinth. Corinth has some simply marvellous statues, and as for the temples, of course…'

'I don't think so,' Perilla said gently. 'I imagine Marcus will be glad to get home. Won't you, Marcus?'

'Yeah.' Too right I would. Especially if the alternative was more temples and statues. I swallowed the wine in my cup at a gulp and lifted the jug that Critias had left in its cooler.

'Of course,' Acutia was saying, 'if you did leave the Castor in Rhodes you could cross over to Alexandria and sail up the Nile. I've always wanted to do that, but Publius being a senator it's impossible. At least without the emperor's permission. Such a silly rule, I always think, not to allow senators into Egypt. But naturally since you haven't held senatorial office yet, Corvinus, there's no reason why you can't…'

'Shit!'

'Marcus!'

I grabbed a napkin and mopped up the wine that had spilled all down my mantle, while Perilla glared at me and Acutia watched with her big, wide, beautiful brown eyes. I could've kissed her. I almost did.

'Sorry,' I said. 'The jug slipped.'

'That was no excuse for the language,' Perilla said primly. 'Acutia, I apologise. Marcus can be terribly crude.'

'Not at all.' Acutia took another cake. 'Publius is just as bad at times. But honestly, dear, do think about going to Alex and doing the Nile. They say that the sunset on the pyramids is absolutely fantastic. And as for the temples…'

But I'd stopped listening. I had other things to think about. And as I thought everything slid smoothly into place.

You see, I'd just realised why Germanicus had had to die.