Deadly Election

38

When I arrived at the Stargazer, Junillus conducted a little mime of amazement at my early arrival. He was deaf, but capable of interpreting a tetchy reply, so when Faustus came along some time later, Junillus acted out another mime for him, warning him to expect a wild beast with fangs.

Faustus bent and kissed my cheek very gently before he sat down with me, miming extreme caution. Junillus grinned and gave him double olives. Faustus took one of the olives and placed it between my lips delicately, pretending to be feeding a particularly nasty parrot.

Chewing morosely, I greeted him. ‘Tiberius.’

‘Albiola.’ He tipped his head to one side, also savouring a big purple Kalamata. ‘What’s the matter, darling heart?’

While I considered the endearment, I finished cleaning up the olive stone and flipped it onto a noggin saucer. ‘Tired out. Incitatus kept us all awake. I took him home, which was an excuse to grill his master. Trebonius denies killing Valens, points out we have no proof, says the Callisti threatened him and virtually accuses Primus of mental instability. Next, he comes over all sweet and helpful, yet as I leave his house with his smooth promises of assistance, Jupiter, I only spy that he owns two lowlifes who behaved suspiciously by the strongbox at the auction. If the first corpse was Callistus, I don’t suppose Trebonius put him in there, but he perhaps guessed who that body was.’

‘Does he have a motive for murdering Callistus?’

‘Not really. He looks a bully, but why bother? Yes, Callistus was heavily supporting a rival candidate, but the candidate withdrew because he lost his palace sponsor. It was nothing to do with Trebonius. All Trebonius and Arulenus have to do now is cruise to victory and try not to smirk too much.’

‘Did you tackle the two men who work with him?’

‘No, I needed to ponder what this means.’ Chin up, I admitted to Faustus: ‘Talk to you about it.’

He pushed the olive dish over towards me. ‘I can prod them. What do they look like?’ I described them. A big pig-lifter and a small one. ‘Have you spoken to the Callisti?’

‘I’m off to see Primus after this.’

‘Want me to come?’

I shook my head. ‘If you are not needed by Sextus, you could make an official visit to Trebonius, and double-check with Arulenus too. We have two corpses and those men have been publicly accused of killing one. I said you were bound to follow up.’

‘Did Trebonius know Niger?’

‘He said not. But he could be lying. He’s a politician − not intending any insult to you.’

‘Thanks!’

His food came and Faustus began eating, all the time surveying me. He did not actively soothe me. I would only have flared up angrily if he had tried. Nevertheless, I calmed down in his presence. As always, he seemed to be enjoying mine.

Neither of us spoke about Petronius and Maia yesterday.

‘Someone from the Palace was looking for me last evening. Tiberius, I wonder if it’s a message from Claudius Laeta. The person left strict instructions I was not to bother him at work in case his reputation is fouled by contact with an informer.’

Faustus grinned. ‘I could go there for you.’

‘I have enough men taking over my life, Aedile, thank you.’

Faustus, who had been dipping his bread in olive oil, wiped his hands on a napkin. At the Stargazer this was not wise unless you brought your own. Most customers rubbed greasy hands up and down their work tunics. Even napkins in the clean-linen basket were habitually slept on by whatever flea-ridden cat the bar gave a home to at the time. I was going to mention it, when Tiberius dropped one of his wiped hands onto one of my own and held it.

Then he just sat there.

My cousin Junillus was about to come and clear the dishes, but decided not to. His disability had made him observant and given him tact. In this, he stood alone in our family.

Even if I had not been a sleepyhead that morning, I could have sat for a long time holding hands like that. In the end I could not help myself but blurted out, ‘Are we in love?’

That question you should never ask. In my head I could hear Julia and Favonia screaming in pain to have a sister who so badly broke the rules.

‘Of course!’ Tiberius seemed surprised I needed to ask.

‘Just like that? No uncertainty and misunderstandings? No misery? No endless analysing words and actions? No flouncing in a huff, no writing unreadable poetry?’

‘Not our way.’

I took a breath into lungs that felt squeezed by iron bands. Tiberius Manlius smiled at me. It was his special smile for me. He had smiled like that when he watched me at last waken peacefully, the day he was sure that, through his care, I had survived my illness.

He released my hand so he could pay Junillus. We both had business at the Caelian, so we walked there together, side by side but never speaking. We went different ways that morning. There were questions that needed to be asked and we were the people to do it. Eventually we would meet up and compare what we each had discovered. That was how we worked together.

It was another hot day, so the sun was shining. The glorious sun in Rome: shining, shining, shining.

Sometimes people asked me whether I felt glad I had been plucked from the wet, badly gravelled streets of my childhood and brought here to Rome. I was always glad. Even if I had had no other cause to say it (and there were plenty), Tiberius Manlius Faustus had given me reason today.

Then I reminded myself he was political. I ought to be careful, whatever he said. Even if this reticent man had spoken the truth about his feelings, eventually he would do what was best for his social position and his own career.

Who cared? Everybody thought we were having an affair. Sooner or later we would be.