See Delphi and Die

LXI

I felt stricken with apprehension. Other messages in the past, received too late, had sent me chasing to find women, either too young or too naive, who were waiting alone in places of danger. Sometimes I had failed to reach them in time.

Aulus had brought a fast trap. As a senator's son he had no notion of economising with donkey-carts. This was a light, high-wheeled affair that could have doubled for Athena's war chariot. All we needed was an owl on the footboard.

Aulus drove. It was a privilege of his rank to seize the reins and cause havoc. He scattered the other traffic as if he was in a race in the circus. I used the journey to bring him up to date. When I said what Helena and I had learned from Marcella Naevia yesterday, he snorted, astounded by her attitude. In the dim light of a torch I saw him biting his lip, wondering what nonsense she was about to impose on us now.

The Roman agora lay due north of the Acropolis, slightly to the east of the original Greek one. Ours had been instituted by Caesar and Augustus and, as Helena had said of the Roman infiltrations on the Acropolis,"You have to pretend the new Roman buildings are a sign of Roman esteem for Athens.' She was a mistress of irony.

She and I had omitted the new agora from our self-devised itinerary, but Aulus found it easily. He parked beside an ostentatious public lavatory, which we both used – marvelling wryly that Roman esteem for Greece was expressed so well by this sixty-eight-seater shit-house with full running water. Now we were ready for anything.

The House of Kyrrhestian stood just outside the agora. It was an antique octagonal building, an exquisite marble creation, decorated with representations of the winds. This weather station and timepiece had been built by a famous Macedonian astronomer. A water-driven clock occupied the interior, showing the hours on a dial; there were sundials on each outer face; a rotating disk showed the movement of the stars and the course of the sun through the constellations; on top,

a bronze Triton wielded a rod to act as a weathervane. You could not ask for more – unless it were for the automata, bells, and singing birds on a clock I had heard of from Marinus, which he said he had seen in Alexandria.

Aulus and I had a lot of time to view this scientific wonder. Philomela was late.

"You can tell she's a Roman woman.'

"If she was Greek, she wouldn't be allowed out of the house.'

"Maybe the Greeks have got something!'

"I'll tell Helena you said so.'

"Not even you would do that, Falco.'

Eventually the woman turned up, looking surprised that we seemed impatient. I saw Aulus surveying her sceptically; it was the first time he had met her. Always uneasy with female witnesses, Philomela – or Marcella Naevia – with her scarves and scatty expression, made him swallow nervously.

She plunged straight in. She was keyed up and agitated."Falco, I have to tell you about the man.'

"Yes, you need to name him formally.

"Well, you know who I mean!' She grabbed me by the tunic sleeve."It is very important that you listen to me. This man may have caused that terrible murder.'

"Valeria Ventidia?'

"Of course. I should have realised before. I was at Olympia.

"I thought you didn't go because you disliked the place? That was what you told me.' I was determined to test everything she said. To me, Marcella Naevia was an unreliable witness, too ethereal to be trusted. If she knew, she would say I was prejudiced.

Did I doubt her simply because her standards were not mine? Yes. Well, was I wrong?

"I had a reason.'

"I need to know it.'

"You just have to believe me.'

"No. It is time to stop messing. Marcella Naevia, I want to know precisely. why did you go to Olympia this summer? For all I know, you are the killer.'

"That's a mad thing to say!' I heard Aulus cough with laughter at her angry retort."I went,' Marcella Naevia informed us stiffly,"because I always watch what happens when they bring people to Greece.'

"You hang around the Seven Sights Travel groups?'

"Somebody has to observe what goes on. There may be something I can do to help someone.'

I understood why we kept finding her everywhere we went."Were you at Delphi when I travelled there? Were you at Lebadeia?'

Now Marcella Naevia frowned and looked confused."Should I have been?'

"Statianus, Valeria's husband, was there. He had a misadventure.'

"I only look after the women,' she said."Only the women are at risk, you see.'

"Not true any longer,' I informed her curtly.

"I don't know about this.' She looked troubled."I have heard things about other tours… people die too often. Nobody seems to know or to do anything about it.'

With growing impatience, Aulus interrupted." We are doing something about it. You are holding us up here, Marcella Naevia. Tell us why you asked us to come tonight.'

"Well, Falc o-" She ignored Aulus. Middle-aged women generally did."I do not know if you realise this. they were both there.'

"Both? You mean Phineus and Polystratus?'

"At Olympia.'

"Which time?'

"Both times!'

Now that was new.

Marcella Naevia kept maundering; her manner was officious, though her subject matter was still muddled."The problem is, I was never certain which man was such a bother to my niece. Caesia just muttered how much she hated "that man." I always assumed she meant Phineus. It could have been either, I see that now.'

I had hoped Marcella Naevia would clarify the issue. A typical witness, she was making it worse. While I tried to think, she burbled on. Phineus was in charge. He was the most in evidence, whenever we moved on. He fixed up events, dinners, shopping excursions. Of course, whoever it was, it made no difference. Caesia and I went up the Hill of Cronus on our own account. He drove us to it, but you cannot bring him to justice for that.'

"Let's get it clear.' I addressed her firmly."Both men accompanied your tour? Nobody has told me that before. In fact, Caesia's father gave me a list of travellers which did not name Polystratus.'

"He came out after we started. It was supposed to be just for the Olympic Games. That was an excuse, we all thought, so he could watch the sports events at our expense.'

"Oh wonderful! Now – when Phineus fled back to Rome after your niece died, what did Polystratus do?'

"He had already left.'

I glanced at Aulus. That could mean it was Polystratus who had the guilty conscience. Maybe Phineus went after him, thinking that Polystratus really had killed Marcella Caesia. Maybe Phineus had a reason to think Polystratus attacked women. Maybe he knew Polystratus had done it on previous trips.

"And what about this year? You saw both men with the group again?'

"I suppose nobody told you that either?' demanded Caesia's aunt.

"When I first met the group at Olympus,' Aulus interrupted,"only Phineus was there.'

"Polystratus was in Rome by then,' I said."I saw him there myself. Unless he got back to Italy on winged horses.

Aulus shook his head."If he really shifted, there was time.'

"True. He could have been on the same boat as your letter! If he had brutally killed Valeria, he would really shift.'

Marcella Naevia looked relieved."Well, you must be glad I told you this.'

In my terms, she had told us nothing.

"Valeria died very brutally. Polystratus does not look strong enough to have carried out that killing,' I mused fretfully. Then Marcella Naevia at last told me something useful.

Of course he is strong, Falco. He is a past pankration fighter, surely you know that? They both are!'

There had been no reason for this meeting to be held at the weather station. It was pure drama; Marcella Naevia was staying nearby at a respectable house with a woman who had befriended her. We escorted her back there safely. Although we probed, it was evident she knew nothing else material.

Still, we knew now that both Phineus and Polystratus had been present when Caesia took against being manhandled and when Valeria was killed. Both had athletics connections. Their missing teeth confirmed the violence in their past. Both would be at home in the palaestra. Both would be familiar with jumping weights.

We were about to see proof of their sporting careers. When we drove back to the party inn, the Sertorius children were larking about outside the main gate, with Gaius and Cornelius. The three boys had a ball, which they were kicking at the legs of anyone who came and

went, pretending it was accidental. I was not in the mood for a discipline session. I helped Aulus deliver the cart to an ostler, hoping the trouble would have ended by the time we ran into the playfellows.

The boys saw us coming. Sertorius junior, Tiberius, gave the ball a great kick into the courtyard. They all ran inside. Tiberia was slower. As she turned to enter the building, two men arrived for the party. They were kitted out in very smart tunics, with luxurious braid at hem and neck; you could describe either as expensively dressed. One was Phineus, who held back, dealing with their donkey-cart. Polystratus, the other, had noticed the girl.

Tiberia was aware of him too. She jumped like a hare. She scuttled for the courtyard entrance. Polystratus swept a low bow as she passed him. Tiberia pressed herself against the far wall of the gatehouse, then ran faster as if she knew just what was coming. Polystratus straightened up abruptly, and patted her behind, grinning.

Tiberia stopped in her tracks and turned right around."Don't do that again, ever!' With set shoulders, she stalked off, no longer running.

Phineus had seen what happened. He said something that we could not hear. Polystratus must have retorted with an obscenity. Next moment, Phineus was yelling at him. Polystratus shrugged and turned away. Phineus flew at him and jumped him.

"Whey-hey!' Aulus and I set off towards the fight.

Marcella Naevia was right, we saw that now. they were both pankration contestants. It was ugly. Once they set to, any move was permissible. You cannot bite in pankration, but neither possessed front teeth and sucking is not disallowed. Otherwise, they wrestled, punched, stamped, kicked, squeezed, heaved each other upside down, threw each other, elbowed, kneed, and chopped. Phineus had both weight and bulk; Polystratus must have been one of the lighter, speedier fighters. Despite his paunch, he danced and shifted his feet nimbly, angling for a quick jerk off balance. Each took the punishment as if he felt no pain.

Whatever was going on, the partners had now seriously fallen out.

A crowd gathered quickly. Chefs, flowergirls, musicians, travellers all emerged from the inn, pushing and shoving for a viewpoint. Young Glaucus had found himself a long wand from somewhere; he tried to intervene like a judge. It was useless. Helena wriggled through the press to my side.

"When someone said there was a fight, I assumed it was you!'

"Such faith.'

We let them have their head for a time, hoping that would tire them. Eventually Aulus, Glaucus, and I moved in."Come on now. Break it up, you two!'

We jumped back. It was too dangerous.

Then, suddenly, the antagonists became aware of the spectators. Phineus broke first. He growled, a short irritated noise like an obstreperous lion. Polystratus was thoroughly worked up, but took the point reluctantly. Still tense, they stopped fighting. They made a few feints, all pretence but with an undercurrent. Then they shook hands, smiled at the crowd slyly and toothlessly, and strode off into the inn with their arms around each other's shoulders.

"Old sparring partners!' Phineus called back at us.

Polystratus gripped him, rather too hard, it seemed to me."Still testing each other, after all the years!'

"I don't think so,' murmured Young Glaucus to me."I don't think that was a bout for best of three throws, Falco. I have never seen such dirty tricks.'

"No. They both meant to kill if they could.'

Then as we all prepared to enter the inn for the party, Glaucus exclaimed with a little too much excitement. 'Let the Games begin!'