Man Eater

The horror of being set up was starting to diminish. Goosepimples had flattened themselves, the hairs on her neck had also long since relaxed. ‘I hate to disappoint you, Limpet, my friend, but in my humble opinion you are as far off base as Macer-’

‘That’s another thing. Doesn’t it strike you as strange that Fronto happened to be working for him until recently?’

Macer’s on the take, I’m sure of it. The merest shadow of a plumed helmet and suddenly food and drink is thrust upon you as though it’s going out of fashion. Not to mention the whores, although Salvian’s ignorance was quite touching.

‘It’s a tad far-fetched, Macer going to the trouble of killing Fronto in order to frame me in order to get to Rome in order to further his career.’

‘Maybe, maybe not.’ Orbilio stood up. ‘I’m getting out before I turn into a prune. Coming?’

‘For all I know, it could have been Fronto himself, committing suicide to make it look like murder to get himself noticed for once in his miserable, unprepossessing life.’

‘Don’t even joke about it. Until we’ve exhausted every other avenue, it’s-’

‘We?’

‘Why not?’ He threw her a towel. ‘We could work cheek by jowl on this one.’

‘Put your stubbly jowl within a mile of my dainty cheek and you’ll be tasting the finest footwear in the whole Roman Empire,’ she replied, but there was no sting in her voice. ‘Besides, you’ll soon see I’m right.’

‘The wrong place at the wrong time, eh?’

‘Horseplay from a few rowdies still drunk from their binge? Happens three times a night in Rome, remember?’ The flippancy in her voice was deceptive. I’ll give you harmless bloody fun. Let’s see what it’s worth when the skin’s being flailed from your backs. I’ll bet there’s a yellow streak as long as my arm down the middle!

‘I grant you something fishy’s going on,’ she continued, ‘but my arrival in the Vale of Adonis is pure coincidence, I’m afraid.’

Orbilio wrapped his towel round his neck. ‘Policemen don’t believe in fairies, demons or coincidence, we- Hold on, I’ve just had a thought.’

‘No wonder you look different.’

‘Early this morning, roughly the same hour Fronto was murdered on Sunday, I walked the same route I’m sure he would have taken-and guess what?’

‘Thrill me.’

‘Later, darling, later. In the meantime, listen to this.’ He paused significantly. ‘I needed an oil lamp for my reconnaissance.’

‘So?’

His eyes were shining. ‘When Fronto knocked at your door, you said-’

Claudia felt a thrill of excitement prickle her skin. ‘All the torches were burning.’ Not just the couple of night lights you’d normally expect.

‘Tell me again what Coronis was doing?’

‘Carrying a tray. Right!’ For once, Orbilio, I’m with you.

‘Cheek by jowl, Claudia. Together we’ll nail this son-of-a-bitch, but right now let’s get hold of Blondie and ask her exactly what she was doing at a time when the rest of the household was abed yet the hall was lit like a Vestal Virgins’ vigil.’

How did he get his teeth round that? Claudia tried and got a Vestal Virgil’s wigeon. She hauled herself up the rockface with the aid of the rope handrail. Vested Virgin’s widget. She scoured the groups of slaves and freeborns in search of a familiar blond head. Vesper Virgin’s strigil. Oh, sod it! Let him show off if he likes.

Blast. ‘There she is.’ Claudia pointed to one of the smaller bowls down by the river, where Coronis was stretched out the way Claudia had been, resting her chin on her hands and taking a well-earned siesta. It would have saved a whole load of physical exertion if they’d just turned round and looked behind them in the first place.

‘Two-pronged attack?’ Orbilio suggested, running back down the steps.

‘I’ll take the left,’ she wheezed. It was closer.

All the same, this boy’s-own stuff was quite enjoyable once you got used to it.

Simultaneously they slipped into the saucer either side of the sleeping slave and sat staring upstream until they got their breath back. It’s a pity they don’t have something like this in Rome, she thought. Individual hot tubs, constantly recycled by the warm waters of a river god striving relentlessly to impregnate his water nymph. I could get used to this.

‘I hate to disturb you,’ Orbilio said eventually, ‘but we need you to answer a few questions.’

Claudia drew her knees up to her chin. This should be interesting.

‘Coronis?’ The change in his tone alerted her. ‘Coronis?’

Claudia sat bolt upright. Pushing aside the blond hair waving in the water, her hand froze. ‘Marcus.’

He leaned over. ‘Shit!’

Automatically he reached for the pulse in her neck, although both of them knew it was useless. One look at the girl’s half-opened eyes and protruding tongue was enough.

‘Shit!’ he said again. ‘Her neck’s broken.’ He glanced round to where bathers and invalids splashed and groaned and laughed and fidgeted. ‘It had to be damn quick for no one to notice what happened.’

Claudia hugged herself tight and rocked back and forth in the water. Coronis looked so peaceful…