Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis Read Free Book Online Page B

you know this man was here?

    'I was in charge,' stated the priest. 'Curtius Longinus had an interview tomorrow with the Emperor. He was praying in the Temple to compose himself-'

    'Interview? What about?

    'Ask the Emperor!' snorted the priest.

    'Who keeps the Temple key?' I interrupted, inspecting what was left of the sanctuary.

    'We leave it on a wall hook just inside.'

    'Not any more!' Petronius corrected angrily.

    The hook was there: empty. I stepped over to see.

    The priest gazed helplessly at the smoking shards of Hercules' stricken house. Sparks on the inner walls still raced up cracks in the lining cement. He did not want to distress himself surveying the damage while Petro and I were watching him.

    'I must write to his brother...'

    'Don't do that!' I ordered him coldly. 'The Emperor will inform Curtius Gordianus himself.'

    The priest began moving off so I prepared to follow. I nodded to Petro, who jerked his head back, annoyed at me for rushing away. I thumped his arm, then clambered out after the black-bearded fellow.

    Emerging, we passed an excitable figure who worked for Anacrites; he was so busy making his own presence felt he missed us going by. When I glanced behind he was harassing Petro. Petronius Longus planted his large feet apart and just listened with the faraway look of a tired man who badly needs a drink, planning in advance whether to have half an amphora of his usual crimson rot-gut and a terrible night's sleep, or to broach the delightful Setinum he has been nursing along at the back of a shelf...
    The spy was getting nowhere. Peaceful insolence is a speciality of the Aventine watch.

    As the priest set off homewards I skipped along too.

    'Did Curtius Longinus arrive back in Rome tonight?' He nodded in silence. Shock had settled on him now; he did not want to talk. His mind was preoccupied but his legs walked automatically with long muscular strides; it took energy to keep up without losing my dignity. 'So he had no chance to meet anyone?' He shook his head.

    I waited. He had second thoughts. 'He was called out from dinner to speak to somebody he knew.'

    "See who it was?'

    'No. He was only away for a moment. I suppose,' decided the priest, who was so pleased with his powers of deduction that he managed to slow down, 'Longinus put off their meeting until later tonight!'

    'Here- at your Temple! Seems likely. How do you know the mystery person was a man?'

    'My servant told Curtius Longinus his visitor's name.'

    I breathed a gentle prayer of thanks to Hercules. 'Help yourself and your Temple; tell me...'

    We stopped on a corner by a fountain that glugged from the private orifices of a melancholy river god.

    'How would it help?' fretted the priest.

    'When our gracious new Emperor plans his civic rebuilding programme. Rededicating temples gives an Emperor a good name!'

    'I understood that the Treasury was struggling for cash-'
    'Not for long. Vespasian's father was a tax collector, he has extortion in the blood.'

    He had taken out his doorkey. 'You seem fairly free with the Emperor's unearned income!' he commented. 'Who are you?'

    'The name's Didius Falco; I act for the Palace-'

    'Ho!' He perked up to insult me. 'Why's an intelligent, good-natured son of Rome involved in such shady work?'

    'That's what I ask myself! So tell me,' I nudged him again, 'who was this man Longinus knew?'

    'Someone called Barnabas,' said the priest.

IX

    It was dark now, but since I knew he worked late I wore out more boot leather traipsing back to see Vespasian again.

    I waited while he shooed out the flyswatters and wine-fixers who never expect to remain in an audience while anything interesting occurs. Then I waited again, while the high-handed secretarial types got their marching orders too.

    Once alone, we both relaxed. I stretched out on an imperial reading couch and gazed at the vaulted ceiling twenty feet above. This room was faced with dark green Brescia panels, divided by pilasters in creamy