Rhodope may have seen something," Helena interrupted. Neither Petro nor I pointed out that Rhodope was perhaps also dead. Even if not, if she saw the killers, that put her straight back in the kind of danger that had made me earlier suppose it was her body we would find lying here. Petronius looked at me. I've been told the girl's father is in Ostia trying to find her. Rumour has it, he brought muscle. Know anything about that, Falco?" I toyed with denial. Petro continued to stare, so I said, As far as I know, the muscle consists of just a few old-timers, looking for a good day out."
I shall ask where her papa and his day-trippers were last night," said my old friend, with a distrustful grunt. It sounded as if he were passing them a message through me. I bet they will all give each other nice little watertight alibis."
I'm sure they will." I did not want to be involved. Can you blame them, once they find they are being scrutinised by you?, You know the other kidnappers silenced Theopompus," I growled. Somebody said only yesterday that if he drew attention to their racket, his cronies would not thank him."
Who said that? Are they connected to the gang?"
No, just an uncle of mine who I happened to run into. We were chatting generally."
I didn't know you had an uncle here."
Neither did I." Helena walked away from us and went back to the road. She stood on the causeway, where a brisk wind blew her mantle against her body. The fine blue cloth flapped like tent canvas, fighting its embroidered border, which moved to and fro more heavily. Helena hugged her arms close around herself, staring across the opposite marshes.
What's your plan for the chariot?" I asked Petro, as I prepared to go to Helena.
Drag it to the Forum. Stick up a board saying, Anyone see this fandangle yesterday?" Then put a man alongside to take notes. One good thing, it was a very noticeable craft." I nodded, and went to my girl. I tried to hold her, though she turned away from me. Her dark hair had been tugged free by the wind; she was still clinging on to her mantle with one hand while struggling to collect loose hairpins. I stroked her hair, gathering the long loose strands in my own hand, then held her hard against my chest. Both of us must have been thinking about that momentary sighting we had had of Rhodope and Theopompus when they drove into Ostia, he, showing off madly and barely able to control his high strung black horses, she screaming with excitement at the sheer thrill of being with him. Calmer now, Helena became less unresponsive in my arms. So for a short time there were, after all, two lovers clinging together for comfort, in that wild place.
XL
We watched the recovery of the chariot, which was manhandled up to the road and then fixed to the vigiles" cart. Its Hellenic ornament looked tawdry and cheap, now the paintwork was battered. Harness bells jingled forlornly. While its rescue was accomplished, the body of Theopompus was taken up too. Fusculus appeared, having found no sign of any other passengers. So we all trekked back to Ostia. I checked for news at the station house with Petro and Fusculus. In view of the kidnap connection, Rubella had assumed command. Petro looked annoyed, and became even more friendly to me behind Rubella's back.
The girl is alive. The father came in," announced Rubella. She was returned to him late last night. He answered the door and she was pushed indoors, screaming, wrapped up tight in a cloak. Posidonius just grabbed her; he claims he never saw who brought her. She's not telling him anything." We listened. We were all tired, wind-blown and depressed. Rubella had merely sat at the patrol house letting the evidence come to him. Now we were ready to let him take the initiative. Somebody has to interview the daughter. Petronius Longus, can you get your wife here? The girl may be overawed; I think we should start with the kindly approach and a chaperone."
Helena Justina knows Rhodope," I suggested. Helena is already here; she is waiting for me." Petro shrugged; he was easy. Rubella went along with it. Fusculus sat outside the interview room with Posidonius. If there was anything more to extract from the father, Fusculus with his easy going manner was likely to obtain it. Inside the room, we seated Rhodope on a chair. She looked boot faced and uncooperative. Helena tried to reassure her, but the girl remained sullen. Either she had been frightened into silence or she now just hated everyone; she definitely did not intend to help us. Petronius, calm and understated, introduced himself and said he had to tell her we had found her lover dead. He first implied he thought it was a road accident, gently leading in to saying that Theopompus had been murdered. No reaction. Rubella pulled rank and tried the heavy stuff, but had no luck either. They told the girl she might be in danger herself; clearly she did not care.
I don't know anything about it." That was Rhodope's constant refrain. Now Rubella decided to use the really heavy stuff. Gripping her by the arm, he marched the girl to a room where the troops had flung the bruised body of her lover. Curtly, he ordered her to look. To her credit, she managed not to scream or collapse, though she can never have seen a murdered corpse before. Tears she could not stifle ran down her cheeks, yet she braced herself as if defying us. She had lost everything. Nothing more could affect her. She stood stiffly, staring down at Theopompus, with her grand hopes all ruined. This was a very young girl, who had gone out of her depth through no real fault of her own; harassing her made the rest of us feel grimy. Her father appeared in the doorway. Shocked, Posidonius recoiled from the corpse and took his daughter in his arms. He sheltered her and perhaps she wept then; we could no longer see her face. Helena was furious with Rubella, and she told him what she thought. In the end the vigiles had to say that Rhodope could go. First, there was a brief coda. Helena looked after Rhodope while the father was re-interviewed by Rubella, asking questions about the vigilante group. Posidonius said his friends, including Geminus, were staying together down by the port. Rubella sent men to bring them in. I stuck around, in case I had to bail my father. It was more than he deserved from me; my mood darkened. Posidonius and his bereft child had gone. Helena came to see Rubella.
Tribune, I managed to make Rhodope say something, while you were speaking to her father." If Rubella was riled, he forced himself to hide it. He needed the details. Helena reported coldly. The couple were staying in a room near the Temple of Isis. Men came suddenly last night and told them they would have to part. Theopompus was hit, to keep him quiet, then he was dragged out of the house, he must have known what lay in store for him. Rhodope was simply bundled up and returned, unharmed, to her father."
Well, that's what we thought," said Rubella, seeking to escape. Helena insisted on making him hear everything. This is what you don't know. Rhodope was insistent that Theopompus knew the men who took him."
So they were not her father's friends from Rome?"
You must decide that," Helena replied quietly. Even though Rhodope's statement put them in the clear, Rubella kept the Emporium cronies at the patrol house for a long time. They were brought in, grumbling and truculent. He himself grilled them individually. You could call it being thorough and unrushed, or wasting time. I was not allowed to attend any interviews, but I eavesdropped from outside. They all said the same. Men of my father's age and temperament know how to fix an alibi. According to Pa, who was the last to be interrogated, it was all innocent. We never tracked the bastard down, and that's a fact."
What would you have done to him, had you caught him?" Rubella asked sarcastically.
Explained that he should look elsewhere for love," smirked Pa.
Posidonius was planning to give him a big payoff, though we all thought that was a big mistake."
You should have known better. You could all have ended up battered to death at the saltpans!" Rubella stormed, at his most pompous.