Fabia began to weep.
Catilina bit his lip. "If this was more than a practical joke- and the corpse is proof of that-then I think I might know who is behind it."
"That would be a start. Who?"
"The same man who is behind the prosecution against Licinia and Crassus. His name is Publius Clodius. Do you know him?"
"I know of him, certainly. A rabble-rouser, troublemaker-"
"And a personal enemy of mine. A constant schemer. A man of such low moral character that he would have no qualms about involving the Vestal Virgins in a plot to bring down his enemies."
"So you suspect Publius Clodius of luring you here with a forged message, and of having you followed. But why would he send his man in after you? Why not have him raise the alarm from outside the house, trapping you inside? We still have no motive for this man's murder."
Catilina shrugged. "I can tell you no more."
I shook my head. "I'll do what I can. I'll want to question the other Vestals and whatever slaves were in the house tonight; that can wait for morning. I may be able to track down the boy who brought you that message, and thus trace it back to Clodius, or whomever. I may be able to ferret out the man or men who followed you on your way here tonight, if they exist; they might be induced to tell what they know about the dead man and his reason for being here. All this is no more than circumstantial, I fear, but I might uncover something of use for your defense, Catilina. Still, it looks very bad. I see nothing more to be done tonight, except perhaps to make another search of the premises."
"We searched already, and found nothing," Licinia said.
"But we could search again," said Fabia. "Please, Virgo Maxima?"
"Very well," said Licinia sternly. "Summon some of the slave girls, and see that they're armed with knives from the kitchens. We'll look again in every corner and crevice."
"I'll come with you," said Catilina. "To protect you," he added, looking at Fabia. "The man we're looking for is a desperate murderer, after all."
Licinia scowled, but did not protest.
In the moonless courtyard, beneath the colonnade, I paused to let my eyes adjust to the darkness. Rufus bumped against me. I stumbled and kicked a pebble that skittered across the stones. The sound seemed loud in the stillness. From the pool came a tiny splash.
The noise startled me and made my heart race. Only that frog again, I thought. Still, I saw phantoms in the shadows, and shook my head at such imaginings. In just such a way, I thought, Catilina might have imagined being followed by men who were not there. Even so, I felt in some way that Rufus and I were not alone in the courtyard. The faint chanting of the Vestals from the nearby temple seemed to hover in the still air above us. I sat on a bench, close by the reeds at the edge of the pond, and gazed at the stars that spangled its black surface.
Rufus sat beside me. "What do you think, Gordianus?"
"I think we are in deep waters."
"Do you believe Catilina?"
"Do you?"
"Not for a moment! The man is false to the core, all charm and no substance."
"Ah, you compare him to Cicero, perhaps, and find him wanting."
"Exactly."
"And yet it seems true to his character that he would respond to such a reckless letter for the sheer novelty, does it not? That part of the story seems credible; or is he so devious as to devise such a letter himself, to use as a ruse if needed?"
"He's certainly wicked enough!"
"I'm not sure of that. As for his innocence of the murder, I'm impressed by his detail of finding the knife still spinning about in the pool of blood. It seems too striking a detail to be invented on the spot."
"You underestimate his cleverness, Gordianus."
"Or perhaps you underestimate his nobleness. What if it was Fabia who murdered the intruder, and Catilina is lying to protect her?"
"Now that is truly absurd, Gordianus! The girl is frail and timid-"
"And very much in love with Catilina. Did you not see that, Rufus? Might she have killed in a frenzy to protect her lover?"
"This is too fantastic, Gordianus."
"Perhaps you're right. The murmur of distant chanting and the pool full of stars carry me away. I even find myself considering the possibility that it was Licinia who wielded the knife…"
"The Virgo Maxima! But for what purpose?"
"To deflect attention from her own impending trial. To take vengeance on the young lovers-assuming they are lovers- because she is insanely jealous of them. Or to protect them, by killing the man sent to spy on them-because she grows more sentimental as she grows older, like myself. Except that her plan failed when the man cried out and the other Vestals came running…"
"Deep waters," Rufus agreed. "Can we ever find the truth?"
"In bits and pieces," I said, "and perhaps by looking where we don't expect to find it." I rubbed my eyes and fought to stifle a yawn. I closed my eyes-for just an instant, I thought…
I awoke with a start at the touch of a hand on my shoulder, and looked up to see Catilina.
"The search…?" I said.
"Fruitless. We looked behind every curtain, under every couch, inside every chamber pot."
I nodded. "Then I'll return to my house now, if Licinia will be kind enough to send some litter-bearers to the foot of the stairs. I'll wait on the steps outside." I began to walk toward the great barred doors. "I suppose this is the only time I shall ever be inside this place, at such an hour of the night. It has been a memorable experience."
"Not too unpleasant, I hope," said Catilina. He lowered his voice. "You'll do what you can for me, yes? Go snooping on my behalf, locate that messenger boy, uncover what you can about Clodius and his schemes? I don't forget my friends, Gordianus. Sometime in the future I'll repay you."
"Of course," I said, and thought: If you have a future, Catilina.
The Vestal who had admitted us came to unbar the door. She kept her eyes averted, especially from Catilina.
As the door swung open, I heard a liquid plop from the pond. I smiled at the Vestal. "The frogs are restless tonight."
She shook her head wearily. "There are no frogs in the pond," she said.
The door closed behind me. I heard the bar fall. I walked slowly down the steps. A sudden wind blew through the Forum, carrying the smell of rain. I looked up and saw the stars begin to vanish one by one behind a mantle of black clouds coming from the west.
Suddenly I realized the truth.
I ran up the steps and knocked on the door, at first softly. When there was no answer I banged my fist against it.
The door gave a shudder and opened. I slipped inside. The Vestal frowned at me, confused. Catilina and Fabia stood beside the pool, with Licinia and Rufus nearby. I walked to them quickly, feeling the full strangeness of the starlight, the distant chanting, the atmosphere of sanctity and death within the forbidden walls.
"The murderer is still here, within the house," I said. "Here in our very presence!"
Suspicious glances passed from eye to eye. Licinia stepped back. Even Fabia and Catilina drew apart.
"Do you still have the knives you carried for your search?"
Licinia produced a kitchen knife from the folds of her stola, as did Fabia.
"And you, Rufus?"
He pulled out a short dagger, as did I. Only Catilina was without a weapon.
I walked to the edge of the pool. "When I entered the House of the Vestals, I saw reeds growing from the center of the pool-only from the center. Yet these reeds are very near the edge. Something keeps softly splashing, yet there are no frogs in the pond." I reached for the hollow reeds, jerked them from the water and threw them onto the paving stones.