green cotton.’
‘We’ve been through that.’
Orbilio grinned. ‘So we have. First Gratidius says it was you, then he’s not sure because his assistant suddenly swears it wasn’t. Incidentally, that’s the same assistant who’s just settled a long-standing doctor’s bill. However you missed something.’
It was no good her pretending indifference.
‘You forgot to bribe the porter who delivered it to your house.’ Hooray, that brought a spark of life to her eyes. Even though she covered it quickly. ‘Two. You returned to the scene of the crime. Perhaps not evidence in itself, but highly suggestive and a trait common to most criminals.’
‘Want to arrest me?’
‘And, three, I have a witness. You were seen coming in and going out of this room.’
Orbilio opened the door wide. Frowning, Claudia looked up and down the empty passage.
‘You don’t see him?’
She pulled a face.
‘Rufus!’
A bundle of rags in a doorway formed itself into a small boy.
‘Rufus, do you recognize this lady?’
The urchin shuffled closer. ‘Yep. That’s her.’
‘Nonsense!’ Claudia turned to Orbilio. ‘How much did you bung this little guttersnipe? One ass? Two?’
‘She called me a poxy little oik.’
Her eyes flashing, Claudia looked the boy up and down several times. ‘That’s hardly conclusive. I should imagine everybody calls you a poxy little oik.’
‘And up yours and all, missus!’
Orbilio watched recognition dawn on Claudia’s face, but instead of a feeling of triumph, an iron claw gripped his guts.
‘I remember this horrid little ragbag now. It was in the Forum.’ She turned to Orbilio. ‘He rammed me with a pig’s head. The snout, if I recall correctly, caught me right here.’ She jabbed her navel.
‘You was wearing green.’
‘ You was running from the shopkeeper.’
‘You was here.’
‘I was not!’
‘You was. I’d know that swagger any place.’
‘I most certainly do not swagger!’ Claudia spun round to Orbilio, who quickly covered his mouth with his hand. ‘Are you seriously considering the word of this offensive little street arab against mine?’
The investigator scratched the back of his neck. ‘Yes,’ he said at last. ‘I rather think I am.’
Claudia glowered at the boy. ‘Hop it, you. I want to talk.’
Orbilio tossed him a copper and nodded assent. ‘Come back inside, Claudia,’ he said quietly, sweeping his arm round the room. ‘Because I very much want to listen.’
VIII
Under a sky which made promises of rain it had no intention of keeping, Claudia sat in the cool of the peristyle, half-heartedly strumming a lyre. Around her, tiny birds in cages, their plumage brighter than jewels, trilled to drown the melody. By rights I should be enjoying the second day of the games, she thought, weighing strength of elephant against armour of crocodile, or cheering dwarfs as they cartwheeled through the legs of giraffes or cavorted with ostriches. Instead I spend half my morning ploughing through riffraff and dross in some sleazy backstreet slum. Drusilla came running up, tail erect, and began rubbing against Claudia’s shins until, eliciting no response from this tactic, she jumped on to the seat beside her and yowled at the top of her voice.
‘I’m sorry, poppet, I was miles away.’ At the foot of the Quirinal, holding my nose to be precise. Claudia clapped her hands. Why do they build tenements, with no water and no sanitation, in the bowls of hills where the smell can’t escape? ‘Fetch some chicken, bread and cheese, will you,’ she commanded the slave who answered the call, ‘and root out a sardine or two for Drusilla.’
The girl made no effort to pick up the cat and carry her off to the kitchen. Scars on her wrists had taught her not to tangle with the animal, especially when its mistress was at home. It ate with her, slept with her, followed her around like a shadow. But just you try to stroke it and it would go for you like a wild
‘We’ve been through that.’
Orbilio grinned. ‘So we have. First Gratidius says it was you, then he’s not sure because his assistant suddenly swears it wasn’t. Incidentally, that’s the same assistant who’s just settled a long-standing doctor’s bill. However you missed something.’
It was no good her pretending indifference.
‘You forgot to bribe the porter who delivered it to your house.’ Hooray, that brought a spark of life to her eyes. Even though she covered it quickly. ‘Two. You returned to the scene of the crime. Perhaps not evidence in itself, but highly suggestive and a trait common to most criminals.’
‘Want to arrest me?’
‘And, three, I have a witness. You were seen coming in and going out of this room.’
Orbilio opened the door wide. Frowning, Claudia looked up and down the empty passage.
‘You don’t see him?’
She pulled a face.
‘Rufus!’
A bundle of rags in a doorway formed itself into a small boy.
‘Rufus, do you recognize this lady?’
The urchin shuffled closer. ‘Yep. That’s her.’
‘Nonsense!’ Claudia turned to Orbilio. ‘How much did you bung this little guttersnipe? One ass? Two?’
‘She called me a poxy little oik.’
Her eyes flashing, Claudia looked the boy up and down several times. ‘That’s hardly conclusive. I should imagine everybody calls you a poxy little oik.’
‘And up yours and all, missus!’
Orbilio watched recognition dawn on Claudia’s face, but instead of a feeling of triumph, an iron claw gripped his guts.
‘I remember this horrid little ragbag now. It was in the Forum.’ She turned to Orbilio. ‘He rammed me with a pig’s head. The snout, if I recall correctly, caught me right here.’ She jabbed her navel.
‘You was wearing green.’
‘ You was running from the shopkeeper.’
‘You was here.’
‘I was not!’
‘You was. I’d know that swagger any place.’
‘I most certainly do not swagger!’ Claudia spun round to Orbilio, who quickly covered his mouth with his hand. ‘Are you seriously considering the word of this offensive little street arab against mine?’
The investigator scratched the back of his neck. ‘Yes,’ he said at last. ‘I rather think I am.’
Claudia glowered at the boy. ‘Hop it, you. I want to talk.’
Orbilio tossed him a copper and nodded assent. ‘Come back inside, Claudia,’ he said quietly, sweeping his arm round the room. ‘Because I very much want to listen.’
VIII
Under a sky which made promises of rain it had no intention of keeping, Claudia sat in the cool of the peristyle, half-heartedly strumming a lyre. Around her, tiny birds in cages, their plumage brighter than jewels, trilled to drown the melody. By rights I should be enjoying the second day of the games, she thought, weighing strength of elephant against armour of crocodile, or cheering dwarfs as they cartwheeled through the legs of giraffes or cavorted with ostriches. Instead I spend half my morning ploughing through riffraff and dross in some sleazy backstreet slum. Drusilla came running up, tail erect, and began rubbing against Claudia’s shins until, eliciting no response from this tactic, she jumped on to the seat beside her and yowled at the top of her voice.
‘I’m sorry, poppet, I was miles away.’ At the foot of the Quirinal, holding my nose to be precise. Claudia clapped her hands. Why do they build tenements, with no water and no sanitation, in the bowls of hills where the smell can’t escape? ‘Fetch some chicken, bread and cheese, will you,’ she commanded the slave who answered the call, ‘and root out a sardine or two for Drusilla.’
The girl made no effort to pick up the cat and carry her off to the kitchen. Scars on her wrists had taught her not to tangle with the animal, especially when its mistress was at home. It ate with her, slept with her, followed her around like a shadow. But just you try to stroke it and it would go for you like a wild
Similar Books
