Read Online One Virgin Too Many by Lindsey Davis - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lindsey Davis
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literally fell onto the body."
He stopped again briefly. "I assumed the man was drunk. I don't know what made me anxious. But I felt my heart race even before I looked properly. The people I had heard all went off in another direction. Silence fell. Nobody was about. I could hardly take in what I saw. It was horrible. He was lying in his own blood. His clothing was drenched in it. His head had been covered with some kind of cloth, which was sopping too. His wounds looked terrible--one great gash across the neck especially. He had been cut down with a sacrificial knife. It was still lying alongside him."
"He was definitely dead?" asked Decimus.
"No doubt."
"Did you know him?" I murmured.
"No. But a corn chaplet with the white ribbons was lying by him, dragged off in the struggle presumably--he was one of the Arval Brothers."
"Well, that creates another vacancy!" I sucked in air through my teeth. "I take it you then reported your find?"
A narrow look crossed the young man's face.
"Oh, Aulus!" groaned the senator.
"Papa, I was badly shaken. There was nothing I could do for him. It was a ghastly scene. There was no sign of the killer, or I would genuinely have made an effort to apprehend him. One worry I had was that if anyone turned up and found me alone with the body I might be suspected of killing him myself."
At once I asked, "Could the corpse have been the man who told you that you were unacceptable to the Arvals?"
Aelianus met my gaze, wide-eyed. He considered this. "No. No, Falco. Wrong build, I'm sure of it."
"Good! So what did you do?"
"Got out of there fast. Ran for my horse. Rode back here as quickly as I could."
"And came to ask our advice," I suggested, guessing he had hoped to forget the whole incident.
He pulled a face. "All right. I'm a fool."
"Not entirely. You have reported your grim find to your father, a senator, and to me . . . That's acceptable" Acceptable--but not enough. I tightened my belt and pushed my tunic down under it. "We have two choices. We can pretend we know nothing about it--or behave like reputable citizens."
Aelianus knew what I meant. He stood up. He wavered a little, but was probably fit for the job: "I have to go back there."
I grinned at him. "Don't imagine you get all the fun. You will have to take me too. Catch me sitting here with a flagon when I can jump on a horse and give myself indigestion pounding five miles into the countryside--all to learn that somebody else has by now found your piece of butchery and nobody thanks us for reporting it a second time." I turned to his father. "I can handle this. But you will have the awkward job: explaining to Helena and your wife why we have bunked off--"
"I think I can distract them," Decimus said, springing up with a start. He bent down and led out my baby daughter from behind his couch, holding her by her chubby little arms as she proudly demonstrated how she could now be walked along.
What a sight. I had known she could stand. It was a new trick. I had completely forgotten that it put her within reach of new attractions and dangers. I winced. Julia had somehow laid hands on the senator's inkstand--a two-tone job, apparently; her face, arms, legs, and her smart little white tunic were now covered with great stains in black and red. There was ink around her mouth. She even had ink in her hair.
She grabbed at her noble grandfather so he had to pick her up, immediately covering himself in red and black as well. Then, sensing trouble, her eyes filled with tears, she began to wail, at first just mournfully but with a steadily increasing volume that would soon bring all the women of the household rushing to see what tragedy had befallen her.
Aelianus and I got out of it and left the senator to cope.
IX
IT WAS STILL light. Helena and I had dined early with her parents so we could return home with the baby before the streets became too dangerous. By the time her brother and I rode off, however, dusk was starting to fall. Time
He stopped again briefly. "I assumed the man was drunk. I don't know what made me anxious. But I felt my heart race even before I looked properly. The people I had heard all went off in another direction. Silence fell. Nobody was about. I could hardly take in what I saw. It was horrible. He was lying in his own blood. His clothing was drenched in it. His head had been covered with some kind of cloth, which was sopping too. His wounds looked terrible--one great gash across the neck especially. He had been cut down with a sacrificial knife. It was still lying alongside him."
"He was definitely dead?" asked Decimus.
"No doubt."
"Did you know him?" I murmured.
"No. But a corn chaplet with the white ribbons was lying by him, dragged off in the struggle presumably--he was one of the Arval Brothers."
"Well, that creates another vacancy!" I sucked in air through my teeth. "I take it you then reported your find?"
A narrow look crossed the young man's face.
"Oh, Aulus!" groaned the senator.
"Papa, I was badly shaken. There was nothing I could do for him. It was a ghastly scene. There was no sign of the killer, or I would genuinely have made an effort to apprehend him. One worry I had was that if anyone turned up and found me alone with the body I might be suspected of killing him myself."
At once I asked, "Could the corpse have been the man who told you that you were unacceptable to the Arvals?"
Aelianus met my gaze, wide-eyed. He considered this. "No. No, Falco. Wrong build, I'm sure of it."
"Good! So what did you do?"
"Got out of there fast. Ran for my horse. Rode back here as quickly as I could."
"And came to ask our advice," I suggested, guessing he had hoped to forget the whole incident.
He pulled a face. "All right. I'm a fool."
"Not entirely. You have reported your grim find to your father, a senator, and to me . . . That's acceptable" Acceptable--but not enough. I tightened my belt and pushed my tunic down under it. "We have two choices. We can pretend we know nothing about it--or behave like reputable citizens."
Aelianus knew what I meant. He stood up. He wavered a little, but was probably fit for the job: "I have to go back there."
I grinned at him. "Don't imagine you get all the fun. You will have to take me too. Catch me sitting here with a flagon when I can jump on a horse and give myself indigestion pounding five miles into the countryside--all to learn that somebody else has by now found your piece of butchery and nobody thanks us for reporting it a second time." I turned to his father. "I can handle this. But you will have the awkward job: explaining to Helena and your wife why we have bunked off--"
"I think I can distract them," Decimus said, springing up with a start. He bent down and led out my baby daughter from behind his couch, holding her by her chubby little arms as she proudly demonstrated how she could now be walked along.
What a sight. I had known she could stand. It was a new trick. I had completely forgotten that it put her within reach of new attractions and dangers. I winced. Julia had somehow laid hands on the senator's inkstand--a two-tone job, apparently; her face, arms, legs, and her smart little white tunic were now covered with great stains in black and red. There was ink around her mouth. She even had ink in her hair.
She grabbed at her noble grandfather so he had to pick her up, immediately covering himself in red and black as well. Then, sensing trouble, her eyes filled with tears, she began to wail, at first just mournfully but with a steadily increasing volume that would soon bring all the women of the household rushing to see what tragedy had befallen her.
Aelianus and I got out of it and left the senator to cope.
IX
IT WAS STILL light. Helena and I had dined early with her parents so we could return home with the baby before the streets became too dangerous. By the time her brother and I rode off, however, dusk was starting to fall. Time
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