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Authors: Lindsey Davis
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Otherwise their organiser would bring tents, or hire them. Much cheaper. Phineus would know how to do it. If the intention is to visit many festivals, he will carry his own equipment in the baggage train.'
I wondered if the newly-weds had understood this limitation when they booked in. I could imagine the toothless agent in Rome, Polystratus, 'forgetting' to mention that the tourists would be camping. 'Barzanes, those good people wanted to be enthralled by your special site. Olympia owes them respect for their tragedy. So what happened to them?'
The guide shifted his feet. 'Among hundreds of people travelling around Greece, there will always be deaths, Falco.'
'We are not talking about heart attacks caused by sunstroke or overeating at feasts.'
'Valeria was battered to death, Marcus.' Helena's voice was cold. Aulus must have supplied this information; it did not match the bland details we had heard from the mother-in-law back in Rome. 'Juno, Aulus says she was killed with a weight.'
'A weight?'
'A long-jumper's hand weight.' Young Glaucus would have to tell us more about these implements.
'Her head was smashed with it.' Barzanes knew that all right.
I scratched my chin, thinking. What had happened to Valeria Ventidia - a ferocious attack, not far from her companions, with the body left in open view - bore little resemblance to what had apparently happened to Marcella Caesia three years earlier - unexplained disappearance, then discovery only much later, in a remote spot. The foundation for our visit was that these two women's deaths were linked. Not that discrepancies would stop me investigating both.
'Barzanes, we were told the girl's body was discovered 'outside the lodging house.' But if the party were camping, that doesn't fit. I cannot believe she was beaten to death in public, within a few feet of her companions. They would have heard the disturbance.'
Unused to speculating on crimes, the guide looked vague.
'She wasn't killed near the tent. Her husband discovered her, Marcus.' Helena was still skimming through her letter. 'He found her dead at the palaestra, then he carried the corpse back to the camp. Witnesses saw tears streaming down his face. He was hysterical and wouldn't leave her. He had to be separated from the corpse almost by force. But the big issue in the investigation was whether Statianus seemed like a distraught husband or a deranged killer.'
'The magistrate released him,' I reminded her. 'Though release is not always exoneration.'
The story was taking a dark tone. I began to see why Aulus had been intrigued when he met the group. And I wondered whether Tullia Longina, the mother-in-law in Rome, had told us the truth as she knew it, or toned it down. Nobody who knew these details could call Valeria's death an 'accident'. Was Tullia Longina minimising the horror to seem more respectable, or had Statianus lied in his letter to his mother? I did not necessarily condemn him for that. Any boy has to fib to his ma from time to time.
'Most people decided there was no proof - but the husband must be guilty,' Barzanes commented.
'Easy option.' My voice grated. 'Best for everybody here that the foreigners brought their own killer - and then took him away with them. The establishment can forget all about it.'
'You're being rude,' Helena reproved me softly.
'It was sacrilege!' raged Barzanes. Which told us for sure just how the sanctum priests viewed it - and why they wanted a cover-up.
Unfortunately we were then interrupted. Our youngsters came pelting out through the temple porch behind us. They had glowing faces, still enthralled by the Statue of Zeus.
'We saw the god's face right up close!' Gaius was bursting with excitement. 'The statue is made from enormous sheets of gold and ivory - it's hollow with a huge support of wooden beams inside.'
'Full of rats and mice!' squealed Albia.' We saw mice running about in the shadows!'
'Nero tried to steal the statue.' Gaius, the natural leader of this
I wondered if the newly-weds had understood this limitation when they booked in. I could imagine the toothless agent in Rome, Polystratus, 'forgetting' to mention that the tourists would be camping. 'Barzanes, those good people wanted to be enthralled by your special site. Olympia owes them respect for their tragedy. So what happened to them?'
The guide shifted his feet. 'Among hundreds of people travelling around Greece, there will always be deaths, Falco.'
'We are not talking about heart attacks caused by sunstroke or overeating at feasts.'
'Valeria was battered to death, Marcus.' Helena's voice was cold. Aulus must have supplied this information; it did not match the bland details we had heard from the mother-in-law back in Rome. 'Juno, Aulus says she was killed with a weight.'
'A weight?'
'A long-jumper's hand weight.' Young Glaucus would have to tell us more about these implements.
'Her head was smashed with it.' Barzanes knew that all right.
I scratched my chin, thinking. What had happened to Valeria Ventidia - a ferocious attack, not far from her companions, with the body left in open view - bore little resemblance to what had apparently happened to Marcella Caesia three years earlier - unexplained disappearance, then discovery only much later, in a remote spot. The foundation for our visit was that these two women's deaths were linked. Not that discrepancies would stop me investigating both.
'Barzanes, we were told the girl's body was discovered 'outside the lodging house.' But if the party were camping, that doesn't fit. I cannot believe she was beaten to death in public, within a few feet of her companions. They would have heard the disturbance.'
Unused to speculating on crimes, the guide looked vague.
'She wasn't killed near the tent. Her husband discovered her, Marcus.' Helena was still skimming through her letter. 'He found her dead at the palaestra, then he carried the corpse back to the camp. Witnesses saw tears streaming down his face. He was hysterical and wouldn't leave her. He had to be separated from the corpse almost by force. But the big issue in the investigation was whether Statianus seemed like a distraught husband or a deranged killer.'
'The magistrate released him,' I reminded her. 'Though release is not always exoneration.'
The story was taking a dark tone. I began to see why Aulus had been intrigued when he met the group. And I wondered whether Tullia Longina, the mother-in-law in Rome, had told us the truth as she knew it, or toned it down. Nobody who knew these details could call Valeria's death an 'accident'. Was Tullia Longina minimising the horror to seem more respectable, or had Statianus lied in his letter to his mother? I did not necessarily condemn him for that. Any boy has to fib to his ma from time to time.
'Most people decided there was no proof - but the husband must be guilty,' Barzanes commented.
'Easy option.' My voice grated. 'Best for everybody here that the foreigners brought their own killer - and then took him away with them. The establishment can forget all about it.'
'You're being rude,' Helena reproved me softly.
'It was sacrilege!' raged Barzanes. Which told us for sure just how the sanctum priests viewed it - and why they wanted a cover-up.
Unfortunately we were then interrupted. Our youngsters came pelting out through the temple porch behind us. They had glowing faces, still enthralled by the Statue of Zeus.
'We saw the god's face right up close!' Gaius was bursting with excitement. 'The statue is made from enormous sheets of gold and ivory - it's hollow with a huge support of wooden beams inside.'
'Full of rats and mice!' squealed Albia.' We saw mice running about in the shadows!'
'Nero tried to steal the statue.' Gaius, the natural leader of this
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