Read Online The Curse-Maker by Kelli Stanley - Free Book Online

cracks in the clay, and I was looking.
    â€œI appreciate your directness. It’s a welcome break from what I put up with on the council. First, I wanted you to come because I like you. You’re a talented, intelligent man, a fellow professional. Second, I wanted you to know that we buried Bibax, and I didn’t find anything else on his body. He dyed his hair, probably an effort to appear exotic. Several of the scribes claim to hail from Egypt.”
    Egypt. Every two- as hustler selling goat gonads claimed to be from Egypt. That explained Rufus’s lack of red hair.
    â€œFinally, I thought you might want to find out how things work around here, especially since Bibax’s murderer sent such a vivid message.”
    I leaned forward. “Any guesses as to whom?”
    Philo shrugged. “The temple or the priests who run it, perhaps. It’s the most obvious choice. Though I can’t see Papirius or anyone else strangling some poor scribe. That’s how the temple collects its money.”
    â€œFrom the hustlers?”
    â€œYes, Arcturus. Every hustler—and every legitimate practioner, myself included—who has a stall or a space or a house around the center of the town, pays a tax to the temple. The temple owns the baths. Oh, I know, it’s all public, but the profits go to the temple, which cycles them—or is supposed to—back to the community. They collect the paltry entrance fee—collect taxes from all the freelance bath attendants, masseuses, depilators, et cetera. Even the towel rental.”
    â€œMust be a complex operation. Accounting-wise, especially.”
    â€œIt is. It’s a separate city, really. Octavio is the head of the daily operations, but he has many centurions of a sort underneath him.”
    â€œSo all the bogus ointment-makers out there—”
    â€œPay the temple. As did Bibax.”
    I shook my head. “ Ultor. I just don’t get it. If it was revenge on the temple, why choose such a minuscule player? Why him?”
    â€œIt doesn’t make sense, I know. But listen. I wanted you to be aware of how important you solving this murder is to the community. We don’t want the legion involved—in fact, they’ve just reduced the number of soldiers stationed at the fort, so I don’t know that there’s anyone there to help. We want to handle this independently, as a municipium. ”
    â€œWhy? Why not involve the army?”
    â€œBecause the baths and the temple are the heart of Aquae Sulis. Look out there. People from all over the empire have heard about these waters, and they come here looking for rest, for a cure, for health.”
    â€œGo on.”
    â€œRight now we’re in the middle of development plans for another complex. There are two more springs to the northwest of town, and we’d like to build a temple to Aesculapius, along with more baths. The council is hoping to make a deal with a mine consortium—you know, free baths for the miners thrown in. This sort of thing could jeopardize the entire proposal.”
    Not to mention tourism. Murder at a health spa is bad for business. I stood up.
    â€œI understand, Philo. I’ll do my best to find out what’s wrong with Aquae Sulis.” I wondered if he caught the sarcasm.
    He looked at me. “You know, we help a lot of people—and not just through false hope or phony promises. These waters truly are gifts from the gods.”
    â€œI’ll get a report on them later from my wife.”
    He smiled. “How is your wife today?” He asked it softly.
    â€œFine, thanks.” I held his eyes a little longer than was customary. Turned to go, then turned back. “About that warning—”
    â€œUltor?”
    â€œYes. Maybe it’s a message to the other curse-writers—to the charlatans—to the quacks.” I laid particular emphasis on the last word.
    He grunted. “Maybe. There are quite a few.