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piece anywhere.”
    “I see. Could it have been worn by a guest and left by mistake?”
    “I wouldn’t know. I told you I was not at the bath. I went to my chambers and fell asleep.”
    “Yes, so you said. So, you would not have seen a boy or young woman wearing this scrap of cloth. Yes, I see.”
    The princess stared vacantly at Gamaliel. If he let his imagination run, he would have said she had just the hint of a smile, perhaps a smirk, at the corners of her lips. His experience had only been with sons—his late wife handled their daughters—but he knew adolescent disdain when he saw it.
    “One last question. Did you know the dead girl?”
    “Cappo? No I did not, well not really. I may have seen her, you know, she served my mother the queen sometimes, but not to speak to. There are protocols, you know. She was only a servant.”
    “That was her name, Cappo?”
    “It is what we called her, so I suppose so.”
    “Yes, of course. It has been reported to me that the girl was part of your father’s, that is to say the king’s brother’s household, originally. Is that so?”
    “She might have been. We don’t pay attention to servant girls unless they are part of our personal attendants. They come and they go, so it is difficult for me to say.”
    “I see. Is there anything you can think of that can be of help to me? I have no doubt the court would like to see me gone soon. I need your help to make that happen.”
    “Sorry, no. As I said—”
    “You retired early, yes, Thank you, Princess. That will be all for now.”
    She swayed from the room, trailing her scent behind her like a fisherman’s lure.
    The woman was a liar. That much he now knew for a certainty. She lied about knowing the dead girl and she lied about the cloth, about who wore it, and probably how it came to lie on the bottom of the pool. But whether the lies were important, he could not say. He watched as the young woman, the princess, whose body had caused one man to die and no doubt would bring about the same fate for others before age and childbearing made her heavy and slow, disappeared through the door at the far end of the room.
    He would try the mother next. He was sure that if the child could lie with such aplomb, the mother would as well—and doubtless with greater skill.

Chapter IX
    The steward escorted the princess out and the door closed on them with a soft thud. Gamaliel waited alone and, he was sure, under close surveillance. Moments later, Chuzas re-entered the room and resumed his seat.
    “The queen will attend you shortly. Be forewarned, she is not a patient person and will not likely answer questions she deems too personal or inappropriate to ask of her personage.”
    “What exactly does that mean, Steward? Are you telling me she will defy the direct request of the Prefect? It is a fact that technically his jurisdiction does not extend into the area ruled by the king, but that rule exists only at the sufferance of the emperor. Surely this household knows from whence its power derives and how tenuous it is. So, she must be aware I am the Prefect’s agent in this, and I am no more eager to interrogate her than she is to be interrogated, but it is Pilate’s command that I do so, and it is equally her responsibility that she comply. I wish to have done with this onerous task as soon as possible. I would think the royal family would appreciate that and even share it.”
    “Yes, but you see—”
    “I see nothing, but I have no doubt your queen does even as we speak.” He turned toward the screens, which one to address he didn’t know, so he spoke in both directions. “I would say to her, if she were here, ‘Highness, please make both of our days easier and the duration of this investigation shorter and be as forthcoming as you possibly can.’”
    The steward sat back in confused silence and glanced anxiously at the wall to the left. So that is where the observers sat—good to know. Who else, Gamaliel wondered sat with