‘Oi! Watch yourself, boy!’ A man pressed past him with an angry expression. ‘Don’t get in people’s way. You damned nuisance.’
Lupus mumbled an apology and retreated into the doorway of a bread shop. He stared at the litter as it passed by. A slight jostle disturbed the curtain and he caught a glimpse of a hand, with heavy gold rings on it.
‘Make way for Decimus!’ the slave with the staff intoned again.
‘Scum …’ a voice growled and Lupus turned to see the baker at his shoulder. He ignored Lupus and stared hatefully at the litter. ‘Money-grabbing Roman leech.’
There was no doubt in Lupus’s mind. This was the Decimus they were searching for. Right here in Athens. No more than a hundred paces from the entrance to the governor’s palace! His mind raced. He thought of running to the palace to tell his friends. Then he realized it was more important to follow Decimus and discover where the tax collector lived.
The litter continued down the street as Lupus began to follow it. They passed through the heart of the city before climbing a street to a more elevated area in a wealthier neighbourhood. The close-packed houses gave way to larger homes with imposing entrances before the street opened out on to a market where traders sold spices and other luxury goods. The litter stopped at a short flight of steps leading to a studded door where a watchman sat. At first sight of the litter, he rushed down and bowed his head, then stood ready to hand his master down from the litter. Lupus paused by one of the stalls so he could watch without attracting attention. The light curtains of the litter were swept aside as the occupant swung his legs out, and the wigless head of Decimus gleamed in the sunlight. He glanced round quickly before he climbed the stairs. The door opened for him and he disappeared into the house. A moment later the slaves carrying the litter continued on, turning into a narrow side alley as they made for the slave quarters at the rear.
His heart pounding with excitement, Lupus turned and raced back to the palace, raising cries of protest as he barged his way through the crowds. At the entrance to the palace he breathlessly explained his business to the guard who waved him inside. Lupus could barely wait to relate his discovery to his friends. Entering the guest accommodation, he took the stairs three at a time to the second floor and raced down the cool corridor towards their room. The door was ajar and he thrust it aside as he burst in and stood, chest heaving from his exertion.
Then he frowned. He had fully expected to see Festus and Marcus. Instead there were two soldiers waiting. They wore the red tunics of the legions, together with heavy boots and short swords hanging from thick leather straps across their shoulders.
‘Where are my friends?’ Lupus demanded. ‘There’s something I have to tell them!’
‘You can tell them, all right.’ One of the soldiers grinned as he stepped forward and grasped Lupus’s arm.
‘Hey!’ he protested, and tried to pull himself free. ‘What do you think you’re doing? Let go of me!’
But the soldier just tightened his grip and bunched his spare hand into a fist that he raised threateningly. ‘Stop struggling, or I’ll give you a thick ear, boy!’
Lupus reluctantly did as he was told and the second soldier took his other arm, then he was led into the corridor.
‘Just tell me what’s going on. Where are Marcus and Festus?’
‘You’ll find out soon enough.’
‘Where are you taking me? What’s going on?’
‘You know well enough, lad.’ The soldier glanced at him with a cold expression. ‘Don’t play the innocent with me.’
Lupus was confused and afraid. ‘I have no idea what this is about.’
The soldier sniffed dismissively. ‘Of course not. That’s what all criminals say.’
‘Criminals?’ Lupus felt his heart lurch. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘You and your friends are under arrest. For murder.’
15
The cell was small, dark and airless, and the only light came from a narrow slit high up on one wall. Together with a handful of other cells it had been constructed under some storerooms at the rear of the palace, away from the garden and out of earshot so that those being held would not disturb those who lived and worked in the palace. Unlike the previous night there were no comforts for the prisoners. Instead of beds there was just a pile of straw in one corner, a slop bucket and a small grille beneath the door where food and water were passed to the prisoners. Outside there was a narrow passage with three cells on each side. A single jailer had a small room beside the stairs leading up from the prison.
Marcus and Festus had been thrown into the cell over an hour before Lupus joined them, and their relief at being reunited was short-lived as they considered their situation.
‘Murder, he said.’ Lupus shook his head. ‘What murder? Do you think it has something to do with that slave auctioneer, Pindarus?’
‘What else could it be?’ Festus replied as he tested the door, grasping the bars in the grille and giving it a good shake. The hinges rattled and squealed but the door was solid enough.
‘Hey!’ the jailer called from the end of the passage. ‘Leave that alone. I’m responsible for the fittings, I am. You do any damage to ’em and there’ll be no rations for you lot!’
Festus stepped back and slumped on the straw next to the others. ‘We’re in trouble. Deep trouble.’
‘But how can we be?’ asked Marcus. ‘How can they have connected us to what happened in Stratos? It has to be something else … Someone’s made a mistake. As soon as it’s discovered we’ll be out of here.’
Festus shrugged. ‘I hope you’re right that this is a mistake, Marcus. But this smacks of something else.’
Lupus started. He had been so preoccupied with the sudden reverse that he had forgotten the news he had for his friends.
‘Decimus. It must be something to do with him. I saw him a short time ago.’
Marcus turned to him, his eyes intent. ‘What d’you mean?’
Lupus briefly described what he had seen as the others listened closely.
‘I was rushing back to tell you when I was arrested,’ Lupus concluded.
Marcus rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. ‘Which way was the litter heading?’
‘Down the street. In the opposite direction to the governor’s palace.’
‘Then it’s likely he was here and I fear he is behind this, like you say. The question is, how did he know we had arrived in Athens?’
‘How do you think?’ Festus responded flatly. ‘I told you that few secrets are kept in a place like this. We turned up, with you waving Caesar’s letter of introduction and explaining our business, so word was bound to get out. The only surprise is that it happened so quickly. Decimus must have spies everywhere.’
Marcus bowed his head for a moment. He had made a mistake in coming to the governor’s palace. He had let his impatience and frustration get the better of him and now all three of them had paid the price for his folly. Marcus cleared his throat and spoke quietly. ‘I’m so sorry. I should have been more cautious. It’s my fault.’
‘That’s true,’ Festus responded coldly. ‘But it doesn’t change anything. We’re in here and we need to get out. The question is, how? Escape is out of the question. The door’s solid and we have no friends in Athens to help spring us from this cell. We’re stuck. The only chance we have is to try and talk our way out of it when the governor hears our case.’
‘How can you be sure he will?’
‘Because I’m a Roman citizen, and you have Caesar’s letter of introduction. All three of us are connected to Caesar. Only the governor of a province can sentence a Roman citizen for a crime.’
‘What about me?’ asked Lupus. ‘I’m only a freedman. Not a citizen.’
‘You’re with Marcus and me. That should cover you. Besides, that’s not the point. We only have to be put in front of the governor. Then we can explain ourselves and hopefully get out of this mess.’
Marcus nodded. ‘And get our hands on Decimus.’