“Decius,” he hissed. “Let it go! It’s over. You proved your client and his friends didn’t do it. Everyone is pleased with you. You’re Caesar’s favorite. Don’t ruin it, I warn you.”
I pushed him back on the cot, drew my pretty new sword, and placed its point just beneath his chin. “Who went out, Lumpy?”
“Easy, there! Put that thing away, you lunatic!”
“Talk, Lumpy.”
He sighed and it was as if all the stuffing went out of him. “I was on night officer duty at the praetorium. Paterculus told me to go relieve Cotta on the gate. He said later on there’d be a party leaving and they’d have a pass from him. I was to let them out and back in and say nothing to anybody about it.”
“And did he tell you why he was doing this?” I asked, knowing the futility of it.
“Why would he do that? It was some business of his own or Caesar’s and I wasn’t about to ask.” No, Lumpy wouldn’t ask. That was why they had sent him. They wanted an experienced political bootlicker on that gate, not an inexperienced boy who didn’t know enough to watch out for his own future. I got up and resheathed my sword.
“Lumpy, I am ashamed to share the same name with you.”
He rubbed his neck, which was bleeding from a tiny nick. “That won’t be the case much longer if you keep this up.” But I was already out through the tent flap.
The guards at the praetorium entrance saluted me and smiled. Everyone was smiling at me lately, except for Lumpy.
“Good evening, sir,” said one of them.
“I forgot something earlier this evening,” I said. “I’ll just go in and fetch it.”
They turned and looked at the tent. Light poured from its entrance. “Looks like the Proconsul’s still up. Go on in, sir. He says all his officers are to have access during his waking hours.”
Caesar was sitting at a table with a line of lamps burning behind him. Before him on the table was the silver bracelet. He looked up as I came in.
“Yes, Decius?”
“The Druids didn’t kill Titus Vinius,” I said. “You did.”
He glared at me for a few moments, then he smiled and nodded.
“Very, very good, Decius. Really, you are the most amazing man! Most men, having settled a problem to their satisfaction, will never reconsider it to see if they overlooked something.”
“You’d have gotten away with it if you hadn’t sent Cotta to fetch me. I knew he’d been assigned to the gate that evening, not to the praetorium.”
“Ah, I see. Upon such minutiae do great matters balance. By the way, I did not ‘get away’ with anything. I am Proconsul of this Province, with complete imperium. I am empowered to carry out executions without trial where I see need, and no one may hinder me in this or call me to account, even if his name is Caecilius Metellus.”
“How did you do it?” I asked. “Did Paterculus throttle him while you stabbed him?” I suppose I sounded truly bitter. I never liked being someone’s dupe, and I had been feeling particularly good that evening.
“Don’t be impertinent! The pontifex maximus of Rome does not befoul his hands with the blood of traitors. The execution was carried out in accordance with my instructions by my lictors, in constitutional fashion.”
“Except for the Druidic embellishments.”
He looked at me sourly. “Oh, sit down, Decius. You’re spoiling my digestion with your righteousness. If you ever hold high office you’ll have to perform some disagreeable tasks. Be grateful if they involve nothing more unpleasant than exterminating a treacherous scoundrel like Vinius.”
I sat. “But why? If you found out what he was up to, why not just denounce him, whack his head off, and confiscate his property?”
Caesar pinched the bridge of his nose, looking suddenly very tired. “Decius, I have here the largest task ever handed to a Roman proconsul. I must use every tool that comes to my hands if I am to accomplish it. Out there”-he released his nose and pointed northeast-“are the Helvetii. You’ve had some experience of the Germans and you know they’re pouring across the Rhine. I cannot afford an alliance between them. I must fight them one at a time. I saw an opportunity to drive a wedge between the Germans and the Gauls and I acted upon it.”
“You interviewed the Druid Badraig concerning their religious practices. That was how you learned of the triple slaying.”
“Exactly. Since I intend to break the power of that priesthood, blaming them for the murder seemed an elegant way to accomplish several of my aims at once. I was sure that Ariovistus would revenge himself upon them and that the Gauls would never ally themselves with someone who killed Druids.”
“But why not just denounce the Druids at once? Why blame the soldiers and leave me to puzzle things out while you went off to find your legions? That is labyrinthine even for you.”
“It certainly made me look innocent of conspiracy, didn’t it?”
“Ariovistus said there are no innocent Romans. Maybe he was right.” I felt as tired as Caesar looked. “How did you learn of Vinius’ treachery? Was it Molon?”
“It was. That ugly little schemer is playing more games at once than I am. He came with information for sale, told me that Vinius was storing away big bribes from somewhere. I find it is often a good idea to retain a slave to spy on his master.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“I told him to find out when Vinius was next to meet with his paymaster. This time it was that German, Eramanzius. He went out with the Provincials, who were too lofty to notice that they had an extra slave following them. I suppose he would have returned at first light and mingled with the peasants coming in to sell their produce. It would have been easy enough. He met with the German out by the lake. Molon knew he would have to pass close by the pond and we were waiting for him there.” He poked at the bracelet on the table before him. “Treasonous bastard though he was, Vinius retained a bit of his soldier’s sentimentality. He would never take this bracelet off. He covered it with a bandage when he went out.”
I remembered the scrap of dirty white cloth I had found at the murder site. Another little anomaly explained. “And the bracelet was Molon’s pay for betraying his master?”
“Part of it. And I thought it fitting. It offended me to see a traitor wearing a Roman award for valor, even dead. Why not give it to a wretched slave? Of course, I never dreamed that he was working for Ariovistus as well.”
“Do you think he’ll tell Ariovistus?”
“He cost Ariovistus his spy in my camp. It would be death for him to speak of it now. I think he will want to stay in my good graces. He did what he could for you while you were captive.”
Most matters were answered now. “How could you condemn eight innocent men?”
He looked almost ashamed, if that were possible. “I was sure you’d have it pinned on the Druids before I got back. I never dreamed that you would do something as insane as go beyond the rampart on your own and get captured by the Germans.”
“But when I ran in this morning, you were about to have their friends flog them to death.”
“Decius, here in Gaul we are playing the highest-stakes game in the world. When you set a game in motion, you must see it through, however the dice fall.”
I rose. “I will take my leave now, Proconsul. Thank you for answering my questions. I realize that, with your imperium, you owe no answers to anybody.”
He stood and put a hand on my shoulder. “I respect your scruples, Decius. Such are rare in Rome these days. I owe you no less. And, Decius?”
“Yes?”
“I am very pleased that you did not touch the contents of that chest. I inventoried it myself before I had that boy summon you. I would have been most upset if any of it had been missing. Go on and get some sleep.”
So I walked out of the praetorium, satisfied if not happy. I had rather liked Badraig, but a lot of Gauls were going to die soon, and a lot of Romans as well. Oddly enough, I was going to miss Freda. I would even miss Molon, but I suspected I hadn’t seen the last of him.