22
‘Where’s that wine?’ Milo called out. ‘Boy?’
Marcus edged further into the room and half covered his mouth with a hand to muffle his reply. ‘Coming, sir!’
Ahead of him, to the side of the room where Demetrius lived, slept, cooked and counted his money was the narrow staircase leading down to the cellar. Next to it was the door to the alley outside, which Demetrius kept locked. Marcus took a lamp from the small desk where the innkeeper stored his ledger and shielded the flame as he hurried down the stone stairs. The air was chilly and there was barely enough headroom for Marcus to stand upright. The cellar was lined with jars, some empty, and fine strands of cobwebs gleamed in the amber hue cast by the oil lamp. Marcus found the jar bearing the crudely painted label of the Arretian vineyard and tucked it carefully under his arm before he climbed out of the cellar and placed the lamp back on the small desk. The men talked in low voices as Marcus went into the bar and picked up three cups, then made his way over to their table. His heart was pounding with excitement and fear. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. He had to be alert, and careful.
‘I’ve got the man for thejob,’ Milo was saying. ‘The name’s Lamina. He’s done this kind of thing before. Of course, I’ll need to find a way of getting him close to his target.’
‘How do we know he’s any better than those two incompetents you sent to take care of Caesar’s niece?’ Bibulus asked scathingly. ‘No, I think we’ll use our own man. My friend here has someone who suits our purpose. Your men have another part to play. ’
Milo was about to reply when he became aware of Marcus. ‘The boy’s here with the wine. We’ll talk more after he’s gone,’ he announced to his companions.
Marcus set down the cups and pulled the stopper out of the wine jar, releasing a rich fruity odour into the air, then filled each cup. The man still wearing his hood was leaning forward on his elbows, only the outline of his jaw visible. He did not look up.
‘That will be all,’ Milo nodded. ‘Leave us alone. Get into the back room and close the door behind you.’
Marcus nodded and returned to the doorway behind the counter. All the time his heart was beating wildly. He needed to hear what passed between the three men. In an instant he decided on his plan. As he passed through the door he dropped to his knees and crawled stealthily back through, hidden by the counter. He pulled the door shut, with enough force to ensure that the latch clicked.
The silence was broken by Bibulus. ‘Is there any danger he can still hear us?’
‘No,’ Milo replied confidently. ‘The door’s solid and the boy’s keen to get on here. He won’t risk his position. We’re safe. You were telling me about your man. The one who will do the job.’
‘Ah, yes. I know you’ve handled this sort of thing for us before, but this is different. We can’t afford to have your men connected with this. It’s vital that I am not seen to be involved in any way. My friend here assures me his man is good. He’ll carry out the task and disappear. Your part is to provide a distraction and keep Caesar’s bodyguards busy.’
‘I see,’ Milo replied. ‘Then I shall want paying, and paying well. ’
‘We can afford it,’ Bibulus replied. ‘Isn’t that right?’
The hooded man replied in a low voice. ‘Money is no object.’
‘Just as well,’ Milo chuckled. ‘Caesar is not an easy target.’
Marcus’s blood went cold. These were the details of the plot against Caesar’s life. It was vital he heard as much as he could, then quietly leave the following morning to report to Festus. Holding his breath, he inched forward along the base of the counter. He needed to be close to the three men so that he missed nothing. There was a hole in the counter where a knot in the wood had fallen out and Marcus eased himself towards it. He looked out at an angle — Milo and Bibulus were in view, but all he could see of the hooded man was his back.
‘So let’s talk about the plan,’ Milo continued. ‘It would be best to strike when he is alone in a room in his house, I’d have thought.’
‘No.’ The hooded man intervened. ‘It’s to be done in public. Caesar is planning to push through an amendment to the Land Bill two days from now. In it he will demand that every senator swears an oath not to repeal the Act after it is passed. If they refuse to take the oath then they are to be deemed guilty of treason. Let Caesar announce his amendment before our man strikes. I will sit close to Bibulus and give the signal for the killer to strike by taking out a red cloth and wiping my brow. Caesar will fall as he leaves the Senate and passes through the Forum.’
‘That’s a suicide mission,’ Milo countered. ‘It’s impossible.’
‘Not if your gangs cause a disturbance to cover the killer’s escape.’
Marcus saw Milo scratch his jaw thoughtfully. ‘It’s risky, though it could work. But why not take the easier route and kill him in his home?’
‘Because then it would be murder,’ Bibulus said, as if explaining something to a child. ‘It is better that Caesar is killed after he announces something that can be presented as a gross infringement of the rights of the senators. That way it can be seen as the rightful killing of a tyrant. Do you understand? The last thing Rome needs right now is for Caesar to be portrayed as a victim of those who oppose distributing to the poor.’
They were interrupted by a rattle from the alley as a key was fitted to the lock of the back room.
‘Here comes our food,’ Milo announced.
Marcus felt his heart leap in his chest. Demetrius had returned sooner than he’d anticipated. If he discovered Marcus hiding behind the counter then he would be exposed as a spy. He would be tortured for information before they killed him. Marcus desperately tried to think of a way that he could get out of this.
The lock clicked and there was a grating sound as the door swung in on its hinges. As it shut the lock rattled again. Then Demetrius called out, ‘Junius! In here, boy! I need you to slice the sausage. . Junius!’
Milo spoke into the silence at the table. ‘Strange. I thought the boy was in there. If he’s slipped off to amuse himself then Demetrius will take a belt to him.’
‘Junius!’ Demetrius called out again, then the door to the back room opened and he stepped into the inn, stopping abruptly as he saw the three men. ‘I’m sorry, gentlemen. Have you seen the boy?’
Marcus pressed himself into the side of the counter and dared not breathe as he looked to where Demetrius stood poised by the door. The innkeeper had not seen him yet.
‘The boy went into the back room,’ said Milo. ‘Perhaps he’s gone out.’
Demetrius frowned. ‘No. That’s not possible. I keep the door locked and only I have the key.’
‘Then where is he?’ Milo demanded.
‘I’ll try the cellar,’ said Demetrius. ‘If he’s helping himself to anything down there, then I’ll beat him to within an inch of his life.’
He turned and stopped as his eyes fell on Marcus. ‘There he is! Asleep on the floor.’
Marcus shut his eyes, hoping to play along with the innkeeper’s point of view, but an instant later a bench scraped on the flagstones of the floor and Bibulus growled, ‘Asleep? I saw him go into the room. He closed the door. . He’s been spying on us. .’
More benches scraped as the other men stood, and Milo cursed. ‘He’s a spy. Grab him!’
Marcus sprang up and raced for the door to the back room. Ahead of him Demetrius was slow to react. His face was fixed in open-mouthed surprise as Marcus braced his neck and headbutted the innkeeper in the stomach. Demetrius folded up, staggered back a pace and slumped heavily to the floor. Marcus sprinted into the back room and with a surge of relief saw the key still in the door leading to the alley. Behind him, footsteps pounded across the flagstones as Milo and the others ran after him. Marcus reached the door, grabbed the key and turned it quickly before pulling it out. As he jumped through the door, he saw Milo at the other end of the room. Then he slammed the door shut, rammed the key home and turned it an instant before the studded timbers heaved as the gang leader crashed into it.