“Then you don’t think the courier’s wife actually identified the cloak as belonging to him?”
“I don’t know that he really had a wife, whoever he was. She’s probably a fabrication.”
“That may well be. I wasn’t told any more than you know. Unfortunately the corpse that at one point was on your property and was later found behind a statue of Aphrodite elsewhere in the city is not a fabrication. You do admit you found the body?”
Felix paused, confused. “Did I? Oh, yes, I suppose I have.”
“Palace rumor says you’ve taken to drink and gambling again. You’re up to your helmet in debt.”
“People at the palace will say anything.”
“Anything is exactly what goes on at the palace.”
Felix tugged at his beard. “All right. Yes. It’s all true. Or was. I’ve sworn to cut down my drinking and I haven’t placed a wager in weeks.”
“Because you can’t afford to or no one trusts you enough to take your wagers? At least you admit your problems. That’s a start. Now I want to know the details, how you see them.”
Assisted by much prompting, Felix obliged.
By the time he was finished Anatolius looked as if he was attending Felix’s funeral rather than talking to him across a table at a tavern. “Let us review what we know. Perhaps it will suggest a road to follow.”
Felix mumbled his wish that John were in the city to assist.
“Indeed, but he isn’t so we must do the best we can all by our poor selves, a simple lawyer and the captain of the excubitors.”
“Former captain.”
“I stand corrected. Justinian has not rescinded your demotion.” Anatolius tilted his chair back until it rested against the wall. “Now, as I understand it, embroiled in certain arrangements we will not mention, you discovered one of your colleagues in this enterprise dead on your premises. There was an official visit but you managed to conceal the evidence, and then removed the body but were seen in the act of disposing of it. Meantime, the deceased’s wife notified the authorities, or so we have been told. This led to the second official visit and subsequent arrest. Along with the guards finding that damning cloak.”
“That sums it up very well. I swear, the man was not wearing that cloak when I first saw him.”
“What was he wearing?”
Felix tried to remember. He closed his eyes and tried to blot out the suddenly distracting noises of the tavern.
“Certainly you can’t have forgotten finding a corpse in your courtyard. It must have been very startling. Or wasn’t it?”
“Yes, yes. I was shocked. That’s just it. The only thing that made an impression on me was that there was a dead man lying against the wall. It must have driven everything else straight out of my mind.”
“But you said you remembered he wasn’t wearing the cloak so-”
“That’s right. Now I recall. His robes were embroidered rather ostentatiously, even for a courtier. That’s what caught my attention.”
“You can’t remember any more details? Could the fancy clothes have included a jeweled cloak?”
Felix shook his head. “No. I’m certain.”
“Do you suppose one of your servants stole the cloak and hid it?”
“What? Found the body and took the cloak, without alerting me?”
“How many month’s wages could a cloak like that be sold for?”
“I see what you mean. I hadn’t considered that, what with fleeing for my life and expecting to be tortured to death momentarily.”
“Quite understandable. You should look into this when you get home. But let’s continue. Meantime, Porphyrius-as renowned and respected as he is wealthy-has you beaten-or so you claim-and threatens that unless you produce the relic recently stolen from the Church of the Holy Apostles there will be dire consequences.”
“And hangs a man to show he does not make idle threats,” Felix added.
“I should like to know why this particular man was chosen. But you said he was, unfortunately, not recognizable. Then there’s the man with jingling clothes from whom you took instructions. Who, like Porphyrius, may or may not be the leader of this enterprise we do not specify. So many things are unknown, and so little of what we know makes sense.” Anatolius paused to take a sip of wine. “The natives of Hell, I think we can discount. I am willing to believe you haven’t been dealing with demons, aside from those who emerge from wine jugs.”
Felix started to retort but bit his lip. Anatolius had saved his skin, and he might well require the lawyer’s assistance to keep it.
“If you promise to supply me with a list of your creditors we’ll say no more about that,” Anatolius told him. “You might not think any of them have a hand in any of this, aside from driving you to become involved in dubious matters for financial reasons, but I’m not so sure.” He pulled out his coin pouch preparatory to paying for their drinks, and gave it a shake. It reminded Felix of the Jingler. “Money is the mother of lawyers.”
“There’ll be no problem with me paying you, Anatolius.”
“I wasn’t thinking about that. I was thinking that no matter what problem clients come to me with, it usually all started with money. I wouldn’t charge a friend. Look, from what you’ve told me we have roads leading to the Hippodrome, the palace, and possibly to an unknown person who could be anywhere directing matters. Not to mention the church authorities naturally wish to have their treasure restored and Justinian ordered you to assist in finding it. There is some irony in that. The kind of irony that puts one behind iron bars.”
Felix licked his lips, dry despite all the wine he’d consumed. “So what do you advise?”
“Given all you’ve told me, speaking as a lawyer, I have to tell you that the only reasonable course of action is to flee the city immediately.”
Felix stared at him, speechless.
Anatolius went on. “But as your friend, if you prefer to stay, unwise as that may be, I am prepared to make some inquiries and see if I can help. Perhaps I can find out who the dead man was.”
Felix nodded his assent. Anatolius put coins on the table. He paused. “Felix, apart from legal matters…you can’t become a slave to Bacchus again. You’re not as young as you were. You’re ruining your health. You look terrible. Look at all the bruises and cuts and the red patches on your hands and cheeks. When I first saw you I feared the torturers had already begun their work. Your payment to me will be a promise to imbibe less. Imagine it is John admonishing you. You know he would if he were here.”
“I told you I’ve sworn off overindulgence. But a drink now and then keeps one calm.”
“Find a better way to stay calm.” Anatolius got up to leave. “And come to think of it, maybe you should visit Isis. You spent plenty of time at her establishment in the past.”
“We both did, Anatolius. But she’s not running a brothel anymore. Why would I visit her refuge for former prostitutes?”
“To let Isis give you some advice on how to mend your ways, my friend. I am serious. If Isis could change her ways to such a great extent, surely you could change a few things about your behavior.”
Felix stayed at the table for a while after Anatolius had gone. He had no intention of visiting Isis. It would be embarrassing for both of them, he imagined. Besides, he wasn’t a prostitute in need of reforming. He was a man who enjoyed his wine.
His thoughts were interrupted by shouts, laughter, and curses. A number of Blues crowded through the doorway.
Though Felix remained rooted to his chair his heart was racing. He had totally forgotten. It had not even occurred to him while he rambled on to Anatolius.
During the night, while he awaited his fate in the cell, the deadline Porphyrius had set for the return of the Virgin’s shroud had passed.
Chapter Thirty-two
The javelin hissed past Felix’s shoulder and buried itself in the forehead of the figure sagging against Athena.