I stood up again, slowly, looked at what had been Calpurnius, and said a small prayer for the poor bastard. I wasn’t sure if anyone else would. Then I cradled the lamp and made my way back out of the hole. They were waiting for me.
“Well?”
I ignored Papirius, brushed off some mud. I wished I could brush off the image of Calpurnius’s face. I turned to Philo.
“How did you know it was murder?”
He reddened slightly. “The look on his face. I turned him around to see if he was breathing at all. I assumed-well, I assumed with a look like that-”
“You assumed right. He was poisoned.”
Gasps all around.
Grattius shook his fat head. “Poisoned? Somebody poisoned a drain cleaner?”
I could barely make out the small, dirty figure hiding behind Grattius’s bulk. I shoved the duovir aside and walked over to the man shrinking in the shadows.
Papirius glided over immediately. “This is Senicio. He was the other cleaner who was supposed to work tonight. He found the body.” The head priest gave me a look that was supposed to mean something. “I trust him.”
That made one of us. I rarely trusted men trusted by a man I didn’t. Senicio quaked in his sandals, his feet looking like the bottom of an ugly statue.
“You found the body?”
“Y-yes, sir. Calpurnius-Calpurnius never showed up.”
“Were you supposed to meet him here? What time?”
Papirius intervened again. “Sixth hour of night. They empty the spring, and that gives it a few hours to get some water back. We make sure the baths are clean and full before we empty it, as it takes a full day and night to refill.”
I gave Papirius a smile he tried to give back. “Thanks. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Senicio.”
Senicio shifted his small frame, picking at a wart on his left cheek.
“When was the last time you saw Calpurnius alive?”
He glanced over at Papirius as if to ask for permission, and I moved sideways to block his view.
“When?”
“Last night. Maybe-maybe the third hour, or so. He was eating at a tavern we like to go to. I stopped in for some wine, and Calpurnius was there.”
“Did he act any differently? Or say anything to you?”
Senicio ran his tongue over dry lips. “Uh-no. At least, not really. Nothing specific. He-he just seemed excited, is all.”
“Did you ask him why?”
He shook his head so vehemently that I thought he might make himself sick. “No. I-I just had a drink and left.”
I studied him for a few minutes. The squirming started almost immediately.
“Are you sure he didn’t say anything, Senicio?”
“He-he didn’t say anything, but-he was eating-what he was eating cost more than-more than usual.”
“He was splurging on a meal, in other words?”
“Yes-that’s it. I thought it was funny, you know, why tonight, when we have to clean the drain, and it’s not special, or anything. He-he just said he was celebrating.”
Papirius jumped in. “He said he was celebrating?”
The smaller priest cringed. “Yes, sir. That’s what he said.”
I changed tactics. “When did you realize something was wrong, Senicio? That was quick thinking.”
The little man expanded under the praise.
“Well, he-he never showed up. I called him, and I went into the tunnel-just a little ways-and didn’t-didn’t see him, and then Gregax opened the sluice, and I was busy.”
I glanced over at Papirius and made my tone friendly and conversational. “Find anything good? For Sulis, I mean?”
Senicio shook his head again before the head priest could react. “Nothing much. Some gold coins I managed to catch. Heavy things stay in the channel, and that’s what I was looking for when I found-when I found-”
“When you found poor Calpurnius. I see.”
I paused a few moments. “Senicio-did Calpurnius have eye trouble?”
“Yes, sir. Most of us do, in fact.”
“Did he take anything for it? Anyone in particular did he see?”
“Not that I know of, sir. He was the suspicious type, if you know what I mean. Liked to try things himself.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
The junior priest looked like he might fall down. Papirius asked drily, “Are you done, Arcturus? May I send him away to get clean?”
“Please.”
Octavio asked no one in particular, “Should I open the baths, do you think?”
The question brought Grattius to life. “Of course you must open the baths. Nothing to do with the baths, eh, Arcturus? But you never explained yourself. Why would someone want to poison this drain person?”
I brought out the piece of lead from my tunic pocket.
“Ultor again?” Grattius exploded. “But we’ve asked you to stop this Ultor business. Bad for the town! Now here it is again!” Grattius glared at me through his piggish little eyes.
Philo said softly: “How do you figure on poison, Arcturus?”
I stared at him. “Same way you did. His expression. He was murdered. The murderer watched him die, then dragged him into the drain. They must’ve arranged to meet close by.”
“Do you have a guess as to what it was?”
“Aconitum.”
The word sent a shiver through the rest of the men, while Philo looked at me thoughtfully.
“Hecate’s poison,” murmured Papirius.
Philo was nodding. “The pain, the paralysis. Even the itching. It makes sense. How was it administered?”
“Probably through an eye cream.”
Grattius exploded. “What about this Ultor business, Arcturus? Does this mean Ultor’s one of these eye doctors, always trying to sell-”
“Not necessarily. In fact, it’s possible that this may be the last we’ll hear of Ultor.”
“What? You know who he is?”
“No. Still, I have a theory, and if Bibax and Calpurnius were killed for revenge, and I’m right about why, I don’t think Ultor will kill anyone else.”
A broad smile spread across Grattius’s face. “Well, that is good news. It would be decent of you to catch ’em, of course, but as long as he stops this murder business-”
He turned to the others brusquely. “Gentlemen, I’m cold. I’m going home.”
He wagged his head at Octavio. “You mind the baths-I’ll be in this afternoon, and I want my massage. Nobody needs to know about this priest.” He twisted his neck toward Papirius. “And you-you handle telling the ones that need to know-you know, the other cleaners. Get the body out of there and give it a simple burial. At night.”
He shivered. “This air isn’t good for me. See you later, gentlemen.”
He waddled his bulk back up the stairs and the pathway out. Papirius made some priestly noises about taking care of the dead, grabbed Octavio by the arm, and told him to get the furnace slaves, presumably to haul out Calpurnius. They both left, Papirius majestically, Octavio scurrying to do his bidding.
Philo was watching me. “So you think Bibax and Calpurnius were partners, then? Partners in the murders you’ve uncovered?”
I shrugged. “Makes sense. And if they were partners, then Ultor-someone who is being blackmailed, probably, or someone who figured out what they were doing and lost by it-Ultor’s job is over.”
He thought it over. “I see. You will still try to find him, of course?”
“Try is the operative word.”
He patted me on the shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll succeed. Aconitum was a brilliant deduction.”
“Not really. It adds to the allure-all the associations with Hecate and the Underworld. Makes it seem like Ultor isn’t a person.”
We were walking up the ramp toward ground level. The sun finally agreed to make an appearance.
“Shall I see you later today?”
I shook my head. “I don’t feel much like the baths.”