Dromo stood at his shoulder, jaw dropping at the beauty I had laid out. I raised one of the fancy goblets, into which I had poured the last quarter-inch of Galla’s fine Caecuban wine. There must have been well-water still lurking in the cup; it tasted less fine now. Nevertheless, I drained it and told Faustus how good the Caecuban had been, though sadly for him it was finished.

‘You have drunk enough for both of us.’ Faustus was impervious. He fumbled at his belt and produced a small packet. ‘This came for you.’

‘From whom?’

‘Your aunt, Claudia Rufina, with a tart message saying she was very surprised you had not gone along to enquire how Justinus is doing.’

‘Someone would tell me if he died.’ Faustus scowled. He ought to know I was not that hard-hearted. ‘Oh Claudia was simply too mean to send a messenger all this way. I’ll be charitable, and say maybe she thought a messenger would more easily find the aediles’ office.’

‘She said she did not know where you were working.’

‘Nuts. She should have asked Uncle Quintus.’

‘Right.’ Faustus reined in a little. ‘I sent a deferential note on behalf of both of us, claimed you were caught up and could not reach the Aventine. In case you want to know, I received word your uncle is progressing well.’

‘Good.’ I too backed off: ‘Thank you for excusing me.’ He in turn made a graceful gesture. ‘So what’s this thing she sent, aedile?’

‘How should I know?’ he answered tetchily. ‘It is addressed to you. I was told your aunt took it from one of her children.’

With a grunt, I opened the paper, an old bill. Inside was one of the silver coasters from the Aviola wine set, a small circular stand, with three little curly legs.

‘Well, that fills in another part of the puzzle.’ As Faustus gave me an enquiring look, I explained. ‘My aunt mentioned that her children kept playing in the carrying chair that I was loaned when Justinus was hurt … This tells me the silver stayed hidden because it was moved around.’

‘In the chair?’

‘Underneath the seat. When I raced over to Capena Gate that night, I was actually sitting on the stuff!’

Faustus whistled. ‘On the night Aviola was killed, the silver was hidden in the chair?’

‘Seems so. The chair was either already stored in an empty lock-up shop, or was put there that night. When Titianus and his men arrived at the crime scene, they searched, but only the apartment.’

Faustus sucked his teeth. ‘They would say, believing the silver was long gone with thieves, they had no reason to look elsewhere.’