He moved a little on his bench, disturbed by memories. ‘Yes—one lot while still in situ. They were old bones. Nothing to identify. One pair much more recent than the other. Shallow graves, one trench to each body, each two of a pair lying close to each other—no more than ten feet separate—but the two pairs were half a mile apart. To find more, there will be a lot of ground to cover. The locals are still looking. And we’ve kept it secret.’

‘People will soon know.’

‘Sadly they will, Falco. So we need movement. I was sent to Rome to chivvy it up—only to learn the Modestus case has been passed over to the spy. I’m disgusted. This is no job for Anacrites. We Urbans won’t cave in to him and the Praetorians. So our Prefect talked to the Vigiles Prefect. I’ve now been sent to communicate with you boys—very, very quietly. It’s imperative the Praetorians don’t know until they have to—and, until we can make arrests, nor must the Claudii.’

We all breathed in, or whistled through our teeth.

Petronius pushed aside his beaker. ‘I’d like to hear more about the circumstances of these other deaths. How, when, where, who?’

‘The graves are a few miles out of Antium. The oldest, just skeletons, may date back decades. The others are maybe five years old. How can anyone tell? A gravedigger from a necropolis was brought in to confer, but he couldn’t say anything more specific. Because of their condition, impossible to say what had been done to them, though there could be cut marks on bones. We can’t attach names—no clues to identity, though using the missing list, we may make guesses.’

‘How were they laid out in the graves?’ I asked.

‘Arms at full stretch—like Modestus and that courier.’

‘Any hands removed?’ That was Petro.

‘No. One corpse had an arm missing, but the grave had been disturbed, probably by animals. One had a foot off—maybe he kicked out and was given special punishment.’

‘Any clothing or other items?’

‘Nothing useful. Rags mostly. No money or valuables. It all looked careful, by the way. Marcus Rubella told me the courier’s burial seemed rushed?’

‘We’re keeping an open mind on the courier,’ I told Silvius. ‘Even Anacrites thinks it could be a distraction, according to what he told me . . . Maybe it’s him all along, trying to divert attention from the Pontine connection, to protect the Claudii.’

‘Why would he want to look after those bastards?’

‘Who knows? Have you met him? Do you know what he’s like?’

Silvius spat contemptuously.

After a small pause Petro kept niggling. ‘Did your four bodies give up any hints about the killer? Was there more than one, for instance? Did they stay on the scene afterwards, to commit further defilement?’