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Chapters (65)
  1. COVER
  2. NEMESIS
  3. ROME AND LATIUM: SUMMER, AD 77
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‘Don’t do that, please. If there’s talking to do, I’d rather do it myself.’

Then, Plotia and I shared a brief glance. It was possible I had made a connection with at least one of these drear, isolated women—some bond that might help our investigation later.

More likely, she was just thinking I was an idiot.

21

I met my companions as I walked back through the woods.

‘Next time you want to play good officer/bad officer,’ Petro rebuked me mildly, ‘let’s agree it in advance, shall we? You know I hate always being the nice fellow. When is it my turn to put the boot in?’

I asked if his being sweet to Probus had achieved anything; he growled, ‘Guess!’

‘I wish I’d hit him harder, then.’

‘Yes, if it helped whatever’s eating you!’ He knew what that was. Petronius was a loyal, affectionate family man. He knew I had grief I had not yet dealt with, and I was guilty about leaving home.

He smacked me on the shoulder, then we walked side by side. The others watched us warily, letting Petro play nurse. I outlined what the women had told me, not that it moved us forward.

The others had been carrying out sweeps, searching the woods in wide circles, looking for bodies. We went back along the path, passing the three hutments. Justinus stayed there to search the two women’s homes with Auctus, one of the vigiles. The rest of us moved forward.

Looking for a good spot to camp because there was no chance we could return to Satricum that night, we were heading for what seemed to be more open country. Justinus and Auctus caught us up, having also had a fruitless search at the shacks. We kept moving along the boundary fence, distancing ourselves from where the Claudii lived. We found a place where the fence had been broken down and rebuilt; a notice had been erected on the far side, warning off trespassers in the name of Julius Modestus. Despite its fierce semi-legal language, only a short way further on we came upon another boundary breach. A group of wild-looking cattle which probably belonged to the Claudii stood on the Modestus land, eyeing us inquisitively.

No one said anything, but we kept going, rather than pitch camp too close to the big-horned beef.

We had a tent, but the ground was too wet and spongy for pegs to grip so we just hung an awning off the side of Nero’s cart. As dusk drew in, I fetched out the ointment Helena had provided. This time there was no grumbling. As insects bothered us incessantly, we all dipped our fingers in the pot and slathered it on. Everyone tugged down their tunic cuffs and tightened their neck-scarves.