“No point lying still in the dark until some villain is ready to slip his blade between my ribs—” Meto was setting down the basket of peppercorns he had been filling with a scoop. He had seen I had a dagger in my hand. I added gently, “I use the word villain advisedly of course.”

Without letting my gaze fall I began to unbuckle my belt. Wrapping the buckle end round my left fist, I let the leather slide through the jet bracelet which I brought into his view.

“You seem curiously nostalgic, sir! Take this, for instance: Sosia Camillina’s piece of jet—” He stiffened. Then I dropped the quiet question: “Why did you take it? Why did you keep it? Was it triumph over me, or pity for her? A trophy or a genuine memento?” When he made no answer I hurled at him, “Or guilt? Publius Camillus Meto, did you kill your own child?”

Helena gasped.

“Don’t be a fool!” Meto exclaimed.

I had shaken him. I had shaken her. Saying it aloud, I had shaken myself.

“Did Pertinax?” I bellowed, to harass him. In fact I knew who had.

“No.” His reply was low.

“But you killed him!”

“Don’t be ridiculous—” I saw him begin to resist. “Falco, your own meddling killed my daughter—”

It was Helena who interrupted fiercely, suddenly joining me: “Don’t blame the buffoon for the whole pantomime!”

“Domitian killed your daughter.” Sparkling with malice I weighed in for myself. “You know that very well. You may have been horrified—I do believe you were—but you could say nothing about it because that would incriminate you. Domitian killed her. His initials are on the inkwell you saw me find in the saffron vault. Domitian killed her; my guess is he was there alone. He acted in haste when he realized she must recognize his famous face. Someone—him? you? Atius Pertinax?—carried her body from the vault up here, probably not expecting the Aventine watch to appear; the Aventine watch and me—” I heard a catch in my own voice.

“Marcus!” Helena exclaimed.

I knew then for absolute certain, he had lied to me. Helena Justina was never in the plot.

My eyes went to her.

Publius had begun to move.

“Who found that bracelet?” It had him mesmerized; his advantage was already thrown away.