A murder on the Appian way rsr-5 Page 7

  When Lepidus appeared at his door, the leaders of the crowd demanded that he hold elections at once. He explained to them the impossibility of his doing so. They repeated their demands. Lepidus, a very old-fashioned patrician, told them exactly what they could do with such a radical notion, in terms to make their ears burn. Then he slammed the door on them.

  The crowd did not erupt in a riot, but they did tighten their cordon around the house, preventing anyone from leaving or entering. They built fires in the street to keep themselves warm. To keep themselves amused they passed wineskins back and forth and shouted their electioneering chants, many of which were obscene poems about Fausta, Milo's notoriously unfaithful wife. When the wine made the convoluted lyrics too complicated to recite, they resorted to a simpler chant: "Vote — now! Vote — now!"

  The interrex, ostensibly the head of the Roman state (at least for the next few days), was a prisoner in his own house.

  Of course, every man is a prisoner in his own house when the streets are unsafe and atrocities take place even in broad daylight. What is a man to do? Lock himself away like a cowering deaf mute? Or step into the fray, looking for a means to put an end to the violence around him?

  I had actually seen worse times in Rome — the civil war that led to Sulla's dictatorship, for a start — but I had been a young man then. I moved through those crises following the instinct of the young, which craves adventure ahead of survival. Looking back now, I'm shocked at how little regard I seemed to have had for the risks I took. I wasn't especially brave or foolish, merely young.

  Now I was no longer young. I was far more aware and more respectful of death and injury, having seen and experienced so much of both in the intervening years. With every passing year the fabric of existence seemed more fragile to me. Life seemed more precious. I was less amenable to taking chances with my own life or with the lives of others.

  Yet I found myself in times that called for taking chances. The idea of shutting myself away and disclaiming all responsibility offered no satisfaction to me, like many a man in Rome that winter, the tumult in the streets sparked a tumult in my own heart.

  The Republic was very sick, perhaps sick unto death. Its wrenching spasms presented a spectacle I could hardly bear to look at, but I found it even harder to look away.

  Some years before I had tried to remove myself completely from the arena of politics. Sick of deceit and false promises, of the pompous vanity of politicians and the gaping credulity of their followers, of the vindictive arrogance of victors and the squalid backbiting of the vanquished, I declared I would have no more of it. I moved to a farm up in Etruria, determined to turn my back on Rome.

  That attempt did me no good. Instead, I became more deeply embroiled in political intrigue than I could ever have imagined. I was like a fretting navigator who goes to great' lengths to avoid a whirlpool only to find that he's plotted a course straight into the vortex. The episode of Catilina and his riddle had made me recognize the inexorable nature of Fate.

  Rome is my fate. And the fate of Rome was once again in the hands of her politicians.

  So, in retrospect, I justify to myself my reaction when later that day, after Eco had gone home, I received a visitor. He was an old, old acquaintance.

  Such an old acquaintance, in fact, that Belbo, secretly peering out the peephole in the front door, didn't recognize the man. I had told. Belbo not to let in anyone he didn't know by sight, so he dutifully fetched me from my study to have a look for myself.

  I saw a man past middle age, of medium build with an open, handsome face and a touch of grey at his temples. He had the well-moulded lips, the straight nose and the curly hair of a Greek. He carried himself with an almost haughty self-importance, like a philosopher or a scholar. The boyish young slave I had first met thirty years ago had grown into a distinguished-looking man. It had been a long time since I had seen him so close at hand. Usually, when I saw him at all, it was at a distance, as I had seen him on the previous night, putting his head together with Cicero up on the roof of Cicero's house. He was very nearly the last person I had expected to call on me.

  I shut the peephole and waved to Belbo to unbar the door. "Tiro!" I exclaimed.

  "Gordianus." He bowed his head and smiled faindy. Behind him stood a troop of bodyguards. I counted at least ten men, which seemed a bit excessive ifhe had merely walked the short distance from Cicero's house. On the other hand, anyone leaving Cicero's house was likely to be a target of the Clodian mob. With a wave of his hand he ordered them to stay outside. Belbo shut the door behind him.

  I showed him to my study and gestured for him to take a chair near the flaming brazier. Instead he walked slowly around the room, examining the scrolls in their pigeonholes and the decorative painting of a garden on one wall.

  "You've prospered, Gordianus."

  "In some ways."

  "I remember your old house over on the Esquiline. That big, rambling place with the garden all gone to seed."

  "It belongs to my son Eco now. His wife has restored the garden to immaculate condition."

  "Time passes so quickly! Who would have thought that you'd ever have a son old enough to run his own household?"

  "He's made me a grandfather." "So one hears." "Does one?"

  A smile quivered at the comer of his lips. "You are still spoken of from time to time in Cicero's house, Gordianus." "But not too fondly, I imagine." "Oh, you might be surprised."

  "I certainly would be, if Cicero has anything good to say about me these days. I should have thought that the trial of Marcus Caelius was the last straw between us."

  Tiro shrugged. "Cicero bears you no ill will. He's not a man to hold grudges."

  "Ha!"

  Tiro inclined his head thoughtfully. "Cicero can make himself a formidable enemy, to be sure, against those who make themselves his enemies by their spitefulness and deceit, or by the danger they pose to the Republic. But that has never been the case with you, Gordianus. Cicero understands that you're a complicated man, not always easy for him to understand, but at heart an honourable and honest man. Honourable. Honest," he repeated, stressing the words. "Like Cicero riimself. If the two of you have sometimes come into conflict, it's because you've seen things in different lights. Honourable men can't be expected always to agree."

  I sighed. Tiro was obviously as devoted to Cicero as ever. It would be useless to point out to him the flaws in his master's character — the man's totally unscrupulous behaviour as an advocate, his pompous self-importance, his utter disregard for the truth (unless it happened to serve his purpose), the long string of victims he had destroyed in the cause of upholding the privileges and the power of the Best People.

  "Are you sure you won't sit, Tiro? Belbo can take your cloak; it looks rather heavy, even for this weather."

  "I'll sit, yes. I tire rather easily these days. And yes, I suppose I can do without the cloak. The room seems warm enough. I have to be careful of catching a chill…"

  I hardly heard what he said, because as he shrugged off his heavy cloak I saw what he was wearing underneath — not a slave's tunic, but a toga. Tiro was dressed as a citizen! I looked at his hand and saw, sure enough, that he wore the iron ring of a citizen just as I did.

  "But Tiro, when did this happen?"

  "What?" He saw the direction of my gaze and smiled. He worked his fingers as if he was still not used to the ring. "Oh, this. Yes, a change in status. Hardly more than a formality in many respects. I do the same work, serve the same man. It's easier for me to own property now, of course — "

  "Tiro — no longer a slave! You're free!" "Yes." He seemed almost embarrassed.

  "Well, it took Cicero long enough. You and I talked of such a possibility the very first time we met. Do you remember?"

  "Not really." His cheeks coloured a bit, and I realized how pale they had been before.

  "What did you just say — about taking a chill and tiring easily? Tiro, is something wrong?"

  He shook his head. "Of cour
se not. Not any more."

  I looked at him sceptically.

  "I was ill," he admitted, "but that was last year. Very ill, to be frank. My health has been… somewhat erratic… for the last few years." He smiled. "I suppose that's one of the reasons Cicero made me a freedman last year; it looked then as if it might be a case of now or never. But I'm much better now. I could have wished for a fester recovery, but at least I'm not walking with the cane any more. The physicians say there's no reason I shouldn't regain my full strength and be as healthy as I ever was."

  I looked at him with fresh eyes. What I had read as a haughty expression was merely due to the gauntness of his cheeks. I reckoned in my head and realized that he must be fifty. He suddenly looked his age; there was more grey among the tight curls than I had thought, and there was a bald spot at the top of his head. A kind of boyish enthusiasm still sparkled in his eyes, but the firelight also caught the haunted glimmer of a man who had known severe illness. Yet he also seemed a man who was comfortable with himself and his place in the world; his frank and easy manner exuded an air of sophistication and self-contentment. And why not? The boyish slave who had come to my door those many years ago as the messenger of an obscure master was now a free citizen and the invaluable right-hand man of the most famous orator alive. Tiro had met great men and travelled the world at Cicero's side. He had helped to run the government when Cicero was consul. He was famous in his own right, having invented a form of abbreviated writing whereby a copyist could take down a speech verbatim as quickly as it was spoken; every clerk in the Senate House was now required to learn Tironian shorthand.

  "Why did you come to me today, Tiro?"

  "On behalf of Cicero, of course."

  "He might have come himself."

  "Cicero is keeping indoors," he said, stressing the last word only slightly.

  "So am I. What could he possibly want with me?" "He'll tell you that himself." "He can't possibly think I'll agree to help him." "But you don't know what he wants."

  "It doesn't matter. I paid back the favour I owed him for helping me acquire my Etruscan estate years ago, with interest. Since then — let me be candid with you, Tiro-since then, with every passing year, Cicero has fallen lower and lower in my esteem, not that I imagine my estimation means anything to Cicero. But I have my standards, humble as they may be. I don't intend to come running simply because Cicero thinks he can make some use of me one more time."

  Tiro's face was impassive, which disappointed me. I suppose I expected him to wince, or sigh, or shake his head. He only replied, in a dispassionate voice, "You're mistaken, of course, in your opinion of Cicero. You misjudge him. Many men do. That always confuses me. But then, I work with him every day. I understand every nuance of his thought. Others aren't so privileged." He looked at me steadily. "Well, shall we be going?"

  I almost laughed. "Tiro, were you not listening to me?"

  His expression became more severe. "I saw you yesterday, Gordianus, watching the fires down in the Forum from your rooftop. What did you think of all that? You were appalled, of course. But not everyone was appalled. Those behind the destruction were delighted. Say what you like about Cicero, but when it comes to certain fundamental matters, you and he are on the same side. Did you know they tried to burn Milo's house last night?"

  "I heard about it."

  "Such a fire could have spread all over the Palatine. This room we're sitting in could have been a pile of smoking rubble this morning. You realize that, don't you?"

  I looked at him for a long moment and sighed. "You're really not a slave any more, are you, Tiro? You talk like a free man. You bully with words just like a Roman."

  His face tightened. He was trying not to smile. "I am a Roman now, in every sense of the word. As much a Roman as you, Gordianus."

  "As much a Roman as Cicero?"

  He laughed. "Perhaps not quite."

  "What does he want from me?"

  "There's a fire, Gordianus. No, not the fire down in the Forum; a greater fire that threatens to consume everything worth fighting for. Cicero wants you to help pass buckets of water, so to speak." He leaned towards me with an earnest look. "There are men who start fires. There are men who put them out. I think we know which kind you are. Does it really matter whether you happen to like or dislike the citizen standing next to you in the bucket-passing line? The point is to put out the fire. Come, let Cicero talk to you."

  I sat for a moment, watching the flames in the brazier. I waved to Belbo, who stood quietly in the corner of the room. "Bring Tiro his cloak," I said. The flames danced and wavered. "And bring a cloak for me, too. Tell Bethesda I'm going out for a while."

  Tiro smiled.

  The walk was brief. The air was bracing. The bodyguards were perhaps unnecessary; we didn't pass a single person in the street. All the houses along the way were shut up tight.

  I had never been inside Cicero's newly rebuilt house. Some years before, when Clodius managed to get Cicero exiled from Rome, the Clodian mob had celebrated their triumph by burning down Cicero's house; I had watched the flames from my balcony. When the Senate recalled Cicero from exile sixteen months later, he set about rebuilding. Clodius dogged him at every step, blocking his progress with legal manoeuvres. The property had been confiscated by the state and consecrated for religious use, he claimed. Cicero countered that the confiscation was illegal and that his rights as a Roman citizen had been grossly violated. It had been one of their livelier, uglier exchanges.

  Cicero had won the case. The house had been rebuilt. Well, I thought, as we stepped across the threshold, Clodius would never threaten this home again.

  Tiro led me through the foyer to the atrium beyond. The room was chilly. High clouds had gathered, blocking the sun's warmth.

  "Wait here a moment," Tiro said, and exited to my left. After only a brief pause, I heard voices from the hallway to my right

  The first voice was muffled and indistinct, but I recognized the second voice at once. It was Cicero. "Well," he was saying, "what if we tell people that it was Clodius who staged the ambush, instead of the other way around?"

  I also knew the third voice. It was Cicero's handsome, fiery protege, Marcus Caelius: "Jupiter's balls! Who'd believe that, given the circumstances? Better to say, perhaps, that — "

  The three men stepped into the atrium. Caelius saw me and fell silent.

  At the same moment, Tiro returned from the opposite direction. He saw the situation and looked chagrined. Cicero gave him a brief, sharp look, rebuking him for leaving a visitor unattended. Had I heard something I was not intended to hear?

  "Gordianus agreed to pay you a visit," Tiro said quickly. "I went to the study to announce him, but — "

  "But I wasn't there," said Cicero. His rich orator's tones filled the atrium. An unctuous smile lit up his fleshy face. "I tend to think better on my feet. The more expansive the thoughts, the bigger the circuit — the study couldn't contain me! We've walked a mile since you left, Tiro, round and round the house. Well, Gordianus…" He stepped forwards. "I'm honoured to welcome you to my home once again. You know Marcus Caelius, of course."

  I did indeed. Caelius crossed his arms and gave me a sardonic look. He was a creature of quicksilver, and always had been. He had begun as Cicero's pupil. Then he allied himself or appeared to do so, with Cicero's arch-enemy Catilina; that was how I first met him. Eventually he drifted into the camp of Clodius and into the arms — some said the clutches — of Clodia. His felling out with those two had landed him in dire straits, a trial for murder for which I helped gather evidence for the prosecution. He had been rescued by Cicero, who came to the defence of his errant pupil with a stirring oration. Now, to all appearances, Caelius was once again the faithful protege. He seemed to bear me no ill will for having helped the opposing side at his trial; his ambition was of the freewheeling sort that has little use for grudges. He was famous for his sharp tongue, but equally famous for his charm and extraordinary handsomeness. He was now serving a term as
a tribune, which meant he was one of the few currently operating officers of the state.

  "But I'm not sure that you've met my other friend," said Cicero. He gestured to the third man, who hung back, peering at me distrustfully. The fellow was short and stocky, with the kind of muscular, barrel-shaped body that looks even stouter in a toga. His fingers were short and blunt, as was his nose. His face was round, with a small mouth and deepset eyes under shaggy eyebrows. The shadow of his beard was so heavy that it gave his jaw a dark, greasy look. No wonder he had been the natural enemy of the lithe, long-limbed, effortlessly elegant Clodius. Physically, two men could hardly have been more opposite.

  Milo was back in town after all.

  VI

  "Of course I recognize Titus Annius Milo," I said. "But you're right, Cicero. We've never been introduced."

  "Well, then, it's about time. Milo, this is Gordianus, called the Finder, a man of great ingenuity. We became acquainted many years ago, when I took on my first murder case. You've read my defence of Sextus Roscius, of course; everyone has. But not many people know the part that Gordianus played. Thirty years ago!"

  "Our paths have crossed from time to time since then," I said dryly.

  "And our relationship has always been…" The great orator searched for a word.

  "Interesting?" I suggested.

  "Exactly. Come, let's move to the study. It's chilly in the atrium."

  We retired to a small, well-heated room towards the back of the house. The walk down the hallway and through the central garden gave me a chance to peruse the surroundings. The furnishings, draperies, paintings and mosaics were all of the finest; I had seen nothing more impressive even in Clodius's house. The scale of Cicero's place was more modest, to be sure, but in some ways that made it more pleasing. Cicero had always had impeccable taste.