“Yes, sir.”
I left feeling relieved. It wasn’t contagious, and he seemed to be recovering from whatever it was. In spite of everything, I had taken a liking to the boy. The world is full of humble, obedient slaves who rob you blind when you turn your back. Having one who didn’t pretend to be anything but a villain was amusing.
I went out into the street and saw that a crowd had gathered around the body. It now lay completely stripped, the clothes lying in a heap nearby. Apparently, somebody had come across it during the night and had removed all valuables. The clothes were too blood-soaked to bother with. In morning light the body just looked frail and rather pathetic. He might have tried to poison me, but he was just a boy who had got involved in matters too great and too dangerous for him.
My neighbors looked to me for instructions. I was, after all, the neighborhood Senator. I spotted a vigil who had apparently just got off duty. His bucket still dangled from his hand.
“Go to the Praetor Urbanus,” I told him. “Report the murder of a patrician in the Subura.” The thief had not taken the red sandals. Even the stupidest thief would know better than to try to sell those.
“What was he doing down here?” a man asked. The question had occurred to me as well. I knew that my mental faculties had been uncommonly slow of late, but I also knew it was no mere coincidence that Nero had been murdered a few steps from my door. Had he been sent to finish the job he had botched at the house of Capito two nights before? If so, why had he been murdered instead? It had to mean that the murder of Capito and the attempt on my own life were somehow connected.
“Neat bit of throat-slitting there,” someone commented. There were connoisseurs of such things in my neighborhood.
My clients began to arrive and we retired within my house. There was one duty I knew I could not avoid. One of my clients had brought a slave boy with him, and I borrowed the youth.
“Do you know where the mansion of Clodius is?” I asked him. The boy nodded. “Then go there and tell him that he has a dead relative lying in the street here.”
“Me? Talk to Clodius?” His eyes bugged with fear.
“You will probably only talk to his majordomo. If Clodius wants to question you, don’t be afraid of him. He knows better than to harm another man’s property. Now be off with you.”
The boy ran out, and a few minutes later an official arrived accompanied by a single lictor. I did not know him.
“I am Lucius Flavius,” he said, “iudex of the Urban Praetor’s court. Did you discover the body, Senator?”
“My neighbors found him this morning,” I prevaricated. “But it looks as if a robber found him earlier.”
“Do you know him?”
“Appius Claudius Nero. I met him at the house of Metellus Celer four days ago. He was with Publius Clodius, and I’ve sent a messenger to Clodius so that he can come to claim the body.”
“That saves me a task, then. He seems to have been killed in the same fashion as Mamercus Aemilius Capito.”
“He was at Capito’s house the night of that murder. I don’t know what the connection might be, if there is any.”
Flavius shrugged. “Friends of Clodius often die violently. I imagine the lad just fell into bad company. If you’ll forgive my saying so, this is a rough neighborhood. Probably he was looking for some of the low amusements available hereabout and ran into the killer by chance. It doesn’t pay to be both well dressed and alone in some parts of the city.”
“All too true,” I said. At Capito’s house he had been accompanied by a pack of slaves, but if he’d come to kill me, he would not have wished to bring witnesses.
“I suppose I’d better wait for Clodius to come fetch the body,” he said. I sent Cato for some food and wine and asked Flavius to join me in my study. He accepted gratefully. Apparently the murder of Nero did not interest him greatly, but I soon found out what did.
“I know we haven’t met, Senator,” he said, “but new friends are always valuable, even if met under unorthodox circumstances. You see, I am standing for a tribuneship for the coming year, and the support of the Metelli would not come amiss.” This was an understatement. We controlled a tremendous voting bloc in the plebeian tribal assembly.
“I am not high in the family assemblies,” I said, “but I am not totally ignored. What is your stand on the land for Pompey’s veterans?”
“I intend to introduce an agrarian law in support of the land distribution using a combination of public lands and land purchased from revenues. I’ve outlined it to Cicero and he agrees it’s workable.”