Message: Murder in the House of Varrus (Chapter XIX)
Author: L. Didius Silva
Originally Posted: November 3, 2000 (Reposted with the permission of the author)


"That's a pretty mural you're painting, Silva; but, you've no facts to back it up."

"On the contrary, Lateranus, there are quite a few facts. 1. The morning of the murder, in the garden, you commented on the fact the frogs make a terrible racket at times. Aurelia says that the frogs only come out at night. And Gabinius said that the General only received visitors in the afternoon in his Atrium. You couldn't know that the frogs made a terrible racket unless you were in the garden at night. 2. Not only was the General stabbed in the back, the knife was given a 3/4 twist to the left. A normal killer just shoves the blade in. Only a trained gladiator or a legionary twists the blade, because he knows that a twisting motion does more serious damage. He's trained to do it until it becomes second nature to him, almost an unconscious act. Flavus owned gladiators but he never trained them. I'm willing to bet that we will find legion service in your background. Also you're left-handed. When I tossed you that apple, you caught it with your left hand and you've used your left hand to eat with. The twisting motion in the wound is almost invariably done in the direction of the using hand. A right-handed person twists the blade to the right, a left-handed person to the left, because it gives maximum force to the blow. It's very awkward, if not impossible, to twist counter to your dominant hand. 3. Lucius was killed by the same type of blow. 4. You took the General's cup so that no trace of the sleeping potion would be found. But, we did find traces of undissolved crystals in the General's beard and mouth. The knife was as common as dirt, but the sleeping potion might point the finger at you because of the business you're in. 5. You didn't think the cup would be missed. You didn't know that they only had seven cups. The General's cup was also a different color than the rest, but in the dark of the temple you couldn't tell them apart. 6. I am sure that Aurelia will testify that Lucius told her he worked for you. (Especially once she learned that you killed her brother, I thought. Though I preferred to save her from that if I could.) 7. You just stopped and bribed a suspect in the Treasury Quaestor's assault and robbery. 8. With the Vigiles, the S.A., and even the legions, searching every person, box and cart leaving the city, I don't think you've had the chance to move the gold yet. Since you were brought in here, the Vigiles and the S.A. have been tearing your domus and warehouse apart. I believe they will find the gold before the day's over."

He stared at me, his face white with fury. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Priscus! Rantius! Throw this scum in the cells!"

"Silva! We're all full up back there. We've even got people shackled to the bars."

"Then march him over to the Carcer and lock him up in there. Tell the jailer to keep him safe. We're going to need him for a "Big Show Trial."

They picked him up under each arm and dragged him from the room. "He's right you know, Silva. There's not much real evidence that points directly at him. What evidence there is can be explained away, especially if he buys a good Orator to defend himself."

"I know, Piso, I know! We must find that gold. He wouldn't have Lucius bring it to his domus. And I can't see him lugging 60# of gold across the Urbs himself. It must be in his warehouse. I'm going over there. You coming?"

It took over an hour to get from the Castra Praetoria to Lateranus's warehouse. It looked like the entire Urbs was out in the streets. The warehouse was on the Tiber, about midway between the Theater Marcellus and the Pons Aemilius. It looked like an earthquake had shaken the building. Broken crates and boxes were scattered everywhere. No matter what I'd told Lateranus, I really couldn't do what I pleased. If I didn't find the gold, I'd be on the next ship bound for Hadrian's Wall. We walked into the office and I sat down behind the desk.

"Where do we start?" asked Piso.

"Here, in this room. If I were Lateranus I'd want my important stuff close at hand where I could keep an eye on it and grab it fast if I needed to. I got down on my hands and knees and started crawling around on the floor. Every few inches I would rap the floor with my "vitis", the vine staff of my rank as a Centurion. Piso got the idea. He picked up his truncheon, a 20" oaken club weighted on one end with lead. He started on the walls. It took us 15 minutes. Piso found it. Damn him and his luck.


Copyright © 2000-2001, L. Didius Silva. All Rights Reserved. All copyrighted material is the property of the original author.