The Centurion Wore a Stola !!! Chapter X
Originally Posted: March 5, 2001
By: L. Didius Silva


Marcus, the Orderly, raced in with a small amphora of wine and poured some in the Legatus's cup. While he was doing so, I picked up the stack of notes that Confundus had taken and arranged them on the table in front of me.

"Help yourselves to some good wine gentlemen," the Legatus said. Prudens did so. I declined. I would have enough trouble ordering my thoughts without a wine-induced fog added to the mix.

"Well?" said the Legatus, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't have all the facts yet sir and won't have them until Tribune Clemens and Optio Confundus arrive. Sir, part of my reasoning is based on the facts that I have so far, and some I admit is pure speculation based on my own experience as an investigator. The basic facts you already know: "Late last night the patrol discovered the body of Centurion Fistuca in an alley behind a taberna called the Filia Agricolae. He was clad only in a red stola, that any common street walker might wear. He was killed by someone who had jammed a knife into his stomach which pierced the bottom of the aorta. Some three weeks earlier Legionary Castus had threatened Fistuca saying: (I referred to the notes) "I'll carve you up some day like the bloody pig you are." Because of that threat, the patrol went to Castus's apartment and searched it. They discovered a tunic of his with blood stains on it and they arrested him. Based on these facts, the patrol believes that Castus and Fistuca got into a fight behind the taberna where Castus then killed him."

"So far you've made the case for the prosecution," said the Legatus.

"Yes sir."

"But...?"

"But some of the other facts I've uncovered today don't support that conclusion, sir. In my opinion, the wound was not inflicted by someone who knew how to handle a blade. In fact the Medicus agrees with me that if the blow hadn't nicked the aorta, Fistuca would not have died. Also, the wound is too narrow for a Legion issued pugio but is more likely a common civilian knife. While there IS a history of bad blood between the two men, there is NO history of anything of a sexual nature going on between them. Which leaves the picture of Castus, who had a large knife available to him and was experienced from his youth in Londinium in how to use it, runs into his Centurion who is dressed up like a common prostitute, decides to use a smaller civilian knife to stab him one time, and does it in such a sloppy manner that Fistuca might not have died at all. Why bother? It's the death penalty for Castus whether he kills him, tries to kill him, or just tries to wound him. Why not kill him and be done with it?"

"So you do not believe that Legionary Vorbenus killed Centurion Quadratus?"

"With all respect sir, no I don't think so."

"What about the blood on his tunic?"

"If you please, sir. Let me come back to that in a moment."

"Very well go on then."

"I questioned Castus and his mates, Legionaries Goldinus and Fincrinus. They all stated that Centurion Fistuca hated Castus and was out to get him in any way he could. They say they went to the Taberna. Fistuca was already there seated in the shadows. Shortly thereafter an Alemanni, possibly named Helmut, came in and sat down with Fistuca and became involved in some type of an argument with him. Castus and his mates had a few drinks and left, with Fistuca and this Helmut still arguing. The implication is of course that there was some type of homosexual relationship between Fistuca and this Helmut; that they left and went someplace where Fistuca changed into the dress; their argument broke out again and Helmut killed Fistuca in some type of lover's quarrel."

"So we're back to that, hey Silva!" shouted Prudens. "Smearing a good Centurion's name since he's not here to defend himself."

"No Prudens I am not."

"But you do think that this Alemanni named Helmut killed Quadratus?" asked the Legatus.

"No sir. I think it's a compete pack of lies. There is no such person named Helmut. I think that the whole story is pure fabrication. In the first place, three weeks earlier Castus had threatened to carve up Fistuca. As part of the punishment he received at the time, he was ordered to confine himself to his quarters for the next four weeks when he was not on duty, and as of last night he still had one week left of that punishment. Now I CAN believe that Legionary Castus might slip off with his mates and have a few drinks if he thought he could get away with it. I could even believe it if they had told me that, while they were already there tossing back a few, Centurion Fistuca walked in on them. But I can't believe that Castus walked in the door and nobody warned him that Fistuca was already there. And I definitely can't believe that, knowing that Fistuca was out to get him, and that he still had one week left to go on his "confined to barracks" punishment, he would walk into the taberna, see Fistuca sitting there, and instead of running away or slipping back out as fast as he could, he calmly sits down with his mates and tosses back a couple of drinks first and then calmly heads back home again. Or that Fistuca, who left no opportunity unturned to put the screws to Castus, sees him walk in and says absolutely nothing, does absolutely nothing? No I can't see that at all."

"And as far as this Helmut goes, if there was such a person, why would Fistuca meet him in the Filia Agricolae of all places, the private hangout of the VIIIth Cohort? Where did he go to change clothes since he obviously didn't stroll down to that taberna and sit around there dressed like that? Where are his clothes now? The Medicus and I found that the cut in the stola does not line up with the cut in the body. Why would Helmut bother to kill him and then redress him at all? Why bother to put a cut in the garment after the fact? Why did he dump the body there of all places, where it was bound to be found almost immediately?"

"Why do you say the body was dumped there?" asked the Legatus.

"Because sir, he definitely didn't die in that alley. There is almost no blood whatsoever anywhere in it."

"Where did he die then?" asked Prudens.

"At the bottom of the stairs leading to Fistuca's quarters is an area set aside for trash barrels, discarded boxes and empty amphorae. When I was there tonight, I found the barrels overturned and lot of the boxes and amphorae broken. When I started moving things aside, I found a lot of the wreckage stained with blood; and a large pool of blood still undried upon the ground. I believe that after Fistuca was stabbed, he collapsed into the trash area breaking a number of items, and bled to death there. And if that's true, Fistuca could not have been sitting in the taberna all evening; Castus and his mates Goldinus and Fincrinus could not have seen him there, Helmut could not have argued with him there; and this mysterious Helmut could not have walked into Castra Vetera, killed him, carried his body into town, and dumped him behind the taberna."

The Legatus turned to his Primus Pilus Valerius Prudens and asked: "Isn't Centurion Quadratus's quarters right across from those of Legionary Vorbenus?"

"Yes sir, they are," answered Prudens.

The Legatus turned back and stared at me for a moment, then said: "And you still believe the Legionary Castus is innocent of this murder, Silva?"

"Yes sir I do."

"Then tell me Silva. Who killed Quadratus? What do YOU think happened last night?"

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