Message: Murder in the House of Varrus (Chapter VIII)
Author: L. Didius Silva
Originally Posted: October 15, 2000 (reposted with permission of the author)


I flipped the denarius to Meto and tousled his unruly mop of hair. The answer to my question was worth the price. We picked up my men then returned to the HQ of the Vth Vigiles. We walked into the back room where the general's body had been laid out. Androcles, the Vth's Medicus, was just finishing up his examination. "Androcles, you old horse doctor, what have you got? And don't tell me you've found nothing," said Piso.

"General Varrus was in reasonably good health for a man his age," began Androcles, "There are no signs of a struggle. He was stabbed in the back, the knife penetrated the heart. He was dead instantly. The knife you brought back is the murder weapon, or one identical to it."

"Dammit, man, we already knew that."

"No Piso, we didn't. Remember the Sorvinus case?"

"Oh yeah! That's the one where the legionary killed a racing tout over a gambling debt. Then he tried to cover it up by stealing the knife of a tentmate, a man he hated, and shoved it into the wound in place of his own. Solving two problems with one murder, so to speak. He almost got away with it, until we found the length and width of the blade didn't match the wound."

The Medicus held out a small wooden dish with a few small crystalline fragments on it. "I found these in the General's beard and under his tongue. It's residue from a strong sleeping potion that didn't completely dissolve in the wine. That, plus the angle of the wound, and the position of the body, suggests that he was drugged, then stabbed. The blade was also given a half twist to the left after entering the body. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you." He closed his bag and began to lace it. "You know, Piso, there's a lot of similarities between this body and the one I examined yesterday. You remember, the one the VIth Vigiles fished out of the Tiber."

"What body?", I asked.

"It's a civilian matter, Silva, and doesn't concern you," said Piso, giving Androcles the evil eye. Piso and I then had a two-minute staring contest. I won.

"C'mon," Piso said. He turned and strode out the door. Androcles and I had to race to keep up with him. The VIth Vigiles were not happy to have us stick our noses in their case. I finally had to use the authority of the SA to overide their objections. The body in their storage room was of a boy about 18 - 22 years old, brown hair, brown eyes, about 5'6", scraggily beard. He had not been in the Tiber very long, but the fish had already done a little feasting. He was wearing a dirty, gray, knee-length tunic, that had once been white. A green hooded cloak was wrapped around the body. It was threadbare and moth-eaten. The Medicus rolled the body over to expose the back. He indicated the wound. "The wound is in the same place and has the same left-hand twist." We looked carefully ourselves. He was right.

"Can you tell if he was drugged first?" I asked.

"No. It's been rolling around in the Tiber too long."

"Piso, you'd better send somebody over and get Gabinius. Have HIM take a look at this stiff."

"Don't you go telling me my job, Silva." He turned and elbowed his way out the door. In a moment he was back. "What time you going to Aelia's?"

"Who says I'm going to Aelia's?" I lost this staring match at the one-minute mark. "Around the 3rd hour of the night watch," I replied,

"I've got to get some sleep first."

"I'll meet you outside." He turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Whatever the gods had in store for me, sleep was not on the list. Quintus Mammeius was waiting for me when I returned to the Praetorium. As soon as he saw me, he started talking, like a chariot being released at the drop of the starter's flag.

"We found the Treasury Questor. The gold is gone of course. He's alive but in bad shape. He was beaten, tied up and left for dead. He's been taken to the hospital. He was jumped by four bullyboys, almost within sight of the Ostia gate.

A couple of street urchins, who saw what happened, came forward and offered to sell us the information for a sestercius each. They took us to the body. They said four men jumped a guy carrying a leather satchel. They threw a blanket over his head and dragged him into an abandoned warehouse. The four men came out with the satchel. The kids then followed the men to a caupona called "Doriana's Dimple." A few minutes later the same men came out empty handed. They went back and found the Quaestor's body but thought he was dead."

I commented: "The kids probably took the Quaestor's purse, dagger and anything else that was small and portable, then waited for you to show up to make another sestercius. I could use a couple of bright lads like that. Do you think you could find them again? Anyway, fill out your report in triplicate and have it on my desk before you go off duty."

I went back in the cells and sat on the bunk. I wanted to think both cases through. I fell asleep while still sitting up.

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