See Delphi and Die

"Yes, you need to name him formally.

"Well, you know who I mean!' She grabbed me by the tunic sleeve."It is very important that you listen to me. This man may have caused that terrible murder.'

"Valeria Ventidia?'

"Of course. I should have realised before. I was at Olympia.

"I thought you didn't go because you disliked the place? That was what you told me.' I was determined to test everything she said. To me, Marcella Naevia was an unreliable witness, too ethereal to be trusted. If she knew, she would say I was prejudiced.

Did I doubt her simply because her standards were not mine? Yes. Well, was I wrong?

"I had a reason.'

"I need to know it.'

"You just have to believe me.'

"No. It is time to stop messing. Marcella Naevia, I want to know precisely. why did you go to Olympia this summer? For all I know, you are the killer.'

"That's a mad thing to say!' I heard Aulus cough with laughter at her angry retort."I went,' Marcella Naevia informed us stiffly,"because I always watch what happens when they bring people to Greece.'

"You hang around the Seven Sights Travel groups?'

"Somebody has to observe what goes on. There may be something I can do to help someone.'

I understood why we kept finding her everywhere we went."Were you at Delphi when I travelled there? Were you at Lebadeia?'

Now Marcella Naevia frowned and looked confused."Should I have been?'

"Statianus, Valeria's husband, was there. He had a misadventure.'

"I only look after the women,' she said."Only the women are at risk, you see.'

"Not true any longer,' I informed her curtly.

"I don't know about this.' She looked troubled."I have heard things about other tours… people die too often. Nobody seems to know or to do anything about it.'

With growing impatience, Aulus interrupted." We are doing something about it. You are holding us up here, Marcella Naevia. Tell us why you asked us to come tonight.'

"Well, Falc o-" She ignored Aulus. Middle-aged women generally did."I do not know if you realise this. they were both there.'

"Both? You mean Phineus and Polystratus?'

"At Olympia.'

"Which time?'

"Both times!'

Now that was new.

Marcella Naevia kept maundering; her ma

I had hoped Marcella Naevia would clarify the issue. A typical witness, she was making it worse. While I tried to think, she burbled on. Phineus was in charge. He was the most in evidence, whenever we moved on. He fixed up events, di

"Let's get it clear.' I addressed her firmly."Both men accompanied your tour? Nobody has told me that before. In fact, Caesia's father gave me a list of travellers which did not name Polystratus.'

"He came out after we started. It was supposed to be just for the Olympic Games. That was an excuse, we all thought, so he could watch the sports events at our expense.'

"Oh wonderful! Now – when Phineus fled back to Rome after your niece died, what did Polystratus do?'

"He had already left.'

I glanced at Aulus. That could mean it was Polystratus who had the guilty conscience. Maybe Phineus went after him, thinking that Polystratus really had killed Marcella Caesia. Maybe Phineus had a reason to think Polystratus attacked women. Maybe he knew Polystratus had done it on previous trips.

"And what about this year? You saw both men with the group again?'

"I suppose nobody told you that either?' demanded Caesia's aunt.

"When I first met the group at Olympus,' Aulus interrupted,"only Phineus was there.'

"Polystratus was in Rome by then,' I said."I saw him there myself. Unless he got back to Italy on winged horses.

Aulus shook his head."If he really shifted, there was time.'

"True. He could have been on the same boat as your letter! If he had brutally killed Valeria, he would really shift.'

Marcella Naevia looked relieved."Well, you must be glad I told you this.'

In my terms, she had told us nothing.

"Valeria died very brutally. Polystratus does not look strong enough to have carried out that killing,' I mused fretfully. Then Marcella Naevia at last told me something useful.

Of course he is strong, Falco. He is a past pankration fighter, surely you know that? They both are!'

There had been no reason for this meeting to be held at the weather station. It was pure drama; Marcella Naevia was staying nearby at a respectable house with a woman who had befriended her. We escorted her back there safely. Although we probed, it was evident she knew nothing else material.

Still, we knew now that both Phineus and Polystratus had been present when Caesia took against being manhandled and when Valeria was killed. Both had athletics co

We were about to see proof of their sporting careers. When we drove back to the party i

went, pretending it was accidental. I was not in the mood for a discipline session. I helped Aulus deliver the cart to an ostler, hoping the trouble would have ended by the time we ran into the playfellows.

The boys saw us coming. Sertorius junior, Tiberius, gave the ball a great kick into the courtyard. They all ran inside. Tiberia was slower. As she turned to enter the building, two men arrived for the party. They were kitted out in very smart tunics, with luxurious braid at hem and neck; you could describe either as expensively dressed. One was Phineus, who held back, dealing with their donkey-cart. Polystratus, the other, had noticed the girl.

Tiberia was aware of him too. She jumped like a hare. She scuttled for the courtyard entrance. Polystratus swept a low bow as she passed him. Tiberia pressed herself against the far wall of the gatehouse, then ran faster as if she knew just what was coming. Polystratus straightened up abruptly, and patted her behind, gri

Tiberia stopped in her tracks and turned right around."Don't do that again, ever!' With set shoulders, she stalked off, no longer ru

Phineus had seen what happened. He said something that we could not hear. Polystratus must have retorted with an obscenity. Next moment, Phineus was yelling at him. Polystratus shrugged and turned away. Phineus flew at him and jumped him.

"Whey-hey!' Aulus and I set off towards the fight.

Marcella Naevia was right, we saw that now. they were both pankration contestants. It was ugly. Once they set to, any move was permissible. You ca

Whatever was going on, the partners had now seriously fallen out.

A crowd gathered quickly. Chefs, flowergirls, musicians, travellers all emerged from the i