so maybe Pia herself had whacked him with the shiner. She however, was trying to make out to me that she hardly knew this dreamboat.

I weighed straight in. 'Is this the weasel you were screwing the night you parted from Asinia?'

She wanted to deny it, but he failed to notice she was trying to disown him so he owned up' straight away. Pia had clearly picked him for his intelligence. Don't ask me why he

went for her.

They must already have discussed the night in question.

Clearly he knew all about Asinia's grim fate, and I guessed he knew even more than that.

'What's your name, friend?'

`I'd rather not say.'

`That's all right.' Sometimes it pays to allow them their secrecy. I wanted to know what he had seen, never mind who he was. `Did you hear the bad news about poor Asinia?'

`Terrible!'

`I'd be interested in your side of the story. Pia said you both left her about here – but you saw her again in the Street of the Three Altars?'

`Yes; we must of caught up with her. She didn't see us' `Was she all right at that point?'

He glanced at Pia. `Didn't you tell him about that fellow, then?'

`Oh,' lied Pia, utterly shamelessly. `I think I must have forgot:'

`What fellow was this then?' I wished Petro was here with me. Less scrupulous than I was, he would have dragged her arm up her back in a vigiles’ bodyhold, while encouraging free speech with his spare fist around her throat.

`Oh,’ mouthed Pia, as if it was unimportant and anyway she had only just remembered it. `I think we saw some man talking to Asinia.'

THIRTY EIGHT

I was so furious I could cheerfully have thrown both of them to the public torturer and had them scarified with hooks. I think Pia realised the atmosphere was stickier than she liked. Even now she had no intention of telling me herself, but when her lousy bed companion coughed up freely she scowled and let him speak. Whatever she did to him afterwards would be between the two of them.

`We saw this fellow,' he told me, with a helpful demeanour. I would have admired him more for it if I had not suspected Pia had told him to keep his mouth shut. I was livid. He had held on to this vital information for over a week, even though he knew it could help catch, a pervert and save other women's lives.

'You say you saw this fellow?'

`He was talking to Asinia'

`Harrying her?''

`No, it looked all right. We noticed because Asinia never had anything to do with men. But he seemed cheery enough. We would of gone up to, them otherwise, of course.'

`Of course.' The way he was winding himself around Pia even now suggested this, charmer did not readily abandon a grope. `So what happened?'

`She answered him and he went off.' `Is that it?'

'That's all, legate.'

`You're sure you saw Asinia walk on by herself?' 'Oh yes.'

`What; was the man like?'

`Nothing much. We only saw him from behind.' `Tall?'

`No, short.'

`Build?' `Ordinary.'

`Age?'

'Couldn't say.'

`A youth or older?' `Older. Probably.' `Much older?' `Probably not.'

`Any national characteristics?' `What?' "

`Did he look Roman?' `How do you mean?' `Forget it. Hair?' `Don't know.' `Hat?'

`Don't think so.'

`What was he wearing?' `Tunic and belt.' `What colour tunic?' `Nothing particular.' `White?'

`Could have been.'

`Nothing you noticed?'

`No, legate.'

`Boots or shoes?'

`Couldn't say, legate.'

`Couldn't care less either, eh?'

`We just never noticed him much. He was ordinary.'

`So ordinary he may be a bestial killer. Why did neither of you come forward with this information before?''

`I never thought it was important,' the man assured me earnestly. Pia made no attempt to bluff. I understood her problem; she was frightened that Caius Cicurrus would blame her for letting his wife get into trouble while she herself was preoccupied with bedding this worm.

`Right. I want you to come with me to the Street of the Three Altars and point out exactly where this exchange with Asinia took place.'

`We've got things in mind!' protested the greaseball. Pia, still pretending she hardly knew him, just looked surly.

`That's; all right,' I replied in a pleasant tone. `I've got something in mind too: I'm planning to haul you both in front of a judge tonight on charges of obstructing a consular enquiry, perverting justice, and putting free citizens in danger of abduction, disfigurement and death

`Oh well; make it quick then,' muttered Pia's friend. She said nothing, but she dawdled along with us, just in case he said something she wanted to hit him for afterwards.

The rancid pair stood at the junction of the Street of the Public Fishpond, at the far end, after we had, passed by the Circus Maximus. To the left a roadway ran along the north side of the Circus towards the Forum Boarium and the river. To the, right was the incoming Via Latina. Ahead of us, across the junction, the road we had come on changed its name. A left-hand fork went to the Forum, coming out opposite the Colossus and the new Flavian Amphitheatre site. The right-hand fork was the Street, of the, Three Altars.

'So when you got here, you two were going hard; right down the Via Latina, to pass the end of the Street of Honour and Virtue, and then wend your way into Cyclops Street?' They nodded. Not knowing that my brother's girlfriend lived in the Street of Honour and Virtue they seemed subdued, by the extent of my local knowledge. `Then up volunteered Pia.

`Jupiter! She preferred a route that was quieter, so that if she got picked up by a pervert no – one would hear her scream?'

`Asinia was shy.'

`You mean, she was scared stiff of being out alone, and you knew it!' The worldly Pia should also have, known that a nervous woman alone on the streets is begging to be noticed by the kind of man who for all the wrong reasons likes his women terrified.' From the moment the two friends parted, Asinia would have been a target for harassment.' Perhaps she had discovered it on previous occasions. Perhaps that was why she liked to scuttle along away from the crowds.

`How many people were about that night?'

`Not many. A bit more than now.'

'The shows had finished? Most people had gone home?'

`Unless they had things to do.' Pia's swain giggled and groped her, in anticipation of a sweaty coupling. I ignored it.

I had not noticed Petro but he must have spotted us, for suddenly he materialised and listened in. I introduced Pia's lovelife, as best I could. '

`Oh, I know him,' Petronius sneered. 'His name's Mundus. He did not mention what Mundus had done to attract notice from the vigiles. His expression gave me a few clues, though.

I told Petro the tale. He went over it all again with Mundus, then tried the same with Pia. She still clammed up, but we had the impression it was now bad temper rather than deceit.

`What I don't see is why you broke up with Asinia by the Temple of Sol and Luna, yet you were following her again by the time she reached here?'

`At first we were going into the Temple for a smooch,' explained Mundus, as if it ought to be obvious. `We thought we would have a quick fiddle around at the Temple, then buy some food and take it to Pia's house before we really got stuck in. But when we got up the steps the portico was full of old men screwing pretty boys, so we missed out the first part.'

Petronius winced with disgust.

It seemed there was probably no more useful information to squeeze from this sordid pair. We were ready to let them go. 'Just one more thing,' I said sternly, attempting to grab Mundus' attention before he lost himself completely 'inside Pia's grubby garments. `Are you absolutely certain that the man you saw accosting Asinia was on foot?'