suspected anything or maybe he was bribed, I don’t know.”
“The crews of the two ships would have to know what was going on. No one talked?”
“They were paid not to.”
“The money chests are tallied at the treasury. Silvanus must have known about this then.”
“I don’t think so. When Balbus would make up the assessments every year he would levy, say, eight talents from Sinope and write that in his book, but he told the Sinopeans to pay nine talents. The extra talent he would divert; it’s like it never existed.”
Pliny exchanged a stunned look with Suetonius. The enormity of the thing was almost too much to take in. He would have to arrest all four captains and put them through whatever was necessary to find the guilty one.
“And how did you get involved in this?”
“Well, he needed someplace to keep the money, didn’t he? And a way to distribute it. I only did what he told me, I was nothing but his tool.”
“Distribute it to whom?”
Didymus shut his mouth tight and shook his head.
“Come now, you’ve told me this much. This is where the cult comes in, isn’t it? That’s where you two met. Who are the others, Didymus? What was the money used for? What has all this got to do with a barbarian sun god?”
The banker was silent.
“I can drag in everyone you’ve loaned money to and question them.”
“You think that would be wise, Governor?”
Pliny felt an urge to reach out and grab the little man by the throat and shake him. He took a deep breath and struggled to get himself under control. “It seems you’re more afraid of these Mithras worshippers—this Sun-Runner—than you are of me. I can protect you from them.”
“But you can’t!” The little man’s voice rose, the stump of his arm flailed the air. You’ll go home in a year or two. It doesn’t matter what happens to me but I have a wife and son who have to live here the rest of their lives. My son hopes to follow me in my business.” He was near tears.
Pliny held up his hands. “Yes, of course, I see that. You’ve gotten yourself in quite a fix, haven’t you? But let’s come back to Balbus. You had a falling out with him and you killed him.”
“I deny it and you have no proof.”
“Haven’t I?” Pliny sighed. He had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. “Suetonius, if you would, go out and bring in the witness, he’s waiting in the antechamber.”
Suetonius led Aulus in.
“You!” Didymus leapt off his stool, knocking it over. He spat and made the sign of the horns with his fingers.
“When we first spoke, I found it curious how you insisted that Balbus’ son wasn’t right in his head and saw things that weren’t there. What were you afraid he saw, Didymus? You and Glaucon murdering his father? Well, he did,” Pliny lied, “and he’ll testify to it in court.”
“Keep him away from me!”
Aulus blinked his eyes and began to sway; Pliny could see a seizure coming on. “Take the boy out, Suetonius,” he said quickly. “It’s enough.”
Pliny looked severely at Didymus. “I would rather have spared you both this confrontation. Now tell me what Balbus did to you that drove you to kill him.”
“He beat me! Me, a one-armed man! Called me a thief, a Greekling, he spat on me! They all looked down on me, those high-and-mighty ones, but where would they have been without me?”
“Why did Balbus beat you?”
“The whore, Sophronia! I’d had reverses, I couldn’t pay her back. How was I to know she was Balbus’ mistress, that some of the money was his? He said he’d have me expelled from the—the worship. Said they’d find another banker. Not likely! The Roman bully, me a one-armed man— ” Didymus was working himself into a fury, red-faced with tears streaming down his cheeks, his one fist clenched white. He spewed a string of curses that was remarkable for its variety and inventiveness. Suetonius, who was contemplating a monograph on Greek terms of abuse, hoped the shorthand writer was getting it all down.
Pliny waited patiently until the banker had worn himself out and sat gasping for breath, beyond speech. “You really must take a little wine, my friend. I understand perfectly how you must have felt. Insufferable the way they treated you. Let us just clear up a few details. You intercepted Balbus on his way to the cave. How did you persuade Glaucon to help you? I don’t have