Three Hands in the Fountain - Falco 09 by Lindsey Davis

Author:Lindsey Davis [Davis, Lindsey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Historical, Rome
ISBN: 9780099515159
Publisher: Random House UK
Published: 2009-02-05T08:00:00+00:00

Helena Justina was not the world's keenest chariot race fol ower. I was happy, because the Blues were doing wel that day. While I squirmed in my seat, yel ed at their drivers'

incompetence or screamed at their successes, and munched too many figs during the tense moments, Helena sat patiently letting her mind roam elsewhere. When I leapt to my feet cheering, she Picked up my cushion and placed it ready for when my backside hit the bench again. Nice girl. You could take her anywhere. She knew how to let you know that only an idiot would be

enjoying this, but she did not openly complain.

While I relaxed, she attempted to solve the case for me. Helena understood that we were looking for somebody about whom we could only put together the sketchiest of details. During a quiet interval she produced a summary:

The nature of the crime, especial y what Lol ius told you about the mutilations that are carried out, indicates you are looking for a man.

`The kil er could be anyone, senator or slave. The one thing about him that you can safely deduce is that he does not look suspicious. If he did, the dead women would never have gone with him.

`You know something about his age: these deaths go back years. Unless he started in his cradle, he must be middle- aged or older.

`You and Petro both think he's a loner. If he was working with someone else, then after al this time one or other would either have made a mistake or let slip part of the story. That's human nature. The more people involved, the greater the chance of one getting drunk, or being spied on by his wife, or attracting notice from the vigiles on an unrelated charge. Shared knowledge spil s out more easily. So you reckon it's one person.

`You think he finds it hard to make social contact. The nature of the crime suggests its motive is sexual gratification, excitement through revenge.

Ìf Bolanus is right that he lives outside Rome-which you are stil considering - then he is someone with access to transport. So women like Asinia are being abducted near the Circus then taken elsewhere - whether they are stil alive or already dead by then we don't know.

`He can use a knife. He must be fit. Overpowering people, butchering them, and carrying their bodies, takes physical strength.

`He lives somewhere he can be secretive. Or at least he has access to a bolthole. He has Privacy for kil ing, and whatever else he does. He can store bodies while he starts disposing of them. He can wash himself and his bloodstained clothes without being noticed.

Ìt does sound quite detailed,' Helena mused as she completed the Picture for me. 'But it isn't enough, Marcus. Most urgently you need to know what he looks like. Someone must be able to describe him, though they obviously don't realise who he is. He can't be successful every time. He must sometimes have approached women who ignored him or told him to get lost.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.