Free The Fateful Day by Rosemary Rowe

working together over this, my friend.’
    ‘Friend?’ He sketched an imitation bow. ‘I’m honoured that you think to call me so. But I am hardly that. We are of different ranks. I know my place, I hope. However, it is my duty to help you if I can, though no doubt you are quite capable of solving this yourself. My master has often boasted of your skills with problems of this kind. You can provide the intellect, perhaps, and I’ll provide the brawn.’
    There was that touch of mockery again. ‘There’s nothing the matter with your intellect,’ I murmured guardedly, pulling the gates closed behind us as I spoke, ‘you’re obviously observant. You noticed instantly that the locks had not been forced.’ It sounded patronising, so I added hurriedly, ‘So come into the gatehouse cell and tell me what you think.’
    This time I stood back and let him lead the way inside while I watched him carefully. It had not escaped me that he might know more about this than he would have me think. He would have unquestioned access to the house and grounds and there was something in his manner which I found disquieting.
    But perhaps I was wrong to be suspicious. His reactions in the gatehouse seemed genuine enough. There was already a faint, unpleasant odour in the air and I saw Georgicus hesitate as he caught a whiff of it and when he pressed on to the interior his shock appeared unfeigned.
    ‘Dear gods!’ He whirled to face me. ‘I think you’re right about him being dead a day. You said you found him hanging. This is exactly as he was when you first got here earlier?’
    I nodded. It hadn’t occurred to me that it might be otherwise, until Georgicus turned to me and said, ‘Well, it seems my missing land-slaves haven’t been here, anyway. I wondered if they might have wandered up here after all, since we didn’t get our usual warm meal yesterday. The first day we were down there, they sent us a stew to heat, but last night there was no sign of anyone. There were some grumblings, as you might expect, but we had sufficient bread and cheese in any case, and since we had the hens there, we ate some eggs as well.’
    ‘The kitchens sent no food down, and you didn’t question that?’
    He raised an eyebrow at me. ‘Citizen, we’re land-slaves. It’s not our place to ask. We’d been warned that it might happen, because even the kitchen staff were being asked to help to load the carts. So, though we didn’t like it, we were stuck with it. We’re always the last ones to be fed in any case, and we’d had our strict instructions and we adhered to them. Mind you, I am not saying that I would not have come and made a fuss if nothing had arrived for us today. That’s why I wondered if my missing slaves had been here – but obviously not.’
    ‘Surely, they would have come and told you what they’d found.’ I glanced up at the corpse.
    ‘I suspect they would have cut him down first and taken him away – if only to prevent his spirit haunting them.’
    ‘Taken him – where to?’ I was surprised at that.
    He nodded. ‘There’s a hut out in the courtyard where dead slaves are always laid until someone can make contact with the Guild of Slaves who will arrange a decent funeral for them. The master sees to that. He pays the subscription dues for all of us. I thought you would have known that, citizen.’
    ‘I had forgotten,’ I told him truthfully. ‘Though Marcus did tell me that he always paid the dues, so no one’s ghost would have to walk the earth because their body has no proper resting place.’ I sounded sanctimonious, even to myself.
    Georgicus glanced at the gently swaying body on the rope. ‘That would not apply to suicides, of course. But this is not a suicide, you think?’
    ‘I am sure of it,’ I told him ‘You will see the hands are chained.’ I was childishly pleased to have the chance to point out something he had not observed himself.
    He had to go around the back to check that I was right. He