Free A Death in the Venetian Quarter by Alan Gordon

said.
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œA poison that takes that long to take effect? Yet it caused no other symptoms? No vomiting, no headaches apparent to others? Name me one that does that.”
    â€œI can’t right now,” I confessed.
    â€œMe, neither,” said Rico. “And I’m pretty good with them.”
    â€œYou must teach me more about that subject,” said Plossus.
    â€œNo need,” said Rico. “You want to poison anyone, just cook them dinner.”
    â€œSo, he must have been poisoned in his room,” she persisted. “Which means that the poisoner must have been in there, and cleared up the evidence afterward.”
    â€œBut no one saw anyone go in with him, or come out later,” I said.
    â€œYou only spoke with three people so far,” she said.
    â€œTrue enough. But you’d think they would have noticed our mystery woman.”

    â€œMaybe she just vanished into smoke,” suggested Plossus. “She’s a witch, isn’t she?”
    â€œWitchcraft?” she scoffed. “A woman acts oddly and everyone immediately leaps to the conclusion that she’s a witch. They could say the same about me.”
    â€œAnd we do,” said Rico. Then he ducked as an apple sailed over his head. Even dwarves have to duck sometimes.
    â€œAnd you’re assuming something else that may not be correct,” she said.
    â€œWhich is?”
    â€œThat the woman at the funeral and the woman visitor are one and the same. Maybe the mistress of the mansion is merely a loved one and the prostitute from the forum is a separate visitor.”
    â€œThat could be,” I said. “I think that Plossus and I are going to have to insinuate ourselves into the community a little more. I fear that Philoxenites is right in worrying about an insurrection coming out of that quarter. The sermon this morning was almost a call to take the cross.”
    â€œIt would be suicide, don’t you think?” said Plossus. “They wouldn’t even have to wait for the Varangians to knock them off. All the Venetians need to do is give someone an excuse to wipe them out, and the Pisans and the Genoese will be over the walls in a heartbeat.”
    â€œI didn’t think the Pisans and the Genoese got along that well,” said Aglaia.
    â€œWhen it comes to stomping Venetians, they are in complete agreement,” I said. “They’re the best allies the Greeks have right now. All right, we’ll meet back here for dinner tomorrow and plan the evening’s burglary. Good night, gentlemen.”
    â€œBut you’ve only just gotten up,” protested Plossus.
    â€œLad, let me explain to you once again about married people and their peculiar behavior,” said Rico, tugging at his sleeve.

    They left. We cleared the table and went to bed.
    Later, as we held each other, she brought up the poisoning again.
    â€œAlways the romantic,” I said. “That’s what I love about you.”
    â€œI just think that if we could figure out the how, it would help us figure out the who,” she said. “You say that he turned pink?”
    â€œYes. Perhaps it was done with cosmetics.”
    â€œYou’re not taking me seriously,” she muttered.
    â€œI’m a jester,” I reminded her.
    â€œWhen we’re alone, you’re my husband,” she reminded me. “You can stop performing. At least, in that manner.”
    I propped my chin up on my hands and looked into her eyes.
    â€œWhen we’re alone, I shall perform however you wish me to,” I said. “And I was wrong about one other thing.”
    â€œWhat was that?” she said, smiling as I gathered her to me.
    â€œI know one woman who is truly magical.”
    And now, my fellow fools, I shall turn this narrative over to my good wife.

FIVE
    Most adept at prognosticating the future, she knew how to manage the present according to her own will and pleasure, and in