This made me thoughtful. ‘Can you remember any of these complaints, Pastous? Who did he complain to, can you tell me that?’
‘The Librarian. He had been badgering Theon a lot recently, though I cannot tell you what about. I overheard an exchange, but it was only part of the conversation; I think they realised I was nearby and both of them dropped their voices. Nibytas, the old man, snorted fiercely “
I could only shrug. ‘Without knowing the subject, how can I say?’
Helena leaned forwards. ‘Pastous, would you say the Librarian was depressed about this conversation?’
‘He seemed in deepest gloom,’ Pastous answered gravely. ’As if utterly defeated.’
‘He did not care?’ asked Aulus.
‘No, Camillus Aelianus; I felt he cared very much. It was as if he thought to himself, let Nibytas make a fuss if he wanted. Dissuading Nibytas ¦was too hard. Speaking to the Director would achieve nothing, but there was nothing to lose by it.’
‘Did you feel the Librarian himself might already have raised the subject - whatever it was - fruitlessly with Philetus?’
Pastous considered. ‘Very likely, Falco.’
I picked my teeth discreetly. ‘I saw Philetus earlier today, leaving the Library. Is it like him to make visits?’
‘Not in normal times - though since we lost the Librarian he comes along to see us. He walks around. He inspects the scrolls. He asks if there are any problems.’
‘You could say that was good practice!’ Helena murmured, being fair.
I scoffed. ‘Or think he was up to something! What does inspecting the scrolls entail?’
‘Gazing at the shelves. Making little notes on a tablet. Asking what the staff believe are trick questions, to see if they are doing their jobs.’
‘How’s that?’
‘He requests peculiar books - old works, material in unusual subjects - then when we produce them, he just makes one of his notes and sends them back to be reshelved.’
‘Hmm. Pastous, what do you know of a man called Diogenes?’
Before he answered, Pastous laid his knife in his bowl and pushed the empty bowl away from him. He spoke very formally: ‘I have had no dealings with this man. So I have nothing against him.’
Aulus picked up on that, grinning slightly. ‘But you think you ought to be suspicious!’
Pastous smiled back. ‘Should I?’
I said, ‘The first time I saw this Diogenes, I immediately felt I would not like what he did. Occasionally people have that effect. Sometimes, it is just unfortunate for them that they give such a bad impression -but sometimes the gut feeling they inspire is exactly right.’
‘Who is he?’ asked Helena.
‘Philetus calls him as a scroll-seller.’
‘He buys too,’ stated Pastous, with an air of infinite sadness. He had both palms against the edge of the table where we were sitting, while he stared at the board about a foot from his hands, not meeting anybody’s eye.
I let out a low whistle. Then I said, matching his regret, ‘Don’t tell me: he tries to buy scrolls from the Library?’
‘I have heard that, Falco.’
‘Theon used to give him the bum’s rush - the Director sees it differently?’
‘Whatever Philetus is doing,’ answered Pastous, his voice now extremely gentle, ‘I have no idea. I am below the level at which such an important man would share his confidence.’
He was a library administrator. His life there was quiet, orderly and on the whole free from anxiety or excitement. He worked with the world’s knowledge, an abstract concept; it could cause dissension, though rarely to the extent of physical violence. If library staff ever see anyone attacked - and of course it must happen, for they are dealing with the public, a mad crew - it tends to be a sudden, inexplicable outburst from someone who is mentally unstable. Libraries do attract such people; they act as a refuge for them.
But deliberate harm is almost never levelled at librarians. They know time-wasters, book thieves and ink- spilling desecraters of great works - but they are not targets for hit-men. It was all the more chilling, therefore, when this open, clearly honest man at last raised his eyes and looked at me directly.
‘There is one other thing I overheard, Didius Falco. I heard Theon give a warning to the old man: “
We had a fine meal. I said afterwards, the proprietor must have been the library assistant’s cousin, giving us special treatment.
‘No Falco; I am not specially known here,’ Pastous replied seriously.
XLII
I handed Aulus cash to settle up for lunch, and led Pastous aside. ‘Be very careful. Theon was right: speaking out against your superiors is always risky. I am very unhappy about what we are dealing with here.’
If this Diogenes was involved in murky business, aided and encouraged by the Museion Director, and if both Theon and Nibytas had found out, that would explain much. Bad feeling, at the very least. But Philetus could well claim that as Director he had full authority to sell off scrolls if, in his judgement, they were no longer required. Who had the power to overrule him? Probably only the Emperor, and he was too far away.
What was going on might be no more than sleazy. Philetus might be turfing out work by writers he personally hated, discredited material, outdated books that would never be looked at again. He might well call this routine housekeeping. Any difference of opinion on the philosophy behind it could resolve itself when they appointed a new Librarian. In any case, if weeding out works was decided to be more than just unorthodox, if it was deemed to be wrong, then Vespasian could issue a directive that no scrolls held at the Great Library were ever to be sold. Only one thing deterred me from making such a recommendation at once: the famously stingy Vespasian might like the idea. He was more likely to insist scrolls were sold in large numbers, with the money raised all sent to him in Rome.
It could be assumed that if Philetus really was selling off scrolls to Diogenes, the income was used for the overall benefit of the Museion or the Library. But if Philetus was removing books on the sly and taking the money himself, that was different. It was theft, no question.
Nobody had suggested that. Nobody had given me any proof of it either. But perhaps it never crossed their minds that a Director could do such a thing.
There could be worse. Trouble about the scroll-selling could have led to foul play. We had two recent deaths at the Library. I would need the strongest kind of evidence to suggest a scroll fraud had caused them. Most people would guffaw at it. To proceed on my suspicions would mean going over the head of the Director, since he appeared to be involved. That meant taking matters to the Roman Prefect.
I was not stupid. Unless I found proof, it was out of the question.
I made Pastous promise simply to observe. If he saw Diogenes in the Great Library, he was quickly to alert Aulus or me. If the Director appeared again, Pastous was to watch surreptitiously what Philetus was doing, keeping a record of scrolls he asked to see.
Aulus and Pastous went off to finish reading the old man’s documents. I took Helena home to my uncle’s house. I wanted to discuss with her, alone, the other aspect of this story: Diogenes was connected to Uncle Fulvius.
‘If Diogenes is a trader,’ Helena mused, ’he could be involved in all sorts of commerce with numerous people. It doesn’t follow that what he is doing at the Library also involves your uncle.’
‘No, and the sun never sets in the west.’
‘Marcus, we could ask Fulvius about it.’
‘The trouble with Fulvius is that even if he is completely innocent, he will give us a tricky answer on principle. And what am I to do, love, if I find out there is a scam - and a member of my own family is in it? Possibly more
