you right now.”
She tried to think of something else besides this blasted darkness. “Cira probably knew about that vomitorium. This was her town, her place. I can see her walking around, talking, laughing, playing her games with the men of the town.”
“So can I. That's not hard to imagine.”
“Not for someone like you who definitely thinks about Cira in a physical sense. She did what she had to do to survive.”
“She was no martyr. She enjoyed life. According to Julius's scrolls she had an unseemly sense of humor, but he forgave her because in bed she was a true goddess.”
“How patronizing. She probably had to have a sense of humor if she was forced to go to bed with him.”
“No force. Choice. She made the choice, Jane.”
“Her birth and circumstances made the choice. What else did the scrolls say about her?”
“That she was kind to her friends, ruthless to her enemies, and it wasn't wise to cross her.”
“Who were her friends?”
“The actors in the theater. She didn't trust anyone else.”
“No family?”
“No. She took a street boy into her home and was said to have been very kind to him.”
“No mention of anyone else?”
“Not as far as I remember. Most of Julius's scrolls concerned her beauty and sexual prowess, not her maternal attributes.”
“Chauvinist pig.”
He chuckled. “Me or Julius?”
“Both of you.”
“Chauvinist or not, he was ready to kill for her. In one scroll he was contemplating murdering his rival who was stealing her away from him.”
“Who was it?”
“He didn't name him. He referred to him as a young actor who had recently come to Herculaneum and taken the town by storm. Evidently he had also taken Cira by storm and it threw Julius into a rage.”
“Did he kill him?”
“I don't know.”
“He's far more likely to have tried to kill Cira if he couldn't change her mind about leaving him.”
“You think so? Interesting.”
Not interesting. Horrible. And only a small example of the life Cira had lived.
Trevor suddenly stopped. “Here's the passage Joe will take to get to the ledge overlooking the vomitorium.” He shone the light on the rocky wall to the left and she saw a shallow dark cavity close to the tunnel floor. “It's barely crawl space and he'll have to wriggle through the opening, but two yards into the passage he can stand and walk upright until he gets to the ledge.”
“I would never have noticed it if you hadn't pointed it out.”
“And neither will Aldo.” He started down the tunnel again. “There are too many offshoot branches in this tunnel for him to notice a small hole in the wall. He's going to have a plethora of choices.”
“Aren't we close to the vomitorium yet?”
“Yes, a few minutes' walk from here.”
“Then let's hurry. I want out of here.”
It seemed longer than the few minutes Trevor had stipulated when he stepped aside and shone his flashlight into the blackness ahead. “Here we are. Not exactly the most elegant example of Cira's time. Though those six marble bases that are scattered around the area probably held statues of gods and goddesses and maybe the current emperor on the throne.”
But the bases were now jagged, broken remnants that guarded the darkness of the three tunnels leading off the vomitorium like sentinels with bared teeth. There were three photography can lights and a battery generator next to the bases but she paid no attention to them. She took a step forward, her gaze on the center of the room. A long red velvet cloth lay on the rocky ground.
“What's that?”
“Part of my prep work. I wanted to make sure Aldo knew he'd reached pay dirt.”
“I'd think that the lights would tip him off.”
“Okay, it's a little dramatic touch. So I'm a ham.”
The velvet looked like a splotch of blood in the oozing darkness and she couldn't take her gaze off it. “That's where you're going to put the coffin?”
“Eventually. But we want Aldo to know what's coming. We can lead him so far and then we turn him loose to search for himself. After he spots this place, he'll start setting up his plans.” He pointed to the walls. “I've already placed the torches.” He indicated a wall to the left facing the vomitorium. “Do you see that small opening in the face of the rock about thirty feet up? That opens to the passage I showed you. Joe will be lying on his ledge and able to point his rifle directly down into this area. And, as a matter of fact, the video camera I mentioned is filming us right now.” He pointed to a large flat rock close to the ground. “I'll be right there and able to roll that rock aside to get out and help you if something goes wrong.”
Her gaze shifted to the right. “Two tunnels lead off this area?”
“Three including the one you'll be using.”
“And Aldo will be in one of them?” She couldn't seem to tear her gaze from the yawning darkness. She could imagine him there now, watching them. “Isn't there any way we could go after him and try to hunt him down once we're sure he's there? You said he won't be familiar with these tunnels.”
“Joe and I talked about the possibility.” He shook his head. “It could be a nightmare to try to track someone. These tunnels are like a maze and there are at least two exits besides the one at Via Spagnola. He could stumble on one of them and then we'd lose him.” He paused. “But if you're having second thoughts about drawing him into the open, tell me. It's your choice, Jane.”
“I was only asking. I'm not having second thoughts.”
His lips twisted. “I believe I was hoping you were.”
“How strange.” She took another step toward the velvet cloth. “It looks . . .”
Blood. Pain. Aldo standing looking down at the velvet in triumph.
Imagination.
Crush the fear. She swallowed. “It looks very theatrical.” She turned away and started back toward the tunnel. “I'm sure Cira would have approved.”
“Only if it was a comedy. Tragedy wasn't her forte.”
“Not mine either.”
His hand was on her elbow, supporting, comforting. “And I intend to keep it that way. Let's get out of here.”
I'll go ahead.” Trevor climbed the ladder and opened the trapdoor to the kitchen. “If Quinn is awake and stirring, then I'll be the one to face his wrath first.” He glanced around the room, and whispered, “All clear.”
She hadn't realized how relieved she'd be to know she wouldn't have to confront Joe and Eve. She was shaken enough without having to deal with any other emotion.
“Get to bed,” Trevor said as he pulled her up into the kitchen and shut the trapdoor. “Tomorrow's a big day.”
“For Eve,” Jane said. “Not me. As far as the media is concerned, I'm only here because I'm Eve's kid and she wanted to expose me to European culture.”
“But since she's not too accessible, they may try to get at her through you. And anyone who read the
“It was too blurred. Sam did a good job.”
He stiffened. “Sam? You're on first-name terms?”
“He's that kind of man. And we hit it off.”
