‘More often than not. Even premeditating killers are often quite stupid.’
Heron acknowledged this and continued: ‘When I was told that the eminent Nicanor had been first on the scene, my mind took flight extravagantly, I must admit. I know Nicanor also -’ He favoured us with his sweetest, most mischievous smile of all. ‘I have often thought I would like to harness Nicanor’s bluster.That energetic material would surely work some miraculous device!’
Heron paused again so we could all laugh at his joke.
‘So do you have a theory?’ Helena prompted gently.
‘I have a suggestion. I will call it no more. I cannot prove my idea with mathematical rules, nor to the high legal standard you would require, Falco. Sometimes, however, we should not seek answers that are intricate or outrageous. Human nature and material behaviour may suffice. I took myself to the Librarian’s room, to inspect the scene of this mystery of yours.’
‘I wish I had been there with you, sir.’
‘Well, you may visit again and test my ideas at your leisure. I propose nothing complicated. First,’ said Heron, making it all sound so logical I felt ashamed not to have seen this myself, ‘over the centuries, the great Library has suffered many times from the earthquakes we experience here in Egypt. ’Young Albia squeaked and bounced about; Aulus nudged her quiet. ‘The building has withstood the shocks -’ He chortled. ‘So far! One day, who knows? Our whole city lies on low land, scored and silted by the Nile Delta. Perhaps it may yet slip into the sea . . .’ He fell silent, as if troubled by his own speculations.
It was Aulus who worked out where the original comment had been heading. ‘The doors to the room stick - one very badly.’
Heron revived. ‘Ah, excellent young man! You catch my drift. The door sticks so much, I myself could not open it. Earthquake damage has shifted the floor and doorframe; routine maintenance has failed to address this problem. Were that my room, I should devote myself to arranging some system of artificial exodus, in case I found myself trapped one day . . .’
‘So you think Theon found himself stuck?’ suggested Albia.
‘My dear, I think he never knew the doors had been locked. I suspect his death was entirely coincidental to what happened with the key.’
‘I am more and more inclined,’ I said, ’to call Theon’s death a suicide.’
‘That would be like him.’ Heron nodded soberly. He sank into reverie.
After a while, I nudged him on: ‘So the doors stick . . . ?’
Once again, Heron roused himself, throwing off his moment of melancholy. ‘Consider the scene. Theon, finding his struggles with life unbearable, has decided to end everything; he has made sure he closes the doors firmly, so he will not be disturbed. Then, let us imagine, along comes Nibytas. I do not know - perhaps nobody will ever know - whether the Librarian is already dead inside his room. Nibytas is very agitated; he wants to urge Theon into action, but Theon has already shown reluctance. Nibytas is elderly in any case; he may be confused, easily made to panic when things do not go all his way. He comes to the double doors; he cannot open them. He lacks the strength to force them -’
‘I nearly put my shoulder out,’ I confirmed.
‘Less youthful than you, Falco, less fit and more clumsy, Nibytas just cannot budge the doors. It is late; he knows Theon may not be in the building. He wonders if the lock has been engaged. The key is hanging on its hook. Nibytas fails to see that this means Theon must be around somewhere and the doors not locked - he tries the key anyway. We can see him in our mind’s eye, fumbling, perhaps growing angry, thwarted, concentrating on his preoccupations - well, you know what happens when a lock is difficult. This is what I mean about human nature. You forget which way the key turns.’
I took up the idea. ‘So you think Nibytas turned the key one way, then the other, becoming frustrated. The lock was working; the doors were simply jammed. Theon did not come to help him - he was probably already dead inside the room. In the end, Nibytas stormed off, taking the key with him - probably by accident. And in his muddle, he had left the doors locked.’
‘I cannot prove it.’
‘Perhaps not. But it is neat, logical and likely. It convinces me.’
I told Heron that when he tired of academic life, there would be a job for him as an informer. The great man had the courtesy to say he did not have the brains for it.
LVI
Once sluggish cases start moving, a dam-breaking cascade will often burst. Well, Aulus poked about with a stick and made a muddy mess.
The noble Camillus decided this was the moment to challenge Roxana about her doubtful sighting on the night that Heras died. I should have stopped him, but he was acting out of friendship. He felt he owed it to Heras, so I gave him his head.
We went to see her together. Helena and Albia insisted on that. They both wanted to come with us but we men took a firm line that we needed no chaperons. Nonetheless, under the influence of Heron, we used our common sense.
Roxana received us meekly enough. She seemed subdued, and told us that her relationship with Philadelphion had foundered. Apparently, he now had to consider his career - though the bounder had actually claimed he was overcome by wanting to do right by his wife and family. Roxana said she knew a lie when she saw one. Aulus and I glanced at one another, but did not ask how she knew. She would never admit to telling fibs herself, but would blame her dealings with men for teaching her about deception. We were men of the world. We knew that.
We discussed the night of the crocodile. I let Aulus do the questioning. ‘We have been told that on the night in question, you saw Chaereas and Chaeteas, the zoo assistants. True?’
‘Locking up the crocodile,’ Roxana agreed.
‘Well, not locking him up, it transpired, ’Aulus told her grimly. ‘They were busy talking?’
‘Intently’
‘Why did you not mention this before?’
‘It must have slipped my mind.’
‘You were near enough to overhear their conversation?’
‘Is that what you were told?’ asked Roxana narrowly. ‘Then I must have been.’
‘You tell me.’
‘I just did.’
I shifted. I would not have wasted any time on her. But Aulus was determined, so I let him be.
‘This time, try and remember everything. You told me you had also seen a man, near to Sobek’s enclosure just before you and Heras realised the crocodile was loose.’
‘He was right there. Doing something by the gate.’
‘And were you still very near the gate?’
No,’ said Roxana, as if explaining to an idiot. ‘When I saw the two assistants, then I was close by, on my own, looking for Heras. By the time I saw the other man, they had gone. Heras had arrived, so when we thought there was somebody coming, we took evasive action.’
‘What exactly?’
‘We jumped into the bushes.’ She said it without a blush. Well, this was a lady who would climb up a palm tree if her life was threatened.
‘So you were ashamed of being with Heras?’
‘I am not ashamed of anything.’
Aulus sneered. That was unprofessional, and Roxana smirked at him.
‘So who came along? I am sure you know really,’ he admonished her sternly.
Roxana was a stranger to admonishments. She looked puzzled at his tone.
‘Was it Nicanor?’ asked Aulus. In court, Nicanor might have denounced that as a leading question.