In a land where coastlines shifted in and out and rivers flowed backward twice a day, anything that floated could end up a very long way from where it fell into the water. The assistant's assistant's detailed description of all possible points of waterborne departure that could end in an arrival in the marshes on the north bank of the River Dee left Ruso baffled, but one thing was clear. Moments later it was apparent that although this soldier knew nothing about hospital administration and very little about writing, he had devoted his spare time to learning everything there was to know about the local fishing. "Pardon?" Ruso blinked, taken aback by this sudden display of initiative. But then, she might have gone in farther along and come up on the tide." " muttered the man, suddenly breaking off in midsentence to look up and say, "She could have drowned a long way upstream and come down the river, sir. "Found five hundred paces downstream from the pier, in marshes on the north bank," said Ruso, wishing he had carried on writing himself. body" as he scraped with awkward but determined obedience. The man laid the tablet on the end of the table, hunched over it, and repeated, "Location. "Place of death," he dictated, then corrected himself. He handed the tablet and stylus across the body He glanced up at the assistant's assistant again. On the other hand, how would the aftermath of death be affected by cold water? He scratched his ear again and yawned, trying to think what he could usefully write on the report that would not cause more distress and confusion to the relatives.įinally he settled on Time of death: uncertain, estimated at least 2 days before discovery and gave his reasons. So if the woman had been frightened or struggling. what? Men who died in the stress of battle often froze and then relaxed again much faster than was normal. There was no settling of the blood to indicate the position in which the body had been left, presumably because it had rolled over on the current. He was better acquainted than he wished to be with the dead, but this one was difficult.The water had interfered with all the signals he had learned to look for. When he had completed the description, Ruso scratched one ear and gazed down at the pale figure laid out on the table. "If somebody turns up looking for her in a month's time," he explained, "we'll be able to tell them who we buried." He recorded Strawberry birthmark approximately half an inch long on inside of upper right thigh, eight inches above the knee, and sketched the shape. Ruso continued working his way down the body, making notes as he went. "I told them we'd got a body and you'd send the details over later, sir." Someone would need to know her very well indeed to give a positive identification from that. Three teeth missing, but not in places that were obvious.
That too, although it might not be very helpful if no one had ever seen her before Finally he settled on approximately 18-25 years. He spent some time frowning over that one. Except that in this case much of the description was speculation as well.įemale, aged. Ruso, who had started work before it was light, stifled a yawn. Without taking his eyes off the body, the man shook his head.
"But you have attended a postmortem before?" "The assistant's assistant, sir." The man was staring at the corpse.
"What's the usual procedure here for unidentified bodies?" "So," said Ruso, flipping the tablet open. The assistant wrinkled his nose as he approached with the record tablet and the measuring stick he had been sent to fetch. SOMEONE HAD WASHED the mud off the body, but as Gaius Petreius Ruso unwrapped the sheet, there was still a distinct smell of river water. Safeguard Caesar as he sets off for the remotest The Twentieth Legion, Valiant and Victorious Stichus, another of Merula's security guards Printed in the United States of America by Quebecor World Fairfield Originally published in the United Kingdom in 2006 by Michael Joseph, a division of Penguin Group UKįirst published in the United States by Bloomsbury USA in 2006 This paperback edition published in 2008 THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGED THE HARDCOVER EDITION AS FOLLOWS:ĭownie, Ruth, 1955– Medicus : a novel of the Roman Empire / Ruth Downie.-1st U.S. The manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. For information address Bloomsbury USA, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.Īll papers used by Bloomsbury USA are natural, recyclable products made from wood grown in well-managed forests. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
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