Death Ex Machina Read online

  ALSO BY GARY CORBY

  The Pericles Commission

  The Ionia Sanction

  Sacred Games

  The Marathon Conspiracy

  Copyright © 2015 Gary Corby

  All rights reserved.

  First published in the United States by

  Soho Press, Inc.

  853 Broadway

  New York, NY 10003

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Corby, Gary.

  Death ex machina / Gary Corby.

  1. Nicolaos (Fictitious character : Corby)—Fiction. 2. Diotima (Legendary character)—Fiction. 3. Private investigators—Fiction. 4. Murder—Investigation—Fiction. 5. Athens (Greece)—Fiction. 6. Greece—History—Athenian supremacy, 479-431 B.C.—Fiction. I. Title. PR9619.4.C665D43 2015 823’.92—dc23 2014042465

  HC ISBN 978-1-61695-519-9

  PB ISBN 978-1-61695-676-9

  eISBN 978-1-61695-520-5

  Interior design by Janine Agro, Soho Press, Inc.

  v3.1

  For Gweneth Mary Corby

  because every writer has a Mum

  Contents

  Cover

  Other Books by This Author

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Map

  Theatrical Terms

  The Actors

  Scene 1: Rehearsal for Death

  Scene 2: The Psyche of the Great Dionysia

  Scene 3: The Ghost of Thespis

  Scene 4: The Mask

  Scene 5: Drama Therapy

  Scene 6: Fall from Favor

  Scene 7: Break a Leg

  Scene 8: The Healing Machine

  Scene 9: The Tritagonist

  Scene 10: This is becoming a Habit

  Scene 11: Crowded House

  Scene 12: Time Passes

  Scene 13: Just Hanging Around

  Scene 14: Descent into Melite

  Scene 15: Whoops

  Scene 16: The Academy

  Scene 17: The Polemarch

  Scene 18: Conference of War

  Scene 19: The Speech

  Scene 20: Writers’ Conference

  Scene 21: The Previous Day Dawns Again

  Scene 22: The Funeral

  Scene 23: The Protagonist

  Scene 24: Friends make the Worst Enemies

  Scene 25: A Sudden Revelation

  Scene 26: The Vegetable Woman

  Scene 27: Salaminia

  Scene 28: The Skeleton in the Family Closet

  Scene 29: All is not as it Seems

  Scene 30: The Lakon Identity

  Scene 31: The Hand of Sabazios

  Scene 32: The High Priest

  Scene 33: The Strange Tenant

  Scene 34: The Rites of Sabazios

  Scene 35: Professional Indiscretions

  Scene 36: The Feast

  Scene 37: The False Trial

  Scene 38: Deus Ex Machina

  Scene 39: A Happy Ending!

  Scene 40: Denouement

  Author Note

  Glossary

  Acknowledgments

  THEATRICAL TERMS

  MODERN THEATER COMES from the plays of classical Athens, including most of our theatrical terms. Many of the words haven’t changed their meaning in 2,500 years. A chorus is still a chorus. An amphitheater is still an amphitheater. There’s a certain magic in the idea that actors on stage today use the same words that you would have heard on stage in 458BC.

  A few words have changed their meaning slightly. The wall at the back of the stage was called a skene. The latest innovation in Nico’s time was to paint the skene to match the subject of the play. That’s the origin of our words scene and scenery. In this book, Nico says skene to mean the wall, and scene to mean the action on stage.

  In ancient Greek, the word orchestra means the place where the chorus stands. The classical Greek orchestra is the stage! To avoid confusion, Nico always uses the modern word stage where in his own tongue he would have said orchestra.

  Greek plays were arranged in scenes, but they didn’t have acts. Scenes were interspersed with songs sung by the chorus, who commented on the plot, rather like a narrator.

  There is one technical term in this book written in Latin, which is an odd thing in a mystery of classical Athens, but that’s how we know the term in modern English. I refer of course to the infamous plot technique, created by those dastardly Greeks, of deus ex machina.

  THE ACTORS

  Every name in this book is a genuine one from the classical world. Some are still in use. To this day there are people named Nicolaos. It’s also the origin of our Nicholas.

  Other names you might already know because they belong to famous people, such as Socrates and Pericles.

  But some names from thousands of years ago are unusual to our modern eyes. I hope you’ll say each name however sounds happiest to you, and have fun reading the story.

  For those who’d like a little more guidance, I’ve suggested a way to say each name in the character list. My suggestions do not match ancient pronunciation. They’re how I think the names will sound best in an English sentence.

  That’s all you need to read the book!

  Characters with an asterisk by their name were real historical people.

  Nicolaos

  NEE-CO-LAY-OS

  (Ni​cho​las)

  Our protagonist

  “How do you get a ghost out of a theater?”

  Pericles*

  PERRY-CLEEZ

  A politician

  “How in Hades should I know? That’s your job.”

  Diotima*

  DIO-TEEMA

  A Priestess of Artemis

  Wife of Nico

  “There’s no such thing as ghosts. Of course, there might be a psyche haunting the theater.”

  Socrates*

  SOCK-RA-TEEZ

  An irritant Brother of Nico

  “Have you ever wondered why dead bodies mummify?”

  Sophocles*

  SOFF-O-CLEEZ

  A playwright Author of Sisyphus

  “That’s the machine. We use it to lift actors into the air when they’re playing gods.”

  Aeschylus*

  AY-SHILL-US

  A playwright

  “Every writer in Athens is desperate to see his work at the Great Dionysia. It’s a wonder there isn’t a bloodbath every time the authors apply.”

  Chorilos*

  KORR-E-LOS

  A playwright

  “If only it were that simple.”

  Euripides*

  YOU-RIP-ID-EEZ

  A wannabe

  Creepy and intense tragic fan

  “My mother didn’t send you, did she?”

  Cleito*

  CLY-TOE

  Euripides’s Mother

  “You want to buy my onions?”

  Lakon

  LAY-KON

  Lead actor (protagonist) of Sisyphus

  “I’m not the monster you think I am.”

  Phellis

  FELL-ISS

  Second actor in Sisyphus

  “It’s not my fault. There’s a slippery patch.”

  Romanos

  ROM-AN-OS

  Third actor in Sisyphus

  “The fact is, if I’m to get ahead in my profession, then I must become a citizen.”

  Kebris

  KEB-RIS

  An old actor

  “Death happens.”

  Kiron

  KEE-RON

  Stage manager

  “You probably think I’m a tough boss.”

  Akamas

  AK-AM-AS

  Member of the stage crew

  “If Thespis can be a ghost, and I saw a ghost, then it mus
t be Thespis, right? That’s logic.”

  Stephanos of Vitale

  STEFF-AN-OS

  Scene painter

  “It’s the clients in this town that drive me crazy. You wouldn’t believe how many of them demand changes to perfectly good pictures.”

  Theokritos

  THEO-KRIT-OS

  High Priest of Dionysos

  “Real men drink wine.”

  Euboulides and Pheidestratos

  YOU-BOL-EED-EEZ

  FIE-DE-STRAT-OS

  Two slaves of the Scythian Guard

  “It don’t normally take only a cup of wine to knock me down, master. Normally it’s more like … uh … ten.”

  Melpon

  MEL-PON

  A doctor with a machine

  “If you must throw up, do it outside.”

  Kordax

  CORD-AX

  Captain of Salaminia

  “I’ve become addicted to speed. Do you know I’ve traveled faster than any man who’s ever lived?”

  Lysanias*

  LIE-SAN-E-US

  An elder statesman

  “Is Athens in dire peril? Is our city on the verge of destruction?”

  Pythax

  PIE-THAX

  Chief of the city guard of Athens

  Father-in-law of Nicolaos

  “Sisyphus had it coming to him.”

  Sophroniscus*

  SOFF-RON-ISK-US

  Father of Nicolaos

  “Sometimes the best thing to do is accept a defeat and move on.”

  Phaenarete*

  FAIN-A-RET-EE

  Mother of Nicolaos

  A midwife

  “Your father is right, Nico.”

  Euterpe

  YOU-TERP-E

  Mother of Diotima

  “I think you should thank me for choosing you such an interesting husband.”

  Habron*

  HAB-RON

  The Eponymous Archon

  Also, he’s the man in charge of the calendar

  “What’s the date today?”

  The Basileus

  BASS-IL-E-US

  (origin of our word Ba​si​li​ca)

  The city official in charge of religious affairs

  “Gentlemen, this is a murder committed in the presence of the God.”

  The Polemarch

  POL-E-MARK

  Official in charge of resident aliens in Athens

  “That’s it, then. We’re doomed.”

  Andros

  AND-ROSS

  Assistant to the Polemarch

  “Nobody ever reads government records. We just keep them.”

  Thodis

  THOAD-ISS

  Choregos (producer) of the play Sisyphus

  “They tell me that protagonists are important people.”

  Maia

  MAY-AH

  A professional mourner

  “Euoi saboi! Euoi saboi!”

  Petros

  PET-ROS

  Husband of Maia

  “Did you enjoy it?”

  Sisyphus

  SISSY-FUSS

  King of Corinth

  Also, he pushes boulders uphill

  A character in the play Sisyphus by Sophocles.

  Thanatos

  THAN-A-TOS

  God of death

  A character in the play Sisyphus by Sophocles.

  Thespis*

  THESP-ISS

  As in, thespian

  A ghost

  The world’s first actor. He’s been dead for fifty years, but not even dead actors can resist an encore.

  The Chorus

  Assorted guardsmen, sailors, drunken revelers, actors, stage crew, and believe it or not, a Greek chorus!

  SCENE 1

  REHEARSAL FOR DEATH

  IN MY TIME as an investigator I had received many difficult assignments, problems that were usually dangerous, often deadly, and sometimes downright impossible.

  But no one before had ever asked me to arrest a ghost.

  “You can’t be serious, Pericles,” I said.

  “Of course I’m not,” he replied. He sounded exasperated. “But unfortunately for both of us, the actors are completely serious.”

  “What actors?” I asked.

  “The ghost is in the Theater of Dionysos,” Pericles said. “The actors refuse to enter the theater until the ghost is gone.”

  “Oh,” I said, and then, after I’d thought about it, “Oh dear.”

  The timing couldn’t be worse, because the Great Dionysia was about to begin. The Dionysia was the largest and most important arts festival in the world. Thousands of people were flocking into Athens. They came from every corner of civilization: from the city states of Greece, from Egypt and Crete and Phoenicea and Sicily, from Ionia and Phrygia. All these people came to hear the choral performances and to see the plays: the comedies and the tragedies.

  Most of all they came for the tragedies. Every city has fine singers. Every city has comics who can make you laugh. But only Athens, the greatest city in all the world, has tragedy.

  “The producers have ordered the actors back to work,” Pericles said. “The playwrights have begged them, even I have spoken to them, but the actors say they fear for their lives.”

  He wiped the sweat from his brow as he spoke. Pericles had hailed me in the middle of the agora, which at this time of the morning was always crowded. He had called me by my name, so loudly that every man, woman, and child in the marketplace had turned to look. Then Pericles had lifted the skirt of his ankle-length chiton and in full view of the people had run like a woman, leaping over jars of oil for sale and dodging around laden shoppers, all to speak with me. That alone told me how serious the situation was. Pericles prided himself on his statesman-like demeanor. It was part of the public image he courted as the most powerful man in Athens.

  It was easy to see why Pericles was worried. If the actors refused to rehearse, they would put on poor performances. We would look like idiots before the rest of the civilized world. Or worse, the actors wouldn’t be able to perform at all. The festival was in honor of the god Dionysos, who in addition to wine and parties was also the god of the harvest. If we failed to honor the God as was his due, then there was no telling what might happen to the crops. The people might starve if Dionysos sent us a poor year.

  There was no doubt about it. The actors had to be induced to return to work.

  Pericles said, “What I want you to do, Nicolaos, is make a show of investigating this ghost. Do whatever it is you do when you investigate a crime. Then do something—anything—to make the actors think you’ve captured the ghost.”

  “How do you get a ghost out of a theater?” I asked.

  “How in Hades should I know?” Pericles said. “That’s your job.”

  I couldn’t recall placing a “Ghosts Expelled” sign outside my door.

  “Surely there must be someone who can do this better than me,” I said.

  “You’re the only agent in Athens, Nicolaos,” Pericles said in persuasive tones. “The only one who’ll investigate and then tell the people that the ghost is gone.”

  Which was true. Though there were plenty of thugs for hire, and mercenaries looking for work, I was the only man in Athens who took commissions to solve serious problems. I pointed out this commission aspect to Pericles.

  “You may consider this a commission,” Pericles said, through gritted teeth. He hated spending money.

  The promise of pay put another complexion on it. When Pericles had waylaid me I had been on my way to see to my wife’s property. My wife, Diotima, owned a house on the other side of the city, one in a sad state of disrepair. Repairs cost money. Money I didn’t have.

  I still didn’t think I was the man for the job. Yet I reasoned it must be possible to remove a ghost, assuming such things even existed. Otherwise our public buildings would be full of them, considering how many centuries the city had stood.

  Expelling a ghost might prove di
fficult, but it certainly wasn’t dangerous, deadly, or downright impossible. I made an easy decision.

  “Then I shall rid the theater of this ghost,” I promised Pericles.

  SCENE 2

  THE PSYCHE OF THE GREAT DIONYSIA

  THE CASE WAS urgent. I abandoned my plan to see to repairs and turned around. I had no idea about ghosts, but I knew someone who would. I went home to ask my wife.

  I found Diotima in our courtyard. She reclined on a couch, with a bowl of olives and a glass of watered wine by her side. My little brother, Socrates, stood before her, reciting his lessons. Socrates had been expelled from school the year before, for the crime of asking too many questions. Ever since then, Diotima had been his teacher. The arrangement had worked surprisingly well.

  I interrupted the lesson to deliver my news.

  “There’s no such thing as ghosts,” Diotima said the moment I finished speaking. She paused, before she added thoughtfully, “Of course, there might be a psyche haunting the theater.”

  “Is there a difference, Diotima, between psyches and ghosts?” Socrates asked. He’d listened in, of course. I’d long ago given up any hope of keeping my fifteen-year-old brother out of my affairs.

  “There’s a big difference, Socrates,” Diotima said. “Everybody has a psyche. It’s your spirit, the part of you that descends to Hades when you die. Ghosts, on the other hand, are evil spirits that have never been people. The religion of the Persians has evil spirits that they call daevas. I think the Egyptians have evil spirits too. But we Hellenes don’t credit such things.”

  “Then the actors might have seen a psyche?” Socrates said.

  Diotima frowned. “I hope not. If a body hasn’t been given a proper burial then its psyche will linger on earth. It should never happen, but sometimes it does.” She turned to me. “Nico, are there any dead bodies lying about the theater?”

  “I like to think someone would have mentioned it if there were,” I said. “If there’s a body, we’ll have to deal with it, but there’s another possibility.”