David Wishart - The Lydian Baker

'I was following a lead,' I said. 'I got jumped by muggers. End of story.'

'Very well.' From the tone she didn't believe it, but to be fair not even my saintly old grandmother would've believed it, and I could run rings round her when I was five. Still, she obviously didn't want to press the matter either, for which I was duly grateful. 'So who brought you back?'

'You tell me. You were the one who took delivery.'

Bathyllus had come in with a tray. Thank the gods for well-trained staff. I grabbed the cup of Setinian and drank it down. The wine hit my empty stomach like a velvet club.

'We didn't see either, sir,' Bathyllus said. 'The man had already gone.'

'Uh-huh.' Understandable: I'd thought my Ethiopian pal might be the shy, retiring type from the way he'd dumped me. Well, whoever Hercules was he could wait because my head felt big as a melon and some bugger was trying to squeeze my ribs until they met in the middle. 'Are the baths hot?'

'They should be, sir. They were on earlier. I'll check.'

'You do that.'

He left. Perilla was still frowning, which was bad news. 'Corvinus,' she said, 'you were bound and gagged and your purse was intact. I'm sorry, but that does not sound like muggers to me.'

I sighed. So I wasn't off the hook after all.

'Look,' I said, 'I've been through one interrogation this evening and I don't need another, okay?'

'Interrogation?'

So much for stonewalling. Well, I was never very good at it anyway, especially where Perilla was concerned. 'Okay,' I said. 'You've got me. Scratch the muggers. I was right, Melanthus is the guy we want. I've just had a talk with his right hand man. He thinks I know where the Baker is.'

'Tell me,' she said simply.

So I told her; not about the Scallop, just what happened afterwards. She was quiet for a long time. The frown was gone now. Now she only looked upset, which was worse.

'Oh, Marcus!' She tried a hug, but I yelped and she let go. 'Can't you leave this alone? Please? Priscus wouldn't want you to get hurt, and if the statue's gone it doesn't matter.'

'Sure it matters.' I massaged my bruised ribs. 'And the statue hasn't gone. It's still out there wherever Smaragdus left it.'

'Then at least talk to Callippus. This is a matter for the Watch. If Melanthus is the killer then it's his job to track him down, not yours.'

True. And Callippus probably had more brains than to get himself sapped and end up breathing weevils, what was more.

'Okay,' I said. 'I'll do it tomorrow. Today, rather.' The light was already filtering through from the courtyard garden: dawn, or near enough. 'Whatever. Go to bed, Perilla. I'll have a quick bath and come right up.'

'You're sure you're all right now?'

'Comparatively. Anyone ever tell you first aid's not your strong point?'

She kissed me and left. I filled my wine cup and drank slowly. My brain was beginning to turn over again. Hercules. I was missing something, sure I was, but what? The guy had had me cold, ripe for the sweating. Why risk his own life just to bring me home? Who was he working for, and how did he fit in?

It made no sense. None at all.

'The furnace was out but I've ordered it to be stoked up again, sir.' Bathyllus was back. 'The baths will be ready shortly.'

'That's fine, Bathyllus.' I stood up. Shit, I was getting too old for this sort of thing. It felt like every bone in my body had been taken out and put back the wrong way round. 'You go off to bed too, okay?'

'Yes, sir. Goodnight, sir.' He padded off.

Okay. Bath first, then bed. Tomorrow — today — I'd have a word with Callippus.

I knocked and went in to Callippus's office. He was at his desk reading through a sheaf of reports. What with a split lip, multiple bruises and too little sleep I can't have looked my usual stylish self, because when he saw me his eyes widened and he set them aside.

'What the hell happened to you?' he said.

'I was slugged, tied up in a cellar and carted half way across the city by a crazy Ethiopian.' I pulled up a chair and sat down. 'So how was your evening?'

He was still staring. 'Would this have something to do with the Baker?'

Fast as a speeding snail; maybe he'd woken up too early. 'Sure,' I said. 'The gorilla who kidnapped me was under the impression I might know where it had got to.'

'I see.' He reached for a wax tablet and pen. 'Would you like to give me the full details, please?'

So we were being official here. I started to tell him, and when I got to Prince Charming he held up a hand.

'This Prince Charming of yours.' Not a smile: the guy takes his job seriously, and he doesn't approve of nicknames for villains. 'He's the same man who met you outside Argaius's place?'

'Yeah.'

'Then he's the one who killed Argaius.'

'Sure. He admitted as much.'

'He admitted it?' Callippus sat back. 'Corvinus, you do realise, don't you, that you're very lucky to be alive?'

'Yeah, I realise that.' I did: if things had gone any different this time it would've been me lying beaten to a pulp on that table next door. Assuming T was ever found, of course. 'You still don't know who he is?'

'No. I've had the description you gave me circulated, but he's not one of the usual local toughs. We're still looking. Carry on, please.'

I decided not to mention Melanthus, not yet, not until I'd softened him up first; knowing Callippus that bit was going to be tricky. Instead I told him what PC had said about Smaragdus and Harpalus.

He nodded. 'That squares with my own information. My colleague in the Piraeus reported that the body of Argaius's partner had been delivered to a local undertaker two nights ago under very suspicious circumstances; and that a man whose description matches that of the person who delivered it was found dead last night in an alleyway near the docks. Badly beaten and with his throat cut.' He indicated the reports on his desk. 'I only got that part of the story a few minutes ago.'

'Uh-huh.' So Prince Charming had been telling the truth when he said he'd got Harpalus. Well, I'd been expecting to hear that the poor bastard was dead sooner or later, but it didn't make the news any more pleasant. Or me feel less guilty. PC would've caught up with him eventually, sure, but that wasn't much of a consolation. 'By the way, you haven't come across an Ethiopian, have you? A big guy with a penchant for flashy jewellery and bright tunics?'

'No. He was involved in your kidnapping?'

'In a manner of speaking, although I was wrong about him. He doesn't work for Eutyches at all.'

Callippus's head lifted. 'Eutyches?'

Uh-oh; we'd got onto sensitive ground at last. I'd forgotten that Callippus hadn't known anything about Eutyches. Still, I couldn't fudge this; he'd just have to take it on the chin.

'Prince Charming's boss. The man behind this whole business.'

I had Callippus's full attention now. 'You know him? Who he is, I mean?'

'In a way. The name's a pseudonym.' I paused. 'Eutyches is Melanthus of Abdera.'

Callippus put down his pen slowly. 'The Academician? Corvinus, I don't mean to be rude, but that's absolute nonsense.'

I shook my head. 'No, it isn't. That was another thing Prince Charming admitted.'

'He actually told you?'

'I'd worked it out already. But he confirmed it.'

Callippus was silent for a long time, and I got the idea he was weighing me up. Finally he said: 'You know, do you, that his head slave has reported Melanthus of Abdera as missing?'

'Yeah, I knew that. The fact that he'd disappeared, anyway. So Timon reported it, did he?' That was significant: it showed that although an overnight stay wouldn't worry the guy unduly anything more prolonged was unusual. Which was fair enough. Even philosophers leave messages with the help when they go on extended junkets.