David Wishart - The Lydian Baker

The clerk had been scribbling the details down on his notepad. 'Yes, sir.'

'Do it now.' The guy left and Callippus closed the door gently behind him. 'Corvinus,' he said, 'I swear that this is the last time I listen to you, you understand? And if by any chance Critias doesn't find that deed…'

He left the sentence hanging, but the sense was clear. Sure it was. I just hoped Cotile had her facts right.

'He will,' I said. 'And if he does you'll have another talk with Demetriacus?'

'Perhaps.'

'Jupiter on wheels!'

'Very well. Yes.' He held up his hand. 'But I do it alone.'

'Oh, come on, pal! I've just given you the information!'

'For which I'm grateful. If, that is, it proves to have any substance. Even so this is official Watch business, and as an ordinary citizen — an honorary ordinary citizen — you have no rights in the matter.'

'Okay.' I swallowed; no point in pushing the guy too far. 'Point taken. I'm asking you as a favour to let me tag along. And I give you my solemn word this time there'll be no hassle.'

'Corvinus…'

'You want to bring in a portable altar? Or should I take a quick trip down to the temple of Zeus Herkeios and bring back a notarised statement?'

His lips twisted; like I say, deep down Callippus was an okay guy. 'No. No, that won't be necessary.' He paused. 'I have your word?'

'Absolutely.'

'All right.' He moved the reports back to the side of his desk. 'Now. How did you come by this information of yours?'

'Cotile told me.'

'I thought Hermippe said you were with…Cleo, wasn't it?'

'Don't be prissy, Callippus! Cotile was the first girl I talked to. While I was waiting to speak to Hermippe that first visit to the Scallop. Cotile came round to my place off her own bat last night, and since then I've been doing some thinking.'

'As a result of which you've decided Demetriacus is guilty after all?'

'Uh…well…'

He sighed. 'Come on, Corvinus! If I'm going to interview the man I need all the ammunition I can get. Even if it does derive from half-baked supposition.'

I grinned 'Okay. Although I may have to modify the original theory a little now.'

'Modify away.'

'Right.' I settled back in my chair. 'I think Demetriacus and Melanthus were partners. Demetriacus wanted to break into society and Melanthus suggested the best way to do it was to buy the Baker and present it to the city. Only Demetriacus had other ideas. He cut the corner and had his pal Prince Charming kidnap Argaius.' I paused. 'Prince Charming's a Paphian, by the way. Did I tell you I'd found that out?'

'No.' Callippus was frowning. 'No, you didn't.'

'My tame coachman pal Dida recognised the accent. And Demetriacus is from Paphos too. Cotile told me last night.'

'That I did know, and I take the point. Most definitely I do.' He steepled his fingers. 'Go on, please.'

'Okay. So much for the original theory. Now we come to the modification. I thought Melanthus was still in on the scam and was hiding out in the Scallop. Obviously I was wrong, but not by much. Let's say he was a more moral character than I gave him credit for. He'd genuinely expected Demetriacus to do an honest deal with Argaius, and when the guy was murdered he put two and two together. He went to the Scallop and faced Demetriacus out, maybe even threatened to denounce him to the authorities.'

'And Demetriacus had him killed.' Callippus nodded. 'It makes sense. Especially since this Melanthus of Abdera is much closer to the man I knew, by repute at least, than the one in your last version. He was an enthusiast, certainly, but he was most definitely not a murderer. Nor would he condone murder.'

'Yeah. That's what Alciphron told me.'

'Demetriacus, now…well, I'm afraid I wasn't strictly honest with you over Demetriacus.'

My pulse quickened. 'Is that so?'

'Don't mistake me, I told you no lies. He's done nothing illegal, or nothing that I'm aware of, at least, and as far as the Watch is concerned he's a respectable businessman. But certain friends of mine — friends in business themselves — have mentioned him once or twice. Off the record, of course.' I nodded. These 'off the record' confidences were the reason why someone like Callippus was Watch Commander. He moved in the right circles to pick up inside information that otherwise would never be made public. 'Oddly enough, "cutting corners" is a phrase which crops up rather frequently in these conversations. It explains his success, of course. And Demetriacus is very successful.'

'Yeah. Yeah, I'd believe that,' I said. 'So the guy's a grey area. Respectable enough on the surface, but not averse to the occasional bit of sharp practice within the law.'

'Exactly.' Callippus sat back. 'Your "within the law" being the operative — and cautionary — phrase. So. Judgment suspended. We wait for Critias. And if he finds your deed then I talk to our friend Demetriacus again.' He cleared his throat. 'Meanwhile, perhaps you'd care to tell me about Cleo.'

'Who?'

'Cleo. The girl you left to join our last conversation.'

'Uh…yeah.' I hesitated. 'What about her?'

'Oh, come now, Corvinus! Even we soundly-married men can do with a little light relief on occasion.'

Priapus on stilts! I'd never have believed it, but there you were: seemingly Aristoboulus wasn't the only guy who had dreams of kicking over the traces. Even Callippus had his human side after all.

Mind you, I'd met his wife.

Critias came back with the news that the deed was there, and I breathed again: sure, I hadn't doubted Cotile for a second, but there was just the chance that, if he and Demetriacus had set the Scallop up together,Melanthus had kept the ownership in his own name. So now I had my first bit of hard evidence linking the two.

'So we make another appointment?' I said to Callippus.

'No.'

'What?' I didn't believe this. 'Look, pal..!'

'No appointment.' He had a determined look on his face that I hadn't seen before. 'This time we go straight round to the house. I don't like being lied to. And the man has questions to answer.'

'Hey! Great!' I stood up.

'Wait a moment, Corvinus. My questions, not yours. Remember that. I have your word.'

'Sure.' It would be difficult, but if that was the deal I could hack it. 'I've got Lysias outside. I'll give you a lift.'

'That won't be necessary. This is an official investigation and we'll take an official carriage.'

Talk about pernickety. Still, if the niceties of protocol were all that important to him it was fine with me. I shrugged.

He didn't speak on the way, and I kept my mouth shut. Good practice. Besides, I wanted to keep him sweet. In his present mood Callippus was touchy as a sackful of vipers.

Demetriacus had a modest little mansion outside the Diochares Gate, backing onto Theophrastus Gardens. Successful was right: he'd even got the EridanusRiver flowing through his grounds. A slave led us through the portico to the garden beyond. I took a quick look round and nodded to myself. It fitted: the place was chock-full of statues and ornamental urns big enough to take an oak tree. There was money here by the barrowload, sure, but unlike at the Scallop it didn't whisper, it shouted. Demetriacus had chosen this particular decor himself, without Melanthus's help, and it showed.

He was in a lounger, reading. Serious stuff, I noticed from the label on the roll: Apollonius of Perga's Conics . Poetry I can hack, but mathematics is the pits. He set the book aside. For a split second, when he saw us, the guy looked fazed, but he covered it well.

'Commander. Valerius Corvinus. Delighted to see you,' he said. 'Alcis, some wine for our guests.'

The slave bowed and left. I indicated the cup of milk on the table beside him. 'Still having problems, right?'