David Wishart - Food for the Fishes

He shrugged. ‘Tattius was my father’s friend, not mine. I never did care for him much, and he’s certainly no loss business-wise. The fact of his murder, though, that’s another thing entirely.’

‘You, ah, had a meeting arranged with him, I understand. For noon today.’

That got me a long considering stare. Finally, he said: ‘Yes. Tattius proposed it before he left for Neapolis.’

‘But you went to Bauli instead?’

‘The meeting was Tattius’s idea, not mine. I’d already made my arrangements. And frankly there wasn’t any point changing them to suit him.’

‘What did he want to talk about?’

‘Money. What else did Decimus Tattius ever want to discuss?

‘Specifically?’

Another long stare. ‘I’m sorry, Corvinus,’ he said, ‘but that’s really none of your concern. It was private, between him and me. Now he’s dead it doesn’t matter anyway.’

‘He wanted a bigger slice of the company profits?’

He hesitated, like he was weighing up whether to answer or not. Then he said: ‘Yes, as a matter of fact. Tattius always wanted more than his fair share. Under my father’s regime he got it, but times and circumstances have changed. If he’d done a corresponding share of the work I might’ve been more amenable. As things are, I wasn’t inclined to be, or even to discuss the matter. That’s the end of it. Now if you’ve got any other reason for this visit I’d be glad if you’d state it. If not — ’

‘I was through in Puteoli this morning. Having a talk with a man called Gaius Frontinus.’

He put down the winecup. ‘How dare you!’

‘Seemingly you took out a loan secured against your future prospects. Payable on your father’s death and your inheritance.’

He was coldly furious now. ‘Corvinus, this is — !’

‘You signed the agreement the same day as Murena’s murder. Oh, sure, you’d be responsible for the first month’s interest, but you’re in a position now to pay off the principal straight away. That’s pretty lucky, isn’t it? The way things have worked out.’

He was on his feet. I thought he was going to come across and go for me, and I stiffened. However, if he was he thought better of it, because he sat down again.

‘Did Sextus tell you this?’ he said.

‘You mean, did he point me towards Frontinus? No.’ He had, sure, but he hadn’t been the first. And much though I despised Florus I didn’t want to put the finger on him where I didn’t have to. ‘But the information’s right, isn’t it?’

‘If you’re accusing me of murdering my father just so I could — !’

‘It gives you a prime motive, pal.’ Masks off; we were glaring at each other now. ‘You were stuck for cash to finance your grain barge scheme. Paying the interest on a loan that size, long-term, would’ve crippled you. You tried your father the afternoon of his death, but he turned you down in spades. You’ve got no alibi for that murder, or your brother Chlorus’s, and I bet, friend, that if I was to do a bit of checking in Bauli you wouldn’t have an alibi for this morning, either. Now tell me I’m wrong.’

He was quiet for a long time, and if looks could kill I’d’ve been cold pork. Finally, he said: ‘All right, Corvinus. I will. What makes you think I don’t have an alibi? For all of these times?’

‘Oh, come on, pal! It’s a bit late now, isn’t it? You could’ve — ’

‘Actually, I do. A perfectly good one. Three, in fact, although they all involve the same person.’

Gods! Well, I had to give him full marks for nerve, anyway. ‘Look, pal,’ I said. ‘Let’s just tick them off, shall we? Two days ago, when I met you and Florus in Philippus’s gambling hall, you tried to claim that that was where you’d been the night your father was killed. I checked with the staff, and you didn’t set foot in the place all evening. Now do you want to move on to the second on the song-sheet, or can we just cut the crap?’

I thought maybe that might’ve fazed him, but it didn’t. Not at all. ‘Oh, yes,’ he said. ‘That’s right. Yes, I did try to lie on that occasion, although not for the reason you may think.’

‘Is that so, now?’

He picked up the winecup and took a swallow. ‘The lady’s name is Pollia Rufina,’ he said. ‘She’s Sextus Florus’s cousin’s wife. The man we’re negotiating to buy the barge through.’

My brain went numb. ‘What?’

‘We — ah — met in the early stages of the deal. The husband works at the fleet headquarters in Misenum, but they live in Bauli, so he’s away from home quite a lot. Rufina gets lonely. I go over there when it’s convenient to cheer her up.’ He drank some more of his wine. ‘That’s where I was this morning, if you’re interested. Where I was, in fact, on both previous occasions. Rufina won’t exactly be thrilled about providing confirmation, but I’m sure she will, if you ask nicely.’

Oh, shit. He sounded convincing as hell. ‘So why the secrecy?’

‘I’d’ve thought that was obvious. The lady’s husband doesn’t know and would be livid if he did, probably to the degree of divorce. Nor does Sextus, and I can’t trust either that idiot’s sense of family loyalty or his flapping mouth far enough to tell him.’

‘I thought you were involved with Catia.’

‘Oh, I am.’ He smiled. ‘I have been for some time. But Catia does get rather…tiresome with prolonged exposure. You’ll appreciate that, you’ve met her. She also has an extremely jealous and possessive nature. On the other hand, she does have her good points, and the fact that she’s — she was — Titus’s wife added a little spice to the affair. So as you’ll understand I didn’t and don’t want her to find out, either.’ The smile broadened to a grin. ‘Don’t look so surprised, Corvinus. These things are commonplace in Baiae. Even Brother Titus had a mistress.’

‘He what?’

‘Oh, yes. He didn’t know I knew. He didn’t think anyone knew, which I doubt if anyone did, including Catia. Or would care, for that matter. It wasn’t exactly a grand passion in any case. She’s in her late forties, very plain, married to a haberdasher near the Puteoli gate, and she’s got a most unwomanly interest in finance. I suspect they spent their evenings when hubby was out discussing bookkeeping, because I doubt if either she or Titus would be interested in anything more strenuous. Or up to it, either.’ He put the winecup down. ‘As I said, you can check on me with Rufina if you like. I’ll tell you where she lives and give you a note for her which you can read before I seal it. Or dictate the wording yourself, if you prefer and don’t trust me. Under the circumstances, I don’t think I have any option. Only do be very discreet, please. As I told you, the husband doesn’t know, and it would be very embarrassing for me personally and business-wise if he found out. Now, if that’s all you wanted I won’t keep you any longer.’

He stood up, still smiling.

Me, I was feeling like the bottom had dropped out of the world.

Bugger; there went the case.

It was getting late now, but Perilla and company wouldn’t be back for dinner anyhow. I walked back home, had a quick snack while the stable lads got the mare ready and rode out to Bauli with Nerva’s note to Rufina in my belt-pouch.

I felt like crying, but this was something that couldn’t wait, and putting it off would just make matters worse. If the bastard’s alibi checked — and I had a horrible suspicion that it was going to — then we were well and truly screwed.

I found the place no bother: a small, newly-built, squeaky-clean villa on the Misenum road the far side of Bauli itself, on the very edge of the fashionable stretch; the sort a middle-ranking government clerk would buy to show that he knew exactly which rung he was on on the Establishment ladder and how the residence of a conscientious, sober-minded middle-ranking government clerk should look. Which I reckoned would sum up Rufina’s husband in a nutshell.