David Wishart - Finished Business

Perilla frowned. ‘How could an intelligent man like Surdinus do that?’ she said. ‘He was very wealthy, yes, obviously, but half a million sesterces is a huge amount of money. It must represent a significant part of the estate. And to make a gift of it in the course of a single month to someone who’s only been his mistress for a year, with the promise of more to come … frankly, Marcus, I find it incredible.’

‘Yeah, well, from all accounts the guy was completely besotted.’ I topped up my wine cup. ‘Besides, there are contributing factors. Sullana told me that he looked on Tarquitia more as a daughter than a mistress. And he’d certainly far more time for her than for his real family. Wife divorced, one son estranged and the other, to his mind, mostly a waste of space.’

‘Hmm.’ Perilla was twisting a lock of hair. ‘You have thought in terms of him, haven’t you? Surdinus Junior?’

‘As the killer? Or at least the one behind the killing?’ I set down the jug. ‘Oh, yeah. I’m not stupid, lady. In fact, after what old Gallio told me, I’d say he was a pretty good bet. Certainly far and away the best we’ve got at present. Tarquitia — well, she’s a con artist seriously on the make, and for her to have Surdinus murdered just when the con is beginning to show a real profit wouldn’t make any sense. Even if he’d woken up to what she was doing and told her he was pulling the plug, he’d be too late; all the transactions had already gone through, she was legally half a million up and sitting pretty, and if she knew about the will she could afford to forget about that side of things. Murdering him just wouldn’t be worth the effort, and she’d be taking a terrible risk for very little reason. Surdinus Junior, now, he’s another kettle of fish altogether.’

‘Damage limitation,’ Perilla said.

‘Sure. Gallio told me he’d kept the guy informed about what his father was doing, and was planning to do. In effect, Surdinus Senior was giving away the family fortune hand over fist, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. Junior was down a cool half million of his inheritance already. The only way he wouldn’t be down a hell of a lot more was if his father were suddenly to die. And — conveniently — die he did. Plug pulled, end of problem.’

‘You could never prove it, dear.’

I sighed. ‘Yeah, I know. That’s what’s so frustrating. His hand wasn’t on the stone that killed the old guy, so it’s not a question of proving he was in the tower at the time. As far as this case is concerned, we can forget opportunity altogether; means, too, because we know how the murder was done and who did it, and anyone could’ve set that up. So it all comes down to motive, and that ’ — I took a morose swig of wine — ‘is a real bugger.’

‘We have to find this freedman,’ Perilla said. ‘Make the connection there.’

‘No arguments, lady, none at all. You like to tell me how?’ Silence. ‘Exactly. If he was acting for Junior, he wasn’t one of the family’s own, because Cilix would’ve recognized him. Or Leonidas would’ve, from Cilix’s description, because a birthmarked or whatevered cheek is a pretty fair giveaway. Or some other smart bugger among the bought help would, when Cilix’s story became common knowledge, which it would about five minutes after he’d opened his mouth, with the result that by now we’d have the guy’s name and address. Plus if Junior had the common sense of a gnat he’d be perfectly well aware of the stupidity of using one of his own men to kill his father on his own estate in broad daylight, when he might be seen. Which, of course, he was. Ergo he’s a complete stranger, a once-off, who by now could be anywhere in Rome, or anywhere in the fucking whole of Italy for that matter. Not to mention the rest of the empire. Gods!’

‘Gently, Marcus, gently. And don’t forget that Surdinus Junior isn’t the only possibility. If someone else were responsible for the murder, none of that would necessarily apply.’

‘You have any theories, lady? I’m open to suggestions.’

‘You don’t think it was this Otillius? Tarquitia’s husband?’

I shrugged. ‘It could’ve been. He’d have motive enough; he was obviously more than fond of Tarquitia, and he knew where to find Surdinus. Plus he’s got enough of a violent streak in him to commit a murder, that much is pretty obvious.’

‘But?’

‘Right. Definitely but. First of all, he’d’ve done the killing personally, not sent someone else to do it. Someone like Otillius would want the satisfaction of bashing the old guy’s head in himself.’

‘We can’t be absolutely sure he did send anyone else.’

‘Come again?’

‘Cilix only said he saw a strange freedman acting suspiciously and coming from the direction of the tower at approximately the right time. He didn’t see him actually leave the tower, let alone commit the murder. At first he thought the man was a poacher. Why shouldn’t he have been right?’

I sat back. Shit. True; absolutely true. We were assuming the freedman Cilix saw was the killer, but that’s all it was: an assumption. If he’d been what was effectively an innocent bystander, then the whole thing was up for grabs.

Thank you for that, clever-clogs. Thank you so very much. Just what I needed.

‘Even so, lady,’ I said, ‘Otillius wasn’t a planner. He’s a porter in the vegetable market, for the gods’ sakes.’

‘So?’

‘Jupiter, Perilla, intelligence in a job like that is a positive drawback. Some of the cabbages are smarter than those guys.’

‘Marcus, that is judgmental and completely unfair.’

‘Yeah, well, maybe. But he didn’t seem much of an intellectual giant to me. And he was genuinely surprised that Surdinus was dead. Either that or he was a bloody good actor.’

‘Are you so certain that he wasn’t?’

‘Come on, lady! Give me a break! Trust me, Otillius isn’t the one we want.’

‘Very well. What about Naevius Gallio?’

I just stared at her. ‘ What? ’

‘He’s a possibility. Not as good a one as Surdinus Junior, I admit, but far better, to my mind, than anyone else. And for much the same reasons.’

‘You care to elucidate, maybe?’ I tried to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

‘Certainly. His family have managed the Naevius estate finances for three generations, and he clearly takes considerable pride in the fact. How do you think he felt when the current head of the Naevius family started dismantling the estate and effectively giving and continuing to give away large parts of it to a common nightclub dancer?’

Bugger; I could see where she was heading. Put like that, it was obvious. A client/patron link that went that far back would be pretty much bred in the bone, and its loyalties would be to the family as a whole, not to any of the individual members. Furthermore, those loyalties would override everything, absolutely everything, even the moral and legal concepts of right and wrong. Pace Perilla, Gallio had a motive that, in its own way, was at least as strong as Junior’s.

‘Pretty hacked off,’ I said. ‘Particularly when he was forced to sit on his hands and watch it happening. Or, even worse, organize the transactions himself.’ Hell. ‘Yeah, fair enough, lady. Add him to the pot. Anyone else, while we’re about it? You haven’t got an axe to grind regarding Sullana, have you?’

‘No, dear. Not so far. But then I’m keeping an open mind.’

I grinned. ‘OK. Fair enough. Just get off my back, will you?’

She smiled and ducked her head. ‘There’s the other son, of course. He’s a completely unknown quantity at present.’

‘Yeah, right.’ I emptied my wine cup and refilled it. ‘Actually, I’ve got him scheduled. He’s tomorrow’s assignment.’