David Wishart - Old Bones

Perilla sighed. 'Corvinus, don't exaggerate. We know of one lover and even he is questionable. Also, don't forget what I said about older women.'

'Yeah. But the butcher still died.'

'Possibly by accident. Keep to the facts. When it comes down to it your only reasons for choosing Papatius derive from gossip passed on by two biased, spiteful and thoroughly unpleasant old women.'

I grinned. 'The last I heard you were all for the case being solved. You changed your mind or something?'

'No. But I have been thinking things over and I'm simply putting them into perspective.' Perilla took a sip of her grape juice. 'Certainly Papatius is the prime suspect, and he may well be guilty, but his guilt is by no means either self-evident or proven. It involves too many assumptions based on too few facts.'

'Yeah.' I shifted on the couch. 'That's the problem I'm having. Even given that Navius and Thupeltha were an item and that Papatius had both an opportunity and a motive, two things still jar. First, why Clusinus's property?'

'Pardon?'

'Come on, Perilla! If the two were screwing then why choose there to do it? Papatius's farm and Navius's share a boundary. They could've met somewhere along that stretch, or anywhere either side of it. Why go in the other direction and risk a third party muscling in?'

'Privacy? You said yourself that Clusinus's farm is quite wild. And by all reports he doesn't spend all that much time there.'

'Fine. But if they wanted privacy then all they'd have to do would be go up into the hills. You're begging the question. Clusinus's was a conscious choice. I'm asking you why.'

'I don't know. You're the sleuth.'

I frowned. 'Problem is, if Thupeltha's the girlfriend and not Vesia then I don't have an answer either.'

'What was the second thing?'

'The Gruesomes said the affair'd been going on for a year, minimum. So if they are right and Papatius topped the guy because of it then why has it taken him so long?'

'Perhaps he didn't know.'

'It's possible. But in a small place like Vetuliscum? And with folk like Tanaquil and Ramutha ready to drop some pretty big hints?'

'All right. Then perhaps he was making his mind up to it.'

'Perilla, this is the guy who's already supposed to have broken a butcher's neck for him. And even if that was an accident there's the business of the loose-mouthed lout from Pyrgi. Papatius is no shrinking violet. Maiming-stroke-killing his wife's lover right off or holding back for a month or so I could understand; but brooding over it for a year? No way. Besides, there's another reason why he wouldn't've done it at any time.'

'And that is?'

'Nepos told me the land and the wineshop are in Thupeltha's name. As things are, as a team they've got a good thing going. Papatius is no sponger, he pulls more than his weight growing the vines and making the wine, but when it comes down to it his wife holds the purse strings.'

Perilla stared at me. 'You're saying Papatius knew? '

'About the affair? Sure. Or at least it wouldn't surprise me.'

'And he let it go on?

'Lady, this is the country, remember; land's important, priorities are different. As a couple they're doing well. If Papatius kicked up a stink or forced a break then they'd both lose out, sure, but he'd be the harder hit. He wouldn't be the first husband who's turned a blind eye for reasons of his own.'

Perilla was quiet for a long time. Then she said: 'I suppose it does make some sort of sense. But what kind of man would tolerate a situation like that?'

I shrugged. 'Like I say, it's a question of priorities. And if Thupeltha was discreet, like she seems to have been, then there's no reason why it shouldn't go on indefinitely.'

'Marcus, theory's one thing, proof's another. How do you go about proving something like that?'

'Simple.' I drained the cup and got to my feet. 'I talk to the lady.'

'Now?'

'Why not? Besides, if anyone knows what actually happened in this business it's Thupeltha. The sooner I have a word with her the better.’

This time I walked. It was a glorious day, and although the countryside isn't my bag a quiet stroll followed by a jug of good wine and a chat with a good-looking woman aren't to be sneered at. Murder investigation or not, I was looking forward to this.

If Papatius had been around I'd've put things off, naturally, but there was no sign of him. Mamilius neither: the terrace was empty. I went inside.

Thupeltha was standing by the kitchen table, skinning a hare. She looked up at me and frowned. I caught a strong whiff of perfume, the cheap-and-cheerful stuff you can buy in any small town for a silver piece the pint that smells like dried lavender with overtones of cat.

'Wine?' she said.

Yeah, well, we were making some progress. That was the first time I'd heard the lady speak. Maybe if I stuck around we might get the length of sentences.

'Please,' I said. 'No hurry, though. I can wait.'

She turned back to the hare, working its hind legs through the belly-slit. Then she took a firm hold of the neck and tugged. The skin came off with a ripping sound that set my teeth on edge. She laid the skinned animal down and wiped her hands on a scrap of bloody cloth.

'Want to go outside while I bring it?' she said.

'Don't bother.' There were benches against the walls with folding tables beside them. I chose the one nearest the door and sat on it. 'Here'll do fine.'

'Suit yourself.' She dropped the cloth and collected a cup from the dresser, then pulled a wine jar from the rack on the wall and upended it into a jug with about as little effort as if the thing had been empty. Jupiter, the lady was strong! If Papatius was someone to be reckoned with then his wife wasn't far behind.

She set the jug and cup down beside me and went back to the table. Then she picked up a cleaver and began jointing the hare as if I'd stopped existing. Yeah, well, I'd known already she was no conversationalist. This was going to be an uphill struggle. I lifted the cup and sipped.

'Nice wine,' I said.

The cleaver came down hard, severing the hare's spine. I waited. No other answer. I tried again.

'The name's Marcus Corvinus. I'm looking into Attus Navius's murder.'

'I know.' So what? her tone said, and she hadn't so much as glanced in my direction. Carefully, she put the point of the cleaver against the hare's breastbone.

'I understand you were friendly with him.'

The cleaver paused. Thupeltha turned round slowly, like a trireme bringing round its ram.

'Who told you that?' she said. 'Those two old bitches down the road?'

'Were you?'

'Tell them from me they can stuff their long noses up their own backsides.' She pushed down hard. Bone crunched. 'As for you, you can drink up and go.'

I sighed. 'Listen. Under normal circumstances I couldn't care less. But my stepfather's facing a murder rap, and if he didn't do it, which he didn't, then I intend to find out who did. You were the last person to see Navius alive, which makes you a prime witness. At the very least. You understand?' Her eyes shifted, but she didn't answer. She moved over to the vegetable basket by the door and pulled out a bunch of turnips. 'You were seen following him in the direction of Clusinus's farm. Half an hour later he was dead.'

Thupeltha paused. 'You think I killed him?' she said. Her face was as expressionless as her voice.

'No.' I laid the knife I'd got from Nepos on the table in front of me. 'You recognise this?'

She put down the turnips and came over. I thought she'd pick the knife up but she didn't; only looked.

'It's Attus's,' she said.

'You're sure?'

'I've never been one for lying, Corvinus, and I won't start now. That's Attus's knife. You can believe me or not.'

I put the thing back in my belt. 'Okay. You know where it was found?'