David Wishart - Foreign Bodies

‘Yeah. Briefly.’

‘Well, then, even on those terms you can probably form a fairly accurate opinion. His mind works the wrong way. And he’s not good with people, which you have to be in this line. Prefers sitting in his room all day working on his precious models, or walking around by himself the best part of the night for the gods know what reasons.’ He shot me a look, and smiled. ‘No, nothing dubious or anything he shouldn’t be doing, that I am sure of. It might be better for him if it were, but it’s just not in his character.’

‘Your other nephew – Titus – isn’t interested?’

‘No. He never has been. You’ve met him too?’

‘Not yet.’

‘Well, then. Titus has only two interests, the army and hunting; oh, girls, too, at his age, but he’s pretty secretive where they’re concerned, and I don’t know much about that side of him. He joined the procurator’s guard as soon as he was old enough to be accepted – you know the procurator has a unit under his personal command, independent of the detachment from Rome’s Urban Cohort guarding the mint?’

‘Yeah. I do.’

‘For a provincial family like ours, the army’s a good way of getting on. First the auxiliaries, then the legions, and if you can prove yourself then after that the world’s your oyster. Look at our current procurator, Laco.’

‘He’s from Lugdunum?’

‘Massilia, I think, although I may be wrong; I don’t have much to do with a high-flyer like Graecinius Laco. But it’s the same difference; he’s a pure-bred Gaul and the second most important man in the province, he’s got his equestrian stripe, and with that he’s eligible for any top imperial post in the empire. Even the Egyptian governorship. No, I can see why Titus isn’t interested in joining the firm. To give him his due, Tiberius could see it too, elder son or not.’ He took a mouthful of his wine. ‘So you see as far as direct family goes unfortunately the future is largely scuppered. Oh, we’re doing all right at present, much better than all right, in fact. But with Tiberius dead we’re like a plant that’s damaged in its roots.’

‘So. Did he have any enemies that you know of? Anyone who’d want him out of the way?’

‘None. Absolutely none. Barring …’ He hesitated again.

‘Barring Julius Oppianus?’

A grunt, and a frown. ‘You know about him?’

‘Yeah. That’s one guy I have met. This morning, in fact.’

‘Then again you can form your own opinion. He certainly had his knife into Tiberius, but-’ He stopped. ‘I’m sorry. That was tactless.’

‘It’s OK.’

‘I was going to say that Oppianus had no time for my brother. To put it mildly. But I wouldn’t have said he’d take things as far as murder.’

‘Yeah. Your sister-in-law said the same.’

‘There you are, then. Naturally, I’m not trying to tell you your business, but let’s just say that if Oppianus was responsible then I’d be very surprised indeed.’

‘Fair enough.’ I was noncommittal: me, if Julius Oppianus did turn out to be the perp, I wouldn’t exactly put it in the flying-pigs bracket. And at present he was streets ahead the best on offer. ‘No one else?’

‘I said: absolutely no one. To my knowledge, at least. Oppianus apart, Tiberius was very popular in the city, and highly respected; the Council wouldn’t have chosen him to represent us at the ceremony in Condate if he wasn’t. Ex-city judge twice, ex-co-mayor three years running. Tipped for censor in two years’ time. And he’s done it cleanly, too: no underhand skulduggery, like you often get in local politics.’

‘Oppianus would be a front contender now for his replacement? For the Condate ceremony?’

‘I don’t know. Unlike Tiberius, I’m not involved in that side of things at all. Never been able to muster up the interest. But I’d imagine, being who he is, he’d have a very fair chance.’

Uh-huh; that was my feeling, too. And something like that would weigh with a guy like Oppianus, out of all proportion to how much perhaps it should. Still, I knew from experience it was better to keep an open mind.

‘So,’ I said, ‘assuming Oppianus didn’t do it for the obvious reasons, and barring any other specific contenders, why do you think he was killed?’

‘That’s the question that’s puzzled me – all of us, in the family – for the past month, Corvinus. And I’m afraid I’ve not the slightest idea as to what the answer could be.’

Right. Me, neither; at least on present showing. We’d just have to keep on digging.

I swallowed the rest of my wine, what there was of it – that, I wasn’t going to waste – and stood up. Quintus did, too.

‘Well, thanks anyway,’ I said. ‘I’ll let you get back to things. You busy just now?’

‘No more than usual. Which means, with Tiberius gone, I’m practically run off my feet. We’ve a good man at the Massilia end who’s handling purchase and shipping the best he can, so that part of the business is jogging along as normal, but I’ll have to travel to Augusta in the next few days and I still have all the arrangements to make.’

‘That usual? For you to go in person?’

‘Pretty much, yes. Certainly at least one time in three, often more. We’ve always prided ourselves on the personal touch where customers are concerned, and there’re always matters to be handled, decisions to be made, that can’t be delegated. It’s time-consuming, but I don’t mind that. I’ve no family myself – wife and children, I mean – so it’s no great wrench.’

‘Fine,’ I said. ‘I’ll leave you to it. Oh – one more thing.’

‘Yes?’

‘You said you were “elsewhere” the day of the murder. You weren’t here, then? In the office?’

‘No. No, as a matter of fact I wasn’t.’

‘So where exactly were you?’

‘At home. I’d a chest cold that day, as it happened. Something I’m prone to, before the summer proper. I decided to stay in and give work a miss.’ He smiled. ‘Boss’s prerogative.’

‘Right. Right.’ I turned to go. ‘Thanks again.’

‘You’re welcome. I only wish I could be of more help. And naturally if you’ve any other questions before I leave-’

‘I’ll get in touch,’ I said.

I was making my way out between the clerks when I noticed the oldish guy Quintus had been talking to glance in my direction, put down his pen, and half-rise; then, as if he’d thought twice about whatever he was going to do, sit down again, retrieve the pen, and carry on writing like his life depended on it. I slowed, but he didn’t look up, just beavered away until I was past his desk.

I continued to the front door, opened it, and went down the steps.

Interesting.

So; back to the residence. The procurator’s offices were on my way home anyway, so it wouldn’t hurt to call in in passing to check whether young Titus Cabirus was around. Not that I was too bothered, mind: it was only the first day, and I reckoned I’d done pretty well as far as my duty to the emperor was concerned.

I retraced my steps; it was past midday by now, and the streets were a bit quieter, possibly because lunch was a more important meal here than it would’ve been in Rome. The procurator’s offices were part of the city’s admin sector, at the top of the Hinge, next to the mint and just shy of Market Square itself, with a couple of squaddies on guard outside. I went up to them.

‘Excuse me,’ I said. ‘I’m looking for Titus Cabirus. He on duty here at present?’

‘He is, sir,’ one of them said. ‘But you won’t find him inside. He’s on his lunch break.’

Jupiter; a lunch break ? Things were certainly more laid back in the provinces than they would be at home. Still. ‘You know where I’d find him?’ I said.