David Wishart - Foreign Bodies

‘That’s my business.’

I shook my head. ‘Uh-uh. It would be, if her father hadn’t been murdered a couple of months back. But he was, and that makes it mine, too.’

For the first time, the cockiness slipped. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ he said.

‘Let me give you a scenario. Correct me if I go adrift, OK?’ I shifted in the chair. ‘You’re a friend of the family through the girl’s brother, so you have the entrée. You butter her up, speak sweet nothings in her ear and seduce her. She finds herself pregnant and confesses the whole thing to her mother, who in turn tells her father. Like you said, fourteen’s a legal marriageable age for a girl, at least technically, so he buttonholes you, or maybe your uncle, who’s also your guardian, and tells you or him he expects you to do the honest thing. Only that’s not on, is it? Certainly not with your Uncle Oppianus, who views the family socially as just one step up from pond life. So at the earliest opportunity he, or more probably you, solves the problem by shoving a knife into the guy while he’s taking his afternoon nap. What do you think? Possible?’

He was staring at me. ‘That,’ he said, ‘is the biggest load of crap I have ever heard.’

‘Yeah? Not from where I’m sitting, sunshine.’

‘You say Diligenta knew all about this?’

‘Uh-huh. She must’ve done.’

‘OK. So why hasn’t she fingered me, or my uncle, for her husband’s murder? Or at least given it as a strong possibility, to you or anyone else? She hasn’t, has she?’

Bugger; he was right. Quite the reverse, in fact, in Oppianus’s case. And she hadn’t even hinted at Vindus; hadn’t so much as mentioned him. ‘Fine,’ I said. ‘Then maybe she didn’t. Know, I mean.’

‘Know about the pregnancy? Or know that I was responsible? If it’s the first, then how could she have sent Claudilla away before it showed to cover things up? If the second, then why should Cabirus try to force a marriage on me at all? And if he didn’t then what possible reason would either I or my uncle have for killing him? Not to mention the fact that just killing Cabirus wouldn’t solve the problem, because given that Claudilla could point the finger at me Diligenta would be able to force the marriage herself, if she wanted to: one step higher than pond life in my uncle’s opinion they may be, but the Cabiri are highly respected in Lugdunum, as well as being imperial protégés, so they’d be believed, no question. In fact, if anything it would make things far worse. Admit it, Corvinus; your scenario is pure and utter balls from start to finish.’

Hell; put like that I was inclined to agree.

Fuck.

‘It still doesn’t get round the fact that you’ve just confirmed that the girl is actually pregnant and that you’re the baby’s father,’ I said.

‘Really?’ He looked round the room. ‘I don’t see any witnesses, myself. Do you?’

My fists knotted, but I said nothing. He gave me a disarming smile.

‘Look,’ he said, ‘I want to be reasonable here. So long as it’s off the record, which it is, you’re right about the pregnancy, and that I’ve got no intention whatsoever of marrying the girl. But as far as I know she hasn’t told her mother who was responsible. Why that should be I’ve no idea, but there you go. That’s women for you, and she always was a silly little bitch.’ He stood up. ‘Now if that’s all you want with me I have my duties to attend to.’

I was counting slowly to ten in my head while I forced myself to unball my fists. ‘Not quite all, pal,’ I said. ‘You go hunting with Titus Cabirus, yes? Up in the mountains?’

‘Occasionally.’ He frowned. ‘So?’

‘I was just wondering. Licinius Nerva told me a story two or three days ago. About a dead wolf that was dumped in the market square a while back.’

‘I’d heard about that.’ He was guarded. ‘What does it have to do with me?’

‘Yeah, well, you know best, of course. But so long as we’re speaking off the record I thought you might fill me in about how it got there. The consensus of opinion seems to be that it was just a prank, but I’m not altogether sure about that because, and Nerva agrees, it might well have much more sinister implications. In fact, I was thinking about going into the matter more deeply while I’m here. In my capacity as the emperor’s personal representative, of course. Naturally, if I did as a result discover anything, whatever form it took, I’d have to put in an official report to the governor.’ I waited. ‘No hassle, no comeback, I guarantee. Not if the information is freely offered, and there’s an innocent explanation after all. Is there, do you know?’

I’d rocked him, that was obvious. He licked his lips nervously.

‘Off the record, right?’ he said.

‘As ever is.’

‘Very well. You know what a frat is?’

‘Yeah. A bloody stupid all-lads-together society where overbred young bastards like you play childish games, have jolly midnight romps in their secret clubhouse, and think they’re being ever so modern and daring despite actually being a bunch of total prats. That do for a working definition?’

He coloured. ‘You’re entitled to your opinion, of course. But there’s more to it than that.’

‘You don’t say? Well, well; you learn something new every day.’

‘We – most of the guards officers and some of the younger set from the best families – have a frat called the Sons of Lug.’ I tried to keep a straight face and didn’t quite manage it. He shot me a venomous look and cleared his throat. ‘It’s pretty exclusive. Prospective members have to be nominated, and before they can join they have to pass a test involving some personal risk, physical or otherwise.’

I was beginning to see the light here; no pun – the god Lug being who he was – intended. ‘And dumping the wolf was Titus Cabirus’s, right?’

‘Yes. We’d killed it a couple of days before and left it in the clubhouse over in the Canabae. It was Cabirus’s task to get it from there to the market square without being seen by the Town Watch.’

‘My goodness, what a ripping wheeze. Absolutely super.’

That got me another look. ‘You can be as sarcastic as you like, Corvinus,’ he said, ‘but frats have their purpose. They foster comradeship, discipline, resourcefulness-’

‘Infantile behaviour, schoolboy humour, and intelligence at an operational level that would disgrace a chicken. Yeah. Fine. With you.’ I’d had enough of this; I stood up as well. ‘Thank you, Julius Vindus. You’ve been very helpful. Now bugger off.’

His fists clenched and unclenched, and I was hoping he’d take a swing at me so I could reciprocate. But he didn’t. He marched out, slamming the door behind him.

So much for that, then. They were a pair, him and his uncle, but I didn’t think they were our murderers.

Damn.

We set off for Augusta just after breakfast, three days later. Accompanied, to my surprise and horror, by Domitius Crinas.

‘A very good morning to you, Valerius Corvinus,’ he said, giving us his best smile. ‘And of course to you too, Perilla. I see that we’re to be travelling companions yet again. What a fortunate and unexpected coincidence.’

‘What the hell are you doing here, pal?’ I said. ‘I thought you’d gone north already.’

‘ Marcus! ’ Perilla hissed.

‘Oh, that’s perfectly all right, Perilla.’ The smile hadn’t so much as wavered. ‘Actually, the hot springs at the Sanctuary of Lug deserved more of my attention than I’d thought they would, and now is really my earliest opportunity to move on. I have my own mule, of course, so I won’t inflict my company on you if you don’t wish it. I wouldn’t want to-’