David Wishart - Foreign Bodies

‘OK. Usual question. Motive. Who might have done it, and why?’

‘I haven’t the slightest idea. As I say, Drutus was just your ordinary merchant who knew his business and kept himself to it. He certainly had no enemies as far as I’m aware, and I’d be very surprised to be proved wrong. His purse was still attached to his belt, so whatever the reason was, it wasn’t robbery; although again I’d be surprised if it had been, because like I told you crime here is practically unknown. In any case what would a robber be doing outside the gate at that hour? What would anyone?’

Yeah; that was the queerest thing about the whole affair, to my mind. Oh, sure, the implication was obvious – some kind of clandestine meeting, definitely of the shady variety – but from Balbinus’s description of him this Drutus didn’t seem the type for that at all. Balbinus could be wrong, mark you, in fact given the circumstances he probably was. Still, that was for me to find out.

‘Anyone able to shed light on the matter?’ I said. ‘Friend, close colleague, that sort of thing.’

Balbinus hesitated. ‘There is a local woman. Drutus … visits her when he comes through to Augusta.’ Uh-huh; that explained the qualification about sleeping arrangements. ‘A widow by the name of Severa.’

‘Where can I find her?’

‘Where she lives I don’t know. But she has a vegetable stall in the market.’

‘And where’s that?’

‘On the river side of Market Square.’

Fair enough. ‘I’ll need to talk to the guy who found the bodies,’ I said. ‘Preferably take a look at the place where they were found.’

‘That’s no problem. I’ll arrange it and let you know.’

‘Also, I’ll want to see the bodies themselves. Where would they be at present?’

‘At the undertaker’s establishment beside the Moguntiacum Gate.’ He frowned. ‘But why on earth would you want to do that?’

‘It can’t do any harm. And I might learn something.’ I was thinking of my doctor son-in-law Clarus; he’d definitely have been useful at this point. Which triggered another thought. ‘Incidentally. Domitius Crinas. You happen to know where he is this morning?’

‘Actually, you’ve just missed him. He and your wife went out just before you arrived. He said they were going to take a look at the Temple of Victory, then cross the river to the Lenus Mars sanctuary.’

Bugger; Smarmer didn’t waste much time, did he? Still, it wasn’t unexpected, and the first thing the lady does when she goes anywhere is check out the local monuments. ‘Where’s the Temple of Victory?’ I said.

‘Not far. In the corner of the market square.’

Great! If I hurried I could catch them mid-jaunt. Perilla would moan like hell, mind, but this was work; she could just do without her prospective boyfriend for an hour or so. I doubted if the guy would be in Clarus’s league where reading evidence from dead bodies was concerned – he was more of the diagnose-and-prescribe type of doctor, and it’d need more than a slice of Clarus’s morbid interest in forensics for that – but he’d be a lot better than nothing. Or so I hoped.

Besides, I reckoned the bastard owed me for putting up with his company all the way from Ostia. He could just make himself useful for a change.

I set out for the market square.

I ran them down as they were coming out of the temple.

‘Corvinus! This is a pleasant surprise.’ Crinas smiled his best five-candelabra smile. ‘Done what you wanted to do already, or are you on your way somewhere?’

‘I’ve got a job for you, pal,’ I said. ‘If you aren’t too busy, that is.’ He had his hand on Perilla’s arm, supporting her down the temple steps. I gave it a significant glare, and he removed it. ‘Inspecting a couple of dead bodies.’

That got me a blank look. ‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Marcus!’ Perilla snapped; as predicted, she looked distinctly unchuffed. ‘If that’s one of your jokes then it’s in extremely bad taste!’

‘No joke, lady. Bodies – murdered – courtesy of Saenius Balbinus. He’s just told me about them.’

‘Do they have anything to do with your case?’ That was Smarmer; a definite sharpening of interest.

‘Not that I know of. A merchant from Durocortorum and his servant, found early this morning half a mile outside town. Balbinus has asked me to look into it as a favour.’

Perilla sniffed. ‘I would have thought you had enough on your plate already, dear, without taking on anything else,’ she said.

‘Yeah, well, I saw Quadrunia and she won’t play. Balbinus is investigating other possibilities for me, so meanwhile I’m at a loose end. Also, one hand washes the other.’ I looked at Crinas. ‘So how about it? Willing to give it a whirl?’

‘I suppose so,’ he said doubtfully. ‘If you insist. All the same, I’m not sure what you expect me to do. The men are dead, after all. A bit late to call in a doctor, don’t you think?’

Humour, now, or what passed for it. I didn’t smile; no point in encouraging him. ‘My son-in-law would disagree,’ I said.

‘Oh, yes. Cornelius Clarus. You mentioned him, didn’t you, Perilla? Interesting chap, from the sound of him. Most unusual; I’d like to meet him one day.’ Crinas smiled. ‘Well, on those terms I don’t at all mind “giving it a whirl”, as you put it, although Perilla and I had planned to visit the sanctuary of Lenus Mars this morning.’

‘So Balbinus said.’ I kept my voice neutral. ‘But it shouldn’t take all that long. They’re at the undertaker’s up by the Moguntiacum Gate; we can walk there inside of ten minutes.’

‘Very well.’ He turned to Perilla. ‘Perhaps it’d be easier if you went back to the residence. We could start out again from there when Corvinus and I have finished.’

‘Lovely,’ Perilla said. ‘Let’s just do that.’ I could just hear the clenched teeth. ‘Marcus, dear, can I have a word with you in private? You’ll forgive us for a moment, Crinas.’

‘Yes, of course. I’ll walk on ahead slowly, Corvinus, and you can catch me up.’

He moved off. Perilla rounded on me.

‘You did that deliberately, didn’t you?’ she hissed. ‘You don’t need him at all! Marcus Valerius Bloody Corvinus, sometimes I think you are the most-!’

‘Look, give me a break, OK?’ I said. ‘I didn’t ask for two extra murders, and it makes sense to use all the help I can get. I’d’ve had Clarus if he’d been here.’

‘Clarus would be a completely different matter; he’s family, and yes, he is a little odd in certain ways. But going the lengths of asking a total stranger to-’

‘Jupiter, Perilla, he’s hardly that, is he? We’ve had the bastard cheek-by-jowl with us for the past month!’

‘And very pleasant it’s been. It’s nice to have someone around for a change who knows what entasis means.’

‘Come on, lady! I’m not that thick!’

‘All right. So what does it mean?’

‘Ah-’

‘Exactly. I think I’ve made my point. Now listen to me, Marcus. I have had your sniping and silly jealousy up to here, so I’ll say this just once more and once only: I am not, and never will be, having an affair with Domitius Crinas. That is “affair” of any kind, model, or description you care to name, from light flirtation upwards. Is that perfectly clear?’

‘Uh, yeah, but-’

‘Good. Please bear that fact in mind during the four or five days Crinas has left with us before he travels on to Moguntiacum.’ Four or five days? Bugger! I’d been expecting two, at the outside! ‘Now go and see your bodies. I’ll probably be out until dinner.’

She marched off in the direction of the residence.

Ah, well, that’d gone down like a slug in a salad, hadn’t it? I sighed and went after Smarmer.