'It is rude,' said Saffia. Rather rudely.

'Still, you remain on good terms?'

'We do.'

'Because of your son?'

'Because it is civilised.'

'Wonderful!' I said, as if I had fine grit between my teeth. 'And how are things between you and Birdy?'

'Unspeakable - unfortunately.' She waved a small neat hand above the unborn child. Several silver bracelets slipped on her wrist as she did so. Her draperies were held on with numerous enamel studs and pins. Even the slave mopping her brow wore a bangle.

'The mother-in-law comes into it?' I suggested with a twinkle. Saffia was loyal for some reason: she just pouted slightly and said nothing. Perhaps the Metelli had paid her to keep quiet. 'I met her today,' I tried one more time.

Saffia gave in. 'I expect you think them an awful family,' she told me. 'But the girls are all right.'

'What girls?' I had been caught out.

'My husband's two sisters. Juliana is sweet, though she's married to a crosspatch. The trial was a terrible shock for them both. Carina always kept her distance. She's rather strict and has a mournful air, but then I think she understood what was going on.'

'Carina disapproved of the corrupt practices?'

'She avoided trouble by staying away. Her husband also took a very stiff att.i.tude.'

'Will you still see the sisters?'

Saffia shrugged and did not know. She had the knack of seeming full of disingenuous chatter but I already felt that nothing vital would be wheedled out of this witness. She gushed, but she only told me what she could afford to say. Anything she needed to keep private stayed out of bounds. Lawyers do it in court: bombard the jury with trivia while omitting anything pertinent that may harm their client.

I tried her with the main question: 'I am really looking into what happened over Metellus senior's death.'

'Oh I don't know. I wasn't there. My father fetched me, the day the trial ended.'

'You went home with your father?'

'I certainly did.' She paused. 'Papa already had a quarrel with them.'

'It happens in families,' I sympathised. 'What was at issue?'

'Oh something to do with my dowry, I know nothing of such matters...'

Wrong, darling. Saffia Donata knew everything about anything that concerned her. Still, women of rank like to pretend. I let it go. I can pretend too.

'So, home to Papa, at least temporarily? Of course you wanted to live in your own apartment; you are a married woman, used to your own establishment?'

Not quite. She was used to living with Calpurnia Cara, a matron who possessed - as Helena Justina had commented wryly - bearing and presence. Saffia saw that I recognised the contradiction; she made no answer.

I smiled like a conspirator. 'You have my congratulations. Living with Calpurnia must have taken stamina. I imagine she told you exactly how you should do everything -'

'I cannot permit my son's wife to suckle!' Saffia mimicked viciously. She was good.

'How dreadful.'

'At least this baby won't have the evil wet-nurse that my daughter was forced to endure.'

'You are glad to have escaped such tyranny.'

'If only I had.' I looked quizzical. Saffia then explained the curious procedures that are imposed on mothers-to-be who divorce from families where a large inheritance may be at stake: 'Calpurnia is insisting a reputable midwife lives with me, examines me, and monitors both the pregnancy and birth.'

'Jupiter! What's she afraid of?'

'A subst.i.tuted grandchild, if my baby dies.'

I huffed. It seemed a lot of fuss. Still, Metellus Negrinus would not want to be saddled with maintaining the wrong child.

'She told me you would call.' So Saffia and the tyrant were still on speaking terms.

'She told me you are causing trouble,' I said bluntly. 'What did she mean by that?'

'I have no idea.' I could see that she did know, but she was not going to tell me.

I changed tack. 'You are very well organised. There must have been hectic activity to find you somewhere to live so fast.' Briefly, I even wondered if Calpurnia had had a hand in this.

'Oh, dear old Lutea sorted it all out for me.'

I raised an eyebrow, half amused. 'Your ex-husband?' I guessed. She blushed slightly at being outwitted. It was an unusual name. I would soon track him down. I smiled. 'Let's be frank. Do you believe Rubirius Metellus killed himself?'

But Saffia Donata knew nothing of those matters either. She had had enough of me. I was asked to leave.

At the door, I paused. Since I had already put away my stylus, I chewed a fingernail instead. 'd.a.m.n! I meant to ask Calpurnia something... I don't want to keep annoying her in her time of grief - would you happen to know, what poison was it that Metellus took?'

'Hemlock.' This was good, from a woman who had not been in the house when the poisoning occurred and who was estranged from the family.

'Hades, we're not in the wilds of Greece, and Metellus was not a philosopher. n.o.body civilised takes hemlock nowadays!'

Saffia made no comment.

'Do you know where he would have acquired it?' I asked.

Saffia looked more wary. She merely shrugged.

I had now interviewed two matrons from the same family, in my opinion both deeply devious. My brain ached. I went home for lunch to my own open and uncomplicated womenfolk.

VIII.

'How could you do that to me, Falco?'

Justinus was chomping his way through a bowl of chicory, olives and goat's cheese. He looked morose. I asked what I had done, knowing he referred to Ursulina Prisca. His brother, who was reading a scroll as if he despised lunch, smirked.

'Vulcan's breath,' Justinus went on. 'Your widow is so demanding. She goes nattering on about agnates -'

'Agnates?' Helena looked sceptical. 'Is that a disease or a semiprecious stone?'

'Close relatives, other than children, who are next in line to inherit.' Aelia.n.u.s, for once more efficient than Justinus, must actually be learning up the finer points of inheritance law. Was that in his scroll?

'Ursulina has some claim on the estate of a brother,' I confirmed. 'Or she thinks she does.'

'Oh I'm taking her word!' Justinus marvelled. 'Ursulina Prisca has a firm grip on her rights. She knows more law than all the barristers in the Basilica.'

'Why does she need our help then?' Helena managed to put in.

'She wants us to be, as she puts it, the instruments of her legal challenge.'

'Go to court for her?'

'Go to Hades for her!' Justinus moaned, in deep gloom.

'So you accepted the client,' I surmised, laughing at him. 'You are a public-spirited soul. The G.o.ds will think well of you.'

'Even his wife doesn't think well of him,' Aelia.n.u.s told me, in a curt tone. The two of them never stopped. They would be wrangling to their graves. Whoever first had the task of pouring the funeral oils over his brother's bones would be obnoxious in the fraternal elegy. 'But your litigious old widow fancies the boots off him, so he fell for it.'

I shook my head, ignored the sc.r.a.pping, and gave instructions for our next move.

'Right. We have done some preliminary exploration, and identified the chief personnel. Now we have to grill the key people, and not let up. With luck we are going in before the witnesses have any more time to confer. There are two Metellus daughters and a son. We have two Camillus sons and a daughter, so I wish I could match you up neatly with opposites - but I cannot send Helena Justina to interview an aedile.'

'We have no evidence that Birdy is a womaniser,' Helena protested. 'You don't have to protect me.' Senators' daughters cannot knock on strangers' doors. Her rank barred Helena from visiting strange men.

It had not stopped her visiting me in my seedy informer's apartment - but I knew where that had led. 'Metellus Negrinus is a high-placed official,' I countered. 'As a responsible citizen, I am protecting him!'

'You're saving the best for yourself,' she muttered.

'Wrong. I hate corrupt state servants, especially when they hide behind feeble cries of "I had no choice; I was unfairly influenced". No wonder our roads are blocked with dead mules' carca.s.ses and the aqueducts leak. So Helena, can you try to visit Carina, the daughter who is supposed to have stayed aloof from the tricky business?'

'If I can do her sister too. I want to compare them.'

I nodded. 'All right. You take Carina and Juliana. Then Justinus, you can apply your charm to their two husbands and do a similar comparison. Their names are Canidia.n.u.s Rufus and Verginius Laco. I'll take on Saffia's husband.'

'Which?' demanded Helena.

'Both.' I had no intention of letting anyone else interview Metellus Negrinus, whose role in his father's downfall had been so significant; there were curious questions hanging over 'good old Lutea' as well. His full name, I had discovered from sources at the Curia, was Lucius Licinius Lutea, and he was thought to be something of a social entrepreneur. I believed it. Not many divorced husbands would personally find a new apartment for a wife who had been married again and who was carrying the new man's child. Either the good old marital discard was risk-obsessed and looking for a scandal, or he was up to something.

'What about me?' wailed Aelia.n.u.s.

'Stick with researching agnates. I have a hunch that inheritance plays some part in whatever is going on here.'

'What was in the Metellus will?'

'That's been kept rather quiet. Presumably the seven tame senators who witnessed the "suicide" had also previously witnessed the will being signed. I asked the ones I interviewed what was in it. I got nothing. Only the Vestal Virgins with whom the doc.u.ment was lodged during Metellus' lifetime will know details of bequests.'

'If they read it,' Helena said demurely. She pretended to be shocked that I had suggested this.

I grinned. 'Sweetheart, Vesta's holy handmaidens devour an aristocratic will within a heartbeat of accepting it for safe keeping.'

'Ooh, Marcus! You don't mean they break the seals?'

'I'll take bets on it.'

Aelia.n.u.s decided to have lunch after all, like a good son of a patrician house - that is, back at home with his mother. He was learning. He had few useful contacts for our business, but Julia Justa was one he could always call on. His n.o.ble mama knew at least one senior Vestal. Julia Justa would never help me in my work, but her favourite son was different. Off he trotted to ask her.

If this failed, I knew one of the more junior Vestal Virgins myself Constantia was a game girl. So friendly, in fact, that in the confines of my home, I preferred not to mention her.

We all worked the case for several days. At the end of that time, we knew what had happened - and what had not happened.

At least, we thought we did.

So, wanting a quick payment into our bank account, we prepared a summary and presented it to Silius Italicus as a job well done: Evidence Reports in the Accusation against Rubirius Metellus Interviews with formal witnesses post-death (M. Didius Falco and Q. Camillus Justinus) Four interviews successfully conducted. Results inconclusive. Metellus was seen dead in his bed, with a pillbox on a side table. n.o.body spoke with him about his intentions prior to death. All interviewees claimed suicide was in character, with intent to discommode recent prosecutors and avoid compensation fees.

All seven witnesses are senatorial, so 'above suspicion'.

Attempts to interview remaining three were abandoned; it is believed they would all tell the same story.

Interview with Calpurnia Cara (M. D. Falco) C.C., wife to Metellus: strong-willed, hostile, resistant to questioning. Claimed to have discussed suicide with deceased; threw burden of proof on to witnesses (see above for flaws in their testimony).

Interview with Saffia Donata (M. D. Falco) S.D., recently divorced from Metellus Negrinus, son of deceased, and pregnant by him. Not present on day of death. No direct knowledge of event, but maintained the poison used was hemlock.

[Note: Unreliable witness?]

Approach to Rubiria Carina (Helena Justina, for Falco and a.s.sociates) Known as Carina. Younger and allegedly favourite daughter of Metellus, though believed to be distanced at time of his death. Aged thirty or under; mother of three children; holds office as priestess of Ceres in husband's family's summer residence at Laurentum; benefactress of local community at Laurentum (endowed and built a granary); was awarded statue in forum and laudatory plaque by town. These are unusual honours for a woman of her age - unless she controls great personal wealth and is thought to be of impeccable moral character.

Carina appears oddly colourless. This may be the effect of grief for a recently deceased father - or just a dull personality.

R.C. received H.J. briefly in her home, but on learning the purpose of the house call, declined to be interviewed.

Approach to Rubiria Juliana (H.J.) Known as Juliana. Aged approximately thirty-five; mother of one infant; regular attendee at festival of the Good G.o.ddess with her mother Calpurnia Cara; no known community good works.

Refused to receive H.J.; declined to be interviewed.

Interview with Gnaeus Metellus Negrinus, son of deceased, aka 'Birdy' (M.D.F.) Approached at his place of work, subject agreed to be interviewed. Questioning took place at length at the aediles' secretaries' office, adjacent to the Rostra.

Negrinus aged about thirty, middle child of the deceased and Calpurnia Cara. Sandy hair, almost studious appearance. A senator since twenty-five (honourably elected 'in his year', with strong family backing to enhance his chances; came second in the field and was highly popular at home.) [Private Note: just shows how dumb the electorate are!] Acted as quaestor in province of Cilicia, nothing known against him. Senate career unremarkable, perhaps due to his rarely attending. With this clean record was elected a curule aedile and appointed to supervise road maintenance. Implicated in corruption trial of his father, though not himself prosecuted, hence failure to remove him from office despite charges of profiteering and contract swindles.