Three Hands In The Fountain

`What I am sure you don't want,' Helena cut in, `is to destroy Petronius Longus. He is already seriously injured. Face facts, Milvia. This can only make him consider what it is he wants. I can tell you the answer to that: Petronius wants his job back, and as a loving father he wants to be able to see his children again.' I noticed that she had not mentioned his wife.

Milvia looked at us. She was hoping to find out where he was; she realised we were not intending to, say. Used only to handing out orders, she was stuck.

`Give Florius a message from me,' I told her. `He made a mistake today. He had two free citizens beaten up, in my case without lasting effects but it happened in front of witnesses. So I have an aedile, a judge, and two senior centurions who will support me if I take Florius to court.' Helena looked startled. I could not afford litigation I would resent wasting my money, too. Still, Florius was not to know that. And as an informer I often did court work; at the Basilica there were barristers who owed' me a few favours. I meant it when I told Milvia, `Your husband will come unstuck – if I raise – a compensation claim. Tell him if he bothers either Petronius or me again, I shall have no hesitation.'

Milvia had been brought up by gangsters. Although she pretended to know nothing about her background, she must have noticed that her relatives lived in a world that thrived on secrecy. The publicity of a court case was something her father had always shunned (at least until the case where Petronius had had him arraigned). Her husband was a novice in crime, but he lived obscurely too. He gambled, an activity based on hints and bluff, and was now involved with rack-rents; that relied on heavy threat, not open writs.

`Florius won't listen to me.'

`You'll have to make him,' snapped Helena. `Otherwise it won't only be his name that is spread all over the Daily Gazette. You'll be there among the scandals too. You can kiss goodbye to the last threads of respectability attaching to your family. All Rome will know.'

`But I haven't done anything!'

`That's the whole point of the Daily Gazette,' smiled Helena serenely. Trust a senator's daughter to know how to crush an upstart. There is nothing more ruthless than a born patrician lady wiping out a new man's wife. `Forget the corn supply schedules, Senate rulings, articles on the Imperial family, Games and Circuses, portents and miracles. What Romans want to read about are people who claim they never did anything wrong having their love affairs exposed!'

Milvia was still little more than twenty -.not yet sufficiently hard-faced to brave it out. She would be. But with luck,. Petronius had met her before she learned to be bad with courage. Helpless, but like a true flighty bit, she changed the subject petulantly. `Anyway, I came about something else.'

`Don't annoy me,' I said. ‘I wanted to beg Petronius to help.'

`Well, whatever it is, your husband has prevented that.'

`But it's important!’

'Tough. Petro's unconscious and he's fed up with you anyway.'

`What is it?' Helena asked her, having noticed an edge of genuine hysteria. I had noticed it too, but I didn't care.

Milvia was on the verge of tears. A poignant effect. Petronius would probably have fallen for it, were he not laid up. It didn't impress me. 'Oh, Falco, I don't know what to do. I'm so worried.'

`Tell us what it is then.' Helena's eyes had a glorious glint that meant any minute she would lose her patience and dot Milvia with a dish of marinading celery hearts. I was eager to see it, yet I preferred the idea of eating them. With any luck Ma had brought these for us; if they came from our family market garden on the Campagna, they would be flavoursome specimens.

`I wanted to ask Petronius, but if he's not here, then you'll

have to help me, Falco -'

`Falco is very busy,', Helena responded crisply, in the role of my able assistant.

Milvia cantered on, undeterred: `Yes, but this might be connected with what he's helping Petronius to work on -'

The celery hearts were in danger again, but I was in luck.

Balbina Milvia's next words gave Helena pause. In fact she silenced both of us. `My mother has vanished. She hasn't been home, for two days and I can't find her anywhere. She

went to the Games and never came home. I think she's been captured by that man who cuts up women and puts them in the aqueducts!'

Before Helena could stop me I heard myself replying cruelly that if it were true then the bastard had appalling taste.

FORTY FOUR

I was ready to despatch the desolate Milvia with even more harsh words, but we were interrupted by Julius Frontinus on one of his regular check-up visits. He patiently signalled that I should carry on. I explained to him briefly that the girl thought her missing mother might have been seized by our killer, and that she was begging our help. He probably,