Three Hands In The Fountain

All this was true. It would ruin Florius. He was hardly going to run his wife and Petro through in the proper fit of maddened rage, and subjected to the ancient scandal laws

about pimping he would become a laughing stock. `I like the Consul's sense of humour,' I said openly to Helena.

She feigned disapproval. `His sense of justice, you mean, Marcus Didius.'

`I prefer not to be the agent of marital disharmony,' Julius Frontinus told Milvia kindly. He was a tough old shoot. He had dealt with dim girlikins before. He could see beyond their glimmering silks and wide painted eyes, to just how dangerous they were. `I shall overlook what I have heard today. I can see that you wish to preserve your marriage, so you will obviously end your affair with all speed. And we all say, very good luck to you!'

Milvia was stunned. Her extortionist family owned a battery of tame lawyers who were famously good at discovering outmoded statutes with which to hammer the innocent. It was something new to find herself the victim of antique legislation, let alone to be subjected to delicate blackmail by a high-ranking senator.

Frontinus seemed so sympathetic she must have wanted to squeal. `As for your missing mother, you are clearly desolate without her. You must make every, effort to discover whether she has taken refuge with a friend or relative. Falco will conduct, enquiries on your behalf if time permits, but unless you produce proof that your mother has been abducted this is a private affair. There could be many other explanations. Though if a crime is thought to have been committed, surely that is a matter for the vigiles?'

`Oh, I can't go to them.'

Frontinus looked, at me. `They might not be, very sympathetic, sir. They spend a great deal of time investigating crookery in which the missing woman is heavily involved. Flaccida will not be their favourite maiden in distress.'

`I need help,' Milvia wailed.

`Hire an informer then,' said Helena.

Milvia opened her rosebud mouth to wail that that was why she had come to me, then she registered the word `hire'. A fee would not, of course, have been levied by Petronius. `Do I have to pay you, Falco?'

`It is considered polite,' answered Helena. She did my accounts.

`Well, of course then,' pouted Milvia. `In advance,' said Helena.

Frontinus looked amused. For our work on his formal enquiry, we were letting him pay in arrears.

FORTY FIVE

His illustriousness was not best pleased when I informed him later that he had lost half his team on sick leave. The way I told it, Petronius Longus, that selfless scourge of organised crime, had been attacked by a gang in retaliation for putting away the criminal Balbinus Pius. If, before he employed us, Frontinus had already been briefed on Petro's suspension from the vigiles, he would soon understand the connection with Milvia. I wasn't going to tell him unless he asked.

`Let us hope he recovers quickly. And how do you feel about carrying on alone, Falco?'

`I'm used to working solo, sir. Petronius should soon be back on his feet.'

`Not soon enough, the Consul warned. `I have just received a message brought by a very excited public slave.'

Then he came out with the real reason for his visit: there was news at last from Bolanus. Far from abandoning the case as I had been beginning to suspect, the engineer's assistant had been busy. He had stuck with his personal theory that the aqueducts which came to Rome from Tibur were the ones to investigate. He had organised systematic inspections of all their water towers and settling tanks, right out across the Campagna… Eventually his men extracted more human remains, a major find we were told several arms and legs, in various stages of decomposition – near the inlets above Tibur.

Julius Frontinus looked at Helena apologetically. `I am afraid I shall have to rob you of your husband for a few days. He and I need to make a site visit.'

Helena Justina smiled at him. `That's no problem, sir. A trip to the country is just what the baby and I need.' Frontinus tried nervously to look like a man who admired the spirit of modern women. I just smiled.

FORTY SIX

Flaccida's disappearance from home gave me a chance to show off.

There was a day's pause before we left' Rome, so I used that to investigate for Milvia. Needless to say, it was, not as much fun as pursuing widows can be. All the widows for whom I had previously worked were not merely provided with twinkling inheritances, but highly attractive and susceptible to a handsome grin. In fact since I met Helena I had given up that kind of client. Life was risky enough.