TIME TO DEPART

`Not the old "present to wife's brother" trick?'

He gave me a respectful gleam. `Haven't come across that one! No: "dowry to daughter's husband".'

I shook my head. `Met it before. I took a jurist's advice and the news is bad: you can't touch the coinage. So long as the marriage lasts it has passed away from the family. Title to the dowry goes with the title to the girl. The husband owns both, with no legal responsibility to the father-in-law.'

`Maybe they'll divorce!' sneered the ex-rent-collector, in a tone that suggested heavy whacks might be used to end the marriage. Once a muscleman, always a thug.

`If the dowry was big enough, love will triumph,' I warned. `Cash in hand tends to make husbands romantic.'

`Then I'll have to explain to the girl that her husband's an empty conker shell.'

`Oh I think she must have noticed that!' Fusculus put in. He glanced at me, promising to elaborate on the gossip later.

I saw No

The room was full of working boots. There were enough soles and studs to subdue a crowd of rioting fishmongers in five minutes flat. Only the slave boy, in his embroidered Persian slippers, failed to match up to the rest of us.

`What's your background?' No

`I'm an informer basically. I take on specials for the Emperor.'

`That stinks!'

`Not as much as enforcing for organised crime!'

I was pleased to see he did not care for me standing up to him. His tone became peevish. `If you've finished insulting me, I've got enough to do chasing my stake from the Balbinus case.'

`Stay busy!' I advised.

He laughed briefly. `I gather your "roving commission" will not include helping me!'

I wanted to tackle the area that Rubella had called past history; the one that had big implications for the future. `I need to rove in other directions.'

`What do you want with me?'

`Information.'

`Of course. You're an informer! Are you buying?' he tried brazenly.

`Not from a jury fixer!'

`So what are you looking for, Falco?' No

I could play that game. `Whether it's you who masterminded the Emporium heist.'

It failed to nettle him. `I heard about that,' he said softly. So had most of Rome, so I couldn't accuse him of u

`Somebody could hardly wait for Balbinus to leave town,' I told him. `They snatched the inside lane of the racecourse – and they want everyone to know who's driving to win.'

`Looks that way,' he agreed, like a convivial friend humouring me.

`Was it you?'

`I'm a sick man.'

`As I said earlier,' I smiled, `I'm very sorry to hear that, No

He looked sulky. 'I said my piece and I'm finished.'

`Oh yes. I heard you're quite an orator -'

At this point Fusculus, who had been watching with amused patience, suddenly cracked with anger and had to butt in: `Get a grindstone and sharpen up, No

`Or what?' jeered the patient, showing us the ugly glower that must have been forced on countless debtors. `I'm dying. You can't frighten me.'

'We all die,' Fusculus replied. He was a quiet, calm philosopher. `Some of us try to avoid being hung up in chains in the Banqueting Chamber first, while Sergius gives his whip an airing.'

No

`I've been involved in the Balbinus case.'

`Oh yes, one of the Fourth Cohort's brave esparto-grass boys!' This was the traditional rude nickname for the foot patrols, after the mats they were issued with for smothering blazes. Used of Petro's team, who thought themselves above firefighting, it was doubly rude. (All the worse because the esparto mats were regarded as useless anyway.)

I managed to break in before things got too hot. `Tell me about how the Balbinus empire worked.'

`A pleasure,. young man!' No

`I know Balbinus was the uncrowned king of rat thieves and porch-crawlers. He ran small-time crime as an industry and had drop shops on every street corner to process the loot. I haven't even mentioned the brothels or the illicit gaming houses yet -'

`He could run an estate,' No

`With your help'. He accepted the smarm. I choked back my disgust. `It was more than stealing scarves from washing lines, however.'

`Balbinus was big enough to have carried off the Emporium raid,' No

`But sadly he's travelling… So who might have inherited his talent? We'll take it that you personally have retired to lead a blameless life.' No

`Your sidekick ought to know names,' No

Fusculus acknowledged it with his normal grace, refusing to lose his temper this time. `They all had cheap nicknames,' he said quietly to me, before ru

We looked at No

`And where are they all now?' I asked.

`All gone to the country when the trial came off.'

`Quiet holidays in Latium? You reckon that's true?' I put to Fusculus.

He nodded. `Minding goats.'

Petro would have kept tabs on them as far as possible. `So, No

`We did not allow rivals!'

I could believe that.

There was no need to press the point. Better to think about the other criminal gangs after we left him. I sensed that No

`We'll be in touch,' I said, trying to make it sound worrying.

`Don't wait too long,' leered No