Part 15 (1/2)

'Yes, how unlikely. But we know she thought him a coward, darling... Then,' said Helena calmly to Honorius, 'you have a link between Paccius urging Metellus to commit suicide, Calpurnia suggesting death by hemlock, and Bratta, known to be a run-around for Paccius, buying hemlock. Yes, the defence can argue that the drug was for other purposes - but you will ask them what. There are not many uses commonly. You can dismiss any suggestion as a curious coincidence.'

'They will maintain Bratta simply bought the hemlock for use by Negrinus,' Honorius offered. 'They'll say Negrinus requested it.'

'He will deny it.'

'They will say he's a shameless liar. We can only retaliate by trying to discredit them.'

'I'll sort that,' I said. 'Your job is to imply Paccius Africa.n.u.s - now openly attacking Negrinus - has become an evil influence in the Metellus family. Stress a dark connection between Paccius and the mother -'

'Conspiracy with Calpurnia? Unproven,' reflected Honorius, 'but any jury will a.s.sume the reasons were s.e.xual. We don't even have to say it. They will be eager to draw the worst conclusion. Then -'

'Then Paccius had also worked on Metellus, wickedly persuading him to disinherit his son and two daughters, in favour of Saffia,' I ticked off 'So... we suggest an unsuitable affinity between Metellus and his daughter-in-law, plus more immorality between Paccius and Saffia.' Honorius, supposedly the young idealist, came out with these shameless slurs automatically. I was impressed.

'Working with Silius has had its effect,' I commented.

'Working against Silius and Paccius will not be easy.'

'That's right,' I grinned. 'Be aware of the odds. Then you can't fail.'

Honorius was silent. The good-looking patrician always knew when we were mocking him, though he never knew how to respond. Taking pity, Helena asked if he would make anything of my identification of Bratta among my last night's attackers. Honorius turned to her, answering courteously, 'We do not have much else to offer the court. So yes. It always goes down well to suggest that the opposition uses thuggery.'

'Threats are viewed badly by juries - and they hate disorder in the streets,' I agreed.

Honorius had been mulling. 'I shall present Negrinus as an unworldly, innocent victim, set up by a gang of cynical bullies who habitually try to pervert justice. Keep that bandage on your eye, Falco. In fact, Helena Justina, it would help if you could pad it out to look slightly bigger. If his bruises fade, you may be able to enhance them with a little feminine eye colour -'

'Eye paint?' Helena asked frostily. I was aware that she used it on special occasions; I grinned at her.

'Yes, try orchid rouge, with smudges of blue put on afterwards.' Honorius was serious. He had done it in the past. How fortunate that this manipulator was on our side - though we had yet to see what tricks the others would play to disadvantage us.

'How will it look about Saffia getting the money?' Aelia.n.u.s broke in. 'Bad, surely?'

Honorius thought. 'She will be mentioned - the accusers must go through the terms of the will in order to show how unfairly Negrinus has been treated. That's his supposed motive. Silius cannot avoid mentioning the trust set up for Saffia - I think Silius will do it, to distance Paccius. It won't serve much purpose for us to speculate on why Saffia. (Well, not unless we can find out!) But we can point up the sinister Paccius involvement. Jury members who hate informers will object to legacy-chasing.' Honorius frowned. 'That is not enough, however. Birdy simply must make a claim to overturn this will.'

'If he really won't,' said Helena, 'You can say, however much he has lost by the unfair provisions of his father's will, he is a man of very great decency - reluctant to initiate an action while his ex-wife is in the process - the dangerous process - of giving birth to his child.'

'Sweet,' I muttered. 'But even if he's a thoroughly thoughtful spouse and father, we have to find out why he won't start the action.'

'The two daughters have a case too,' Honorius answered. 'So they aren't helping. I asked Carina about any intentions she and Juliana have. Their story is, ”We loved our father and are all determined to accept his wishes.” Carina's husband, Verginius, sneerily pointed out how rich he is, and that his wife does not need the money. But Birdy does. And they may have loved their father, but Metellus has shown very publicly that he did not love them. You are ent.i.tled to find their declaration unbelievable.' Honorius sounded as if he were in court already.

I drew the discussion to a close abruptly. Helena and her brother hung their heads and made no comment. They both knew my major concern at present was how to stop our inexperienced, uncontrollable colleague poking into things. Honorius had to be stopped. Investigating murder is no game for amateurs.

'I'll allocate jobs to everyone tomorrow,' I said. 'Just promise me that none of you will do anything stupid.'

'Of course not,' said Honorius. 'I think I'll go and see Bratta.'

I nearly let the idiot do it. Being beaten up might make him think in future.

XXVII.

BE CAREFUL,' warned Helena as I left next day. Determined to impose my authority on my younger partners, I was heading out early. I creaked and had a blind side, but there was no choice.

'Don't worry. This business is all talk,' I replied drily, alluding to her own misplaced belief up until yesterday. A twinge caught me. 'As you see!'

I was going to talk about funerals later. It seemed the wrong moment to tell Helena that.

'Don't get into any fights, Falco.'

I winced at the pains I already felt. 'No, darling.'

First, I went to Rubiria Carina's house to re-interview her and her brother. On the subject of their father's will, I extracted no more than Honorius had done. They both meekly accepted their disinheritance and told me that so did the elder sister, Juliana.

'Birdy, Birdy, you're not helping yourself Indignation will look much better to a court. It's more natural. We are trying to advise you; contest the will!'

'I can't,' he whimpered. As usual, he gave no reason. When I glared, he stiffened up. 'I choose not to. And I will not discuss it.' Whatever pressure he was under to make him take this att.i.tude, it must be serious.

'If your father dumped you in favour of your wife, that might just about have been acceptable - but now Saffia has left you. Maybe your strange, devious papa might have altered his will if he had lived - but he ignored the chance. His witnesses were to be called in to swear to his suicide; he could easily have prepared an updated will and had it signed. As far as I know, he made no move to rewrite the conditions or to add a codicil. So, Negrinus, what do you have to say about this?'

'Nothing.'

'Did you know about this will?'

'Yes.'

'From the start? When it was prepared more than two years ago?'

'Yes.'

'Did you argue?'

'No. Father could do as he wished. I had no choice.'

'Did you even talk to him about his arrangements?'

A vague look came over that oddly bookish face. 'I think he meant to change the will.' Negrinus was unconvincing. We could not defend him in court with anything that sounded so insincere.

'Our father was not devious,' Carina stated frigidly. She must have been harbouring resentment over my remark.

'Your father had been proved corrupt,' I reminded her. 'Now it looks as if his personal relations.h.i.+ps were as rocky as his business conscience.

'Children have no options in their family heritage,' she commented. I saw Birdy heave a huge sigh to himself. His sister only a.s.sumed a look of determination.

'Why did your father favour Saffia Donata?'

'n.o.body likes her,' Carina suggested. 'Papa felt sorry for her, perhaps.'

I could not bring myself to suggest to Birdy that his father had had an affair with his wife.