"If he survives. And if his section survives too."

"Ah well."

"I'll work for myself as usual."

"Well we both know where we are, then!" she smirked. "Oh yes. Under a tree in a wood in Baetica without a lunch basket."

"You're a misery, Falco."

 

We seemed to be talking frankly—not that I trusted her any more as a result. Nor did I expect Perella to trust me.

"If I level with you, Falco, can I expect the same favor?" I screwed out a half-hearted shrug. "I came to Baetica for two reasons," she announced. "I wanted to see Selia get it—but most of all, I'm going to sort this cartel nonsense and get the solution marked up as a credit to the spies' network."

"Outwit Laeta?"

"And you too, if you're on his side, Falco."

"Oh I was sent to block the cartel too; I think it's a dead duck now." I gave her a far from modest grin. "I dropped a few suggestions in a few relevant ears, so I'm taking credit for suppressing it!"

Perella frowned. "You'd do better to take a laxative!"

"Too late. Give up. It's fixed. Now there's just young Quadratus. He's crazy and out of control—just the right material for the Palace to use in its cover-up of the real mess. What Rome needs is a juicy patrician scandal to fill up the Daily Gazette; that's always good for taking the heat off the government. Putting Quadratus out of action on grounds of unspeakable misdemeanors caused by foolish youth allows the big men to escape with their pride intact."

Perella scoffed quietly. "There is a problem I don't think you realize."

"You mean the noble Quadratus belongs to a rich and ancient family? Do you think he'll dodge the indictment?"

"Who knows? I mean, the cartel was never just a scheme set up by a few notables in Baetica for their personal gain," Perella said.

I thought she was referring to Attractus. He certainly wanted to rule far more than the cartel. Then I stayed quiet. Something in her tone was far too ominous. "Laeta wants the cartel too, Falco."

"Laeta does? Well I discovered a reason for that. He's suggesting to the oil producers that he intends the industry to become state controlled. Attractus is trying to bribe him into keeping quiet."

"I thought Laeta had another plan," Perella mused. "Oh if the oil market comes under state control, he certainly wants to be the man in charge—who creams off the golden froth for himself."

"It wouldn't surprise me. First he would have to persuade the Emperor to take over the industry and provide state funds for running it."

"I can think of a way he would manage that." Perella was enjoying her superior knowledge.

"All right, you've lost me." I could be frank. I was dying with curiosity.

"Laeta really wants the oil market cornered; he wants it for the Emperor."

SIXTY-FIVE

 

I gulped discreetly. Immediately she said it I could see there might be an appeal. Yes, Vespasian wanted to go down in history as an honest servant of the state. But yes too, he was notoriously personally mean.

He came from a middle-class family, Sabine farmers turned tax collectors: hardworking intelligent folk on their way up—but with never enough money to run on fair terms with the old patrician families. He and his elder brother had clawed their way through the Senate to the highest posts, always in comparative poverty, always having to mortgage last year's gains in order to move on to the next magistracy. When Vespasian, having made it to consul somehow, was awarded the governorship of Africa, his brother had been compelled to fund him—and while he was there in his exalted position, Vespasian became a legend: for what? For acquiring a monopoly in the supply of salted fish...

Why should he change? He inherited empty coffers from Nero. He had the new man's zeal to make his mark. Grabbing the market in a staple commodity could still be the Emperor's dream. He ruled the Empire now, but he was just as short of funds for the business of government and probably just as eager for cash in hand himself.

"There could be various ways this would work for Laeta," I suggested slowly. "The most basic is the one I mentioned—a local cartel is set up, stage-managed by Attractus, and Laeta agrees that the state will allow it to exist provided he gets a large personal bribe. The next stage, more sophisticated, is that he exerts even more pressure; he says the cartel will only be allowed to continue if the Emperor gets a huge percentage of the profits."

"That's what I thought," said Perella. "Both of those needed Anacrites wiped out. He was trying to stop the cartel."

"Such a simple soul! Wiping out Anacrites has an additional bonus for Laeta: he can then take over the spies' network."

"So you agree with me. That's it?"

"I think Laeta might be toying with even more elaborate plans. For one thing, I can't see him staying happy with Attractus as prime mover in the cartel. This probably explains why he hired me to expose the conspiracy: he specifically complained about Attractus getting above himself. So let's assume what he really wants from me is to remove Attractus. But what then happens to the cartel?"

Perella was rushing ahead. "Suppose the cartel is made public, and it's banned—and the estates of the conspirators are all confiscated. That would attract Vespasian!"

"Yes, but what would happen? We're not talking about another Egypt here. Augustus was able to grab Egypt, capture its wonderful grain, and not only accrue huge profits for himself but gain power in Rome by controlling the grain supply and using it for propaganda, with himself as the great benefactor ensuring the poor are fed."

Vespasian had actually shown that he appreciated the value of the corn supply by sitting in Alexandria during his bid for the throne, and tacitly threatening to keep the grain ships there with him until Rome accepted him as emperor. Would he contemplate a similar move with oil? If so, would it actually work?

"So why can't the same thing happen with Baetican oil, Falco?" Perhaps after all Perella belonged to the active type of agent, rather than the puzzle-solving kind. She was adept at strangling her rivals, but lacked a grasp of political functions. In the complex web of deceit where we were now stuck, she would need both.

"Baetica is already a senatorial province, Perella. This is going to be the problem. It may be why, in the end, nothing will ever happen. Anything in Baetica that's officially taken over, confiscated, or otherwise state controlled will simply benefit the Treasury. For the Emperor that would hardly be a disaster; the Senate's control of the Treasury is nominal and he himself could use the money for public works, sure. But the olive oil is never going to be a monopoly in his personal control, and he'll get no personal credit for producing an oil dole for the populace. No; better for him that whatever happens is underhand. That way there may be profits."

"So you're saying, Falco, the ideal result for Laeta is to destroy Anacrites, destroy the Quinctii—and yet keep the cartel?"

"Apparently!" I could see how it might be organized too. "I bet Laeta will propose something like this: in Rome the estate owners, and anyone else in the trade who joins in, will all become members of the Society of Olive Oil Producers of Baetica as a cover for their operations. The society will then make large personal gifts to the Emperor—and smaller, but still substantial ones, to Laeta of course. It will look like the kind of ingratiating behavior that's officially allowed."

"So what can you and I do about this?"

"It all depends," I said thoughtfully, "whether Vespasian has been informed of the devious plan." Remembering earlier conversations with Laeta I reckoned he would not yet have shared his ideas with the Emperor. He would want to be sure his proposals would work. It would suit Laeta to complete the scheme, then present it to his imperial master as a working proposition. He was assured of the credit then. While the cartel was being set up, Laeta could keep open an escape route in case anything went wrong. If that happened he could fall back on the straightforward move, holding his hand from personal involvement and gaining his credit by exposing the plot. But if everything went well, he could produce the more elaborate scheme for his imperial master with a splendid—though secret—secretariat flourish.