Petronius rounded on me, full of hate. `Do you think I would have put him in that position? We were dealing with power and money at their most vicious. If I could have hidden him on that ship without letting him even know himself that he was there I would have done! How can you suggest I gave no thought to the risks? Do you think I would send an unprotected agent on that trip without ensuring no one in Rome was in a position to let him down?'

`Your men all knew.'

`My men?' He was livid. `My own team, Falco! I'm not talking cohort; I don't mean the bloody, foot patrols! The only ones who knew I had sent a spy with Balbinus were my own, personally hand-picked investigation team.'

I hated saying it, but I had to: `I'm sorry. One of your hand-picked babies has gone wrong. One of them must be on the take.'

He did not explode immediately. Still, I knew he was deaf to my arguments. There was nothing for it but to carry on talking quietly, as if we were having some sort of rational conversation: `I know they're special. I see it's going to hurt. I can understand you if you say you've thought about this possibility, that you've considered it in a sensible manner and found evidence to clear them all. But a young man who didn't deserve it is dead. Somebody told Balbinus who he was. Lucius Petronius, I'm just amazed that you won't even entertain the obvious.'

It was no good. Even years of friendship could not carry us through this. I heard his voice change; he demanded in a ghastly tone, `You know something. What are you telling me?'

`There's graft among the cohorts.'

`Oh nothing new!' Petro raged at me scornfully.

`All right. This is absolutely confidential: I'm on a special task.'

`Another?'

`That's right. Investigations are being planted around Rome like crocuses in an orchard. I'm under secret orders to find and label which of the vigiles are accepting hand-outs

Petronius was horrified. `You're spying on the Fourth.'

`Oh do me a favour! I'm spying on everything that moves. There's nothing particular about the Fourth. I had hoped to leave them out of it.'

`Not according to what you've been saying to me tonight.' That was when I knew I had really lost him. `I should have known: informers and law officers never mix. Your motives are far too grimy. Get out of my sight, Falco.' He meant it, I knew.

`Don't talk rot.'

`Don't speak to me! Take your filthy suspicions somewhere else. Balbinus is mine; he always was. I'll get him. I don't need help from you. I don't want to see you at the patrol house – I don't want to find you on my patch at all!'

There was nothing else for it. I left him and went home. The Emperor might like to think he had commissioned me for a confidential investigation, but Petronius Longus was the real force on the Aventine, and he had thrown me off the case.

L

THERE WAS VERY little time now. As soon as the body of Linus came home, we had lost our only advantage: that Balbinus had to lie low. Now he had much less to lose. Although he would have to remain in hiding, he could act much more freely. He faced the death penalty when we caught him, but he was so full of arrogance he probably thought he could evade capture. He was planning to rule Rome from some extravagant hiding place.

One thing he would want to do would be to carry on his campaign of vengeance against those who had brought him to justice. There was no doubt about it. Extreme peril threatened Petronius Longus. Apart from hating him for the court case, Balbinus would know Petro would be looking for him. Recapturing the big rissole was now Petro's sole task. Preventing him must be his enemy's chief goal. That, more than anything, was why I felt there was so little time to act.

I had had to tell Helena that I was persona non grata with the vigiles. For one thing she would soon notice me loafing at home instead of rushing out to crises. I had to explain the reason as well.

`Oh Marcus, this is terrible. I was so afraid it would happen… Will Petronius tell his men that you have been looking for corruption?'

`He's bound to tell his own team.'

`That means…'Helena paused. `The one who betrayed Linus will find out what your task is.'

`Don't worry.'

`It looks dangerous for you as well as for Petro.' `Love, this investigation was always dangerous.' `Are you carrying on with it?'

'Yes.'

`How are you going to manage if Petronius won't see you?'

`He'll calm down.'

Seeing that I did not intend to discuss the quarrel further, she stopped talking. One thing I liked about Helena was that she knew when not to pry. She had her own interests, which helped. Then if she ever did want to fight, she liked to blow up nonsense out of nothing. Things that were really important could be handled more sensibly.

Over breakfast, she seemed rather quiet. Maybe that was my fault. Even warm honey was failing to soothe me; I had had hardly any sleep and felt like sludge in the Great Sewer. I noticed Helena neither ate nor drank. That made me feel worse. She was pregnant, and I was ignoring it. The more bravely she endured her plight, the more guilt made me grouse.

`Are you still being sick?' She just shrugged. I had been decreed too busy to be kept informed. Dear gods, I wanted this trouble to be over so I could attend to my own life. `Listen, if I want to be companionable and concerned, you might try helping!'

`It's all right. You're a man. Just be yourself.'

`That's what I was doing. But I can probably be boorish, callous and insensitive if you prefer.'

`I'll bear with you while you're learning to do it.' She smiled. Suddenly she was winsome again.

I refused to be charmed. `Don't worry. I learn quickly.'

Helena Justina restrained herself, plainly making allowances for the tetchiness that had followed my falling out with my best friend. This only made me more angry, but she found a new subject to talk about: `I haven't had a chance to tell you, Marcus. Yesterday when I came home another message about Tertulla was pinned in a bag on the door. And this…' She reached to a shelf and produced a gold object. I recognised the overflown bulla that my sister Galla had hung around her daughter's neck, the amulet which was supposed to protect Tertulla from the evil eye. Its powers had been sorely overtaxed. Now some fool had sent the useless thing to me.

`So they're telling us this is genuine. What are they asking me to cough up?' Even to my own ears I still sounded gruff.

`A thousand sesterces.'

`Do you happen to know what they asked from your father?'

Helena looked apologetic. `Ten thousand.'

`That's all right. When they come down to a hundred I might consider it.'

.'You're all heart, Marcus!'

`Don't worry. I suspect they know they grabbed the wrong child this time. There's no money, but they don't want to lose face.'

`If they reduced the price once they may be weakening,' Helena said. `They seem like amateurs. People who knew what they were doing would pile pressure on us, then keep asking for more and more.'

`I don't belittle the situation, but we may as well not panic. Are there any instructions in the message?'

`No just the price. they want.' She was so reluctant to bother me she had not even let me see the message. Luckily I could trust Helena to tell me anything relevant. It was a relief to let her handle this. Even though I was in a filthy mood, I managed to feel some gratitude.

`We'll hear from them again, I'm sure. Sweetheart, if I'm too busy, do you think you can watch for the next contact?'

`Does that mean I should stay at home?' Helena sounded doubtful.

`Why? Have you an appointment to hear an epic poem in sixteen scrolls?'