outrage.
In an adjacent reception room Licinius Rufius and his wife were seated, completely motionless. Both were clad in black. Both looked as if they had neither slept nor eaten since they learned of their grandson's death. Neither showed much interest in the fact we had brought back their granddaughter, though they seemed to be pleased that the rest of us had come to share their grief. The atmosphere was stultifying. I sympathized with their tragedy, but I was still weary and short-tempered after my long journey to Hispalis. I could feel my patience ebbing fast.
Chairs were produced. Claudia sat down immediately with her hands folded and her eyes downcast, resigned to her duty. Helena, Marius and I took our places more uneasily. There was a good chance we could all imitate statues for the next three hours and not hear a word spoken. I was angry, and I felt such passivity would not help.
'This is the most terrible tragedy. We all realize how deeply you are suffering.'
A slight reaction passed over the grandfather's face, though he made no attempt to reply to me.
'Will you come to the funeral?' Claudia Adorata, the old lady, asked me in a hushed voice. She belonged to that group of women who seek their comfort in formal events. Marius and I both agreed to go; I had already decided with Helena that she should excuse herself. Nobody would thank us if she caused a disturbance by giving birth in the middle of the drawn-out obsequies.
I had to speak out: 'Licinius Rufius, Claudia Adorata, forgive me for raising unwelcome issues. I speak as a friend. It has been established that somebody who has not come forward must have been with your grandson when he died. The situation needs to be looked into.'
'Constans is gone,' Licinius dragged out. 'There is no point. You mean well,' he conceded in his autocratic way.
'I do, sir. I respect your wish for privacy-' I knew it remained possible that the young man's death had been a sad-but avoidable-accident. I kept my voice calm and respectful. 'I would like to speak to you in private; it concerns the safety of your granddaughter.'
'My granddaughter!' His eyes flew to me, and met a cool reception.
No doubt Claudia Rufina would be smothered with attention after the funeral, but at the moment she was not being granted her due. The old man was sufficiently formal to stop discussing her in what amounted to a public situation, so he stared at me, but then indicated I could follow him to another room. Claudia herself made a swift movement as though she wanted to assert herself and come with us, but Helena Justina shook her head surreptitiously.
Licinius sat. I stood. It gave him status; I did not need it.
'I'll be brief. Your grandson may have died because of a bungled task, or it may have been more than an accident. Perhaps that only matters if you want to know for your own peace of mind. But I saw you and Constans at the proconsul's palace; I have drawn my own conclusions about why you took him there. I strongly believe there are people who will not have welcomed Constans speaking out-and they will be feeling relieved now he has been silenced.'
'You said you wished to speak about my granddaughter, Falco.'
'This does affect her. Will you tell me what Constans knew?'
'I have nothing to say on that subject.'
'If Constans was aware of something illegal-perhaps the cartel I discussed with you recently, or maybe something even more serious-then you should consider the position very carefully. I knew them only a short time, but it seemed to me that Constans and Claudia were very close.'
'Claudia Rufina is deeply upset-'
'It's worse than that. She may be in danger. Other people, those who had an interest in your grandson's silence, may now be wondering whether Constans told his sister what he knew.'
Licinius Rufius made no remark, but he was listening to me much less impatiently.
'Don't lose them both!' I warned.
The girl was not my responsibility. Her grandfather possessed ample means for ensuring her protection. I had seeded his mind, anyway. He rose, looking gruff though on principle. He hated to acknowledge that anyone else knew better.
As he started to leave the room he turned to me with a faint smile. 'Your skills seem limitless.'
'Not at all. I cannot, for instance, lure you by any method I know into discussing the proposed cartel.'
At last he allowed me to mention it, though he still sang the old refrain: 'There is no cartel.'
'I may even end up believing that.' I smiled. 'Try this, sir: a group of you, chosen for your prominence in the business world, were invited to Rome by an influential senator. A suggestion was made which you rejected out of hand. Then somebody-not necessarily the senator himself-made a stupid mistake. It became known that the Chief Spy was showing interest in your group. Somebody lost his head and arranged a couple of murderous attacks. The rest of you recognized a dangerous bungle, one which only drew attention to the unpalatable plan. You left Rome fast.'
'Convincing,' Licinius Rufius commented coolly. He was now walking slowly, as if due to his age and his bereavement. This would allow us a certain period of discussion before we rejoined our companions.
'Then I turned up here, suggesting you were all still in the thick of the conspiracy… Actually, sir, I've changed my mind: those of you who were important enough to run a cartel are well placed, by your very prominence in the oil-producing world, to ensure fair prices. You could be the people who take a stand
'I told you that was my view, Falco.'
'Olive oil is a rich commodity? There will be enough for every-one?
Licinius Rufius gripped my arm and stared at me keenly. 'What's more, because the product has universal applications, including large consumption by the army, we producers should take care. Otherwise the whole industry may be taken over and state-controlled.'
'Just as corn is! You are a man of sense-as well as probity.'
We now reached the intriguing situation where it was Rufius who wanted something from me. He had stopped again. We were standing in a corridor. He seemed much more frail than when I first met him, though I hoped it was temporary. I could not press him to a seat, for there were none. I just had to hope I could squeeze him before the old chap collapsed.
'When I was in Rome, Falco, one of the arguments that was put to us was this: somebody at the Palace is extremely eager to assume the state control I mentioned. It was suggested that we all get together in a position of strength-' a position which sounded like the cartel to me- 'Then we could resist that move-'
'By bribing the official?' I asked calmly. He bridled, but replied, 'Was that a reasonable suggestion?' You mean, would it work? Only if there was nothing more subtle in the official's mind.'
'Is there?'
I don't know. If we're talking about a particular official, then anything is possible. He has great power-and a mind like a Cretan labyrinth. Were you told his identity?'
No. Do you know who it is?'
I can guess.' Claudius Laeta was the name that floated through my mind. I could still hear him gloating
Rufius was watching me closely: 'If the threat of state control comes true-'
'As far as I know, sir, that is not current policy.' I had seen a useful lever. Whatever Laeta might be intending, I had my own ideas about how I would report on Baetica once I returned to Rome. It was not necessarily Laeta who would be my first contact. After all, on other missions I had been received in private by the Emperor himself.
'Licinius Rufius, I am not empowered to make promises. But if I were putting forward official proposals, I might say that the oil producers of Baetica seem to me a responsible body of men who should be allowed to run their own industry.' It would be cheap at least. Vespasian liked any system that cost the Treasury nothing. 'Hispania has been a Roman province for a long time. We are not discussing some untrustworthy backwater full of savages in skins. And maybe it's time the Spanish provinces were thought about more carefully.'
