Finished Business by David Wishart

exasperating man.’
    Exasperating
. The same adjective Tarquitia had used. Well, they had that much in common, anyway. ‘How about his business interests?’ I asked.
    ‘What business interests? Lucius didn’t have a single businesslike bone in his body. Where his investments were concerned – and he had a considerable number, over a very wide range, mostly inherited from his father and grandfather, who
were
proper businessmen – his bailiff had complete charge of these. I, of course, made any necessary major policy decisions and kept a very close watching brief on the man himself. Gallio has been the family’s bailiff for over thirty years, as his father and grandfather were before him, and I have no doubt he is perfectly honest, at least as honest as that class of men usually are. Nonetheless, you cannot be too careful, and I’ – she sniffed – ‘most certainly am. Or was, I should say, until Lucius and I parted company. Gallio, now, can do as he likes.’
    ‘You don’t have any connection with the rest of the family, then?’
    ‘With my elder son, you mean? Only as much as I have to. He may be my son, Valerius Corvinus, but Lucius has always been a grave disappointment to me. In a different way, naturally, to his father, but there you are. As a boy he was sullen, secretive and spectacularly unintelligent. As a man, he has retained and developed these traits. Oh, I admit he’s tried to make something of himself in life, but if he’s succeeded to some small degree it has not been on his own merits but by the doing of others, not least of myself, and without my guiding hand he will no doubt sink to his natural level. My elder son is nothing but one long talentless scowl.’
    Gods! So much for the son and heir.
No love lost
had been right. ‘How about your younger one?’ I said.
    ‘Marcus?’ She sniffed again. ‘Or Hellenus, rather, as he prefers to be called. That says it all. Marcus, I could indeed have made something of. He was intelligent, personable, an excellent talker. Unlike his brother, prime material in every way. But it was not to be, unfortunately, and the choice was his. No, I have no connection whatsoever now with Marcus. I have no idea, even, where he lives.’
    ‘What about your husband’s bailiff? Where would I find him?’
    ‘
Gallio?
’ She looked at me in surprise. ‘Why should you want to talk to him?’
    ‘No reason.’ There wasn’t: that aspect of things seemed well above board. But at this point in the investigation I couldn’t be too picky, and it was always best to get more than one viewpoint.
    ‘Very well, then. He has an office on Iugarius, near the Carminal Gate. I call him Lucius’s bailiff, as indeed he is, but not exclusively so. These days, the firm is quite large, and it has other clients besides the Naevius family.’ A third sniff. ‘A sign of the times, Corvinus, and not a change for the better. His grandfather was Lucius’s grandfather’s freedman and knew his place, but these days it seems that where preserving or ignoring class distinction is concerned, anything goes. We’ll have freedmen running the empire very soon and the old families letting them do it, encouraging them, even. You mark my words.’
    ‘Uh … moving on,’ I said. ‘The divorce and, ah, related aspects.’ We were on delicate ground here, I knew, but I couldn’t go without broaching the subject of Tarquitia. ‘Maybe I could ask you about them.’
    That got me a long, cool stare. ‘You mean my husband’s mistress, I suppose?’ Sullana said. ‘The nightclub girl.’
    ‘Yeah. More or less.’
    ‘You think she had a hand in Lucius’s death? It wouldn’t surprise me, of course; she had him wound round her little finger, and if she features in his will …’ She stopped. ‘Does she?’
    ‘Ah … yeah. Yes, so I believe, anyway.’
    ‘Substantially?’ I said nothing, which I suppose was an answer in itself, because she went on: ‘There you are, then. You don’t have to