The Lydian Baker

37

We were too late. The boat shed door was wide open, and there was a crowd outside. I took the last stretch at a run and pushed my way through. Inside, two men were standing over the huddled body of a third. I stopped and stared…

The third was Glycus, and he was dead. Very dead; like he'd tried to stop a charging rhino with his bare hands and hadn't half made it.

'What happened?' I asked Bessus. No point in asking the last member of our little group; Tiny couldn't've answered.

Bessus's face was grey. 'He arrived half an hour ago, lord. There wasn't anything I could do alone, so I went for help. When I got back Tiny here had him in a bear-hug and it was all over bar the screams.'

Holy gods. I looked at the big guy in awe: he was crying. Bessus had said before that Tiny wouldn't hurt a fly. Well, maybe flies were safe but he'd done a fair enough job on Glycus. We could've slid what he'd left of the bastard under the shed door and not worried about the clearance.

'Why?' I said simply.

Tiny didn't answer. He just held out something he'd been holding. Cradling. A small fat dog with a severed throat.

I swallowed. Good sweet gods. Yeah, that would do it, okay, and with a bit left over: Glycon had signed his own death warrant and never known it. 'He wanted you to take him to the statue, right? And when you wouldn't he killed your dog to persuade you to change your mind.'

Tiny gibbered something at me. The tears were streaming down his cheeks, and I didn't think they were for Prince Charming.

'You know the man, lord?' Bessus said.

I nodded. Antaeus had come in behind me. He was looking down at the corpse, his face expressionless.

'That's Glycus, all right,' he said at last. 'It seems, sir, that you were worried about the wrong person.'

'Yeah.' I'd seen enough, more than enough; I turned away. 'Let's get some fresh air, okay?'

We went outside. So. Exit Prince Charming. I wasn't sorry. It couldn't've happened to a nicer killer.

The crowd of gawpers shuffled aside to let us through. Gods, I hate these ghouls.

'Somebody go for the Watch,' I said. 'Otherwise the show's over.'

The crowd dispersed, slowly and reluctantly. Bessus was heaving the door to behind us. 'It wasn't Tiny's fault,' he said softly.

'No.' I shook my head and tried to ignore the buzzing in my ears: reaction was setting in. 'No. I know that. Don't worry, I'll explain.'

If you don't need me now, Valerius Corvinus, then I'll be getting back to the master,' Antaeus said. His face was stiff, but he still had the air of a perfect butler. 'I'll leave that…carrion for you to dispose of.'

'Sure. Go ahead.' I sat down on a bollard and took a deep breath. 'Tell him thanks, okay?'

'Of course.' Antaeus gave me his best butler's bow and walked back to the coach.

We waited in silence for the local Watch officers to turn up. Tiny didn't join us. He sat apart, still cradling his dog. Every now and again he stroked it. Finally I went over to him.

'You want us to bury her for you, pal?' I said quietly.

He looked at me. One big hand touched my cheek. Then he shook his head, got up and shambled towards the harbour gates. I didn't try to stop him. I doubt if I could've, anyway.

It took half an hour for the Watch rep to arrive: not the boss, of course, just a young squaddie barely out of his teens. I led him inside, showed him Glycus and watched him lose his breakfast.

'Send a message to Callippus at Watch Headquarters in the City,' I said when we were outside again and he'd asked Bessus and me all the usual questions. 'He'll want to know.'

'Yes, lord.' The kid hesitated. 'And the man responsible? This Tiny? We'll need to talk to him. Purely a formality.'

'Sure.' I felt tired; well, they could try, anyway. 'Talk to him all you like when he gets back. He's off burying a dog.'

'A dog?' The squaddie's eyes widened, and he glanced quickly at the boat shed door. 'Zeus in glory! He squeezes someone to death then goes off to bury a dog?'

'Believe it.'

The guy obviously didn't, but he straightened. 'Very well, lord. If you'll take the responsibility.'

I sighed. 'Yeah. No hassle.'

'Fine. I'll send a cart for the remains. It shouldn't take long.' He looked again at the boat shed. 'You say he was a freedman. His ex-master will have to be informed, too.'

'Make that ex-mistress, friend. In both senses of the word. And frankly I don't think she'll want to know.' He was staring at me. 'Her name's Hermippe. Tell that to Callippus as well. He knows where to find her.'

There was a question in the squaddie's eyes, but he didn't ask it. He just gave me a salute, turned and left.

Tiny must've been laying low somewhere watching for him to go. He'd evidently buried the dog because when he came along the quayside towards us his hands were empty.

'You okay, pal?' I said softly.

He didn't answer, not even a grunt. He didn't stop, either. His right hand reached out in mid-stride and gripped my wrist. Hard. My spine turned to ice. I tugged. Nothing. I might as well have tried shifting the boat shed.

'Tiny!' Bessus had been kicking his heels a few yards off. Now he rushed over, but he stopped short before he reached us. A wise move: the big guy could've swatted him away with his free hand as easily as an over-troublesome gnat.

I looked down at Tiny's hand. Jupiter, he was strong! The fingers were wrapped all the way round, I knew I couldn't pull free, and if I was stupid enough to try I'd probably dislocate something. 'Uh…you care to let go, maybe?' I said, fighting to keep the panic out of my voice. Blank eyes stared back at me out of a dough-white face, and I felt the sweat break out on my forehead. 'Bessus! Do something, will you? I can't take this!'

'Let the Roman go, Tiny,' Bessus's voice was shaking. 'He's a friend. And you've got yourself into enough trouble for one day.'

The grip didn't slacken. Tiny gibbered a word or two and walked off towards the gates, dragging me along behind like a dog on a short lead.

'I think he wants you to go somewhere with him, lord,' Bessus said.

'Yeah.' I tried to keep my voice level. 'I'd sort of worked that out for myself, friend. But there isn't a lot I can do about it at the moment.' I hadn't been kidding about not being able to take this, either: being hauled along to the gods knew where by a madman three times as strong as I was was worse than my worst nightmare, and I was close to yammering already.

'You want me to get help?' Bessus was almost running to keep up with us, and for all the attention Tiny was paying either of us we could've been talking Parthian.

'Uh-uh.' My voice shook; help, nothing: it would've been like trying to hold back an elephant with a cobweb. I was on my own here, and what nerve I had was just about all used up. I gave it one last shot before I went over the edge of sanity into a screaming fit. 'Okay, Tiny,' I said carefully. 'I'll come. Just let go of me, will you? I'm a big boy now, I can walk on my own.'

Mercifully, the fingers opened. I fell back, breathing hard and clutching my wrist. Tiny stood waiting while I rubbed the numbness away.

'You feel like tagging along?' I said to Bessus. I tried to make it sound casual but my voice was shaking too much to be convincing.

'Perhaps I'd better.' Bessus's face was the colour of whey. 'He's never done this before. And after what's happened…'

He didn't finish, because Tiny had reached over and gently pushed him away. The message was clear enough: three was a crowd. Shit. I didn't like this, I didn't like it at all, even though I thought I knew where the big guy wanted to take me. Climax to the case or not, at that precise moment given the choice between finally getting my hands on the Baker and walking home barefoot I’d have opted for the hike.

Given the choice. But then I didn't have a choice. All I could do was hang in and make the best of things.

'Okay, Tiny,' I said, and prayed I didn't sound as scared as I felt. 'No hassle. Message understood. So let's go.'

Bessus stood aside. 'You want me to tell the Watch?' he murmured.

'No.' I shook my head. If the kid I'd just met was an example of the Piraeus's finest then there wasn't a lot of point. And I'd be safe enough physically; at least I thought I would, and for sanity's sake I had to keep on thinking so. 'I'll see you around.'

He didn't look convinced. That made two of us.

We left the harbour precinct and headed off in the direction of Zea Theatre. Tiny kept a pace or two in front, looking back over his shoulder to make sure I was still following. Then he took a left towards the high ground of Acte. We hit the lower slopes and Tiny suddenly veered east towards the coast. Uh-huh, so we weren't headed for Smaragdus's backup cave after all, which would've been one possibility; he was taking me to the beach hut. It still had to be the Baker, though, because there wasn't anything else out this way, and I began to feel the first prickles of excitement as we left the road and crossed the broken ground leading to the shore.

The Alcyone was still beached in the cove: Jupiter knew why it hadn't been stolen, but maybe no one had noticed it yet. Tiny didn't even break stride. He hauled it down to the water easy as a kid launching a toy yacht, got aboard and sat down.

Journey's end, evidently. Or the first part of the journey, at least. I stopped, and swallowed. Hell’s teeth; I'd been afraid this might happen. The trip across the gulf with Smaragdus had been bad enough, but taking to the open sea alone with a mad gorilla who'd just popped a guy's ribs for him was the stuff bad dreams are made of.

'Uh…can you handle one of these things, pal?' I said. 'Only I'm telling you now that I don't know a lee shore from a hawser, and I swim like a ton of concrete. These may be problems.'

Tiny gibbered and beckoned. Yeah, well, there went the excuse. I gritted my teeth and started to wade through the shallows…

'Corvinus! Valerius Corvinus! Sir!'

I spun round. A figure had just breasted the skyline, holding its side like it had a stitch. Oh, good sweet Jupiter, I didn't believe it!

The little guy in the emerald-green tunic waved and came closer.

'Felix!' I only hoped I didn't sound as glad to see him as I felt. A swelled ego in that direction I could do without. 'What the hell are you doing here?'

'I followed you, naturally.' He was gasping. 'All the way from Zea.'

'You were at the boat shed?'

'Since last night.' His hand kneaded a spot just left of his liver. 'A moment…please…to catch my breath. I'm not used to running, and your friend sets quite a pace.'

'So choke, you bastard.' Nerves or not, I couldn't help grinning. Not just out of relief, either: for the first time since I'd met Felix I could be sure that what I was getting was the plain unvarnished truth. The guy was unquestionably, undeniably knackered. My grin widened. 'You spent the night at the harbour?'

He coughed and straightened. 'Yes, sir. It was most…uncomfortable. But after my colleague reported that you had paid an abortive visit to one of the trireme sheds I put two and two together and decided my personal presence was necessary.' Gasp.

Jupiter on a tightrope! Forget just one tail, it seemed we'd been heading a procession. Maybe I should've hired a trumpeter and thrown nuts to the crowds.

'You had my house staked?' I said.

'Only slightly, sir. And in your own best interests.'

'Which, oddly enough, happened to coincide exactly with yours.' Ah, well, it was done and I had to admit I was glad of it. I looked across at Tiny. He hadn't moved; hadn't so much as acknowledged Felix's presence. 'Okay, Felix, we're going for the Baker. As if you didn't know. Since you're here you can tag along if the big guy agrees. But we have a deal, remember?'

'The statue sold at open auction with the money going to the widow,' Felix said primly. I grinned again: the degree of concern for the maintenance of fundamental principles like honesty, openness and fair play that shone through every word could've powered a major political campaign. I'd have voted for the oily little fraud myself. 'Yes, of course I remember, sir. The agreement stands, naturally.'

'Fine.' I turned to Tiny. 'Hey, Tiny! This is Smaragdus's other customer and an old friend of mine. He'd like to see the statue as well. You have any objection?'

The pear head swung towards Felix. I waited, and prayed to every god in the pantheon I knew. The guy might have his faults, and despite what I'd said he wasn't exactly a friend, but at least he'd be human company.

Finally, the head nodded.

'Great.' I let out the breath I'd been holding. 'So. Let's go for it.'

We waded across to the boat