Three Hands in The Fountain

XLV

His illustriousness was not best pleased when I informed him later that he had lost half his team on sick leave. The way I told it, Petronius Longus, that selfless scourge of organised crime, had been attacked by a gang in retaliation for putting away the criminal Balbinus Pius. If, before he employed us, Frontinus had already been briefed on Petro's suspension from the vigiles, he would soon understand the connection with Milvia. I wasn't going to tell him unless he asked.

'Let us hope he recovers quickly. And how do you feel about carrying on alone, Falco?'

'I'm used to working solo, sir. Petronius should soon be back on his feet.'

'Not soon enough,' the Consul warned. 'I have just received a message brought by a very excited public slave.'

Then he came out with the real reason for his visit: there was news at last from Bolanus. Far from abandoning the case as I had been beginning to suspect, the engineer's assistant had been busy. He had stuck with his personal theory that the aqueducts which came to Rome from Tibur were the ones to investigate. He had organised systematic inspections of all their water towers and settling tanks, right out across the Campagna. Eventually his men extracted more human remains, a major find we were told – several arms and legs, in various stages of decomposition – near the inlets above Tibur.

Julius Frontinus looked at Helena apologetically. 'I am afraid I shall have to rob you of your husband for a few days. He and I need to make a site visit.'

Helena Justina smiled at him. 'That's no problem, sir. A trip to the country is just what the baby and I need.' Frontinus tried nervously to look like a man who admired the spirit of modern women. I just smiled.