Free Illegally Dead by David Wishart

same. And if you did I’d bless you for it.’
    Perilla said nothing.
    ‘The poor sod was dying anyway. It was only a matter of when, and how, and whether he’d go with what dignity and self-respect he had left.’ I lifted the winecup, then set it down again without drinking. ‘Me, I’d be grateful that someone had had the guts to make the decision for me.’
    ‘What about the slave-boy?’ Perilla said quietly. ‘Cosmus.’
    I frowned. ‘Yeah, that’s the only bit I can’t get my head around. He wasn’t necessary. And like I say Veturina’s no murderer. Not in that sense.’
    ‘Wasn’t he? Necessary I mean?’
    ‘No. Her room was only a few yards from her husband’s, and she knew he wasn’t in it at the time the business was done. She could even have got in round the front, through the portico. Why introduce a needless complication, especially since she’d know she’d have to get rid of the boy later?’
    ‘Insurance? In case things went wrong, as they did. She’d have someone to blame.’
    ‘The game wasn’t worth the candle, Perilla. Not to someone like Veturina. After all, what were the chances of being found out? The death looked natural. The medicine bottle was in the other room, and to all intents and purposes it hadn’t been tampered with. It was a pure fluke that Hyperion tested the contents, and he said himself they were no proof someone had actually consciously murdered the guy. The only conclusive proof of foul play was Cosmus’s corpse. In effect, by using Cosmus as an accomplice the lady upped the odds on someone blowing the whistle and left herself a real murderer into the bargain.’ I paused. ‘And then if she didn’t stiff the kid personally, which I grant she could’ve done, physically, she’d’ve needed an Accomplice Part Two. Shit. It doesn’t work, does it?’
    ‘No,’ Perilla said quietly. ‘No, I don’t think it does. Not as things stand, anyway.’
    ‘So where does that leave us?’
    ‘Who else is there?’
    I shrugged. ‘With motive? The partner, for one. Quintus Acceius. He seems an okay guy, from what Scopas the major-domo said, but he’d have reason enough. Hostilius was a major embarrassment to him, professionally and socially, and the situation wasn’t going to improve any. There needn’t actually have been any outright hatred involved, either, quite the reverse. Veturina told me herself, and Scopas backed her up, that he’d been a close friend of the family for years. Hostilius’s condition would’ve been as painful to him, personally, as to Veturina. There’re different kinds of love. I can see this Acceius killing his partner for the same reasons that Veturina would’ve had, more or less: because he couldn’t stand by and see a friend and colleague destroy himself.’
    ‘There’s still Cosmus.’
    ‘Yeah. But at least he’d be necessary this time. If Acceius didn’t want Veturina to know - and he wouldn’t, for obvious reasons - then he’d need someone inside the house to do the job for him; also, if things went wrong, to avoid any chance of Veturina being blamed herself. As far as murdering the kid afterwards goes, well, we don’t know the circumstances; the original intention might’ve been to smuggle him off somewhere alive. In any case, it may sound callous, but he was just a slave, and not a very nice person, at that.’
    ‘It does sound callous.’
    I sighed. ‘Perilla, I’m not excusing the guy. I’ve never even met him. And it’s only a theory. Besides, Acceius isn’t the only fish in the pond. There’s the brother, Castor. He hasn’t been seen since he quarrelled with Hostilius the day before he died. Then there’re the two Maecilii, Fimus and Bucca, for different reasons. Why either of them should’ve wanted Hostilius dead bad enough to actually kill him or have him killed I’ve no idea yet, but Fimus is on record as having had a spat with him recently and Bucca’s a dubious character with links to Cosmus. Plus