He modified his confident manner. `Still, you managed to root me out!' he replied, full of fake friendliness. Even when he was making an effort, he remained dour.

`Finding people is my job.'

'Ah yes.'

I sensed that internally he sneered at the type of trade I carried out. I didn't waste a truculent reaction on him. I wanted to get this over with. `Down at the rough end of informing we have skills you never require at the Basilica. So,' I pressed him, `which of my skills do you want to use?'

The big man answered, still with his offhand manner and loud voice: `You heard what happened to Metellus?'

`He died. I heard it was suicide.'

`Did you believe it?'

'No reason to doubt,' I said – at once starting to do so. `It makes sense as an inheritance device. He freed his heirs from the burden of the compensation he owed you.'

`Apparently! And what's your view?'

I formed one quickly: `You want to challenge the cause of death?'

`Being paid would be more convenient than letting them off.' Silius leaned back, his hands folded. I noticed a cabochon beryllium seal ring on one hand, a cameo on a thumb, a thick gold band marked like a belt buckle on the other hand. His actual belt was four inches wide, heavy leather, wrapped around a very clean fine wool tunic in plain white with the senatorial trim. The tunic had been carefully laundered; the purple dye had not yet leached into the white. `I won the case, so I don't personally lose -' he began.

`Except in time and expenses.' At the rough end, we were rarely paid time and expenses, and never at the glorious rates this man must command.

Silius snorted. `Oh I can wave goodbye to the time charges. It's the million and a quarter winnings I prefer not to lose!'

A million and a quarter? I managed to keep my expression blank. `I was unaware of the compensation limit.' He had paid us four hundred, which included a mule allowance for the ride Justinus took; we had bumped up the travel costs in accordance with the customs of our trade, but compared with his great windfall, our return wouldn't buy us a piss in a public lavatory.