“You're the lodger,” exclaimed my father. Anacrites looked pleased by his local fame.

As Pa poured wine into metal cups, I could tell he was watching us together. I let him stare. Playing games was his idea of fun, not mine.

“So it's Falco Partner again?”

I pressed out a tired smile. Anacrites sniffed; he had not wanted to be merely “ Partner”, but I had insisted on continuity. I was, after all, hoping to ride on straight into a different partnership as soon as possible.

“Settling in?” Pa was pleased to sense an atmosphere.

“It's a bit tight, but we're expecting to be out and about so that shouldn't matter.” Anacrites seemed determined to annoy me by engaging Pa in chat. “At least the price is reasonable. Apparently there hasn't been anyone renting for some time.”

Pa nodded. He liked to gossip. “Old Potinus had it. Until he cut his throat.”

“If he worked here I can see why he did it,” I said.

Anacrites was looking around the Villa Potinus nervously, in case there were still bloodstains. Unrepentant, my father winked at me.

Then my partner gave a start. “Internal audit's no good as a cover!” he complained to me in a huff “No one will believe that, Falco. The internal auditors are meant to examine mistakes in the Palace bureaucracy. They never go out among the public-” He realized I had put one over on him. I was pleased to see he was furious.

“Just testing,” I smirked.

“What's this about?” nudged Pa, hating to be left out.

“Confidential!” I answered crushingly.

5

THE NEXT DAY, having boned up on what Calliopus said he was worth, we went back to his training barracks to take his operation apart.

The man himself hardly looked as if he was engaged in the trade of death and cruelty.