No, I was trying to calm him down so he was fit to deal with the situation."
Your passenger is in trouble?" The captain looked stubborn, so I added lightly, Of course he is. We know the man has lost his wife. Well, he may be new to Ostia and careless in giving her directions to their shore lodgings… Or what happened, Antemon? I'm still supposing the woman had a dirty fling."
Mind your language. He is my owner!" growled Antemon.
This is his ship, you mean?"
He's a highly respectable charterer. His wife, poor woman, is chaste, dutiful and probably scared witless. He'll get her back. He needs to be left alone with it. He doesn't want a crowd of uninvited advisers."
Advisers on what?" demanded Aelianus. Last night's conversation helped me work it out. You're talking kidnap!" The captain was silent. I pressed him again angrily. Your owner's wife was taken from your ship on the voyage." That finally riled Antemon. No, she was not! No one boarded my ship. No one interfered with my passengers," he protested hotly. I brought them here perfectly safely. They left the ship. The only reason Banno came back here to consult me was that he reckoned they were set up when we first landed and he wanted to know if any of the crew saw anything. He and his wife only went ashore yesterday. He reckoned someone watched the ship on arrival, sized them up and decided they were wealthy, then followed them and snatched her."
He thought you were in on it!" Aulus rashly accused him.
No, no. Settle down, Aulus." I trusted the captain. He was annoyed at his own bad position in this, not least because he could lose his job if the vessel's owner blamed him. If he really had been passing information about his passengers to kidnappers on shore, he would have had a rebuttal ready and a more brazen manner. But it would be madness to finger the ship's owner. Antemon, I take it you have sold your cargo and your owner has the money?" He nodded. Banno will be able to satisfy the people who have his wife."
And they know it!"
Of course they do. Keep out of it. Don't mess things up for him."
Answer this, then. Ever come across an old Cilician called Damagoras?" No. A younger one called Cratidas?" No. Has Banno any names for whoever took his wife?" No again. That was to be expected. Kidnappers use anonymity to build fear. And when Caninus poked his nose in, how come he knew something had happened?" Antemon was terse. This is a port."
You mean everyone in Portus knows that Banno's wife has been grabbed for ransom?"
Only navy spies, with narks sitting in the taverns, men who have been hanging around on the docks for months, waiting for a whisper that it has happened again." I picked up on again." So it has happened before." I remembered how Diocles had inserted that taster in the Daily Gazette. Rumours of piracy reviving are said to be false." Not false enough for Banno.
I am a private informer," I told the captain. I can be discreet. My trade relies on it." Antemon still hesitated. You can trust Falco," said Aulus quietly. A senator's son has influence, and Antemon may have weakened. I twisted the awl. Look, I was already working on a case which may connect with this. Let me know where I can find Banno. This is for his own sake and the wife's safety. Somebody does need to help this couple," I said. If you don't want to co-operate with Caninus and the navy, maybe I can do something for Banno unofficially." The captain was still unhappy, but muttered to us where Aulus and I could find his ship's owner ashore.
