Ruso said carefully, "I haven't accused him of anything."
"It was nothing to do with him, you understand? He was not involved. People sell hair all the time. It is business."
"I'm just trying to find my housekeeper," said Ruso. "I'm not interested in anything else."
"They are very loyal to one another," said the woman. "You know what the men are like. Stupid, sometimes, but loyal."
"I understand."
"Would you betray a comrade?"
Ruso watched a dead branch drifting down one of the channels. "If I thought it would save a life, I might."
The branch caught on a mud bank and swung around in the current.
A spur caught in the opposite bank and the branch was stuck, straddling the flow.
He said, "So, it was a soldier."
"A veteran."
"And this was shortly after the last girl disappeared?"
The woman nodded. "My husband didn't know the girl was dead, you understand? It was just business."
Water was pouring over the branch in a long shimmering curl that crashed down into a line of foam.
Ruso said, "I have no money with me, but I will see to it that you are-"
The bar of the bridge gave a sudden shudder as the woman's fist landed on it. "I am not doing this for money! You Romans, you think everything is for money!"
"I need more help," he explained. "I need a description. A name, if you have one."
"I came to speak with you," said the woman, ignoring his words with a haughtiness that reminded him painfully of Tilla, "because I think you are a good man."
"I'll be grateful for anything you can tell me that might help my servant."
"I do not know," she said, "how the man got the red hair. For all I know, the girl may have cut if off by herself and given it to him to sell.
He is the only one who can tell you that; you must ask him."
"How do I find this man?"
"I do not know his name," she said, "but he works at Merula's bar."
66
At Merula’s most of the lunchtime customers had gone, leaving only a few hangers-on who had nowhere better to go, or else no inclination to go there. Tomorrow would be different, insisted Stichus as he palmed the coins Ruso had just borrowed from Valens. Tomorrow was payday. Stichus indicated the girls seated around the bar. Today, a customer could take his pick.
Ruso was glad there were few witnesses to see Chloe rise from the table with a smile, slide her hand into his, and lead him up the stairs.
The cubicle was, he knew, the best the place had to offer. The wide bed was strewn with plump blue cushions. Chloe pulled the door shut behind them and the yellow glow of a lamp rose to help the light that struggled in through a small pane of bubbly glass. Ruso found himself trying to work out a tangle of naked bodies painted on the walls in various uncomfortable-looking combinations as Chloe's arms slid around his waist. He felt her breath against his ear. "I knew you'd change your mind," she murmured.
Ruso grasped both her hands and held them still. He opened his mouth to speak and found himself suddenly hoarse, but managed, "I just want to talk."
"You can talk to me," whispered Chloe, nuzzling the back of his neck. "I'm a good listener. It's nice and private here. You can tell me anything you want." He felt a gentle push toward the bed. "Let's get comfortable, shall we?"
As he felt himself sink into the cushions, he reasoned that it would do no harm. Chloe was very attractive. She was warm. She was willing. She was a professional, and he had paid. He could always talk to her afterward.
She was curled around him on the bed, pressing herself against him. He glanced down to watch her foot sliding up his thigh. The charms on her ankle bracelet trembled with each movement. Her skin was smooth. Her toes were perfect. She was nibbling his ear.
Ruso closed his eyes. At last: a woman who understood what he needed. What he deserved. And the beauty of it was, there was no commitment. He could have this whenever he wanted. Because this was a professional service. A business transaction. Like the buying of someone's hair…
Restraining Chloe's exploring hand, he pulled himself up to sit with his back against the wall. "When I said I wanted to talk," he growled, hoping there was no one listening behind the door, "that's what I meant."
Chloe arched her back and stretched, draping herself across his lap and looking up at him. "But you're so nice," she said, pursing her lips and miming a kiss.
"No," he said, heaving at her shoulders to lift her away from him. "I'm not nice. And I'm tired of being lied to."
She swung her legs off the bed and sat up. "Suit yourself."
"Do you know where Tilla is?"
"No." She bent to fiddle with one of the pins that held her curls in place. "Is that it? Can I go now?"
"No. Is she here?"
Chloe pushed the pin back into place and sighed. "You don't learn, do you?" She turned to face him. "It was you who told them about Phryne, wasn't it?"
When Ruso said nothing, she continued, "Well, you were a big help to her. She'd tell you how much herself if she was well enough to receive visitors."
"Is she all right?"
"Of course she's not all right."
"I could-"
"You've caused enough trouble already. Lucky for her, it's payday coming up. They aren't stupid here. She'll be fit to work by tomorrow."
Ruso found himself staring at the tangle of bodies painted on the walls. For a girl in a place like this, being fit to work was a dubious blessing. Perhaps the child had indeed pretended to be stolen in the vain hope of escape. Or perhaps he had been right the first time: The whole thing had been a story concocted by Tilla to cover her own escape. He no longer knew whom to believe. "Chloe," he said, "do you think Tilla's run away?"
"I don't know."
"The last person to see her was Bassus. He said she came here while you were out at the baths."
"Well, she's not here now. Ask him where she went."
"Are you not telling me because you don't know, or because you're afraid?"
She gave a snort of derision. "You know the first thing you learn in this place? Never show fear. Something Phryne needs to learn. And you know the second thing? Mind your own business."
"If one of your management's done something to Tilla…"
Chloe shook her head. "I can tell you one thing about Bassus, Doctor. He won't damage anything that might turn him a profit."
"I heard that somebody here hurt Daphne."
"So? You don't have to be much of a talker to do this job. They'll have her back to work after they've sold the baby."
Ruso took a deep breath. "And what about Asellina? Or Saufeia? Did they really run away, or were they allowed out like you are?" He paused. "Do the girls do home visits? Private parties, that sort of thing?"
"What's that got to do with Tilla? It's you she's run away from, not us."
"Because she's missing like the other two. And the only thing that links them all is this place. What's going on here, Chloe?"
Chloe stared at him for a moment, then got to her feet. "I don't know what you think you're stirring up," she said, "but I don't want anything to do with it." She stepped forward and lifted the latch on the door. "Time's up." She walked out onto the landing. "Get out now, or I'll call the boys. And don't come here again."
Chloe's sandals clattered away down the stairs. Ruso sighed, gave a parting glance at the tangled bodies-the participants looked depressingly bored-and followed her down to the bar.
"Bassus!"
The man turned. "Back again, eh? Come to pay your bill?"
"Come for a chat," said Ruso. "Can we go somewhere private?"
"No thanks. You're not my type."
Ruso shrugged. "I can say it in front of everyone, if you like."