Kultus by Richard Ford

the rich smell from the kitchen was anything to go by. This was truly how the other half lived; surrounded by trinkets and trophies, and fed at their leisure on the best of fare. It was hard to subdue a pang of jealousy at this Lord Julius and his life of privilege. One he had chosen to fritter away in disgrace.
    Amelia couldn’t wait to make his acquaintance.
    He sat in a large chair in what looked to be a cosy study. The pinched face that flowered from his starched collar was yellowing with bruises and one eye was almost swollen shut. Light beamed in through a wide bay window and Amelia was forced to squint as she entered. One of the hulking bodyguards was whispering into Julius’s ear as she walked in, and it was obvious the lord of the manor was not pleased with what he had been told. Nevertheless, his scowl turned into a wide and welcoming grin as soon as he spied Indagator Amelia and her men.
    ‘Welcome, welcome,’ he said, showing her his palms. It was an unconscious gesture of submission, but it failed to put Amelia at her ease. ‘It is always a pleasure to play host to representatives of the Judicature. Please, Milus, bring our friends a drink.’ He gestured one of the bodyguards towards a nearby cabinet stocked high with decanters of varying size and shape.
    ‘That won’t be necessary. I don’t think we’ll be here long,’ she said.
    ‘As you wish… I’m sorry, my men are remiss in their duties, I’m afraid they failed to ask your name at the door.’
    ‘Indagator Amelia,’ she replied warily. She would have much preferred for Julius not to know who she was, but then again whom would he tell? Had he been a prominent member of the Houses it might have mattered, he may have been able to have ‘friends in high places’ put pressure on her to ignore his indiscretions. But Julius was a fallen man. She could split his head wide and there would be scant consequences, other than perhaps a mess on her tunic.
    ‘And what might I do for you on this splendid day, Indagator?’
    Immediately, she knew he was hiding something. His manor had been violated recently, it was common knowledge. The reason for her presence should have been obvious yet Julius was giving nothing away, acting overly friendly as though he was not intimidated by the sudden presence of the Judicature. It was easy to spot and the implication that he could fool her was insulting.
    ‘The break in?’ she said, pulling the gloves from her hands one finger at a time. ‘Why else would we be here? Do you have a lot of callers Lord Julius?’ She put a stress on his meaningless title in the hope of baiting him. Showing her contempt for his redundant honorific might goad him into letting something slip.
    But it didn’t seem to faze him in any way, and he simply smiled wider. ‘Indeed not, Indagator. But your colleagues in the Judicature have already been here and taken averments from my employees and myself. I merely wondered why another visit from the Judicature was necessary.’
    Amelia gripped her leather gloves tightly, ringing them like a damp cloth. It was a measured answer, and one that could have been true were it spoken from the lips of someone else. But something was amiss here. The more she looked at him, surrounded by his opulence and his bodyguards, the more this stank.
    ‘Have you ever heard of Beuphalus of Westowe?’ she asked, hoping once more to catch him off guard.
    Julius twitched, an almost imperceptible movement of his mouth, but it was definitely there. Then he widened his grin even further, revealing more of his shiny white teeth. ‘Why of course. He was a well respected member of the Houses. Such a pity about his recent… demise.’
    Well respected? Was Julius having a lark? Or was he once again trying to hide something? ‘So you know nothing about it then?’
    Julius twisted his face in mock abashment. ‘Why Indagator, what are trying to imply? I’ll have you know I have a cast iron alibi for the night in question,