“Well, whatever he is doing,” said Antonella, “he had better get back good and early, like he promised, or else I’ll box his ears when he comes home.”

Carter rubbed his own ear.

“Yes,” he said with a wry grin, “I know how you can do that.”

After, when he had finished his coffee, Carter took his cup to the sink and glanced at the clock. It was still early. If Giorgio would not be back until lunch, then Carter had a few hours to kill before they all went out. Carter could see no point in just sitting around waiting all morning, doing nothing, so he turned and began to head out the door.

“And where are you going now?” said Antonella suspiciously.

“Just out to the piazza,” said Carter, trying with little success not to sound too evasive. “It looks like a nice day out, so I thought I would get outside for a little while, until Giorgio comes home.”

“ Va bene,” said Antonella, fixing him with a skeptical gaze. “But don’t let me find you up on top of any more roofs this morning, capito?”

“Of course I understand,” said Carter. And then he was out the door.

“Hey, Presidente, I hope Antonella doesn’t know you’re up here,” said Domenico when Carter climbed up the ladder. “I appreciate the help, but if she catches you again, she’s liable to blame it all on me and give my ear a twist like she gave yours yesterday.”

Domenico tended to work at a far more conservative pace than his energetic American assistant, so there remained from the previous day a large section of old tiles still to be removed before the new ones could be set in place.

“Don’t worry,” chuckled Carter, getting straight to work. “If she finds out, we’ll hide out in the mountains with Giorgio. I think he’s up there right now.”

“Ayyy, what’s that one doing up there today, when he’s supposed to be working?” laughed Domenico.

“He took today off,” Carter explained. “Antonella said he got up and went off on a hike this morning.”

That Giorgio had done so seemed to surprise Domenico no more than it had Antonella.

“Eh, Giorgio loves those mountains,” he said as he pulled up another tile. “He knows his way around up there better than anyone, you know.”

“Good, in that case he’ll know some good hiding places for us if we need them,” said Carter.

“Veramente,” nodded Domenico. “But in the meantime, try to keep your head down, per piacere. Safer for both of us. Antonella is a beautiful woman, but I would not want to cross her.”