Anna looked at him for a couple of seconds. A half smile flickered across her face. “The idea of you going to prison isn’t all that ridiculous after all.”

“You’ve got a pretty good sense of humor yourself, you know.”

“Take care of yourself, Rocco.” She turned on her heels and strode to the residential hotel’s glass front door. Her eyesight must have been blurred by streaming tears because she came dangerously close to smashing into the glass doors, which had opened automatically but not quickly enough for her. She could have marked her exit with a cathartic burst of laughter, but instead, she just kept walking and vanished into the street. The deputy chief looked at Lupa. “Hey, you! Let’s go get some sleep. What do you think? Did I just fuck up?”

Lupa stood up and put her head up near Rocco’s lap, and he immediately scratched her head. “I guess I did, right? I fucked up. Just look at what’s become of me, having to ask a dog for advice.” Going out for dinner was out of the question now.

“Come on, let’s go to bed!”

WHEN HE SAW TATIANA AND BARBARA COME INTO THE OFFICE of the town constables, Ciro got to his feet and flashed his brightest smile. “Tatiana! Dang, if Luca finds out that you came in on the day he went home early, he’ll tie a rock to his ankles and jump into the river, no doubt.”

The Russian woman didn’t smile. Her eyes were gloomy and haggard, and her face was pale. Barbara was there to offer her moral support and was walking just a few inches away from her friend, convinced she might collapse at any instant. “What’s happened?” asked the constable. “Why are you here? Do I need to be worried?”

“I need to file a criminal complaint, Ciro!”

Ciro’s eyes bugged out. “A criminal complaint? Why?”

“It’s about Corrado,” Barbara broke in.

“What’s he done?”

“He’s vanished.” And Tatiana finally broke into tears.

“Oh, Jesus . . . Sit down! Sit down!” And the constable went to fetch a chair. “Let me go get you a glass of water . . . Wait, wait right here . . . And you, Barbara, stay close to her, okay? Hold on while I go call Lisa, too . . .” Then he turned toward a door and yelled, “Lisa!” He quickly shoved his hands in his pockets, pulled out a plastic key, and headed for the vending machine. “Lisa!” he called again. “Could you come out here please!”

The door swung open and Lisa emerged with a sleepy face. “What’s happening?”

“Tatiana’s here . . . and she says that Corrado has disappeared!” he shouted over his shoulder while jabbing at the buttons on the vending machine. “Damn it to hell! . . . I jabbed the wrong button. Is a Coca-Cola all right?”

“Don’t bother, Ciro!” said Tatiana. But the constable had already shoved his hand inside the flap.