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chairs, single-malt Scotch, and friendly señoritas.
    For a moment, Crowe thought of the wounded Duncan Wells lying on the Colosseum’s stone floor. It was too bad for him, but a man had to make a living somehow. Sometimes, one man’s living meant another man’s dying. Like unwelcome spirits, memories of Crowe’s poverty-stricken childhood in London, “the City,” passed through his mind. If he had anything to do with it, he’d never live like that again.

CHAPTER 12
    Mallory returned with the policeman. She met Alton’s gaze and shook her head. “It’s so dark, you could hide a whole legion in there.” Sensing a troubled look in Alton’s eye, she asked, “What is it?”
    Alton shone his light on the victim’s face.
    “Duncan! What?” said Mallory, stunned. “Where’s Anna?”
    “Good question,” replied Alton. “This must be the night they were going to Naumachia, too, don’t you think?”
    Mallory nodded.
    “I didn’t notice them there,” continued Alton, “but the al fresco area is pretty big. She’s probably sitting at the restaurant now. She may not even know what’s happened.”
    “We have to get her,” said Mallory. She turned to a policeman who had just arrived. “Officer?”
    “Inspector Rossi, Miss.”
    “My boyfriend and I met the victim a few days ago in a taxi coming from the airport. He and his wife recommended Naumachia, the restaurant just outside.”
    “Yes, I know this place Naumachia.”
    “We think Anna, his wife, may still be there. She may not even know what’s happened in here. Or if she was in here with her husband, she may be in trouble herself. Either way, I think I ought to go to the restaurant and see if Anna is there.”
    The inspector eyed her. “So you meet in the taxi, and now you just happen to come here on the same night?”
    “I know,” said Alton, turning to the policeman. “It strikes me as weird, too, but that’s how it happened. We didn’t know Duncan—and presumably Anna—were here tonight until we found him here on the floor.”
    “Come on,” replied the inspector. “Both of you.” He motioned to a couple of uniformed officers to follow them. Leading the group, he set off for the restaurant at a brisk pace, one Alton had a difficult time matching. Rossi turned around and noticed Alton’s limp. “You get hurt back there?”
    “No,” replied Alton, “I was a US Army officer. It’s a combat injury from a few years ago.”
    “You sure?” replied Rossi. “You not part of what happened tonight?”
    “I’m sure. I’ll show you my scars later, if you like.”
    Rossi nodded, seemingly satisfied with the response, at least for now.
    As the party arrived at Naumachia, Alton and Mallory scanned the tables.
    “Look, over there,” said Alton, pointing. “It’s Anna.”
    They approached Anna’s table, and she glanced up in surprise. “Well, hey, you two! I didn’t expect to see you…” She trailed off as she noticed the uniformed officers accompanying them. “Are you all in some kind of trouble?”
    “Anna,” said Mallory, lowering herself into a seat next to her. “There’s been an incident. We need you to come with us.”
    “What about Duncan? He won’t know where I’ve gone off to.”
    “This is concerning Duncan,” replied Mallory.
    Anna rose as a look of concern darkened her face. “Where do we need to go?”
    “Anna, this is Inspector Rossi,” said Mallory. “He’s going to lead us.”
    “Thank you, Miss,” said Rossi with a sarcastic bow to Mallory. Turning to Anna, he asked, “Can you come with me, Signora …?”
    “Wells. Anna Wells.”
    They made quick time back into the Colosseum. By now, the artificial glow of police floodlights bathed the crime scene.
    Rossi led Anna to the body, which now lay covered with a sheet. “Mrs. Wells,” said Rossi in a low voice, “can you identify this person?”
    Anna’s features seemed frozen as the inspector reached for the shroud. As he peeled back the sheet to