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he was or who he represented.
    The professor didn’t even look up at Jake. “Another American? I can’t believe this many people are interested in pre-Roman culture.” His English was better than that of most Americans.
    Stepping into the office and his eyes glancing about the room at a jumble of ancient items, from manuscripts to artifacts, Jake said, “I’m not here to discuss ancient artifacts. I’m here looking for something thirty-five years old. One Sara Halsey Jones.”
    With her name mentioned, the professor raised his head and turned to consider Jake. He was completely bald but made up for that lack of hair with a full beard, six inches long, gray and with specks of his lunch still intact. “What do you want with Sara?”
    Jake thought about what approach to use. He could be coy and the good professor would surely see through that. The direct approach seemed best. “Professor, I was sent to find Sara. She was due to return to her teaching position in Texas weeks ago. They’re worried about her.” Okay, this was a lie. But it was close to the truth.
    â€œInteresting,” the professor said as he returned to his work. “Another man came here looking for her last week. I guess he didn’t find her. But I’ll tell you the same thing I told him. She came here to discuss the works of a Greek historian named Polybius. She was referred to me by a colleague of mine in Athens. I told her what I knew, which wasn’t much.”
    Jake moved closer to the professor. “Such as?”
    Professor Bretti turned to Jake and said, “Didn’t the other man tell you anything?”
    â€œHe’s missing. What did you tell Professor Jones?” This came out as more of a demand than a question, a fault of Jake’s short attention span and overall disposition.
    The professor cleared his throat and turned to confront this new American. “I told her to talk with an old friend of mine, a former professor.”
    Jake just had to know something. “Who was Polybius?”
    Professor Bretti’s eyes widened. “Who was your John Adams?” He hesitated but not long enough for an answer. “The man was perhaps the most important historian in Greco-Roman history. Although he was a Greek, he spent his adult life in Rome. He chronicled the Roman defeat of Hannibal and the Sack of Carthage in 146 BC. The American founders, including John Adams, used his idea of separation of powers in the American Constitution. Polybius wrote his Histories in forty volumes, covering more than fifty years of Roman history. But it’s more than that. His writings helped develop the Roman Republic and many civilizations since then. He even talked of the opposite nefarious counterpart to the republic. Europe has seen this firsthand.”
    And should have heeded the Greek’s warning. “And what is Professor Sara Halsey Jones interested in understanding?”
    The professor shuffled some papers on his desk as if looking for something. Finally he found a piece of scrap paper with nothing on it and he scribbled something in pen. Then he handed the note to Jake.
    He studied the name and the address, but he was confused. “This is Istanbul.”
    â€œThat’s correct. Only five of the forty volumes in the Polybius Histories remain intact. Before Istanbul there was Constantinople. Before that it was Byzantium, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The Histories , what remain of them, were all written in Greek and are housed at that museum.”
    Now Jake was thoroughly confused. “But I’m guessing there would be no way for Sara Halsey Jones to gain access to these ancient texts.”
    The professor shook his head. “The five volumes and the excerpts from the other volumes are all available online, translated to English. You can probably download a copy to your cell phone from Amazon.”
    â€œThen why would I want to go to