CHAPTER 2
R
ob traced the path back around the corner and out the door into the entry room where he noticed now what he could not have seen before: a set of metal letters above the doors they had entered a few minutes earlier. They were constructed of black cast-iron, reading: “Nunc Semper Liberi Sumus.” He could recognize it as Latin but had no inkling of what it said. He stood gazing at them with an unfocused stare, feeling a bit bewildered. A slight motion below drew his attention. A young woman was standing beneath the balcony and peering up at him with a curious expression. She had been so quiet and still that he had entirely missed her until that moment.
Once it was clear that he had seen her, she asked, “Rob Coen, I take it?” He nodded, and she motioned for him to come down while
