By the time Alex got home, Antonio’s shift had ended, and the night doorman was on duty. Since his relationship with Ralph was simply courteous, he managed to get into the elevator and up to the apartment without fanfare. Knowing that his father wouldn’t be home from the hospital for at least an hour, Alex went to the kitchen to say hello to Frances, who was reading a magazine while something delicious simmered on the stove. Then he went to his room to put away his hat and sunglasses. He kicked off his dress shoes and stepped into a well-worn pair of fleece-lined slippers. Then, using the connecting door from his bathroom, he went into the library.
His family’s apartment building had been built in the 1920s, and their flat had probably been occupied by an older couple downsizing from a br
