My mind wandered back to my military service and work in intelligence, where we sought not just truth from the people we interrogated but the presence of untruths in their narratives. It seemed to be not unlike the approach used by Tesa’s mother.
“How sure was she?” Alana asked.
“Are you asking how good was she?” Tesa asked.
“Yes,” Alana asked, but smiled. “I’m sure she was excellent. But…”
“She was excellent,” Tesa added. “One of a kind. But I’m not just trying to take my mother’s side. Yes, she found much to consider and analyze. No, she didn’t find strong linguistic roots to the Turkish language, ancient or modern. So, no, she didn’t conclude that the Etruscans hailed from there.”
“Alright, let’s see now,” I said as our food was being delivered. “Your mother, Olivia, didn’t find la
