When Rob reached the apartment block, exercise and late morning sun had heated his well-wrapped body to such an extent, perspiration was running down his flushed face and pooling at the base of his neck. Before entering the building, he paused to mop neck and forehead with a handkerchief, then unbuttoned his overcoat to allow the breeze to penetrate. Apart from an old woman sitting on a rickety chair opposite, the street seemed deserted, although high above him, clothing flapped on thin wires strung from balcony to balcony across the narrow thoroughfare, evidence of recent activity. The sound was strangely comforting, and he thought of his aunt wrestling with the wooden pole that raised her washing line, her short stature a disadvantage when strong wind invaded the exposed back garden. On
