Giovanna stopped the car in one of the parking lots under the Aldo Moro elevated road, near the Porto Antico. She slung the bag with her precious equipment over her shoulder and walked to Via della Casaccia. It was early afternoon, and the heat was intense. She paid no attention to the woman who crossed the street and was walking on the same sidewalk, in the opposite direction, with a cigarette in her mouth, and a lighter in her hand. She noticed, however, the persistent trail of perfume she had left behind. Giovanna sensed that something was wrong, turned, and realized that the stranger’s shoulders and head were wrapped in flames. Without thinking for a moment, she dropped the bag on the ground, took off her blouse, and threw it over the woman’s head, who was screaming in pain and panic.
