PETER NEWMAN Passport # 733945610 Date of birth: 11/28/44 Place of birth: Spezzano della Sila, Italy Remarks: Birth certified under name PIETRO OTTAVIO CALOPEZZATI. Name legally changed 5/30/69 at San Francisco. US citizenship acquired 4/19/68, sponsor Roberto Marcantonio Calopezzati, SBU//FOUO file reference 48294/AVP/0006

Attached were several official photographs of Newman and a digitalised scan of his fingerprints, taken when he received US citizenship. Zen handed Arnone the documents without comment. The young officer read them through and whistled quietly.

‘Rather changes things, doesn’t it?’ Zen remarked.

The young officer erupted in a loutish, splurging laugh, instantly repressed.

‘In more ways than one.’

Arnone tapped the sheet of paper.

‘Until the land reform acts of the 1950s, the Calopezzati were the richest family in this province and far beyond. They owned half of Calabria.’

The two men eyed one another in silence.

‘Drop whatever you’re doing and get me a certified copy of that birth certificate,’ said Zen.

When Arnone had gone, he rang the consulate in Naples and asked them to explain the significance of the letters SBU/FOUO preceding the file records of Peter Newman’s naturalisation process.

‘Sensitive but unclassified, for official use only,’ came the reply.

‘So I don’t suppose there’s any point in my asking for further details.’

‘FOUO data will also be NOFORN. No foreign nationals. Distribution restricted to US citizens. Sorry we can’t help you.’

‘You already have,’ Zen replied.

Jake and Martin met at SooChic, a Japanese-Peruvian fusion place with accents of the Deep South. The furnishings were 1950s Scandinavian, easy on the eye but hard on the ass. A waitperson showed up and dispensed some intense culinary talk therapy.

‘So?’ said Jake.

‘Yeah,’ said Martin.