“Nevertheless, I apologize. Good evening, Beatrice.” He exited the room, taking care to make as little noise as possible as he slipped down the dark hallway.

He entered the musty stairwell, taking a deep breath of the humid air to gauge who else was present. Satisfied he was alone, he rapidly descended to the first floor and made his way through the still crowded student-study area. As he approached the glass entrance, he caught a glimpse of Beatrice in the dark reflection as she stood near the elevator in the lobby, her mouth gaping as she stared at him. Not turning for even a moment, he pushed his way into the dark night and strolled toward the parking lot adjacent to the library.

When he reached it, he saw the slight flare of the cigarette as Caspar leaned against the black Mercedes sedan.

“A good evening, Gio?”

Giovanni frowned at his old friend, flicking the cigarette out of Caspar’s mouth as he approached the door. He stood in front of the man, looking down on him as he spoke.

“I don’t like the cigarettes. I thought you had given them up.”

Caspar looked up with a mischievous grin. “If I’m only living for eighty years or so, I’m going to enjoy them.”

Giovanni opened his mouth as if to say something but then shook his head and slid into the dark interior of the late-model sedan. Reaching into his messenger bag, he slid on a pair of leather gloves and crossed his arms while his friend got behind the wheel.

“Any requests?” Caspar fiddled with the stereo as Giovanni’s eyes scanned the dark parking lot.

“Are the Bach fugues still in the changer?”

“Indeed they are.”

Caspar switched the CD player on. In a few moments, the sedan was filled with the alternately lively and melancholy notes of the piano. Giovanni sat motionless, listening with pleasure to the modern recording of one of his favorite pieces of music.

“Mrs. Martin was not in the library this evening,” Giovanni said, his voice low and bearing more than its usual light accent.