he got back into bed beside her.
“Anything wrong?” Her voice was soft, remote with sleep.
Paulie kissed the soft, silvery place between her breasts.
‘Not now.”
Chapter 9
K ATE D INNESON CAME HOME from the Walterses’ place in Positano in the late afternoon.
Essentially nomadic, Kate currently lived in a small apartment in Naples with oversized windows, a wonderful view of the bay,
and lots of light. The rent was twice as much as it should have been, but she was happy to pay it because of the view and
the light. She had grown up in a series of dark, urban rooms that faced blank walls, and she could still get depressed at
the thought of having to lean out of a window and look straight up to see the sky.
After checking her mail and messages, she took a leisurely bath. Then she poured herself some wine and sat watching the sun
burn its way into the Bay of Naples.
She thought about the past few days. She thought about Paulie, about the best and the worst. Taken altogether, she felt a
kind of mystic joy along with old graves opening inside her.
Was this how she was going to respond to the fate of being human and in love? Plus her accompanying fear of the future? Evidently.
Well, she could live with it. Not to would be stupid. Looking ahead and worrying was as bad as looking back and regretting.
Both poisoned you and neither altered a thing. The main reason she had changed her name was to separate herself from her parents’
bloody history, to start fresh.
* * *
She had just finished a light meal when a knock on the door surprised her. She knew few people in Naples, and no one ever
came by without first calling.
Still, she opened the door without asking who was there, and found herself looking at a smiling Klaus Logefeld.
“Klaus!”
He had never been here before, so she was startled.
“May I come in, or do you have company?”
“Of course come in. I’m alone.”
Once inside, he handed her a delicate bouquet of violets. “My apologies for walking in on you like this.”
Kate laughed. “That’s so sweet. I can’t remember the last time anyone brought me flowers.”
Klaus stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room. He looked too big and curiously out of place.
“Please sit down,” Kate told him as she put the flowers in a vase. “How long have you been in Naples?”
“About fifteen minutes. I came to see
you
,” he said. “You’re the only reason I’m in Naples.”
Kate slowly sat down. She felt a charge in the air.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. I’ve just come to ask a favor.” Klaus gazed out at some ships’ lights on the bay. “When you called me last week,
you said you appreciated what I’d done, and that if there was ever anything you could do in return…”
Klaus Logefeld’s mouth smiled but not his eyes. “Did you really mean that or were you just being polite?”
“You’ve known me too long to be asking such a dumb question.”
“True. But this favor involves someone besides yourself.”
“Who?”
“Nicko Vorelli.”
Kate just stared at him.
Klaus laughed. “Why are you looking at me as if your relationship with the great Vorelli was a secret shared only by God?”
“What’s the favor, Klaus?”
“I’d like to meet your famous Dr. Vorelli. I’d like the privilege of being able to actually sit in a room with him and talk.”
“Talk?” Kate was more puzzled than anything else. “About what?”
“Geopolitics. The post-Communist world. The problems of ethnic cleansing and supernationalism.” Klaus shrugged. “Whatever.
I’ve read everything Vorelli’s ever written. I think he’s the most brilliant political theorist living today. For me to be
able to just talk to him one-on-one, to ask him questions…”
Klaus grinned. “I know I’m being presumptuous as all hell, Katie. But this is very important. So will you try to arrange something?
Will you tell him about me?”
“I’m not sure I’d even
“Anything wrong?” Her voice was soft, remote with sleep.
Paulie kissed the soft, silvery place between her breasts.
‘Not now.”
Chapter 9
K ATE D INNESON CAME HOME from the Walterses’ place in Positano in the late afternoon.
Essentially nomadic, Kate currently lived in a small apartment in Naples with oversized windows, a wonderful view of the bay,
and lots of light. The rent was twice as much as it should have been, but she was happy to pay it because of the view and
the light. She had grown up in a series of dark, urban rooms that faced blank walls, and she could still get depressed at
the thought of having to lean out of a window and look straight up to see the sky.
After checking her mail and messages, she took a leisurely bath. Then she poured herself some wine and sat watching the sun
burn its way into the Bay of Naples.
She thought about the past few days. She thought about Paulie, about the best and the worst. Taken altogether, she felt a
kind of mystic joy along with old graves opening inside her.
Was this how she was going to respond to the fate of being human and in love? Plus her accompanying fear of the future? Evidently.
Well, she could live with it. Not to would be stupid. Looking ahead and worrying was as bad as looking back and regretting.
Both poisoned you and neither altered a thing. The main reason she had changed her name was to separate herself from her parents’
bloody history, to start fresh.
* * *
She had just finished a light meal when a knock on the door surprised her. She knew few people in Naples, and no one ever
came by without first calling.
Still, she opened the door without asking who was there, and found herself looking at a smiling Klaus Logefeld.
“Klaus!”
He had never been here before, so she was startled.
“May I come in, or do you have company?”
“Of course come in. I’m alone.”
Once inside, he handed her a delicate bouquet of violets. “My apologies for walking in on you like this.”
Kate laughed. “That’s so sweet. I can’t remember the last time anyone brought me flowers.”
Klaus stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room. He looked too big and curiously out of place.
“Please sit down,” Kate told him as she put the flowers in a vase. “How long have you been in Naples?”
“About fifteen minutes. I came to see
you
,” he said. “You’re the only reason I’m in Naples.”
Kate slowly sat down. She felt a charge in the air.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. I’ve just come to ask a favor.” Klaus gazed out at some ships’ lights on the bay. “When you called me last week,
you said you appreciated what I’d done, and that if there was ever anything you could do in return…”
Klaus Logefeld’s mouth smiled but not his eyes. “Did you really mean that or were you just being polite?”
“You’ve known me too long to be asking such a dumb question.”
“True. But this favor involves someone besides yourself.”
“Who?”
“Nicko Vorelli.”
Kate just stared at him.
Klaus laughed. “Why are you looking at me as if your relationship with the great Vorelli was a secret shared only by God?”
“What’s the favor, Klaus?”
“I’d like to meet your famous Dr. Vorelli. I’d like the privilege of being able to actually sit in a room with him and talk.”
“Talk?” Kate was more puzzled than anything else. “About what?”
“Geopolitics. The post-Communist world. The problems of ethnic cleansing and supernationalism.” Klaus shrugged. “Whatever.
I’ve read everything Vorelli’s ever written. I think he’s the most brilliant political theorist living today. For me to be
able to just talk to him one-on-one, to ask him questions…”
Klaus grinned. “I know I’m being presumptuous as all hell, Katie. But this is very important. So will you try to arrange something?
Will you tell him about me?”
“I’m not sure I’d even
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