After a moment’s hesitation, Rossi said, ‘I was talking about the top floor.’

‘So am I,’ Brunetti said sharply, annoyed that this functionary of an office that dealt with building permits didn’t understand something as simple as that. He softened his voice and continued, ‘When I bought it, it was my understanding that it was added after the last war, not in the nineteenth century.’

Instead of answering him, Rossi nodded toward the papers that were still in Brunetti’s hand. ‘Perhaps you could take a closer look at the last page, Signor Brunetti.’

Puzzled, Brunetti read again through the last paragraphs, but as far as he could make out, they still concerned only the two apartments below him. ‘I’m not sure what you want me to see, Signor Rossi,’ he said, looking up and removing his glasses. ‘This concerns the apartments below us, not this apartment. No mention is made of this floor.’ He turned the paper over to see if something was written on the other side, but it was blank.

‘That’s why I’ve come,’ Rossi said, sitting up straighter in his chair as he spoke. He bent down and set his briefcase on the floor to the left of his feet, keeping the folder on his lap.

‘Yes?’ Brunetti said, leaning forward to hand the other one back to him.

Rossi took it from him and opened the larger folder. He carefully slipped the smaller one back in place and closed the file. ‘I’m afraid there is some doubt as to the official status of your apartment.’

‘ “Official status”?’ Brunetti repeated, looking off to the left of Rossi, to the solid wall and then up to the equally solid ceiling. ‘I’m not sure I understand what you mean.’

‘There’s some doubt about the apartment,’ Rossi said with a smile that Brunetti thought looked a bit nervous. Before Brunetti could again ask for clarification, Rossi went on, ‘That is, there are no papers in the Ufficio Catasto to show that building permits were ever granted for this entire floor, or that they were approved when it was built or,’ and here he smiled again, ‘that, in fact, it was ever built.’ He cleared his throat and added, ‘Our records show the floor below this one as the top floor.’