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Anne smiled at her friend "Did you know your hter drove the last of the shadows from Anne’s mood

She had some difficult decisions to make, but first…

Anne needed to write a letter to a Russian

Chapter Sixteen

MURPHY RUSHED OUT THE DOOR as soon as theadjourned He was almost to his car when he heard the Dutch a polite façade over his frustration "Mr Anker"

"Please, if you would call me Rens"

"Then you h that Murphy started to wonder what his purpose was

"I wonder if you ht share a drink with me," Rens said "I have… a theory I would like to discuss in private"

Murphy ize to Anne, but he knew it needed to wait A ence peddlers in Europe could not

"Of course" He plastered on hissmile "Walk with me There’s a club nearby that has late hours"

"Excellent"

He walked down thethe shts, and damp filled the air He took a deep breath and drew the water into his lungs

"I am also attuned to freshwater," Rens said, "more than salt"

"We’re some of the few, then"

"And yet ed "I love the canals and the rivers He loves the sea"

"A good balance"

"It is"

Murphy said, "My sire was of the ocean And I was not Sos cannot be predicted, can they?"

"No I have watched you this past week, Murphy Watched you as you observed the others You are everyone’s friend, I think And yet you take everything in and only speak when youscrutinized "You’re very observant Of course, I suppose it pays to be"

"You are correct I think… you are a les, not all of theed "I do my job, same as the rest of us"

"My sire called Livia of Rome ‘de spinnekop’ The spider I believe--even after her death--her web still entangles"

Murphy paused at the corner and watched low clouds move across the sky