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Quoin,” Re aloud as they walked “Three options: a wedge used to secure printer’s blocks; wedges used to raise the barrel of a cannon; or architectural cornerstones It has to be the last one I don’t see any printing presses or artillery”

Sa Kholkov and his partner in sight; they were halfway down the path to the chapel Their heads swiveled this way and that, searching for their quarry

Re: “A lot of corners around, but we have to assus”

The split-rail fence on their left gave way to a hedge-lined Biergarten with umbrella-covered patio tables A Bavarian brass band played an oo Saarten behind and circled around the rear, lodge-like portion of the chapel to the north lawn

“Cannon,” Sa in his tracks “Sort of”

Remi followed his outstretched arh stone pedestal Mounted atop it was an ornaenerally used to find the altitude of the sun above the horizon Where er than an opened hardcover book, this one was four to five tihly four feet on a side Its coe telescope resembled the barrel of a blunderbuss

Sam and Remi walked over There were fewer people here; ravel paths, their attention focused on the chapel, the mountains, or the fjord

“There’s a plaque,” Remi said “It’s in German”

Saust of 1806 to Elector Maximilian I Joseph, House of Wittelsbach,of Bavaria by Napoleon I, Emperor of the French”

“If that isn’t a clue I don’t knohat is,” Remi said “Here, Sam, look at this”

He moved to where she had knelt down The lower part of the sextant consisted of a vertical index arraved with notches, each indicating one-sixtieth of a degree A gap in the index ar It was set to seventy

“Not a trio,” Remi said “Would have been nice if it’d been set on three”

Sarabbed her ar it between theh the arms of the sextant they could see Kholkov and his partner walking down the path toward the outbuildings nearer the trees

“Maybe it is,” Sam said “Let’s think outside the box: If the sextant is our cannon and the notches on the arc are quoins—the wedges—this part of Laurent’s riddle is metaphorical”

“Go on”