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“Solia, it was Popilia”

“Why does that sound familiar?”

“Popilia is a derivation of Populus—Latin for ‘poplar’ Poveglia was once covered in poplar groves”

“So on one hand we’ve got Poveglia, on the other Santa Maria di Nazareth Both are solid possibilities You’re right: It’ll come down to the first line of the riddle and our mysterious man from Istria”

“Either way, our next stop is Venice”

SEVASTOPOL

“I can tell by your tone the news is not good,” Hadeon Bondaruk said into the phone

“They’re gone and one of my men is dead,” Kholkov said “We found the transponder chip froo woman’s phone aboard one of the electric boats How they discovered it I have no idea” Kholkov recounted the rest of the encounter at Königssee, starting with their arrival at Saint Bartholoos on the lake “Somehow theythem”

“Did they find the bottle?”

“I don’t know”

“And where are they now?”

“We found a local that saw so into a Mercedes We traced it to a car service in Salzburg We’re on our way there now We’ll check the motels, the airport, the train stations—”

“No,” Bondaruk said

“Pardon me?”

“Every tiet close to them they slip the noose I think it’s tios do what they do best In the o ahead with your alternate plan”