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“We know,” Sam replied “We’re very sorry”

Louisa nodded, forced a smile “You said you have some information about my family”

Taking turns, Sam and Remi outlined their theory about Pelletier, the Lost Cellar, and their connection to the Siphnian Karyatids Res from her purse and slid them across the table to Louisa, who scanned the articles

“I read about this,” she said “You were involved?”

Sam nodded

“I can’t believe it I had no idea My ”

“I’m sure they didn’t know Aside from Napoleon and Laurent, Pelletier was the only other person, and he kept the secret up until his death Even then he didn’t tell the whole story”

“No one believed him”

“Almost no one,” Remi said with a smile

Louisa was silent for half a minute, then shook her head in wonderie, but important still”

Salance “I don’t think we’ve made ourselves clear,” Sam said “There are some bottles still unaccounted for”

Louisa blinked at them “And you thinkHere?”

Sam pulled out his iPhone and pulled up a picture of a cicada “Have you ever seen this anywhere?”

In response Louisa got up and walked to the pot rack hanging above the sink She pulled down a sauté pan and set it on the table before Sam The handle was a thumb-sized steel rod Set into its end was a cicada stamp It was identical to the one they’d found in Laurent’s crypt

“My father found that in the attic a few years ago,” Louisa said “He didn’t knohat it was for so he used it to fix the pan”