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“The others don’t like her, but I don’t see her as a murderer Do you?”

“No,” David said, then after a beat added, “I find it interesting what people don’t talk about We’re at a famous Ba site, but have you heard anyone talk about the Ba?”

“Only in the context of the Four Mysteries”

“Right These people are choosing to spend all of their waking hours in difficult living conditions absolutely removed from the rest of the world because, we must assume, they’re passionate about the Ba, but the way they were discussed was in the philosophical context of those four archaeological mysteries No one see from the site”

“They talked about the ruyi”

“Not exactly Everyone went on about Miller’s ruyi collection Only Dr Maand that it didn’t have much value I mean, it sounded like a mushroom on a stick What’s the value in that?”

“I don’t know Maybe it fills a hole in Miller’s collection”

“Which is why his daughter is out here?”

As soon as the words were out of David’s mouth, Hulan let her hand trail down his torso She put her head on his shoulder “I ondering how long it would take you to get to her”

“I just find it hard to believe that a girl like that would want to spend the summer in a place like this”

“Just because she’s beautiful doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her interests”

Hulan’s voice had a teasing quality about it, which he hadn’t heard in over a year, and it had an ihed deeply, and her war little to relieve his suddenly heightened state

“You said ere here about Brian, and yet we heard ale the subject

“He was one of Miller’s protégés”

“Yes, we learned that, and I have to tell you I’m concerned about Stuart Miller,” David said