just seems so hopeless,” Calvin said. “How can anyone hope to change things when we’re dealing with people who don’t care about the damage they’re causing, as long as they turn a profit?”
“Well, Natalie has the right idea,” Finn said. “The best way to combat these companies is to create public awareness, and hence, public outrage.”
“But science must play a big part as well, if we are to provide enough food to our ever-expanding population,” Calvin argued, playing devil’s advocate. “Crops must be protected from pests and disease somehow. Worldwide famine isn’t a pleasant prospect, and we must provide options for these corporations.”
Uncle Julien had been listening attentively, and said, “Without a healthy ecological environment, neither humans nor animals can thrive. The symbiosis of our world must be restored, and I don’t believe toxic chemicals will ever be the answer. The answer lies in environmental protection. Man must put his intellect to the challenge and come up with workable solutions.”
“It’s strange times we live in,” Kieran mused. “We are at a crossroads where our technological advances and world population are at odds with nature. We must find the balance or we will lose the ability to sustain our existence.”
“So what does all this have to do with Uncle Richard?” Natalie reminded Finn.
He rubbed his face tiredly with his hands. “I was at work a few days ago and inadvertently stumbled on an email from Sofonte, addressed to my boss. I only saw it because I was looking for a report in his office, and the phone rang on his desk. I went to answer it, and saw the email.”
“What did it say?” Calvin asked eagerly, though dreading the answer.
“I wrote it down on a scap of paper. Here it is.”
Calvin took the note of hastily scrawled words and read it aloud. Colin - Lead from Richard R. was false. We are in pursuit of N&CR. JR not presently in residence. Manuscript must be obtained at all costs. MB
“But wait,” Kieran asked, “how did you know this email was referring to Julien’s family?”
“I didn’t know,” Finn replied. “But my attention was caught by the word manuscript. I had been in contact with Richard Romarin right before he died, and he asked if he could leave a manuscript with me. He died before he was able to do that, however. For the rest of the day, after I read that email, I couldn’t help but feel that it was important. I puzzled over it all night and couldn’t sleep. It finally occurred to me that Richard R. could very well have been referring to Richard Romarin, and the manuscript he mentioned, and of course I already knew Julien. Finally, in the morning, I decided to try and get in touch with Julien, just to rule out the possibility that the note referred to the Romarin family. Angelique answered and told me that Julien was in England. I knew Natalie’s name, because I have read her books, but I didn’t know her brother’s name. Angelique confirmed that it was Calvin, and N&CR was explained.”
Natalie was still confused. “But why would our uncle leave a manuscript with you? Did you already know each other?”
Finn glanced at Julien. “No, but Richard told me he’d gotten my name from Julien, and that he had a valuable manuscript that he needed to entrust to me temporarily. He implied that it could be a significant asset to Verdipax. I was intrigued, and puzzled about his decision to entrust a manuscript to me, but like I said, it never arrived, and I found out from Julien that Richard had died quite unexpectedly. I’ve known Julien for several years and we’ve worked on a variety of projects together. I was grieved for his loss of his brother.
“Our most recent project involved a land dispute in Spain. A small Roma community had been living for at least six generations on a secluded region of the Picos de Europa. They had cared for it admirably and were more settled than the Roma usually are. The land itself was beautiful and unspoiled. A large corporation was trying to force them out in order to establish a copper mine there. We were able to win the rights to the land, thank God. The range was deemed a Biosphere Reserve, which helped our case a great deal.”
Uncle Julien interrupted, “That’s right, and I told Richard about Finley’s efforts on our behalf, and of his unimpeachable character.” He smiled warmly at the younger man and added, “After he got the death threat, I believe my brother was trying to get the manuscript completely away from his family and placed in hands that he could trust. He could not have known that Sofonte had a connection with Verdipax. That was just an unhappy coincidence, although now that I think about it, perhaps it was providence. Finn has inadvertently discovered a likely candidate for Richard’s murder. I didn’t realize any of this had happened until my conversation with Finn, just now.”
Natalie was chewing on her thumbnail again. “What I can’t figure out is how anyone knew about the manuscript in the first place. I can’t imagine Uncle Richard being so careless as to go around telling people about it.”
Calvin shook his head emphatically. “No, he would never do that. Uncle Richard liked keeping secrets. He was the most secretive person I knew. I think he must have been trying to do what we are doing, following the manuscript’s trail, and maybe in doing so, he asked the wrong person for help. That could easily happen to us.”
Natalie and Uncle Julien were thinking the same thing. Hadn’t they already engaged several people not of their family in this crazy quest?
Angelique had been trying to follow the discussion without interrupting. She was the least-informed person in the room, and didn’t like it one bit. Presently, she smacked her palms down on the table and made a pronouncement. “I don’t know what this manuscript you’re talking about is, or much else for that matter, but I can see that Julien’s family is in danger. I can see that very plainly. I am not a member of your family, but I solemnly offer my loyalty to you, and I want to help, whatever the danger may be.”
Kieran and Finn likewise promised to help them figure out who killed Richard Romarin, and Julien stood up and thanked them sincerely. “Now let’s see if we can find that Bible.”
The excursion to the Bibliothèque Nationale was made up of a larger contingent than Julien had originally intended, but everyone wanted to go, in case there was either excitement or trouble to be had. They met in the courtyard and divided into two cars. Natalie drove Finn, Angelique and Calvin in Uncle Julien’s Audi, and Kieran drove the Bentley with Julien. On the way to the library, Calvin sat in the back with Angelique and explained all of the events that had led to their coming to Paris. He felt it only her due, since she was placing so much trust in her family.
She listened intently to his narrative and when he finished, was quiet for a moment. “Now I see the gravity of the situation,” she said at length. “I am so sorry. I didn’t know your poor Uncle Richard was murdered. How Julien must have suffered!” She grabbed Calvin’s hand. “And you and your sister!” She wiped a stray tear off her cheek. “He raised you, did he not?”
Calvin nodded and looked at Angelique’s hand in his. He didn’t want to let go of it—ever—he realized with a shock. Could it be that he had fallen in love at first sight? He certainly had never felt such a strong connection to anyone outside his family before.
Natalie followed her uncle’s Bentley down the Rue de Richelieu, to the library of the same name. When everyone met at the entrance, she asked Julien why he decided to search the old library site and not the François Mitterand Library, a few miles away. “Don’t you think we stand a better chance of finding what we’re looking for in the larger
