On the telephone, Jack was talking to Caydance. "Nico," he continued. "was, in the story he told me, in Anne-Merry's studio. She had finished painting images on the base of the music box, but the glass case that had originally contained a ballerina was empty. 'Let's go to Italy', Nico said to his wife."

"Italy?"

"Your Father, Pete Lafitte, had documentation for the provenance of the Music Box Book of Hours at the time when it came into his hands. He had a receipt from the soldier from whom he had won $25.00 in a card game. He also had a receipt from the shop, where, as a gift for his daughter, that soldier had purchased a medieval manuscript for $25.00. (On close inspection some of the images were not appropriate for a five year old).

Because neither Pete nor the soldier who originally bought it knew how the shopkeeper had acquired the book, Anne-Merry and Nico decided to go to Italy for the weekend. 'As you recall, since you have met her,' Nico reminded me, 'my Mother is Italian; I speak Italian very well.'"