Evening, and Mina's family is sitting at the table. Her mother plunks the stew onto the table. "Mina, love, why the long face?" "Miss Ver Susa is still missing," Mina says. "It's been more than a week!" "Helping with enquiries, wasn't she?" asks her dad. "Mmm," Mina says, and sniffs unhappily. "That was a mistake. Always better to avoid attention." "But Da, it was a stolen book!" "Still at it, are they?" "What do you mean?" Jakin asks, suddenly attentive. His father turns to face him. "There was a group of kids thieving books when I was your age."