“It does not.” Barrow tapped on the desk. “Nothing about the circus was physical. That was the problem. When Gaston called about the circus painting that Lara had, it was the first real lead that the paintings were real and that the circus, itself, had ever existed. But these books.” He laid his hand flat on them as he would on a lover. “These books are the first real indication of what went on behind the scenes. Cecile Cabot’s journals explain everything. The legend has the circus appearing only to the ticket holders who were given an address. And we know that it sounds crazy, but that’s what happened to Lara. I’m sure of it. The circus had been reaching out to her.” Barrow took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. The man appeared not to have slept for days. He was unshaven, his shirt untucked and stained with coffee.

“Why?” Ben knew he had to be open to all possibilities.

Gaston nodded. “We’re aware it sounds crazy. If her great-grandmother was, indeed, Cecile Cabot, then she has a true connection to Le Cirque Secret.”

“But so would Audrey,” said Ben.

“I think Audrey is in the dark about Le Cirque Secret, or perhaps denial,” said Gaston. “There must be something special about Lara, but I don’t know what it is.”

Ben almost snorted. “And you both believe this fantastical tale?”

Gaston straightened his back. “Tell me, Ben,” he said with more than a hint of sarcasm. “Back home, do you have a case right now that defies explanation?”

Ben sighed, recalling the Ouija board and the three men who had gone missing every thirty years. “I do.”

“It’s either this or a deranged lunatic.” Gaston sank back in his chair. “I’m hoping for this.”

“I’m not sure they’re mutually exclusive,” said Ben, skimming the composition book notes. “From what you’ve translated, the facts seem pretty weird. Are you sure someone wasn’t drinking too much absinthe?” There was a painting lying on the worktable.

“The Giroux, you mean? Oui,” said Gaston.

Ben walked over and lifted the canvas off the table. He could hear Barrow stirring like he was going to chastise him for not wearing gloves, but they knew Ben was furious with them for failing to keep Lara safe. Ben turned. “So this is what all the fuss is about, huh?”

“Yes,” said Barrow, looking itchy. “That was in the safe here all night. You might want to wear gloves.” He motioned to a pile of gloves next to the loupe.

“It hung on Audrey’s wall near the bathroom for decades,” said Ben, irritated. “I think it can withstand my hands.”

“Lara said she found a second one at Le Cirque de Fragonard.” Barrow seemed excited about this information, a point Ben thought was out of place given Lara’s disappearance. “I’ve been wanting to see it.”