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"The more I think about it, I'm convinced that this whole thing resonates with salt."
"What do you mean?" Morgan asked, frowning at the screen as Ben's image crackled a little over the Skype connection. Jake and Mikael stood behind her, both listening closely to the conversation.
"Bear with me," Ben said, his voice lively, the excitement of his realization driving him on. "The idea of Hell for the ancient Hebrews was a place of emptiness, a land where nothing would grow, a place of death where you couldn't even drink the water. Salt seasoned their food and was an integral part of sacrifice, as well as being used to preserve the dead in many cultures at that time. It's a powerful symbol of both life and death. Now look at the image again," Ben continued. "See, the chemical symbol for
