Chapter 55 Chapter 53: Paola Decanti's Apartment

This time it was Anthony who was awakened by the aroma of coffee. "Here comes the coffee, Father." Anthony looked at Paula, puzzled by her formal tone.Paula looked at Anthony without blinking, and he understood.She had given hope to the morning sun, which now filled the cottage.He said nothing, and Paula didn't expect him to.He could give her nothing but pain.Still, he felt better, taking solace in the affirmation the two had experienced together.The two draw strength from their respective vulnerabilities.What Anthony had said in these morning hours seemed to be off topic, but it was not.The truth was that some things were more whole now: he was very grateful to Paula for taming those evil thoughts in him, if only for a moment.

Paula was glad that Anthony could understand her.She was sitting on the edge of the bed with a smile on her face.It wasn't fake, because in the last few hours she had overcome those hopeless obstacles in her own heart.A new day might not have been a guarantee, but at least her confusion was gone, and maybe she and Anthony kept her distance just to be safe, to avoid those unnecessary new pains.It sounds easy, though, but it's not: she understands Antony, who keeps his vows and doesn't surrender to his cross. "Officer, I have to tell you something that you won't listen to."

"Speak, Father." "If you're not a criminal psychologist, don't open a coffee shop," he said, watching Paula's coffee with a smirk. Both of them laughed.Suddenly everything becomes so beautiful. Half an hour later, the two of them took a shower and regained their spirits.Anthony stood by the window of Paula's house, and Paula sat at the desk, and the two went through the case again. "You know what, Father? In the light of day, our understanding of Karowski's killing at the beck and call of the Holy League becomes eerie and unreal." "Possibly. But anyway, in daylight, the cardinal's dismemberment, Pondello's death, is still very real. If we're right, we're the only ones who can stop Karowski."

These words are enough to dull the light of the morning sun.Paula felt her very soul stretched like a rope.She felt that it was her duty to catch this pervert.For Pondello, for Anthony, and for himself.When she catches Kaloski, she asks him, who is manipulating him?At that time, her emotions may be out of control. "The Vatican Police have compromised, that's all I know. But what about the Swiss security guards?" "They're good uniforms, but they're practically useless. They probably don't even know that three cardinals are dead. I don't take them seriously: they're as useless as the traffic police."

Paula touched her face, a little annoyed. "So what shall we do now?" "I don't know either. I don't know where Kaloski is, and since yesterday it's been easier for him." "What do you mean?" "The cardinal began praying Mass for the Pope's soul for nine days in a row, during which they would extol the prayer." "You're not going to tell me..." "Yes, Masses are celebrated all over Rome. In St. John's, St. Mary's, St. Peter's, St. Paul's... the Masses of the Cardinals are in groups of two, in the fifty main churches of Rome. It is tradition, I don't think they'll change that this time around. It would be an ideal time for an assassination if the Holy Alliance does get involved. It hasn't been made public yet, and if Serin interferes with their mass , there will be resistance from the cardinals. The Mass will go on, whatever happens. It would be very bad if now another cardinal is killed and we don't know about it."

"Damn, I want a cigarette." Paula looked at her desk and reached into her coat pocket for the pack of cigarettes that Pondello had left behind.She reached into her jacket pocket and touched a small, hard object with her fingers. "what is this?" She took out a little card from her pocket with a picture of the Virgin on one side.It was given to Paola by Father Francisco when she was about to leave Santa Maria, and it was given to her by that fake Carmel priest, that killer Karoski.Paula has been wearing the same jacket for several days since last Tuesday, so the card is still in his pocket.

"How did I forget this? This is evidence!" Anthony came over, and the card aroused his curiosity. "A devout card of faith. The Virgin Mary, with writing on the back." The words were in English, Anthony said aloud. When Paula translated these sentences into Italian, she turned livid. "I think it's from chapter 13, verses 6 to 11, of Deuteronomy." "Damn it," said Paula through gritted teeth. "This has been in my pocket for so long. I should have been alert when I saw it was written in English." "Stop blaming yourself. A priest gives you a card because you lack faith and it's normal not to take a second look."

"Maybe, but we'll find out who this priest is soon. I should remember something he gave me. I'm too busy remembering what his face looked like in the dark, even if I can't." I tried to give you a reminder, did you forget? Paula held her breath.Anthony turned around, card in hand. "Look, Paula, it's just an ordinary card. There's a note on the back..." Santa Maria Church "But it is very helpful for us to understand the above words, 'Deuteronomy' is..." Take this everywhere. "The passage quoted above is very unusual. What do you mean, I think..."

It will help you find the right path in these uncertain times. "If I grab the corner I can tear the paper off..." "Don't touch it!" Paula grabbed Anthony's arm. Anthony blinked, taken aback, but he didn't move a muscle as Paula took the card from him. "I'm sorry I yelled at you," Paula said, trying to calm herself down. "I just remembered that Kaloski said that this card can help me find the right way in this uncertain time. I think this is what he told me on purpose, and he put this sentence here to play tricks on us." "Maybe, but maybe it's another ruse he's trying to lead us astray."

"All we know right now is that we're nowhere near solving this mystery, and maybe this will be a clue." Paula turned the card over, held it up to the light, and sniffed the paper. Nothing at all. "That quote from the Bible is also a message. But what is he trying to say?" "I don't know. But I think there must be something else here, something we overlooked at first glance." Paula was rummaging in a nearby closet. A few minutes later she took out a small box from the back floor, covered in dirt, and Paula carefully placed it on her desk. "I haven't opened it since I went to graduate school. It was a gift from my father."

She slowly opened the small box, and she still remembered the advertising sheet for this tool, which said how expensive it was, how to use it with care, and so on.Now she took out the tools and put them squarely on the table.It was a standard microscope: Paula had used far more expensive objects thousands of times since college, but never had she treated them with such respect as this one.She likes this feeling: this microscope is the link between her and her father. This is a very unusual object, especially after losing her father. This will make him miss the old days, and there will be a kind of melancholy in his heart.She had asked herself, if she hadn't preserved these shining wealth of memories, wouldn't those memories with her father fade away too quickly? The microscope is covered with plastic wrap to prevent dust from falling.Paula unwrapped the paper and brought the card into focus under the microscope.She turned the angle of the card with her left hand, slowly examining each spot on the image of the Virgin.Nothing special.Paula turned the card over again. "Wait a minute, there's something here." Paula lets Anthony watch through the camera.Magnified 15 times, the letters above resemble oversized chess pieces.One of the letters has a small white circle on it. "Like a small hole." Paula took it and looked again. "I think it was pricked with a needle. It seemed like it was done on purpose because it was so perfect." "Where was the first mark found?" "Inside the word 'if'." "Keep looking and see if there are holes in the other letters." Paula looked in each line one by one. "Here's another one." "Keep looking, keep going." Paula searched for 8 minutes and successfully found 12 letters with pinholes. If your very own brother, or your son or your daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. You must certainly put him to death. Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such a wicked thing again. When Paula could no longer find the pinhole letters, she wrote down the order of the letters she found.The results startled them.Paula put it all together. If your fellow man is secretly seducing you (that's the psycho part), you don't have pity on him, and you don't cover him up (this refers to the victim's family, which Kaloski doesn't because of his impotence). Always kill him. Paula saw a name on it: Francis Casey.