"As you both know, we just learned that Brother Klaus Weissmann is in Italy. It may have something to do with the change in the pope. The current pope is gravely ill. We're concerned that this power vacuum could prove a temptation for the Promethians!"

"Right, so who is next in line?" Grace asks, interrupting Chief Ripley's debrief to her and Carmen as they all stood in a Bureau conference room.

"Father Pietro Agnelli is considered the odds-on favorite to replace the Pope. The Father's rather outspoken, especially about the European referendum. We've gotten word that Agnelli's not at the Vatican! Three days a week, he washes the feet of the homeless at the Piazza di Spagna in Rome."

"Sounds pretty humble for a guy who's about to run the Catholic Church!" Carmen observes.

"Yes," Chief Ripley agrees, "but it could be a cover...we know the Promethians have connections with high muckety-mucks throughout Europe. Grace, you and Martinez need to find Agnelli at the Piazza di Spagna and make sure he has no affiliations with the Promethians!"

"Of course, ma'am. We'll get right on that."

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

Carmen and Grace arrived at the Piazza di Spagna just after 6pm...in the middle of the square was a beautiful fountain and a golden statue of a woman with her arms outstretched...she also happened to be, at that very moment, holding the body of Father Pietro Agnelli.

"Oh my god!" Grace shouts in surprise, not expecting the sight.

"Not again...do not tell me this dead body is Father Agnelli! As if we didn't have enough on our plate!" Carmen complains.

Grace gets over her shock and works up the courage to inspect the body a little more closer. She then notices something on his chest.

"Hey, Carmen! Come look at this!" Grace shouts to her partner as she comes over. Both keep their distance as to not disturb the body too much and Carmen then sees what Grace noticed.

"Someone branded him in the chest?! That looks like the Promethian symbol!" Carmen realizes.

"Do you think this could be proof that he had connections to them?" Grace questions as they step away from the body while Carmen pulls out her phone to call the Bureau.

"If he did have any connections with the Promethians, he doesn't any more." Carmen replies before putting her phone to her ear so she can speak with Ingrid and explain what they found.

Grace takes the time to do something useful and look for clues. Firstly, there were some newly worn tire tracks in the path near the fountain. A more peculiar, but very familiar, object presented itself: a torn poster.

Carmen hung up and returned to her partner, asking,

"Were there any clues nearby?"

"Yes. I found some tire tracks near the scene of the crime."

"The killer probably took off after branding Father Agnelli. I'm sure you can find a match for the track in the database, Grace. Was there anything else?"

"You're not going to like this Carmen...but uh...I found this torn poster--"
"Of course you did!" Carmen interrupts, looking disappointed before saying, "but your instincts haven't been wrong so far, Grace. And we need answers fast!"

"We need to call Chief Ripley." Grace points out as she gets out some tape.

"Good point. With the current Pope at death's door and the favorite Pope is dead...this could become an international incident." Carmen adds, pulling out her phone to call headquarters.

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

Carmen came back to Grace once she was done with the phone call to Chief explaining the incident and getting someone from headquarters down to the square to collect the body.

"What did Chief say?" Grace asks as she exchanges the restored poster with Carmen.

"That this could wreck havoc for the Catholic Church and it could be a powerplay for the Promethians...that we should be discreet." Carmen summarizes, distracted by the item she was just handed. "Is that the victim's face on the poster? Looks like it's for a Catholic radio show."

"We should question this Sister Beppa." Grace says as she leans over Carmen's shoulder, pointing at the woman standing next to Father Agnelli.

"Agreed. She worked with him at the radio station. We need to know more! Maybe things went south?"

"Mm-hm. Let's question her and then get back to headquarters so we can identify those tire tracks."

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

Luckily for the two detectives, Sister Beppa clad in a blue habit was found near the square.

"Sister Beppa, I am Detective Carmen and this is Detective Grace. We are from the Bureau and we have a few questions about Pietro Agnelli." The woman's face immediately brightened at what Carmen said.

"Father Agnelli? He's a wonderful man! We do a talk radio show together on Radio Cattolico! We're very political and share the same beliefs about the unification of Europe. We're both going to vote "No" in the referendum! A fully united Europe means too much power in one place! This always leave the poor even poorer! When it became clear that Agnelli might become the next Pope, we never had so many listeners! More people are joining our cause against the United States of Europe."

Carmen and Grace glanced at each other--they had to be very careful at what they said next with how Sister Beppa was talking about the father.

"Sister Beppa," Carmen began as gently as she could, "you might want to steady yourself. Agnelli was found murdered today."

"Mamma mia! Murdered?! Who would do such a horrible thing to him? He was as gentle as a lamb!"

"That's what we are trying to figure out, Sister Beppa. We understand that this is quite a shock and you may need some time alone. If you have anything that could be helpful to the investigation, please contact the Bureau's Italian Headquarters." Grace says, handing the distraught sister before the two women reluctantly walk away.

"Sister Beppa just confirmed that Agnelli was the favorite to become the next Pope." Carmen whispers to Grace as they walk and she suddenly stops.

"Wait...Carmen, I just realized something. I think we should go to the Vatican--maybe we can find something or someone that could help with the investigation?"

"You're right, Grace. Since it is the seat of power for the Catholic Church, we might get some insight into Agnelli's murder. We'll go there after we look at those tire tracks back at headquarters."

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, Grace!" Carmen complains as Grace matches the tire tracks back at headquarters. After a couple of minutes Grace comes over to where Carmen leans against a conference table.

"That was fast! Can you give that paper to me?" Grace passes it over as she says,

"The tire tracks match an Italian scooter. The tracks are fresh...which means--"

"Which means the killer must have left it behind." Carmen finishes and Grace nods.

"Exactly...we just have to find them."

"Well, the killer will need something faster than a scooter to escape you, Grace!"

"Hmph, thanks Carmen. Now...off to the Vatican we go!"

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"Wow...The Vatican," Carmen comments as they walk in, seeming to be mesmerized by the place, "the last time I was here, I was chasing up a lead on a story about stolen art. It didn't seem this foreboding back then."

It was very quiet with only Grace and Carmen's echoes being the only noise in the building.

Grace, of course, quickly noticed some items of interest right away.

"It never ends." Grace complains aloud as she picks up a candle and an open bible with a message on it.

"What clues did you find?"

Grace hands Carmen the bible first and points out Agnelli's signature at the bottom with the rest of the message obscured. Then, she showed Carmen the candle which had a message on it: "Save the Lost Lamb" with some white substance on it. Afterwards, she cleans off the dust on the bible and decodes the message addressed to a certain Cardinal Salieri.

"'Humble yourself' huh?" Carmen quotes the first line, "Do you think Agnelli had an issue with this Salieri? We should ask him and find out."

"I agree. Also I took a look at the candle."

"Great! You got a sample of that substance from the candle. I'm sure Lars will tell us what it is!"

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

Walking around for a bit, Carmen and Grace found Cardinal Salieri in the Vatican a few feet away from the entrance.

"Cardinal Salieri, if we could have a moment of your time-"

"What is it, my child? Please be quick about it. I have important Vatican business to attend to. The Pope is not well." The Cardinal replies, interrupting Carmen.

"We need to ask you about a Bible we found at the Vatican," Carmen explains as Grace holds up the Bible. "There was a message in it to you from Pietro Agnelli--"

"Requiescat in pace...of course, the Vatican has heard the news of his unfortunate demise." Carmen sighs, clearly getting frustrated by the amount of times she's been interrupted so Grace intercepts.

"Why did Father Agnelli send you this?" The detective asks.

"That message was a reminder to me to calm my ambitions and trust in the Lord's plan for me. Agnelli was a very ordinary yet holy man. He practiced what he preached. As should we all. If you will excuse me, I must go. Agnelli's death leaves the Church in an even more precarious position. I must be certain no one takes advantage of it."

And with that the man is gone with a look on his face that suggests he would take the position if offered, no questions asked.

"We need to keep an eye on him." Grace whispers to Carmen who nods in agreement.

"Let's go. Angela is finished looking at the body and I'm sure Lars has finished looking at our candle."

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"Pietro Agnelli was an old man, but he was tough. Not tough enough to withstand branding though." Angela explains with a frown before perking up again.

"Fun fact: branding irons must be at least 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit to create instant third-degree burns in human skin!"

"That's...interesting...Angela."

"I'll be sure to note that somewhere...someday." Carmen notes cryptically before getting down to business.

"So a branding iron killed the victim?"

"The brand killed him...but not how you might think. The shock of being branded stopped his heart! Still, finding that branding iron could break the case wide open."

"Wow...must've been quite a shock." Grace says.

"Mm-hm. The killer left more than their brand though...it appears they spat onto the victim after the branding. I found lactose, a very high dose of caffeine and flavonoids in the spit on the victim's wound. All these chemicals are found in the ingredients for a cappuccino!"

"So the killer enjoys drinking cappuccino right before committing murder? Well, they won't have time for a coffee break with you on their tail, Grace!"

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"Hey Grace! You're not going to believe what that sample from the candle you found in the Vatican is!" Lars greets them, sliding over.

"Ok, what is it?" Grace asks, deciding to humor him.

"Doesn't it look familiar? I'll give you a hint: zinc oxide. And copious amounts! Still don't get it?" Grace hesitantly shakes her head.

"Oh c'mon! You've seen this substance before! It's that sunblock for albinos. Brother Klaus used this sunblock in Germany!"

"You mean Brother Klaus touched this candle? That means he's been in the Vatican! We already know that the Promethians have something to do with Agnelli's death because of the brand on his chest. And Klaus is a card-carrying Promethian! Did he leave his mark on Agnelli." Carmen wonders.

Just after she says that, there's a knock on the door. Before anyone can say anything, the door opens ajar and Gretta pops her head in.

"Hey, Elliot just checked CCTV cameras. Brother Klaus was caught entering St. Peter's Basilica so you'd better head back to the Vatican...like...right now!"

"Oh! What perfect timing. Thanks, Gretta. We'll head over there now."

"No problem." Gretta beams at her mother before leaving.

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

Carmen and Grace rushed over to the Vatican as fast as they could.

"You had a lot of nerve escaping from that interrogation room in Germany, Brother Klaus!" Carmen shouts at the monk, holding her gun to him.

"You have some nerve to remove my candle!" Brother Klaus argues back. "You should have left it where it was! I put it there to absorb the negative energy people were sending to Father Agnelli!"

"And you expect us to believe that? He was branded with a Promethian symbol!" Grace snaps.

"Wait a minute...you used to wear a Promethian necklace. Where is it now?" Carmen questions.

"I turned away from the Promethians and got closer to my roots! I see now that I was a lost lamb!" Carmen scoffs as Grace raises a skeptical eyebrow at him.

"I'm not buying your re-conversion story, Klaus. And neither is Detective Grace!"

"It's true! Father Agnelli restored my faith in the Church! I saw the error of my ways!"

"Maybe you have changed Klaus, but..." Grace looks over at Carmen, "arrest him. We still need to put him into custody for abiding and abetting Hans Vogel's murder."

"Right." Carmen nods curtly, placing the cuffs on Klaus and dragging him out of the Vatican.

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

Carmen takes a moment to sit down and take a breath once she and Grace have put Klaus into a jail cell.

"What a mess, Grace! The current Pope is about to die, the man most likely to succeed him was found dead, branded with a Promethian symbol. The Promethians are involved somehow but Brother Klaus claims he left the cult behind and returned to his original faith. And couldn't Cardinal Salieri benefit from Agnelli's death and potentially take his place as future Pope?"

"With everything going on...we'll have to be careful."

"You're right, Grace. We have to tread lightly."

"Carmen, Grace? Are you two in here?"

"Yeah, we are. Come in, Ingrid."

"Grace, we may have a new lead for the investigation of Father Agnelli's murder. Take a look at this." Ingrid pulls up the news on her tablet for the two to observe.

There's a beautiful woman in a red dress and strawberry blonde hair standing on a bridge with the news tagline saying she was going to jump.

"Father Agnelli saved my life, but I cannot live in a world where such a magnificent man could be murdered! I sacrifice my life to the canals. Addio, mondo crudele!"

"You needed a new lead...ask and you shall receive."

"Okay...but who the heck was that lady?"

"That's Fiora Tosca, Italy's most beloved opera singer. The news networks have her suicide threat running non-stop! She lives in Venice, hence her threat to sacrifice her life to the canals," and as an after though Ingrid says, "by the way, Father Agnelli started his vocation as a priest in Venice."

"Looks like we need to get to Venice and investigate. Father Agnelli supposedly saved Fiora Tosca's life. We've got to stop her from jumping or that lead will be dead in the water."

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"Fiora Tosca Step down from the bridge! Detective Grace needs to talk to you!" Carmen shouts from below as Grace slowly inches towards the woman.

"No! I will die under the bridge where Father Agnelli saved me!"

"Don't, Ms. Tosca! This isn't right." Grace points out, trying to be as calm as possible as she slowly reaches over to grab the woman's arm.

"Is that any way to honor his memory, Ms. Tosca? Killing yourself after he saved your life?"

"If you come down...I'd really love to know more about your friend, Father Agnelli." Grace says sweetly, putting on a kind smile. Fiora sniffles and wipes her tears away before nodding.

"Father Agnelli WAS my friend! If I kill myself, I wipe out his kindest act and deprive the world of my talent! This is madness! I need to sit down."

"Alright. Come with me and I'll get you down."

Grace lets out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding once the two detectives get the opera singer down and in a chair, providing her a cup of water and a blanket to keep her warm.

"Dang! That could've been a disaster! Maybe we should let Ms. Tosca settle down before questioning her" Carmen says as Grace nods, keeping her gaze on Fiora.

"We should look for clues while we are here." Grace says after a few moments and Carmen nods in agreement.

"If Father Agnelli started his mission as a priest in Venice, there have got to be clues around here! Let's go look around."

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

On the Venice canal, Grace found a faded picture of Father Agnelli in the water and a locked toolbox in a gondola.

"Ok...which one do you want to look at first?" Grace asks Carmen as she appears with the two items.

"The toolbox first. What was in it?"

"This gold pendant of the victim...and it says the toolbox belongs to Alonzo Conte so I think if we return it, he might be helpful to the investigation."

"Mm...I agree. What about the paper?" Grace hands it to Carmen. "Whoa! That paper has the Promethian symbol on it! 'Patto con il diavolo'...not sure what that message means."

"We should take it back to headquarters."

"You're right, Grace! Dupont will know what this message is all about."

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

They find a gondolier worker with black hair and a black moustache nearby, who turns about to be the man they were looking for.

"Povere Padre Agnelli! He was a saint!"

"Is that why you have a pendant of him in your toolbox?"

"Si! And I will start a petition for his canonization after my cappuccino break! He was even too good to be the Pope! He never judged nobody!"

"Did you have some reason to fear his judgement, Mr. Conte?" Carmen questions, her observation skills sharp as ever.

"We all have reasons to fear someone's judgment...but Father Agnelli never judged me, he only helped me." Alonzo explains, clearly not willing to talk about his past.

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"Well, Mr. Conte wasn't hard on the eyes, but he wasn't helpful much in solving this murder. With Agneli dead and the current Pope not getting any better, who knows what will happen next?" Carmen wonders and Grace shurgs.

"Yeah, well hopefully Ms. Tosca can give us some insight that will help."

Shortly after, the two return the bridge and question Fiora Tosca.

"Padre Agnelli! I would have nothing today if not for him! Not even the money for my cappuccino! He saved my life!"

"How exactly did Agnelli save you, Ms. Tosca?"

"I was a little urchin begging on the bridges of Venice, but Father Agnelli made sure that me and my family had enough to eat! He continued to take care of me as I grew up. He even gave me a scooter for my sixteenth birthday, so I could study opera in Milan!" She clenches her fists in frustration, "Father Agnelli tried to teach me forgiveness, but his killer hope you catch them before I do!"

"From suicide to revenge in one day, Ms. Tosca?" Carmen asks skeptically, "don't give yourself whiplash! We may have more questions for you later."

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

After some debating, Carmen and Grace agree to go back to the Vatican to search for more clues.

At the altar steps, Grace picks up a pope's miter and a green lost and found box which she quickly dusts off/rummages through and hands them to Carmen.

"Whoa! Looks like you uncovered handprints on that miter, Grace. I bet Gretta and Elliot will find a match!"

"Mm-hm. I also found this in the lost and found box." She hands Carmen a lost smartphone.

"A smartphone...well you definitely know what you're doing when it comes to unlocking phones, Grace! Have at it." Carmen says, winking at her.

After a few minutes, Grace says,

"This is odd...definitely not a normal smartphone."

"What the?! The smartphone unlock screen is a play button? The suspsense killing me, Grace! Let's watch this video!"

Grace hits play to reveal a confrontation between Brother Klaus and Father Agnelli.

"Father Agnelli! You are a righteous an and I agree with you on many points, but priests marrying?! NEVER!"

"Klaus just has to be dramatic about everything doesn't he?" Grace comments, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"My son, the Church must adapt to the changing conditions of society." Father Agnelli replies in a soft and calm voice.

It doesn't work. If Grace knew anything about Brother Klaus, it was that he had a short temper.

"If you love change so much, why must you continue to fight the unification of Europe?! It is the best possible outcome for us all!" Klaus snaps.

"There is no need to be so upset, my son. We can agree to disagree and live in peace as brothers!" Agnelli replies, clearly getting nervous by Klaus' increased anger.

And then that was were the footage ended.

"Brother Klaus argued with Father Agnelli in the street?! He must have felt very strongly to risk being seen while he was on the run! Some tourist must have filmed their confrontation! Seeing a crazy monk going after a mild-mannered priest must've been pretty weird...I would have filmed it, too!"

"Yeah...but now that we have this information, we can ask him about it." Grace points out, chucking the smartphone back into the lost and found before the two make their exit.

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"From some footage Detective Grace found, it appears that you and Father Agnelli had some ideological differences."

"I should never have left my hiding place...I know it seems that I was upset with Father Agnelli, but I was just trying to help him! He opened my eyes to the error of my ways and I wanted to return the favor!"

"...how?" Grace asks, her arms crossed as she looks at him suspiciously.

"I drove my scooter to the Vatican and waited for him to come to his favorite café. I wanted to let him know that it was not too late to change course, that he could be on the winning side! It's true," he admits, "that I was upset at first, it was all I could do not to throw my cappuccino on him. But I never intended to harm him! I respected him too much, though he was misguided."

"Well, the evidence," Carmen explains once he's finished, "may show that you were far more in the wrong than you think, Brother Klaus!"

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"Dupont? I have something you might find interesting." Grace says, handing the paper over to the historian.

"Oh, mes amis, this paper you found near the canal in Venice is quite the specimen! It's clear that the killer left their mark! First: we have the photo of Agnelli pasted onto the paper, then we have the Italian 'Patto con il Diavolo', which means 'A deal with the devil'! The killer believes that the future Pope had made a deal with the devil! And this deal required Agnelli's death! Behind the pasted picture of Agnelli, you can see the flames. These correspond to an illustration ripped from Dante's Inferno!"

"So the picture corresponds with one of the nine circles of hell?" Grace guesses and Dupont nods.

"In the epic poem, lashing tongues of flame are reserved for the eighth pit of the eighth circle of hell: those who give false council to suit evil ends!"

"False council to suit evil ends...where did Father Agnelli give most of his advice outside the church?" Carmen wonders.

"Oh of course! The radio show!" Grace points out.

"You're right, Grace. And that show was very political...do you think the killer might have been againist Agnelli's anti-referendum stance? At the very least, the killer knows the 'inferno' by Dante well enough to know exactly where they wanted to send Agnelli!" Grace nods and then looks down as her phone chirps with a text alert.

"Gretta and Elliot just finished with the pope's miter."

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"Hey kiddos! Got anything about those fingerprints for us?" Carmen asks as she and Grace enter the tech room. Elliot frowned at the nickname, but otherwise didn't have a reaction.

"I ran the fingerprints you found on the miter at the Vatican," Elliot explains, "and I found a match: Cardinal Salieri. From the placement of the handprints, it looks as though he was trying the Pope's miter on."

"You'd think the Vatican would have better security than leaving that thing lying around." Gretta comments as she lies with her head lying upside down over one of her armrests out of boredom.

"Trying it on? Now I see why Agnelli was telling him to be more humble!" Carmen says as Grace nods in agreement.

"We should question him."

"You're right, Grace. Let's go grill Cardinal Salieri about his ambitious plans."

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

Once the two detectives are gone, Elliot attempts to do some work on his computer, but Gretta has decided to stare at him and suddenly the task becomes more difficult.

"What?" He asks, pretending to be annoyed (really, he was bored too and Gretta was nice to chat with).

"You look funny upside down." Gretta observes. Elliot huffs out a laugh at how serious she sounds about it.

"I'm sure everyone does." He says, deciding to humor her.

"Hm...true. I'm bored as you can probably tell. You probably are too." Gretta says and Elliot is internally surprised.

How could she read him so well?

"How do know I'm bored?"

"Because you're working on your computer when there's no work to be done...plus, you're talking to me so you must be pretty desperate." Elliot smiles to himself in the crook of his sleeve at her joke.

"Actually...I like talking to you." He admits and Gretta looks surprised before twisting herself upright with her knees on the chair.

"Good to know...because I like talking to you too." Gretta smirks.

"I'm glad we're in agreement."

"I would hope so--especially after those text messages before going to Germany." Gretta replies and it's Elliot turn to be surprised.

"You remember that?"

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

"I dunno...it just seems like something that wouldn't be that memorable." Gretta raises an eyebrow at that in amusement, eyeing him up and down.

"And yet you remember it." She points out, surprising him again.

"Don't look so surprised," Gretta continues. "I'm the daughter of a great detective for a reason." Elliot huffs and rolls his eyes.

"Whatever. Look, the point is that I like talking to you. And trust me, there's a very low bar of people I can stand."

"Yes, I've observed that." Gretta replies sarcastically.

She then gets that look on her face again as she observes him again. She looks like she is sharing an amusing joke with herself...or perhaps it's a different emotion entirely.

"Besides," Gretta says, looking nervous as she looks Elliot in the eye, "you're not too bad once you get past the surface, Elliot."

Elliot looks up at her with an amused smile and nods,

"You're not too bad yourself, Gretta."

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"So, Detective Grace discovered that you've been playing dress-up with the Pope's habit - your fingerprints were all over this miter!"

"You're acting as if I spilled my cappuccino on it! Of course I tried on the miter!" Grace raises an eyebrow at the cardinal.

"And...you think this is normal?" The man clenches his teeth and glares at her.

"It is clear that I should be ll Papa! We can't have a Pope who does talk radio! Especially, a show that is overtly political!"

"So you had a problem with Father Agnelli's politics?" The cardinal looks over at Carmen and scoffs.

"Of course I did! He wanted to be a Pope of the people! He was campaigning against the unification of Europe like a common politician! A regal distance between the Pope and the people must be maintained! And I told him as much! He argued that if I believed that, I should get rid of my scooter, but I need it to get around Vatican City! It's not the same thing at all!"

"If your disagreements with Agnelli pushed you to kill him, you won't have any distance from Detective Grace, you better believe that!" Carmen threatens.

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

Grace sighs, taking a sip from some tea she grabbed from a headquarters' vending machine. She closes her eyes, allowing them to rest as Carmen recaps what they know.

"Who could have possibly branded Pietro Agnelli into the shock that caused his death? Almost everyone we've spoken to thinks he was a saint. Alonzo Conte wants to make it official and see Agnelli canonized and Fiora Tosca claims Agnelli saved her from a life of begging on the streets! Everyone loved Agnelli except Cardinal Salieri...seems like he and Agnelli were more at odds than we thought. As for Brother Klaus...we know he was a Promethian, we know the Promethians were involved in this murder, and we know Klaus confronted the victim."

"If you want my opinion," Ingrid says as she enters the room, "I wouldn't trust Brother Klaus...CCTV caught him reciting Danto's Inferno at the crime scene! But he's not the only suspect acting out in public. Sister Beppa just chained herself to a bridge in Venice."

Grace opened her eyes wide and exclaimed,

"What?!"

"What is it with Italian women and dramatic scenes at bridges?!" Carmen asks, exasperated.

"Some nuns are holding a political protest at the bridge. Sister Beppa's saying that the pro-referendum party killed Father Agnelli!"

"Alright...come on, Carmen. We're going back to the Venice!"

"You sure you want to come, Grace? You look tired."

"Nope, I'm sure. Come on, let's go!" She argues, pushing forward. Carmen shrugs at Ingrid before rushing out the door after her.

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"Sister Beppa! What is going on?"

"Repression, that's what! The local police forced me off the bridge! I have a right to protest!"

"Of course you do. But what proof do you have that the pro-referendum party killed Agnelli?!"

"I...I don't have ANY proof! I just know they want the anti-referendum party to be weaker, so they killed its spiritual leader!" Sister Beppa sobbed.

"That's quite a conclusion you've jumped to Sister Beppa! Why don't you sit here and Detective Grace will talk with you once you've calmed down."

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

A few minutes go by before the two go to question the nun.

"So, Sister Beppa, you're convinced the pro-referendum party killed Agnelli?"

"Who else?! They couldn't stand the thought of a Pope against the unification of Europe! There's a sinister force behind this."

"And what about you, Sister Beppa? If Agnelli became Pope, he wouldn't have time for your show...or your cause."

"That's not true! I had faith that he would see the light and continue to fight for the anti-referendum cause from the Vatican!"

"Sister Beppa, you know that the Pope can't take a direct role in politics."

"Oh, who am I kidding? Pope or not, Father Agnelli wouldn't take a direct role in anything besides washing feet! He wouldn't even help me fix my scooter! He said he was leaving worldly affairs for the next generation! He was abandoning the anti-referendum cause...abandoning me!"

"And maybe your abandonment issues led you to break the first commandment! Sit tight, Sister Beppa! We may need to talk to you again!"

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"You sure you're okay? If you want to take a break, you can." Carmen observes Grace's tired eyes as she yawns.

"Carmen...I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. Really. Now, can we proceed?"

"Alright, fine," Carmen rolls her eyes, "I'll stopping bugging you...for now." Grace gives her a warning look.

"Just look at the clues please."

"So it looks like you found some kind of red sash? It has Agnelli's name on it! And a lot of flakey stuff. Think you can get a sample with the vacuum. And there's a wooden crate...if you have a hunch there's a clue inside, follow that hunch Grace!"

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"Got that sample from the red sash? Wait! There's more written on the fabric!"

"It says 'Ogni verita non e a dire'...my Italian's pretty rough, but I'm sure we know someone that can help."

"Agreed. We'll have to ask Dupont about that ASAP! Also, stop at the lab on the way to give the white stuff to Lars."

"Mm-hm. Also," Grace pulled out the photo she found in the crate, "you recognize anyone in this photo?" Carmen shakes her head, reading the tagline: "Villa Tosca - 1984".

"I think that is our victim," Grace points to a young priest on the left and then a young girl in the middle, "and that is Fiora Tosca."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Think about it Carmen: who else in our suspect list has that last name? Who else looks like that?"

"You do make a good point. But if that is her in the photo, why did she lie to us and say that she was poor and Agnelli had to help her family? Something's fishy here. We'd better go grill her about this photo!"

"And hope she gives us the real story." Grace adds with a grimace.

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"Ms. Tosca, tell us about this photo Detective Grace found. I thought you grew up poor?"

"NO! You found it?! But I was sure I had gotten rid of everything! That photo was the last piece of proof!"

"Why did you lie?" Grace asks.

"Nothing sells like a rags to riches story. I needed a competitive edge in the opera world--so I made up the story about the begging. Father Agnelli was blessing my father's new sports car in this photo...Agnelli kept the picture. I remembered that he had it, so I went to the church in Venice where he used to be the priest. I found the photo and ripped it to shreds!"

"Were you worried about Agnelli exposing your tall tale? The Papal election would've kept him a little too busy for that." Fiora scoffs at that, looking at Carmen with a smug expression.

"Agnelli becoming Pope! Please--talk about the meek inheriting! Cardinal Salieri--now HE'S Pope material. Classy! Strong! Smart! You know he's a Dante scholar? I've read his work on Dante's Inferno!"

"Don't go on any world tours, Ms. Tosca! We need to be sure you didn't go further than tearing up family photos to protect your secrets!"

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"Hey Lars. Got anything from that sample we sent you?"

"I did actually, Grace...turns out it was dandruff. So I ran a DNA test. The match I got in the system introduced me to Gianni Bonfiglio, a member of the mob who went missing last year."

"But...we don't have a mob member on our list, Lars."

"Oh yes, you do! Only you know Gianni as the hotty gondolier, Alonzo Conte!"

"Is there something about that man that you two find attractive that I'm not seeing?" Grace asks before Carmen drowns her out.

"Wait! You're telling us that our gondolier was a mobster?!"

"That would explain the Italian written on the sash, cher amis!" Dupont says, announcing his presence and making Grace turn around.

"What does it say?" She asks.

"'Ogni verita non e a dire!' means 'Not all truths should be told!'."

"The message was addressed to Father Agnelli. Did he know Alonzo Conte was in the mob? Could Conte have killed Agnelli because he knew? I can't believe that the guy I thought was so useless to this investigation was a mob guy! Let's go grill Alonzo Conte about his change of identity!"

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"We have a few questions for you, Alonzo Conte, or should I say, Gianni Bonfiglio!"

"No, my name is Alonzo Conte. Who is this Gianni Bonfiglio guy?"

"Alonzo...you need to stop this before you dig yourself into a bigger hole." Grace advises.

"Don't play smart with us! We have DNA proof that you are one and the same!"

"Povero me! But like Dante said: 'The path to paradise begins in hell.' Father Agnelli was the only one who knew my secret. That I was with the mob, that I did bad things. I tried to leave the mafia, hide out in Venice as a gondolier...but Agnelli, he wanted me to turn myself in. I couldn't! Even one person knowing who and where I was put me at risk! I had to be sure he'd stay quiet, so I sent him that message! I used my sash so he'd know who sent it!"

"If Detective Grace finds out you returned to your old mob ways to keep him silent, we will dig into your past and make sure it catches up to you!"

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

With no clue as to where the brand could be, Grace suggested that Carmen and her return to the Piazza to look for clues.

"Dang you found a butane torch in the Piazza?! The killer would have needed a heat source to bring the brand up to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. The killer must have used this torch! But there are also some metallic flakes. A sample of those would get us closer to the killer, I bet!"

"Yeah--" Grace pauses in her train of thought and points into the distance. "What about that trashcan?"

"You do have a point...if you've looked everywhere else for clues, there's always the trash to go through. But we've got to make it snappy! The killer could be packing their bags and halfway out of town on their scooter by now!"

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

"Carmen come over here!" Carmen rushes over and looks shocked as Grace holds up a branding iron.

"Is it me or does the branding iron you found in the trash match the brand on the victim exactly? The murder weapon has to be this branding iron!

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

After a couple of hours, Lars was finished.

"So I had a look at the metallic flakes sample you sent me from that butane torch...it's fairly fancy stuff: 100% pure gold leaf! Gold leaf is used to gild all types of things: picture frames, furniture, Bibles...even boat ornaments! Its application to objects dates back to the Egyptians! And properly gilded objects can stay untarnished for centuries. But decay is inevitable for everything."

"My patience is decaying pretty quickly." Carmen murmurs.

"Lars...I appreciate the history lesson, but I am very close to passing out. What is your point?" Grace deadpans.

"Just saying that the killer came into contact with gold leaf!" Lars explains with a sheepish expression.

"No matter how golden they think they are, that killer will be behind bars in no time thanks to Grace!"

"I have even more good news. I also had a look at the murder weapon. Given the heat of the situation, the killer couldn't help but leave some of themselves behind. So I ran a DNA test. So far, we know that the killer didn't have much eumelanin."

"Eume what?" Grace asks.

"Eumelanin," Lars repeats, "you and Carmen have a lot of it, Grace, so both of your hair colors are dark. I don't have much so I'm blonde! The killer has even less with their white hair!"

"So we have a white-haired killer. They better watch their back because we're hot on their trail!"

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

After a lot of investigating and running back and forth, the killer turned out to be Brother Klaus all along. He hadn't quit the Promethians like he said, in fact the reason he killed the father was because he was an "obstacle" in the cult's way.

The trial was a blur to Grace, who was slowly fading in and out from exhaustion. However she did hear his sentencing: 25 years in prison.

ılı.lıllılı.ıllı.

At 10pm, an hour after the trial, Grace went to search for her mother so they could go back to the hotel. After a few minutes, she found her lying on the couch in one of the conference rooms. When her knocks didn't work, Gretta just let herself in the room.

"Hey mom! You ready to--" She stops herself, smiling at her mom who is fast asleep on couch. Gretta stifles a laugh before she writes a note and places it near her mom.

After that, she takes out her phone and snaps a photo to send to a certain hacker.

New Message, To: Elliot Clayton

Gretta

[See Photo Attached]

Look who I found asleep *heart eyes*

Elliot

Huh...she seemed pretty awake when we were talking to her. Maybe she's having some sort of late-stage jetlag?

Gretta

Maybe?

Elliot

So...

Elliot is typing...

Elliot

Are you just going to leave her there?

Gretta

I might...

Gretta is typing...

Gretta

I don't see why not?

Gretta is typing...

Gretta

She gets sleep and I get a nice hotel room all to myself :)

Elliot

Truly, Gretta, you are a saint.

Gretta

I know you're being sarcastic, but thank you ;)

Elliot

And you say I'm self absorbed *eye roll*

Elliot is typing...

Elliot stopped typing...

Elliot is typing...

Elliot

So...if you're going home now, I can drive you home if you want?

Gretta is typing...

Gretta stopped typing...

Gretta is typing...

Gretta

Really? You're offering? *shocked face*

Elliot is typing...

Elliot stopped typing...

Elliot is typing...

Elliot

Yeah.

Elliot is typing...

Elliot

Why not?

Elliot is typing...

Elliot

We're at that level in our relationship I think.

Gretta

Oh? Would you venture to say we're...

Gretta is typing...

Gretta

Friends? :)

Elliot is typing...

Elliot stopped typing...

Elliot is typing...

Elliot

Don't push it.

Elliot is typing...

Elliot

I can still take back my promise of hacking your phone ;)

Gretta

Ah! There's the Elliot I know!

Gretta is typing...

Gretta

Anyways...

Gretta is typing...

Gretta

I'll see you in the parking lot <3

Elliot is typing...

Elliot stopped typing...

Elliot is typing...

Elliot

See you soon.

Author's Notes

I think I mention this in the next part but I had a cold for several weeks and getting back to writing this...it is quite draining--so. much. dialogue. It's why I explained some stuff rather than add the dialogue in this time around. But despite my complaints, I keep coming back because I love this game XD

Guys, I went to a Catholic school for 10 years and yet I had to google what a nun's attire was called XD (although I'm not really surprised I don't remember much, I didn't have a great time at that school, but that's a story for another day!)

I have now learned that muckety-muck is a word...it is now part of my vocabulary. It's North American, an informal term meaning a person of great importance/self importance. It honestly sounds like the most American word I have ever heard and I don't know why XD

To be blunt, this case wasn't that engaging for me, I kind of skimmed a lot when I was playing but I did like discovering the twists of the characters. Also Carmen's line about dramatic Italian women and bridges made me chuckle!

(I found it funny how Lars and Carmen seem to find the gondolier attractive so I had to make Grace comment on it lol)

There's a lot less Elliot and Gretta in this one than before since there isn't much for them to do (maybe that's why I didn't find any enjoyment in this case, haha!). But I thought I'd sneak in a *tiny* scene or two of them f̶l̶i̶r̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ chatting with each other because it's my book and I can do what I want <3

I really wanted to finish Europe in Crisis Part 5 but like...this chapter took an entire day (several days actually) to finish so it will have to wait til tomorrow.

Until then...goodbye. I literally spent an entire day on this chapter and I need sleep <3

BatgirlGeek❤️

P.S. I keep setting these chapters over a day but I think I've only just now realized that realistically these cases would take place over several days so I'm fixing that next chapter x