Page 147 of Assassin's Obsession

"My mother purchased the dessert to take back to her father in celebration after Severu was dead. Now she'll give it to him as an apology for her failure."

"You sound pretty sure of yourself."

"My mother might not know anything about the real me, but I know everything there is to know about her and my grandfather."

"Knowledge is power," I quip.

"Exactly."

Then it clicks. "Somehow, you poisoned the cheesecake. But what if someone else eats some?"

I'm not going to mourn the men who died today, but the thought of someone innocent sharing in the evil godfather's fate upsets me.

"Don't worry,mia amate." It's Angelo's turn to brush his hand down my cheek. "My grandfather is an abjectly selfish man. No one is allowed to have even the tiniest slice."

"Sounds excessive and also hard to predict. How would he know?"

"Trust me, he would. Don Messino had a cook killed ten years ago who was discovered eating a tiny slice shaved off the cake. She wanted to duplicate the recipe."

"And he had her killed for it?" Appalled isn't a big enough word for how I feel.

Angelo nods. "In front of his men and other staff as a lesson."

"So, for real, no one is going to eat that cake but him." I'm glad.

"Exactly."

"What's in it?"

"Thallium. It's a tried-and-true method for poisoning someone without detection."

"Can't they find it in an autopsy?"

"There won't be one. Without unquestionable cause, there is no justification for disturbing the corpse of a dead godfather with something like that."

"You really think no one will suspect?" I worry.

"My grandfather has been suffering from gastric and intestinal trouble for years. His doctors tried to tell him he's allergic to tomatoes, but he refuses to believe them and continues to eat sauces made with them daily."

"Is that why you chose thallium to begin with?"

"That and the fact it is colorless, odorless and tasteless when mixed with food. When he starts showing gastrointestinal distress about eight hours after eating the first slice of cheesecake, it will be chalked up to the same complaint."

"Really? It's that easy?"

"We've been administering low doses of thallium in his food for the past three months which have been steadily increasing his gastric problem, but without raising suspicion with his doctors."

"You said your mom would be administering the fatal dose. How does that work?" I ask.

"Don Messino will be dead within seven days of eating the second slice of cake. Eating more will only make his reaction more acute."

"You're so sure he'll eat two pieces?" Though from the sound of him, Don Messino doesn't give up what he likes to eat for the sake of a stomachache.

"Yes."

"What happens when he dies?"

"My uncle takes over as godfather."

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