Page 63 of Angelo

They spoke of Alessandro's cryptic phone conversation. Malina promised to keep her eyes and ears peeled for more information and report back to Elyse. They also spoke of church fires and faceless enemies.

"Have you reached out to the priest?" the housekeeper asked. "He was probably on site before anyone else. I wonder if he had anything to do with the fires?"

The priest's name was Giuseppe Boselli, and what Malina was suggesting proved sound. Elyse shared a similar line of thought. Father Boselli had, indeed, arrived at the church before any of the guests. If anyone was plotting to set the roof ablaze before the service began, the priest would've been a perfect accomplice to carry out this scheme.

Elyse answered, "Right after the funeral, I wanted to bring Father Boselli in for questioning, so I asked Luca to seek him out, but, suspiciously enough, the man has vanished. None of Father Boselli's friends or acquaintances can get intouch with him."

Malina paused artfully. "Do you suspect foul play?"

Elyse pursed her lips. "I think so."

"Do you think Father Boselli was either bribed or blackmailed into helping the real culprit?"

"I don't know how Father Boselli might be connected to the violence and the fires that occurred at the funeral," Elyse replied, "but, I think, now that the tides have turned in Alessandro's favor, the guilty party might be anxious about the Father snitching on him—or her—which means that the priest was probably involved some way. Otherwise, why would he go missing without a word? That's my theory, anyway."

"Who are your top suspects?"

"Valentina," Elyse muttered, "and my grandfather."

Valentina had been far too calm in the face of the fires, and Benedetto had literally suggested burning down the church during their meeting before the funeral.

Malina's eyebrows sprung up in surprise. "You do not trust your grandfather?"

"Not at all."

"Benedetto Graviano has been well known in our circles for decades," the housekeeper murmured in delicate tones. "Your grandfather is not a man to be crossed, but he has a reputation for being honorable. He would not betray an ally without good reason, let alone his flesh and blood,you, his granddaughter."

With a crinkled brow, Elyse countered, "You don't know my grandfather like I do, Malina."

"What do you mean?"

When Elyse told Malina about the music box, the housekeeper grimaced. "That is certainly troubling to hear."

"He’s trying to drive a wedge between Alessandro and me."

"Yes, but..."

"What?"

A thoughtful look crossed Malina's features. "Your grandfather enjoys chess, doesn't he?"

Elyse wrinkled her nose like a surly teenager. "He's annoyingly good at it."

Only after Elyse gave her reply did she realize that something wasn't quite right.Wait. How did Malina know that Benedetto enjoyed chess? His fondnessfor the game wasn't really common knowledge, and Elyse couldn't remember telling her about it before. Malina might posses a wealth of knowledge about the families who moved in Alessandro’s circles, but the Gravianos hadn’t been a part of it until recently.

Malina's voice cut through her confusion, "Perhaps, he is playing chess with you through the music box."

Elyse eyed Malina with a look of caution. "This doesn't seem like a game, though. It feels like a fucked up test of loyalty."

"Benedetto is testing you, I believe, but not in the way you think."

She frowned. "What are you getting at, Malina?"

"If your grandfather wanted loyalty, a clever man like him would not have chosen to blackmail you in such a tactless, heavy-handed manner. He knows that true loyalty cannot stem from fear."

Elyse accused quietly, "You speak as though you know my grandfather well."

Malina's lashes swept downwards. "I know him well enough."

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