Page 84 of Angelo

"OrCaraBerlusconi—"

His confusion seemed to deepen.

"OrCarloMoretti?"

Right then, the priest's complexion paled noticeably. "I-I do not understand why you are asking me about these individuals..."

At last, a reaction of sorts. Father Boselli looked visibly shaken. But why? Carlo was dead. Why would the priest fear a ghost? Unless his tormentor was Carlo's heir to the clan? As always, Malina had been the one who’d relayed this detail to her. Following Italian tradition, Carlo's grandson had been named afterhim. His name was Carlo, too.

Elyse's eyes narrowed keenly. "Are you afraid of the Morettis, Father?"

"Why would I fear the Morettis? I-I have no ties to them."

Father Boselli's words seemed to be at odds with the terror on his face.

This prompted Elyse to run through a new theory. It seemed possible that the late Carlo Moretti had coerced Father Boselli into helping him set up the first fire at the funeral. It also seemed possible that the younger Carlo Moretti was now trying to cover up his grandfather's crime by threatening Father Boselli to keep his mouth shut.

"Is Carlos's grandson the one who’s threatening you?"

The priest shook his head nervously. "No, no, of course not!"

To Elyse, his denial sounded too adamant to be taken at face value.

Four days ago, on the ride home from the airport, Alessandro had updated Elyse on all that she missed during her time away. He informed her that his men found no trace of the Morettis' culpability—or any of the other clans, for that matter—in Father Boselli's motel room, so, despite the priest's strong reaction to Carlo Moretti’s name, Elyse wasn't sure if there was enough of a connection to form concrete conclusions.

But it was her only lead so far. Elyse pressed on, "I don't know if I believe you."

"Please,Signora Vitale, I do not wish to talk about the Morettis anymore."

As though the two of them were playing a round of poker, she decided to bluff and go all in, "I already know you're guilty. You helped the late Carlo Moretti set up the fire in the church, and his grandson is threatening you to keep quiet."

Her gamble paid off. Guilt flashed across Father Boselli's face. "I—"

Silence hung between them as tensions stretched to unbearable lengths. Elyse nudged him some more, "You might as well come clean. You're safer with us than with the Morettis. Don't forget who left your body in the burning church and who pulled you out of it."

A few more seconds ticked by before Father Boselli finally broke down, "You are right,Signora Vitale, I... am guilty as charged. I did not want to help them, but Carlo and his grandson threatened my family's safety if I did not comply."

The old man looked utterly defeated.

Elyse urged, "Tell me everything you know, and I'll do everything possible to keep you away from Carlo and his men."

"When I was approached by the elder Carlo Moretti," the priest began in a shaky voice, "he did not mention anything about a fire. He told me to release some kind of gas into the church."

“Was it poisonous?”

“No, I believe it was only meant to make everyone fall asleep.”

So the smoke she saw floating in the rafters had been caused by sleeping gas and not fire? Elyse frowned as she processed this unexpected turn. Had Carlo and Domenico been working together then? To knock out everyone inside for Cara to set on fire?

There were a few hitches in this premise, though. No one had passed out except for the priest, and, if Carlo and Domenico were in on the gas, then why had they stayed inside the church for so long, risking exposure to it themselves?

"How come the sleeping gas didn't work on anyone?"

Father Boselli grimaced uncomfortably. "I believe there was a malfunction. I must not have set it up right. The gas was supposed to be releasedafterthe first prayer, but it started leaking a bit early, and, then, once the guns came out..."

As his voice trailed away, Elyse filled in the blanks for him. Once the guns came out, Father Boselli blacked out.

Clarity settled in for Elyse. A leak meant the dosage of the gas probably hadn't been strong enough to do any damage. Domenico and Carlo had probably planned on evacuating the church—just like them—after that fateful first prayer.

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