Lazzaretto Vecchio, Venezia When Tommaso regains conciousness, he finds he's not the only one to have been beaten and bound.
Tanina and Ermanno are sitting on the floor opposite him, backs against a damp brick wall, a thick black candle burning between them.
The young monk guesses they're in an old ward of the plague hospital.
A place where thousands drew their last breath.
Ermanno is motionless.
Dead?
Asleep?
Or just unconscious?
Tommaso is not sure which. The Jew's face is bloody and bruised, his left eye so swollen that, if he is still alive, it's unlikely he'll ever be able to see through it.
Tanina looks petrified. But apart from a face streaked with dirt and tears, she appears unharmed.
Tommaso's legs hurt, especially around the right knee. His ankles are bound and his hands, like those of the others, are tied behind his back.
Tanina notices that he's come round. 'Tommaso, are you all right?'
He understands he's expected to put a brave face on things. 'I think so. Are you?'
She nods. 'Yes. But Ermanno keeps losing consciousness. I'm worried about him.' Her face creases, and he can see she's fighting back tears.
The candle on the floor almost blows out. The flame has been rocked by a breeze from a door to the left.
Tommaso doesn't recognise the man entering the room. But Tanina does.
Lauro Gatusso is no longer wearing the smart trousers, linen shirt and embroidered coat that he wears to greet customers in his shop. He is dressed from head to toe in a black hooded robe, the Satanic vestment known as an alba.
'Tanina! I see you are surprised.' He spreads his arms wide, just as he used to when she was a child. 'This is indeed going to be a day of revelations for you.' He turns to Tommaso. 'And for you too, Brother.' He walks over to Tommaso and peers at him. 'You have some nasty cuts there. If you were going to live, we would have to get them attended to.'
Gatusso says something else but Tommaso doesn't hear. He's too intent on piecing together what has happened. No doubt it's all connected to the Etruscan artefact. He's sure now of the innocence of Tanina and Ermanno, but Efran's absence speaks volumes. He must have gone to the monastery on his own, without them knowing, staged the fire and theft, and then sold the artefact to Gatusso.
Loud voices outside the room.
Lydia sweeps in.
She's wearing the same robes as Gatusso, and a look of triumphalism. She walks over to Tanina. Two hooded men trail behind her. They're dragging something.
The dead body of Efran.
They drop the corpse and leave.
Tommaso feels all his solid reasoning start to crack.
Was Efran innocent? Or did they kill him because he'd served his purpose?
Lydia touches her friend's cheek. 'Dearest Tanina, do not look so perplexed. Your worthless shop-girl life is finally about to have some meaning.' She turns to Gatusso.
He places his hand on Tommaso's shoulder. 'Brother, meet your sister, Tanina. Children of a truly traitorous bitch – but also the flesh and blood of one of our most revered high priests.'