The Fallen Angel

slightly more than five minutes. As they reached the landing at the top of the stairs, Carlo tried to pause in order to catch his breath, but Father Mark nudged him into the gallery of the dome. A raincoated figure stood at the balustrade, peering downward toward the floor of the Basilica. As Carlo entered, the figure turned and regarded him without a word. Carlo froze and then recoiled.
    “Something wrong, Carlo? You look as though you just saw a ghost.”
    Carlo spun round and saw Gabriel standing where Father Mark had been.
    “What is this, Allon?”
    “Judgment, Carlo.”
    Gabriel went to Paola’s side. She was staring downward again, as though oblivious to Gabriel’s presence.
    “This is where Claudia was standing when she died. Whoever murdered her approached her from behind and broke her neck before throwing her over the barrier to make it look like a suicide. That was the easy part. The hard part was getting her up to the gallery in the first place.” Gabriel paused. “But you managed to figure that out, didn’t you, Carlo?”
    “I had nothing to do with her death, Allon.”
    Carlo’s declaration of innocence echoed high in the dome before dying the death it deserved. His gaze was now fixed on Paola’s neck. Gabriel placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
    “She was scheduled to meet with Donati that night to tell him you were running your criminal empire from the Vatican Bank. But she canceled the meeting without explanation. She canceled it,” Gabriel added pointedly, “because someone told her to come to the dome of the Basilica. That person was going to give her the information she needed to destroy you. It was someone she trusted, someone she used to work with.” Gabriel paused again. “Someone like your wife.”
    Carlo seemed to be trying to regain his composure, but Paola’s presence wouldn’t permit it. He was still staring at her neck. As a result, he didn’t notice General Ferrari standing a few feet behind him.
    “Sometime that evening,” Gabriel resumed, “Claudia received a text message from Veronica asking her to come here. She called Veronica’s cell a few minutes before nine, but there was no answer. That’s because Veronica didn’t have her cell. You did, Carlo.”
    “You can’t prove any of this, Allon.”
    “Remember where you’re standing, Carlo.”
    Paola gave Carlo an accusatory glare before setting off on a slow tour of the gallery.
    “But who to trust with the job of actually killing your wife’s best friend?” Gabriel asked. “It had to be someone who could get inside the Vatican without much trouble, someone who didn’t have to stop at the Permissions Desk before entering the palace.” Gabriel smiled. “Know anyone like that, Carlo?”
    “You don’t really believe I killed that poor girl with my own hands.”
    “I know you did. And so does she,” Gabriel added with a glance at Paola. “Help her soul find peace, Carlo. Tell her that you killed her sister to protect your position at the Vatican Bank. Confess your sins.”
    Paola’s presence had clearly lost its hold over Carlo. He was now staring at Gabriel with the same arrogant smile he had worn the night he tried to have Gabriel and Chiara killed. He was once again Carlo the untouchable, Carlo the man without physical fear.
    “You are a member of a very small club,” Gabriel said. “You are the only person who ever tried to kill my wife who is still walking this earth. If you would like to remain here with us, I would advise you to tender your resignation at the Vatican Bank immediately. But first,” he added, glancing again toward Paola, “I want you to tell her why you murdered her sister.”
    “You can have my resignation but—”
    “Your wife already knows,” Gabriel said, cutting him off. “I told her everything before the Holy Father left for Jerusalem. She believed me, because she remembered that on the night of Claudia’s death she couldn’t find her mobile.”
    To bring an opponent’s wife into play violated Gabriel’s personal code of ethics, but the tactic had its intended effect. Carlo’s face was now crimson with rage. Gabriel pressed his advantage.
    “She’s going to leave you, Carlo. In fact, if I had to guess, she’s probably been thinking about it for some time. After all, she never loved you the way she loved Donati.”
    That was enough to push Carlo’s anger past the point of control. He blundered toward Gabriel in a blind fury, his face unrecognizable