Douglas Preston - Brimstone

Pendergast rose from his crouch. The tweezers that had magically appeared from his clothing just as magically disappeared.

He glanced at D'Agosta. "Shall we retire to the chapel? We wouldn't want these good gentlemen to think we've been tampering with their crime site."

D'Agosta, still gripped with fear and dread, nodded dumbly. The chapel. That seemed like a good idea. A really good idea.

The chapel was in the traditional location at the far end of the alone , a tiny but exquisite Baroque room which could fit little more than a priest and half a dozen family members. There didn't seem to be any electric lights, so Pendergast lit a votive candle in a red glass holder, and they settled on the hard wooden benches to wait.

Almost immediately there was the sound of a door booming open; boots echoing in the downstairs hall; police radios blaring. D'Agosta was still holding his cross, his eyes on the small marble altar. The candle gave out a flickering reddish glow, and the air was redolent with frankincense and myrrh. He resisted the impulse to go down on his knees. He reminded himself he was a policeman, this was a crime scene, and the idea that the devil had come and claimed Bullard's soul was ridiculous.

And yet, in the perfumed darkness, it didn't feel the least bit ridiculous. His hand shook as it clutched the cross.

Now the carabinieri burst into the alone . D'Agosta heard a gasp; some muffled expostulations of shock; what sounded like a prayer being quickly intoned. Then came the familiar sounds of a crime scene being secured and floodlights being set up. A moment later the room beyond was bathed in almost unbearably bright light. A beam lanced into the chapel, striking the marble Christ behind the altar and setting it aglow.

A man appeared in the doorway, casting a long shadow. He was dressed, not in uniform, but in a tailored gray suit, a couple of gold leaves on his lapel signifying rank. He paused, staring. To D'Agosta, he seemed no more than an outline, framed in brilliant light, a short-barreled 9mm Beretta Parabellum in his hand.

"Rimanete seduti, mani in alto, per cortesìa," he said calmly.

"Remain seated, hands in view," translated Pendergast. "We're policemen-"

"Tacete!"

D'Agosta suddenly remembered they were dressed in black, their faces still half painted. God only knew what this police officer was thinking.

The man advanced, gun in hand, not exactly aimed at them but not quite aimed away, either. "Who are you?" he asked in lightly-accented English.

"Special Agent Pendergast, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States of America." Pendergast's wallet was in his hand, and it fell open to reveal his shield on one side, his ID on the other.

"And you?"

"Sergeant Vincent D'Agosta, Southampton Police Department, FBI liaison. We're-"

"Basta." The man stepped forward. He reached for Pendergast's wallet, looked at the badge, the ID card. "Are you the one who called in the homicide?"

"Yes."

"What are you doing here?"

"We are investigating a series of murders in the United States, which that man"-Pendergast nodded out into the great room-"was connected to."

"Mafiosi?"

"No."

The man looked visibly relieved. "You know the identity of the deceased?"

"Locke Bullard."

The man handed back the wallet, gestured at their outfits. "Are these the newest uniforms among the FBI?"

"It's a long story, Colonnello."

"How did you get here?"

"You will find our car-if you haven't already-in the olive grove across the street. A black Fiat Stylo. I will, of course, prepare a formal report for you on all the particulars: who we are, why we're here. Some of it is already on file at the Questura."

"God, no. No reports. It is so inconvenient when facts get written down. At the proper time, we will talk about it over an espresso, like civilized human beings." The man moved out of the glaring backlight. For the first time, D'Agosta could see his features: prominent cheekbones, cleft chin, and deep-set eyes. He was about sixty, and he moved with a stiff military bearing, his graying hair brushed back, restless eyes taking in everything.

"I am Colonnello Orazio Esposito. Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier." He shook their hands. "Who is your liaison at the Questura?"

"Commissario Simoncini."

"I see. And what do you make of this . " He nodded again toward the great room. "This . casino ?"

"It is the third in a series of murders, the first two of which took place in New York."

A cynical smile grew on Esposito's face. "I can see we're going to have quite a lot to talk about, Special Agent Pendergast. Listen. There is a nice little caffè in Borgo Ognissanti, just two doors down from the church and very near our headquarters. Shall we meet there at eight this morning? Unofficially, of course."

"It would be my pleasure."

"And now it would be better if you leave. We'll make no note of your presence in the official report. To have the American FBI reporting a crime on Italian soil . " His smile broadened. "It just wouldn't do."

He briskly shook their hands and turned on his heel, crossing himself so rapidly as he passed the altar D'Agosta wasn't sure if he had done it at all.

{ 60 }

D'Agosta had seen a lot of police headquarters in his time, but the so-called barracks of the carabinieri in Florence beat them all. It wasn't a barracks at all, but rather a decaying Renaissance building-D'Agosta thought it was Renaissance, anyway-facing a narrow medieval street. It was huddled up beside the famous Ognissanti Church, its gray limestone facade streaked with dirt, every ledge and projection covered with needle-like spikes to ward off pigeons. Florence itself was nothing like what he'd imagined: even in the warm, mid-October light, the city seemed austere, its crooked streets always in shadow, the rough-cut stone facades of its buildings almost grim. The air smelled of diesel fumes, and the impossibly narrow sidewalks were clogged with slow-moving tourists dressed in floppy hats and khaki shorts, with packs on their backs and water bottles strapped to their waists, as if they were on an expedition into the Sahara rather than walking around perhaps the most civilized city in the world.

They had met the colonnello in the nearby café, as planned, and Pendergast had quickly brought him up to speed on their investigation-omitting, D'Agosta noticed, certain small but critical details. Now they were following him back to his office, single file, fighting a steady stream of Japanese tourists coming in the opposite direction.

The colonnello turned into the grand arched entryway of the barracks, over which hung a limp Italian flag-the first D'Agosta had seen since arriving in Italy. They passed through a colonnaded corridor and into a vast interior courtyard. Once elegant, the courtyard itself had been turned into a parking lot and was wall-to-wall with police vans and cars, packed together with such mathematical precision it seemed impossible to move one without moving them all. The windows looking down on the courtyard were all open, and from them issued a continuous clamor of ringing telephones, voices, and slamming doors, magnified and distorted by the confined space.

They turned into another vaulted corridor lined with stone pillars-the crumbling remains of religious frescoes still visible-past a battered statue of a saint; then up a massive flight of stone stairs and into a warren of modern cubicles constructed haphazardly out of what had once been a single pillared room.

"The caserma, " said Esposito as they walked, "was once the monastery connected to the Ognissanti Church. That large room is the secretarial pool, and beyond"-he waved his hand at a series of small but massive oaken doors giving onto tiny offices-"are the work spaces of the officers, built in the former cells of the monks."