Chapter Seventeen

Rome, 1901

The next morning, Holmes had departed before I awoke. As I ate a solitary breakfast, I reviewed his plan in my mind. The odds for success, it seemed to me, were about even.

After a second cup of tea, I headed out in search of the local carabinieri station. I had thought of sending a messenger to Captain Tritini to make an appointment, but I decided that an unexpected visitor might prove a welcome diversion - if he were not busy.

I headed back to the Piazza del Collegio Romano where the headquarters of the carabineri was located. Upon arriving, I asked for Tritini, and a young officer told me that he was in a meeting, and I would have to wait.

After about 15 minutes, Tritini appeared and said, “Dottore Watson, so good to see you again. How may I be of assistance?”

“Is there someplace we can talk?” I asked.

“Let us go to my office.”

After a short walk down a hallway, we entered the captain’s office. The room itself was neat and tidy, and everything about it smacked of the professional soldier. Two of the walls were covered with maps, while one wall had been reserved for photographs and awards. Judging by the framed proclamations, Tritini had enjoyed a stellar career thus far, and given his age - he couldn’t have been more than 40 - seemed destined for greater things.

After we had been seated, the captain looked at me and asked, “How may I be of service?”

“I am here on behalf of Mr. Holmes,” I began.

The captain’s face immediately showed his pleasure.

I continued, “Mr. Holmes is working on behalf of the pope.”

No sooner had I finished the sentence than the expression on the captain’s face changed dramatically. The smile had been replaced by a look of apprehension and his entire body had tensed. As he raised his finger to his lips, he rose and walked to the door. Opening it, he looked around, up and down the hallway. Returning to his desk, he picked up a pencil and paper. He wrote and handed me the paper, which contained the words - “Obelisk in 30 minutes.”

“I am sorry dottore but my schedule is such that I cannot take on any additional cases right now. May I suggest that you bring any concerns about the pope to the local polizia.”

I nodded to convey that I understood and said, “I shall take your advice, and I am so sorry to have troubled you.”

I left the station and headed toward the obelisk in the center of St. Peter’s Square. As I made my way through the streets, I tried to ascertain whether I was being followed. Knowing that I had a few extra moments, I doubled back on two different occasions, but saw no familiar faces as I retraced my steps.

I entered the square and tried to blend in with the crowds and look like a sightseer. I was about 50 feet from the obelisk when I spotted Tritini. As I approached, he saw me and gestured for me to follow him.

We walked across the square to an open area, and then he turned to me and said, “I must apologize for the histrionics dottore, but the ranks of the carabinieri are a house divided.

There are those who believe the pope should bow to the king, and others who maintain just the opposite. At any rate, careers have been lost because of minor indiscretions in conversation.”

“May I ask where you stand?”

“I must admit, dottore, I am conflicted. Like all Italians I long to live in a unified country, but I am a devout Catholic, and I believe that the Holy Father should answer only to God. I know that is not the answer that you are looking for, but it is the truth.”

“Well, the fact that we are talking here rather than your office tells me a great deal,” I said.

There was a long pause, before I broke it by asking, “Shall I continue?”

“Please do, dottore. If I cannot or will not help you, I shall walk away, and it will be as if this conversation had never occurred.”

I then explained without going into any detail that the pope was being blackmailed and that Holmes had been brought in because the pope believed that he could learn the identity of the person or persons behind the extortion.

“And what is it that you wish me to do?”

I then explained exactly what Holmes had in mind.

Taking a moment to mull things over, he finally said, “So, let me see if I understand you correctly.”

He then looked at me and winked, “You have learned that a group of anarchists is planning to assassinate the pope by sending him a parcel that contains some sort of bomb. And starting Monday, you would like members of the carabinieri to be a visible presence in all of Rome’s major post offices near the Vatican, checking anything and everything that might be addressed to the Holy Father. And if I understand you fully, the more people who know why they are there the better. Is that it in essence?”

Smiling at the good captain, all I could say was “Exactly!”

He looked at me and said, “Consider it done. Just remember dottore, when all this is behind us, I would still very much like to meet Mister Holmes.”

Looking at him, I used the same phrase, “Consider it done.”

I spent the rest of the day carrying out Holmes’ other assignment.

Returning to the convent, I learned that Holmes still had not returned. I began my meal alone, although a nun named Sister Carmelita entered midway through and kept me company as I finished. We talked about a variety of topics, and eventually the subject turned to art. I told her how impressed I was with the Trevi Fountain and the statuary that surrounded St. Peter’s Square.

She then asked me my impression of the Pieta. Somewhat embarrassed, I confessed that I had not yet been to see it.

“You cannot leave Roma without seeing it,” she admonished me. “It is my favorite,” she added. “And it’s right here in St. Peter’s Basilica.”

“I shall make it a point to see it before I leave,” I promised her.

After my tea, I wandered into the garden and lit my pipe. Reflecting on the day’s events, I was just preparing to head inside when I heard Holmes’ voice say, “Mind if I join you, old fellow?”

“Holmes,” I exclaimed, “Will you never tire of sneaking up on me?”

“You looked like a man pondering something intently, and I didn’t want to interrupt your train of thought.”

“How do you know you didn’t?” I asked.

“You have just finished your second pipe - your normal limit before retiring. You weren’t preparing to light a third, and you had just shifted and stretched, prior to your arising.”

I was always amazed at how silent Holmes could be when he wished. “How long have you been standing here?”

“Only about five minutes. Long enough to see what I needed. I gather from the smile on your face that your day went well?”

“Indeed,” I replied. I then filled him in on my meeting with Captain Tritini.

“And the other matter? How did you fare with that?”

“Pretty well, I think. From what I can tell, we need only worry about two locations.”

“Splendid!”

“My turn,” I said. “Should I begin with: How was your day? Or, where were you all day?”

“First things first then,” Holmes replied. “My day went quite well. I spent much of it with Pope Leo. While he understands the necessity of the plan, he has a few moral quibbles about it. As a result, we devoted a great deal of time to discussing the finer points of mendacity and prevarication.”

“Once I convinced him that he would be telling no lies, but simply avoiding revealing the absolute truth, and how that course of action would, in the final analysis, serve the greater good, I was able to win him over.”

“The pope is an incredibly honest and spiritual man, Watson. I can see that he feels the pressure from both sides. He would prefer a third choice, which then led us to a discussion of dilemmas.”

“After that was finally concluded, we set about writing. The proper wording is absolutely essential. Every phrase was carefully weighed and considered, both in terms of denotation as well as connotation. Every sentence was parsed and re-parsed, and every possibility explored.

“When the message was finally composed, he set about rehearsing. With just a little coaching from myself and a few suggestions from Cardinal Oreglia, the pontiff’s delivery proved impeccable.

“Now, we must wait for the performance and the reaction of the critics,” Holmes said. “And on that note Watson, there is nothing further to be done today. Let us get some sleep and prepare for tomorrow’s performance and the reaction it generates.”