Attended by Father Keegan and Gabriel, Pope Luigi leads the men to his private quarters to discuss the matter further. He says that the Vatican’s investments are all controlled by the Secretariat of State, Cardinal Matteo Bertoli. The pope is surprised to learn that the cardinal has been altering the Vatican’s financial records to make their investments appear profitable. In reality, they are losing money badly to a bank owned by the Camorra. Gabriel asks to look at the cardinal’s books to compare them with what Ingrid found while hacking the bank’s records. Before he leaves, Gabriel also asks Luigi to keep the painting hidden in his personal quarters for safekeeping.

Gabriel pays a call on Veronica. Over a takeout supper, they pore over the financial records that Ingrid extracted from the Camorra bank. They realize that Bertoli has entrusted the bulk of the Vatican’s money to Nico Ambrosi, who colluded with Franco Tedeschi, encouraging Bertoli to take out loans and invest huge sums by acting on their advice. Veronica concludes, “You can be sure that Nico and his partner […] earned enormous fees for each loan” (278). Based on these facts, Gabriel is more motivated than ever to take a closer look at the cardinal’s financial records and intends to get them from Father Keegan.

The next morning, Gabriel meets in his hotel room with General Ferrari and Rossetti. They have scrutinized the information from the Camorra bank and are convinced that Bertoli is guilty of embezzlement and fraud. They want Gabriel to help them build a case to convict him and to shut down Camorra entirely.

Gabriel surmises that Bertoli’s failed business ventures required him to steal the lost Leonardo. His theory is confirmed when art conservator Calvesi explains that Bertoli was aware of Penny’s restoration work and the possibility that an unknown da Vinci painting had been found. Bertoli then contacted art expert Montefiore and got him to lie to Calvesi about the painting’s authenticity.

Luigi meets Gabriel once again at a private restaurant where they won’t be seen or heard. Gabriel has used a malware program to hack into Bertoli’s phone calls and text records. He now warns Luigi of the magnitude of the fraud that Bertoli has perpetrated. When the pope counters by saying that the cardinal can offer a plausible excuse to wiggle out of the problem, Gabriel cryptically says they will catch him lying by using the painter’s technique of sprezzatura—studied nonchalance. 

The narrative now shifts to Bertoli’s point of view. He fears that a reformer pope like Luigi will destroy the comfortable lifestyle he has created for himself. He thinks bitterly, “Such was his calling, to serve as cupbearer to His Holiness Pope Che Guevara” (295).

Bertoli arrives in the pope’s quarters the following day, only to see the lost Leonardo sitting in plain sight. Luigi explains that the Art Squad nabbed one of the thieves but is still searching for another. The pope lies and tells Bertoli that Calvesi will probably be arrested. He also declines to allow Bertoli to return the picture to storage. After Bertoli leaves, he immediately contacts his financial advisor, Nico Ambrosi, and wants to meet him for dinner.

Veronica, Rossetti, and Gabriel wait in a parked car in front of the restaurant. Gabriel is using his malware to monitor Bertoli’s location and communications. Veronica and Rossettti, posing as lovers, go into the restaurant to dine at a nearby table where they can keep visual tabs on Bertoli and Nico. To their surprise, Franco Tedeschi joins the other two men.

Soon, Tedeschi realizes he was duped and the oligarch has a fake painting. He tells the cardinal that he owes the head of the Camorra $400 million, due in 72 hours. Bertoli counters by saying that any action taken against him will cause a scandal in the church. 

He will be dismissed from his post and unable to help them in any future money laundering transactions. He says, “My advice to you, Franco, is that you forget about that $400 million. Otherwise we will all go down together” (310). Before the financiers can reply, Bertoli receives a call from Keegan summoning him back to the Vatican, and he leaves.

Bertoli is confronted by the pope, who now has all the evidence of the cardinal’s crimes. Gabriel then enters and accuses Bertoli of arranging the theft of the painting. Caught red-handed, Bertoli says that exposing his crimes will cause a scandal from which the church won’t recover. He asks for time to repair the financial damage. Luigi counters by saying that he will save the church “from the likes of you” (317) and kicks Bertoli out.

After his upsetting conversation with Luigi, Bertoli finds himself recalling his reasons for joining the clergy. He was attracted to the wealth and power of a high-ranking position in the church. Unfortunately, greed got the better of him and sent him into business with the Camorra. Without savvy or influence, Bertoli was used: “The two moneymen […] had weighted every transaction in their favor and in the process embezzled hundreds of millions in Church funds” (319). Realizing that he can’t afford exposure, Bertoli turns to his co-conspirators yet again. He suggests that all their problems could go away if Luigi and Gabriel were eliminated.

After the confrontation with Bertoli, Gabriel meets Rossetti and Veronica to discuss all the events of that evening. They speculate about what the Camorra’s next move might be. Gabriel fears that Ottavio, the security guard who removed the painting from storage, might be in danger.  

Shortly afterward, Rossetti receives a call about a shooting. Ottavio was murdered in a coffee bar. His brother in prison was stabbed around the same time. On a hunch, Gabriel questions the barman at the café. He shows him a sketch of Father Spada, Ottavio’s confederate during the robbery. The barman’s shaky denial confirms that this was the shooter. Gabriel thinks the same man also killed Penny and Montefiore.