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“What other work?”

“I’ll explain when we get to the hotel.”

I fastened my seat belt and as Slash backed out of the parking lot, I shifted in my seat to face him. “Slash, why do you think the pope gave me his mother’s crucifix?”

“You heard him. Because you were meant to have it.”

That didn’t help my clarity at all. “Did you know it was his mother’s?”

“I did not. But when you showed me the crucifix when we were in Rome the last time, before we were even dating, I knew he saw something special in you. It’s the same thing I see every day.”

I had no idea what he was talking about. It was hard trying to pin down this supposed elusive quality in me that no one could scientifically or rationally explain.

“You do realize there is a lot of pressure to live up to this specialness, whatever it is. I’m the most ordinary person on the planet, with the exception of my abnormal awkwardness and that little black cloud that follows me around. I hope that everyone’s belief in me is not misplaced.”

“Never.” Slash lifted my hand to his mouth as he drove and kissed my knuckles. “There are many things in this world I’m not sure of,cara, but trust me,thatis not one of them.”

Chapter Fifty

Father Julian Koenhein

Julian waited until the red light on his phone disappeared indicating that Cardinal Lazo had hung up with Cardinal Bertello, the Archbishop of Roselle. He waited another two minutes for good measure and then knocked softly on the cardinal’s door.

“Enter.”

Julian opened the door and stepped inside tentatively. “Your Eminence, I have news to report.”

“It better be information on the DNA sample.”

“Yes, it is, but first I wanted to let you know that our sources report that Slash and his fiancée met with the Holy Father this afternoon.”

“What? Here at the Vatican?”

“Yes. It was a private audience, initiated by the Holy Father himself.”

Cardinal Lazo thought that over. “No doubt prompted by Emilio Armando.”

“Perhaps, but the official reason was that Slash and his fiancée saved many paradegoers in Salerno from an explosion. No one was injured except for the fiancée, who received a concussion and was briefly hospitalized.”

Julian walked over and laid a copy of theLa Città di Salernonewspaper on the cardinal’s desk. The front page was mostly taken up with a large picture of Slash, wearing no shirt and holding the propane tank in his hands, looking like a Roman god.

“They saved dozens of lives yesterday,” Julian explained. “Including an entire children’s choir. The press is calling them the new Saviors of Salerno. They were presented medals at the mayor’s office.”

Cardinal Lazo drummed his fingers against the desk, frowning in displeasure. “What were they doing in Salerno?”

“I don’t know.”

The cardinal set down the paper. “It doesn’t matter. None of this matters. Have we received the results from the DNA sample yet?”

“We have. The good news is that the DNA is not from a dog this time. It’s definitely human, and it’s Slash’s.”

“At last. So, what did we discover? Did you cross-reference his DNA with Father Armando’s?”

“We did. I’m sorry, Your Eminence, it’s not a match.”

Father Lazo sat back in his chair, stunned. “What? It’s not a match? That’s impossible. I was certain. Give me that paper.”

Julian handed him the paper. The cardinal took it and studied it for a long time. Finally he leaned back in, turning his chair around to stare out the window.