17 - Habeus Corpus

Rocco is gravely wounded and languishing in the Convent of Santa Bibiana, receiving the earnest attentions of the nuns, especially those five whom he had a hand in rescuing from the clutches of the Fratelli Bardoni. He could have remained there forever having his fevered brow mopped by the grateful Sisters Beatrice, Agnese, Caterina, Lucia and Chiara. Unfortunately, the interfering Father Arturo ever an obstacle on the road to romance, has other ideas. He organises a liturgy to haste the healing of his comrade so that in a disappointingly short number of days, Rocco is on his feet once more.

While he has been healing, Cola has managed to obtain the Bardoni rent books, from Geppetto's chest. Unfortunately, they are in cypher and the only man alive who knows the key to it is a man called Scolisi who was taken in the raid upon the the Three-Way House but was released. Fra. Giovanni takes the lead in tracking him down again. He is living with his sister, a whore, and there is much hilarity upon the streets at a friar seeking a prostitute. Nevertheless he is found and agrees to come on board.

Pino and his gang of urchins are keeping a watch upon the House of Crows and note deliveries of stacks of long wrapped objects in carts. Discussion about the activities of Aristofane Caltagirone, the necromancer leads to questions about the disposal of bodies from the riot outside the Three-Way House. The name of Giancarlo Ricchi – embalmer and body transporter - comes up. It seems that he has been very active of late - there being a lot of bodies to dispose in Rome thanks to the recent disturbances, and some urgency about it in the heat of the summer months.

The party does some research into his operations, and follows one of its carts back to a substantial building, evidently of some antiquity on the Caelian Hill. Rocca climbs up upon its substantial but overgrown wall to spy upon the unloading of the carts and sees another being loaded with long, wrapped objects. He follows the cart as it leaves and it winds its way up the hill into the Santa Maria Magggiore area and from thence to ........ the House of Crows. They transmit this information to Cola. He says he believes that the edifice in question is the Mausoleum of Nerva. He believes it to be a ruin but speculates that Ricchi must have a powerful patron to allow him to occupy such a prime, defensible location. Many other similar locations have been occupied in Rome by the baroni and fortified.