Chapter Summaries

Joseph recounted investigating Anne’s abduction and Cindy’s possible ties to a group of new heretics, then discussed his estrangement from Constantine with the butler. The conversation ended with Joseph explaining that the supposed Indians were Mexican illegal immigrants hired on Cindy’s father’s farm.

• Joseph described how Anne was abducted during a Halloween dance and escaped from a cave after two days.
• Joseph said he investigated Cindy but could not hypnotize her, and learned that her ex-boyfriend linked her yoga studio’s owner to new heretics who worshipped demons in the Bell Witch cave.
• Joseph told the butler that Cindy had vanished from his life and that Constantine did not want to see him.
• The butler urged Joseph to email Constantine, who was in Italy, but Joseph refused and said he was not Constantine’s finest creation.
• Joseph explained that the Indians who abducted Anne were Mexican illegal immigrants working on Cindy’s father’s farm.

Joseph explained to the butler how demons preyed on people’s memories and negative emotions, then shared his own painful past and his doubts about Cindy. After Joseph questioned the butler about demons and their names, the butler sent him to wait for the Swiss Guard without revealing where he was going.

• Joseph told the butler that a demon had exploited Matt’s memories of being a sniper and described the contrast between demonic influence and an angel’s presence.
• Joseph explained that Father Constantine had taken him to an orphanage and recounted how his father killed his mother and then himself.
• Joseph admitted that he had feared inheriting his father’s violence, regretted losing patience with Cindy, and believed pride was among her failings.
• Joseph said demons had to answer questions under their contract with God, prompting the butler to ask why exorcists needed to know a demon’s name.
• The butler told Joseph to wait for the Swiss Guard at the entrance and refused to say where they would take him.

Joseph followed a Swiss Guard into the Vatican’s underground storerooms to borrow a sacred artifact for his work as The Exorcist. After surrendering his possessions, he was sent with Father Bruen to the Chapel of Tears, where the chapter left him on the way to choose one object.

• A Swiss Guard told Joseph he needed a sacred artifact and led him through the Vatican’s underground vaults.
• Joseph met Father Bruen, who was conducting an experiment with a device meant to reconstruct images and sounds from electromagnetic traces on objects.
• The Swiss Guard ordered Joseph to leave all his belongings behind before entering the Chapel of Tears.
• Joseph handed over his equipment, including a holy-water toy gun, a cross, and a Bible, then impatiently urged Father Bruen to get the keys.
• Father Bruen went to fetch the keys and prepare to take Joseph into the Chapel of Tears.

Joseph entered the Chapel of Tears, where a strange celestial vision appeared above him. The chapter left him confronting the possibility that Miller was the god who had destroyed Jerusalem.

• Joseph reasoned that the demon had to answer his questions because Satan had lost his wager with Jehovah in the story of Job.
• Joseph recounted the rise of the acidic-constitution theory and described how its self-proclaimed doctor profited despite lacking medical qualifications.
• Joseph reflected on religious persecution, pseudoscience, and the use of ancient rituals to address evil spirits.
• Father Bruner brought Joseph to the Chapel of Tears, told him he could take only one thing, and shut him inside.
• Joseph saw a many-eyed, four-faced creature and a radiant figure on the ceiling, then connected the vision to the destruction of Jerusalem and Miller.

Joseph and Bruner examined an ancient golden candlestick taken from the Chapel of Tears, and Joseph decided to borrow it to protect the Pope. Bruner wanted to use the candlestick to investigate the events of the past, while Joseph speculated that the Egyptian firstborn might have been marked with the Eye of Horus; the chapter ended with reflections on Egyptian customs and the Old Testament creator god.

• The chapter recounted Father Bruner’s early service as an altar boy and traced the history of the Jewish temples and their golden candlestick.
• Joseph felt that the ancient candlestick was calling to him and said he would borrow it to protect the Pope, despite the Swiss Guard’s warning to return it.
• Bruner asked to conduct an experiment with the candlestick, explaining that he had seen holy relics reveal past events, but Joseph and the Swiss Guard hurried him along.
• Joseph suggested that the Egyptian firstborn had been marked with the Eye of Horus, and Bruner noted that Egyptian priests marked newborns with sacred symbols.

Joseph prepared a seven-branched candlestick for a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica while reflecting on exorcism, demons, and the Church's history. He told the butler to find trustworthy priests and bodyguards and gather restraints in case the Pope did not recover.

• Joseph set the wooden box containing the golden candlestick on a table as music and footsteps began in the basilica.
• Joseph reflected on biblical accounts of demons, exorcism, and the possibility that former gods had fallen into darkness.
• The butler asked Joseph whether the place was ready, and Joseph opened the box containing the candlestick.
• Joseph explained that his Polish father had taught him to learn useful practices from the Jews, and the butler warned that others might consider them insane.
• Joseph told the butler to find trustworthy priests and bodyguards and prepare handcuffs and iron chains while hoping the Pope would recover.

Pomona reflected on plague, medicine, authority, and the choices that shaped societies while she and Severus were in Venice. She remembered their purpose there and decided they would look for the vampire architect.

• Pomona considered how plague spread and how Wu Lien-teh's masks and quarantine measures controlled the epidemic in Harbin.
• Pomona reflected on the doctors' lack of precautions, the Church's hospitals, and the conflict between individual freedom and authority.
• Pomona compared the Venetians' practical use of medical knowledge with the political failures that had weakened powerful states and cities.
• Severus asked Pomona where they would go next.
• Pomona linked her arm through Severus's and said they would find the vampire architect, who should have returned from Austria.

Joseph prepared an altar in the Apostolic Palace and discussed faith, violence, and the Ten Plagues with Pope John. The Pope explained birthright through Esau and Jacob’s red bean soup bargain before his attendants took him away to rest.

• Joseph prepared the altar and wondered about the Vatican’s secrets, the Ten Plagues, and how priests might respond to an impending crisis.
• Pope John arrived in a wheelchair, and Joseph extinguished his cigarette before greeting him.
• Joseph and Pope John discussed whether love could keep the devil away and whether violence came from human nature or nature itself.
• Joseph questioned whether the Exodus represented good triumphing over evil, and the Pope offered a more conflicted view of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt.
• Joseph asked why God killed the firstborn, and Pope John connected the question to Esau surrendering his birthright to Jacob for red bean soup.
• The nun ended the visit, and Pope John left with his bodyguards to rest.

Pomona enjoyed helping Simeon prepare an elaborate meal at Giovanni’s home, where Severus showed her a manuscript describing a friar’s encounter with a Bundimun. The account reminded Pomona that the International Wizarding Conference of 1692 had decided which magical creatures to hide from Muggles.

• Pomona helped Simeon prepare charcoal-grilled crab, meatballs, porcini risotto, and cherry liqueur ice cream while Giovanni played Bach.
• Giovanni returned with wild porcini mushrooms, and Simeon planned to use them in risotto.
• Severus showed Pomona a Latin manuscript recounting how a Bundimun bit a Franciscan friar on the nose.
• Pomona read the account and wondered whether the injured friar was the bleeding-nosed man in Veronese’s painting.
• Pomona recalled that the International Wizarding Conference of 1692 had agreed to hide twenty-seven magical species, including Bundimuns, from Muggles.

Pomona found historical scores and sketches in Giovanni’s collection, then discussed Severus’s cursed violin and the tangled feelings between people with Giovanni. Giovanni warned her that Severus might have used their life-exchange contract to seek a longer life, but Pomona rejected his suspicion and went to find Severus, realizing how cruel she had once been to him.

• Pomona found sheet music copied by Rousseau and Wagner, along with Ludwig II’s sketches of Neuschwanstein Castle, among Giovanni’s collection.
• Pomona and Giovanni discussed Severus’s cursed violin after Giovanni worried it was controlling Severus as a demon might control a person.
• Pomona suggested Simeon might love Giovanni, and Giovanni insisted that people should not become entangled with humans whose lives were short.
• Giovanni accused Pomona of being deceived and asked whether Severus had used their life-exchange contract to gain a longer life.
• Pomona said Severus had already died once, challenged Giovanni’s supposed rationality about love, and went to find Severus.

Joseph told Julian Ti stories about two exorcisms and described how he helped Mills after a serial killer’s evil spirit haunted him. A report that Veronica had desecrated the Eucharist and a consecrated host was bleeding raised a new threat, but Julian Ti advised Joseph to protect the Vatican, then arranged an after-hours visit to the Sistine Chapel.

• Julian Ti showed Joseph to a discreet room near the Apostolic Palace and asked about his exorcism work.
• Joseph recounted exorcising Richard, whose strange behavior stemmed from an animal evil spirit associated with the Illusion Serpent.
• Joseph described a serial killer’s story and said he helped Mills recover after the killer’s evil spirit haunted him.
• Joseph received an email reporting that a consecrated host at Orvieto Cathedral had begun to bleed after Veronica desecrated the Eucharist.
• Julian Ti advised Joseph not to go to Orvieto because the report might be a feint and the Vatican needed protection.
• Joseph asked to visit the Sistine Chapel after closing, and Julian Ti offered to arrange it through his connection to the restoration team.

Joseph returned to the Vatican to submit exorcism reports and reflected on faith, sainthood, and the consequences of possession. Julian Ti and Lisa interrupted him and invited him to dinner, where Lisa discussed Leonardo da Vinci's paintings and workshop methods.

• Joseph switched off the Vatican radio and reflected on the Eucharist, Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and how possession had changed Richard's life.
• Julian Ti knocked on Joseph's door and introduced Lisa, who was surprised to learn that Joseph was a priest.
• Julian Ti invited Joseph and Lisa to dinner, and Lisa began discussing Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi and Virgin of the Rocks.
• Lisa explained how Leonardo da Vinci and his apprentices worked together, while Julian Ti argued that Leonardo's pupils had forged his paintings.
• Lisa told Joseph that she worked in the secret archives, and the group left the Vatican office building to find dinner.

Lisa questioned Joseph about Zodiac’s coded message and asked him to help investigate the killer, while Joseph’s knowledge of Cheri Jo Bates’s murder revealed his interest in the case. The chapter left Lisa seeking a guarantee of safety so she could assist him.

• Lisa asked Joseph whether science and faith could intersect, then explained that a friend had asked her to investigate a message linked to Zodiac.
• Lisa showed Joseph a note reading “HEIP ME OR II BE THE TET” and challenged him to help Zodiac despite his crimes.
• Lisa brought up Cheri Jo Bates and her fiancé, Dennis Earl Hyland, and Joseph responded with details about Bates’s final night.
• Lisa told Joseph she wanted to help with his work and asked him to guarantee her safety.

Joseph, Lisa, and Julian discussed the Zodiac murders and the failed investigation while spending time in Rome, where Joseph reflected on Cindy and the limits of his ability to help her. The chapter ended when two intoxicated American girls caught their attention and Julian asked whether they should intervene.

• Lisa explained why Leigh Allen seemed to fit the Zodiac profile, but the evidence and failed DNA testing had left the killer unidentified.
• Lisa, Joseph, and Julian discussed the Bates murder, Leonardo da Vinci, and the behavior of American tourists in Rome.
• Joseph thought about Cindy’s troubled relationships and wondered whether she could be saved, but concluded that it was an impossible task for him.
• Julian asked whether they should help two half-drunk blonde girls, and Joseph replied that they were in Rome, not Florence.

Mills investigated Angela Warren’s death and learned that she had spoken with an exorcist named Stevenson before falling from a window. A recording suggested supernatural forces were involved, and Mills recognized a reference to Lucifer as he left O'Sullivan uncertain what to believe.

• Mills arrived at the scene of Angela Warren’s death and persuaded O'Sullivan to tell him what the police knew.
• O'Sullivan explained that Angela had begun speaking Latin after returning from Detroit and that her mother had hired an online exorcist.
• O'Sullivan played a recording in which Angela claimed to know the future, spoke of prisoners, and said the man who summoned her must pay a price.
• The recording ended with a Latin chant, a German phrase about moving Hell, and the sounds of a window breaking and Angela’s death.
• Mills recognized the phrase as a reference to Lucifer, while O'Sullivan admitted he could not include supernatural explanations in his report.

Joseph reflected on the limits of evidence, violence, and faith while discussing divination and the Titanic with Lisa and Julian Ti in Rome. When he saw men approaching two drunk girls, he and Julian Ti fought them off and escorted the girls away before police arrived.

• Joseph considered how weak the evidence against Leigh Allen had been and recalled the police errors in the Zodiac investigation.
• Lisa asked Joseph about a Eucharistic miracle and Titanic conspiracy theories, while Joseph spoke about divination, hope, and despair.
• Joseph noticed several men approaching two drunk girls and warned them to stay away.
• When a man blocked him, Joseph attacked, and Julian Ti helped him defeat the group.
• Joseph blessed the men on the ground and led the two girls away.

Mills and O'Sullivan investigated Angela Warren's apparent suicide and uncovered evidence that she had been fascinated by Leonardo da Vinci and nature reclaiming abandoned places. Mills suggested Angela may have gone to the church to film a documentary, then left with O'Sullivan to question the hypnotist.

• Mills examined Angela Warren's bedroom while O'Sullivan described her family, her plans to make a film, and the hypnotist who had been with her before she jumped.
• Mills asked whether Angela had ever harmed herself and speculated that she might have died before suffering, unsettling O'Sullivan with his calm manner.
• An evidence team member found a carved line beneath Angela's bed, quoting Leonardo da Vinci about nature and those who tried to rule it.
• Mills identified the quote and found that Angela had highlighted a biography of Leonardo da Vinci and read books about time-lapse photography.
• Mills proposed that Angela had gone to the abandoned church to film nature reclaiming a human city, then told O'Sullivan they should return to the station and question the hypnotist.

Joseph steadied himself with prayer before leaving the restaurant with Julian and Lisa to enter the Vatican Museums after hours. As they reached the Pinecone Courtyard, Joseph reflected on his unsettling gift and the history of Zodiac, while the chapter ended with a donkey song.

• Joseph washed his face and recited the Rosary to resist the Devil’s influence.
• Julian checked on Joseph, who dressed as a priest and left the restroom with Julian and Lisa.
• Lisa led Joseph and Julian through the museum’s staff entrance using a password and iris recognition.
• Joseph and his companions entered the Pinecone Courtyard and saw its bronze pinecone, peacocks, and sculpture.
• Joseph thought about his childhood use of honey, his prophetic gift, and Zodiac before recalling a donkey song.

Lisa brought Joseph into the empty Sistine Chapel, where he viewed Michelangelo’s frescoes and reflected on Renaissance artists, church history, and the stories behind the paintings. The chapter ended with Joseph examining the modesty drapes in The Last Judgment and wondering where David’s had gone.

• Lisa asked Joseph if he was ready, and he nodded before she opened the chapel doors.
• Joseph saw Noah’s Drunkenness and considered the story of Noah cursing Ham and Canaan after his own drunkenness.
• Joseph reflected on Michelangelo’s nudes, the Borgia and Medici families, and Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo’s unfinished artistic rivalry.
• Lisa asked Joseph how the empty chapel felt, and he struggled to describe his reaction to The Last Judgment.
• Joseph noticed the figures’ modesty drapes and wondered where David’s had gone.

Joseph explored the connection between religious history, Hell, and the path toward redemption, reflecting on St. Patrick’s Well and Dante’s vision of the afterlife. He lay beneath The Last Judgment and asked Lisa and Giuliano to bring him water, hoping to be summoned.

• The chapter recounted how the Knights Templar rose to power and were ultimately dissolved after the French king seized control of their fate.
• It described Henry VIII’s conflict with Clement VII over his marriage and England’s break from the Roman Curia.
• The chapter recounted how St. Patrick led followers through a cave in Lough Derg to the underworld and discussed Dante’s and Galileo’s visions of Hell.
• Joseph found St. Patrick’s Well too shallow to evoke the depths of suffering he sought.
• Joseph lay beneath The Last Judgment, told Lisa he was waiting to be summoned, and asked Giuliano to bring water so he could lie in it.