heart is broken, for she was an angel. An angel, Antonio.
But men of the law oft do not believe in angels. Perhaps then, you are the sort of person who only sees demons in the faces of men. That is another thing I see in your eyes, Signor da Parma. I fear you will not believe the true reason for my happiness. I fear you will look elsewhere where simple answers lie before you.
But I have told you all I know and hid nothing of my anger toward my father because I am innocent.
God bid you grace,
Lorenzo Contarini
The Third Body
A letter from Antonio da Parma to Almoro Donato, Consiglio di Dieci
Almoro Donato,
You will find attached to this letter, a condensed version of Lorenzo’s deposition, signed by him in my presence.
Lorenzo remains a primary suspect in this investigation but all this might change once I have spoken with Rolandino tomorrow.
Signore, I will relate to you my encounter, on that same night, with a certain Abram Elia, one of the best physicians in the sestiere of Castello. It is fortunate that Venezia did not expel Jewish physicians as it did its Jewish bankers in 1395. Abram Elia comes highly recommended. I am advised that before the Elia family expulsion from France in 1394, Abram’s father, who taught him everything, once served the French courts. He excelled in surgery, herbal healing and astrology. He spoke in the Venetian and Florentine tongues along with French, Castilian, Hebrew and Arabic. Abram has followed the same course.
Dottore Abram Elia was summoned by the marquis to carry away the bodies of the Signori Ubertino Canal, Guido Canal and Balsamo Morosini. Exactly as you said, Signora Contarini forbade that her husband and daughter’s bodies be touched.
Abram Elia washed and examined the dead merchants with the careful attention expected from a man of his skills. His account will astound you.
I shall begin with Ubertino.
The broker’s bloated body was well covered. The physician lifted the linen. I noted the gruesome expression on the obese Ubertino’s face. In death, his bald head seemed to have acquired enormous proportions and resembled a giant egg. I neared the work bench. At once, foul vapors assailed me, and I pressed a scented cloth to my face to escape the stench.
Abram Elia apologized for the offensive odors, attributing them to an imbalance of humors. He explained that he had found evidence of shell crab in Ubertino’s stomach and that his blood, mingled as it was with black bile, did look to be poisoned. He then declared that none of these factors appeared to have caused the death.
“What is your meaning?” I asked him.
“Signor da Parma, Ubertino Canal has died of rupture of the stomach. See for yourself.”
As I gazed down into the folds of Ubertino’s belly, I was seized by a sudden urge to empty my own stomach. Abram replaced the cloth.
“Could a blade have caused this rupture?” I enquired, still recovering from the inflamed cesspool that I had witnessed.
Abram observed me. My question did not arise from ignorance. You will observe, Signor Donato, that I was still possessed with the thought that perhaps these multiple deaths were not coincidental and that the dead merchants had found themselves victim of some planned assassination.
The old Jewish physician shook his head and lifted a finger to instruct me.
“In certain circumstances one may account for this rupture by the presence of fire inside the stomach, or, should there be a poisonous substance, we could infer that some noxious gas had pushed upon the stomach membrane and caused it to burst.”
“Are you certain there was no wound on Ubertino?”
“I am absolutely certain.”
“Very well. Continue.”
“Signor da Parma, Ubertino consumed enormous quantities on the night of the banquet. Did you know him to be a gargantuan eater?”
“I can confirm that he had a solid appetite,” I answered, remembering Lorenzo’s account. “But... Are you suggesting that
But men of the law oft do not believe in angels. Perhaps then, you are the sort of person who only sees demons in the faces of men. That is another thing I see in your eyes, Signor da Parma. I fear you will not believe the true reason for my happiness. I fear you will look elsewhere where simple answers lie before you.
But I have told you all I know and hid nothing of my anger toward my father because I am innocent.
God bid you grace,
Lorenzo Contarini
The Third Body
A letter from Antonio da Parma to Almoro Donato, Consiglio di Dieci
Almoro Donato,
You will find attached to this letter, a condensed version of Lorenzo’s deposition, signed by him in my presence.
Lorenzo remains a primary suspect in this investigation but all this might change once I have spoken with Rolandino tomorrow.
Signore, I will relate to you my encounter, on that same night, with a certain Abram Elia, one of the best physicians in the sestiere of Castello. It is fortunate that Venezia did not expel Jewish physicians as it did its Jewish bankers in 1395. Abram Elia comes highly recommended. I am advised that before the Elia family expulsion from France in 1394, Abram’s father, who taught him everything, once served the French courts. He excelled in surgery, herbal healing and astrology. He spoke in the Venetian and Florentine tongues along with French, Castilian, Hebrew and Arabic. Abram has followed the same course.
Dottore Abram Elia was summoned by the marquis to carry away the bodies of the Signori Ubertino Canal, Guido Canal and Balsamo Morosini. Exactly as you said, Signora Contarini forbade that her husband and daughter’s bodies be touched.
Abram Elia washed and examined the dead merchants with the careful attention expected from a man of his skills. His account will astound you.
I shall begin with Ubertino.
The broker’s bloated body was well covered. The physician lifted the linen. I noted the gruesome expression on the obese Ubertino’s face. In death, his bald head seemed to have acquired enormous proportions and resembled a giant egg. I neared the work bench. At once, foul vapors assailed me, and I pressed a scented cloth to my face to escape the stench.
Abram Elia apologized for the offensive odors, attributing them to an imbalance of humors. He explained that he had found evidence of shell crab in Ubertino’s stomach and that his blood, mingled as it was with black bile, did look to be poisoned. He then declared that none of these factors appeared to have caused the death.
“What is your meaning?” I asked him.
“Signor da Parma, Ubertino Canal has died of rupture of the stomach. See for yourself.”
As I gazed down into the folds of Ubertino’s belly, I was seized by a sudden urge to empty my own stomach. Abram replaced the cloth.
“Could a blade have caused this rupture?” I enquired, still recovering from the inflamed cesspool that I had witnessed.
Abram observed me. My question did not arise from ignorance. You will observe, Signor Donato, that I was still possessed with the thought that perhaps these multiple deaths were not coincidental and that the dead merchants had found themselves victim of some planned assassination.
The old Jewish physician shook his head and lifted a finger to instruct me.
“In certain circumstances one may account for this rupture by the presence of fire inside the stomach, or, should there be a poisonous substance, we could infer that some noxious gas had pushed upon the stomach membrane and caused it to burst.”
“Are you certain there was no wound on Ubertino?”
“I am absolutely certain.”
“Very well. Continue.”
“Signor da Parma, Ubertino consumed enormous quantities on the night of the banquet. Did you know him to be a gargantuan eater?”
“I can confirm that he had a solid appetite,” I answered, remembering Lorenzo’s account. “But... Are you suggesting that
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