Father Torriani, whom the guards knew full well, thought the security measures extreme. But their orders had been strict: three cardinals had died of a stomach ailment during the past six months, and the Holy Father, whom many held responsible for these sudden deaths, had ordered the pretense of an investigation which included the rigorous control of all entrances leading to the Papal Palace.The atmosphere was vitiated. Rome had reason enough to tremble when Alexander VI named as cardinal one of the notables of the city. Everyone knew that if His Holiness coveted someone’s possessions, all he had to do was make him cardinal first and do away with him discreetly afterward. The law was on his side: the Pope was the sole legitimate heir of all property in his realm. And in the case of His Eminence Cardinal Michieli, the very rich patriarch of Venice whose body was now growing cold in the pontifical morgue, the law had been fulfilled with absolute precision.Father Torriani submitted without protest to the new regulations granting access to the Borgia chambers.
