I was not exactly thrilled by this episode. The whole story of a mobster angry at the disappearance of his church’s holy healing bible just seemed way too far-fetched to have any believability. It was amusing to watch once but not an episode I would readily watch repeatedly.
We start out with a few of the FBI agents doing stake out in their van. They spot a mobster named Barelli and wonder what he is doing in that part of the town. He comes over to the van and asks them for their help.
It turns out someone stole the bible at his church and he wants it back. Mobsters have a strong sense of religion, who knew? For obvious reasons, Burke thinks there is more to this bible that Barelli is letting on.
Meanwhile, Neal is with Mozzie trying to figure out Kate’s message on the bottle. Neal is interrupted by Peter and has to leave. He tells Mozzie to keep working on the bottle and heads out the door.
Neal and Peter visit the church that the bible was stolen from. While he’s there, Peter asks the priest if this is the same church that used to have a soup kitchen. The priest confirms and glances nervously at Barelli. Wow, Barelli had the soup kitchen shut down. He is just looking holier by the minute.
Neal asks Mozzie why anyone would steal a bible. Mozzie mentions that the bible they are looking for is famous, it’s called the Healing Bible. This gives Neal an idea that maybe the person who stole it is a true believer of its powers.
Neal presents his idea to Burke who finds it hard to believe that anyone in that church is a true believer since they all have at least one felony on their record. He decides to check out if someone in the church is sick enough to try and take that bible to get better
They go back to the church and ask the father if anyone in the church is very ill. He says that he let a homeless man named Steve sleep in the church on the night of the theft and his dog Lucy was sick.
They find Steve in the park with Lucy his adorable pooch. He admits to taking the bible to help Lucy but someone else took it from him. The man who took it from him was someone he met at the church who said that if he got the bible he’d help Lucy get better. Burke asks him if he could identify the man if he saw his picture. Steve says that he could and they go back to FBI headquarters.
He looks through the pictures for hours with no luck. He apologizes and says his memory has been pretty bad since he was in Iraq. Before Burke shows him anymore photos they learn that Berelli’s number two man Paul Agnozio has been killed. Steve ids Paul as the man who asked him to take the bible.
Burke goes down to the crime scene where he is blocked by another agent named Ruiz who believes Paul’s death was over mob issues and not the stolen bible. The chief agrees with Ruiz and kicks Peter off the case. He tells Neal that they are off the case and says that there is nothing that he can do about it. He puts an emphasis on that there is nothing HE can do about it. Neal gets the hint and asks to borrow Peter’s FBI jacket, promising that he will not impersonate an FBI agent.
Yeah he won’t, but Mozzie will. OK, I’ll admit this part was cleverly done. Mozz gets in by telling the officer on guard that he is there to get a urine sample from the toilet. Once in, he opens another door for Neal. Neal looks around and finds a book about Medieval history. Paul had an appointment with the author of that book on his calendar so Neal thinks she’s worth looking into. He calls Peter and tells him about the author, Maria Fiametta.
They meet with Maria Fiametta who recognizes the name Neal Caffrey as a talented manuscript forger. Once she learns that he’s the same Neal Caffrey she starts flirting with him. They show her a picture of the bible they are looking for and she identifies it as a Book of Hours, not a bible. Peter mentions the name Paul Agnozio and she claims not to know who he is. Before he goes, Maria tells Neal to contact her if he’s ever in the mood to discuss Medieval manuscripts. Neal shamelessly flirts back telling her that she’d be surprised by how often he’s in the mood to do that.
Peter calls Neal over to his house to discuss the case further. Peter knows that she is lying about Paul but cannot believe a historian offed a mobster. Elizabeth walks in and hears their dilemma and suggests that Maria is a smart women and wouldn’t keep the bible anywhere near her. Then they come up with a plan to have Neal act like he is interested in buying it. Neal is going to ask Maria out on a date to get their plan started.
Neal is keeping Maria busy while the FBI plants bugs in her house. The FBI plants their bugs and then has to get out of their as she has invited Neal back to her house for dessert.
They arrive back at her house and have yet more wine. She gets the bottle and notices that something on her table has been moved. She makes an excuse to leave the room for a minute and checks her security camera. After she spots two FBI agents bugging her room, she no longer trusts Neal. Neal needs to get back on her side so he takes one of the bugs and drops it in the wine. He tells her that she needs to sell him the bible or the FBI will tell Barelli that she is responsible for Paul’s death. She agrees to the trade.
The chief agrees with their plan and sets up a fake account to transfer her the money from. For their plan to convince her though, Neal is going to have to cut off his anklet for the trade.
Neal meets with Maria, where they overly pat each other down before proceeding with the trade. Neal cuts off his anklet and gets in her car. They drive off a little ways before stopping to make the transfer. She shows Neal the bible and he sends her the money. Not surprisingly after she gets her money, she pulls a gun on Neal. He blocks himself with the bible knowing that she won’t risk losing the money. She shoots when the FBI arrives but Neal is saved by the bible. Barelli asks Neal for the bible back but he says that he handed it to some FBI guy. Mozzie is shown walking away from the scene with the bible. Ruiz asks Neal where it is, but Peter figured it out.
They go to the church where Steve now has the bible. Barelli takes it back but since he has a soft spot for dogs, takes Steve down to his vet to have Lucy checked out. An FBI agent comes in and places another anklet on Neal. Peter then spots his jacket on the pew and takes it back.
Back at his house, Neal a staring at his bottle in candlelight. Suddenly, a map appears on it of the New York City subway. He found his next clue, now he has to find out what it means.
