As Vivaldi sits among the witnesses at Schedoni’s trial, the proceedings are interrupted by the noisy entrance of Paulo. The trial resumes with the reading of the assassin’s deposition. In 1742, Schedoni had decided to murder his older brother, whom he begrudged for sparing him so little, even though the latter had already provided for him in a generous manner.

Hiring Spalatro to waylay his brother, who was returning from Greece, Schedoni also purchased an isolated beach house for the assassin. Having killed Schedoni’s brother and his attendant, Spalatro moved their remains to a pit under his house. In the meantime, Schedoni spread the news of his brother’s death in a shipwreck. Although Spalatro claimed to the priest that his reason for going to Rome was to relieve his conscience by confessing his crimes and revealing Schedoni’s, the original motivation was a desire to extort money from Schedoni. It was as such that he followed Schedoni to Rome. (Schedoni had lied about his destination, not wanting to be tracked to Naples.) Knowing that the confession implicated a living person, the priest procured a witness, who was none other than Nicola. Schedoni’s sense of unease increases as another witness, a former domestic named Giovanni, emerges.

Giovanni testifies not only as to Schedoni’s identity, but to the death of his wife as well.

When Schedoni receives his fateful sentence, he resumes his coolness, though not without angrily accusing Vivaldi of putting an end to the life of the father of Ellena. Nonetheless, he answers Vivaldi’s queries as to her whereabouts.

As Vivaldi and Schedoni are led back to their cells, Paulo demands to be reunited with his master. Hearing from an official of the trouble caused by Paulo, who had gotten a guard into a scrape, Vivaldi offers the official a bribe as a means of protecting his faithful servant.