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James nodded, processing the information silently.

Marco continued, his tone flat. "And the other man - Leonardo Ferretti, who was found in her room — he was still alive when we got there. But he died on the way to the hospital. We found two stab wounds to his abdomen. One was shallow, possibly defensive. The other was deeper — punctured his liver. That’s what killed him."

James leaned forward slightly in the back seat, his voice calm but probing. “Interesting, do you know the estimated time of death?”

Marco nodded, eyes still on the winding road ahead. “Yes. We placed Vittoria's time of death between 6 and 6:30 a.m. And Leonardo was dead around 6:45 a.m.”

James furrowed his brow, clearly puzzled. “That’s a pretty narrow window between 6 and 6:30. How were you able to determine it so precisely?

Marco glanced at him through the rearview mirror before replying, “The regular housekeepers, Marco and Teresa Bianchi, had gone back to their hometown the night before due to a family issue. So their niece and her husband were arranged to take over duties at the villa for a few weeks. They arrived right at 6 a.m. — said they were asked to help out while the couple was away. According to them, Vittoria opened the door herself, still in her pajamas, and personally led them inside.”

He paused, turning slightly to make sure they were following. “She then gave them a wheeled wooden box and asked them to deliver it to her restaurant as their first task. They left right after, and when they returned around 6:30 a.m., they heard a man scream from her bedroom upstairs. Most likely Leonardo.”

Marco’s voice dropped slightly. “That’s when they found them — Vittoria's already dead.”

James's brow furrowed slightly again as he digested the information. “Two victims at the same time, do you have any suspects so far?”

Marco exhaled through his nose, his fingers tightening slightly on the steering wheel. “A few,” he admitted. “So far, the main persons of interest are all people close to her—each with their own motives.”