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Elisabetta folded her arms tightly. “If her husband ever found out she was having an affair… I wouldn’t put it past him to lose control.”

James carefully slipped the letter back into the envelope, his expression unreadable. “We’ll take this. Thank you.”

Officer Rossi stepped forward, offering a small nod of appreciation. “Thanks for your cooperation,” he said. “Is there anything else you found in Vittoria’s office? Letters, documents, anything out of place or unusual?”

André shook his head slowly. “No, that was the only thing. We’ve been careful not to touch anything else since we found the letter.”

Officer Rossi gave a firm nod. “Alright. Thanks for your cooperation.”

James and Marco echoed their thanks, then turned to leave. They stepped out of the restaurant, the late morning sun casting long shadows as they made their way back onto the cobbled street.

As they walked out of the restaurant and settled into the backseat of the black Sedan, Marco adjusted his rearview mirror, glancing back at them. “So,” he said, his voice calm but curious, “who do you want to listen to next?”

James exchanged a look with Alice before replying, but then furrowed his brow and leaned forward slightly.

“Actually, I want to ask you something first”, he said, his voice thoughtful. “Why did Vittoria move to this small town?” James asked. “Wasn’t she a brilliant scientist? I remember reading about her work. Why would someone so renowned suddenly give it all up and move to a place like this?"

Marco nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on the road. “According to Jonathan—the student who was doing research with her back then—Vittoria just… got tired of it all."

“Tired?” Alice echoed.

“Yeah,” Marco said. “Tired of spending every day in a lab, chasing grants, publishing articles no one outside the academic world ever reads. Jonathan said she told him she wanted something real. Something that made her feel alive again.”