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“Yes,” she replied. “It was our first time at this villa.”

Paolo nodded in agreement. “We were unfamiliar with the road, actually. We were supposed to arrive around 5 a.m., but we got delayed a bit — missed a connection in Florence, then had trouble finding a cab from the station once we got here.”

“So we ended up arriving around six,” Francesca added quickly. “But we started working right away."

James raised an eyebrow subtly but said nothing, simply jotting down the details in his notebook. Alice, meanwhile, watched the couple closely.

After a few seconds, James rubbed his eyes before looking back up. “Thank you. And according to what you told Officer Rossi, you met Ms. Vittoria Mancini when you arrived here at 6 a.m. that day, correct?”

They both nodded slowly. “Yes, that’s right.”

James continued, “And she asked you to move a wooden box to La Fenice, her restaurant?”

“Yes,” Paolo replied, “she told us to take it there immediately. Said it was important things.”

James made a quick note, his expression unreadable. “Did you notice anything unusual about the box? Or anything out of the ordinary about Ms. Mancini’s behavior that morning?”

The couple exchanged a brief look, then Paolo shook his head. “No, nothing unusual - except she was still in her pajamas, probably just got up from bed. She had her spectacles on and was wearing a mask. Her voice sounded a little sore. She told us she wasn’t feeling well, said she was a bit sick.”

James nodded thoughtfully. “That’s helpful to know. It might explain some of her behavior that morning.”

He paused for a moment, then asked, “What about the box — how big was it? And do you know what was inside?”

Francesca said, “It was about the size of a suitcase, maybe a little bigger.”

Paolo then added, “As for what was inside… no idea. It's locked, and she didn’t say, so we didn’t ask. But I am guessing that it might be some ingredients for the restaurant.”