Page 42

Alice glanced at her watch. “It’s only 4 p.m. now.”

James gave a slight smile. “There is something else I want to do for now, we can visit Giovanni after we meet Marco."

She nodded, catching the subtle meaning in his tone. “What is it you want to do?”

James said, “Let’s head to Le Fenice. I have a few more questions for the Pierrer couple.”

He turned to Officer Farina. “Would you mind taking us there?”

He gave a curt nod. “Of course.”

Soon after, they arrived at the elegant restaurant where Mr. André and Ms. Elisabetta Pierrer worked as managers. The couple greeted them at the door — slightly surprised to see them again so soon, but warm and accommodating nonetheless.

Once inside, James got straight to the point. “According to Vittoria’s housekeepers, they delivered a wooden box to here the morning she was killed — around 6:15 a.m. They said they left it in the storage area. Did either of you see it?”

James tilted his head. “The next day? Not the same morning it was delivered?”

André replied, “Because the storage area isn’t checked daily. We usually go down there once every two days — typically on the days we receive our supplies. That’s when we unload and restock.”

James’s gaze lingered thoughtfully. “So it could have been sitting there all day, unnoticed.”

Elisabetta nodded slowly. “Yes, exactly. And we had never seen a box like that before.”

James fell silent for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly in thought. Then he looked up.

“Would you mind showing me the storage area?” he asked. “And the box, if you still have it.”

André nodded. “Of course. It should still be there — we didn’t move it.”