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"Detective Taylor, it’s an honor to have you here," Marco said, his Italian accent thick but clear. "We’ve been struggling to make sense of this situation. It’s a complicated case, and we could use all the help we can get."

The officer paused for a moment, his expression serious. "The Australian guy, Robert who reached out to you—he mentioned you'd be the one to help us. We've been hoping for someone with your expertise to take a look at the case."

James shook his hand firmly, nodding. "I’m happy to assist. What can you tell me so far?"

Marco led them to the car, a black Lancia Aurelia sedan parked outside the station. "Let’s go to the villa first," he said as he opened the door for them. "I’ll tell you the details on the way."

As they drove through the narrow, winding roads of Bellavita, Marco began to explain what he knew, his eyes focused on the road ahead.

"The owner of the villa, Vittoria Mancini, was found dead in her bedroom four days ago—around 5:30 in the morning. Cause of death was strangulation with telephone cords. There was also a stab wound to her abdomen, likely inflicted before she died, but the strangling is what ultimately killed her. The pressure caused suffocation and ruptured the blood vessels in her airway. What’s odd is that nothing was taken from the villa. No valuables missing, no signs of forced entry. It doesn’t look like a robbery gone wrong."

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 her time of death between 5 and 5:30 a.m.”

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