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He glanced into the mirror again, his tone turning grim. “Then there’s Mr. Giovanni Romano—Vittoria’s so-called accountant and investment advisor. But according to what we’ve uncovered, it looks like he’s been deceiving her for years, funneling the money meant for property investments straight into his own pocket. When Vittoria finally demanded it back, he had nothing to show for it.”

“And finally…” Marco hesitated for a moment, “Mr. Jonathan Reeves—a British, one of Vittoria’s former students from her time teaching abroad a few years ago.”

He shifted slightly in his seat as he continued, “He had been following her career closely ever since. And even moved here with her about a year ago. He lives in Bellavita now with his wife and runs the town’s only bar. We included him on the suspect list because phone records show he and Vittoria had two conversations the night she was killed—one around 8 p.m., and another at approximately 2 a.m.”

James raised an eyebrow. “Quite a cast.”

Marco nodded grimly. “And not a single one of them has a clear alibi.”

James leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing with focus. “Yeah… don’t worry, we’ll figure it out,” he said calmly. “Let’s start by seeing the crime scene first.”

— ✦ —

They arrived at the villa a few minutes later. The gates creaked open slowly as Marco drove up the gravel path toward the grand yet quiet estate. The morning sun cast long shadows across the ivy-covered walls, and the silence that hung in the air was heavy with unease.

As the car came to a stop, the front door opened. A middle-aged woman and a younger man stepped out to greet them—Francesca and Paolo, the housekeepers’ niece and her husband.