Chapter 3 - THE MEDICINE THAT WASN'T MEDICINE
Antonio's private physician arrived from Rome the following afternoon.
Dr. Matteo Bellucci was sixty-one, silver-haired, and visibly shaken.
He had treated Antonio for eleven years.
He knew every medication.
Every allergy.
Every hospital admission.
When Irish investigators showed him the photographs of the case's contents, he stared at the screen.
Then removed his glasses.
“That isn't what I packed.”
The detective leaned forward.
“Which item?”
Bellucci pointed to a blister strip.
“This.”
He explained that the packaging resembled Antonio's regular prescription, but the identifying markings were inconsistent with the medication he had supplied.
Further laboratory testing would be required to determine exactly what the tablets contained.
The physician's hands trembled.
“I sealed that case myself.”
“Who had access afterward?”
“Mr. Bellini collected it.”
“And before the flight?”
Bellucci hesitated.
“Mr. Vitelli's cousin was present at the residence.”
That evening, Antonio received another visitor.
His younger sister, Sofia.
She entered the hospital room wearing jeans and a dark sweater, her eyes red from crying.
The moment she saw him, she crossed the room and hugged him carefully.
“You idiot.”
Antonio almost smiled.
“Good to see you too.”
“You nearly died.”
“I noticed.”
Sofia pulled back.
“Stop making jokes.”
He looked at her.
Then quietly said, “I'm sorry.”
Her expression softened.
For years, Antonio had protected his sister from the family's criminal world.
He'd paid for her education.
Helped her open a veterinary clinic.
Kept her name away from the businesses he controlled.
But he'd never told her the full truth about the danger surrounding him.
Now she looked at the hospital monitors and whispered, “Was this Luca?”
Antonio didn't answer.
Sofia closed her eyes.
“That means yes.”
Meanwhile, Evelyn received an unexpected call from her airline's operations director.
“Miss Foster, we're placing you on paid leave while the investigation continues.”
Evelyn stared at the wall.
“Paid leave?”
“Temporary.”
“Am I being accused of something?”
“Not at this time.”
The phrasing troubled her.
“Then why am I being removed from duty?”
“Because of the attention surrounding the incident.”
Evelyn looked toward her suitcase.
Six years of perfect attendance.
Hundreds of flights.
Thousands of passengers.
And suddenly her career was hanging on a medical emergency she had helped manage.
“Will you provide that decision in writing?”
The director hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
She ended the call.
Then sat motionless.
May you like
Someone had tried to kill Antonio Vitelli.
And somehow, she was becoming part of the story.
