Chapter 5 - The Leaves Match Luca’s Evening Tea
Laboratory testing identified the plant material.
It was an herbal substance that could affect heart rhythm and interact
dangerously with one of Luca’s prescribed medications at sufficient
exposure.
The investigators and physicians handled the medical conclusions.
Emma did not pretend expertise.
The same plant compounds appeared in residue from Luca’s stored tea
packets.
Dr. Feld reviewed Luca’s prior episodes.
The timing was consistent with exposure.
Consistent did not mean proven.
But the investigation became much more serious.
Vanessa insisted she used the herb herself and accidentally contaminated
shared items.
Then toxicology found concentrations in Luca’s tea packets higher than
in Vanessa’s personal supplement container.
Someone had prepared them differently.
Security records showed Vanessa entering the pantry repeatedly after
midnight.
She said she was planning wedding menus.
Luca’s wedding.
Scheduled in six weeks.
Dominic asked the question nobody wanted to ask.
“What changes after the marriage?”
Luca’s estate plan.
Vanessa would become a beneficiary.
But not enough to explain everything.
Luca had a prenuptial agreement.
Most Moretti business interests would remain separate.
Vanessa knew that.
Then Dominic remembered a document Luca signed two months earlier.
A temporary health-care proxy.
If Luca became incapacitated before the wedding, Vanessa could make
certain medical decisions.
Luca stared at him.
“I signed that?”
“At Dr. Feld’s recommendation that you name someone local.”
Dr. Feld looked surprised.
“I recommended naming a proxy. I never recommended Vanessa
specifically.”
The form had been prepared by Luca’s private office.
The staff member who requested it was Vanessa.
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Suddenly the unexplained illness was not only about inheritance.
It was about control while Luca was still alive.
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