Chapter 3 - The Poisoner's Trail
The air in the subterranean wine cellar was cold, heavy with the scent of damp oak barrels and aged grapes. Two dim bulbs hung from the stone ceiling, casting long, swaying shadows across the damp walls.
Nina, a thin girl of nineteen, and Teresa, an older woman who had worked in the Moretti kitchen for a decade, sat on wooden stools, trembling as Antonio and two armed enforcers stood guard behind them.
Alessandro descended the stone steps slowly, his handmade leather shoes clicking against the wet flags. He carried a small velvet pouch in his hand.
"Mr. Moretti," Teresa whimpered, clasping her hands together. "We haven't done anything wrong! We swear to God!"
Alessandro didn't answer immediately. He pulled up a heavy wooden chair, sitting across from them with his elbows resting on his knees. He set the velvet pouch on a small barrel between them.
"Elena, the maid in room seven, was poisoned with arsenic," Alessandro said quietly, his voice carrying an terrifying, unnatural calm. "It was administered slowly through her tea over the last three weeks. You two are the only people who pack the tea tins for the servants' quarters."
Nina burst into tears, shaking her head frantically. "I didn't do it! I don't even know what arsenic looks like! Please, Mr. Moretti!"
"Teresa?" Alessandro looked at the older woman.
Teresa’s eyes darted nervously toward the stone stairs before she looked back at him. "I... I just pack what’s in the pantry, sir! The tins come from the dry store room! Anyone could have accessed them! Master Roberto's men were down in the pantry last week inspecting the wine inventory!"
Alessandro picked up the velvet pouch and emptied its contents onto the barrel. Three small glass vials rolled across the wood, containing traces of white powder recovered from the pantry shelves during Antonio's search an hour ago.
"One of these vials was found inside a hollowed-out leg of a table in the staff breakroom," Alessandro said. "The fingerprints on it belong to someone who had access to the master house keys." He leaned forward, his dark eyes locking onto Teresa's pale face. "My uncle Roberto’s chief advisor, Fabrizio, carries a master key set."
Teresa gasped, her jaw trembling. She looked ready to faint.
"You didn't put the poison in the tea, Teresa," Alessandro deduced, watching her facial cues with expert precision. "But you saw who did, didn't you? And Fabrizio paid you to keep your mouth shut."
Teresa slid off her stool, dropping to her knees on the cold floor. "He said... he said he would kill my son if I said anything!" she sobbed. "He told me Elena was a spy sent by the rival families in Naples! He said she was trying to compromise the family estate! I didn't know he was poisoning her!"
"Where is Fabrizio now?" Alessandro asked Antonio.
"He's upstairs in the grand parlor, boss, having espresso with your uncle," Antonio answered grimly.
Alessandro stood up, buttoning his suit jacket. "Keep Teresa down here until I call for her. Nina, go back to the kitchen and pretend nothing happened. If you breathe a word of this to anyone, you won't survive the night."
"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" Nina sobbed, nodding frantically.
Alessandro walked back up the stone stairs, his mind calculating every variable with cold precision. His uncle Roberto had been vying for control of the Moretti shipping routes for three years. If Roberto had discovered that Isabella was pregnant with Alessandro's heir, he would have done everything in his power to eliminate both the mother and the child to keep the lineage weak and secure his own succession.
When Alessandro entered his private study, his uncle Roberto was already waiting, standing near the grand fireplace with a glass of scotch in his hand. Fabrizio stood dutifully behind him, his hands folded neatly over his waist.
"Alessandro," Roberto said with a wide, oily smile, holding up his glass. "I heard a rumor that a servant child caused a disruption in your quarters last night. Is everything alright?"
"Everything is moving exactly as it should, Uncle," Alessandro said smoothly, stepping behind his desk. "I was just reviewing some personal records."
Roberto took a sip of his drink, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You seem preoccupied lately. Ever since that girl... Isabella... vanished, you haven't been focusing on the Palermo expansion. The council is getting restless."
"Isabella is no longer a factor," Alessandro lied effortlessly, taking a seat in his leather chair. "Though it seems her name keeps coming up in strange places."
Fabrizio shifted his weight slightly behind Roberto, his right hand twitching toward his jacket lining.
Alessandro caught the movement instantly. "Fabrizio," he said softly. "Step forward."
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Fabrizio hesitated, looking at Roberto before taking two small steps toward the desk. "Yes, Don Alessandro?"
"Tell me," Alessandro said, leaning back and resting his chin on his hands. "How much did my uncle pay you to track Isabella to the coast four months ago?"
