For Forty Years He Trusted His Best Friend — Then He Found What Was Killing the Man’s Wife

At twenty to six that morning, Detective Rachel Vance was sitting across from me in my private office, studying the sealed patch through its evidence bag.

The shared surname was a coincidence of a common name; she was no relation to Luca, though the irony of it did not escape either of us.

“Who knew about this allergy?” she asked.

“Me,” I said.

“And her husband.”

“What does he do for a living?”

“He’s a pharmacist.”

She looked up, and her expression changed.