Chapter 9 - The Doctor’s Story
Dr. Camille Ross agreed to meet with investigators and the family attorney.
Marcello was allowed to attend only because the documents involved the trust.
She looked exhausted.
Not glamorous.
“I did confirm Vanessa’s pregnancy,” she said.
“The first one?” Daniel asked.
“Yes.”
“How far along?”
“Early.”
“What happened after?”
“She lost it.”
Marcello’s jaw tightened.
“When?”
“About five weeks after Luca died.”
That matched Vanessa’s story.
“She asked me not to tell anyone.”
“Medical privacy already prevented you.”
“Yes.”
“So why are there later letters?”
“Because I wrote them.”
She admitted Vanessa pressured her to provide nonclinical confirmation letters for a private trust.
Ross had financial problems.
Ross told herself no patient was being harmed.
Marcello said:
“Paper moved seventy-eight million dollars.”
“I know that now.”
She had used old templates.
Vanessa supplied ultrasound prints purchased from a private media archive used for medical education.
Ross altered identifiers on documents.
Investigators already had copies.
She expected consequences.
Then Daniel asked:
“Did Luca know?”
“He found the first draft request.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me if I participated, he would report me.”
“Did he?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“He died the next day.”
Marcello’s face hardened.
Ross immediately raised both hands.
“I am not saying Vanessa caused his death.”
Luca’s sailing accident had been investigated.
No evidence of foul play.
The timing was terrible.
“After the funeral, Vanessa called me.”
“What did she say?”
Ross looked at Marcello.
“She said Luca was gone, the baby was gone, and if she told the truth, she would lose everything.”
Then Ross added:
“She also said Marcello would take the company from her family.”
“I had no control over her family company.”
Ross slid a printed email across the table.
Marcello’s mother.
To Vanessa.
If there is no baby, Marcello will tear Bell River apart.
May you like
Marcello stared at the words.
His mother had known more than she admitted.
