Chapter 4 - DR. COLE’S QUESTION
Dr. Cole visited Alessia the next morning.
Not as treating physician.
As family friend.
He brought coffee she hated and asked permission before discussing anything medical.
Good.
Then he asked:
“Why were you climbing stairs at San Vittore if symptoms were returning?”
Alessia looked guilty.
“I wanted to inspect the east terrace.”
“Did nobody else have legs?”
She laughed.
Then winced.
Dr. Cole continued:
“When did numbness start again?”
“Three weeks ago.”
“Constant?”
“No.”
“Any weakness?”
“Sometimes after long days.”
“Did you tell your neurologist?”
“No.”
He stared.
She folded.
“I know.”
Then he said:
“This wedding fall may have aggravated an already irritated nerve. That does not make Veronica responsible for three weeks of symptoms.”
Important.
Then:
“It also does not make the fall harmless.”
Both.
He recommended follow-up testing.
The eventual EMG suggested chronic residual vulnerability with acute neuropraxic aggravation.
No permanent paralysis.
Good prognosis.
Then Dr. Cole asked a non-medical question.
“Why were you personally checking construction?”
Alessia told him.
He had donated to the Heritage Foundation for years.
His expression changed.
“My wife’s family held a wedding there last spring.”
“Okay.”
“They paid a separate stone-terrace surcharge.”
Alessia looked up.
“How much?”
“Forty thousand.”
“For what?”
“Temporary reinforcement, supposedly.”
There.
Maybe relevant.
The foundation had been told historic-stone stabilization was paid from preservation funds.
Private clients were apparently charged additional “reinforcement” fees.
Could be legitimate event prep.
Could be double recovery.
Need invoices.
Dr. Cole forwarded his wedding contract with permission.
One line:
Historic Terrace Structural Protection Fee — $42,500.
That sounded more capital than setup.
Then three other former clients produced similar contracts after the audit committee sent formal information requests.
Total charges:
$310,000 over eighteen months.
Were those amounts booked as event revenue?
Yes.
Was that wrong?
Not automatically.
The venue could charge for heavy-event use.
But the client descriptions suggested the money paid for permanent structural work already reimbursed by the foundation.
Misrepresentation to clients perhaps.
Then Veronica’s company received a percentage of event revenue.
There.
If revenue increased through those fees, her compensation increased.
Amount tied to disputed charges?
Approximately $48,000.
Not millions.
Still a conflict.
Then Marcus warned me:
“Do not turn forty-eight thousand into a Mafia heist.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were thinking in a lower voice.”
I hated him.
Then the bigger money:
Management renewal.
Four-percent profit participation.
If audit showed material reporting failures, the board could decline renewal.
Expected five-year value to Veronica:
Several million.
That was motive enough for reputation defense.
Still not enough to explain one clue.
A week before the wedding, Veronica’s assistant had circulated a private memo to San Vittore managers:
If Alessia Costanzo attends site during wedding week, route all requests through Veronica. Do not provide raw vendor backup without counsel.
Why isolate her?
Because audit protocol?
May you like
Maybe.
Or because there was something in raw backup Veronica did not want seen before renewal.
