A Slice of Murder

by Chris Cavender

  “You look nice,” I said.

  She self-consciously patted her hair. “Thank you, but compared to the last time you saw me, anything would be an improvement. I should have known better than to go anywhere looking like I did this morning.”

  “At least the police let you go home and change.”

  “That? That was nothing,” she said, dismissing her earlier trip in a squad car as if it wasn’t anything unusual for her. “I answered a few questions, and then Chief Hurley took me back to my shop so I could get my car. I had a quick nap and felt so much better.” She frowned then as she added, “I need to get away. I see that now, but I thought I owed you an explanation before I took off.”

  “I thought you just got back from a long trip.”

  “You don’t understand,” Penny said. “I mean for good. I can’t stay here in town, not now.”

  “Are you serious?” I couldn’t believe she’d choose this moment to leave. “Why are you going?”

  “The only reason I stayed was to be near Richard,” she said, her words tumbling out like water out of a spilled cup. “I never stopped loving him, despite his errant ways. Now that he’s gone, there’s not much use in me sticking around.”

  I couldn’t have been more surprised by the declaration than if she’d stated her readiness to assume the British throne. Then I looked into her eyes and saw that she was deadly serious. “Penny, I don’t know what to say.”

  I wasn’t sure how I’d meant it, but she took it oddly. “Eleanor, I know more than anyone else in the world that Richard had his faults, but I kept hoping he’d realize what a mistake he’d made throwing away our life together. I honestly thought he’d come back to me, but now that’s never going to happen, so what’s the use?”

  “That’s so sad,” I said, at a loss for what else to say. “What are you going to do about your shop?”

  She waved a hand in the air, dismissing the question. “My assistant, Jenny Hathaway, is buying me out. I’m giving her a wonderful deal, and she’s taking it before I come to my senses. It’s time for me to start over.”

  I knew what that felt like, so no matter how many things we had that separated us, there was evidently one thing we had in common: each of us had lost someone she loved. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I’ll be all right,” she said. “But I started to tell you something before the police chief showed up, and I think it’s important you hear it before I leave town once and for all.”

  She looked toward the door, then lowered her voice as she said, “My ex-husband had a taste for blackmail that I never could stomach. He used to steal things from the piles he was supposed to shred, and he’d use them as leverage. He started hiding money in the oddest places around the house before he finally decided to put it in the bank. I never approved of his behavior, and I refused to take any of the money he made from it. When I told him I’d go to the police if he didn’t stop, he just laughed at me. Eleanor, he told me that wasn’t a problem, at least not as long as Kevin Hurley was the police chief.”

  “What did he mean by that? Was he blackmailing him, too?”

  Penny just shrugged. “I never found out. As soon as Richard said it, he realized he’d admitted too much and he clammed up. All I know is, ever since I found out, I swear Hurley has been waiting for me to say something about it. I’ve never let on that I knew anything about his tie to my ex-husband, but with Richard dead, I’d still feel safer a long way from here. I’m going to California and start another shop.” As she said it, she put one hand over her mouth. “Now I can’t go there.”

  “Why not? I won’t tell anyone.”

  “I can’t risk it slipping out,” she said. “No worries. I’ll just have to find somewhere else.” Penny sighed, then said, “I was looking forward to their climate, though. I’ve had enough snow to last me a lifetime.” She glanced at my wall clock and asked, “Is that the time? I’m supposed to meet Jenny at the bank so we can finalize the takeover. I shouldn’t have come by, but I needed you to know about the police chief. I know you two were close at one time, but you should be on guard. If anyone knows that a man can have more sides than we can see, it’s me.”

  “Thanks for the information,” I said.

  “It’s not just that,” she said, looking concerned. “It’s a warning. If he thinks for one second that I told you anything, you could be in danger, too.”

  I couldn’t see Kevin hurting me, even with his buried temper, but Penny looked so earnest, it shook me a little.

  “Is there a back way out of here?” she asked as she looked past my tiny office.

  “Sure, we have a service door there, but we rarely use it.”

  “So much the better. Would it be too much trouble for you to let me out? I don’t want anyone to see me coming out of here.”

  “I’d be glad to,” I said as I led her to the back door, still barricaded. “You’re not ashamed of being seen here, are you?”

  “It’s not that,” Penny said. “I’m thinking more about your safety than my reputation. Be careful, Eleanor.”

  “You too,” I said as I let her out.

  After I slid the barrier back in place once she was gone, I had to wonder if she was being paranoid, or perceptive. Was there a chance in the world Richard Olsen had something on Kevin Hurley and was using it to keep the police chief from coming after him? What could it be, though? Was there something dark in Kevin’s past, or was it still in his present? I wanted to discount the theory, but somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. If I was being honest with myself, I had to admit that Kevin had a darker side than he let most people see.

  I was still thinking about him when the kitchen door opened and the man himself came through. The bowl of mushrooms I’d just chopped fell out of my hands and scattered to the floor.

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he said.

  “No, you just startled me. Can I help you with something?”

  Without answering, he looked around the small space, even ducking into my office. “Where is she?”

  “Maddy?” I asked as I swept up the ruined mushrooms. “She’s supposed to be out front. Why do you want to talk to her?”

  “I’m not talking about your sister,” he said as he frowned at me. “You know full well I’m looking for Penny Olsen.”

  I had to steady myself before I spoke. “How did you know she was here? Have you been following her, or are you staking out my business? I’m not sure I’ll like either answer, but I have a right to know.”

  “I’m not stalking anyone,” he said. “I saw her come in, but she never left. I have a few more questions for her, that’s it. Now, where did she go?”

  I pointed toward the back door. “She left that way ten minutes ago.”

  “So, she was ducking me after all,” he said.

  “No, she decided to take a shortcut.” I looked into his eyes, then asked softly, “Kevin, is everything all right?”

  “Do you mean besides the fact that someone in town was murdered this week and my son’s still missing? No, everything else is just fine; thanks for asking.”

  “You know what I mean,” I said.

  “As a matter of fact, I don’t. Now, I need you to open this back door so I can get out.” He looked at the bar and added, “That’s a fire code violation. I’ll have to write you up for it.”

  “Check the books. We’ve got a variance,” I said.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  I knew the allowance was only for the hours when the pizzeria wasn’t open for business, but there was nothing I could do about that. If I had to pay a few fines, it was still worth the sense of security that beam gave me. Instead of re-placing it, I leaned the beam against the back wall in case he came back with his ticket book.

  After Kevin was gone, I’d just finished cutting up a fresh batch of mushrooms when the kitchen door opened again.

  I’d steeled myself for the police chief’s return, but this new visitor was even more unwelcome than he had been
.

  It was his wife, the former Marybeth Matheeny, and from the scowl on her face, she hadn’t come by the Slice to compliment me on my pizza.

  Chapter 13

  “We need to talk,” Marybeth said. There was a quiver in her voice, and from the look in her bloodshot eyes, she clearly hadn’t been getting a lot of sleep lately. Marybeth had always been a curvy girl, even more than I’d been, but over the years she’d given in to it and now barely resembled the young woman who’d stolen my boyfriend once upon a time.

  “I’m not so sure about that,” I said, wondering if she’d just seen her husband leave my pizzeria. Could she still be unhappy with me after all these years? She’d gotten what she wanted, namely Kevin Hurley, but I’d heard grumblings around town that Marybeth had put her own spin on things, that Kevin had been hers, I’d taken him away, and then she’d stolen him back. Who knew? She’d said it so long, maybe she even believed it.

  “I don’t like you, and I know you don’t care for me,” she said.

  “So why do we need to discuss it? I vote no.”

  “This isn’t about us. No matter how we feel about each other, there’s one person we both care for.”

  This had gone too far. “Marybeth, I’ve been over Kevin since college. There’s nothing there, trust me. I had the love of my life, and it was never your husband.”

  “I’m not talking about Kevin,” she said, clearly shocked by my vehement denial.

  Then I realized what I should have known the second she’d walked in. “You’re talking about Josh, aren’t you?”

  “Of course I am,” she said. “I never wanted him to work for you, and I never made a secret of it, but he loves it here. In the end, I just couldn’t say no to him, and now you’ve driven him off.”

  “I’ve done nothing of the sort,” I said. “I was as shocked that he ran away as anyone else was.”

  “You fired him,” she said. “And don’t try to deny it.”

  “Have you ever gotten anything right in your life?” I snapped at her. “Your husband asked me to keep Josh away from the pizzeria while there was a murder investigation going on, and I respected his wish. But I never fired your son. As soon as this mess is all straightened out, I’d love to have him back.”

  “Then help me find him,” she pled, her voice cracking as she spoke. “My husband is the almighty chief of police, but he can’t find his own son.” She choked back a sob as she added, “I don’t know what to do. I’m going crazy knowing that he’s out there, scared and all alone.”

  She made it sound like Josh was twelve instead of nearly eighteen years old. He could most likely take care of himself, but then again, I wasn’t his mother, so I couldn’t begin to understand how Marybeth must have felt. And then suddenly I saw a piece of it. Her son’s absence had driven her to come to me—the woman she hated most in the world—for help. No matter how I felt about her, I had to respect the power of emotion that must have taken.

  “What can I do?” I asked.

  “Has he been here since he ran away? Have you heard from him?”

  “No, but I might know someone who has. Hang on, I’ll be right back.”

  I ducked through the door and nearly knocked Maddy over. “Did you get all of that, or should I repeat any of it?”

  “I missed the last bit, if you wouldn’t mind.”

  “Seriously? You’re eavesdropping on my conversations and not even bothering to deny it? Come on, Maddy.”

  “Give me some credit, Eleanor. It’s not every day Marybeth Hurley comes storming in here. What did you do with Kevin? Did she find you two together?”

  “You’ve lost your mind,” I said.

  “Slipped him out the back, did you? Smart thinking.”

  This was getting old fast. “Enough. Will you tell Greg I need to see him the first second he gets here? You cover his tables, too.”

  “If I do that, how am I supposed to listen in?”

  “I’ll catch you up later,” I said. “Come on, this is important.”

  “Oh, all right,” she said.

  Ten seconds later, Greg met me by the drinks station. I wanted a chance to chat with him before we both talked to Marybeth. “What’s going on, boss?”

  “I need to find Josh Hurley,” I said.

  “You and the rest of Timber Ridge,” he said. “Why ask me?”

  I put my hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes. “Greg, his mother is going crazy in there. Where is he?”

  “I don’t know,” Greg said, trying to shift his gaze from me.

  “Greg,” I repeated, not letting up one bit.

  He pulled away, then said, “I mean it. I don’t know where he is at this exact moment, and that’s the literal truth.”

  I had to laugh. “You’re mastering the fine art of lying, aren’t you?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

  “You know, for a true pro, it’s when you tell the literal truth to disguise the intent of a lie. You don’t know where he is right now, but I’m willing to bet you know where he spent last night, and where he’ll be tonight.”

  Greg frowned. “He’s going to kill me. I promised him I wouldn’t say anything.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, tell him I threatened you with losing your job if you didn’t tell me.”

  “Are you?” he asked, his face brighter than it should have been. “That would be great.”

  “So great that it’s true,” I said. “Where has he been staying?”

  “On my couch. And he snores, too. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since he came to stay with me.” He looked at me sadly, then asked, “Are you mad at me?”

  “No, I won’t blame you for trying to protect a friend,” I said. “Let’s not make a habit of lying to me, though, okay?”

  “Sure,” he said, the relief clear on his face. “You’re too good at spotting lies anyway.”

  “Don’t forget that, either. See if you can track Josh down later, but if you can’t, send him home tonight, all right?”

  “I’ll try, but I can’t make him go, and I wouldn’t send his dad after him if I were you. If he doesn’t come back on his own, he’s just going to take off again.”

  “Understood. Thanks, Greg.”

  “Glad to help,” he said as he returned to his station.

  I walked back in to find Marybeth eating freely of the cut pepperoni rounds. “Sorry, I’m starving,” she said.

  “I’d be glad to make you something,” I said, fully realizing that I couldn’t serve any more of that particular topping until I could cut some fresh. I prided myself on cleanliness, and after Marybeth’s hands had been in the toppings, I wasn’t about to serve them to anyone else, even if the pepperoni rounds weren’t cooked yet. There’s watching the bottom line, which I did my best to keep low, but an overriding factor was that I put out the best food I possibly could, and I wasn’t all that sure at the moment I could do that without chucking something out and starting over.

  “No, I couldn’t eat a thing,” she said as she stuffed the pepperoni, still in her hand, into her mouth. “Did you find him?”

  “Not yet, but I have high hopes he’ll turn up soon.”

  Marybeth walked quickly toward me. “Who knows where he is? Tell me, and I’ll have Kevin make him tell us where Josh is.”

  “I’ve got to make some telephone calls,” I said. “The person I tried a second ago wasn’t home.” I wasn’t about to give Greg Hatcher up as my source of information. Neither one of us wanted the Hurleys descending on him like a plague of locusts.

  “Find him,” Marybeth said as she took my hands in hers. I could feel the grease still on her fingers. “I’m begging you.”

  “I’ll do what I can.”

  As she started for the kitchen door, she turned and said, “I’m sorry I had to come to you like this. I just didn’t know where else to turn.”

  “If I can help, I will,” I said.

  Once she was gone, Maddy came thr
ough the door like a grizzly bear was chasing her.

  I said, “Okay, okay, I give up. I’ll tell you everything that just happened.”

  “There’s no time for that now,” Maddy said. “Your date just showed up.”

  I glanced at the clock and saw that it was indeed time.

  “We’re too busy,” I said. “Would you mind telling him I have to postpone it until another time?”

  “No way, Eleanor,” she said. “It’s slow, but even if every table was full, you’d still have to go. You can’t break his heart like that. It’s not fair.”

  “Fine,” I said as I pulled off my apron. “I’m not going to have fun, though.”

  “That’s the spirit,” she said.

  I was taking an inordinately long time washing my hands when Maddy finally asked, “How long are you going to keep him waiting?”

  “Until he gets bored and wanders off,” I said.

  “You wish. But it’s not going to happen. He looks awfully nice.” She studied my attire, then asked, “You’re wearing blue jeans? Seriously? You can do better than that, Eleanor, and you know it. Why didn’t you bring something nicer to wear?”

  “I never promised to get dressed up. If he doesn’t like it, he’ll just have to deal with it.” Who knew? Maybe David would be the one who’d back out. “By the way, you need to cut more pepperoni.”

  She glanced at the nearly full container. “Why? Are we expecting a rush on it?”

  I told her about finding rounds in Marybeth’s hands, and she quickly nodded her agreement.

  I took a deep breath, then walked out into the dining room. David was wearing a nice blue pinstriped suit, at least five levels above my casual attire.

  “Sorry I didn’t have time to dress up,” I said.

  “I think you look wonderful,” David said as he undid his tie, then took his suit jacket off. “Are you ready?”

  “I suppose,” I said, unsure about his sudden and complete willingness to dress down. “Where are we going?”

  “I’d thought about Raphael’s,” he said, which was the nicest restaurant in nine counties, “but on second thought, I’m suddenly more in the mood for a steak. How does the Wild Steer sound?”