Lobster Pizza Murder (Papa Pacelli's Pizzeria Series Book 22)

by Patti Benning

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  *

  The White Pine Kitchen was the nicest restaurant in town, and was the sight of many of her and Russell’s dates. She always enjoyed the chance to relax and let someone else do the cooking for a change, and looked forward to their dinners out. She hoped that part of their relationship didn’t change once they got married. It would be wonderful if they went on just as many dates as husband and wife as they did now.

  “So, how did everything go with Sawyer today?” she asked, sipping her glass of wine.

  “He was great,” Russell said. “Once Sookie swatted at him, he was quite the gentleman toward her. After you called me about Noah’s brother, I took him to the sheriff’s department, so I could do a search on his name from my computer. Everyone there loved him.”

  “That’s good, though I’m not surprised. He’s a very lovable dog. Did you find anything on Gus?”

  The sheriff shook his head. “No. He’s got no criminal history, besides an assault charge about a decade ago.”

  “He did say he had anger problems.” She frowned, thinking back over their conversation. “It’s possible he snapped and killed his brother, I suppose. Maybe he was lying when he said Noah never met with him. Noah could have been on his way back from the meeting when he had his accident.”

  “If we were looking at an impulsive killing, I would be expecting to see something sudden and violent — a gunshot wound, or a stabbing — instead of a mysterious accident. If someone killed him, and I’m not saying they did, it probably would have been something that was plotted out.”

  “Gus didn’t seem much like the plotting type,” she admitted. “So, do you think it was Darla?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Ellie, I’ve never so much as met the woman. I know you think there was more to Noah’s death than meets the eye, but there is nothing that supports that theory besides the final gasps of a very seriously injured man who had suffered not just injuries to his body, but also to his head. I’ve been in law enforcement for a long time, and if I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that sometimes you have to let things go.”

  Feeling more upset than she wanted to let on, she looked down at her food, swirling one strand of pasta around her fork. “It just feels so wrong to ignore what he said. He used the last of his energy to tell me that his death wasn’t an accident. How can I ignore that?”

  “He also asked you to take care of Sawyer,” Russell pointed out. “You’ve fulfilled that request, at least. I know it’s hard, but try not to let this eat at you, okay?”

  Ellie nodded, reluctantly pushing her thoughts of Noah aside. She knew that Russell had a point. This was something that she could easily become obsessed over, and she didn’t want to let it consume her. Even if Noah had been killed, she might never get answers.

  “Let’s talk about something else, then,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t want to invite anyone else to our wedding?”

  “My parents, grandparents, and James, of course, are all coming,” he said. “I don’t know if I can count Shannon as my guest, since she’ll be your maid of honor, but she’ll be there too.” He smiled. “And, of course, everyone from the sheriff’s department. That’s everyone I’m closest to. I don’t want or need people I hardly know there. That day is about us, not everyone else.”

  “I’m starting to wish I hadn’t told my grandmother she could invite all of her friends,” Ellie admitted. “It would have been nice to keep it small on both sides. Oh, well. You’re right, the ceremony is about us and our new life together. It doesn’t matter who is, or isn’t watching.”

  “You didn’t send the invitation to your father, did you?” he asked, watching her face. She shook her head.

  “I thought about it. Really, I did. But he hasn’t wanted to be here for anything else. Why would I want him to be here for this? I’ve been promising myself that I wouldn’t drive myself crazy with stress about the wedding, and having him there certainly would make it stressful. I just want it to be a happy day.”

  He smiled and covered her hand with one of his own. “I know,” he said. “So do I. And it will be. It will be one of the best days of my life.”

  With their meal over and a couple of glasses of wine making her tired, Ellie was glad to get into Russell’s truck a little while later. Russell was quiet as he started the engine and let the old truck warm up. At last, he said, “Where’s Darla Spencer’s house? I don’t want to promise anything, but I’ll stop by tomorrow and at the very least offer my condolences to her.”

  “I’ll show you,” she said. “I don’t remember the address, but it’s not far. It’s on the street behind the library.”

  She directed him, telling him to slow down as they neared the house. Everything looked different in the dark, and it took her a moment to make sure she had the right house.

  “That one, there,” she said at last, pointing to the small house with the neatly kept walkway.

  She saw something in the bushes in front of the house that caught her attention, and leaned forward in her seat, her sleepy brain kicking into gear.

  “What is it?” Russell asked.

  “I thought I saw someone in the bushes. Look, there.”

  Just as she pointed, the silhouette of a person’s head rose from in front of the bushes outside of one of the windows. She could tell that Russell saw it too, by the way he tensed beside her. There was just enough light from the streetlights that now that she saw the person’s head, she could make out the rest of their body crouched in front of the vegetation.

  “I’m going to check this out,” he said. “You wait in here.”

  He did a U-turn on the street and pulled up alongside the curb. Just before he shut the headlights off, she saw the person take off running around the side of the house. Russell swore quietly and got out of the truck, giving chase.

  Ellie sat up in her seat, wishing she could see more. Russell had vanished, along with the person he was chasing. All that was left for her to see was the soft glow of light coming from the window. Darla must be in there right now, she thought. She shivered, feeling bad for the woman despite her suspicions. No one wanted to be spied on like that.

  She jumped when someone rapped on the window right by her head. Fully expecting to see Russell, she let out a strangled yelp when she saw a familiar hoodie-shrouded man looking in at her. She should have known that the person looking in the window had been Gus. It seemed as though he still suspected that Darla had something to do with his brother’s death.

  Reluctantly, she rolled down the window a crack. She could have ignored him, or better yet, blasted the truck’s horn to get the sheriff’s attention, but curiosity had gotten the better of her again.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “What do you think? If Darla killed my brother, I’m going to find out. He deserves justice. He practically raised me after our father died. I’m not going to let this go.”

  “What are you going to find out by spying on her?” she hissed. “She’s not going to confess to the air.”

  “She’s with someone. I can’t see who it is. If it’s another man, that might mean she was having an affair — and even you have got to admit that’s a motive for murder.”

  “Even if you find a motive, then what? The police need evidence before they could do anything. Speaking of, I shouldn’t even be talking to you. How did you know I was in the truck?”

  “You mentioned the sheriff was your fiancé. I put two and two together when I saw someone else sitting in the sheriff’s truck. Can you help me? I need you to get Darla to come to the door. I want to see who she’s with.”

  “No,” she said, sitting back in her seat. “You’re trespassing as it is. I’m not going to help you do anything illegal, no matter how much I want to get to the bottom of your brother’s death once and for all.”

  “Please,” he said. “The sheriff will be back soon. All I want is to see who she’s with. I know you want to solve this too. Ju
st knock on the door, tell her you have a question about the dog or something. That’s not illegal, is it?”

  “No,” she said hesitantly. “It’s not. But what will you do if she is with another man? I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

  “If she’s with someone, and I can find a way to prove that they were together before my brother’s death, then I’ll go to the police and tell them everything. It will have to be enough for them to decide to investigate further. After that, it will be in their hands, not mine.”

  She stared at him for a moment, making out his expression as best she could in the dark. Somehow, she didn’t think he would leave it at that, but the truth was she wanted to know who Darla was with, too. She took a deep breath.

  “Okay,” she said. “I’ll help you.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  *

  She had been half certain that Russell would reappear before she even made it to the door, but he was still out looking for Gus somewhere in the dark beyond the house. Gus, who was clinging to the shadows out of the line of sight from the door, gave her an encouraging nod. She took a deep breath, bracing herself, then knocked.

  There was a moment’s wait, then the door swung open. “Eleanora?” Darla said, frowning at her. “What are you doing here so late?”

  “I, uh, I have some questions about Sawyer,” she said.

  “It’s past eleven,” the other woman said, her frown deepening. “Well, you’re already here, so you might as well come in, I suppose.”

  Ellie froze. She hadn’t been expecting to be invited in. What was she supposed to say?

  She was saved by another voice from inside the house. “Who is it, Darla?”

  “It’s that woman who adopted Noah’s dog,” she called back.

  There were footsteps, then a man appeared — a man that Ellie recognized. It was Gary, Darla’s neighbor. He put a casual arm around her shoulders.

  “Is the puppy okay?” he asked.

  “He’s f—”

  She broke off as someone pushed past her, nearly knocking her into the wooden swing. She saw a blur as Gus swung a fist at Gary’s face. Thankfully the other man recoiled, and the punch caught him on the shoulder instead.

  Chaos broke loose. Darla screamed, stumbling back across the threshold and pulling Gary with her. Gus followed them, radiating anger. Ellie, afraid that another murder might happen if she didn’t act quickly, followed them into the house.

  “What are you doing?” Darla shrieked. “Get out of here, Gus. I’m going to call the police.”

  “You call the police?” he roared. “I’m calling them. You murdered your husband, Darla. You killed my brother, all so you could carry on your affair with this oaf!”

  Darla blinked a couple of times in rapid succession. “You — you think I killed Noah? You’re trying to pin his death on me?” She turned to Ellie, who backed away quickly, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. “I told you, didn’t I? I told you his brother killed him. I knew I saw him snooping around town. And now he’s trying to pin it on me.”

  “Why would I kill my brother?” Gus snarled. “You’re insane.” He started toward the two of them again, but this time Ellie grabbed onto his arm and yanked hard.

  “Stop it,” she said sharply. “Both of you. This is a matter for the police.”

  He shook her off, but made no further move to approach the others. “It’s not,” he said. “This is a matter for family. My brother’s dying wish was for justice. He spent his last breath telling the world that someone had killed him, and now Darla has to answer for what she did.”

  “I didn’t do it,” she said, half crying as she got the words out. “I swear I didn’t. Gary, do something! Gus is insane.”

  The bigger man looked between the two of them, his face a mess of emotions. Seeing that he wouldn’t be much help, Ellie raised her voice, trying to make herself heard over the chaos.

  “I said stop. Gus, don’t touch her. No matter what she did or didn’t do, you’ll still end up behind bars if you hurt her. And Darla, take a deep breath. Tell us your side of the story.”

  Darla took a ragged breath. “My side of the story? I don’t have a side. All I have is the truth. No, our marriage wasn’t perfect. Whose is? We had talked about getting separated, especially after he got that dog, but we both knew we wouldn’t do anything about it until after winter. We were still capable of living together even if we didn’t particularly like each other. And no, I didn’t love him anymore, but I respected him. He was the person I was closest to for a long time, and even though those feelings weren’t there anymore, all our history didn’t just go away. He deserved to be happy. I knew that. Things weren’t necessarily going well, especially after he brought that dog home without asking me, but they were going, until one day I got a call from a deputy who told me the worst news I’ve ever heard in my life. My daughter didn’t deserve to lose her father. He didn’t deserve to die. I was the one that deserved punishment, if that’s what this was.”

  She began to cry in earnest now, burying her head in Gary’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her, then said, “She didn’t do it.”

  “Of course you say that,” Gus said. “You’re probably the reason she did it, too. How long have you and she been sneaking —”

  “She didn’t do it, because I did,” Gary said.

  The house fell silent. Even Darla’s crying stuttered to a stop. She pulled back from him and looked up into his face.

  “You?” she whispered. He nodded.

  “I couldn’t stand it, watching him be here every single day. After he got that dog, knowing you didn’t want one, I knew that he didn’t deserve you anymore. He should have respected your wishes, not trampled all over them, but I also knew you’d never leave him. You told me before you were so afraid of what your daughter would think. You’d never disappoint her. How could I let you trap yourself in such a sour relationship?”

  “H-how?” she stammered. “I don’t understand.”

  “I just added water to his brake fluid. I’ve been working on cars my whole life, remember? Water has a lower boiling point than brake fluid, so when the brakes heat up enough it begins to boil, which makes air pockets, which makes it so the brakes don’t work. I learned it as something to be careful of when I was fixing cars, but I figured I could turn it around to hurt Noah. It worked better than I thought.”

  “How’d he know?” Ellie asked into the silence that followed the confession. “He told me someone had killed him… so how did he know?”

  “He saw me closing his car’s hood that morning. I told him I thought I had seen a cat crawl up inside, but he must have put two and two together after he lost control. I thought I’d gotten away with it all, but I couldn’t let Darla take the blame for what I did,” he said. “I guess this is it for me, huh? I’ll be going to jail now.”

  “You certainly will,” said a voice from behind Ellie. She and Gus jumped. Russell was standing in the open front entrance. She realized that Gary would have seen him from where he was standing. He had made his confession knowing full well that the sheriff was listening. “Put your hands where I can see them. You have the right to remain silent…”

  EPILOGUE

  *

  Ellie stirred her coffee morosely, staring at the swirl of pale brown as she relived the night before. She didn’t know why she felt so down. The killer had been caught, and Noah had his justice. So why did she feel so sad?

  Because it’s a reminder that even normal people can do horrible things, she thought. Gary isn’t an evil sociopath. He’s just some guy who fell in love with the wrong lady and didn’t like the way her husband was treating her.

  A knock sounded at the front door. She shook herself, then got up. Russell was waiting on the front stoop, a bouquet of roses in hand. Smiling slightly for the first time that morning, she asked, “What’s the occasion?”

  “An apology,” he said, handing them over to her. “I should have listened to you, and shouldn’t have told
you to let it go. You were right to keep digging deeper — though I do wish you hadn’t given me half a dozen heart attacks while doing it. When I came back to the truck and found it empty…” He shook his head.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just kind of got… pulled in. I still can’t believe he just confessed like that.”

  “Yeah, well, people do crazy things for love,” he said, stepping into the house and shutting the door behind him. He gave her a quick kiss before crouching down to pet Sawyer, who was practically falling over himself with joy. “And a crime like murder… it weighs heavily on most people. You’d be surprised at how many people turn themselves in. It doesn’t always happen, but it happens more than most people think.”

  “It’s scary to think that he might have gotten away with all of it,” she said. “It makes me wonder how many people do.”

  “It was almost the perfect crime,” he said. “It looked like an obvious accident, so we didn’t test any of the car’s fluids. If we had, and if we had noticed the excess water in the brake lines, it may not have raised any red flags unless there was something else to draw our attention. Cars leak, especially an old one like his. This was a good reminder that things aren’t always as they seem. It can be easy to always accept the simplest answer if it makes sense, but it’s not always the right thing to do.”

  “I feel bad for Darla. She lost her husband, and the man she was in love with. She wasn’t perfect, but she didn’t deserve this. Neither did her daughter.”

  “I know.” He stood up and pulled her into a hug. “It reminds me how lucky I am to have found someone like you.” He smiled. “Future wife.”

  She smiled back, feeling her heart lift. “Future husband.” They kissed, and she felt some of her sadness melt away. Yes, there was darkness in the world, but there was joy too, and she was lucky enough to have far more of the second in her life.