Mozzarella and Murder (Papa Pacelli's Pizzeria Series Book 13)

by Patti Benning

  “That's a good thing,” Ellie said. “If you want any help getting ready for your date, just let me know. I want everything to go perfectly for you.”

  At a quarter past four, her grandmother came into the living room where Ellie was reading. “All right, I give up. I need your help. I can’t decide what to wear. Now, don’t get all excited! This doesn’t mean I’m trying to impress him—I just don’t want to embarrass myself.”

  Ellie grinned and put her book down. “Let’s go look at the options.” She rose and followed the older woman back to her bedroom.

  “Well, it’s between these three,” her grandmother said, gesturing to the outfits which she had laid out on the bed. There was a mint green pantsuit, which the older woman had purchased in Florida, a white summer dress with a floral pattern, and a more somber dusty pink evening dress. “We’re eating at the White Pine Kitchen. I’m not sure how formally I should dress. I know that times are changing. What do you think would be best?”

  Ellie stepped back and got a good look at the outfits. “I think the one with the floral print is best,” she said. “It’s very summery, and it’s got a classic cut. It won’t make you look underdressed or overdressed. Plus, it's mostly white, so it will show off the tan you got in Florida well.”

  “That's a good point. And I've got these little flats to wear with it. Thanks, Ellie, I'll go with this one.”

  After her grandmother put on the floral dress, she sat down at her vanity and Ellie helped her with her hair and her makeup. It was nice to see her grandmother so excited about something, even though she knew the older woman would never admit it. She was glad that she was willing to go on dates, even if it was just a casual dinner with a man that she had known for years. She doubted that her grandmother would start another committed relationship, but it would be wonderful for her to have someone to go out with every now and then for dinner.

  Nonna’s date was right on time. Ellie was waiting with her at the front door when he pulled into the driveway. She gave her grandmother a quick hug and wished her a happy evening, then watched anxiously as she walked down the steps of the front stoop. The porch lit her way down the little stone pathway to the driveway. Dr. Morgan got out and opened the passenger side door for her. Ellie saw her grandmother wave before the dome light shut off. Then they were gone, and she went back inside, feeling more emotional than she had expected. Was this how her mother had felt when Ellie had gone on her first date?

  She wandered back into the kitchen, wondering if there were any decent leftovers in the fridge. She had been so focused on her grandmother’s date that she hadn’t considered what she was going to do for dinner. Maybe Russell is free, she thought. She picked up her phone from the counter where it was charging and saw that she had a missed call from Rose. Wondering what the young woman could need so late in the evening, she hit the redial button.

  “Thank goodness you called back, Ms. P,” her employee said. “I tried calling the sheriff on the number he gave me, but he isn’t answering. I thought he might be with you, so that's why I called.”

  “What’s going on, Rose?” Ellie asked.

  “Okay, well I was online and I saw this post from Brent’s current girlfriend, Alaina,” the young woman said. “It’s horrible. She said that she was glad that Samantha died, and that she had gotten what she deserved. She deleted it a little bit later, but I got a screenshot of it. I was just thinking… maybe she had something to do with it? I mean, she would totally have had motive. Brent and Samantha were still super good friends. Maybe she got jealous. Or maybe they got into some sort of fight at work or something.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Alaina works at the same vet clinic that Samantha used to,” Rose said. “She’s the vet’s granddaughter.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  * * *

  Russell looked at the young man sitting across the table from him. Brent Swan just did not look like a murderer. His gut was telling him that this was all wrong, but he had the guy in—he might as well question him. Besides, he didn’t trust his gut completely, not anymore.

  “So, you're telling me that you have no alibi for the day of Samantha's death?” he said.

  “I was at home all evening. I was sick. I don't know what else to tell you.” The young man was pale, and he was starting to look worried. They had already gone over this same question a few times. Sometimes suspects would change their stories, but not Brent.

  “How would you describe your relationship with Samantha?”

  “It was good,” he said, perking up as if glad he had finally been asked something that he could actually answer. “We stayed friends, even after we broke up. We’d gone to high school together, and we dated on and off for a few years.”

  “What was the cause of your most recent breakup?” the sheriff asked.

  “She wanted to focus more on work and school,” he said. “She was paying her way through college with the money from the veterinary clinic and from the pet-sitting gig she had on the side. She said that she wanted to work all summer, and wouldn’t have time for a boyfriend. I told her that was fine. Our relationship was pretty casual, and I already had my eye on someone else anyway.”

  “Did the two of you have any major arguments in the weeks preceding her death?”

  “No, man, I'm telling you, we got along fine. I don’t think we ever had any major arguments at all.”

  Russell sighed and ran his hands through his hair. This guy really wasn’t panning out as a suspect. He had no motive, for one, there was absolutely no physical evidence tying him to the crime for another. He had half hoped that the kid might just come out and confess it under pressure, but either he was innocent, or he was a great liar.

  “Did you go over to Samantha’s house for drinks at all that day?”

  “No. I don't drink at all, man. My dad, he had a problem with drinking. It killed him. I never wanted to chance it.”

  This really wasn't going anywhere. The kid didn’t do it. Now both his gut and his mind were screaming that at him, and he trusted his mind. What he was doing here was wasting his time. He was almost relieved when the knock at the door came.

  “C’mon in,” he grunted. It was Ms. Lafferre, the department’s secretary. She jerked her head, indicating that she wanted to speak with him. He rose, told the boy to wait, and followed her.

  “What is it?”

  “Someone’s on the phone for you. She said that she has some information about the case you’re working on. I wouldn’t normally interrupt an interview, but she said that Ms. Pacelli told her to call, and I know that you said her calls have priority.”

  “Yes, thank you. Forward the call my office, then go and offer that young man in there a cup of water. I’m not sure how long this will take.”

  He strode down the hall and let himself into his office. Ellie had asked someone to call him? He was consumed by worry. Why wouldn’t she just call him herself? He loved the woman, but her propensity for finding trouble didn't make his life any easier. He didn’t think that he had ever worried over someone as much as he worried over her. He had finally fallen for someone for the first time since his wife's death, and she was probably the most danger-prone woman in town.

  The phone on his desk beeped. He grabbed at it. “Hello? This is Sheriff Ward.”

  “This is Rose, we spoke before,” she said. “I work at the pizzeria for Ms. P. Anyway, she said I should try calling the main line at the sheriff’s department. I'm friends online with this girl who’s dating Samantha’s ex, and she posted something on social media about the poor girl who died, and I thought it sounded a bit suspicious so I took a screenshot before she deleted it. I don’t know if it’s important or not. Should I send it to you?”

  It took Russell a moment to sort through the girl’s rambling. “You did the right thing. There should be an email address on the card I gave you. Can you attach the screenshots and send them to me? I'll see what I can do.”

  “Okay. Oh, and one
more thing. This girl is the veterinarian’s granddaughter. I don’t know why that’s important, but Ellie seemed kind of worried when I told her. She said something about her grandmother and hung up in a hurry. I just thought you might want to know.”

  “Something about her grandmother?” Russell said.

  “Yeah. I didn't catch it. She hung up too quickly.”

  “Thanks, Rose. Send me those photos as soon as you get off the phone, okay?”

  He hung up. Russell stared at his phone, trying to fight down the growing feeling of unease. How was everything connected? What did the veterinarian’s granddaughter have to do with Ann Pacelli? He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket, hoping to see a message from Ellie, but the only missed call was the one from Rose. He dialed his girlfriend’s number, but was unsurprised when the line rang through to voicemail. Ellie was almost as bad about keeping her phone on silent as he was.

  “Ellie, please call when you get a chance,” he said. He made sure that the ringer’s volume was up, then turned on his computer to wait for the girl’s email. Nothing seem to have gone according to plan since Ellie had gotten home. He had been all set up to propose to her that evening, when he had gotten the call about Samantha. He knew that he should have done it at the restaurant during their date, but he had kept putting it off until somehow, he was paying for the bill and they were leaving with the ring still in his pocket. He didn’t know how he could face down a murder at gunpoint, but was terrified by the thought of getting down on one knee and asking Ellie to marry him. What if she said no? He kept telling himself that he was waiting for the perfect moment, but the truth was, he was being a coward.

  The computer dinged. He had received an email. He opened it up and waited as the files loaded. At long last, he could read the post by Alaina Morgan, the post that had freaked Rose out so much that she had called him.

  I know this is an unpopular opinion, but Samantha got what she deserved. She was sticking her nose where it didn’t belong, and she got what was coming to her. Whoever killed her doesn’t deserve jail time. They deserve an award.

  It was time to let Brent go. The young man’s new girlfriend had just become their lead suspect.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  * * *

  Ellie drove toward the White Pine Kitchen, trying to sort through the thoughts dancing in her head. Was Alaina the killer? If so, did that mean Nonna was in danger? If the vet had mentioned to his granddaughter that Marlowe had begun saying something from the day of the murder, then Alaina might begin to worry. The two family members worked together at a vet clinic, and they must both love animals. She would be surprised if the elderly man hadn’t shared the story of his date’s crazy macaw screaming out a woman’s last words. If Alaina’s online post didn’t mark her as the killer, then Ellie didn’t know what would. No normal person would be glad that someone had been murdered, and no sane person would post it online.

  She didn’t know what she was going to do when she got to the restaurant. She didn’t want to wreck her grandmother’s date, but she didn’t want to risk Alaina crashing it either.

  She pulled into the parking lot and jumped out of her vehicle, not even bothering to take the time to lock it. She pushed through the doors and paused, ignoring the hostess who was speaking to her. It wasn’t until she recognized her grandmother’s bright white hair at a table far across the room that she gave a sigh of relief and relaxed. She and George Morgan were alone at their little table, with no sign of his dark-haired granddaughter anywhere nearby.

  Ellie turned to the waitress. “It will just be me,” she said. “Can I get one of the booths over there?” She pointed to the opposite side of the restaurant from her grandmother.

  The hostess led her over to a booth that was positioned perfectly for Ellie’s needs—she could see the door, and if she stretched, she could see her grandmother’s table. She sat down, ordered salad and a glass of wine, and waited. If her grandmother left with anyone other than the veterinarian, she would see it. She was probably just paranoid after what happened in Florida, but she wasn’t going to let her grandmother be kidnapped again.

  She took out her phone to check her email and realized that she had missed a call from Russell. She listened to his message, which wasn’t very informative, then called him back.

  “Hello?”

  “It’s me. I’m returning your call. What’s up?”

  “Ellie, I’m glad you’re all right. I was just talking to Rose. She mentioned your conversation, and that you said you were worried about your grandmother and hung up suddenly. It made me worried. What’s going on?”

  “Nonna is on a date with Dr. Morgan, Alaina’s grandfather. I know I was probably just overreacting, but I thought about how easy it would be for Alaina to wiggle her way in and do something to Nonna. After what happened in Florida, I’m being extra careful I guess. It just seemed like an odd coincidence to me.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “I’m at the White Pine Kitchen. I just had some wine and I’m watching the door. I’ll see if Alaina comes in.”

  “Okay. Let me know if she does. I’m going to see if I can track her down and bring her in for questioning. Between her dating the victim’s ex, and her and Samantha having issues at work, there’s definitely a motive there.”

  “I agree,” Ellie said. “I’m going to keep sitting here until my grandmother leaves. I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially since you think that something is up too.”

  “Okay,” Russell said. “Keep your phone on, okay? I want to be able to get through to you if I need to call you.”

  “Of course. You be careful too.”

  “I always am.”

  She hung up and made sure that her phone had plenty of charge, then she settled back with her wine and tried to think things through while she waited. Samantha had worked at the vet clinic until just a few weeks ago. Alaina had been her coworker, and perhaps competition—Brent had obviously been interested in both of them. She was willing to bet that the two women hadn’t gotten along. Had Alaina had something to do with Samantha losing her job? There was no telling what sort of drama had gone on between the two women, either work or boy related. Brent, it seemed, had been caught in the middle of all of this. If Russell was focusing his sights on Alaina, then Ellie would too. She trusted his judgment. After all, he had never been wrong about something like this before, had he?

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  * * *

  An hour and a half, an appetizer, and two glasses of wine later, Ellie saw her grandmother and Dr. Morgan leave the White Pine Kitchen together. She rose from her seat and followed them to the door, watching the parking lot long enough to be sure that they were the only two people to get into the vehicle. There was no sign of the dark-haired vet tech anywhere. She was relieved. Hopefully by now Russell had found the woman and had her at the sheriff’s department for questioning.

  She drove slowly on the way home, not wanting to pull into the driveway just as her grandmother was getting home. She would give them their privacy. The long way home would take a good fifteen extra minutes, and it would be scenic, even at night. The stars outside of town were gorgeous, especially on a clear summer night like this.

  When she eventually made her way to the house, she was surprised to see that the vet’s vehicle was still in the driveway when she pulled up, with no one in it. She wondered if her grandmother had invited him over for dessert. She had made some chocolate cookies earlier that she hadn’t let Ellie touch.

  Ellie let herself into the house. “Nonna?” she called. It was oddly quiet in the house, and she couldn’t hear their voices anywhere.

  When there was no answer, she continued on inside. She saw that Marlow’s food dish had been spilled in her cage, and the bird was clinging upside down to the top of it. She was breathing heavily and—to Ellie’s surprise—the cage door was unlatched. Ellie was surprised that Bunny wasn’t there. Normally she would be gorging herself on the spilled food.
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  “Bunny?” she called. “Nonna? Anyone? What’s going on?”

  She was beginning to worry now. She walked into the kitchen, and was shocked to see the back door was wide open. She went outside, calling for her dog. Bunny was nowhere to be found, and there was also no sign of Nonna. No sign, other than a few chocolate chip cookies scattered in the yard.

  Ellie stared at the mess, then glanced back toward the house. She had no idea what could have happened. Where was everyone? Suddenly she heard a high-pitched yap coming from the trees.

  “Bunny?” she called out, louder this time, as she began to jog toward the forest. Chances were the little dog was with her grandmother, though why either of them would be in the forest was beyond her. She felt a sharp twinge of worry as she heard the barking again. Bunny would be easy prey for any number of predatory animals that lived in the forest, and her grandmother wouldn’t be much better off.

  Maybe they just went on a walk together, she thought. They could have forgotten to latch the back door, and Marlowe might have opened her own cage… but the cookies, I have no explanation for those.

  She hurried toward the forest, breaking into an all-out run when she heard Bunny begin to bark again. She pushed her way through the bushes that bordered the yard and began to shout for her grandmother.

  “Nonna? Bunny? Where are you?”

  The little dog’s barking was getting closer. She followed the sound, and was relieved when she saw the white flash of the dog’s fur in between the trees. She hurried forward, so focused on the dog that she almost didn’t see what she was barking at. She froze when she saw Dr. Morgan standing in front of her. He was holding a wooden cane up as if he had been about to strike at the dog, and was staring at her with a stunned expression on his face.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked roughly.

  “I could ask you the same thing,” Ellie said, clutching the dog to her chest. “What are you doing out here? What happened in the house? Where is my grandmother?”