Murder at the Cooking School: Book 7 of the Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series

by Dianne Harman

  “Well, hello, big guy,” Kelly said to the large dog that was sitting on the porch. “You must be Caesar.” At the sound of his name the big dog wagged his tail and nuzzled Kelly’s leg.

  “Oh, sweet boy, I’m sorry about your owner. If you’re lonesome, I’d be happy to be your friend. I miss my dogs, Rebel and Lady, and we could adopt each other while I’m here.”

  She turned away from the big dog and walked over to where Mike was talking to a man she presumed was the wine steward the chef had mentioned. She looked down and saw that Caesar had decided to follow her and was walking right next to her.

  I guess he took my offer literally. He probably misses his owner. I can’t take her place but maybe we can be friends while I’m here. She reached down and petted him. He looked up at her with big brown eyes as if to say, “Thank you and yes, let’s be friends.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Kelly was walking over to where Mike and Domenico, the wine steward, were standing when one of the staff motioned to the wine steward. He excused himself and followed the young man into the wine cellar.

  “Well, I see it didn’t take you long to find a new friend,” Mike said, kneeling down and petting Caesar.

  “I think he’s lonesome, and we’re kind of bonding. Anyway, I miss Rebel and Lady, so I don’t mind having him around. I imagine he won’t be welcome in the kitchen, so you might have to watch him when I’m attending class.”

  “What I’m wondering is who’s in charge of him now. I understand from the chief that Signor Nardo is in mourning and refuses to see anyone or take any calls. The chief told him he wanted to see him tomorrow, but he’d respect his need for privacy today.”

  “Mike, I overheard two women who work here talking about the Signora’s death. They didn’t know I could hear what they were saying. I think you and the chief might be very interested in what they had to say.”

  “I imagine they were speaking Italian, and I suppose you just happen to know Italian, and you’ve never told me about it. Right?”

  “Actually you’re right, but it will have to wait until after lunch,” she said as he looked at her with a raised eyebrow, clearly doubtful. At that moment the students from the cooking class walked out onto the porch and everyone began taking seats at the long table that had been set up on the porch. The view was incredible. It was a warm sunny day with a bright blue sky overhead and rolling hills below. Kelly felt as if she had entered a Tuscany painting.

  The long narrow table easily accommodated the ten cooking class attendees. It had been set with white linens, silverware, crystal glasses, and flowers in small vases. Three glasses were at each place setting. There was a stemmed glass with a round bowl for red wine, a stemmed glass with a cylindrical bowl for white wine, and a regular glass for water. When everyone was seated the wine steward stood at the head of the table and began to speak.

  “I know you were welcomed last night by Signor and Signora Nardo, but as the wine steward for the cooking classes, let me welcome you as well. My name is Domenico. At the top of your place settings there are three glasses. At each lunch and dinner I will be pouring premier wines from the local area, both red and white. The wines will be different at each meal. I will put the bottles on the table, and after I pour your wine, feel free to help yourselves to more. If you like the wine, you may wish to write down the name on the label so you can purchase it after your stay at Castello di Nardo. You are welcome to try both of the wines or just one. If you prefer not to have wine with your meal, please turn your glass upside down. Enjoy,” he said as he began to pour white wine into the glasses, soon followed by the red wine. Three large water pitchers had also been placed on the table.

  Mike turned to Kelly and said, “This is delicious. Did you make any of it?”

  “No. I made the beginnings of risotto which I’ll finish preparing just before tonight’s dinner.”

  After the students had passed the generous antipasto platter and the focaccia bread around the table they were served a plate of salad consisting of lettuce, pears, parmesan cheese shavings, pine nuts, and hazelnuts.

  “Mike, the dressing on this salad is delicious. I never would have thought of this combination.”

  The woman to the left of Kelly said, “I’m glad you like it. I made it, and it was really easy. Just a little olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper. But wait until you see what’s for dessert. The students at the station next to me were making it, and it was all I could do not to sneak a bite when they weren’t looking, but I thought that might be kind of tacky,” the woman who was from Alaska said smiling.

  “You can’t leave us hanging. What is it?” Mike asked.

  “It’s one of the most interesting desserts I’ve ever seen. Kind of a walnut cake with a strawberry sauce. It looked beautiful, and I can’t wait to try it.”

  A few minutes later after the servers removed the luncheon plates, they returned with plates of the thinly sliced cake topped with strawberry sauce. Kelly took a bite and turned to the woman, “Your instincts were absolutely right on this one. It’s delicious. Did it look difficult to make?”

  “No, not at all. This is one I definitely want to try when I get home.”

  “I can already see it on the Kelly’s Koffee Shop menu. Would I be right, Kelly?” Mike asked.

  “You know me too well. Yes, this is definitely going be on the menu. When I get back to our room I want to circle it, so I don’t forget it. If we’re going to have food like this at every meal, I think I better take up jogging or something like that while we’re here.”

  “Well, funny you should mention that because the wine steward told me bicycles are available if we want to ride into the village or just take a ride. That might be fun. Matter of fact you might want to take a bike ride this afternoon, because the chief is picking me up and taking me to the station. He called right before you came out and told me the coroner finished the autopsy this morning, and he has the report. He wants to talk to me about it.”

  “Actually, I need to talk to you before your meeting with him. I think you’ll both be interested in what I learned earlier, and yes, I do think I’ll take a bike ride to the village. I’d like to take Caesar with me, but I don’t know who I should ask to get permission for him to go with me.”

  Caesar had worked his way between Kelly and Mike’s chairs, and it was becoming apparent that Kelly had found a friend who was definitely going to be with her the rest of her stay.

  “First of all, I can’t wait for you to tell me how you just happened to overhear a conversation in Italian and understand it. That should be a good story, and remember, I don’t believe in coincidences. As far as Caesar, I don’t think I’d worry about it. If he acts like he wants to go with you, I’d let him. Maybe you should ask one of the staff if he has a leash, or maybe there’s one in the dog run.” He looked at his watch. “The chief is picking me up in forty-five minutes. Let’s go back to the room. It looks like everyone else is beginning to leave as well.”

  “Mike, I’d like to make a quick stop at the dog run. I want to see if I can find a leash, although since Caesar weighs more than I do, I’m not sure what good it would do me, but it might make someone else feel a little safer if they see that the huge dog is on a leash.”

  A few minutes later they returned to their room with a heavy black leash. Caesar had walked up the stairs with them and followed them down the hall. Although they’d passed several staff members, no one seemed the least bit concerned that Caesar was with them.

  CHAPTER 12

  When they got to their room, Mike shut the door and turned to Kelly. “All right, I’m ready to hear your story.”

  Kelly sat down on the edge of the bed and began, “We’ve never talked about whether or not either of us spoke a foreign language. When I was in school I took a number of classes in Italian and seemed to have an ear for the language. Actually, I’m pretty good with a couple of languages. They come very easily to me. I remember when I had cooks working for me at the coffee shop who wer
e Mexican, and after a couple of weeks I could understand almost everything they said.”

  She told him about the books she’d gotten at The Book Nook and how she was going to surprise him. When she saw the skeptical look on Mike’s face, she walked across the room to where the maid had set out an Italian newspaper for them when she’d cleaned their room. Kelly picked it up and began translating the lead article that had to do with the President of the United States, and how he and his family were coming to Italy to meet with the Pope.

  “Okay, Kelly, you’ve made your point. I believe you. Now tell me what you overheard.”

  She spent the next twenty minutes telling him what the two women had said and concluded by saying, “I don’t know if you want to tell the chief about it, but it might be something he should know.”

  “Let me get this straight. You’ve been in Italy less than twenty-four hours, and you just happened to overhear a conversation which indicated that if Signora Nardo was murdered there are five possible suspects. Remember, I won’t know until I learn from the chief and the autopsy report if she was murdered. But let’s say she was, and let’s say what you heard was correct.”

  Kelly interrupted him, “Mike, what I heard was correct. That’s what I overheard.”

  “Okay, I’ll play along. Signora had a good-for-nothing brother who was jealous of her because she inherited the castle and the land. Then there’s her lover’s wife. Uh-huh. Oh, I don’t want to leave out the Mafia man. I mean anytime there’s a murder in Italy a member of the Mafia has to be involved.” He deliberately avoided her gaze which was getting steelier by the moment.

  He continued, “I don’t want overlook the owner of the competing cooking school and last, but not least, her husband, Signor Nardo. Kelly, doesn’t this all seem a bit too convenient? Maybe those two women wanted you to overhear them. Maybe one of them killed Signora Nardo and was trying to draw attention away from herself.”

  “First of all, they didn’t know I was there, and secondly, even if they had known, why would they assume I spoke Italian? No one knows about that except Ginger, the owner of The Book Nook. She remembered when we were in school how much I’d loved Italian. Certainly no one here knows.”

  He was quiet for a few moments. “Okay, I’ll grant you that. It just seems too coincidental that you, of all people, would overhear that particular conversation. You’re probably the only one here besides me who has been involved in solving crimes.”

  “That’s probably true, but Mike, sometimes things can’t be explained logically. It just is what it is. I think this is an ‘isness’ time, at least that’s the word I use when something just is and can’t be rationally explained.”

  “An ‘isness’ time? Would you like me to tell the chief that you heard this conversation because it was an ‘isness’ time? That would go a long way to establishing my credibility with him.”

  “Quite frankly, I don’t care what you tell him, if anything. That’s your decision. I’m just telling you what I heard,” she said jumping off the edge of the bed and flouncing into the bathroom.

  When she walked out a few minutes later, Mike said, “I apologize. I was being a smart aleck, and that wasn’t fair. You’re absolutely right about sometimes things happen for no apparent reason, and this is probably one of those times. I’ll see what the chief has to say about the autopsy report and then decide whether or not I should tell him what you overheard.”

  “That’s fair. Anyway, I just heard the conversation. I never saw who was talking. It could have been idle gossip or there could be some truth to it. What makes me think there is some truth to it is that Chef Bianchi said pretty much the same thing about Signora Nardo and Giovanni Rizzo. Evidently his wife is one of the chef’s best friends, and she’s been worried for a long time that they were having an affair.”

  “Why would she tell you that?”

  “She said I was easy to talk to. She was wondering if you’d found out anything, and one thing led to another. I think she regretted mentioning it after she said it.”

  “I would imagine she did. I’ve got to leave. See you later,” he said, lightly kissing her and patting Caesar on his head as he walked to the door.

  “I’ll probably be in the kitchen when you get back,” Kelly said. “The chef asked me to be a server tonight, so I could finish the risotto. I’m going to be leaving now, too. I don’t have much time until I have to report back to the kitchen. I’ll be curious what the report has to say.”

  “You’re not the only one,” he said as he walked out the door.

  CHAPTER 13

  Kelly and Caesar went down the stairs to the front desk of the castle. “Matteo,” she said to the young man who had escorted them to their room the day before, “I was told you have bicycles available for the guests. Would it be possible for me to ride one into the village?”

  “Of course. Follow me. I see you have made friends with Caesar. He was Signora Nardo’s dog. Caesar usually doesn’t mingle with the guests. I was surprised to see him come down the stairs with you.”

  “He probably senses that I love dogs. I’d like to take him to the village with me. Do you think that would be a problem?”

  “No, it will be fine. Actually, it would probably be a good thing. While we have very little crime around here, oh, maybe a petty theft or two, we prefer it if the guests don’t leave the premises by themselves, but if Caesar is with you there won’t be a problem,” he said as he opened the door of a storage shed and took out a bright blue bicycle.

  “He doesn’t seem like he’s particularly aggressive,” Kelly said.

  “I’ve never known him to be aggressive. I would say he’s protective. You don’t need to worry about having him in the village with you. Is there some place special you’re going?”

  “I own a coffee shop back in the United States, so I love to go to shops that have cooking things for sale. I assume there’s one in the village.”

  “Yes. It is called Cucina. It’s not a very original name. It means kitchen in Italian. Go to the second stop sign when you get to the village and turn right. It’s down about half a block on the right hand side. You can’t miss it. There’s a large blue awning with the word “Cucina” written in big white letters on it. Signora Nardo didn’t want the staff to tell any of the guests about it, because it’s owned by Berto Moretti. He’s the man who owns the other cooking school in our area. There is bad blood between the Morettis and the Nardos. They don’t speak to each other. Our cooking school has always been much more popular than his, but it’s not surprising because Chef Bianchi is considered to be one of the best chefs in Italy. Signor Moretti is very tight with his money and won’t pay to have a top-notch chef come to his cooking school. He opened the shop in the village hoping to get tourists to stop in and then sign up for his cooking school. When our school is sold out, he winds up getting the students who can’t get in here.”

  “Thanks Matteo. If I don’t leave now, I’ll never be back in time to finish my risotto for dinner tonight. I don’t want to make Chef Bianchi angry.”

  “No, that you don’t want to do. She doesn’t get angry often, but when she does, you definitely don’t want to be around her. She and the Signora did not get along. I really don’t know why. On the surface the Signora was always nice to her, but one time I heard her tell Signor Nardo that she hated Chef Bianchi because she acted like she was so important. I remember him asking her why she’d hired her, but I didn’t hear her answer.”

  “That’s interesting. I never would have thought that. She was very gracious to Chef Bianchi at dinner last night.”

  “That was part of a show for the guests. When the guests weren’t around, it was pretty clear they really didn’t like each other.”

  “Thanks again, Matteo. I’ll see you later. Where should I put the bike when I return?”

  “Just leave it out in front, and I’ll put it back for you.”

  *****

  There were signs leading to the small village when she got t
o the end of the lane that led to the castle, and Kelly was there in a very short time. Even if there hadn’t been signs, Caesar knew the way. She easily found the shop called Cucina, got off of the bike, and tied Caesar up to a pole in front of the shop. She knew that was probably unnecessary, but it made her feel better.

  She was prepared to not like the shop based on what she’d heard about the owner, but when she opened the door she was pleasantly surprised. She hadn’t realized the shop also sold some food items which filled it with wonderful aromas. One wall featured balsamic vinegars from every region in Italy. On another wall bookcases were stuffed with Italian cookbooks. All kinds of kitchen utensils were displayed on the shelves in the small shop, many of which she’d never seen before. It was colorful and charming.

  “Welcome to Cucina, signora. How may I help you?” a bearded dark-haired young man asked.

  “I just want to look around if you don’t mind. This is a wonderful shop. It must be a joy to work here. I’ve never seen so many different kinds of balsamic vinegar.”

  “I’m not surprised. My father loves balsamic vinegar.”

  “Oh, you’re the owner’s son?” Kelly asked. “I understand he also owns a cooking school just outside of the village.”

  “That’s true, and it’s considered to be the best in the region. There is another one near here called Castello di Nardo, but many of the people who come to our school have already been to that one, and they tell us they much prefer the warm atmosphere at ours. Signora Nardo, God rest her soul, was not the warmest person in the world.”

  “I don’t understand why there happens to be two cooking schools so close together in a remote area like this. Which one was here first?”