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

by Dianne Harman

  Chef Bianchi began to speak, “In a few moments we will be at the market, but before we get there I want to point out a couple of things of interest to you. In the distance you can see the red tiled dome of the Duomo or the Cathedral de Santa Maria dei Fiori. I’m sure you’ve all heard about it but in case you haven’t, it took one hundred seventy years to build, and it is famous for its pink and green marble. I know some of you are going to spend time in Florence when you leave the Castello di Nardo, and I hope you’ll spend some time at the Duomo. There is nothing else like it anywhere in the world.

  “The second thing I want to point out is the Ponte Vecchio. You can see this ancient bridge in the distance where it spans the Arno River. It withstood the German invasion in World War II and also the overflowing flood waters of the Arno River on several occasions. Until 1218 it was the only bridge that crossed the Arno. There had always been shops on the bridge, such as butchers and others, but in 1593 Ferdinand I decreed that from then on only goldsmiths and jewelers would be allowed to have shops there. He said it would help the people. I think the only thing it helps now,” she said laughing, “are the shopkeepers who cater to the tourists. The bridge is known all over the world for its gold and jewelry shops, and I venture to say that most of the tourists who come here buy something from the shops.”

  Well I’m going to be one of them, Kelly thought, and I don’t care how schmaltzy it is. I’m going to remember how beautiful this area is and how wonderful the food was every time I wear whatever it is Mike’s going to buy me.

  Chef Bianchi resumed speaking, “The building we are now approaching is the Mercato Centrale. If we become separated, we will meet at four-thirty next to the bronze boar statue you can see next to the entrance. No matter what your food preferences may be, you will find them here. I hope you brought a camera, because this market really is amazing. I believe this is a place for people to explore on their own, so while I will be with you, I won’t be conducting a tour as such, but feel free to ask me any questions you might have. I’ll be happy to interpret for you if you wish to speak to a shopkeeper. Oh, one other thing. The shopkeepers will call out to you with their specials of the day, and if you want to buy something, keep in mind that haggling is considered an art here. It is rare to ever pay the asking price of anything here at the market. Have fun.”

  Kelly had never been comfortable traveling in groups, so while the rest of the students slowly moved as a group from stall to stall, she walked up the stairs to the second floor and began exploring the vast array of food that seemed to stretch endlessly. Chef Bianchi was absolutely right. No matter what kind of food you wanted, the Mercato had it, and probably in all the varieties in which it could be made. For the next two hours, she explored shops that ranged from ones that specialized in salty Tuscan prosciutto to shops that specialized in sheep’s milk cheeses. There were pastas of every kind, dried and fresh, as well as more loaves of every kind of bread than she had ever seen in her life displayed on simple wooden shelves and in barrels. She was glad she’d visited the second floor first because most of the stalls that sold food to go were there. Since she was still relatively full from lunch, even though everything tempted her, she didn’t buy anything to eat.

  Quite some time later Kelly looked at her watch and realized she only had a few more minutes before she was to meet up with the group. She wandered into a produce section on the first floor, and seeing some produce she had never seen before, asked the woman working in the stall what kinds of vegetables she was selling. She asked the question in English as most of the shopkeepers spoke English well enough to converse with the tourists, but this woman replied, “I no speak English.”

  Kelly switched to Italian and learned that the woman was filling in for her sister who had become ill that morning. She told Kelly about the various different vegetables that were on display and how to cook them. They talked to each other for several minutes. As Kelly turned to leave she saw Chef Bianchi walking out of an adjacent stall and hurrying towards the entrance. She looked back at Kelly with a perplexed look on her face.

  That’s strange. It’s almost as if she didn’t want me to see her. Wonder what that’s all about. Oh well, time to go.

  CHAPTER 21

  The students arrived back at the castle about six o’clock, and just as he had done the day before, Caesar was waiting for Kelly by the front door to the castle. As soon as she stepped out of the van, he loped over to her, covering her with wet kisses. “I’m glad to see you, too, big guy.”

  She bent down and petted him while the other students and the chef went into the castle. Kelly stood up, intending to follow them, but something stopped her. She faintly heard what sounded like angry voices coming from the direction where the Nardos resided in the castle. Kelly looked around and didn’t see anyone. Nonchalantly she strolled over to where three olive trees stood next to the window of the Signor’s living quarters and stepped behind them. “Caesar, come,” she whispered. The big dog followed her. She gave him a hand movement, and he sat down.

  The voices she’d heard were male voices, and she could just make out what they were saying.

  “Now that my sister is dead, this castle is rightfully mine, and I’m going to file a lawsuit to get it and have you thrown off the property.”

  That must be Salvadore Nardo, the chef’s husband, Kelly thought.

  A second man Kelly was pretty sure was Signor Nardo responded. “What are you talking about? As her husband, Tonia willed the property to me. We both made Wills several years ago that designated the other one as the sole beneficiary of our property. I intend to file the papers tomorrow. Tonia didn’t believe in maudlin funerals, so I had her remains cremated. Now I can get on with what must be done. The police chief wants to talk to me, but I know nothing about her death. What I do know is that the Castello di Nardo is mine, and I want you to get off of my land. I don’t know what ever made you think you had any right to the land in the first place.”

  “It is the land of my ancestors. The Nardos have owned this land for centuries. My mother told me when she and my father were making out their Wills and giving the land to Tonia that they had put a clause in the Wills stipulating if anything ever happened to her, the property would go to the closest person who was a Nardo. That would be me. There is no one else who should inherit that property. The castle is mine.”

  “You fool,” Stefano laughed mockingly. “Your mother told you that just to keep you from making a huge scene when Tonia inherited it. I know they gave you a great deal of money to make up for it. Tonia told me you lost it all because of gambling. There is not and never was a document stipulating that you or any other Nardo should have the castle and the land. Tonia named me as her sole beneficiary. I looked at the Will last night, and it said something to the effect that no one other than Stefano Drago, who has taken the Nardo name, shall inherit any part of the Castello di Nardo.”

  “So who did she hire to draw up the Will? Was it Giovanni Rizzo?”

  “Why do you ask?” Signor Nardo said in a steely voice.

  “If he drew it up, you can plan on it that he doctored the Will so it wouldn’t show that I should have the property if anything happened to Tonia.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “Everyone knows that he and Tonia were having an affair. If you didn’t know about it, you’re the fool, not me.”

  “Let me tell you a couple of things. First of all Tonia hired a lawyer in Florence to draw up our Wills. Secondly, whether or not she was having an affair with Giovanni Rizzo makes no difference to me. Our marriage had become nothing more than a marriage of convenience. If she was having an affair with Giovanni, so be it. I have had my share of affairs. She’s dead now, and it really doesn’t matter, but I’m not dead, and I am the one she named as her heir. I’ve had enough. Get out of my house and off of my property, or I will call the police chief and have you arrested. There will be no reading of the Will, since I am the only heir. Let me write down the name and phone nu
mber of her attorney, and you can confirm it with him. I’ll call him and tell him I told you to call and ask if you are named in the Will as a beneficiary. Once the Will is filed with the court it will be public knowledge. Here’s his name and phone number.”

  “You do that, but let me tell you one thing. Your loving wife was having an affair with Giovanni Rizzo. Everybody knew about it and referred to you as a cuckold. Yes, you’re the one who’s the fool. Why do you think Tonia hired Luisa to be the chef at her cooking school? We both know she’s a good cook but hardly the best in Italy. I told Tonia if she didn’t hire Luisa, I would tell you about the affair. That’s why Tonia agreed to hire Luisa. It had nothing to do with Lucia’s cooking skills, although she does seem to be doing a good job as the chef at the school.”

  With those words, Salvadore grabbed the piece of paper out of Stefano’s hand and stomped out of his living quarters. It happened so quickly that there was nothing Kelly could do but hope he was angry enough he’d go directly to his car and not see her hiding behind the trees. She was in luck. A few minutes later she heard a car driving rapidly down the lane to the highway. She stayed there for several minutes trying to digest what she’d just heard.

  I’ve got to tell Mike about this. Evidently the Signora’s brother thought he was going to inherit the property if Tonia died. If he thought that, it makes him a suspect, because he would have a very good reason to murder her. Mike always says to figure out who has the most to gain from the murder. It looks like a lot of people thought they would gain something if she died. Signor Nardo says he’s the one who will inherit the property. If Signora Nardo did deed the property over to Giovanni Rizzo prior to her death, he would wind up owning the property. I can’t forget about Signora Rizzo. She wouldn’t get the property, but she’d probably get her husband back if Tonia was dead. And last but not least, there’s Berto Moretti. He wouldn’t be getting the property either, but he’d be getting rid of his competition. Why can’t Mike ever get a case where there’s just one suspect?

  She looked around and didn’t see anyone. “Caesar, let’s go.” The big dog had been sitting next to her and waiting for direction from her. At her words he stood up and followed her into the castle and up to her room.

  CHAPTER 22

  He’s got to be wrong, Salvadore thought, as he drove as fast as he could back to the small village. I know mother wouldn’t lie to me. The castle rightfully belongs to me. Lucia and I will be living there soon. Stefano is trying to get me to give up my rightful claim to the Castello di Nardo. I’m the one who is a true Nardo, not him. That wimp even took the name of Nardo to please Tonia. I’ll call the lawyer as soon as I get back to the house, and I know he’ll tell me that I’m the one who will inherit the castle. I’m surprised he hasn’t already called. Yes, Stefano is just trying to scare me, so I won’t make a claim on the property. I’ll have good news for Luisa when I talk to her tonight. She told me to call her after my meeting with Stefano.

  He parked his old car next to the weed infested yard in front of their house, and walked up the broken sidewalk to the front door. Sure will be glad to get out of this dump. It’s a far cry from a castle, that’s for sure. Salvadore walked quickly to the kitchen and opened the freezer, taking out an icy bottle of grappa. He uncapped it and drank it straight. That’s how the peasants do it. Guess I’m a peasant now, but that will all change when I have peasants working for me in the castle. I’ll be drinking aged grappa out of a special cognac glass. No more unaged grappa for me. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and poured some grappa into a dirty glass.

  The warmth of the grappa relaxed him, and he took the piece of paper with the name of the lawyer from the pocket of his simple grey shirt. The shirt and the black pants he wore were the best clothes he had, and he’d wanted to look like he belonged in the castle when he’d visited his brother-in-law.

  Salvadore sat down at the small kitchen table in the room which also served as their dining room and living room. Besides the front door that led into the room there were two other doors. One door led to their bedroom, and the other door led to a small bathroom which had a leaky shower and a toilet that seemingly never stopped running. Every time Salvadore used it, he thought about how it needed to be fixed. He’d usually feel bad after going in there and needed a small little glass of grappa so he’d feel better. He knew a lot of things needed to be done to the little house, but there was never any extra money to do them, and like he’d told Luisa, he couldn’t work because of his back.

  He picked up the phone and held it to his ear as his shaky hand dialed the number on the paper. In a moment a young woman answered the phone. “This is the law office of Signor Conti. How may I direct your call?”

  “I would like to speak with Signor Conti. Is he available?”

  “Si. May I tell him who is calling?”

  “Tell him it’s Signor Nardo, Tonia Nardo’s brother.”

  “He’ll be with you in a moment, Signor.”

  Salvadore picked up the glass of grappa and drained it as he waited for Signor Conti to come on the line. In a few moments, a voice said, “Signor Nardo, this is Signor Conti. How may I help you?”

  “My sister, Tonia Nardo, died a few days ago. I was told by our mother that if anything ever happened to Tonia, the castle was to revert to her nearest Nardo relative, which would be me. I understand you wrote her Will.”

  Signor Conti hesitated a moment. “Normally, I would not reveal the contents of a Will until it has been filed with the Court, but with her death there is no longer an attorney-client relationship. Her husband, Signor Nardo, or as he is also known, Stefano Drago, inherits the Castello di Nardo and everything in it. She named him as her sole beneficiary.”

  “No, that can’t be,” Salvadore said in an agitated voice. “My mother told me a clause had been put in my father’s and her Wills that stipulated if anything happened to Tonia the castle would revert to me. It simply can’t be.”

  Signor Conti took a deep breath and began to speak. “I’m sorry, Signor Nardo, but there was no such stipulation in your parents’ Wills. I drew them up, and I also drew up Tonia’s Will. Your parents’ Wills were filed with the court when they died in the automobile accident, and I processed the estate which they willed to Tonia. Tonia left everything to her husband. I’m sorry you were given this misinformation, but I remember your mother telling me something about it. I believe she told me, and forgive me, that you had a gambling problem, and she didn’t want the castle to be sold because of your debts. She told me that she had told you it would revert to you, but she also told me that she said that only to placate you. As I recall, you inherited quite a large sum of money when your parents died. Your parents felt that if you gave up gambling and were gainfully employed, Tonia would do something to help you, and she was told that by them. Since Tonia never mentioned she was helping you, I can only assume your situation hasn’t changed.”

  “So what you’re telling me is that I get nothing, and that silly fool my sister married gets everything. Is that right?”

  “If you prefer to look at it that way, you are correct. Again, I’m sorry that you’ve thought you would inherit something all these years. I’m going to have to end this conversation, because I’m due in court in a few minutes. Thank you for calling and good luck to you.” With that, he ended the call.

  Salvadore sat with the phone in his hand, stunned. Stefano was right. I get nothing. He hung up the phone and walked over to the freezer. He took out the grappa bottle and poured himself another glass. What now? What will Luisa think? I promised her when we were married that someday we would live in the castle. It’s probably the only reason she married a loser like me. I know Stefano won’t keep her on as the cooking school’s chef. He’ll probably hire that chef Luisa overheard Tonia talking to, Elena Oberti. What will we do for money? I can’t work, and the only other place that has a cooking school is the Moretti Palazzo, and I know he’ll never hire her.

  He took a long drink from
the glass trying to figure out what to do next. Maybe Luisa can find work in one of the little cafes in the village that cater to tourists. He took another drink and looked at his watch. She told me to call her after I talked to Stefano to see when we would be moving into the castle. I better not call her now. She’s probably doing the last of the preparations for dinner. I’ll wait until after dinner and call her then. What if she leaves me? I’ve wondered if the only reason she stays with me is because of the castle.

  He looked around the pathetic little room and for the first time realized there was a definite possibility that very soon he might be out on the street with nowhere to go. Luisa had inherited the little house from her parents, and it was hers. The more he thought about it, the more he was certain she would leave him. For the first time in his life, he had no idea what he should do, and he knew with a sickening certainty that Luisa didn’t really care about him. He had no one.

  CHAPTER 23

  Kelly opened the door to their room, hoping that Mike had returned from spending the day with Chief Varano. She quickly looked around, realized he wasn’t there, and from the looks of the room, she was pretty sure he hadn’t been back. She took her cell phone out of her purse and called him.

  “Hello, sweetheart. How’s your day been?” Mike said when he answered the phone.

  “Interesting, but I want to hear how the search went. Did you find out whether or not Giovanni was embezzling funds from his clients?”

  “Yes. We found some files that clearly indicated he was embezzling funds. The stupid man left a paper trail that was really easy to follow. He’d written down the dates he’d taken funds from each account. It was pretty easy to go to his personal account and see where he had deposited the exact same amount into that account. We also brought in a computer expert to find out if he there’s anything on the computer we should know about or that’s incriminating. He’s got the computer and said it would take a couple of days.”