CRUMBLED TO PIECES

by BRUNS, CATHERINE

  "Why didn't the alarm go off?" Brian wanted to know.

  "Nicoletta said she dropped by last night to get a few items left upstairs. She thinks she may have forgotten to turn it back on. Her friend Ronald was with her."

  Brian narrowed his eyes. "Ronald Feathers? The old man who lives down your street and couldn't hear a train coming if it ran next to him?"

  "The very same one." Ronald was Mrs. Gavelli's sometime boyfriend. He was eighty years old and hard of hearing, which might not be a bad thing where Nicoletta was concerned. "I didn't know Nicoletta still had the key to the building, but I politely asked for it back this morning."

  He folded his arms across his chest. "Well, isn't that great. I should probably ask her if she has anything useful to add." Nicoletta and my grandmother were downstairs in the bakery. They had insisted on following us over when learning about the break-in.

  Josie pursed her lips together. "It's not the first time this has happened since Allegra signed the lease. Those two witches forgot to turn the alarm on once before."

  The three of us stood in the middle of the mess as we talked. Photos had already been taken, along with our statements. The bakery had been broken into and trashed once before, but fortunately nothing had been touched in it this time. Allegra's apartment was going to be a joy to clean up. She hadn't moved much furniture in, but the entire kitchen was in shambles. Contents of the drawers had been dumped out, and someone had even taken a hammer to the cash register, still perched on the folding table. The candies that remained in her display case had been removed and smashed onto the hardwood floors—from the looks of it, with someone's shoe. Chocolate smears covered the lace curtains as well.

  The adjoining bedroom was empty, except for a small sofa Allegra had moved in there. She'd also hung a framed embroidered motto on the wall. The design was—of all things—a fortune cookie cracked open, and its message portrayed on a strip of paper read, "Your Fortune Looks Bright."

  Josie laughed and pointed at the picture. "Hey, would you look at this. The old lady really did love her fortune cookies. Maybe that's why she decided to steal ours."

  "What you say?" Nicoletta had appeared in the open doorway of the apartment. "Allegra make that with her own two hands. She steal nothing." She started toward Josie, only to be held back by my grandmother.

  "Not again," Brian groaned. "Ladies, let's try to stay focused here. Mrs. Gavelli, when Sally called me about the break-in, she said you had an intruder in your house earlier this morning as well. It may have been the same person."

  "Well, duh." Nicoletta rolled her eyes.

  Brian blinked, and I did too. Yeah, it's always good to disrespect a cop, Mrs. G.

  He let out a sigh and continued. "They were obviously looking for something. Any idea what?"

  "It the same person who murder Allegra," Nicoletta declared.

  Brian raised an eyebrow at her. "What makes you think she was murdered?"

  She looked at him like he was some type of imbecile. "Of course she murdered. What the matter? You not put two and two together here, sonny? Someone run Allegra over to get her out of way. Now they want what she have."

  Brian bit into his lower lip as if he was trying to hold his temper. "And what does she have that they might want?"

  She shook her head. "I dunno. But Allegra, she tell me something last week. Very strange. She say, 'Nicoletta, if something happen to me, you take care of things. Make sure justice served.'"

  Her words made me uneasy. It sounded as if Allegra knew her life was in danger. "Did you find anything on Allegra's body after the car hit her?" I asked Brian.

  Brian shook his head. "Only one of your fortune cookies in her hand, which you already knew." He hesitated then addressed Nicoletta and my grandmother. "Ladies, would you mind going downstairs to the bakery for a minute so I could speak with Sally alone?"

  "Why?" Nicoletta demanded. "You want to make date with her? For shame. She married woman."

  I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling. "Grandma, please get her out of here."

  Brian glared at Nicoletta but said nothing further.

  "We will go." Grandma Rosa took hold of Nicoletta by the arm.

  Josie followed them out of the apartment. "I've got to get some more cookies in the oven, and since it's past nine, I'll open the shop." She winked at me. "But I'll come back up if we don't have any customers waiting."

  As soon as Brian heard their feet on the stairs, he removed his hat and scratched the top of his head thoughtfully. "Sally, I don't want Mrs. Gavelli to know about this yet, but we have reason to believe she may be right. Allegra Fiato's death was no accident. We're going to be ruling it a homicide."

  My mouth went dry. "What exactly did you find out?"

  "We located an eyewitness," Brian explained. "A ten-year-old boy who lives down the street was riding his bike when the hit-and-run occurred. He saw the car coming, so he quickly rode his bike onto the sidewalk. When questioned, he told us that the car never even slowed down after it hit Allegra. He couldn't tell me anything about the make or model—only that it had two doors and was red. We got the paint chips back from the lab and have managed to narrow it down. The car that hit Allegra was a red Chevy Camaro, most likely a late-80s model."

  "Wow." That impressed me. "It's amazing what you can find out these days."

  He grinned. "Yep. It really is a fascinating process. We're trying to keep this quiet for now, but if Mrs. Gavelli finds out…" He blew out an exasperated breath. "Well, I'm afraid that she'll blab to everyone. If the person who ran Allegra over is still in town with the vehicle, we don't want them alerted."

  "I won't breathe a word to her," I said. "Can I tell Josie at least though? And my grandmother? Neither one of them will say anything."

  Brian threw up his hands in annoyance. "Hey, why not? What's two more people, right? Your grandmother probably has some idea of what's going on anyway. She always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else."

  No kidding. Grandma Rosa was like my own personal fortune cookie, except that she only had kind and nice things to say.

  "So now what?" I asked. "Obviously Mrs. Gavelli is in danger because of the note I showed you. Allegra must have had something incriminating on this person who ran her down, and it's obvious they will stop at nothing to get what they want. My grandmother has insisted on moving in with Mrs. Gavelli for the next few days. Brian, I'm terrified something might happen to her as well."

  He nodded. "That's understandable. Knowing your grandmother, I doubt she'd leave her friend alone, though. What about Johnny? Would he be willing to move back in with his grandmother for a while?"

  "Yes, but he's flying to California for a friend's wedding this afternoon."

  There were footsteps on the stairs, and Nicoletta appeared again. "I no need my grandson to babysit me," she said in a bitter tone, obviously having overheard us. "I got baseball bat." She thrust a finger toward Brian. "You know who killer is?"

  He smiled patiently as if she was a child. "Mrs. Gavelli, we aren't certain that your friend was murdered."

  "You no give me that bull. I know she murdered." Nicoletta started to count on her hands. "Her children a bad lot. They could do this. And the people who live across the street from me, they no like her. She call police and tell them they smoke weed."

  "The Gardners?" This surprised me. I didn't know the young couple well, since they'd only moved into the neighborhood last year. Rachel and Carl Gardner were a couple of years younger than Mike and me and had a baby daughter. From what my father had said, they liked to have barbecues on the weekends and invite friends over.

  My father and mother had relayed the story to me last month of how the Gardners had gotten a little rowdy late one night, and Dad had gone over to ask them to keep it down. My mother had awakened at two in the morning to find herself alone in bed. She'd tracked Dad down across the street, where he'd been busy partying with the younger crowd. "They're good people," Dad told us later on. "And they love my blog."<
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  "What does that have to do with anything?" Brian asked Nicoletta.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. "They tell Allegra to mind her own business or she be sorry."

  Brian sighed as he wrote something down on a pad of paper. "All right. Anyone else?"

  Grandma Rosa waved her hand impatiently. "The Gardners are a nice young couple. They have a little girl. They do not bother anyone. Yes, they have many friends who come over on the weekend. So what? Allegra should not have been sticking her mouth where it did not belong."

  "Nose, Grandma," I mumbled.

  She nodded. "That works too."

  Nicoletta gave my grandmother the evil eye. "Whatever." She turned her attention back to Brian. "Allegra's children no like her either. Her own flesh and blood! Disrespectful little maggots."

  The woman always had such a way with words.

  Brian checked his notes. "Are Anna and Enzo Fiato still in town?" he asked.

  "Yes, they stay at hotel and then go home soon." Nicoletta clenched her jaw. "They no welcome in my house."

  "What about Allegra's other daughter?" Brian turned a page. "Violet? No one's had any luck getting ahold of her?"

  Nicoletta shook her head. "She no answer her phone. Anna tell her about service the other day, but she no come. After that, no answer phone anymore. Lena, Allegra's niece, call to tell her about the will and money, but she not hear back. I bet Violet send someone to break into my house."

  Brian's expression was pained. "We don't have any proof that's what happened, Mrs. Gavelli."

  Heels clacked on the wooden stairs, and Josie appeared. "What's going on?" she asked as she walked into the apartment.

  Nicoletta tapped a finger to the side of her head. "Bologna. Violet a bad lot too. I get to the bottom of this. Someone kill my friend, and I find out who did it. Violet might know. So I go."

  Brian raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You're going where?"

  "I go to Vegas and talk to Violet myself." Nicoletta folded her arms triumphantly over her chest.

  "Holy cow," Josie breathed. "Sin City will never be the same."

  "Grandma," I pleaded. "Tell her to stay put. She'll listen to you." Nicoletta shouldn't be traveling by herself to Vegas. If Johnny came back home to find his grandmother gone, he would freak for sure. Plus, the woman might end up in jail while she was there.

  Brian rocked back on his heels for a moment, and his mouth twitched at the corners. "Maybe that isn't such a bad idea."

  I cocked my head to the side and studied him. "Okay, exactly how is this a good idea?"

  Nicoletta grunted with apparent satisfaction. "I go now and make plane reservations. Rosa, you come to Vegas with me."

  It was an order, and my grandmother did not take orders from anyone. She glanced from Nicoletta to me, over at Brian, and then back to me again. To my shock and surprise, she merely bobbed her head up and down. "Yes, I go."

  "Good." Nicoletta crooked a finger at Josie. "I need fortune cookie to bring me luck. You get me some now."

  "Forget it." Josie said stubbornly and refused to move.

  "Please," I whispered in her ear. "Humor her for a moment while I find out what exactly is going on with my grandmother."

  She exhaled sharply. "Okay, but I'd better get all the details." Josie turned to follow the elderly woman down the stairs. "And hurry up before I have a sudden urge to choke her."

  I leaned against the display case. "Okay, Brian. Please explain how this is a good idea. My grandmother and Nicoletta Gavelli on a plane to Vegas? Perhaps Nicoletta would like to visit a strip club while she's there too."

  Grandma Rosa's face broke into a smile. "Sally, my love, I can take care of myself and Nicoletta as well."

  "It will keep them safe and out of harm's way until Johnny gets back." Brian turned to my grandmother. "That is, if you're planning on going right away."

  My grandmother nodded. "Nicoletta first mentioned it after the break-in. She is very upset that Violet did not come and is suspicious of the girl. I cannot let her go there alone. We are thinking about leaving Friday morning. Nicoletta and I can stay at my daughter's house until then." Grandma Rosa's warm brown eyes fixated on me. "Cara mia, will you come to Vegas with us?"

  The sudden request startled me. "Grandma, I have a business to run. I can't just pick up and leave anytime I want to."

  She heaved a sigh. "I know this. But I would like for you to come, and Mike too, if possible. I did promise to take you both on a trip, remember? I will pay for the money you lose from the bakery."

  I shook my head vehemently. "I'm not worried about that. But there's no way Mike will be able to go. He's in the middle of a job that has to be finished by this weekend."

  "Well, perhaps Josie would like to go in his place, then."

  This was all happening too fast. "We have orders to be delivered on Friday, so someone would have to be at the bakery for at least a little while. Plus, there are other things I have to consider too."

  Grandma Rosa knitted her eyebrows together. "Like what?"

  This was not the time or place to reveal my secret. Since my grandmother was a bit like a soothsayer at times, I had thought she might know, but she'd given no indication that she did. "Well, next weekend is also my first wedding anniversary, you know."

  She chuckled under her breath. "We will be back in plenty of time for that. If we can get a flight Friday morning, it is my hope to return by Sunday night. I do not like to be away from home for long. As I said, I will pay for both you and Josie to go."

  "Go where?" Josie walked back into the apartment. "Nicoletta's downstairs on her phone. I think she's calling Southwest Airlines about plane reservations. I've got to listen for the front door. If a customer comes in to buy cookies, she'll scare them away forever."

  "How would you like to go to Las Vegas with Sally, me, and Nicoletta? It would be my treat," Grandma Rosa said.

  Josie's mouth opened in amazement. "Are you serious? Aw hell, yes! I've always wanted to go to Vegas. The latter person excluded, but hey, no trip is perfect."

  "It would only be for three days," Grandma Rosa explained. "We are hoping to leave on Friday and come back on Sunday. You would not be leaving Rob and the kids for too long."

  Josie grinned. "Well, this might sound terrible, but I don't have a problem with that. I need a vacation bad. And any trip that doesn't include diapers or screaming kids is definitely a vacation. I'll have to make sure my mother-in-law can help out, but that shouldn't be a issue."

  All three of them looked over at me expectantly. Now I was really torn. While Josie might have wanted a break from Rob and the kids, I hated leaving my husband. It would be the first time we'd been separated overnight since our wedding. A few months ago, I'd had to stay in the hospital for a night, and he'd stayed right by my side.

  However, this meant so much to my grandmother, and there was no way I could deny her anything—she had done too much for me during my lifetime. Plus, it was an opportunity for poor Josie to have a well-deserved vacation, one she couldn't normally afford on her own. Grandma Rosa was worried about Nicoletta, and I in turn was worried about her safety if she stayed alone with the woman. Someone had already broken into Nicoletta's home once. What if they did it again? There was something of Allegra's that they wanted, but what was it?

  Maybe Violet had the answer. When we returned, Johnny could watch over his grandmother until the person was apprehended. Then Grandma Rosa would be free to return home to the bosom of her own crazy family—my mother and father.

  Having no choice, I relented. "Okay. I certainly don't want you two going alone but am not sure how I can help. I don't know Violet."

  "You will be a great help," Grandma Rosa insisted. "You will get to the bottom of this and find Allegra's killer. It will be another chance for you to put your detective skills to work. Remember what I said. You are a very good sloth."

  Brian's eyebrows shot up. "What did you call her?"

  "I'll explain later," I told him.

/>   CHAPTER EIGHT

  "When are you coming back?" Mike wanted to know.

  The remainder of Wednesday and Thursday had flown, and it was now Friday morning. Josie and I had rushed to fill orders for various parties and events happening this weekend. Josie had gone in early this morning to finish the baking. Gianna was stopping by for a couple of hours to help since she wasn't due in court until later today. On Saturday the shop would be closed, but our driver would make the rest of the deliveries.

  I zipped my duffel bag shut. "Late Sunday night. Now, I have to hurry. I'm meeting the gang at the bakery, and we're leaving for the airport from there. Plus, I have to make sure Gianna has everything she needs. There's some of my grandmother's lasagna and sausage and peppers in the freezer if you get hungry."

  He pulled me close. "The only thing I'll be hungry for is you. You know I hate sleeping alone. I'm going to miss you like crazy."

  Mike placed his mouth over mine, and desire quickly consumed me. He'd just spent the last hour letting me know how much I'd be missed, but as far as I was concerned, it was never enough. He'd purposely started his workday late so that we could spend a little alone time together this morning.

  "Take a later flight," he urged, moving his hands seductively underneath my shirt and grazing my skin gently with his fingertips.

  "You do make it tough to say no to you, Mr. Donovan." I reached up to peck him on the lips again. "Unfortunately, that's not an option right now. I can't miss the flight." I tugged on the front of his T-shirt playfully. "If it was anyone else, I'd say no, but this means so much to Grandma."

  Mike tucked a stray curl back behind my ear. "Your grandmother does so much for everyone else and asks for so little in return. I wouldn't want you to say no to her but confess I'm a bit selfish when it comes to sharing my princess. This is the first time we'll have been apart overnight since our wedding."