Exotic Pizza Murder (Papa Pacelli's Pizzeria Series Book 9)

by Patti Benning

  “Let’s take a break,” she told her new employee. “You can make yourself a personal pizza or a calzone for lunch. Let’s meet back here in twenty minutes. I’ll let Clara take her break when you’re finished.”

  She slid her finger across the screen to answer the call and stepped out through the employee entrance. It was rare, but not unheard of, for Russell to call her when he knew she was at work. It was near the time that she normally took a lunch break anyway; it was possible he was calling to see if he could stop in so they might split something.

  “Hey,” she said. “How are you?”

  “Good,” he said. She was relieved to hear that his voice was normal. She hated it, but whenever he called, she couldn’t help but worry that he was the bearer of bad news. It was just one of the many things that came along with dating the sheriff of Kittiport. “How’s everything there? I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

  “I just told Billy, that’s the new employee, to take a break. I’m glad you called, actually; otherwise, I might have worked right through lunch.”

  He chuckled. “Poor kid doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into. Actually, that’s why I called.”

  “Billy?”

  “No, you. You deserve a night off, and —”

  “Wait, Russell… have you been talking to my grandmother?”

  “She may have called me earlier today. But I’ve been wanting to take you out to dinner anyway, you know that.”

  She sighed. It was true. He kept trying to make plans with her, but she had been so busy making sure everything was going smoothly with the installation of the new patio that she kept putting it off. There had been one night that they had made plans, but he had been forced to go and help with a major three car accident on the state highway just outside of town. It seemed like it was hard to make plans, but even harder to keep them.

  “I’ve got to be here every evening this week,” she said. “Billy needs training, and Rose is out of town for spring break. We’re going to be busier than ever with the patio opening. They need me.”

  “I’m sure your employees can handle it themselves for one night,” he said gently. “Just last week you told me how well everything was going, and that they hardly needed you.”

  “But that was before I hired Billy…”

  “Having Billy there should make things easier,” he pointed out. “He can go on deliveries on his own once Jacob shows him the ropes, can’t he? Kittiport isn’t exactly a big town; it’s not like he’s going to get lost.”

  “But what if his car breaks down? Or what if the power goes out, or one of the ovens stops working…”

  “Ellie, we’re just going to be at the White Pine Kitchen. You’ll have your phone with you. If something happens, you’ll only be a few minutes away. So how about it? Dinner and a movie, and maybe a walk at the pier afterward, if it’s nice out.”

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She knew that she had to make time for other aspects of her life than work, and this would fulfill her promise to her grandmother as well as her obligations to Russell.

  “Alright,” she said. “Dinner it is. How about Thursday night? By then Billy should be trained enough that he won’t need constant help, and we’ll have worked out the kinks after opening up the patio.”

  “Thursday is perfect,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at five.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  * * *

  Ellie spun in front of the mirror, trying to view herself from all angles. She was wearing a maroon dress with a gorgeous gold bracelet of her grandmother’s and low black heels — she hadn’t wanted to go too high in case they ended up taking that walk — and to tie it all off she had her favorite purse ready to go. She had left work a couple of hours ago, and had done her best not to check her phone constantly. The pizzeria hadn’t been that busy when she had taken her leave, but it was getting to be dinner time, and that was sure to change soon. Billy and Jacob would be doing deliveries together unless something came up, and Clara and Iris would be handling the register and kitchen.

  She was happy with Billy’s progress. He was a quick learner, and got along well with her other employees. He got along with everyone, really. The customers all seemed to love him, and he had already learned many of the regulars by name. He was fitting in so well that she felt more comfortable with the thought of hiring even more employees in the future. It might be a good idea to get some seasonal help for summer, she thought. It would be nice to take some of the work load off of my employees so they can enjoy their break from classes.

  She heard a knock downstairs and realized that Russell must be there. She gave herself one last look in the mirror, then grabbed her purse and went to greet him. In spite of all of her worries, she was really looking forward to tonight. It had been a while since she and Russell had gotten the chance to go out and just spend time together without any pressing time constraints. She really could use the evening off; it would be good for her to let her hair down occasionally.

  The White Pine Kitchen was the nicest restaurant in town. Ellie only ever went there on dates with Russell, or for special occasions like her friend Shannon’s birthday. It had been a while since the last time she had had reason to go, and she was pleasantly surprised to find that they had redone their decor.

  “It looks like everyone is getting ready for spring,” Russell said, looking around at the fresh flowers on the tables and the new lighting on the balcony. “It would be nice to eat out there sometime.”

  “I agree, though we should choose a night that’s less windy. I don’t want my food to blow away.”

  “That happened to Liam earlier. He stopped at the bakery and got a bagel for lunch. He put the bag on the roof of his car to unlock to door, and when he looked up, it was blowing down the road.”

  Ellie laughed. “Poor guy. I hope he got another one.”

  “The lady at the counter saw it happen and gave him one for free.”

  “People in Kittiport are so nice. You know, the other day Jacob and Billy were out on a delivery, and the customer gave them a double tip just to welcome Billy to the team. I love living and working in such a tight knit town.”

  “It’s nice most of the time,” Russell agreed. “Of course, there are downsides, too. If you don’t like someone, it’s almost impossible to avoid them.”

  “There’s someone you’re trying to avoid?” Ellie asked, surprised.

  “Not me.” He sighed. “I’m just thinking of a couple of guys we’ve had repeat complaints about. These two are neighbors, their kids are on the same baseball team, their wives both work at the same store. They compete over everything, and then get into shouting matches when something doesn’t go their way. The other day, we got called in on a domestic disturbance complaint because they got into an argument at the grocery store over who was going to buy the last steaks from the butcher.”

  “That sounds ridiculous,” Ellie said. “They’re grown men. The should be setting a good example. Their kids are going to grow up just like them.”

  “And my successor will be breaking up arguments between them,” Russell said with a sigh. “It never ends. But enough about my job. How’s the new patio working out for you?”

  They paused to place their order. Ellie took a sip of her wine before answering his question.

  “It’s doing even better than I hoped, with it being so early in the year still. I almost wish I had thought to add the outdoor seating last year. The view of the marina is just perfect. I think we’re going to be packed during tourist season.”

  “Good.” He raised his glass in a toast. “To the pizzeria.”

  She smiled and clinked her glass against hers. “To the pizzeria — and the rest of this crazy town.”

  Her phone buzzed just as she lifted the glass to her lips. She pulled it out of her purse and checked the screen. It was a text message from Jacob. She shot a guilty glance at Russell.

  “Sorry,” she said. “It’s from work. I should probably
at least read it. I don’t think Jacob would interrupt us unless it was important.”

  “Go ahead. You know my work phone is always on, too. I can’t exactly blame you for answering yours. How many times have we had to cancel plans because the department needed me?”

  “Yeah, but you’re the sheriff. You save lives.” She wrinkled her nose. “I just make pizzas. This won’t take long, I promise.”

  She opened the message and frowned at what she saw. Sorry, I had to leave early. Got sick. Clara, Iris, and Billy said they can handle everything.

  “What is it?”

  “Jacob is sick and left early.” She was glad he had gone home; she had a strict policy about people not coming in if they were ill. Even with frequent hand washing, it just wasn’t sanitary to have germs around food. She just wished it could have happened on a different night. Was Billy ready to handle the deliveries on his own? “Do you think they’ll be okay without me? It’s dinner time, and the pizzeria will be at its busiest.”

  The sheriff covered her hand with his. “Ellie, they’ll be fine. Go if you want to, but I’d really rather you stay here and finish dinner with me. We don’t get time together like this very often.”

  “I know.” She took a deep breath, then smiled at him. “You’re right. They’ll be fine. I need to stop worrying so much.”

  An hour later, Ellie smiled up at the waitress as the woman delivered her favorite dessert; lava cake with real vanilla ice cream. She was glad that she had let her grandmother and then Russell talk her into taking some time off to just relax. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed just being with Russell. I really need to make more time for him, she thought. And for Shannon, too. I don’t want to be so busy with the pizzeria that I lose my friends. She realized with a rush of guilt how many times she had turned down an invitation from Shannon to get together in just the past few weeks. She had been ignoring her very best friend.

  I’ll be able to take some more time off once Billy is fully trained, she rationalized. It’s just that these past few weeks have been crazy, with all of the construction for the patio going on. Things would get back to normal soon, and she was sure once they did, she would stop feeling so overworked.

  “What movie do you want to see?” Russell asked her as he started on his slice of New York style cheesecake. “There are two playing at the Kittiport Theater, and both of them start in the next hour.”

  He slid his phone across the table so she could read the movie descriptions. Both of them looked interesting to her. It had been a while since she had seen anything in the theater.

  “I’d be happy with either one. Which do you want to see more?”

  He was about to answer when his phone rang. “See, it’s not just you,” he said as he answered it.

  Smiling, she poked her spoon into the lava cake. She was glad that they both had jobs that demanded a lot of attention. She was sure it made them more understanding toward each other when work got in the way of time together.

  She glanced up, and was surprised to see Russell’s brows drawn together in consternation. Something bad must have happened, she thought. Something really bad.

  “Right, I’ll meet you there in a few minutes, Liam. I’ve got to pay for dinner first. Get his wife and kid out of the house. Find some place to set them up for the night. I’ll question them when I get done at the house.” He hung up and turned a grim look to Ellie.

  “What happened?” she asked, feeling her face go pale.

  “A murder,” he said. “I’m sorry, but we’ve got to go. I’ll drop you off at home first. Can we take a raincheck on that movie?”

  “Of course,” she said. “It sounded like the victim had a wife and a child? They need you right now, that’s more important than any movie.”

  He gave her a quick kiss, then called for the check. Ellie felt terrible; someone had died, and had left behind a family. She was sure tonight wouldn’t be easy for Russell. She couldn’t even imagine trying to talk to the dead man’s grieving wife. I don’t know how he does his job, she thought. Even if he catches the killer, there won’t be any happy ending for the victim’s family. Their lives are changed forever, and nothing will ever put things back to normal.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  * * *

  It was still early when Ellie got home. Normally she would be at the pizzeria for another hour, at least. She knew that she should learn to let go, but Jacob’s text had made her anxious. What if her three employees got overwhelmed? Normally three people would be enough to manage Papa Pacelli’s even on the busiest of nights, but Billy was still new and needed help occasionally. There needed to be one person in the kitchen while there was food in the oven, which meant that they would have to plan their bathroom breaks carefully.

  They’re probably fine, she thought. Thursday nights are busy, but they aren’t that much busier than the rest of the week. Clara’s been working there for ages. She knows how to handle things. Despite her assurances to herself, she just couldn’t relax. It seemed ridiculous for her to sit at home while Russell was out in town dealing with the aftermath of a brutal crime, and her employees were as busy as bees trying to keep things going smoothly at the pizzeria.

  “I’m going in,” she said aloud, shooting a glance toward the kitchen where her grandmother was relaxing with her normal cup of tea. She knew the older woman would want her to stay home and let the others do their job, but she couldn’t ignore the fact that the pizzeria was her responsibility. She could take another, less busy evening off. Tonight, Papa Pacelli’s needed her.

  The parking lot was more than halfway full when she pulled in twenty minutes later. She had only ever seen it more full once; the evening of the local high school’s homecoming game. The combination of the nice weather, the fact that many schools were out on spring break, and the new outdoor eating area must have made Papa Pacelli’s the place to go that evening. The breeze had died down, and she saw that most of the outdoor tables were full. People were laughing and eating, and she even saw a few dogs lying politely under the chairs. Smiling, Ellie let herself in through the employee entrance.

  “Oh, Ms. P., you surprised me,” Iris said. She gave a small laugh. “I was expecting Billy.”

  “I just thought I’d stop in and see how things were going. Is he out on a delivery?”

  “Yeah. This is his third one on his own.”

  “How has he been doing?”

  “He was a bit late after the first one, but other than that he’s been great. He hasn’t lived here his whole life like some of us, so he probably just got turned around.”

  Ellie chuckled. “I know the feeling.” She had grown up in the small northern Maine town, but she and her mother had moved away before she graduated high school. She didn’t know the town as well as someone like Russell or Shannon, who had lived there their entire lives, did. “How has the evening been going other than that? I heard Jacob got sick and had to go home.”

  “Yeah. He felt really bad. He thinks it was food poisoning from some fast food he got earlier. It probably wasn’t contagious, but he knows how you are about us going home if we’re sick.”

  “I’m glad he decided to be safe about it.” She had worked hard to build up the pizzeria’s reputation. The last thing she needed was for people to get sick from one of her employees. In such a small town, accusations like that would spread like wildfire.

  “Everything else has been fine. People are happy. The wait time is about twenty minutes for a pizza, and no one’s complaining. The patio is super popular. People love that they can bring their dogs. Clara and I have been switching off serving tables and working in the kitchen.”

  “It sounds like you got that handled,” Ellie said. “I should have known you would take care of it.”

  The employee door opened behind her and she moved out of the way as Billy came in. He raised his eyebrows when he saw her.

  “Hi, Ms. Pacelli. I thought you were on a date tonight.”

  Iris shot him a look, but Ellie just
chuckled. “I was. The problem with dating a sheriff, is that sometimes things come up that are just more important than dinner. We had a nice meal, we’ll just have to catch the movie later.”

  “I saw a bunch of police cars while I was heading back from a delivery. I wonder if that was related to what happened?”

  “It could be. He got the call almost an hour after Jacob left, so you would have been doing deliveries on your own.”

  “I hope whatever happened wasn’t too serious,” Iris said. “And I hope it wasn’t anyone we know.”

  Ellie remained silent. She didn’t know if Russell wanted it getting out yet that there had been a murder. Sometimes she wished he wouldn’t tell her these things until the general public knew about them — but of course, if he didn’t tell her she knew she would probably be just as frustrated. Tomorrow, when he called her, she would learn more. Until then, she would have to keep her employees in the dark.