by Jessica Beck
“I could almost feel their breathing on the back of my neck,” I offered.
Elizabeth suddenly put the book down on the table in front of her. “Let’s face it. I never should have chosen this book. Why did no one veto it last month when I brought it up?”
“We knew you were going through a rough patch,” Jennifer said, patting Elizabeth’s hand lightly. “Besides, a change every now and then couldn’t hurt.”
“That’s clearly what my husband thinks,” Elizabeth said with a frown.
“Now, Elizabeth, you don’t know that for sure,” Hazel said. “Remember when I suspected that my husband was cheating? It all turned out to be perfectly innocent in the end.”
“Sure, but I know that’s not the case for me.”
I wanted to brighten the mood a little. “What did A.B. Yardling have to say when you contacted him?”
“He was short, dismissive, and entirely uninterested in having any kind of conversation with me,” she said unhappily.
“Don’t take it personally,” I said, trying to make up for my misstep with her. “Most of the writers you get in touch with are absolutely delightful.”
“Most are,” she agreed. After taking a small bite of her donut, Elizabeth stood abruptly. “I’m sorry about today, but I really need to go.”
Before anyone could stop her, Elizabeth raced out of the donut shop, with Jennifer close behind her.
Hazel paused long enough to explain, “Everything at home is falling apart for her. Bye. Thanks for the treats.”
As I cleaned up after them, I couldn’t help but feel bad for Elizabeth. I’d had enough troubles during my first marriage to Max to realize that life could be miserable in an unhappy relationship, and if there was anything I could do to help her, I’d do everything in my power to help my friend through it.
Unfortunately, at the moment, there was nothing I could do, so I decided to get back to work and see what else my day brought me.
Chapter 8
I was still feeling a little blue about Elizabeth’s situation when some of my favorite customers came in. Terri Milner, along with her twin daughters, Jerri and Mary, came into the shop bubbling over with excitement about something.
“Hey, Suzanne,” Terri said, clearly worn out already, even though the day wasn’t halfway over yet. “Load them up with whatever they want, would you?”
The girls were being themselves, rambunctious as ever. “Are you sure you want to give them a sugar fix?”
“We’re going to the playground after we leave here, so they can run it all out of their systems. It’s the only hope I have of getting a nap later.”
“We’re big girls,” Jerri said proudly. “We don’t take naps anymore.”
“Naps are for sissies,” Mary chimed in.
“Well then, Mommy is the biggest sissy in the world,” Terri said. After the twins had modest treats and a pair of milks, Terri got a donut herself.
“When does school start back up?” I asked her.
“Eleven days, twenty-two hours and seven minutes,” she said, barely glancing at her watch.
“Has it been a long summer?” I asked her, trying to suppress my grin.
“No, not really. I miss them terribly when they’re gone, but Harry’s been traveling a lot for business this summer, and it’s been a challenge taking care of them alone.”
“Do they have any new crushes?” I asked, loving how openly adoring the girls were with their shared objects of affection. They both always liked the same boy, and it was never a problem for them, at least so far.
“Oh, yes. The flavor of the month is Mr. Garrison from the school.”
“Isn’t he a new teacher there?” I asked her.
“Yes, but I have to admit, the girls have good taste. Have you seen the man? He’s absolutely divine.”
“Does Harry have anything to worry about?” I asked her, still stinging a little from Elizabeth’s problems.
“Not a chance. He’s twenty-three years old, for goodness’ sake. I don’t have the energy for the two of them,” she said with a grin as she pointed to her daughters. “No, my heart is safe with Harry.” She said it with so much obvious love that it was exactly what I needed to counter my earlier experience with Elizabeth. I felt the same way about Jake that Terri did about her husband, and it was nice to see it in someone else.
“Mommy! There he is!” Both girls squealed and pointed out the window as the handsome young teacher walked by. He must have heard them through the window, because he gave them a big smile and a wave that sent them both diving into their seats for cover. He looked bemused by the situation, but once he was past, the girls raced toward their mother. “Come on. Let’s go!”
Terri had no choice but to be swept up in their enthusiasm, and the three Milner women left the donut shop, stalking the teacher and clearly having a wonderful time doing it.
It was nearing eleven, and I knew that Grace would be along soon. Since we were out of customers at the moment and our stock was perilously low, I decided to shut the place down early. After I locked the door and flipped the sign, I carried the last bin of dirty dishes in back.
Sharon was finished working and sweeping an obviously already clean floor.
“We’re shutting down early,” I said. “Is that okay with you?”
“You’re the boss,” she said with a grin. “We close when you say we close. Let me get those.”
After she emptied the bin’s contents into the sink, I started working on the front, and before too long, we had the place ready for the next day.
“Do you think Emma might come back tomorrow?” I asked Sharon lightly.
She frowned at the question. “Why do you ask? Was there something I didn’t do that I should have?” she asked, clearly a little put off by my question.
“You are a delight,” I said. “I was just asking. The truth is, I missed her.”
“If you don’t mind, let’s give her another day or two. She and I are set to run the shop in three days, and I’m sure she’ll be up to it by then.”
“If not, I don’t have to take time off this week,” I offered.
“Thanks, but I don’t want her to have too much time on her hands, if you know what I mean. Suzanne, are you sure about that big tip?”
“I’ve never been more positive about anything in my life,” I said with a grin.
“Okay. Thanks. I just wanted to make sure you were good with it.”
“You can be,” I said as I let her out. “Have a good afternoon, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I can’t wait,” she said, and then she was gone.
I was about to lock the door behind her when Grace rushed up, wearing simple slacks and a nice blouse, which was quite a change from the suits she generally wore on the job. “Hey,” she said nearly breathlessly.
“You didn’t have to race over here. I’m not ready to go yet.”
“No worries. I just wanted a donut before you threw them all out,” she said.
“Take your pick,” I said as I opened the three boxes of assorted leftovers.
“This looks great,” she said, grabbing a honey donut I’d just added recently. I still wasn’t sure about them myself, but enough folks liked them that they were staying on the menu, at least for the moment.
As I worked at finishing the deposit, my last task for the day at the donut shop, Grace sat there eating her donut and watching my every move.
“Wow, it appears that you get a snack and a show today,” I said with a smile.
“I skipped breakfast,” she explained. “Don’t worry. I’ll be able to eat lunch anytime. Are we going to the Boxcar?”
“Since we’re going to Union Square anyway, I thought we might pop in and grab a bite at Napoli’s, unless you have any objecti
ons,” I said with a smile.
There weren’t any, which I’d been suspecting would be the case. “That sounds great. After that, we can start digging around.”
“Actually, I thought we might mix business and pleasure while we were there. I have a hunch that at least one of the DeAngelis girls knew Simon Reed, so I thought we might be able to get a little background on him and the folks he surrounded himself with.”
“Will Angelica be okay with that?” Grace asked. We both knew that the matriarch of the clan loved us, but she was absolutely devoted to her girls.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get her permission before we start asking any questions,” I assured her.
“Then hurry up and finish. I’m starving,” she said, and then she popped the last bite of donut into her mouth.
“Poor neglected thing. You’re just wasting away, aren’t you?” I asked, smiling as I finished my deposit slip.
“Hey, you know I have a high metabolism,” she protested.
“I do. It’s one of the things I envy most about you. Well, that and your impeccable taste in best friends.”
“I do have a solid track record there,” she agreed.
Ten minutes later, the deposit finished and dropped off at the bank, we were in my Jeep and on our way to Union Square to see if we could track down Simon Reed’s killer before things fell completely apart for my assistant, her family, and just about everybody she cared about in the world. I had a hunch that at least one of the DeAngelis girls would be able to help us in our search for background information, but even if they couldn’t, we’d eat like royalty, and that was a win-win in my book if ever there was one.
“Suzanne! Grace! Welcome!” Angelica said as we walked into the kitchen at Napoli’s. Not many folks had all-access passes like we did, but Grace and I had been of service to the DeAngelis women on more than one occasion in the past, so Angelica was always happy to see us.
“Hey, ladies,” Sophia said as she frowned in concentration as she stared at a marble tabletop, which happened to be covered in rolled-out sheets of pasta.
“Trouble?” I asked her.
“No, I’m just trying to get the hang of this.”
“Would you like some advice?” Angelica asked her youngest daughter.
“No thank you, Mother,” she said grimly as she placed a scoop of what appeared to be a cheese blend on one section of the pasta.
“Suit yourself,” Angelica said, and in a softer voice, she told us, “She’s trying to develop a new type of ravioli. I don’t think it’s going to work, but why not let her experiment? What brings you two back into my kitchen? You’re not just here to eat, are you?”
“What gave us away?” I asked her.
“If it was only food you were after, Maria would have seated you out front already,” she said. Her daughter had tried to do just that, but we’d asked to be allowed into the kitchen, and Maria hadn’t even had to consult with her mother.
“True enough. Did you hear what happened last night at Donut Hearts?” I asked her.
“We’re not that far away, and besides, one of our own townsfolk was murdered. The entire area has been buzzing about it. I’m so sorry you had to find Simon’s body, Suzanne.”
“Did you know him well?” I asked gently. “If so, I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Certainly it’s a loss when any life is ended so short, but the young man certainly caused more than his fair share of trouble for me.”
“Did it have anything to do with your restaurant?” I asked her.
“No, it was more to do with one of my daughters,” she said.
“Sophia?” I asked softly.
“No, as a matter of fact, it was Maria,” she said with a frown. “We all warned her not to get tangled up with that young man, but she wouldn’t listen to us. Let’s just say that it didn’t end well.”
“Was this recent?” I asked. The last thing I wanted was to drag the DeAngelis clan into our murder investigation, but now that I knew one of the girls had dated the murder victim, I couldn’t turn back.
“That depends. Do you consider eight months ago recent?” she asked me. “He told my Maria that he loved her, but then that redheaded tart came along, and suddenly he forgot all about my daughter.”
“Let me get this straight,” Grace said. “He dumped Maria for Sherry West? I can’t even imagine how that is possible.”
“Evidently Ms. West was quite a bit freer with her favors than my daughter was,” Angelica said.
“Would you mind if we spoke with her about him?” I asked softly. “I don’t want to stir up any bad memories for her, and if you refuse, we’ll honor your request, but it might help us solve his murder.”
“Are you investigating because you found the body, or because it happened in your shop?” Angelica asked me.
“Those two points are valid, but Emma asked us to look into it, and that’s the driving reason. You see, Simon made a pass at her, a rather aggressive one, just before he was murdered. Not only is Emma under suspicion, but so are her mother and father, not to mention her boyfriend, Barton Gleason.”
“The hospital chef,” Angelica said with a nod. “He’s quite good, isn’t he?”
“You’ve eaten there yourself?” Grace asked her, clearly surprised by the idea.
“Why wouldn’t I? When I heard all of the raves about his work, I sought him out. He’s a delightful young man. He even invited me back into his kitchen.” After a few moments of hesitation, Angelica nodded. “It’s fine with me if you speak with Maria, but I have two conditions I must insist upon first.”
“Name them,” I said.
“You must respect Maria’s wishes. If she doesn’t want to talk to you about that dark period of her life, you both agree to drop your questioning immediately.”
“I’m a little hurt that you would even feel as though you had to ask that,” I said. “Angelica, I’d sooner cut off my own arm than trouble one of your children.”
She patted my hand and smiled. “I know that, Suzanne, but when you and Grace investigate a case, sometimes your enthusiasm can be a little overwhelming.”
I wanted to dispute the fact, but I couldn’t. “Agreed. What’s the second condition?”
“That you dine back here with us before you speak with her. She’s too busy right now to talk anyway, so by the time you’re finished eating, Sophia or I will take her place out front. Antonia is taking a well-deserved day off today, but we should be fine. What do you say?”
“Will you let us at least pay for our meal?” I asked her sternly.
“I will not,” she said firmly.
“Half price?” I countered.
“No. On these two points I will not, I cannot budge.”
“You heard the woman,” Grace said as she tugged on my arm. “We wouldn’t want to offend her.” I glanced over and saw that she was grinning widely.
“Very well. You have a deal,” I said, extending my hand.
Angelica shook it, and then she turned to Sophia. “How goes your experiment?”
“You’re right,” she said with a frown. “When I make them too big, they tend to fall apart in the water.”
“Try reducing the portion by half,” Angelica suggested. “It should be stable enough then.”
“What’s the use?” Sophia asked.
“Young lady, I did not raise you to be a quitter. If this is a success, I’ll even let you name the dish when we offer it on the menu.”
“Could I call it Loads of Yummy Goodness?” Sophia asked.
“You may not!” Angelica protested, at least until she saw her daughter’s broad grin. “You, young lady, will be the death of me someday.”
Sophia hugged her mother as she said, “I certainly hope it’s not anytime soon.”
“Why are you both still standing?” Angelica asked as she turned to look at us. “Take a seat. Your food will be ready soon.”
“But we didn’t even order yet,” Grace protested.
“Please. As my guests, I will choose your meals, unless you insist otherwise.”
I didn’t need to see Sophia shaking her head from side to side to know how to respond to that. “I’m sure that whatever you serve us will be wonderful.”
“Very well,” Angelica said, and then she turned to her daughter. “Let’s give them the new sampler you’ve been working on.”
Sophia frowned for a moment. “Are you sure? That’s a lot of food, Mom.”
Angelica shrugged. “Make it a smaller size then, but offer all of the same dishes,” she said. “Lunch for two.”
“We should offer that as a special,” Sophia said lightly. “We could serve it on Tuesdays and call it Two For Tuesday.”
“I like that,” Angelica said, clapping her hands together.
“I was just kidding,” Sophia protested.
“Well, I am not. One Two For Tuesday special, coming right up.”
“But it’s not even Tuesday,” Sophia said, putting up her last bit of resistance.
“It’s close enough,” Angelica said.
Soon enough, Grace and I were presented with a platter between us, with enough food for at least four people from the looks of it. There were offerings of lasagna, ravioli, spaghetti with meatballs, and a hearty salad making up the fourth quadrant.
“Dig in,” Angelica said as she served us with a flourish.
“Are you sure there should be this much food for two people?” Grace asked as she surveyed the offering.
“No worries, my friends. If there’s any left, I’ll box it up for you,” Angelica said.