It Cannoli Be Murder (Bread and Batter Cozy Mysteries Book 3)

by Karoline Barrett

  “We have no proof that—”

  “Zoe!” Alex was interrupted by a male voice. A voice I recognized from earlier today.

  Edward came around the corner and stopped dead in his tracks. His eyebrows shot up in surprise, then down in an ugly frown. “I didn’t know you had company. What’s going on? Why are you two here?”

  Zoe turned toward him. “Did you tell Meg I gave birth to her, Edward?”

  He hung his head. “Oh Zoe, I don’t want to discuss this in front of them.”

  “Did you?” Her voice rose a pitch. “Oh, out with it, Edward. Just tell me.”

  “Yes, I told her, Zoe. She overheard us that day in the kitchen. I told her everything.”

  Her sharp intake of breath filled the room. “It’s your fault my girls are gone! Meg murdered them! They think Melanie committed suicide, or some such thing, but I can’t believe it. Not deep in my heart. This is your fault, Edward! Yours!” She crumpled and Edward caught her before she landed on the floor. He held her against his body.

  “Shhh. It’s okay. Meg didn’t kill anyone, Zoe. She wouldn’t do that.” He glowered at Alex and me, all bravado in front of Zoe. “Instead of harassing Mrs. Rydell, why don’t you go find her daughters’ killer?”

  “That’s exactly what we are doing, Mr. Halliday,” Alex responded, the very epitome of calmness.

  Edward guided Zoe to the couch. Her face was mottled with red. “Who then? Who, Edward?”

  He didn’t answer Zoe, but glared at us again. “I take it you’ve spoken to Meg already. You cannot seriously consider her a suspect.”

  “I’m not going to discuss the case with you,” said Alex. “Why don’t you let us finish speaking to Mrs. Rydell. Alone.”

  I could tell he didn’t appreciate being dismissed by Alex, but he didn’t argue. “I’ll talk to you later, Zoe.”

  She nodded slightly. We heard a back-door slam somewhere from inside the house. I wonder if Dena had any idea of the drama playing out under her nose. I was guessing not.

  I decided to go out on a limb. “Mrs. Rydell, did you have anything to do with the death of Rachael and Melanie?”

  Zoe’s face turned white and her mouth flopped open. “Are you insane? Kill my daughters? No! You’ve got it all wrong. It was Meg, I’m sure of it! Not me. I’d never kill my babies.”

  A picture was forming in my mind. I couldn’t stop now. “You still love Edward. I saw it in your face when he came in here. But Graeme will never let you go. What better way to end your marriage than to kill your daughters? Graeme’s gone and now you’re free to be with Edward.”

  “You’re crazy! I would never kill—”

  I continued. “Meg said her half-sisters preferred to be with Edward and Dena when they were young, as kids, I mean.”

  “No!” She spat. “That’s ridiculous! Why on earth would they prefer to be with them?”

  “Look,” Alex broke in. “I don’t think we’re getting anywhere. Mrs. Rydell, do you have solid proof that Meg had anything to do with Rachael’s and maybe Melanie’s murders?”

  “No, not solid proof. I just know she did. It’s completely obvious. I’m getting a headache. It’s time for you to both leave. Please go talk to Meg. You have to get her to confess. Isn’t that what police do?”

  “Can I use your bathroom?” I asked Zoe. There was no way I could hold it until we got back to town.

  She didn’t answer right away and, unless I was imagining things, when she finally did, her voice was tinged with irritation. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. You’ll have to use the one upstairs. The one down here is being renovated.” She waved toward the front of the house. “Staircase is to your left. The bathroom is also to your left, second door down, when you get upstairs.”

  “Thank you. Be right back.” I went up the long, curved staircase and turned left as Zoe had directed.

  Before entering the bathroom, I glanced across the hall at the bedroom. My eyes zoomed in on a portrait on the dresser. I froze. It was the same picture that was in that keychain. I could hardly breathe. I pulled my phone out of my purse and snapped away with the camera. It may mean nothing, and it may mean everything. I was leaning toward everything.

  CHAPTER 28

  * * *

  It had to have been Zoe who pushed through the door the day of the benefit! I wasn’t sure where the legal line was drawn regarding snooping, so I didn’t dare go in and start rooting around for a maid’s uniform. What if she came upstairs to check on me?

  I continued on into the bathroom. It was almost the size of my bedroom. The huge tub and double sink were both black marble. There was a big window beside the sink. It was open and a warm breeze wafted in. I looked out of it once I had finished up. I could see the Halliday’s cottage peeking through the massive pine trees. I looked to the left and saw part of the house jutting out. I looked down and sucked in a breath.

  The flowers against the side of the house where it stuck out looked familiar. My adrenaline surged again, I could barely breathe. They were the very same flowers Alex had shown me! Coincidence? I didn’t think so. I zoomed in on them with my phone camera and took a few pictures. I couldn’t believe it. I think we had our killer. But why? That made no sense. Why would she kill her own daughters?

  “Detective Britton,” I interrupted when I can back downstairs, “I have to talk to you in private.” I turned to Zoe. “Please excuse us. We’ll be right back.”

  She’d closed her eyes and mumbled something I didn’t catch, but I didn’t bother asking her to repeat.

  Alex followed me out the front door. “What’s going on? Must be something important to call me Detective Britton.”

  “Get in the SUV for a few minutes, please. In case Mrs. Rydell decides to peek out the front window at us.”

  He looked skeptical, but did as I asked. “FYI,” he said once we were ensconced inside, “generally, detectives and police officer never ask to use other people’s bathrooms while in the performance of their jobs.”

  “I’m sorry if I broke police protocol, but I couldn’t hold it anymore, and I’m not a detective or the police. I’m police-ish. But let’s not waste time nitpicking. Now, do you want to know why I brought you out here?”

  “I do, actually.”

  “I think Zoe’s our killer.” I couldn’t get the words out fast enough.

  His face registered mild surprise. I expected more. “You have a reason for saying this, I know.”

  I held out my phone. “First, see the picture on the dresser?”

  He peered at it. “Molly! It’s the same picture that’s in the keychain you found at Castle Shore!”

  “Indeed.” I swiped my finger across my phone’s screen. “Take a look at this.”

  He did, then looked at me. “Flowers?”

  I nodded. “I looked out the bathroom window and saw them. Not just flowers. Datura flowers. I Googled them on my phone. They’re an exact match. Datura as in Datura tea. The tea that killed Melanie.” I looked at him. “Alex, I don’t think Melanie committed suicide at all. It certainly doesn’t look like a murder-suicide, like the newspaper reported. I think she was murdered. By Zoe.”

  He stared at my phone again. “I think you make a good case.”

  “Doesn’t it look like it? One more thing.” I tilted my chin in the direction of the garage at the far end of the house. “Let’s take a look in there.”

  “What for?”

  “I have a hunch.”

  He opened the door. “I can’t argue with that. Let’s go.”

  I hoped Zoe wasn’t watching us as we made our way to the double garage. We both looked in the window of one of the doors.

  “I see a car, but that’s it. Just a sec.” Alex shone his flashlight through the window. “FBR—”

  “I told you I had a hunch!” I grabbed his arm, interrupting him. “That’s got to be the license plate on the security camera film. She’s our killer and she’s trying to pin it on Meg! Can you arrest her right now?” I took out my phone a
nd snapped a couple of pictures of the car’s license plate.

  Alex turned toward me. “Chief Carly asked to see her vehicle. She said she’d bring it in, but never did. When an officer came to look at it, it was Dena who told him a relative had borrowed it and she’d have him contact us when he returned. Looks like that was a lie. Listen, Molly, here’s the deal. If you had a valid reason for being in a particular location and see something, then it can be seized and the person arrested. You can get away with snapping pictures, I can’t.”

  “Thank you, detective. I’ve snapped plenty. What happens now? There’s enough evidence to arrest her, isn’t there?” I couldn’t wait to tell Sean that we had found the killer.

  “I’m going to call Chief Carly and have him send over a uniformed officer from the Destiny PD to guard the property. Then I’m going to get a warrant to search the residence and collect any and all evidence that may pertain to the murders. The Datura flowers tie to Melanie, certainly. We need to find the gun that killed Rachael.”

  “If it’s still around. She may have gotten rid of it.” Goosebumps popped up on my arms. “I think we figured it out, Alex.”

  “I’m cautiously optimistic. I never thought I’d say this to another human, but I’m grateful for your bladder.”

  “And for my hunch about the car in the garage.”

  He grinned at me. “Okay, that too. Let me make that call to Chief Carly.”

  I nodded, and looked out the window, half listening to Alex’s side of the conversation. I hoped the chief would send someone quickly. What if Zoe decided she had a shoe sale to get to or something? Would Alex legally be able to stop her?

  “He’ll send someone right away. Once he does, I’ll drop you at home, and go get a warrant.”

  “Now what?”

  “Stay here. I’ll go give her the good news.”

  I waited rather impatiently while Alex was inside. I fidgeted, my adrenaline flowing at the thought of having been face-to-face with a probable killer. Allegedly, as the police like to say. Another Destiny PD vehicle pulled up a short time later. I watched as two officers got out of the car, and knocked on the front door. Maybe Chief Carly sent two based on the size of the house. They were let in by Mrs. Rydell. She slammed the door behind him.

  I was about to go knock on the door myself after another fifteen minutes when it opened and Alex walked out.

  “How did it go?” I asked when he got in the Jeep.

  “Let’s say it wasn’t the highlight of her day. Sorry for leaving you in the car so long. I wanted to make sure we had everything in order before I left the officers.”

  Alex and I were quiet for a while once we left the Rydells’ house. I was still riding on a surge of adrenaline. After we’d driven a few miles, I turned toward him. “Zoe Rydell is crazy. Scary crazy. How did she function all these years?”

  “Don’t ask me, I’m no psychiatrist.”

  I shivered, despite the warm air flowing around us. “To kill your own children? How did she get to that point? I can’t imagine anything worse. It’s heinous.”

  “Don’t dwell on it. You’ll make yourself crazy. Just be glad she was caught and is going away. Molly, thanks for your help. Thanks to you, I think we have our killer.”

  “You’re okay at this crime-solving stuff, too. It’s thanks to us both. I’m all trembly.” Now that the killer had been discovered, I wanted to go back to the bakery and forget about murder.

  “Sean!” Alex burst out. “Can you call him? He’s still in New York City, right?”

  I was alert again. “I hadn’t thought of that. He has no idea we have the killer. Of both women! I’ll call him now.” I was disappointed when it went to voice mail. I left an urgent message. I texted and waited, but I didn’t get a response. “I guess he’s busy. At least he knows, if he checks his phone that is.”

  I slid out of the SUV when he parked in the Destiny PD’s lot. “Hey, good luck with getting the warrant. Are you going to arrest Zoe?”

  “That’s the plan. And no, I don’t think you should come along in case you were planning on asking.”

  “That’s okay with me. I just want to go home. I’ll leave the dirty work up to you. Good luck. Text me and let me know how everything went.”

  “Will do. Drive carefully. Thanks again.”

  “My pleasure.” I closed the door and as Alex drove away, I climbed into my car looking forward to collecting Beau and Noelle and relaxing for the night.

  CHAPTER 29

  * * *

  “Sean picked them up, honey,” Dottie told me when I’d arrived for the dogs. She was sitting on the porch enjoying some grapes.

  “He’s home?” I cried. “When did he arrive?”

  “Oh, about an hour ago.”

  “Thanks for the happy news, Dottie. Have a great night.”

  “You too!”

  I went around the corner and knocked on Sean’s door. I heard commotion behind the door; Beau and Noelle racing each other for it. The door was opened wide and there was Sean. I stepped into his embrace and we became a tangle of man, woman, and dogs.

  “I am so glad to see you,” I said.

  “I’m glad to see you, too,” he responded. He leaned in for a kiss and I kicked the door closed behind us.

  “I called and texted you a little earlier,” I said as our kiss ended. “You had me a little worried when you didn’t answer.”

  “I wanted to surprise you. I’m glad I made it home before you did.”

  “Wait. Where’s your truck?”

  “Problem with the wheel hub. I had one of the officers drop me off. It’ll be fixed by tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” I had no idea what that meant. “I called because Alex and I know who the killer is. Zoe Rydell! He’s getting a warrant for her arrest right now.” I gave him a condensed version of my day.

  “Yeah, the chief filled me in. He called a few minutes ago. I can’t believe it’s Zoe Rydell. That’s a shocker, huh?”

  “I guess the trip to New York City was a waste of time.”

  “Yeah. We didn’t find anything solid to tie Piero, Jardine, or even Rocco to the women’s murders. There was nothing on Jardine’s computer tying him to his wife’s murder. Now I know why.” He went into the kitchen while I greeted the dogs on their level. “You want a beer?”

  “No, thanks. But I’ll take some water.”

  “You got it. Go sit. How about I take you out for dinner and then we make up for lost time?”

  “That sounds heavenly,” I told him. I settled on his couch and the dogs planted themselves at my feet. I hadn’t realized how much energy the day had taken from me. A nice dinner sounded wonderful.

  Sean handed me a bottle of water. “Let me shower, change, and then we’ll head out, okay?”

  I felt grubby, too. “I’ll go do the same. Be back in about forty-five minutes, okay?”

  He kissed my forehead. “I’ll be here.”

  I must have gotten through my shower because I remember ordering shrimp scampi at Camberas, coming home, being tucked into bed by a handsome detective, but everything after that is a blur.

  ###

  “Hi, Serafina. What can I get you?” I was manning, or maybe the correct term should be ‘womanning’, Bread and Batter alone three days after Zoe’s arrest. Kendra had left for class as soon as I’d arrived, and Olivia had left early this morning for New York City for a couple days with her beau. I missed her, but she certainly deserved a break. I knew Anthony would take her to see the best part of the city, and would take good care of her.

  It was hectic without help, but I didn’t mind. Sometimes it was nice to do everything myself, and even nicer to forget about murders and mob members. Besides, Olivia and Kendra had been covering for me a lot, and they needed some time away, as much as I need some time to not be away.

  “Hi, Molly.” She grabbed a glass bottle of Finger Lakes Soda Company diet orange soda. She read the label. Knowing her, she was looking for artificial sweeteners, which she would
n’t find in that brand. “I’m glad you aren’t busy. I have something to show you.”

  “You should have seen it earlier. It was crazy, but that’s a good thing. The morning rush is over, so it will be quiet for a bit. What do you have?”

  We chose a booth and she whipped out a newspaper from her over-sized purse. Or suitcase. Whatever it was. I hoped she had a chiropractor on call. She slid a popular national newspaper toward me and my mouth dropped open at the cover. “That’s Emily! And Rocco! At his winery opening.”