Pizza, Paradise, and Murder (Papa Pacelli's Pizzeria Series Book 24)

by Patti Benning

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  PIZZA PARADISE, AND MURDER

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  EPILOGUE

  Pizza,

  Paradise,

  and

  Murder

  Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria Series

  Book Twenty-Four

  By

  Patti Benning

  Copyright 2018 Summer Prescott Books

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

  **This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

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  PIZZA,

  PARADISE, AND

  MURDER

  Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria Series

  Book Twenty-Four

  CHAPTER ONE

  * * *

  Eleanora Ward pulled up alongside the curb in front of the airport’s doors. She let the car idle as she turned to face the woman beside her.

  “I’m so glad you could come to the wedding, Nonna. It meant so much to me.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. You looked so beautiful in your dress, and Russell was very handsome in his suit.”

  “He was, wasn’t he?” Ellie smiled, remembering how she felt when she saw Russell standing by the altar. “I’ll miss you. Are you sure you have everything? If you left anything behind, I can mail it to you.”

  “I’m only going to be in Florida for another two months,” her grandmother reminded her. “I have everything important. Anything else I might have left behind will still be there when I get back.”

  The thought of the older woman returning to Florida was a bittersweet one. While she would miss having her grandmother nearby, it would be nice for her and Russell to have the house to themselves for a couple of months. She was glad for the chance to have her new husband all to herself for a while, and it would be wonderful to be able to spend time alone with him even after they got back from their honeymoon in St. Lucia.

  Someone pulled into a spot behind them and began unloading luggage from their vehicle, and Ellie realized that she had better start doing the same. Her grandmother’s flight left in exactly two hours, and she knew from experience how long it could take to get through security and find the right gate.

  She got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side door, helping her grandmother step up onto the curb before she took the carry-on sized suitcase out of the trunk. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come in with you?”

  “I managed to figure out the airport in Miami. I’m sure I can handle this one,” Nonna said.

  The two women embraced, then Ellie handed her grandmother her purse, made sure she had her identification handy, and extended the suitcase’s handle for her. “Call me as soon as you land, okay? I’ll keep my phone’s volume turned up, so I’ll be available if you need anything at all.”

  “I’ll be fine, dear,” her grandmother said, giving her a somewhat exasperated smile. “This isn’t my first time flying, and I’ve gotten quite adept at using the taxi system since I moved to Florida. Don’t worry yourself on my account. Have a good time on your honeymoon and try not to work too hard when you get back.”

  Ellie had a lump in her throat as she watched her grandmother walk away. Even though she would be seeing her again in two months’ time, it was hard not to feel emotional at their parting. She owed nearly everything she had to the older woman and didn’t know how she could ever repay the debt of gratitude.

  The airport in Portland was just over an hour away from the small, coastal town of Kittiport, and Ellie enjoyed the peaceful drive up the Maine coast that afternoon. It was warmer out than it had been for the past few weeks, though it was still heavy sweatshirt weather. Some of the snow was beginning to melt, which gave the ground a grungy appearance, but the smell of spring was in the air. She drove with the windows down for a couple of miles, until the cold got to be too much.

  I can’t wait for spring and summer, she thought. There was so much that she wanted to do once the snow was gone and the weather was mild again. She and Bunny could hit the trails again. She had missed their walks together, but between the salt on the roads and the snow and ice everywhere else, the little papillon couldn’t be outside for long. Once Sawyer learns to stop pulling on his leash so much, he can join us, she thought. The Labrador retriever puppy had bundles of energy, and she had no doubt that he would enjoy taking walks with them.

  She slowed down as she entered Kittiport, noting how good it felt to be home. Her eyes passed over the community center where she had gotten married two days ago, and she smiled. Married, she thought. I’m married. She still hadn’t gotten used to the idea, and it caused a bubble of happiness to rise inside of her whenever she thought of it.

  She pulled into her driveway a few minutes later and parked next to Russell’s truck. As she walked up the steps to the front door, she heard Bunny barking. A moment later, before she had even found the right key, the door swung open.

  “I thought I heard something, but I wasn’t sure it was you until the dogs started to get excited,” Russell said. “How was the drive?”

  “Good,” she said as she walked inside and shut the door behind her. “The roads weren’t bad, and there wasn’t much traffic. We chose a good time for the flight. Nonna’s all set, and she should land before dinner this evening.”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t come with you. I’ve been making sure everything is settled for our trip. I haven’t left the country since I became sheriff.”

  “I’m sure Liam and Bethany will be able to handle anything that comes up,” Ellie said. “Are you excited?”

  “Wednesday can’t come soon enough,” he said. He gave her a kiss, then c
hecked his watch. “The chicken should be ready. Join me in the kitchen?”

  “Wow, I didn’t expect to come home to my husband cooking,” she said, grinning. “I’ll be there just as soon as I take my shoes off.”

  The two of them sat down at the table together a few minutes later. Russell had made herb seasoned chicken breasts, green beans with garlic and almond slivers, and roasted potato wedges. Ellie was touched that he had gone to such effort for her and wondered if their marriage would always be like this. Not for the first time, she realized that she had very little to base her expectations on. Her mother and father had gotten divorced over twenty years ago, so they weren’t exactly role models for a stable marriage.

  “This is great,” Ellie said. “Thank you. How was your morning?”

  “Busy. I got more of my things moved over here before I headed into the sheriff’s department. I don’t think I’ll have everything moved by Wednesday, but I can finish when we get back from the honeymoon. I’m glad you scheduled a few days for us to get everything in order before we leave. It would have been chaos if we tried to leave right after the wedding.”

  “I agree. It’s much nicer knowing that almost everything will be in order once we get back. I’m sure we’ll both have a lot of work to catch up on, though. It’s going to be hard for both of us to keep our deal.”

  Russell chuckled. “I think that’s an understatement. I haven’t ever gone so long without being involved in one case or another, and I know you keep tabs on both of your restaurants almost daily.”

  They had promised each other that for the two weeks of their honeymoon, neither of them would do anything work related unless it was a true emergency. Both of them tended to let their jobs take over their lives, so Ellie knew if they didn’t both make an effort to put work aside during their vacation, they would probably spend the entire trip glued to their phones and their emails.

  “It will be worth it,” Ellie said. “We won’t get another chance like this for a while. I’ve been looking forward to our trip for months.”

  “So have I. It will be nice not to have anything to worry about for a while. Odd, but nice.”

  As Ellie took another bite of her chicken, she wondered if it was possible for her to be any happier. She had the most wonderful husband in the world and was going on the honeymoon of her dreams in just a couple of days. Could life get any better?

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  Ellie took the Hawaiian pizza out of the oven and carefully carried it over to the open box waiting on the counter. The smell of pineapple, ham, and onions was delicious, but she ignored the growling of her stomach. She had only meant to stop into Papa Pacelli’s for a few minutes to make sure her employees had everything they would need while she was gone, but she had somehow gotten drawn in to work like she always did.

  She closed the pizza box with practiced ease, then double checked the order to make to make sure the customer hadn’t wanted anything else. After carrying the pizza over to the drive-up window and handing it to the woman waiting in the van, she grabbed her purse and went through the door that led to the dining area, where Rose was manning the register.

  “It’s time for me to get going,” she said. “I still need to drop the dogs off at the pet sitter’s, and finish packing. Remember, call me if something comes up, but try to handle it on your own first. I gave Jacob the number for the hotel in case you can’t reach me on my cell phone and it’s urgent. Can you think of anything else you need before I go?”

  “We’ve got everything under control, Ms. P.” Rose blinked. “Oops, I guess it’s Ms. Ward now. That’s going to take some getting used to.”

  Ellie laughed. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll still answer to Ms. P. Good luck with everything while I’m gone.”

  “Have a nice time on your honeymoon.”

  “I will,” she replied, still grinning. She and Russell would be flying out early the next morning, and even though she still had a lot to do, she was more excited than ever.

  Her next stop was her best friend and sister-in-law’s house. Shannon Ward had been married to Russell’s brother since just a few years after the two of them graduated from high school. Ellie was thrilled that Shannon was now family in the eyes of the law. The two of them had joked about marrying brothers when they were younger, and now, years later, that childish fantasy had come true.

  Shannon opened the door for her and welcomed her inside. She was just months away from having a baby, and the pregnancy was truly showing. Ellie was excited to be an aunt but couldn’t help worrying about her friend. Although women were having healthy babies later and later in life, Shannon’s pregnancy was still considered high risk due to her age. She knew they would all breathe easier once the healthy baby had been safely welcomed into the world.

  “Are you sure you want to do this? I can still find someone else.”

  “Ellie, it will be fine. All I have to do is stop by once a day to feed the bird and give her clean water. It will be a great excuse to get out of the house. Besides, you promised you’d leave me some snacks.”

  “I’ve already stocked the fridge and the cupboard with all of your favorites,” Ellie said, grinning. “I’ll leave the television controls on the coffee table, and I’ve got some quick start logs by the fireplace if you want to light a fire. Feel free to make yourself at home. Marlowe will appreciate the company if you do decide to hang around for a couple of hours occasionally.”

  “It will be like my own private retreat,” her friend said. “Plus, James said he’ll take care of things if I ever feel under the weather.”

  “Well, thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me. It’s hard enough finding a good pet sitter for the dogs, but it’s almost impossible to find someone who will watch a large parrot, and I wouldn’t want a stranger in our house every day. Here’s the copy of the key I made. I’ll also leave a spare hidden in the big toolbox in the garage just in case you lose that one.”

  “I’ll put it on my keychain right now. Do you want to stay for a bite to eat? I was just about to heat up some soup.”

  “I’d love to, but I’ve got to get going. I’ll call you once Russell and I are settled at the hotel tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Have a safe trip. Both of you deserve this.”

  With another important task crossed off her list, it was time to return home and get the two dogs ready to go over to the pet sitter’s house. They had spent the weekend there, both to keep them out of the way during the chaos of the wedding preparations, and to let the sitter get a chance to know them before the two-week long trip.

  Dropping them off at the pet sitter’s house was the hardest part of getting ready for the trip. She had to blink back tears as she handed the leashes over to Cassie. Bunny had never spent such a long time away from her, and Sawyer, the black lab puppy, had gotten used to sleeping cuddled up on the bed with them at night.

  “They were wonderful over the weekend,” Cassie said. “We’ll go on walks every day as long as the weather is good, and they will get plenty of play time. Call me or text me whenever you want for updates.”

  “Thank you,” Ellie said. “I know they’re in good hands. I should get going before I start crying, though. I’ll call tomorrow night to let you know we’ve landed and to see how they’re doing.”

  The house seemed oddly empty without the two dogs there to greet her at the door. Ellie paused at Marlowe’s cage to let the macaw out before she continued upstairs, where her suitcase was open on her bed. She placed the bird on the back of the chair that was sitting at her vanity, then opened her closet to consider her options. Most of her clothes were far more suitable for northern Maine than they were for a tropical beach. She had already packed all the clothing that she had bought during her trips to Florida, but they wouldn’t be enough to sustain her for two weeks.

  “Why do I have so many sweaters?” she moaned as she sorted through the clothing. There were a couple of t-shirts that would be suitable for the da
ys that she and Russell spent doing nothing but lounging around, and one dress that would be perfect for the beach which she folded up and added to the suitcase, but she was coming to the realization that she would probably have to buy more clothes when they reached their destination. At least I’ll have some souvenirs, she thought.

  Besides clothes, she was bringing her laptop and a couple of books. She had sunscreen, comfortable sandals for the beach, and a sun hat that she had borrowed from her grandmother. She didn’t know what else she might want during her trip and was equally worried about under packing and over packing. If she brought too much, she wouldn’t have room in the suitcase for the things she might buy while she was on her trip.

  Her phone began to ring, a welcome distraction from the packing. She grabbed it and sat down on the foot of her bed, surprised to see Linda’s number on the screen. The manager of the Florida pizzeria rarely called her; most of their communication was through email. Whatever it was, it must be important.