A Saucy Taste of Murder

by Patti Benning

  She went to the pizzeria after that, her mind whirling. Should she invite other people to come? She was sure that Nonna, Shannon, and Joanna would all want to be there. Steve probably would too. He was all for the further development of the town, and a lovely park would probably be right up his alley. She didn't think Russell would take a side. He tended not to get too involved in anything political unless it had to do with him being the sheriff. He was certain to be there, though. She had no doubt that he would want to keep an eye on things.

  She wouldn't drag her employees into it, but she decided that she would mention the meeting to them. She thought it was important that they have the chance to get involved in something like this, if they were interested.

  Part of her wondered if it would be better just to let the park die quietly. If someone really was trying to stop it from being developed, it might be safer to let them win. What if they managed to convince the parks department to go ahead and try raising funds for the park one more time, and someone else died? She frowned as she pulled into the pizzeria’s parking. What was the right thing to do here?

  She decided she would go and at least attend the City Hall meeting, even if she didn't say anything. It would be a good idea to know what was going on, either way.

  She pulled out her cell phone as she walked into Papa Pacelli’s. A quick call to Russell confirmed that he was indeed going to go to the meeting, and promised to see her there.

  “I won't be able to keep my eye on you as much as I'd like to,” he said. “I'm going to have to pay attention to the crowd. I think you should go with someone, don’t just show up alone.”

  “Why?” she asked. “I wasn’t even planning on getting involved, necessarily. I don’t think I’d be a target even if something bad did happen there.”

  “You're my wife,” he said. “You're always a target.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Since Nonna decided not to go, Ellie met her friends at City Hall. Steve nodded to Ellie when he saw her, and she nodded back. Joanna was with him, and Shannon was right behind them. She had gone alone, since James was at home watching Andrew.

  “I can't believe all of this excitement is over a park,” Joanna said as the four of them took seats in the third row. “It's not even a very big park.”

  “A small park is still going to bother some people if they live by it,” Ellie pointed out. “From what I've heard, it's been in development for a while, so I'm not surprised if the people who live nearby got complacent and thought it would never get built.”

  “Are you going to vote that they drop the improvement plans?” Shannon asked from her other side, looking surprised. “It's fine, of course, but for some reason I thought you'd be on the opposite side of the issue.”

  “No, no,” Ellie said. “I want that park built. The plans have been in the works for years, and the people who chose to live nearby should have known it was eventually going to happen. I'm just saying, I can see where they're coming from.”

  “I guess I can see it too,” Shannon said. “I’m for it, myself. It's closer and it looks like it will be a bit quieter than the big park in town. I'd love to take Andrew there when he gets a little older. The play equipment they’re planning on building looks lovely, and I like that the play area is completely fenced in.”

  “I'm looking forward to the dog park,” Ellie admitted. “I'd love to be able to take Bunny and Sawyer there. I feel like they get tired of walking the same old trails over and over again, and it would be nice for them to meet some playmates.”

  “I can't imagine that there will be a majority to cancel the improvements,” Joanna said. “I don't see why anyone who doesn't live near the park itself wouldn’t want it to be built. Sure, it will cost a little bit more for the taxpayers each year to have the park maintained, but Kittiport is pretty good about having volunteers who do those things at no cost, and with the fundraiser to pay for the initial groundbreaking, it shouldn't cost anyone too much.”

  “I'm sure it will pass,” Ellie said. “Mostly, I just want to be here in case something happens.” Lowering her voice, she told Joanna about her and Russell’s worry that whoever had killed the victim might make an appearance during the meeting.

  “So, he really thinks that it wasn't just simple theft?” Joanna asked. “He thinks someone killed her because of the park?”

  “I don't think he knows for sure either way,” Ellie said. “But he can't be too careful.”

  Joanna nodded. “I suppose that's true. It's kind of his job to look for trouble where there may not be any.”

  The speakers crackled and Ellie looked up to the front where Cherish was standing on the podium. She cleared her throat and the room fell silent.

  “Thank you to everyone who came today,” she began. “This is a supplementary City Hall meeting to determine whether or not we're going to finish developing the park on Cross Street. As you know, the fundraiser for the park suffered a great blow when all the donations were stolen. We’re going to hear both sides speak and then we will have a vote.”

  She stepped back as someone came forward through a doorway behind her and Ellie gasped, sitting up straighter. It was the man who had paid her with the stolen money, Jeremy Smith. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Russell, who was standing near the door, tense.

  “First to speak is Mr. Smith. He lives on Cross Street and will be directly impacted by the park. Mr. Smith, you have five minutes. You may begin.”

  “When I bought my house, I did so partially because it was next to a lovely empty parcel of land, owned by the city. I was told that the land was a park, and would be open for public use, but I had no idea that the city planned on developing it further. A few weeks ago, I got a notice that there was going to be a fundraiser for the development of the park along with sketches of some of the amenities they were going to add. Imagine my shock when I saw a play area for young children, and of all things, a dog park. Right now, my home is on a peaceful, quiet street, bordered by a lovely natural area on one side. Further developing the park will completely destroy the atmosphere that I've grown to love. I'll spend all day surrounded by the sounds of screaming children and barking dogs. I'm not the only one who will be affected, either. Everyone who lives on the street and the surrounding streets will be affected by the increased foot and automobile traffic. This park has served the town well for years as a natural area, and that's the way it should stay.”

  He put the mic down firmly. Ellie was surprised when he turned to Cherish and gave her a slight nod. Where had all of his venom toward the parks department gone? She was still watching him when she saw him spot Russell. He visibly paled and hurried toward the door that he had come through. Ellie saw Russell get up and follow him. She felt a thrill of anticipation paired with concern for her husband. Was he about to make an arrest and finally get the person who killed Jessica behind bars?

  She forced herself to sit back in her seat as Cherish called on someone from the opposite side of the issue to speak. She alternated sides until three people for the park and two people against it had spoken, then she took the mic herself.

  “Now, this isn’t completely normal, but I would like to be the last person to speak against the park.”

  There were small gasps throughout the crowd. It seemed that no one had expected the assistant head of the parks department to be against the development of a new park. Ellie frowned as she leaned forward in her seat.

  “We create parks to improve our community,” she started. “I think that the ideas that the parks committee came up with for this park are lovely, and I fully believe they should be implemented in our town. However, I don't think the currently proposed area is ideal. As others have said, it has served the community well as a natural area for years. While it's true that the plans for the park have been on display at City Hall all that time, I think it's very easy for people to overlook them, or just not even consider going to see them in the first place. When buying a house, most people do take the neighborhood
and surrounding properties into consideration, and it’s reasonable to assume that there won’t be any major changes to the area they’re moving to. Even the people who may have been aware of the plans for the park and who may have supported it originally could have changed their mind over the years. This park has had so many problems getting off the ground, and people who live in the neighborhood have grown used to it as it is. While some of us may be tempted to say that the park’s plans were visible all along, and anyone who chose not to look at them should face the consequences of their laxity, I disagree. There is plenty of empty land owned by the city that is better situated for the plans we have developed. Adding in a play area for small children and a dog park would greatly increase the noise in the neighborhood. While there are certain things that we could do to limit the impact, such as building a wooden privacy fence on the land bordering private property or planting the area with pine trees, it would not be a perfect fix and it would also greatly increase the cost of the park. My proposal is to keep that section of land as a natural area with a few small trails throughout it. I would like to put forward a second proposal to vote on another city lot that is currently sitting empty and turn that into the planned park. Since the plans have already been accepted, we should be able to move forward with it quickly. This way, we all benefit, and no one loses.”

  She sat down and Ellie considered what she had said. It seemed reasonable to her. While it was true that people should have expected the park to be built at some point, she could understand them getting used to the peace and quiet of their small neighborhood and not wanting the chaos of screaming children and barking dogs. She thought that Cherish’s proposal was a very fair compromise for both sides.

  There was a short break for people to use the restroom and talk amongst themselves. Ellie got up and looked around for Russell, but he was still absent. She bit her lip, hoping that everything had gone smoothly. She and Shannon were on their way out to find the restrooms when she bumped into a large man. She quickly apologized, then did a double take when she realized he was the same man who had been upset about the money his wife had donated at the fundraiser.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said cheerfully as she caught her balance. “It’s a bit crowded here tonight, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. I guess this is a hot issue.”

  He chuckled. “You’re that pizza lady, aren’t you?”

  “Ellie Ward,” she said, automatically shaking his hand. “Yes, I own Papa Pacelli’s.”

  “Edmund Straights,” he said. “I love that place. I spotted you at the fundraiser and I meant to tell you how much we love your pizzas – we eat there every Friday night – but I was a bit distracted. Wife issues, you know?”

  “Right… well, I hope you got everything figured out.”

  “Oh, we did. Everything’s right as rain now. Speaking of my wife, I’d better go find her before she thinks I abandoned her for your pizzas.” He gave a booming laugh and walked away, leaving Ellie feeling uneasy. The last time she had seen him, he was red-faced and fuming. The difference couldn’t have been more striking.

  The break was almost over when Ellie heard the sound of sirens outside. She felt her blood run cold as she scanned the room, confirming that Russell was still missing. She met Shannon's eyes and saw a flash of sympathy in the other woman's face. Her friend knew what she was worried about.

  “Let's go see what's going on,” she said, grabbing Ellie's arm and pulling her toward the doors. Ellie followed her outside numbly, her mind rushing towards the worst-case scenarios. Had Russell been stabbed? Shot? Had things changed forever this night?

  Shannon’s hand tightened on her arm, as if her friend could read her thoughts in her face. “He's going to be fine,” her friend said. “I won’t leave you until we find him.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Ellie and Shannon made their way out of the City Hall building and into the crisp evening air. Ellie’s breathing was shallow and quick, and she reached out to take Shannon's hand for support.

  “We need to find him,” she said. “I need to know what happened.”

  “We will,” Shannon promised.

  The two of them made their way toward the flashing lights. Ellie saw that they were by the marina, not at the City Hall. Had Russell chased Jeremy all the way across the road and down to the bay?

  “Please stay back,” an authoritative voice said as they drew near. Ellie blinked and focused on the face in front of her. It was Liam. He recognized her at the same moment.

  “Oh, Ellie. What are you doing here?”

  “I heard sirens and I thought… Russell?” She let her voice trail off as she bit her lip, wondering if his response would be one she wanted to hear.

  Liam blinked, then his eyes widened. “Oh, the sheriff’s fine, Ellie,” he said. She felt her legs go weak with relief. “We got called here because the perp he was chasing decided that jumping into the freezing cold sea would be better than spending the night in a nice comfy jail cell. He bumped his head against a boat on his way in and went under, and Russell had to fish him out. Since he’s under arrest, we’re here to escort him and the paramedics to the hospital.”

  “Oh, thank goodness,” Ellie breathed. “We were at the City Hall meeting when I saw him run out after Jeremy. When I heard the sirens a few minutes later…”

  He nodded, not making her finish the sentence. “He's fine, I promise,” Liam said. “A bit wet and cold, but fine.”

  “Can I see him?” Ellie asked.

  Liam hesitated, then nodded. “Come on back.”

  He led them toward where the commotion was centered, and Ellie spotted Russell sitting on the edge of the ambulance bay, wrapped in a warm looking blanket. He looked up when he saw her. “Ellie, what are you doing here?” he asked in surprise.

  “I heard the sirens,” she explained. “Are you okay?”

  “I'm fine. So is our guy.” He glanced over and Ellie saw a bedraggled looking man angrily jabbering at a paramedic and Bethany, who was standing with her arms crossed as he complained.

  “Can you give me some personal space, lady?” he said.

  “You're under arrest,” Bethany said. “For –”

  “I didn't do anything wrong,” he cut her off.

  “That's not for me to decide,” Bethany said. “You'll be taken to the hospital to be treated for hypothermia and that bump on your head, and I'll be accompanying you the entire way. As soon as you're ready to be released, you will be taken in for questioning.”

  “It's not fair,” he said. “It's not like I killed anyone.”

  “That’s what we want to figure out,” Bethany said.

  “Wait, what?” he said. “I – I didn't. I didn't kill anyone. What are you talking about?”

  “You're under arrest for possession of stolen funds and fleeing a law enforcement officer, and you are under suspicion for the murder of Jessica Warton.”

  “Are you crazy?” He jerked back, out of Bethany's grasp. “I didn't do it! Why on earth would you think I killed her?”

  “The person who murdered her stole the funds from the fundraiser, Mr. Smith. You were reported to be in possession of bills that match those that were stolen.”

  “Look, I found the money in a lockbox on the street. I shouldn’t have taken it, I know that. But I didn't kill anyone. Why would I? I mean, I didn't want the park built next my house, but I didn't want that badly enough to murder someone for it. Besides, killing her wouldn't stop the park from being built. Someone else would just do it later. It’s not like I would be able to kill off the whole parks department.”

  Russell and Bethany exchanged a look. “The fact remains, you are under arrest,” Russell said, standing up. “Right now, you're going to go to the hospital and they’re going make sure that you are okay after that foolish dive you took off the dock. We'll figure everything else out afterward.”

  Russell turned back to Ellie, sighing. “I'm going to head to the sheriff's department and see if I ca
n find a change of clothes there,” he said. “I need to deal with this tonight. I'm sorry, Ellie. Are you okay to go back to the meeting?”

  “I'll be fine,” she said, giving him a weak smile. She leaned in and kissed him. “Take care of yourself, Russell. I don’t want you catching pneumonia.”

  Liam escorted her and Shannon back toward the edge of the marina. She thanked him for letting her see Russell, then made her way back toward City Hall with Shannon at her side.

  “Do you think he was telling the truth?” her friend asked.

  “It felt like he was,” Ellie said. “But if he didn't kill her, then who did? That couple seemed so nice when I talked to them tonight, but they’re the only other suspects Russell has.”

  “And why would whoever did kill her leave the lockbox full of money lying around outside?”

  “I don't know. Maybe they dropped it while fleeing the scene of the crime.”