Killer Crust (A Pizza Lovers Mystery)

by Chris Cavender

  I was about to reply when our food arrived. It was a welcome break in the serious nature of our conversation. “Let’s eat, shall we? We don’t have a great deal of time until the final stage of the competition.”

  “I can’t believe they’ve gone this far with it,” Bob said.

  “I imagine Luigi would have wanted it that way,” I answered. “He always did enjoy being in the spotlight, and his murder has accomplished that, if nothing else.”

  After we finished eating, Bob’s phone rang. He glanced at the number, and then said, “Hang on. This is the call I’ve been waiting for.”

  He covered his mouth so we couldn’t follow what he was saying, but the attorney was smiling when he hung up.

  “Did you just get a fat retainer?” Maddy asked.

  “No, as a matter of fact, I’ve got one more piece of information for you. Guess who’s the beneficiary of Luigi’s insurance policy?”

  “I’m guessing that it’s not Jack Acre,” I said.

  Bob smiled again. “No, he left it all to his brother.”

  “We figured that much,” Maddy said, “but thanks for confirming it. How were you able to find out so quickly?”

  “It turns out that Frank himself just asked that the insurance be paid out as soon as possible. From what I was able to gather, he wasn’t pleased when the adjuster told him they wouldn’t be sending out any checks until the police found out who murdered his brother.”

  “Wow, that was quick,” I said.

  Bob nodded in agreement as he explained, “It also proves that Frank knew that he’d be receiving a million dollars if his brother died. Getting control of the company may have come as a surprise to him, but he clearly was expecting a rather substantial inheritance. That means that he had a very strong motive to see his brother dead, as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Thanks for digging this all out,” I said. “We can’t tell you how much we appreciate it.”

  “Maybe not, but I can show you,” Maddy said.

  Bob looked around the restaurant. “Right here? Now?”

  She had to laugh, and the rest of us joined in as she said, “Later, somewhere a little more private.”

  “Excellent,” Bob said.

  “Are you two going to stay for the grand finale?” I asked.

  “We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” David said. “We both cleared our schedules so we could be here all day, and into the night, if it runs that long.”

  “You both certainly got your money’s worth today,” I said as I squeezed David’s hand. “I appreciate you being here.”

  “Eleanor, whether you win, lose, or draw, I’m on your side,” he said.

  “As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I’m kind of hoping for win,” I said with a smile.

  Maddy slapped me on the back. “That’s the spirit. We haven’t even come up with a strategy for this evening’s pizza. What feels lucky to you?”

  I thought about it, and then said, “I know that it might be counterintuitive, but I think we should make our basic garbage pizza with a regular crust.”

  Maddy’s eyebrows arched. “Really? Not another deep dish specialty? We tied for first with that one, remember.”

  “It’s good, but it takes me too far out of my comfort zone,” I said.

  Maddy considered it, and then nodded. “Then let’s make our garbage pizza and take our chances.”

  I nodded, and then glanced at the clock. “We don’t have much time left, and we need to raid the pantry here for supplies before we continue. I know we have a lot of supplies still on hand, but what if theirs are better? Maddy, we both know that we need this playing field as level as we can manage. I still can’t believe how generous Gina is being.”

  Bob said, “She feels as though she owes you a debt that she won’t ever be able to repay. I completely understand that.”

  “I get it, too,” I said, “but what about everyone else? Why is she helping them out?”

  “If you ask me, I have a feeling she’s charging Luigi’s company dearly for the privilege,” David said, grinning.

  “I hope she is,” I said. “As a matter of fact, if she’s not doing it already, I’ll mention it to her the next time I see her.” I stood, and the rest of the table stood with me. “Guys, we hate to just desert you two like this, but remember, either one of you is free to call me if you get into too much trouble; I’ve always got bail money.”

  “Hey, that’s my line,” Bob said, and it was true. He often made the offer to Maddy and me, and I wasn’t always certain that he was kidding. For that matter, I didn’t know if he knew himself. That was just the nature of the sisterhood that Maddy and I shared.

  After we left them, we found Gina at the main desk. She looked worried and more than a little frazzled, but she still tried to give us both a smile as we approached.

  “How goes the great exodus?” I asked. “Did you lose many guests?”

  “Just under a dozen,” she said. “It’s really not as bad as I was expecting, to be honest with you.”

  I’d just been kidding about anyone actually checking out. “Really? Did they think you could do something about a random false bomb threat?”

  “Eleanor, you’d be amazed by what people feel they can hold me responsible for. What can I do for you ladies? I understand it all comes down to this next pizza. There’s no pressure there, right?”

  “None at all,” I lied. “Is the offer still good to raid your pantry for supplies?”

  “You bet it is,” she said. “I need a break from this desk, so why don’t I go with you?” She called to a young man in the business center beside the front desk and said, “Timothy, take over the front desk for me. You know the drill, right?”

  “I’ve got it all under control, boss. No worries.”

  “How I wish that were true,” she said.

  As we walked the short distance to the restaurant, I asked Gina, “Before I forget, I wanted to ask you something. You’re charging Luigi’s to let us raid your pantry, right?”

  “Oh, yes. We negotiated the fee ahead of time, and Luigi was so enamored with this place that he didn’t even blink an eye when I quoted a price to him.”

  “Why did he choose to hold his competition here?” I asked. “Not that it’s not beautiful and all, but he could have done it easier in one of the larger cities in the state.”

  “That’s true, but he was trying to get on my uncle’s good side, so that’s why he booked the contest here at Tree-Line. He clearly didn’t know my uncle Nathan, though. I’m his closest family left in the world, and I don’t have a clue why he does some of the things he does. I’m determined to make this place a success, so I appreciated the extra publicity.” She hesitated, and then added, “At least I did at the time.”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll get through this,” I said as I patted her shoulder lightly.

  “Let’s hope so,” Gina said. We walked through the dining room, nodded toward Bob and David as we passed them, and then we all headed into the kitchen. The guys were sitting there enjoying their coffee at a leisurely pace, but we were on the clock, and time was quickly ticking away.

  The kitchen was a flurry of activity, but the chef stopped the moment that he saw Gina there. She smiled at him as she explained, “Demetri, I need you to give these two ladies anything they need. Understood?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I will take excellent care of them.”

  “That’s good to hear. Carry on.”

  He went back to his staff to continue shouting orders, and Gina told me, “Why don’t you make a list and he’ll have it delivered to the auditorium in time for the final stage?”

  “We really appreciate you going to so much trouble just for us,” Maddy said.

  “I would do it gladly without any reimbursement on my own, but it’s even sweeter that I’m making Luigi, or I should say his company, foot the bill.”

  “Excellent,” I said as I turned to my sister. “Maddy, would you mind making a list for Demetri? You know
what we can use better than I do.”

  “I’d be glad to,” she said, taking a pen and some paper from her purse. In seconds, she started to write, and I had to wonder what kind of exotic choices she might be making for our final pizza. “Keep it simple, okay?” I told her.

  “No worries, Sis.”

  Gina touched my arm lightly. “Eleanor, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor while Maddy’s working on that. Don’t feel obligated to say yes, but it would mean a great deal to me if you could help me out with something.”

  We stepped out of the way in the kitchen so we could talk without being run over by someone with a knife or carrying anything sizzling. “You know that I’ll do whatever I can. Just name it.”

  “It’s about Paul.”

  I was surprised to hear her mention him, since I knew that they’d been an item in college. Gina had dumped him in search of greener pastures, and he still resented the way she’d dropped him. “What about him?”

  “Listen, I know that I messed up with him royally, but I’d love to get another chance. If I asked him to dinner out here, do you think he’d come?”

  “No,” I said.

  Before I could finish my thought, she said, “Of course not. And who could blame him? What was I thinking? Thanks anyway.”

  She turned to go, but I grabbed her arm before she could get away. “What I was going to say was that it would have to be a meal earlier than dinner. Don’t forget, Paul has to get up in the dark, so he’s usually asleep by seven-thirty or eight at night. Why don’t you ask him out for a late lunch instead? He closes the pastry shop around three most days.”

  She looked at me curiously as she said, “You seem to know a lot about him. Is he dating anyone special right now?”

  I shrugged as I answered, “Maddy and I tried to fix him up a few times, but it never seemed to work out.”

  Gina looked fretful. “I don’t know if I should even try. I’m afraid I ruined it with him forever, and to be honest with you, I’m almost too scared to ask.”

  “Do you want some free advice, worth every cent it costs you?” I asked.

  “From you? Always.”

  “The way I feel about it is that you’ll never know unless you try,” I said.

  “Would you talk to him for me?” Gina asked softly. “Rejection might not feel so horrid if it happens secondhand.”

  I took her hands in mine and said, “Gina, I’ll do it if you really want me to, but think about it first. Paul likes strong women, and he admires brave ones as well. In my opinion, you have a much better shot if you approach him yourself and lay it all out like you just did with me.”

  “Did you two ever date?” she asked.

  I laughed loudly enough to cause some of the staff to look over in my direction. “Me and Paul? No. No way. We’re friends. Just friends. That’s it. He’s young enough to be my, my, I don’t know, little brother maybe? We are allies in life, nothing more.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to touch a nerve.”

  I smiled broadly at her. “I’m the one who should apologize. I don’t know why I just reacted that way. It took me forever to let someone back in my life, and David’s the first man I’ve even looked at since my husband died. Paul was there for me all along through some of my roughest times, but as a friend. He’s like family to Maddy and me.”

  “I can see that,” Gina said.

  I didn’t let it go, though. There was a point that I needed to make, something she had to understand if she decided to go down that particular road again. “I want to be certain that you know exactly what I’m saying. Paul is like family to Maddy and me, and neither one of us would appreciate it if you broke his heart again. It nearly killed him the last time, from what he’s told us. Don’t do this unless you’re willing to see it through to the end.” I was serious, too. I might be overstepping my bounds, but I meant every word of it.

  “Eleanor, I’ve grown up a great deal since college. That wasn’t when I changed though, and we both know it. When my brother died and my uncle was nearly murdered, I learned pretty quickly to put things in perspective. The fire just cemented the change within me. Paul was perfect for me, but I was too stupid to realize it at the time. If he gives me the chance, I won’t make that mistake again.”

  “Then you should call him,” I said.

  “Now?” she asked as she glanced at her watch.

  “I didn’t mean this very second,” I said.

  “No, you’re right. I need to do it right now. Otherwise I’ll just overanalyze it and end up chickening out.” She hugged me, and then said, “Thank you for everything.”

  “Hey, don’t give me too much credit. He could still say no.”

  “If he does, I’ll be sad, but at least I’ll know that I tried. And in the end, isn’t that all that really counts?”

  “It is if you go by me.”

  Maddy handed the chef her list, and then walked me out of the kitchen. Once we were out of earshot, she asked me, “What was that all about?”

  “Gina, you mean?”

  “Of course that’s who I mean. She just hugged you like you were the last life jacket on the Titanic.”

  “She wants to date Paul again,” I said.

  Maddy frowned. “That’s a bad idea, Eleanor. Remember how he told us that she was the only woman he’s ever really loved his entire life? She broke his heart. Can he take it if it happens again?”

  “He can’t live his life in bubble wrap,” I said. “If he’s still interested in her despite everything that happened between them in the past, I say he should go for it.”

  Maddy grinned at me. “My, my, my. My big sister has really grown up, hasn’t she?”

  “I didn’t realize that I hadn’t already,” I said.

  “Come on, you know what I mean. I love the changes I’ve been seeing in you since you let David into your life. I’ve got a hunch that the pep talk you just gave Gina was based on personal experience, or am I mistaken?”

  I had to laugh. “I’d love to be able to tell you that you were wrong, but this one time, you’re not. Okay, maybe I was a little too enthusiastic about the idea of them giving it another go, but we both know how lonely Paul is. If he can give Gina a second chance, who knows what might happen?”

  “You, my dear sweet sister, are nothing more than a hopeless romantic,” Maddy said once we were in the lobby.

  “What can I say? I’m just like my little sister,” I said proudly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Maddy, no one walks down the aisle as many times as you have without truly believing in love. You’ve got the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known.”

  “It’s a fact. I’m every bit as wonderful as you say I am,” she said melodramatically, and then we both erupted in laughter. A few older guests were enjoying the fire in the hearth, and one of them looked at us with disapproval. I saluted her, and then walked my sister back into the auditorium. I was the one who owed Gina a debt of thanks. I’d been wound up pretty tightly thinking about the contest’s stakes tonight, but her question about Paul had allowed me to put things in perspective a little. Could we use that money at the Slice for improvements, and maybe even a rainy day fund? Absolutely. But if we didn’t win, life would go on in my little pizza place, and I’d be as happy as I made up my mind to be.

  And that really was all that mattered in the end.

  Chapter 14

  Sandy from Asheville approached me the second Maddy and I walked up on the stage to join our fellow competitors. “I’m sorry to bother you, Eleanor, but have you seen Jeff?”

  “Your husband? No, I didn’t know that he was missing. When’s the last time you saw him?”

  She bit her thumbnail as she said, “We split up half an hour ago so he could make a few telephone calls about our pizzeria, but he should have been here ten minutes ago.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s fine,” Maddy said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but we are all here jammed up here together l
ike eggs in an omelet. How far off can he go? The next time that door opens, I’m willing to bet he walks right through.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Sandy said as her gaze darted to the back entrances.

  The door opened, and I think that we all held our breaths a little, but it wasn’t Jeff, and I could feel the air go out of us.

  “If he doesn’t make it, you know that you’ll be disqualified,” one of the Raleigh twins said. “And unlike her, I fully intended to eavesdrop. Sorry, but those are the rules.”

  I looked around, but I didn’t see the other part of the matching set from Raleigh. “I wouldn’t be too smug about it. After all, your brother’s not here, either. Doesn’t that worry you in the least?”

  “He can take of himself. He’ll be here on time; there’s no need to worry about him.”

  “If neither one of them show up, it’s going to be down to the two of us,” Kenny said. Anna was by his side, but it was clear that she wasn’t happy to be there.

  “I have faith in them both,” I said. “This is too important to just skip for no reason at all.”

  “Who said they didn’t have their reasons?” Kenny asked wickedly.

  “What did you do to them?” I asked strongly, getting up in his face. His attitude smacked too much of knowledge that he might have done something to delay them himself. The same disqualification had nearly happened to us, so I was probably more than a little sensitive about it, but I couldn’t help wondering if the police dusted that chair that had blocked us in the stairwell for prints if Kenny’s might not be on it.

  “Back off, train wreck,” Kenny said, his lips forming two thin lines.

  “I want the truth. Are you the one who rigged the elevator and locked us in the stairwell?” I asked.

  Did Kenny flinch when I mentioned what had happened to us? I was fairly sure that he had, but what I couldn’t tell for sure was whether it was from a guilty conscience or not.

  Maddy joined me, and we presented a united front against him. She smiled with sweet false sincerity as she said, “If I find out you had anything to do with what happened to us, I’ll make certain you pay for it, one way or another.”