A grin spread across Gabby’s face and she high-fived me. “I knew you’d fix this. Way to go, girl.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” I laughed.
“Do you think anyone else was home?” she asked fearfully. “Who could have been in that upstairs window?”
“Hard to say. It may have been Preston, making sure we’d gone. One thing is for certain. We’ve definitely made enemies of that family.”
* * *
An hour later, Gabby and I sat at my dining-room table, enjoying leftover sausage and peppers with fresh Italian bread. We both had a portion of the phone bill in front of us. The rain had stopped, and Luigi was curled up asleep in the window seat, enjoying the sunbeams and clearly disinterested in our activity.
“This is a family plan,” I observed. “Well, two phone lines, obviously cells. Someone in the house has a separate one.”
Gabby scrolled through the contacts on her phone. “That bill must be for Sylvia and Willow. I have Preston’s private number in my phone. He probably writes his off as a business expense.”
“Or makes calls that he doesn’t want Sylvia to see,” I murmured.
“I doubt Daphne was the first employee he was involved with,” Gabby said. “Now that I think about it, he’s had several personal assistants or publicists in the past five years since I’ve been following him, and none have ever lasted that long. I once saw him at a book signing with the woman who Daphne replaced. Dark hair, very pretty, and young. Right up his alley.”
The more I learned about the bestselling author, the more I detested him.
Gabby made a red X through three of the calls. “These were made to my bookstore two weeks ago so we can rule them out. Willow had questions pertaining to the signing. So, I’m guessing the number ending in 1629 is hers. The one with 5544 must be Sylvia’s. See, that’s why I didn’t even know Daphne had been hired. Willow was always the one to call me.”
“Let’s pick a few numbers at random numbers to call,” I suggested. “But don’t use your cell. My landline is private and can’t be tracked.” I’d made a mistake like this before when checking into Dylan’s death, and it had cost me dearly.
The first number I called turned out to be the television station. A woman sounding like Liz answered after the second ring and I murmured, “Sorry, wrong number.” The next number was for Sunnyside Up, a diner where I’d once worked. Probably a takeout order.
Gabby’s cell buzzed. She stared at the screen, mouthed “Lou” to me, and went into the kitchen to talk in private. I sighed. I didn’t want to do this all day and needed to get to the restaurant. I dialed the next number on Sylvia’s list and got a recorded message. “You have reached Dr. Reynolds’s office. If you are in labor, please hang up and dial 911. To make or cancel an appointment, press 1.”
I perked up at the doctor’s name. Daphne’s obstetrician once again. Had someone at the Rigotta residence been trying to obtain information about the pregnancy? Did they find what they were looking for and, more important, had it led to Daphne’s death? I pressed number one. I needed to discover what the Rigottas might have learned, if anything. Perhaps bringing Lorenzo to see Dr. Reynolds with his blood test to prove he was the baby’s father would help.
Gabby came back into the room and I put a finger to my lips as a woman came on the line. “Doctor’s office. How may I help you?”
“Hi, I’d like to make an appointment to see Dr. Reynolds.”
“Name and date of birth, please.”
“I’m a new patient.” I gave her my information and assured her that no, I wasn’t pregnant, I only wanted an exam.
My doorbell rang as she searched for an appointment. I opened the envelope addressed to Sylvia. It was a report from her most recent visit. As I began to scan it the receptionist came back on the line. “I have a cancellation for this afternoon at four o’clock. Would that work?”
That was only two hours away. The restaurant would have to wait until later, and I didn’t even know if I could find Lorenzo within that time frame and convince him to come along. But I heard myself say, “Perfect, see you then,” and clicked off.
I looked up to see Gino standing there, arms folded over his chest, a sour expression on his face. Gabby winked at me from behind him. This couldn’t be good.
I dropped Sylvia’s report into my purse on the chair next to me and then casually moved a notebook over the Rigotta phone bill. “What’s up?”
Gino’s mouth tightened in anger. “You two have gone too far this time.”
“Preston called you,” Gabby said quickly, as if afraid I might come up with a different conclusion.
Boy, news traveled faster that I’d thought. “Gino, we can explain—”
“He didn’t call me directly,” Gino said through clenched teeth. “He called my boss. Warner lit into me big time and so did Paddy. It was embarrassing.”
Gabby placed her hands on her hips. “We didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not like we broke in. We asked Marta about the cannoli, and then Preston came home and went into a rage when he saw us. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” Gino said angrily. “Whoever killed Daphne is on to your little game and has already made it personal. Now the Rigottas want a restraining order against you both.”
Gabby’s nostrils flared. “My store is about to go under. Tess doesn’t have one reservation for her restaurant, and it opens in two days. This is our livelihood. Don’t you understand how we feel?”
Gino placed his hands on her shoulders, and she dropped her arms. “What about how I feel? Helpless and completely useless. I can’t work this blasted case because my family is involved. Now you’re getting into trouble and putting my job on the line.”
I gasped. “The department can’t do that, can they?”
“No way.” Gabby looked at him soberly. “I never thought your job might be in jeopardy.”
Gino’s eyes met mine and then flickered back to his sister. “They can do whatever they want. Remember, no one is irreplaceable. Now, I have to get back to work. A word of warning. You’re gaining extreme popularity at the police department with this latest antic, and Paddy’s got his eyes on both of you.”
“That creep,” Gabby muttered.
I was overcome with guilt about Gino’s situation. This murder had managed to turn all our lives upside down. “How’s Lucy? Is she feeling okay?”
He waggled his hand back and forth. “She’s had some nausea but other than that everything seems good. She goes back to see Dr. Reynolds next week.”
At the mention of the doctor’s name, my ears perked up. “Oh, I’ve heard she’s a wonderful obstetrician.” Heck, there had to be more than one in Harvest Park, but Dr. Reynolds’s name kept popping up everywhere. I couldn’t very well tell Gino that I planned to see her this afternoon with Lorenzo in tow, because he’d freak.
Gino eyed me sharply. “Yeah. She’s only been practicing two years. Lucy said she took over for her father, who was also an ob-gyn. From what I’ve heard, Dr. Reynolds was Daphne’s doctor as well. For some strange reason, I’m guessing you already know that.”
Thankfully, Gabby spoke up. “Has Paddy given you any information about the investigation?”
“No,” Gino replied, “and it’s doubtful he will now. Look, you both happen to be more important to me than my job, so I’ve been doing some secret checking on my own, despite Warner’s warning. I don’t want your lives in jeopardy again like they were after Dylan died.” He stepped forward and bussed each one of us on the cheek. “Remember, family over everything.”
Gino wasn’t usually a demonstrative person, so his actions surprised me. Maybe it was due to his recent fatherhood news.
Gabby hugged her brother tightly. “I do happen to love you—you pesky cop,” she said in a choked-up voice. “And don’t worry. Nothing like that is ever going to happen
to us again.”
Twenty
It was strange to be in an examination room with Lorenzo by my side. He’d reluctantly agreed to come with me and was already waiting in his car when I pulled up in front of the medical building.
We sat in silence across from the examining table, and Lorenzo visibly colored when he stared at the picture of the developing baby during pregnancy and at the separate diagram of female organs. Talk about your awkward moments.
“Relax,” I told him.
“What good is this going to do?” he burst out. “When the doctor finds out that I was the baby’s father, she’ll think I killed Daphne because of it.”
I decided to be honest with him. “Maybe nothing. Then again, it might give us a clue as to who killed her.”
Lorenzo was gripping the arms of the chair, his body visibly shaking. Perhaps this hadn’t been such a good idea. He was too emotional and high strung about the entire situation, and I couldn’t blame him. “Did you tell your mother?”
He stared down at the floor and nodded. “Yeah. She took it pretty hard.”
There wasn’t much I could say to that. Carlita’s family meant everything to her. Even if she hadn’t liked Daphne, she still would have wanted to be part of the baby’s life.
The door opened, and a woman about my age stepped into the room. Tall and sophisticated, she had peaches-and-cream skin with long, blond hair pulled back from her face in a single braid. She looked more suited for the runway than medical school. A white coat covered her pale blue blouse. Even with sneakers on, she towered over my five-foot, four-inch height. She glanced from me to Lorenzo and smiled. “Hi, I’m Eve Reynolds. You’re Tessa Daniels?”
“Yes, and this is—was—my sister Daphne’s boyfriend.” I purposely didn’t give his name.
She looked confused. “Are you here for an exam? It says that you’re a new patient.”
I shook my head. “No, I didn’t quite know how to phrase it to the receptionist, but this is regarding Daphne. As you might have heard, she died suddenly last week.”
Eve stared at us with pity in her eyes. “Yes. I am very sorry for your loss, but I don’t understand what it has to do with me.”
“She was pregnant,” I said. “We know that she was seeing you for prenatal care.”
Eve’s mouth formed a taut line. “Sorry, but I can’t discuss a patient’s condition with you. Even though she’s deceased, I’m still not at liberty to do so.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that.” I’d gone through something similar with Dylan after he passed away. The angst was apparent on Lorenzo’s face, and I knew something of his frustration. “This is the father of Daphne’s baby. He has a blood test to prove it. We know that you can’t disclose medical information, but we hoped you might at least share with us how she felt about the baby?”
Lorenzo held out the envelope to the doctor with a shaking hand. Eve gave him a dubious look but opened it and studied the contents for about five seconds while he shifted nervously in his seat.
With a sad smile, Eve handed the paper back to Lorenzo. “Again, I’m very sorry for your loss and wish I could help. Unfortunately, I still can’t tell you anything.”
“Come on! Don’t you realize what this is doing to me?” Lorenzo exploded. He jumped out of his chair, and for a second, I was afraid he might lunge for her. Eve backed up, obviously thinking the same thing.
I quickly laid a hand on Lorenzo’s arm. “Hey, we tried. I’m sorry.”
He drew a long breath and looked at me, his lower lip quivering. “Yeah, right. Let’s get out of here.”
I kept a hold on his arm as we walked past the doctor. “Thanks for seeing us.”
As I reached for the doorknob, Eve cleared her throat. “Daphne was going to have the baby.”
Lorenzo and I both turned around. “Do you know if it was a boy or a girl?” he asked.
The cool, confident look had disappeared from Eve’s face, and her high cheekbones became tinged with pink. “Normally I might not remember, but I happened to look at her file again after learning of her death. We did an ultrasound a couple of days before she died. It was a boy.”
Lorenzo drew a hand to his mouth, and for a second I worried he might start crying. He remained frozen in place, staring at the doctor with grief-filled eyes. I was overcome with sadness for him. Perhaps things wouldn’t have worked out with Daphne, but that didn’t change the fact he’d never gotten the chance to know his child. As I stared at his stricken face, any lingering doubt I had about him being the killer faded away.
I extended my hand to Eve. “Thank you again.”
She studied me. “It’s no trouble. You must be the one who called last week asking for details on the pregnancy, right after her ultrasound. I hope the receptionist wasn’t rude when I refused to talk to you.”
“No, she was fine.” I hated to lie, but at least she’d given me the information I’d been looking for, and then some. The date of the ultrasound would have corresponded with the date on the Rigotta phone bill. I was convinced someone was trying to obtain further information about Daphne’s pregnancy.
Eve nodded. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have another patient waiting.”
“Thank you,” Lorenzo said gruffly, and before I could stop him, he stepped forward and stretched out his hand.
The doctor clasped it between hers. “Again, I’m very sorry for your loss, Mr. Rigotta.”
Lorenzo raised his head in astonishment. “What?”
Oh boy. I hadn’t given Lorenzo’s name in hopes that the doctor might throw us a bone, and I wasn’t disappointed. She must not have looked too closely at the information on the blood test. I prayed Lorenzo wouldn’t give us away.
“Preston,” I said slowly and deliberately. “You have to meet with your agent tonight, right? We should leave and let the doctor get back to her work.”
Anger smoldered behind Lorenzo’s dark eyes. “Yeah. I guess I found out everything that I needed to know.”
“Good luck with your books,” Eve said. “I’m not much of a reader myself, but Daphne raved about your work. I’ll be sure to check one out next time I’m on vacation.”
“Bye, Dr. Reynolds.” I pushed Lorenzo out into the hall and quickly shut the door behind us. Phew. That had been a close one. Lorenzo was a volcano, ready to erupt at any second.
Once we were safely in the elevator, he glared at me. “You must really think I’m an idiot, don’t you?”
His words took me by surprise. “Of course not. I was afraid you might get angry when she mentioned Preston’s name.”
The elevator dinged, and when the doors opened, Lorenzo strode ahead of me in the lobby, his chin high and erect, hands balled into fists at his sides. Concerned, I hurried to catch up with him. “Lorenzo, wait a second.”
Once we exited the building, he turned around to face me. “You know the truth same as I do.” He practically spat the words out, as if they were poison. “She planned to pass my kid off as that author’s. She told the doctor that he was the father! How could she do that to me? I was in love with her. And she never gave two cents about me.”
I tried to reassure him. “We don’t know that for certain. Maybe Daphne didn’t know either.”
Lorenzo cursed under his breath. “Yeah, right. Trust me, she knew. Daphne wanted Preston to be her sugar daddy. Maybe she didn’t want to marry him, but she hoped he’d cough up enough money to make her go away. I knew she was devious but didn’t think she was this bad. Now she and the baby—my baby—are dead because of it.”
“Look, let’s go somewhere and talk about this. You’re upset and—”
My sentence was left dangling in the air like a kite. Lorenzo had stopped dead in his tracks and didn’t appear to have heard me. I shielded my eyes against the sun to see what he was staring at.
A light blue sedan was in the center of th
e semi-empty parking lot, with Paddy McDermott behind the wheel. Another man I knew, Steven, a rookie cop on the Harvest Park force, was in the seat next to him. I stifled a groan. This was not going to end well.
Paddy got out of the car and sauntered toward us, his nose lifted arrogantly in the air. He was wearing beige slacks and a dark blue sports coat. A St. Francis medal hung on a gold chain around his thick neck. He stared from Lorenzo to me, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips. “Well, well. Good day, Mrs. Esposito. What brings you here?”
Lorenzo stiffened. “It’s none of your business why we’re here.”
Paddy’s eyes shifted to him in annoyance. “See, it is my business. You’re both suspects in a murder. Your girlfriend—or shall I say, your lady of the month—was murdered, and I happen to think it was done by someone close to her. A boyfriend, perhaps. Someone who was jealous that she had eyes for another man and became so enraged that—”
“Shut up, pig! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Lorenzo yelled, and before I could stop him, he struck the detective across the jaw. Paddy stumbled backward and quickly regained his balance. He charged for Lorenzo like an angry bull, and with Steven’s help, they quickly had him on the ground and in handcuffs. A second later Lorenzo was being read his rights, while all I could do was watch in shock.
Lorenzo shouted obscenities at Paddy as they drove away, and a sick feeling of dread washed over me. A minute ago, I’d been positive that Lorenzo was innocent. He’d loved Daphne and wanted the baby she was carrying. But if he was going to lose it so easily in the face of accusation, could I have been wrong after all?
Twenty-One
“Okay, Tess, give me all the dirt. What happened after Lorenzo got carted off?” Gabby asked.
She was helping me unpack the box of menus that had just been delivered. I studied the maroon cover with bated breath and then let out a small sigh of relief. Anything’s Pastable was spelled correctly. At least one good thing had happened today.
It Cannoli Be Murder Page 20
