She had spent most of the morning cleaning. Shoveling the driveway had been her last chore, and it felt good to be done. The hardwood floors were sparkling, the bedding in the guest room had been washed and the bed remade, and Marlowe was perched happily in her clean cage.
She felt refreshed and ready for the holiday. It would be odd to celebrate Christmas without her grandmother, but she would still be surrounded by the people that she loved. She planned to go over to Russell’s on Christmas morning, then in the afternoon they would go to Shannon and James’s house for dinner. James was Russell's brother, and Shannon was his wife, as well as Ellie’s best friend. The two of them were months away from welcoming a third member to their family — Shannon had recently found out that she was pregnant.
The coming year is going to be full of changes for all of us, she thought as she took a seat in the living room. Good changes, but still… changes.
Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She leaned forward and snatched it off the coffee table, smiling at the sight of her fiancé’s name.
“Hey,” she said, answering it and leaning back into the cushions.
“Ellie,” he said. His voice sounded taut. “Darlene flew out all right?”
“Yes,” she said, frowning. Somehow this didn't feel like a social call. “Why?”
“Someone just stopped by the department. He had a photo of her and said he was looking for her. He wouldn't say why, but he had a private investigator’s license.”
“He must be from her husband,” Ellie said with a groan. “I told her that she needed to get a lawyer. It sounds like Paul made the move first.”
“Are you sure she told you the full story about what happened?”
“She caught him red-handed with another woman. What more is there to tell?”
“I’m just making sure there aren’t any surprises. Has she had any contact with him?”
“No,” Ellie said. “She told me that she tried to call him a couple of times, but he sent her straight to voicemail.”
“Huh.”
“What?”
“If he wanted to find her badly enough to hire a PI, then why wouldn’t he answer her calls?”
“I don’t know,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll ask her about it. I’m planning on making a video call to them in a little bit.”
“I’m glad they made it safely to Florida. I bet your grandmother is happy to have Darlene there. It’s nice that her friend was able to join her.”
“It’s hard to pass up a trip to Florida in the middle of winter,” Ellie said, chuckling.
“Do you wish we had gone?”
“It would have been nice,” she said after considering his question for a moment. “But at the same time, it will be good to spend the holiday at home. I’m looking forward to Christmas dinner with Shannon and James, and I would have felt bad leaving the employees to run the pizzeria on their own during the holiday season.”
“How is the Florida pizzeria doing?”
“Wonderfully. Linda couldn’t be better at running it. I think all she needed was a little bit of guidance, and some hope. It’s already bringing in more money than the Papa Pacelli’s up here.”
“I’m not surprised,” he said. “It’s in a much more populated area, with a steady stream of visitors year-round. Besides, with your grandfather’s secret recipe, none of the other pizza places nearby have a chance.”
“Oh, don’t say that,” she said. “I don’t want to run anyone out of business.”
“Sorry,” he said. “I’m sure Miami is big enough for more than one pizzeria. I’m just glad yours is doing so well.”
“Me too,” she said. “Thank you, Russell. I should get going — like I said, I’m planning to make a video call to Nonna in a little bit, and I want to get ready for it. I’ll see you later tonight, all right?”
“I’ve already done the shopping for dinner. I’m looking forward to it. See you later, Ellie.”
She said goodbye and ended the call, smiling to herself as she thought about how well things were going for both of them. Then she remembered what Russell had said about the private investigator that was looking for Darlene. What did that mean? Had her cousin really told her the truth about why she had left her husband? Why would Darlene lie? she thought. It didn’t make sense.
She could ask Darlene what was going on when she talked to her later. She was happy to do a video call, but she had been cleaning all morning and she knew that she looked like a mess.
With Bunny following her, she went upstairs and changed. She knew that the little dog was bored; the weather was bad enough that they hadn’t been taking their usual walks. Even with a coat, the papillon started shivering after just a few minutes in the frigid coastal wind. The salt on the roads didn’t help matters either. It stung the dog’s paws and irritated her eyes if she scratched at her face. The snow was too deep for Bunny to walk beside the road, and even though she only weighed a few pounds, Ellie knew that she would get tired after carrying her for long.
“You can come with me to Russell’s tonight,” she said as she touched up her makeup in the mirror. “At least that will give you a change of scenery. But no chasing the cat, okay?”
Bunny and Sookie, Russell’s tabby grey cat, had hated each other at first sight. The cat outweighed Bunny by a couple of pounds, but the little dog was fearless. Ellie hoped that they would learn to get along eventually, because in just a couple of months, they would be living together.
Deciding that she no longer looked like something the cat — or dog, as it were — had dragged in, she went back downstairs. It was just about time to call. She was looking forward to seeing how her grandmother was doing. She had only seen the condo once, when the older woman had first moved in. She was sure that it had more of a personal touch by now. Hopefully her grandmother was beginning to feel at home there.
When the landline rang, she was sure that it was her grandmother calling, probably wanting to be walked through the video call process again. With a sigh, she changed directions and headed toward the kitchen. Picking up the phone, she said, “Hey, Nonna. I was just about to get on the computer.”
“This is Sergeant Alex Goodwin from the Virginia State Police Department. Am I speaking with Ms. Pacelli?”
Ellie felt her stomach twist. “This is she,” she said. “What can I help you with?”
“We’re looking for Darlene Jacobs regarding her husband’s murder. I was told that she might be staying with you.”
“She’s not here anymore,” Ellie said, trying to think. Her heart was pounding. Darlene’s husband was dead… murdered? “She’s visiting her grandmother in Florida. Hold on a second, I’ll give you her number.”
It wasn’t until after she gave the sergeant her grandmother’s cell phone number and hung up that she realized that she might have made a mistake. She hadn’t asked the man to give her any identifying information, and Russell had just told her about the man who had been snooping around trying to find Darlene. It was illegal to impersonate a police officer, but that didn’t mean that someone desperate wouldn’t try it. She needed to call her grandmother, now.
Chapter Four
* * *
Nonna
“I understand. If he calls, I’ll make sure I ask for his badge number before I tell him anything.”
She said goodbye, then the screen on her computer went dark. Not sure if there was a button that she should press to end the call from her side, she shut the laptop. Good enough, she thought.
Ann Pacelli opened her bedroom door and peered down the hall. Her condo still smelled like new carpet, and sometimes she felt like she was staying in a hotel. She knew that in time she would grow used to the place, but for the time being she would have to live with the unsettling feeling of being a guest in her own home.
Of course, now she had guests. Darlene, her sweet granddaughter, and her nice friend. What was her name, again? Emma? Emily, she thought.
The recent call from Ellie was
weighing heavily on her mind. She hadn't accused Darlene of anything, but that police officer seemed to think that she was involved with something bad.
She loved both of her granddaughters, and didn't think either of them could do something like that, but at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that Darlene was hiding something. She had been so withdrawn ever since she had arrived, even with her friend trying to cheer her up.
I should talk to her, she thought, but something made her hesitate. She could hear voices from down the hall, and it sounded like Darlene was finally beginning to come out of her shell. With news like this…
Ann sighed. She knew that she would have to talk to her granddaughter eventually. If she didn't have anything to do with it — and of course she didn't — then she might not even know about her husband’s death. She didn't know what it would do to the poor girl to find out, but at the same time she knew that she couldn't wait long to tell her.
Just give her a little bit longer, Ann told herself. Let her enjoy dinner first. There's no sense in wrecking the meal they've been working on all day. And think about what Ellie said. We don’t know if that man really is from the police, or if he’s the man who was looking for Darlene in Kittiport. I shouldn’t say anything until we know for sure.
Taking a deep breath and pasting a smile across her face, she left her bedroom and started down the hall. She hoped that man called her, just so she could prove that he was a fake. Impersonating a police officer was a serious crime, but it was the only thing that made sense. It was ridiculous to think that Darlene had anything to do with her husband’s death. It made more sense that the man was getting desperate in his attempts to track her down and get her to sign whatever divorce agreement his lawyer had written up.
“Nonna, it’s almost time to eat,” Darlene said when she entered the kitchen. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat outdoors?”
“It’s going to rain,” Ann replied. “And when it does, we will get drenched. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of nice days during your stay here.”
“Okay,” her granddaughter said, casting a doubtful look toward the sky. “Well, we have the table set, and everything is ready except the chicken. The timer only has three minutes left on it.”
“Can I help with anything?”
“No, you just sit down.”
Ann shuffled over to the kitchen table and took a seat. Emily, the cheery, yellow haired woman that Darlene had brought with her, was leaning against the counter. “Here, let me get you some water,” she said. “Is everything all right?”
“I’m just tired,” she replied. “I stayed up later than usual last night. I’m usually in bed by eight.”
“Well, we won’t keep you up tonight,” Emily promised as she filled the glass with water from the refrigerator. “Thank you again for letting me stay with you.”
“It’s my pleasure. Any friend of Darlene’s is welcome here.”
She heard a high-pitched beeping, which her granddaughter shut off as she opened the stove. She pulled out a pan of sizzling breadcrumb crusted chicken breasts and placed it on a potholder in the center of the table. There was already a bowl of pasta and a separate one of Alfredo sauce waiting.
“This looks delicious,” Ann said. “Thank you for cooking.”
“I saw this recipe in a magazine, and it looked great. After we eat, Emily and I are probably going to go into town again. I want to get some Christmas shopping done, and check out Ellie’s pizzeria. Have you seen it?”
“I go there every week,” Ann said. “It’s become a favorite lunch spot for my friends, as well.”
“That’s nice,” Darlene said, taking a seat at the table. “I know Ellie is very proud of it. And she should be. I had a lot of fun helping at the pizzeria in Kittiport in the past couple of weeks. It’s almost tempting to stay in town and see if she’ll hire me on full-time. I might not make a ton of money, but it would be relaxing. I could use something relaxing after everything I’ve been going through.”
“What about your husband?” Ann said. She couldn’t help but fish for information. She watched her granddaughters face closely, but Darlene didn’t give anything away.
“The two of us are done,” she said with finality. “I’m going to make my own way from here on out.”
“You should have left him years ago,” Emily said, reaching for the bowl of pasta and serving herself a spoonful. “I told you I didn’t trust him.”
“I made a commitment, and I wasn’t going to be the one to break it,” Darlene said. “But once I found out about the affair, all bets were off. He made the decision to break our vows, and there is no going back now. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
The finality of her granddaughter’s statement seemed a bit ominous, but Ann didn’t know if she was simply projecting what Ellie had told her onto her other granddaughter’s tone.
They settled down to the meal. Ann felt tense, but the two women seemed relaxed and happy. She tried the chicken, and realized it was delicious. It seemed that Ellie wasn’t the only one who had inherited her grandfather’s cooking skills.
“This is wonderful,” she said. “Thank you, both of you.”
“I made enough so that you would have leftovers,” her granddaughter said. “I’ll cook something else tomorrow, too.”
“You don’t have to,” she said. “We can always go out to eat if you would like. There are so many wonderful restaurants around here. I would love to go exploring with the two of you. There’s a service that drives us around when we want to go somewhere, but it’s hard to discover new places when you’re using a taxi. I would feel bad asking the driver to drive around randomly.”
“If you want to go out to eat, then we will do that. This visit is all about you, Nonna.”
“No, no, you’re the guest. I want the two of you to do what you want. Don’t feel like you have to stick around here just for me. If you would rather go and do your own thing, that is fine as well. As long as you’re here for Christmas dinner with me, I will be happy.”
Her cell phone rang, making her jump. She still hadn’t figured out how to change the obnoxious ring tone it had come with. Her condominium didn’t have a landline installed yet, and she didn’t know if she would get around to it. The cell phone was convenient, even if she kept misplacing it.
“I’ll get that for you,” Darlene said, hopping up before Nonna could rise. “Here you go.”
Ann looked down at the screen and saw a number that she didn’t recognize. It must be that man that Ellie had told her about.
“I should take this into the other room,” she said. “The two of you keep eating. I’m not sure how long I’ll be.”
Worried that the call would go to voicemail, she pressed the answer button as she rose. She didn’t say anything until she reached the hallway.
“Hello, may I ask who’s calling?”
“This is Sergeant Alex Goodwin. Your granddaughter gave me this number. Is this Ann Pacelli?”
“Yes, it is,” she said, feeling her stomach clench. The man certainly sounded professional. She was desperately hoping that he wasn’t who he had told Ellie that he was, but now that she heard his voice, that seemed unlikely.
“We are looking for your granddaughter, Darlene Jacobs. Would you happen to know of her whereabouts?”
Ann hesitated. “I’m sorry, but could I have some further identification first? Maybe your badge number?”
He told her his badge number, and also gave her the telephone number for his station. She bit back a sigh. She could hang up and validate what he had said, then call back again, but there is no doubt left in her mind. This man really was a police sergeant.
“Darlene is here. What should I tell her this is about?”
“If you will just give me a phone number where I could reach her and your address, that will be good enough.”
“I have her number on my phone. I would have to look it up. I’m surprised you don’t already have it. You managed to track do
wn my number.”
“She hasn’t been answering the calls we have been making to her cell phone. I was hoping she had a different number. Can I have your address please?”
Ann gave him her address, feeling sick to her stomach. It seemed that Darlene’s husband really was dead, and the police were adamant about questioning her.
Chapter Five
* * *
CHRISTMAS PIZZA MURDER Page 2
