Four Cheese Murder: Book Seven in Papa Pacelli's Pizzeria Series

by Patti Benning

  “I understand,” Ellie assured her. As she walked away, she couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed that Bethany hadn’t shared more with her. She had gotten used to special treatment from the police during her relationship with Russell, and she supposed that had spoiled her a bit. She would just have to wait to find out what had happened with everybody else.

  The lines moved painfully slowly. A few minutes in, Ellie remembered that her car was still running and had to explain the situation to the officer at the door in order to go out and shut it off. When she came back in, she had to take up a position at the tail end of one of the lines. By the time she made it to the front, she was already late to go meet Russell.

  The actual interview itself didn’t take long. She gave her name and her reason for being there, and described her one and only meeting with the dead woman. She didn’t know why the police were making it such a point to interview everybody—it seemed a bit extreme—but she went along with it and soon after was out of the building and free to go about her day.

  “Hey, you.”

  She turned to see Ronald standing just outside the community center doors. He was standing with his hands in his pockets, hunched against the cold.

  “Yes?” she said.

  “You came with a donation, didn’t you? We’re moving the setup to the elementary school on Spruce Street. You can drop everything off there if you want.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “I’ll do that now.”

  The school was on the way to Russell’s, thank goodness. She felt bad that the pizzas were lukewarm, at best, by the time that they got there, but at least they wouldn’t be going to waste. She was still shocked by the news of Courtney’s death, and kept trying to puzzle out what could have happened. The police must have a reason to suspect foul play, or else they wouldn’t have held everyone for questioning. Ellie couldn’t imagine who would want to kill such a nice woman, and in the middle of a food drive no less.

  After dropping off the pizzas and the boxes of clothes, she made a beeline for Russell’s house. She was sure he would want to hear about the murder scene at the community center firsthand, and with any luck he might be able to get some answers.

  “I was beginning to worry about you,” he said as he answered the door.

  He was leaning on a crutch, following the doctor’s orders not to put any weight on his injured leg. Ellie was still dumbfounded by how lucky he had been. He had been shot while pulling over a drunk driver in the middle of the night. The routine stop had descended into chaos when the driver of the vehicle opened fire on Russell before he even reached the car. According to the police report, five shots had been fired, but only one had hit the sheriff. Russell had called for backup, and he and his deputies had managed to get the man subdued and handcuffed without anyone suffering other injuries.

  She knew that he thought that he had been unlucky, but she believed quite the opposite. Any one of those other four shots could have hit him. Even the bullet that he took to the leg could have been fatal if it had been just a couple of inches to the side. It was terrifying to think how close he had come to dying.

  “I got caught up in what happened at the community center,” she explained. “Did you hear about that?”

  He nodded, his brow creasing. “Liam told me as soon as they got the call. I should have guessed that’s where you were.”

  “What happened?” she asked as she came inside. “All I know is that some poor woman was found dead.”

  “That’s the gist of it,” he said. “I haven’t heard much in the way of updates, but from what I did hear, the janitor found her in the snow outside the rear entrance. Liam told me there was evidence of trauma, so the case is being treated as a homicide, at least until someone says differently.”

  “Why did they make everyone stay and get questioned by the police? They can’t think we all had something to do with it.”

  “My guess is that my replacement—” Russell made a face, “is eager to prove himself. He’s a younger guy, and I think he’s hoping to run for sheriff a couple of towns over next year. If he solves this case quickly, it’s going to look good for him. He probably didn’t want to chance losing track of anyone who could potentially be a suspect. Once news about the death gets out, the person very well may try to flee. That’s going to be a lot more difficult if the police already have their information.”

  “I’m sorry that you’re stuck here while all of this is going on,” Ellie said with a grimace. “I can’t even imagine how frustrating that must be.”

  “One good leg ought to be enough to do police work,” he grumbled. “But I suppose there are upsides, like hand-delivered pizza from the best place in town.” He eyed the box with a grin.

  “I’ll have to heat it up first,” she said apologetically. “It took me ages to get through the whole fiasco at the community center.”

  “I’ll preheat the oven,” he said. “I need to get used to using this darned thing, anyway.” He waved the crutch around in annoyance. “I can’t wait to testify against the guy who shot me. If he hadn’t been so trigger happy, I’d be the one working this case right now. Mendez is a decent guy, but he doesn’t know Kittiport like I do.”

  Ellie smiled fondly. Russell’s deep affection for his town was endearing. She had the feeling that even though Mendez was the official lead on the case, Sheriff Ward just might do a bit of investigating on his own.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  * * *

  The news of the murder at the community center spread quickly through the town. Papa Pacelli’s was a common place for teenagers to stop and eat after school, and Ellie overheard such a large variety of rumors about Courtney’s death as she served tables that she had to wonder where the kids were coming up with this stuff. There were a few interesting theories in between the crazy ones, though. Personally, she was leaning towards believing the people who said the janitor had done it. After all, didn’t murderers usually return to the scene of the crime?

  By the time Friday rolled around, the rumor mill had calmed down slightly. Ellie, who heard most of her news from Russell—a far more reliable source than most people had—wasn’t encouraged when the sheriff told her that no suspects had been named yet.

  “Mendez has a couple of people on his list,” he told her when she dropped off some Chinese takeout and a cup of his favorite coffee for him before work. “But they haven’t found anything solid. The poor woman had massive internal bleeding. From the sound of it, the injury happened days before she passed.”

  “Why didn’t she go to the hospital?” Ellie asked. “If someone attacked her, why wouldn’t she say anything?”

  “I don’t know.” He sounded frustrated. “Liam told me Mendez isn’t even certain it’s murder any more. She could have gotten injured accidentally somewhere. If she didn’t realize the severity of what happened, or couldn’t afford to go to the hospital, well…” He shook his head.

  “In a way, that’s even sadder,” Ellie said. “If she knew that she was hurt, but couldn’t find help… the poor woman. She seemed just fine when I saw her last week.”

  “She didn’t mention anything about being in an accident?” he asked.

  “Nope. She seemed happy. She introduced me to her friends and told me to find her if I ever wanted to volunteer there.”

  “Did she seem to have any issues with anyone at the community center? I’m not ready to take foul play out of the equation completely yet.”

  “From the little I saw, she seemed to get along with everybody.”

  They had already gone over all of this, but Ellie understood his urge to have every detail perfectly right. Every time they talked about Courtney’s death, she hoped that something would click, but it never did.

  “I hate just sitting around and not being able to do anything,” Russell grumped. “I’m never going to retire. I would go insane.”

  Ellie got to the pizzeria in time to help Clara and Iris with the lunch rush. Clara, who had previously met Courtney
, seemed to have been especially affected by her death. It was hard to imagine that the two women were only a few years apart in age, but Courtney’s life was already over. They both seemed so young to Ellie. No matter what had happened to the woman, her death was terribly sad.

  “I’m going to take my break now. Can one of you cover?” Iris asked, snapping the pizzeria owner out of her thoughts. Ellie had been staring blankly at a pile of chopped onions for who knew how long. She could use a change of pace.

  “I will,” she said. “Clara, when you get a chance, can you get these onions in the fridge?”

  She walked through the swinging door and into the dining area, wondering what had her so distracted today. It probably had to do with her conversation with Russell. When she had thought the woman’s death was a homicide, it had been easier for her to process it. There was a clear right and wrong, and someone to blame. If the original theory of it being a homicide was wrong, that meant that Courtney had died because she hadn’t been able to get the help that she needed. Considering that she had been volunteering for the food drive when she died, the thought was especially poignant.

  When she heard the bell on the door, she looked up automatically to greet the new guest. She was surprised to see a familiar face. It took her a second to place the woman. When she realized who it was, she was even more surprised. Tina, Courtney’s roommate, gave her a quick wave.

  “Hi. Um, it’s Ellie, isn’t it?”

  “You’ve got it. How can I help you?”

  “Can I have a personal veggie pizza and a soda?”

  “Of course. It will be about ten minutes. Feel free to grab your drink out of the fridge and wait in one of the booths.”

  Ellie kept her eye on the dark-haired woman. She was itching to go and talk to her, but wasn’t sure how to go about it without upsetting her. It must be so hard for her, losing her roommate like that, she thought, there must be reminders of Courtney all over their place.

  When Tina’s pizza was done, Ellie carried it over and set it down on the table. Tina gave her a small smile of gratitude.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem,” Ellie said. “And it’s on the house. I know you were close to Courtney; it’s the least I can do.”

  “Thank you,” the woman said, this time with more feeling. Her lips began to tremble. “Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting this. I’ve had so many people be upset with me ever since it happened. Half the town seems to think I killed her.”

  This was a new one to Ellie. “Don’t take anything anybody says to heart. Once rumors get started they have a life of their own. Look, don’t tell anybody I told you this, but I have it from a good source that the detective in charge isn’t even sure her death was a murder anymore.”

  “Really? I didn’t know that. I hope more people start to hear that. Things have gotten really bad. I can’t even go to the community center anymore because people think I’m the one who did it.”

  “I had no idea,” Ellie said. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Well, you can see why I’m tearing up.” She gave a sad laugh. “It means a lot to have someone be nice to me for a change.”

  The dark-haired woman picked up the pizza and tucked her soda into her overlarge coat’s pocket. She gave Ellie a tremulous smile as she left. Ellie beamed after her, but the expression faded quickly as the prickling of suspicion rose up in her. If enough people believed that Tina had killed Courtney to ban her from the community center, then they must have a reason. Was it possible that she had just given away a pizza to a murderer?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  * * *

  “Hey, crazy bird,” Ellie said fondly to the big red macaw. The bird was on the back of the couch, and was sneaking ever closer to her, her eyes locked on the sandwich in Ellie’s hands. Bunny was watching her just as hopefully from the floor.

  It was a lazy Sunday morning, and so far, the three of them had spent it lying around in front of the fire, the bird and the dog content to doze while Ellie read. Nonna was in the kitchen, baking something yummy. Ellie had caught sight of chocolate chips and pecans when she stopped in to make her sandwich, and was hopeful that cookies were on the menu.

  She had turned her encounter with Tina over and over in her mind, and winced mentally each time. Her biggest mistake had been telling the woman what Russell had told her—that Mendez wasn’t certain Courtney’s death was murder anymore. The sheriff had told her that in confidence, and she had been foolish to let it slip to someone who very well could be a suspect on the case. Embarrassment had kept her from telling him of her slip-up so far, but she knew that she would have to be honest with him sooner or later.

  Her phone buzzed. She picked it up to see a text message from Shannon. Are you free? Meeting Karen for coffee in half an hour.

  Sure, she texted back. I’ll be there.

  That meant she was going to have to get dressed and make herself presentable for the day, but she had probably lazed around enough. It was nice to have the weekends off, but she always felt guilty on the days that she did absolutely nothing. Besides, she needed to talk about her concerns with someone other than Russell. He was a great guy, but saw the world in a very black and white way. Besides, Shannon worked for the local newspaper. If anyone would be up to date on the rumors surrounding Courtney’s death, it would be her.

  After letting her grandmother know that she was going to be in town for a while, Ellie tucked Marlowe back in her cage, tossed a treat for Bunny, and pulled on her winter gear. Her phone had buzzed loudly that morning with a warning about severe winter weather, but so far it was a clear, if frigid, day.

  Kittiport was situated right on the coast of Maine. The town was cute and idyllic in the summer, with the fishing boats bobbing on sparkling waves and all the tiny little shops putting their best wares out for tourists. In winter, the town was just as beautiful, but in a different way. Snow sat heavily on well-insulated rooftops, and smoke rose from chimneys throughout the town. The forest of the large state park that encompassed a good portion of the land around town was made up mostly of white pines, and to Ellie it seemed like the town was surrounded by Christmas trees.

  She enjoyed the view as she drove into town, glad for a sunny day even if the air was icy. The frequent thaws and re-freezings were beginning to wear on her. She was ready for winter to end, and spring to return. It was hard to imagine that in a few short months the snow would be gone for the year, and she wouldn’t have to watch out for patches of dangerous black ice when she was driving to meet her friends.

  After ordering a triple caramel latte, Ellie joined Karen at their regular table by the window. Shannon wasn’t there yet; she had texted a few minutes ago to say she had been held up at work.

  “Hi, Ellie,” Karen said as the pizzeria owner joined her. “How is everything with you?”

  Good,” Ellie said. She sipped her coffee, then winced. Too hot. “Well, as good as can be expected. You’ve heard about the death at the community center?”

  “I heard about it. Benton Harbor doesn’t have much news of its own, so the paper prints stories from Kittiport a lot. Poor girl. It’s sad that no one found her for so long. I heard her body was frozen by the time it was discovered.”

  “I met her just a few days before she died,” Ellie said. “Russell said that according to the autopsy, she had probably been injured for a while before she succumbed to it. I can’t stop thinking that she might have been suffering the entire time I was speaking to her. I keep wondering, why didn’t she get some kind of help?”

  At that moment, the door to the cafe opened and Shannon came in. She waved to let them know that she saw them, then walked over to the register to order her drink. When she approached the table, Ellie shifted her jacket off the chair to free up space.

  “Sorry I’m late,” her friend said. “One of the women I work with took a few days off because her friend died, and I’ve been scrambling trying to do both of our jobs. I don’t blame her of course, but it’s taxing.”


  “Wait, was her friend’s name Courtney?” Ellie asked.

  “Yeah,” Shannon said. “The woman who died at the community center. Kristy—that’s my coworker—was close to her.”

  Small world, Ellie thought. Sometimes I forget how tiny this town is. When they say everybody knows everybody, they mean it.

  “We were just talking about that,” Karen said. “No one seems to have any straight answers about what happened.”

  “The whole thing is such a mystery,” Shannon said. “If someone attacked her, why didn’t she report it? If she was in an accident, why didn’t she go to the doctor? If that temporary sheriff, Detective Mendez, doesn’t pin down a killer, we may never know.”

  “I did learn something else yesterday,” Ellie said. “Courtney’s roommate, Tina, came into the pizzeria. She told me that people seem to be blaming her for the murder. It’s gotten to the point where she can’t even go to the community center. My first impulse was to feel bad for her, but then I remembered something odd, an interaction between her and another woman, Kristy, who Courtney said was her best friend. Kristy seemed to think there had been some sort of disagreement between Courtney and her roommate. Do you think there might be something there?”

  “Maybe,” Shannon said. “If things were bad between them and they got into a fight, well, Tina might not even realize it if she hurt the other woman. It still raises the question of why Courtney wouldn’t have gone to the doctor.”

  “Maybe there was someone she was protecting,” Karen chimed in. “Did she have a boyfriend or husband?”

  The two other women looked at each other and shrugged. There was too much that they didn’t know. I think it’s high time I talk to Russell about what happened yesterday, Ellie thought. He probably knows why the rumors about Tina started, and he would definitely know if Courtney had a husband or boyfriend. She was sure the police had already investigated everyone close to the woman, but more minds working the case couldn’t hurt.