Ravioli Soup Murder

by Patti Benning

  CHAPTER NINE

  * * *

  Moira was distracted on her drive home, her mind still turning over everything that she and Thelma had discovered. It all lined up. The timeline of his relationship with Allison’s mother matched the period of Mike’s frequent trips out of town when he had first started his new job. The week of the vacation that Thelma had mentioned lined up with the week that he had been gone for what he had told her was a business trip.

  Thelma had identified the scar that he had, and had even related the story about how he got it. It was the same story that he had told Moira. There is no doubt about it, Mike was Allison’s father. That meant that Candice had a sister.

  She didn’t see the flashing lights until she was about to turn into her driveway. There were police vehicles at the neighbor’s house. What had happened? She remembered the argument that she and David had overheard the night before. It had sounded bad, but by the time they had gotten inside and quieted the dogs down, their neighbors had fallen silent.

  Now, she was frightened by the thought that maybe things had gone too far. What if someone was hurt?

  She turned into her driveway, knowing that her unannounced presence at the neighbor’s house wouldn’t be appreciated. She was relieved when she saw that David was home. He must’ve been waiting for her, because he opened the front door and met her when she was halfway to the porch.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure. I was just getting out of the shower when I heard shouting outside. By the time I got dressed, it was quiet again. A few minutes later, I heard sirens and the police showed up.”

  Moira opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, she heard a wailing off in the distance. It was drawing closer. An ambulance. It slowed as it neared them, and then she heard the siren shut off, but could see the flashing lights through the trees. Whatever had happened at the neighbor’s house, someone had gotten hurt.

  “Oh my goodness,” she said. “Maybe we should have called the police last night. I feel so bad. I hope whoever they called the ambulance for is okay.”

  They stood side-by-side, looking at the trees that divided their house from the neighbors. Moira knew it couldn’t be a coincidence. This had to have something to do with Jonathan’s death.

  “What should we do?” she asked. “Do you think they need help?”

  “It sounds like they already have help,” he said. “We would just be in the way. Maybe we can go over there in a couple of hours and see if everything is alright.”

  She nodded, glancing at her husband and suddenly remembering why she had been in such a hurry to get home.

  “We should go inside,” she said. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  David stared at her, speechless. He was just as surprised as she had been. Maybe even more so; he hadn’t known Mike, and hadn’t sat through all of her fights with him. In retrospect, she shouldn’t have been so surprised that he had another child somewhere.

  “Moira…” her husband said at last. “Isn’t she the one that found him? In the hotel room when he died?”

  Moira felt the breath rush out of her. She hadn’t made the connection herself, but David was right. Allison had – unknowingly – found her own father’s body after he was murdered.

  “Oh, my goodness,” she breathed. “The poor girl. She’s going to be crushed when she finds out.”

  “And you’re sure Allison doesn’t already know?” he asked.

  “Of course she doesn’t,” Moira said. “I’m sure she would have said something if she did.”

  “Doesn’t it seem like a major coincidence that she ended up working for you, the mother of her half-sister?”

  The deli owner shut her mouth, staring at him in shocked silence. She hadn’t even considered that side of things. It did seem like a coincidence. A rather large one. But if Allison knew, why wouldn’t she have said anything?

  “Sometimes a coincidence is just that; a coincidence,” she said. “I’ve known Allison for two years now. If she was able to keep a secret this big for that long, then she’s a completely different girl than the one that I’ve been working side-by-side with.”

  David nodded. “I’ll trust your judgment on this one. You know her best. This is huge, Moira. How do you think Candice will react?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I think – I hope – that she’ll be happy. I always regretted not being able to give her a sibling. My brother and I may not get along so well now, but it’s still nice knowing that he’s out there. It was nice having someone to grow up with. She and Allison are friends. Allison was her maid of honor at the wedding. They are already close. I think that this will be good news for both of them.”

  “And how about for you?” he said. “How are you feeling about all of this?”

  “Surprised,” she said. She gave him a small smile. “It makes me mad at Mike, but I found out what sort of person he was a long time ago. I know that this doesn’t make Allison any sort of relation of mine, but I still feel like she’s part of the family now. I think overall, it’s a good thing. It will just take some getting used to. I’m just worried about how she’ll take it.”

  “That it will,” he said, rising. “So, when are you going to tell Candice?”

  “This weekend,” Moira said. “Thelma and I are going to tell them together. You should be there, too. Allison’s mother is away on a cruise, so it has to be us. I won’t be able to keep this a secret from Candice while she’s visiting. It’s life-changing.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said. “If you want to talk about it more, just let me know.”

  “I will,” she said. “Right now, I just can’t stop worrying about the neighbors, and I need more time to process this before I’ll know how I really feel.”

  “Let’s take the dogs on a walk, then when we get back, we can head over to see what’s going on.”

  When they knocked on their neighbor’s door a little while later, no one answered. Moira wasn’t surprised. If one of them had gone to the hospital, it made sense that the other would have gone too. They walked slowly back to their own home, both of them lost in thought. Everything seemed to be falling apart. First, the man who lived across the street was found dead in his basement, then one of their neighbors was taken away in an ambulance. Now, this whole thing with Allison and Candice… it wasn’t necessarily bad, but it was a huge and shocking discovery.

  In retrospect, she was almost surprised that she hadn’t made the connection before. She couldn’t count how many times she had thought that Allison and Candice looked similar. It wasn’t even just their looks; they had similar personalities.

  She felt bad for the poor woman. In just a few days’ time, her life was going to change forever. There was nothing Moira could do to prepare her for it. She would just have to hope that things went smoothly.

  Candice called her that night to let her know that they would be arriving at around ten on Saturday morning. Hearing her daughter’s voice, Moira was glad that she had insisted on telling the two girls about their relationship that weekend. She had tried to never keep secrets from her daughter. Honesty between the two of them was important to her. For a long time, they were the only family that each of them had had.

  Now, of course, they were both married – a thought that still took Moira by surprise sometimes – and had other people in their lives, but their relationship was still special. In only two days, her daughter’s life would be changed forever. Even though she knew it wasn’t information that should be imparted over the phone, she still felt bad keeping it from her daughter for even the short amount of time that she was.

  “Is everything okay, Mom?”

  “Yes, of course,” she said, realizing that she had missed what her daughter had been saying. “Sorry, I’m just a little bit scatterbrained right now. What did you ask?”

  “I was just wondering how everything was going with that murder,” Candice said. “Did the police
figure who did it yet?”

  “No,” she said. “I did find something out, though. I think one of our neighbors might have been involved.”

  She told her daughter about the suspected affair that Jonathan had been having with Tillie, and the police she had seen at the neighbor’s house earlier that day.

  “That’s terrible,” Candice said. “What happened? Are they both alright?”

  “I’m not sure,” Moira admitted. “David and I went over there a little while ago, but no one was home.”

  “I hope they’re okay. I’m sorry all this is happening. I feel bad not being there.”

  “It’s not your job to be here, sweetie,” she said. “You take care of yourself. I’ve got David here, you don’t have to worry about me.”

  “I can’t help it,” her daughter said. “But you’re right. I know you have David. I’m so glad that you met him. I’m happy that you have someone to be with.”

  “I feel so lucky to have a second chance at a real marriage,” she admitted to her daughter. “You and I both got lucky with the men in our lives.”

  “We did,” her daughter agreed. “So, tell me, what did Allison’s aunt think of the house?”

  “She loved it,” the deli owner said. “She wants to meet there this weekend to talk about the logistics of renting it. Will you be able to do that?”

  “Of course. I can meet with her anytime on Saturday after I arrive. I’m so glad that she likes it. I know we don’t actually know her, but Allison is like my best friend ever, and if she vouches for her aunt, that’s good enough for me.”

  “I’ll give her a call to see what time is best,” Moira said. “I can’t wait to see you.”

  “It will be good to be home,” her daughter said. “See you later, Mom.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  * * *

  Thelma agreed to meet her for brunch the next day. Moira woke up early, in a good mood despite the lingering worry over Jonathan’s death. Candice was coming to visit soon, and her daughter had gained a sister overnight.

  The only thing that darkened her mood was the fact that Allison had unknowingly found her own father’s body. She couldn’t imagine what the revelation would do to the girl, but she knew that they still had to tell the girls what they had found out. Both of them had gained a sister; if that wasn’t a good thing, then what was?

  She said a cheerful goodbye to David as he left for work, then turned her attention to the dogs, who were sorely in need of some one-on-one time. Other than their walk yesterday, during which she and David had been distracted by the scene at the neighbor’s house, they had been put on the back burner since Jonathan’s death. Even though everything that she had been doing was important, they couldn’t understand it. All they knew was that she had been around less, and when she was, she was distracted.

  After getting dressed in her most comfortable jeans and one of her favorite sweaters, she went out front with them, carrying a large squeaky tennis ball. She tossed it across the yard, watching the two of them chase it. Keeva was faster than Maverick over a distance, but he was more agile, and it made them pretty evenly matched in the game of fetch.

  She laughed as she threw the increasingly slobbery ball for them again and again. There was just something about spending time with the dogs that always made it easier for her to live in the moment. They were always happy, no matter what had happened the day before. They didn’t hold grudges, and they never asked her difficult questions. They were simply thrilled to be running around together outside.

  Once they started to get tired, she brought them back inside and refilled their water dishes. As they drank, she stood in front of the kitchen sink and cleaned up the dishes left over from her and David’s breakfast together. As she washed the plates, she gazed out the window in the direction of the neighbor’s house. She still had no idea what had happened, and although she hadn’t been planning on stopping by without David, she decided that she might as well check in on her neighbors before she left to meet Thelma.

  After she was done cleaning up, she went upstairs to fix her hair and makeup, then said a final goodbye to the dogs and walked out the door. After letting her car warm up for a moment, she drove over to the neighbor’s house and parked in the driveway, leaving her SUV running. This time, when she knocked on the front door, Tillie answered.

  “Yes?” her neighbor asked, peering out at her from a dark house. She had bags under her eyes, and was wearing sweatpants and a tank top.

  “I’m sorry, did I wake you up?”

  “I should have been up anyway,” the other woman said, shaking her head. “You live next door, don’t you?”

  “Yes. I’m Moira. I know we’ve met before, and I hope that this isn’t too odd, but I saw some commotion here yesterday afternoon, and I was just wondering if everything is okay. If you need anything, David and I are happy to help.”

  “Thank you for checking in,” Tillie said. “Everything’s fine, now. It’s just my husband, Derek… we were arguing, and he fell down the stairs. He turned back to say something to me, and he just slipped. It was horrible. He broke his leg. I was panicking and I called 911. Thank goodness the doctor said it’s not a bad break, and he should be home from the hospital by Monday.”

  “I’m glad he’s alright,” Moira said. “Sorry to bother you. I was just concerned about the two of you.”

  “Thank you,” Tillie said. “It means a lot. It’s been a rough couple of days. Anyway, I should start getting ready now. I promised him I’d go visit him this morning.”

  ***

  As she drove into town for her meeting with Thelma, Moira thought about what her neighbor had said. Had she been telling the truth? She didn’t have any reason to believe that the woman would lie. However, she had admitted that she and her husband had been arguing. Had his slip down the stairs really been an accident?

  She shook her head. She had promised David that she wouldn’t get involved in this. Whatever was going on with her neighbors, the police could handle it. She had done her part in making sure that they were okay. That had to be good enough for her.

  She pulled into the little diner’s parking lot. It was right next door to the motel that Thelma was staying at, and the most convenient place for the other woman to meet.

  Allison’s aunt was already waiting at the table when she got there. Moira took the seat across from her.

  “Sorry, I ordered without you,” the other woman said. “You said around ten, and I wasn’t sure how soon you would get here.”

  “That’s fine,” Moira said. “I already had breakfast, anyway. David and I ate together before he went to work. I will probably just get a coffee.”

  “So, what did you want to talk about?”

  “A couple of things,” Moira said. “Candice is thrilled that you like the house. She wants to meet as soon as possible, so any time after ten on Saturday. When are you available?”

  “This is the most important thing I’m doing all weekend, so I will make any time work. I will just have to check with Allison to see when she is free.”

  Thelma meeting with Candice to discuss the farmhouse would give them the perfect excuse to get the girls together. Moira felt a little bit bad about keeping the secret from both of them for the time being, but she was sure that both girls would understand once they were told the truth.

  “Let me know as soon as you have a time. It’s going to be eating me up inside until we tell them.”

  “Is Allison working that day?”

  “Not for me, and since it’s the weekend, the school will be closed. She should be free.”

  “Perfect,” the other woman said. “I will just have to tell Shay that I’m going to hold off on buying for now. She’s already contacted me with a few more listings.”

  “I’m sure she’ll understand,” Moira said. “I hope this farmhouse works out for you. I know it would be a weight off of Candice and Eli’s shoulders to know that it’s being rented by someone they can trust.”

&nbs
p; “I would love to help them out,” the other woman said. “Hopefully by Saturday evening, this will have been resolved. The two sisters will know about each other, I’ll have a place to stay, and Candice and Eli will know that their home is being taken care of.”

  “I just hope it’s that easy,” Moira said. “Thelma, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  The other woman raised her eyebrows. “After what we found out, nothing could surprise me. Go on.”

  “Mike is dead.”

  Thelma breathed out slowly. “Oh. I’m sorry. How did it happen?”

  “He was murdered, but that’s not all. Allison is the one who found his body. It happened back when she worked at the hotel.”