by Mary Ellis
With her head still throbbing, Jill fixed her focus on Eric. ‘How did you find me? I did my best to ditch you.’
‘There’ll be time for explanations later. Right now, you should rest until the police get here.’
‘Maybe you’re right. I don’t feel so good.’ Relaxing against the silk fabric, she concentrated on forcing air in and out of her lungs. As darkness blotted out the world around her, Jill went back to sleep. After all, if she was somewhere on Kiawah Island with Eric Manfredi she had to be dreaming.
The next thing she heard was the gruff voice of Lieutenant Schott. ‘Charleston PD. Everyone stay where they are,’ he thundered at the patio door.
Jill bolted upright. This was no dream. A cool wash cloth lay across her forehead, while Eric held her feet in his lap.
‘Welcome back,’ he said.
‘Thanks for not listening to me at the restaurant.’
‘It was my pleasure.’
‘Oh, Eric. You were right. I should have let Lieutenant Schott interrogate Mrs Borelli.’
He plopped down on the sofa next to her to inspect the welts around her neck. ‘I’ll kill Dominic for doing that to you, if he’s not already dead.’
‘It was Sofia’s idea. That nice old lady wanted to kill me.’ Jill glared at Sofia as the police brought her out in handcuffs. ‘Dominic wanted to protect his mother. Sofia murdered her husband and framed your dad.’ Jill gingerly touched her throat. ‘If not for you, I’d be dead. How did you know where I was?’
Eric patted her bare feet tenderly. ‘As soon as Nonni told me where you might be headed, I got here as fast as I could. I was afraid it wouldn’t be fast enough. I’m just glad Renny left the patio door open.’
Renny, who’d been sitting with his grandmother, stood and crossed the room. ‘I’m glad too, and deeply sorry for the pain my family caused you, Miss Wyatt. And I apologize to you, Eric. This stupid feud has gone on long enough.’ Tentatively, he extended his hand.
After a moment’s hesitation, Eric shook with his former enemy. ‘Apology accepted. Now could you get Jill something to drink? She’s had quite an ordeal.’
‘Would you like water or a cup of coffee?’ Renny asked. ‘Maybe a glass of wine?’
‘Water would be great, thanks.’ Jill fell back against the pillows.
As soon as Renny left the room, Eric pulled her into his arms. ‘Why did you come to question a potential murderer without a weapon? You could have been killed.’
Gasping, Jill pushed him away. ‘Please, I just got my breath back. If you must know, my gun is in my purse, which is still in the study. Dominic took me by surprise.’ Then Jill softened her tone. ‘Thanks, for calling Lieutenant Schott when you did.’
‘You’re welcome. Maybe you’ll give me a foot-rub later?’
‘Maybe after your special dinner of pappardelle Bolognese? Is that still on for tonight?’
‘You bet it is.’
‘Miss Wyatt,’ said Lieutenant Schott, ‘if you’re feeling up to it, I’d like to get your statement. If not, you could stop by the station tomorrow morning.’
Jill swung her feet to the floor. ‘Now is fine. The sooner I give my statement and Sofia repeats what she confessed, the sooner you’ll drop the charges against Mr Manfredi.’
Schott cocked his head. ‘Most likely she’ll retract any confession she made to you.’
‘Maybe not, once the police and DA listen to this.’ Jill pulled the mini tape recorder from her pocket and handed it to the detective. ‘See,’ she said to Eric, ‘I remembered something from Beth’s expert PI training.’
When Renaldo returned with her glass of water, he and Eric walked outside as she headed to the dining room with the detective. By the time Jill gave her statement, she found Eric and Renaldo on the patio with cups of coffee.
‘Wow, Renny. Your garden is far prettier up here than from down on the beach.’
Both men scrambled up. ‘Thank you, Miss Wyatt. I’ll pass the compliment on to my grandmother.’
‘Ready to go?’ asked Eric.
‘Yes, Lieutenant Schott and the Sheriff’s Department have finished with me.’ She stifled a yawn.
‘Then it’s time to get you home.’ Eric slipped an arm around her waist.
‘Give me another minute.’ Jill turned toward Renny. ‘This must be really tough – your father is dead, while Dominic and your mom are on their way to jail. I’m sorry how things turned out for you.’
Renny stared out toward the ocean. Sunlight sparkled off the pool, turning the water into a sea of gold. ‘I’ll be all right. I have the restaurant and plenty of friends. Who knows – now that Dad is gone, John might move back to Charleston. He told me at the funeral he hated advertising.’
‘I hope he does,’ said Eric. ‘From this day on I will do everything in my power to support Tuscan Gardens.’
‘Likewise, Eric, and I’ll recommend Bella Trattoria whenever I can.’ Renny shook a second time with Eric and then reached for Jill’s hand. ‘I wish you well, Miss Wyatt.’ His smile stretched all the way to his blue eyes. ‘Now go home to your pappardelle Bolognese. Just for the record, Eric’s runs circles around mine.’
As Francesca Borelli buzzed open the gate, a wave of fatigue washed over Jill. ‘Maybe I should ride with you, Eric, and let one of the cops drive my car.’ She dug her keys from her purse. ‘I’m too tired to focus, let alone get safely back to Bella Trattoria.’
‘It would be my pleasure.’ Eric grabbed her keys and disappeared into the house. ‘I wanted to talk to you in private anyway.’
When he returned a few minutes later with a Sheriff’s Department deputy, Jill hadn’t moved one single muscle. ‘Why don’t you lead the way back to Charleston,’ Eric said to the officer. ‘We can pick up Jill’s car tomorrow at the station.’
After the deputy agreed, Eric took her arm and led her to his SUV. ‘I parked on the tree lawn and climbed the fence.’
Jill glanced at the ten-foot fence and shook her head. ‘You’re a better man than me, Manfredi.’
‘Not much competition in the man department,’ he said, opening the passenger door.
After buckling her seatbelt, she leaned against the headrest and closed her eyes.
‘Do you know why I wanted to drive you?’ Eric asked.
Jill kept her eyes shut. ‘Probably because you’re still worried about me.’
‘And do you know why that is?’ Eric stayed right on the Toyota’s bumper as the deputy led them through the development.
Jill shifted uncomfortably. ‘I’m way too tired for guessing games, Eric. Please just tell me.’
‘Because I’m in love with you.’
It took Jill a moment to process the off-the-cuff comment. ‘Goodness, I thought for sure you were a serial killer. And I was about to become your next victim.’ From the corner of her eye, she watched his hands tighten on the steering wheel.
‘No, I’m not. For once, don’t make jokes. I want to know where you stand.’ Eric slowed down as the deputy stopped at the guard booth.
‘I had suspected you were for a while,’ she whispered as moisture flooded her eyes.
‘You are such an exasperating woman! Are you in love with me or not?’
She shrugged. ‘I think I might be, for all the good it’ll do me.’
When the guard waved him through, Eric accelerated so fast he almost rammed into her Toyota. ‘I can’t believe I’m hearing this. You say you’re in love, yet you’re this lackadaisical?’
All fatigue from the day’s events vanished. Jill pivoted on the seat to face him. ‘If you remember what I told you in Savannah, I’m the traveling PI for a reason. No way can I fall in love, get married, and learn how to boil pasta like a normal woman.’
‘Cooking pasta is simply a matter of dropping pasta into a pot of boiling water and waiting until it’s tender.’
‘Who’s making jokes now?’ Jill switched on the radio.
Eric switched it off. ‘Maybe these will change your life.’ He
pulled two tattered envelopes from the sun visor.
‘What are those?’
‘Letters from Santa Rosa Correctional in Florida. They are probably from your brother. Liam sent them to your friend, Vicky Stephens, at the last place you worked. Vicky Stephens tracked you down in Savannah and then Beth mailed them to me. Maybe Nate Price should hire Vicky as an investigator.’
Jill felt her stomach turn over. ‘Oh, this is not good.’
‘You don’t know that. Vicky sent them in a plain envelope without a return address to Beth and that’s how Beth sent them to me. Since I didn’t know how safe things are at the restaurant, I waited until we were together. And nobody is following us, Jill.’
She stared at the envelopes as though coated with anthrax.
‘What are you afraid of? They’re just letters, not warrants for your arrest.’
Taking the envelopes, Jill extracted the sheets one at the time. When she had read both, she shoved them deep into her purse. ‘The letters are basically the same, except the second letter sounds more desperate. Liam wants me to come see him. He has news that can’t be put in a letter.’
‘Why not go? I know there has been bad blood between you, but he’s still your brother.’
Jill let a few moments pass. ‘I know who he is, but there’s so much at stake. Please let me figure this out on my own.’ She dropped her face in her hands, effectively shutting him and the world out.
Neither of them said another word all the way back to Charleston.
Once they arrived at Bella Trattoria, Eric set the table with linens, china, and sparkling crystal. While he cooked the meal, Jill filled Nonni in on what had happened at Francesca’s house. During dinner, Eric waited on Nonni and her as though they were distinguished royalty. Jill forced herself to appreciate his specialty, despite having no appetite. As predicted, his pappardelle Bolognese and Caesar salad were superb.
Nonni, however, wolfed down her plate of food in record time, which was very unlike her. ‘Grandson, I’ve never tasted better food in my life. If there’s any left over, I’ll eat it for my lunch.’ Nonni wiped her mouth with a napkin and hobbled away from the table.
‘Where are you going in such a hurry?’ Eric asked.
‘I believe you and Jill need to be alone. I recommend the patience of Job for both of you.’
‘We’ll do our best.’ Eric exchanged glances with her as Nonni headed to her room. ‘I’m sorry, Jill,’ he said as soon as she left. ‘I should have waited to give you those letters until tomorrow. I ruined your evening.’
Jill realized she was alone with someone who’d just confessed his love, but she was too overwrought to find the right words. ‘No, this isn’t your fault. It’s time I stopped burying my head in the sand.’
‘If the letters aren’t why you were so quiet during dinner, tell me what’s wrong.’ Eric pushed the dirty dishes aside.
She shrugged. ‘I’m exhausted. Plus any news from my jailbird brother is never good. He’s part of the past I’d rather forget.’
‘Then don’t reply. Throw the letters in the trash.’ Reaching for her, Eric tilted up her chin with one finger.
‘I probably will, but I’m upset because I told Liam not to contact me.’
‘You know how men seldom pay attention.’
Jill smiled. ‘Sometimes that’s a good thing. If you had followed directions tonight, I would be dead. And by the way, don’t save all the pasta for Nonni. I’ll eat some when I have more appetite.’
‘You did well today, Miss PI. Sofia and Dominic are in custody. As soon as Lieutenant Schott submits his report to the DA, along with your statement and the audio tape, my father will be off the hook.’
Normally, a client’s praise over her job performance warms Jill’s heart, but tonight she felt nothing but sadness. ‘Thanks, Eric. Tomorrow I need to visit Charlotte and Emma in the hospital since I didn’t go today.’ She felt a twinge of shame. ‘Sorry I lied to you.’
‘You’re forgiven. Now go get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘Good night.’ Jill pushed to her feet, kissed the top of Eric’s head like he was a child, and climbed the steps to her room. She refused to look back. She didn’t want to see the disappointment on his face.
TWENTY-THREE
In the morning on her way out the door, Jill received a call from Lieutenant Schott. Last night at the station Sofia Borelli had not only confessed to murdering her husband, but her statement implicated her son in a slew of felonies – mugging Alfonzo Manfredi, starting the fire in Bella Trattoria, and stealing Alfonzo’s gun. All of Dominic’s aggression, including dumping the trash, had been instigated by Sofia to fan the flames between the two men. Sofia signed the confession in the presence of her attorney so both would be going away for a long time. When Jill hung up with Schott she smiled all the way to the University Medical Center.
Inside the ICU Jill found David Sugarman sitting in a hallway chair practically where she had left him on Monday. However, he was eating a donut, drinking a cup of coffee, and reading the newspaper. Those had to be good signs.
‘Mr Sugarman, how is Charlotte today?’
David blinked and jumped up. ‘Much better, Jill. The new anti-rejection drug is working. All of her counts have improved, and some of the bloat has gone down. The doctor thinks this new drug cocktail will do the trick. She’s sleeping now, but Charlotte was awake a little while ago when I brought the kids to the window.’
Jill noticed Charlotte’s bed had been pushed up against the glass, unlike the last time she was here. ‘She must be better. You’re talking up a storm today.’ Jill put her hand on his shoulder.
‘Thanks, Jill, not only for finding Emma, but for caring so much about my family.’ Clumsily David hugged her. ‘We’ll never forget you.’
‘And I’ll never forget any of you.’
Suddenly, the nurse on the other side of the window knocked on the glass, trying to catch their attention. Once she had it, she cranked up the head portion of Charlotte’s bed. Charlotte was awake and as soon as she could reach the glass, she splayed out her fingers.
‘Go on, Jill,’ David said. ‘That high five is for you. I’ve already gotten mine and so have the kids.’
Jill stepped closer and matched up her fingers with Charlotte’s.
‘Thank you, Jill,’ Charlotte mouthed.
‘You’re welcome. Happy to help,’ Jill mouthed in return. Then the nurse waved and pushed Charlotte’s bed back in place.
Jill looked at David Sugarman, but speech was impossible. The old familiar lump was back in her throat. So she gave David a teary hug and bolted down the hallway.
On Emma’s floor, Jill found more good news. Ralph Norris met her at his wife’s doorway. ‘The medicines are working just fine. The nurse said she never saw azithromycin work so fast. It’s probably because Emma never took antibiotics before.’ He shook Jill’s hand like a pump handle. ‘You still can’t go into Emma’s room, but two of my children have something to say.’
Turning around, Jill spotted the older Norris kids on a bench. They ran to her like lightning once Ralph waved at them.
‘My name is Jason. Thank you, Miss Wyatt.’ He shook hands like a gentleman.
‘My name is April.’ Then the little girl motioned for Jill to bend down. When she complied, April kissed her on the cheek. ‘Thank you, Miss Wyatt.’
‘You’re both welcome. If it’s OK with your dad, I have candy in my car for you.’ All three looked at Ralph.
‘It’ll be fine, but first we want to take you to Burger King for lunch. That is, if you like hamburgers.’
‘I love them, but isn’t it a tad early for lunch?’
‘If you don’t mind, can we check out of the hotel first? No sense running up David’s bill any higher. Emma will soon be coming home, and the Sugarmans will need their money with two kids to put through college.’
‘I don’t mind at all.’ Jill waved goodbye to Emma, while the Norris kids blew kisses. When they g
ot to her car, Jill passed out candy and then followed Ralph to the hotel. After helping him pack up and check out, they drove to the nearest Burger King for sandwiches and fries. Throughout the meal, April and Jason chattered like magpies, while baby Andrew slept in his carrier as though everything was right with the world.
Because at least for now, everything was. Thanks to prayers – including hers – two families would have more time together. Jill felt nothing but gratefulness. With Ralph and his children on their way to the farm, she headed to the historic section of Charleston.
It was time to make things right in her little world. Eric had gone out of his way to make a special dinner that she barely touched. Why would she allow some cryptic letters from the past to ruin the best thing ever to happen to her?
Tonight, she would take Eric out to his favorite restaurant. They would dine under the stars and laugh at how paranoid she was acting. If he refused, she would follow him around, begging for his forgiveness until she was old and gray like Nonni.
The ring of her cell phone jolted Jill from her wool-gathering. But when she spotted ‘restricted’ in caller ID, she knew it wasn’t the man of her dreams.
‘Hello?’ She switched to the car’s bluetooth.
‘Hello, Kathryn or Kate … or is it Jill now?’ The mysterious male voice sounded hauntingly familiar. ‘You sure do live above a sweet little restaurant. I can’t wait for them to reopen and taste some Italiano haute cuisine – my favorite!’
‘How did you get this number?’ she barked into the phone.
‘You shouldn’t have been using a phone under the agency’s corporate plan. It wasn’t hard to deduce which employee had this number, no matter what name you’re calling yourself now.’
‘OK, you found me. What do you want? I’m minding my own business here and not bothering you. Why can’t you do the same?’
‘I would love to, except that your big brother started making trouble for us again.’
‘Liam?’ Jill feigned shock at the news. ‘I haven’t seen my brother in years. What trouble could Liam make in prison? He still has decades left on his sentence.’
‘That’s what we thought too. But your brother might be making plans to cut his sentence short. I suggest you talk him out of that silly notion and just tell him to serve his time.’
