Breakfast Pizza Murder

by Patti Benning

  “I can keep an eye out for her if you’d like,” Linda said. “I know how important family is. If she ever needs anything while she’s down here, just tell her to call me.”

  “Thank you, Linda,” Ellie said. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”

  She heard the airport’s intercom announce that it was time for her gate to start boarding.

  “I’ve got to go, we’re about to get on the plane. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  After hanging up, she hurried over to the counter and bought a bottle of water for her grandmother before returning to the gate. The six of them waited for their turn to board, then filed onto the plane and took their seats. Russell took the window seat, with Ellie in the middle and Nonna in the aisle seat so it would be easier for her to get up. The other three were in the row in front of them, and Ellie found herself envying their laid-back, cheerful attitudes. They had nothing to worry about; to them this was just a fun vacation.

  “How are you doing?” Russell asked as the plane began to taxi onto the runway.

  “Everyone keeps asking me that,” Ellie said. “I’m okay. I’m anxious to see how the first day at the pizzeria goes.”

  “Not that.” He lowered his voice and nodded towards Nonna, who had settled in with her neck pillow and was already buried in one of her books. “How do you feel about her leaving?”

  “It doesn’t seem real yet,” Ellie admitted. “It’s hard to imagine that I’ll be returning to the Pacelli house without her. Ask me again in a week, and I’m sure you’ll get a better answer.” She gave him a smile, and he took her hand. Having him beside her was a good reminder that no matter how much she missed her grandmother, she had someone else in her life who would always be there. Unlike Nonna, Russell wasn’t going anywhere.

  CHAPTER THREE

  * * *

  It was late by the time they landed in Florida and retrieved their luggage. Picking up the two rental cars went smoothly, and Ellie handed the keys to one of them off to Jacob, the oldest of the three employees that had come on the trip, and gave them the information for the hotel. It would take her, Russell, and Nonna a bit longer to load everything into their car, and she didn’t want to make her employees wait. She was already exhausted by the time they hit the road, and was glad that Russell was driving. The trip to the hotel seem to last an eternity, and Ellie found herself dozing, waking up every few minutes and feeling disoriented by the unfamiliar city lights around them.

  When Russell pulled up in front of the hotel’s front doors at last, she got out to check in. He helped Nonna inside and unloaded the luggage before going to find somewhere to park their car. At the counter, Ellie encountered the first real problem so far on their trip.

  “We were supposed to have two rooms.”

  “I’m sorry, I only have you listed for one. A suite with two queens, and a pullout couch.”

  “Well, could we change it to two rooms? My grandmother and I were going share a room, and my fiancé was supposed to have his own.”

  “I’m sorry, we’re booked for the weekend. I can put you down on the wait list in case someone checks out early.”

  Ellie sighed, but agreed to his solution. There was no point in making a scene if there really wasn’t anything he could do.

  She waited for Russell to return from parking the car, then handed him one of the room keys. The three of them pulled their luggage into an elevator and hit the button for the third floor. While they were on their way up, she texted Rose, letting her know that they were there. She and Iris were sharing a room, and Jacob had his own. They were across the hall from the room that Ellie, Nonna, and Russell were expected to share.

  After checking to make sure her employees were all happy with their rooms, Ellie bade them good night. They were all tired, and they had a big day tomorrow.

  “Do you want me to see if you can share with Jacob?” Ellie asked, looking at the somewhat worn-down pullout couch in their suite’s living room.

  “No, this is fine,” Russell said. “I’m sure he’d rather not have the sheriff bunking with him. I don’t mind sleeping out here. You and your grandmother enjoy the suite’s bedroom.”

  She was too tired to pursue the matter, so she just shrugged and dragged her suitcase into the bedroom. She collapsed on her bed to wait while the older woman changed and brushed her teeth in the attached bathroom. When she finally got her turn, it was a relief to get out of the clothes that she had traveled in and into something more comfortable. The plush queen-sized bed was calling to her. With any luck, she would sleep deeply tonight. She wanted to be at the top of her game tomorrow, when she would walk through the second pizzeria before the grand opening. She had to make sure everything was perfect. Despite her tiredness, she felt a tingle of excitement. In just two short days, the second restaurant in the Papa Pacelli’s chain was opening. She had been working towards this moment for so long. It was hard to believe it was really about to happen.

  Before heading out the next morning, the six of them met in the hotel’s restaurant area for breakfast. Ellie loved the Belgian waffles that hotels had, and didn’t skimp on her serving. She and her employees were going to spend the day helping at the new pizzeria, making sure everything was perfect for the next day. When they were done, she was planning on treating everyone to a nice dinner, but between then and now there was bound to be a lot of hard work.

  She joined her friends at the two tables they had pulled together with a plate full of food. Nonna was already digging into her waffle, and Russell had a plate of sausage and eggs in front of him.

  “How was everyone’s night?” she asked.

  “Not bad,” Rose said. “Iris and I didn’t manage to get to sleep for a while, but once I did, I slept pretty well. This hotel has comfortable beds, and the shower is great. The hot water never runs out.”

  “This is my first time out of state,” Iris said. “I can’t wait to get outside and see what it’s like. Do you think we’ll have time to do anything fun, like visit the beach?”

  “I’m hoping so,” Ellie said. “We aren’t leaving until late in the evening the day after tomorrow, so we should all have time for some sightseeing that day.”

  “You should all come visit me after I get settled in,” Nonna said. “Ellie is going to drop me off at the retirement community tomorrow after the grand opening. Everyone is invited for dinner the day after, before you head to the airport.”

  It was settled. Ellie’s heart lifted at the thought of seeing her grandmother one last time before she left for good. She knew that she would have a lot to process after she flew back up to Kittiport without Nonna. She would miss her grandmother, there was no doubt about that, but it would also be nice to have her own place again. The Pacelli house was a lot more isolated than her apartment in Chicago had been.

  “What’s the plan for today?” Russell asked. He was dressed in khaki shorts and a T-shirt; much more casual than Ellie was used to seeing him. With luck, he would be able to get away again for their honeymoon, then she could spend some time on a real vacation with him, without any work involved. She could hardly wait.

  “After breakfast, we’ll all head over to the new restaurant,” Ellie said. “From there, we’ll see what Linda needs us to do. We need to make sure that everything is perfect for tomorrow. She said that almost everything is done, but there will be some unpacking that we’ll need to help with. I also want to test out the kitchen and have her and her employees run through the opening and closing process.”

  “I can’t wait to meet the employees down here,” Rose said. “It’s weird, thinking that these people are going to work at Papa Pacelli’s, but they have never even been to Maine. Are you planning to open any other restaurants after this, Ms. P.?”

  “I don’t know yet,” she said. “I guess we’ll see how this one goes. If I do, it won’t be for a couple of years. I want to focus on other things first.” She smiled at Russell. “Besides, I don’t want Papa Pacelli’s to get too big. Part of
what makes it such an excellent restaurant is the fact that it has a small family-run feel. I never want it to become a big chain like some of the other pizzerias.”

  “Arthur would be proud of you,” Nonna said. “You have done so much for the restaurant, but it’s still recognizable as the original Papa Pacelli’s. I wish he was here.”

  Ellie felt the same way. She wished her grandfather was still around. She would love to have the chance to get to know him as well as she had gotten to know Nonna. From everything she had heard, he had been a good man, and he would have been an incredible influence in her life.

  They continued eating their breakfast, chatting about the things they wanted to do and see before they flew back to Maine. Before leaving, Ellie checked in with Shannon to see how the animals were doing. She was glad to hear that her friend wasn’t having any problems with them. She made a mental note to get her friend a nice gift while she was in Florida. It was a huge weight off her chest to know that the animals were being taken care of by someone she could trust. She never wanted them to go through again what they had gone through last time.

  At long last, they were all finished eating and it was time to go. Ellie was excited at the prospect of finally seeing the new restaurant. She had seen photographs, of course, but it wasn’t the same. She knew that Linda had worked hard to transform the building. She just hoped that it all hadn’t been for nothing.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  * * *

  Ellie pulled into a spot along the curb across the street from the little corner restaurant that she now owned. It was surreal to see her grandfather’s sign on a building on the other side of the country. Not for the first time, she admired just how perfect the restaurant’s location was. It was on the corner of two moderately busy streets on the outskirts of Miami, with one of the marinas just a couple of blocks away, and the beach just barely in sight from the front doors. It was a prime location for both pedestrian and automobile traffic. There would be no lack of potential customers, and unlike the pizzeria in Kittiport, where business slowed down quite a bit in the winter, they wouldn’t have the same problem down here in Florida where tourist season was almost year-round.

  She got out of the car, walking around to the back door to help her grandmother get out. Nonna looked around, smiling at the busy street. Ellie realized with a jolt that her grandmother was looking at the city that would be her home for the next six months.

  “The weather is great, isn’t it?” she asked the older woman as they crossed the road, Russell following behind them.

  “It’s just wonderful,” her grandmother said. “This is going to be the best winter I’ve had in a long time. Thank you so much, Ellie.”

  “Why are you thanking me? You got all of this set up yourself.”

  “Because you made all this possible. Without you, I could never have left Kittiport. I would have had to sell the pizzeria and the house, and I would have had nothing to return to if this didn’t work out. You’re making it possible for me to start a new chapter in my life without leaving everything I love completely behind.”

  Ellie tightened her grip on her grandmother’s arm, too touched by the older woman’s words to say anything. She was so grateful to her grandmother for helping her make a fresh start in her own life, that she hadn’t really stopped to consider how much she had been helping the older woman. Her grandmother’s life in Kittiport after her husband had passed away and before Ellie had arrived must have been almost unbearably lonely. Sure, she had friends in town, but it wasn’t the same as having family around. She couldn’t imagine the weight of the responsibility that had rested on her grandmother’s shoulders, not only to keep her husband’s beloved restaurant running, but also to keep the family house in her name despite the difficulty posed in living all alone outside of town. She must have felt trapped in her own life.

  “I hope the next few months are everything you’ve hoped for,” Ellie said at last. “You deserve this.”

  They made it to the new pizzeria’s front door and Ellie rapped on the glass. Almost immediately, Linda appeared on the other side and let them in. Rose, Iris, and Jacob, who had just finished parking on the other side of the road, hurried across the street to join them.

  “It’s great to see you again,” Linda said. “I’m so glad you made it.” She gave Ellie a brief hug.

  “Linda, this is my fiancé, Russell, and my grandmother, Ann, who was with me last time I was down here. And this is Rose, Jacob, and Iris, three of the employees from the restaurant in Maine.”

  While Linda greeted the others, Ellie looked around the restaurant. She was impressed. It was almost like walking into the Papa Pacelli’s in Kittiport. The old, worn out flooring had been replaced with the same flooring that the original restaurant had, and the walls were freshly painted in the familiar red and black scheme. The tables and booths were a bit different than the ones in Kittiport – newer, and a little bit lighter in color, but the effect was the same.

  “What do you think?” Linda asked.

  “It looks perfect,” Ellie said. “You did an amazing job.”

  It was almost unrecognizable from the tired little restaurant it had been a couple of months ago. Everything looked brand-new. Everything was brand-new. The room still smelled like paint, something that hopefully wouldn’t last too long once they started serving food.

  “Let’s go to the kitchen,” she suggested.

  Linda led the way into the back. Ellie examined the appliances, making sure the right models had been delivered and everything was set up properly. The fridges and the pantry were stocked with all the ingredients they would need, and the double oven still had a protective plastic covering over the glass, which she peeled off.

  “I’m impressed,” she said at last.

  “I’m glad you like it,” the other woman said. “Sandra and Maria should be arriving soon to help us. I’m sure you’re eager to meet Maria — she’s the girl we hired a couple of weeks ago.”

  “Good, it will be great to meet her. Does she seem like she’ll be a good fit for the restaurant?”

  “Definitely. She’s in college, and she is hoping to open a restaurant of her own one day. This will give her the work experience that she needs, and she’s excited to be a part of the restaurant from the beginning.”

  “Wonderful,” Ellie said. “Well, let’s get started. It doesn’t look like there’s much to do, but I do want to run through everything before we open tomorrow.”

  First, however, they had to finish unpacking all the plates, glasses, and silverware that had been ordered for the restaurant. They got to work, cutting boxes open, washing the dishes, and stacking them in the drying rack. Ellie sent Russell and Nonna out front to put napkins in the napkin dispensers, while Linda opened the box of laminated menus that she had ordered.

  They took a break when Sandra arrived, and Ellie made introductions again. Ellie was glad to see that the other woman seemed to be doing well. She had lost her job at the hotel that Ellie and Nonna had stayed at during their last trip after doing her best to help Ellie’s grandmother. Ellie still felt guilty about that, and was glad that she could help the woman out by giving a position in the Papa Pacelli’s restaurant.

  “And here’s my grandmother,” Ellie said. “Thanks again for helping out last time we were here.”

  “It’s good to see that you’re doing well,” Sandra said. “I’m glad everything turned out okay.”

  “It was an adventure,” Nonna said with a chuckle.

  “Well, I’m glad it didn’t scare you away.”

  “Not at all. In fact, I’m going to be living down here for six months every year,” Nonna said.

  Ellie smiled as she heard her grandmother tell the woman all about her plans to move into the Century Coast Retirement Village. Their original trip had really paid off, despite everything that had gone wrong. It had started off as a last-minute decision to do something fun together, and had changed into something that had given them both something that th
ey hadn’t even known they had been looking for.

  Once everything was set up, they were ready to do a run through of the opening process. By then, the new employee, Maria, was there. She was a shy girl, but seemed to know her way around the restaurant just as well as the two older women did.

  Ellie led herself and everyone that had flown to Florida with her outside and waited while Linda, Sandra, and Maria began the opening process. When she saw Maria turn on the sign that declared that the restaurant was open, they went back inside and approached the register, where the young woman took their order. It wasn’t long before the pizza was ready. Linda came out of the kitchen and watched anxiously as Ellie took a bite.

  “It’s perfect,” she declared. “It tastes just like home.”