by Tina Kashian
“I once saw Heather and Luke together in a car outside one of my father’s businesses. They were kissing and groping each other like randy teenagers.”
Lucy’s heart did a triple beat. Heather was cheating on Paul with Luke Santiago, Mr. Citteroni’s employee? He was the man Paul had met in the alley when he’d handed him a fat envelope, which Lucy had suspected was filled with cash. After hearing Teresa, Lucy believed her suspicion was correct. Paul was making a payment on Heather’s loans. And he was making it to the same man Heather had cheated with. Paul must have been humiliated and angry.
Both women giggled. “And Paul found out?”
“Luke told me Paul walked in on them at a seedy massage parlor. They were only half-dressed on the table. Heather tried to claim Luke was her masseuse,” Teresa said.
“I wish I were a fly on that wall. He must have been furious.”
“He was. He said he wanted to kill her. Maybe he went through with it.”
The second woman whistled through her teeth. “You think so?”
“Who knows?”
A server stuck her head in the parlor and Lucy jumped. “Ten minutes until your brother blows out the candles, Ms. Citteroni.”
Teresa waved a bejeweled hand. “We can’t miss my brother’s celebration . . . or a piece of cake.”
The two women left the room.
Lucy waited until the parlor was empty before digging her cell out of her purse and dialing Katie. “Paul backed Heather’s loans with the mobster Citteroni and then found out she was cheating on him. He then threatened to kill her!” She quickly summarized the night’s events and exactly what she’d heard from Teresa Citteroni.
“My God,” Katie said. “That’s twisted. The guy Mr. Citteroni sent to collect payment on the loans was the same person Heather was sleeping with? Paul must have felt completely betrayed. You said he was livid enough to kill. You know what they say about crimes of passion.”
Lucy’s grip on the phone tightened. “Except Heather’s murder was premeditated. Poisoning takes planning. It would have been easy to poison her iced tea that day. I suspect Paul wanted to frame Guido or Mac for the murder.”
“Paul was the one who pointed us to Guido and claimed he hated Heather for repeatedly issuing health violations for his pizzeria.”
“Paul also claimed Guido threatened Heather on the boardwalk.”
“And Guido pointed us to Mac. He hated Heather for blackmailing him in exchange for passing health inspections of his pub.”
“What do I do?” Lucy asked.
“Call Calvin Clemmons. Tell him everything.”
As soon as Lucy hung up with Katie, she dialed the Ocean Crest police station and asked to speak with Detective Clemmons. Her call went right to voice mail and she left as detailed a message as the two minutes would allow before cutting her off.
Damn. Lucy glanced at her watch. Eleven o’clock. She heard an out of tune rendition of “Happy Birthday” outside the parlor. She headed straight for the dining room, and pushed her way through the crowd just as Michael blew out a blinding number of candles on a large, double sheet cake with butter cream frosting. A box with a printed logo of Cutie’s Cupcake Bakery rested on the sideboard. Guests clapped and a waiter stepped forward with a silver cake server and knife and began cutting the frosted cake and placing pieces on china.
Michael looked up, caught Lucy’s eyes, and grinned. She couldn’t leave without saying good-bye. Someone handed her a piece of cake and a fork. She took a bite and the sweetness hit her tongue with a sugar shot.
Michael managed to extricate himself from a group of guests and approached. “I’m sorry we couldn’t talk more, Lucy.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You are the guest of honor. I have to share. I’m just sorry that I have to leave early.” It had worked out just fine for her. She wouldn’t have overheard his sister’s conversation if he’d been with her.
“Do you still need a ride home?”
“No, I’m quite sober. But thank you for the offer.”
He offered her his arm. “I’ll escort you to your car.”
She rested her hand on his sleeve. “That would be lovely.”
“One more thing. How about a motorcycle ride the day after tomorrow? I want to take you to the Cape May lighthouse.”
“Absolutely, but on one condition,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“You teach me how to drive.”
Michael threw back his head and laughed. “I’ve created a monster.”
* * *
They left the house and made their way down the graveled drive. Flowering pots of daffodils and tulips lined the path and the heady scent of their perfume lingered in the air.
“For once, I’m grateful for something my father did—inviting you,” Michael said.
“I’m glad I came,” Lucy said.
It was the truth. She may have been initially intimidated when Mr. Citteroni had introduced her to Luke Santiago, but her eavesdropping opportunity in the parlor had made it all worthwhile. Plus, she was happy she could be present for Michael.
Lucy pulled out her car keys from her purse and glanced at her cell phone. No messages or texts. She frowned. Clemmons hadn’t returned her call. Either he was busy booking a drunk driver on a Saturday night or he thought her rambling message was crazy. Well, if Clemmons wouldn’t call her back, she’d go directly to the police station and find a cop who would listen.
Streetlights that looked like old gas lamps cast a faint glow through the canopy of sycamore trees. She glanced back at the Victorian mansion. Hundreds of decorative lights outlining the frame of the house and the windows gave it a magical appearance. Crickets and locusts sang in the pleasant warm May evening.
They reached the small parking lot. Amongst an impressive number of high-end cars left in the lot—Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, and Audi—Lucy spotted her Toyota and pressed the UNLOCK button on her keyless remote.
Michael opened the door for her. Bending down, he pressed a quick kiss on her cheek. “Good night, Lucy.”
“Happy birthday, Michael.”
For a heart-stopping moment, she wanted to tell him everything she’d learned tonight. That his father knew she’d spied on Paul Evans and Luke Santiago. That his father had loaned Heather an exorbitant amount of cash. That Paul had backed the loans before he discovered Heather had been sleeping with Luke. And that Paul had threatened to kill Heather after finding her in the arms of her lover.
Instead, Lucy smiled and kept her mouth shut, then slid into the car. She hadn’t known Michael for that long and even though he may not get along with his father, Mr. Citteroni was still flesh-and-blood. Lucy didn’t want to put Michael in an awkward position or make matters worse for him with his family. He had nothing to do with Heather Banks’ murder.
Lucy drove down back roads that led toward Ocean Crest and headed straight for the small police station. She turned on her radio, and the sound of smooth jazz calmed her nerves.
Behind her, an engine roared, loud and throaty. The sound pierced the solitude of a soothing saxophone and the hum of her Toyota. The speed limit was forty-five miles per hour. The driver coming up behind her was doing at least sixty-five.
A drunk driver?
She glanced in her rearview mirror. The car’s halogens temporarily blinded her as they came dangerously close to her bumper.
“Pass me!” she yelled even though she knew the other driver couldn’t hear.
The blaring sound of a police car drowned out the noise of the car behind her as red and blue flashing lights reflected off her rearview mirror.
Finally, she thought. The Ocean Crest police when you need them.
Suddenly, the speeding car veered into the left lane and whizzed past her, spitting gravel that sounded like buckshot against the side of her car.
Alarmed, Lucy glanced to the left to see a white BMW as it flew past. Paul Evans was in the driver’s seat.
Sweet Jesus. What was going on?
Seconds later, the police car sped by in hot pursuit. Up ahead, the BMW swerved madly as its tires hit a patch of wet road. Lucy held her breath and gripped the steering wheel as the rear of the BMW swerved like a fish caught on a hook as its tires attempted to gain traction. The car careened off the road and flew into a deep ditch. The police car’s brakes squealed and pierced the night air as it came to a stop on the shoulder of the road.
Lucy jammed her foot on the brake and pulled up behind the police car. She threw open her door and ran to the ditch and looked down.
Calvin Clemmons ran up the embankment, his radio in his hand.
“Where’s Paul?” Lucy asked.
Clemmons’ eyes narrowed as he spotted her on the embankment, but he didn’t look surprised, merely annoyed and frazzled. “He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and he banged his head pretty good. I called for an ambulance, and it should be here soon.”
“What happened? Why were you chasing him?”
His granite eyes locked on her. “I got your message.”
CHAPTER 20
The following day, Lucy arrived at Kebab Kitchen to find everyone—her parents, Emma, Sally, and even Butch—waiting for her.
“You did it! You saved us, Lucy,” Raffi said.
Angela cradled Gadoo in her arms as she came forward to kiss Lucy’s cheek. Lucy had never seen the calico cat inside the restaurant. Her mother was obsessed with cleanliness and had never permitted it, but today was evidently an exception. Angela’s cheeks were tinged pink with happiness as she scratched the cat under his chin.
Lucy had called her parents late last night to inform them that Paul Evans had been arrested for Heather Banks’ murder. She knew they were under a lot of stress from the restaurant’s struggling business, as well as from her father’s recent trip to the hospital. She wanted to ease their worries. Plus, she knew how fast news traveled in town. The Internet had nothing on Ocean Crest when it came to the information superhighway.
“Dad, I didn’t really do much.”
“I knew it was the boyfriend all along,” Angela said, though she had never once mentioned her suspicion.
Lucy rolled her eyes.
“Katie told us you overheard something and called the police. When Detective Clemmons went to question Paul, he ran. It was the car chase of the century in Ocean Crest,” Emma said.
Lucy wondered if it had been the only car chase to ever occur in Ocean Crest. “It didn’t end well for Paul.”
Sally beamed. “People have already told me they knew it couldn’t have been the food here.”
“Our problems are over!” Angela said as Gadoo purred in her arms. “Just in time for tourist season. The earlier vacationers are already arriving.”
Butch took off his red bandana and smiled. “I had faith in you all along, Lucy Lou.”
They were all hovering over her like she was a hero and it was making her anxious. “Thanks, Butch, but I—”
“That busybody prosecutor can go home now,” Sally added.
“You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?” Lucy didn’t have a chance to respond before her mother pulled out a chair at the nearest table. “Sit. You need to eat.”
“I’m fine, Mom,” Lucy insisted, uncomfortable with the attention.
“Nonsense. You had a late night. I can tell when one of my daughters doesn’t eat properly. I’ll put Gadoo outside, then get you something.”
“Let me, Mrs. B. I know just what she likes,” Butch said as he made a beeline for the kitchen.
“Emma, please get your sister a cup of coffee,” Angela said.
“Glad to.” Emma traipsed off, and Angela followed, carrying the cat.
It was just like her mother to use food as reward for a good deed.
Before Lucy could protest further a feta and spinach cheese omelet was placed before her. Picking up a fork, she took a bite. Yum. The feta blended harmoniously with the eggs and the spinach added an extra texture. Her mother had often made feta and spinach omelets when Lucy had lived at home. How long had it been since she’d eaten one?
Her mother returned without the cat, followed by Emma. Her sister set a mug of coffee and the Town News before her. “It made the morning paper.”
Lucy set down her fork. “Is it bad?”
Sally answered. “Nope. Stan Slade printed the truth this time.”
“Does it mention me?” Lucy asked.
Emma shook her head. “No. But it mentions the big chase last night through Ocean Crest and it shows a picture of Paul’s car being towed from the ditch and the ambulance in the background.”
“Let me see,” Lucy’s unfolded the paper. The headline read FAMOUS SUSPENSE AUTHOR ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF MURDER. The article mentioned that the police received an anonymous tip from a concerned citizen. When the police went to question Paul, he ran.
She scanned Stan’s article and thankfully she wasn’t mentioned. If it had named her, there was a good chance Mr. Citteroni or his daughter Teresa would have figured out Lucy was the concerned citizen. She was already on the mobster’s radar. He wouldn’t be pleased if Paul told the police about Mr. Citteroni’s unethical loaning practices, and if Paul was incarcerated, no one would pay off the remainder of Heather’s debts.
Others would be pleased that they were no longer under suspicion. Guido Morelli and Mac McCabe came to mind.
And Azad. Deep in her gut, she’d never truly believed him capable of murder, even though the evidence kept pointing his way.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Berberian.” a familiar voice said.
Lucy turned. Azad stood by the hostess stand, hands in his jean pockets, and grinned. It was as if she’d conjured him from her thoughts.
“Hi, Lucy. I heard the good news.”
Lucy glanced at her mother. “Did you call and tell him?”
“Nope,” Azad answered. “I heard it from no less than four people at Lola’s Coffee Shop. You should know that the Town News gets delivered there before five in the morning.”
“The restaurant is saved!” Raffi slapped Azad on the back.
Something flickered far back in Azad’s eyes as he grinned.
* * *
Lucy stopped at Lola’s Coffee Shop on the way home. Katie had grown fond of cappuccino and had asked Lucy to pick up a cup for her. She stepped into the coffee shop and breathed in the heavenly scent of ground coffee beans and warm pastry. As usual, there was a line at the counter, and Lola was busy filling orders
Lola’s eyes lit up when the customer in front of Lucy left and she stepped up to the counter. “Everyone’s talking about Paul’s arrest,” Lola said as she slipped a protective sleeve around a paper coffee cup. “The newspaper said he hit his head and is in the hospital.”
Lucy shifted her feet. “I read about it in the paper.” Once again, she was grateful the newspaper article had never mentioned her name. Lola would have grilled her for details if she knew Lucy had been at the scene of Paul’s crash or that she had been the concerned citizen to call Detective Clemmons with incriminating information about Paul’s involvement.
“Paul was a regular customer here.” Lola leaned across the counter and lowered her voice. “He was so polite. Who would have thought he was a murderer?”
“I guess you never really know someone.”
Lola straightened and reached for another paper cup behind the counter. “Hmm. Maybe you’re right. It’s always the quiet ones in the movies that have the worst secrets.”
Lucy suppressed the urge to laugh. Lola sounded like Katie when she talked about her detective shows.
Two cappuccinos in hand, one for her and one for Katie, Lucy said farewell to Lola and headed for the front door. Halfway through the coffee shop, she stopped short in surprise.
Guido Morelli and Mac McCabe were sitting together at a corner table. White mugs and plates of scones sat before them. They were drinking coffee and eating pastries like longtime friends. If someone had told her the two businessmen would be there together, she’d h
ave called them crazy.
She halted at their table.
“Well, hello there, Lucy,” Mac said.
“Hi,” Guido said.
“Hello, Mr. Morelli and Mr. McCabe. I’m surprised to see you two here together.”
Mac set down his mug. “We’re celebrating.”
“You mean about the arrest of the suspect for Ms. Banks’ death?” Lucy asked.
Guido shook his head. “That’s a great reason to celebrate around here, but that’s not why.”
Lucy’s brows drew downward in a frown. “Then what else? You both led me to believe that you disliked each other.”
“You’re right. We did. But we also discovered that we have more important things to focus on rather than a silly business rivalry,” Mac said.
“Your children,” Lucy said as realization dawned.
Guido nodded. “Maria and Connor are going to the senior prom together.”
“That’s wonderful.” Lucy recalled Mac saying Guido’s daughter, Maria, had a crush on his son, Connor, and that she’d asked him to the senior prom. If Connor had accepted, it sounded like the two teenagers had romantic feelings for each other.
“We may not have thought it was a good match at first, but teenagers have a remarkable ability to help a parent come to their senses,” Mac said.
Lucy grinned. She could just imagine how her niece, Niari, would turn out in a few years. Emma and Max would have their hands full. Lucy wanted to remain an involved aunt. Spending time with her niece building Lego towers, eating pizza, and watching movies was fun and rewarding. It was another reason to want to stay close to her family and remain in Ocean Crest.
“My wife is helping my beautiful Maria shop for the perfect prom gown,” Guido said, a note of pride in his voice.
“And my wife went with Connor to order his tuxedo and to the florist to pick out the corsage,” Mac said.
Lucy smiled at their eagerness. “I’m proud of both of you. I’ll leave you two to your coffee and pastries.” She turned to leave.
“Oh, and thanks Lucy,” Mac said.
She turned back to them. “For what?”
Mac rubbed his chin with his forefinger. “We both suspect you had something to do with finding Ms. Banks’ killer.”
