Murder in the Pearl District (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series Book 5)

by Dianne Harman

  “I’d very much like that. I’ve never been in a television studio, and it will be particularly exciting since I know the star. She must be very hard-working. Mitch wanted to walk her home, but I overheard her tell him she needed to check in at the restaurant before she went home. Does she have night care for her daughter as well as day care in her home?”

  “Yes, although she told me her ex-husband had taken Francesca for a few days, and she had given Francesca’s night nurse and day nurse a couple of days off. I imagine she wants to be rested and calm when she does the show tomorrow, and Francesca can be a bit of a handful at times. Good night. Sleep well.”

  “I will. I need to call Mike and tell him how the dinner went. He was concerned, and I also need to tell him I’m staying over an extra day. See you in the morning.”

  After Kelly and Rebel walked into her bedroom, she closed the door and picked up her phone. “Hi, Mike. I know you’re probably getting ready for bed, but I wanted to fill you in on the party.” She proceeded to tell him all about the menu and the guests.

  “Sweetheart, I never doubted you could pull it off. If you lived in a big town, you’d probably own the best restaurant there. Tell me about Donatella.”

  “I liked her when I met her last night, and she was just as gracious tonight. I guess the tragedy of her life is that she has a severely mentally challenged daughter she shields from the public and the press. Sophie told me she has to work very hard to make enough money to pay for her daughter’s expenses because her ex-husband just barely gets by financially. One thing was kind of interesting. Sophie had said how much everyone loves Donatella, and certainly from what I saw, that’s true, but I did overhear something strange last night when I was at her restaurant and was making my way to the ladies restroom.” She told Mike about the heated exchange she had overheard between Donatella and her sous chef.

  “Kelly, are you sure he said, ‘ti odio?’ I have a good friend who’s Italian, and if that’s what you heard, he sure doesn’t like Donatella. It means ‘I hate you’ in Italian. Could you have misunderstood the words?”

  “I don’t think so. They sounded pretty clear to me, and he sounded very angry.”

  “Well, no one’s perfect, and I imagine Donatella isn’t either. Have a wonderful time tomorrow, and I’ll see you day after tomorrow. How’s Rebel doing?”

  “Getting spoiled. Sophie’s never had children, and I think her dog, Amelie, is taking a child’s place in her life. Do you know what she fed the dogs for dinner tonight?”

  “No, what?”

  “Filet mignon. Can you believe it? I don’t know if we’ll ever get Rebel to eat plain old dry dog food out of a bag again.”

  Mike laughed. “Well, everyone needs to feel a little spoiled once in a while. It won’t hurt him, and I’m sure he’s loving it.”

  “Oh yeah. I used to kiddingly get mad at Doc when he fed Rebel a piece of steak as a treat, but a whole filet mignon? Unbelievable. I guess some people have more money than they know what to do with, but Sophie could not have been more gracious to me. Love you, Sheriff. See you soon!”

  “Sleep well, Kelly, and give Rebel a big belly rub for me.”

  CHAPTER 6

  “Good morning Kelly, I hope you were able to sleep after doing so much work yesterday,” Sophie said, looking up from her morning newspaper as Kelly walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.

  “I don’t know when I’ve slept so well, and you know what was even better, I didn’t have to get up before dawn and go to the coffee shop. I feel positively decadent.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re awake and refreshed. I was going to knock on your door in a few minutes, because we need to be at the television studio by 9:30 and it’s already 8:00.” Just then Sophie’s cell phone began to ring, and she walked over to the counter to answer it. “This is Sophie Marchant.” She listened for a moment and then said, “Yes, Mitch, I have a key to her house. She was supposed to be at the studio at 7:30, and she hasn’t shown up? That’s very strange. Dede is almost fanatical about being on time. I’ll go over there now and call you back in a few minutes.”

  “Kelly, I have to go over to Dede’s house and see if she’s still at home. Maybe there’s been an incident with Francesca. I’m sure there’s a logical reason why she’s not yet at the studio. I keep her key in my bedroom. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “I’ll go with you. I could use the exercise, and it looks like a beautiful morning. Actually I think I’ll take Rebel. He could also use some exercise after his filet mignon dinner last night.”

  “If Rebel’s going, Amelie will want to go too.”

  A few minutes later, the two dogs, along with Kelly and Sophie, walked next door to Donatella’s house. “Sophie,” Kelly said, as they opened the gate and began walking up the sidewalk to the porch, “her house is absolutely beautiful. It looks like it’s been here since Portland was founded.”

  “It has. Her house is a good example of the oddities we have here in the Pearl District. This is a strange area. Originally it was considered kind of like what I think you call ‘the wrong side of the tracks’ with its light industry, warehouses, railroad yards, and a few scattered homes in between. In the mid-1980’s it went through a period of urban renewal, and now it has everything from the world famous Powell’s City of Books to art galleries and dog parks. A lot of the warehouses were renovated and converted into lofts and condominiums. As you know, my building is one of those.

  “I love it here. The area draws people who are quite individualistic. You don’t see the, what do they call them? The suits? You know, men dressed in dark suits with vests who work in prestigious businesses. Come to think of it, I can’t remember ever seeing a woman who lives in the Pearl District carrying a designer logo bag. Maybe that’s why I love it. It reminds me of France. The people here are oh so very interesting. What’s also interesting is that it’s named after a woman. A man who revered her mentioned this area as being Pearl’s District when he was being interviewed by a magazine. The story was picked up by a number of other magazines and the name stuck.”

  “How charming. I didn’t know that.”

  They walked up the steps to the front porch and Sophie knocked on the door. There was no answer. She rang the bell and knocked again. Still, there was no answer. She turned to Kelly, “I really don’t like to do this. Dede is a very private person, and I’m not sure she’ll be happy about me taking the liberty of walking into her house, but I’m afraid I have no choice.” She put the key in the lock and opened the door.

  Immediately a low rumbling growl came from Rebel. Every hair along his spine was erect, hackles clearly raised. “Rebel, easy,” Kelly said. “Something must be wrong, Sophie. I trust Rebel. I’ve seen him do this before when there’s danger. We better be careful. Rebel, come.” She stepped into the eerily quiet house.

  “Dede, are you here? It’s Sophie and Kelly,” Sophie called out. There was no answer. They walked down the hall, looking first into the dining room and then the living room. There was no sign of Donatella, and everything appeared to be in its proper place.

  As they approached the rear of the house and started to walk into the kitchen, Rebel began snarling and barking, standing as close as he could get to Kelly. Almost immediately Sophie screamed, “Mon Dieu,” and at the same moment Kelly saw Donatella lying face down on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood, a large stainless steel chef’s knife protruding out of her back, shining in the morning sunlight which filled the room. She was wearing the same dress she’d had on at the dinner party the evening before and was obviously dead.

  CHAPTER 7

  Kelly and Sophie both stared in disbelief at the dead body of Donatella, unwilling to believe what their eyes were telling them. Donatella, the vibrant and famous chef, ready to film her first television program, Dining with Donatella, had been murdered in the kitchen of her own home. In an ironic twist of fate, the weapon that had been used to end her life was a chef’s knife.

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nbsp; “I’ll call the police. Did you bring your phone?” Kelly asked.

  “Non, I thought I’d only be gone a minute. I can’t believe this. I think I’m going to be sick.”

  “Sit down. I see a phone on the desk. Take some deep breaths. It will pass.” She dialed 911.

  A few minutes later, they heard police sirens getting louder the closer they got to Donatella’s home. Kelly hurried to the front door and waved the police in. “She’s in the kitchen at the end of the hall.”

  When they reached the kitchen, Sophie was crying and trying to talk on the phone. “Mitch… it’s Dede. She’s ddddead. There’s a knife in her back.” She handed the phone to Kelly, “I ccaan’t talk.”

  “Mitch, this is Kelly. I am so sorry to have to tell you this, but Donatella has been murdered. Sophie and I discovered her body on the kitchen floor of her home just minutes ago. The police just got here.” She listened for a moment. “I understand. You’re right. There’s nothing you could do here, anyway. I’m sure you’ll have your hands full at the station. We’ll call you later.”

  They spent the next hour telling the police and a man who wore a badge with the words “Detective Masters” on it, everything they knew about Donatella and the events of the evening before. The coroner came, officially pronounced Donatella dead, and then took her body to the morgue. Neighbors and the lunch staff from the restaurant filled the front yard, trying to find out what had happened to their beloved chef. The police put yellow tape around the house as detectives and other law enforcement personnel swarmed around the scene of the murder.

  Finally, Detective Masters closed his notebook. “You’re free to go. I have your contact information if we need to get in touch with you. If you think of something, please call me, no matter how trivial you think it might be.” He put his hand on Sophie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. My wife has all of her cookbooks, and I know she was a large donor to a number of charities in the Pearl District. You’re not the only one who will feel this loss.”

  Kelly and Sophie walked back to Sophie’s house, the dogs following them. “How fast life can change,” Sophie said in a terribly sad voice. “When I got up this morning, I was so happy about how well last night had gone and looking forward to watching the taping of Dede’s first show. Now…” her words trailed off as she started quietly sobbing.

  “I haven’t had near enough caffeine to deal with this,” Kelly said. “I’m going to make another pot of coffee. Would you like some?”

  “Oui. I can’t believe this. Because of her diminished mental capacity, Francesca won’t understand, and what will happen to her now?”

  “Surely Donatella must have provided for Francesca in her will. Do you think Francesca’s father can care for her? Will his new wife be able to handle it?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve not met either one of them. I imagine Detective Masters will tell him. I gave the detective her ex-husband’s name, and I’m sure they will find his phone number in the house. I don’t have it.”

  They each sat quietly at the kitchen table for a few moments, trying to think of a reason why someone would want to kill the popular chef.

  “Kelly, I have no right to ask this of you. Actually, I’m going to ask two things of you. First of all, the restaurant needs to stay open. If it closes for even one night, that will be like a death knell for it. I’m wondering if you would run it for the next few days.”

  “You’re kidding, right? I’ve never worked in a large restaurant, much less overseen it. I’m sure the sous chef could handle it.”

  “No. Dede was having some kind of trouble with him. She recently mentioned to me that he wanted to do things his own way, and he and Dede had argued about it. Please, just for a few days. I’m sure your Sheriff Mike would understand, and it would provide a little extra time to get Francesca situated and let people know nothing is going to change at the restaurant.”

  “Well, I’ve never done anything like this, but I have to say I’m intrigued. Tell you what. If Mike doesn’t have an objection, I could probably stay for a few days. Of course, that’s also contingent on making sure it will be all right with Roxie, who’s managing Kelly’s Koffee Shop for me while I’m gone. You said you were going to ask two things of me. What’s the other thing?”

  Sophie took a deep breath and began to talk in a slow and deliberate manner, choosing her words carefully. “Kelly, when Jesse, a man who I was deeply in love with, was murdered, you were the one who solved the crime. I know your husband is the sheriff and found out many things related to the crime, but you were the one who put two and two together. As a favor to me, and I know I have no right to ask this, would you please try to find out who killed Dede? She was my best friend. I want to know who killed her and why.”

  “Sophie, I’m not a professional crime solver. Portland is a big city, and I imagine there will be lots of police and detectives involved in this, all far more knowledgeable about crime than me.”

  “Please, please. They don’t know her. You know me and through me, you met her. You cooked what was probably her last meal. That has to mean something. Please try to see what you can do. I have a feeling you can help, and my feelings are usually right.” She began to cry softly and looked at Kelly with a pleading look in her eyes.

  Kelly sighed deeply. “Well, if I’m going to stay here and help with the restaurant, it probably would make sense to see if I can find out anything about her death, but only under one condition.”

  “What is that?”

  “You have to promise me you won’t breathe a word of this to Mike. He doesn’t like me to get involved in murder cases, and he worries about me if I do.”

  “I understand. You have my word. I won’t say a thing to him.”

  “Good. Now I have a request of you. You’re a far better cook than you led me to believe. I want you to be with me in the restaurant. We’ll do this together, working as a team. Remember, you told me you often pretended a large number of people would be eating the food you prepared. Well, now they actually will be.”

  For the first time in the past several hours, Sophie smiled. “I think I would like that, and it would make me feel I was doing something for Donatella. She gave me so much in friendship and introduced me to many of the wonderful people who live in the Pearl District. Yes, I’ll do it. Let’s get started.”

  “Give me a couple of minutes. I need to call Roxie and Mike. Why don’t you go over to the restaurant and talk to the staff? For now, tell them that Donatella had asked you a long time ago to help in the restaurant if she wasn’t able to for some reason. You know the staff, and it will probably be a relief to them to find out that the restaurant isn’t going to close. I’ll be there as soon as I finish my calls. It will probably be really busy for the next few days. It’s been my experience when something bad happens, people need to get together and talk about it. Kelly’s Koffee Shop has always been the place where the people go in Cedar Bay when something like this happens, and I imagine the people will come to Mangia! Mangia! for the same reason.”

  Good grief. What have I done? Heading up one of the finest Italian restaurants on the West Coast and trying to solve a murder at the same time. I should have my head examined, and I’ll probably be looking at divorce papers if Mike finds out. My fingers will have to be permanently crossed behind my back from now on whenever I talk to him.

  CHAPTER 8

  Kelly called Roxie first to ask her if she could manage the coffee shop for a few extra days while Kelly stayed in Portland to help Sophie oversee Mangia! Mangia!

  “Thanks, Roxie. I won’t be gone longer than a week. Naturally, I’ll pay you extra for all of this, and I’m so glad your friend enjoys working there and is such a big help to you. Again, thanks for being so understanding.”

  One down and now for the hard part.

  “Hi, Mike. I wasn’t planning on calling you today, but it’s been an interesting morning. Actually, I wish you were here. I think your expertise in matters relating to murder would be appreciat
ed.” She told him everything that had happened, and that Sophie had asked her to stay for several days and help out at the restaurant.

  Mike remained completely quiet while she spoke. When she finished, he said, “Kelly, I can understand why Sophie feels she needs you to help keep the restaurant open and certainly, you’re the logical one to help. What I don’t like is having you work in a place where the owner was just murdered. For all you know, it could be someone who was jealous of the success of the restaurant, and that person might decide to return to the scene and try to murder you. I don’t know how in the devil you do it, but you seem to attract murder like some dogs attract fleas,” he said in an exasperated voice.

  “Mike, how could I possibly know this was going to happen when I agreed to cater Sophie’s party? This is just a random happenstance. Really, I’ll be fine. Detective Masters is handling the case, and he seems very competent. It’s not like it happened in Cedar Bay. There were so many police and detectives at the house today I couldn’t even begin to count them.”

  “Kelly, would you promise me two things?”

  “Sure, Mike, what?” she said mentally crossing her fingers behind her back.

  “First of all, I want Rebel with you at all times. Unfortunately, I have several cases here that need my attention. If I can’t be there to protect you, at least he can be there to look out for your safety. Secondly, promise me you will not become involved in solving this murder in any way. Do we have an understanding?”

  “Yes. I promise you I won’t do anything on my own that would cause me to get involved in the case, but as far as Rebel with me at all times, that’s going to be hard to do. It’s one thing for me to have a dog in my coffee shop in Cedar Bay, but I don’t think I can get by with it here in Portland. I’m sure someone would report me. What I will do is have him right outside the back door of the kitchen. When I’m at the restaurant I’ll be spending most of my time there, and although I haven’t been in it yet, I’m sure there’s a back door. There might even be an office, and he could stay there. He’ll be with me the rest of the time, and Sophie’s home is very safe.”