Mozzarella and Murder

by Patti Benning

  Ellie watched her employee carefully for the next few hours as they settled into the workday. She was worried about Rose, but the young woman seemed to be holding up well. She thought once again just how horrible it was when a young person passed away before their time. If someone had been involved in Samantha’s death, she hoped that Russell found them as quickly as possible. No one had the right to take someone’s future away from them, no matter the reason.

  CHAPTER SIX

  *

  The new green dress that she had bought in Florida suited her well. She turned around, looking over her shoulder in the mirror to make sure that she had removed all the tags. She had managed to get a bit of a tan on her vacation, and the shade of the dress helped to show it off. Her black hair was up in a ponytail—it was either that, or down, since she had never managed to convince it to take any other style. She had a pair of gold earrings that she had borrowed from her grandmother, and was wearing an old pair of black heels that she had borrowed from her mother years ago and never returned. The outfit came together well, and she was pleased.

  This would be the first time that she had seen Russell since the day she had returned. It would be nice to simply spend time with him, without any dead bodies around. It had been far too long since they had gone on a date like this, and she was looking forward to it.

  Bunny, who was doing much better after a few days of plentiful food and water, along with a bath and lots of brushing, was laying on the bed and watching her. The little dog had been especially clingy since her return from the pet sitter’s. Ellie had been babying the papillon, maybe more than she should have been, but she couldn’t help it. She still felt terrible about what her pets had gone through.

  “Do you want to go outside before I leave?” Ellie asked. The dog’s tail began to wag, but she didn’t jump up with an eager bark like she used to when Ellie asked her that question.

  She opened the bedroom door and waited for the little dog to jump off the bed. Bunny trailed her down the stairs, sticking close to her heels. When Marlowe saw them, she left her perch and climbed up the side of the cage, pressing her face against the bars. Ellie walked over and planted a kiss on the bird’s beak.

  “Nonna will take care of you both while I’m gone,” she promised. “It will only be for a few hours.”

  She opened the back door and waited on the patio while Bunny sniffed at the lawn. She was glad that the dog had a vet appointment in a couple of days. It would put her mind at ease to know that there was nothing serious wrong with her. In time, she was sure, the papillon would be back to her normal, bouncy self.

  After bringing the dog back inside, Ellie grabbed her purse and went to wait on the front stoop for Russell to arrive. It was an overcast evening, not yet raining, but the dark clouds were pregnant with the promise of it later that night. After the heat of Florida, the slightly cooler day felt nice to her. She enjoyed looking out over the ocean, grey and wavy though it was, and thought, not for the first time, just how lucky she was.

  Russell pulled into the driveway few minutes later in his familiar, slightly beat-up sheriff’s truck. She hurried over and slipped into the passenger seat before he could get out and open the door for her.

  “Hey,” she said as she kissed him on the cheek. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing well. How are you? Are you glad to be back?”

  “Yes, definitely. It was so nice to be back at the pizzeria yesterday. It’s ridiculous how much I missed it. I know it’s just a restaurant, but I love it. I was glad to see that the employees did such an excellent job taking care of everything. Even though I trust them, I couldn’t help being worried about it.”

  “You have wonderful employees. I’m sure they would have told you if anything had gone wrong,” he said as he back the truck into the road.

  “I know. I need to learn to relax and trust them to do their jobs while I’m gone.” She looked out the window at the trees, the tops of which were swaying in the wind. “It’s sad, though,” she said after a moment. “I found out yesterday that Rose knew Samantha. They were friends. It makes what happened seem even worse, somehow.”

  “I’m sorry for her,” Russell said. “It’s hard to lose a friend. Did she have anything to say about Samantha’s death? Did she mention her friend being in any sort of trouble?”

  “She seemed relieved when I told her how Samantha died. I guess she was worried that it might have been suicide. She told me that Samantha had lost her job at the vet clinic only a few days ago, and had also gone through a breakup not long before that.”

  “It sounds like the young woman had a lot on her plate. The autopsy will be done in a couple of days, and we’ll know more then. I still think it looks like an accident on the surface, but there’s something about it that just doesn’t seem right to me.”

  “The poor girl,” Ellie said. “I just can’t get over how young she was.”

  “The young ones are always the hardest to deal with,” Russell said. “This job definitely isn’t getting any easier.”

  The rest of their drive to the restaurant was in silence. Ellie felt bad for bringing up the case. She didn’t want that to be the focus of their evening. She wanted to have a nice date with her boyfriend, not dwell on a tragedy that neither of them could change.

  Russell had reserved a table for them at the White Pine Kitchen, the nicest restaurant in town. They were seated within minutes of walking through the doors, and soon he and Ellie were perusing the menus. Everything looked good to her. It had been a busy few days, and she hadn’t had a chance to sit down for a real meal since she had gotten back. She had been mostly subsisting on pizza and whatever baked goods her grandmother made during the day.

  “I still have to thank Shannon. She’s the one that kept my name out of the paper, isn’t she?” she asked the sheriff, looking up from her menu.

  “Yes, that was all her,” Russell said. “She’s a good friend… and a good sister-in-law.”

  “She really is. I’m hoping to have lunch with her this weekend. There’s so much we have to catch up on. It’s been almost two weeks since we’ve seen each other. I can’t believe how much has changed. Everything that happened in Florida, the second pizzeria…”

  “When do you think it will open? It’s an exciting step for you.”

  “We’re thinking sometime in October,” Ellie said. “Rose had a great idea yesterday. I’m thinking of flying us all down there for the grand opening. It will be wonderful for the employees from both stores to get to know each other, and I’ll feel better having more control over the grand opening. I want to make sure everything is perfect. What do you think? Would you be able to come?”

  “If I can get the time off work, I’d love to. Let me know the dates as soon as possible.”

  “I will let you know as soon as I know,” she promised. “It would be quite fun, wouldn’t it? Maybe Shannon and James could come, too.”

  “I think it would be wonderful,” Russell said. He smiled at her. “Congratulations on the second restaurant. I’m proud of you. I can’t wait to see where all of this goes.”

  “Me either,” Ellie said. “Florida might just be the first step. Who knows what could happen next?”

  She smiled as she thought about all the possibilities. She had never imagined this future for herself, but now she wouldn’t give it up for anything.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  *

  Her phone rang early the next morning. She fumbled around on her nightstand until she found it, then pulled it into bed. Bunny, sleeping on pillow beside her, stirred slightly. Ellie squinted at the caller ID. She was surprised to see that it was Russell. She slid her finger across the screen to accept the call, then pressed the cellphone to her ear.

  “Hello?” she asked, groggily.

  “Hey, Ellie,” he said. “Sorry to wake you. I’m on my way to the sheriff’s department now. The autopsy report came in early, and some of the notes are making me think that this wasn’t an accident at all.
I’m going to go over all the evidence again, and it would help if you could bring in your phone and computer so I can see the emails and text that she sent you. I’m also going to need your employee’s contact information. She might know something that could be of help to this case.”

  “Okay,” she said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes with her other hand. “I’ll stop by in a couple of hours, if you can wait that long. I’ve got to drop my grandmother off at her aquatic therapy class this morning. I’ll send you Rose’s contact information as soon as I get off the phone.”

  “That’s fine,” Russell said. “I’ll be here all day. There’s got to be something I’m missing.”

  She hung up and looked toward the window. The curtains were drawn, but she could see the sunlight filtering in around the edges. She had never been a morning person, and today was no exception. She tried futilely for a few minutes to get back to sleep, but it was too late. Her mind kept being drawn back to thoughts of Samantha’s death—or, if Russell was right, her murder. With a sigh, she got up and went downstairs, saying good morning to Marlowe on her way by as she took Bunny outside to do her business. The dog wasn’t any more used to the early hours than she was, and trotted right into the living room to curl up on the couch when she was done.

  An hour later, Ann Pacelli walked out of her bedroom to find a kitchen table set with bacon, fresh blueberry pancakes, eggs, and orange juice. Marlowe was on a wooden perch by the patio door, looking outside, and Ellie was scrubbing dishes at the sink.

  “Look at this,” Nonna said. “This is wonderful. What’s the occasion?”

  “I couldn’t sleep,” Ellie said told her. “I started cooking, and, well, this just sort of happened. Go ahead and sit down. We should start eating before it gets cold. We have your aquatic therapy session in an hour, and I have to stop at the sheriff’s department afterward to see Russell about the pet sitter’s case.”

  “After eating all of this, I might be too full to swim,” her grandmother joked as she sat down. “Thanks again for driving me. I hope it isn’t interrupting your day too much.”

  “Not at all. You know I don’t mind. After everything you’ve done for me, what’s a ride into town?”

  They ate breakfast together in a companionable silence, interrupted only by the occasional soft sound from Marlowe reacting to the wild birds on the other side of the window, and the jingle of Bunny’s tags at she sniffed around under the table looking for dropped crumbs. It was a peaceful morning, with only thoughts of Samantha intruding to distract her. She hoped that this case was solved quickly. She was only beginning to realize the impact that Russell’s job must have on him. He saw death more often than most people, and it couldn’t be easy for him.

  After breakfast, Ellie and her grandmother went their separate ways to get ready for the day. They met back up at the front door just in the nick of time. Any later, and they would be late for the session at the community pool. Ellie had her hand on the doorknob and was about to pull the door closed when she heard from inside something that made her jump.

  “Stop it!”

  The words had been shouted in a woman’s voice. The phrase was repeated a moment later, this time followed by a loud squawk. She realized that it was Marlowe, and released a breath that she hadn’t known she had been holding. That was new.

  “Where did she pick that up?” Nonna wondered as Ellie shut and locked the door.

  “I have no idea,” Ellie said. “Maybe it’s something she heard at the pet sitter’s house.” She felt her skin crawl. Was she hearing the murdered woman’s last words? She shivered. This was definitely something she would share with Russell when she saw him.

  An hour later, she was standing in line at the local coffee shop just a few doors down from the sheriff’s department. She had ordered her and Russell’s favorite drinks, thinking that they might both need a boost of caffeine to get through the day ahead of them.

  Mrs. Lafferre, the secretary, greeted her with a smile when she came in. “It’s nice you back in town, Eleanora,” she said.

  “It’s good to be back,” Ellie replied. She stopped by the front desk and dropped off a croissant for the older woman.

  Mrs. Lafferre, Liam’s grandmother, was the only person who called Ellie by her full name. She had taken over as a temporary secretary when the previous woman had left for maternity leave, but by the looks of things, she was going to stay. She could be a little bit forgetful, but Ellie found herself liking the tough old woman.

  After dropping off the croissant, Ellie let herself through the door to the back of the sheriff’s department and made her way to Russell’s office, where she knocked on the doorframe before peeking into the open door. He waved for her to come the rest of the way in.

  “Here, this is for you,” she said handing over the coffee.

  “Thanks,” he said. “I gave your employee a call. She’ll be coming in this evening. Do you have the laptop?”

  “Yep. Here you go. And here’s my phone. Do whatever you need to transfer the emails and texts over.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So, what did the coroner’s report say?” she asked, taking the seat across from him.

  There were some unexplained bruises on her body, bruises that she wouldn’t have gotten from falling. She also had alcohol in her system, and some still in her stomach. She was drinking right before she died, and she wasn’t drinking alone.”

  “So, that means that she was probably killed by someone that she knew,” Ellie guessed. “I doubt she would let a complete stranger into her house and drink with them.”

  “Sadly, you’re probably right. There are a few people that we’re going to talk to today, and her ex-boyfriend is at the top of that list. Hopefully her friend, Rose, will be able to help point us in the right direction. I’m also going to be calling the vet’s office to find out why she was let go. If she made a mistake that caused the death of someone’s pet, that could be our motive right there.”

  “She worked at the clinic right here in town, right?” Ellie asked.

  “Yes. The vet that she worked under is Dr. George Morgan,” Russell said.

  “That’s Bunny’s vet. We’re going to see him tomorrow. I think he knows my grandmother—they’re about the same age.”

  “I don’t want you to go out of your way to do any investigating while you’re there, but if you hear anything suspicious, definitely let me know.”

  “I will,” Ellie said. “It sounds like you’re going to be pretty busy. I’ll get out of your hair as soon as you’re done getting what you need from my phone and computer.”

  “You can stay for a while, if you’d like,” he said. “It’s nice to have you back in town. I missed you while you were gone.”

  “I’ve got to pick up my grandmother in about half an hour,” Ellie said. “I’ll stay until then.”

  “Good.” He leaned across the table to give her a quick kiss before returning his attention to the computers.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  *

  Ellie parked outside the community pool and waited for her grandmother. A few minutes past eleven, she saw the doors open and a group of elderly men and women came out. The instructor wasn’t with them, which was unusual. Ellie had met the man a couple of times, and he usually came out to make sure everyone who didn’t drive had rides to get home.

  She watched as Nonna said goodbye to her friends and began to make her way slowly across the grass. As she neared, Ellie leaned over and opened door for her. Nonna sat down in the passenger seat, setting her purse on her lap. Her hair was still wet, and she smelled like chlorine.

  “Did everything go well?” Ellie asked. “I know you missed last week’s lesson.”

  “I probably spent more time in the water last week than they did,” her grandmother said. “The lesson was fine. I got to tell everyone about our Florida trip, which was nice. And when I told them about what Marlowe said this morning, they got shivers.”

  “It was creepy,” Ellie a
greed. “Where’s the instructor? Usually he comes out to make sure everyone has a ride home.”

  “He left early. One of the other nice young people took over for him. It was a small class today; George left early as well, and then Catherine got a cramp and had to sit out for a while. You know,” Nonna lowered her voice, “I think I’m doing better than a lot of these people.”

  “Well, that’s good,” Ellie said, pulling away from the curb. “You’ve got to be active to stay healthy, and you certainly keep active enough for three of you.”

  “Active and hungry,” Nonna said. “Do you want to stop for lunch on the way home? Swimming always makes me feel as if I’m starving afterward.”

  “Sure. Do you want to try that little deli on the corner? They had pretty good soup last time we were in. I’m not really in the mood for pizza, I’ve been eating way too much of it since we got back.”

  “I’m okay with wherever you take me to,” her grandmother said, settling back in her seat. “This is nice. It’s just like having a chauffeur.”

  Ellie drove them to deli, where they sat at a small bistro table by the window. Ellie ordered soup, and her grandmother got a sandwich and salad. After a little while, Nonna cleared her throat and looked up from her food.

  “Just so you know, I have a date tomorrow evening. He’ll be picking me up at the house.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Ellie exclaimed. “Who is it with?”

  “George. He asked me right before he left. Isn’t that nice?”

  Ellie wasn’t sure who George was—her grandmother had so many friends, she could never keep their names straight. Still, it was wonderful that her grandmother was opening herself up to the possibility of a new relationship.

  “I think it’s going to be great for you,” she said. “Just let me know if you need any help getting ready.”

  After that, she told her grandmother about the plan that she was beginning to form to fly back to Florida in October. “Of course, you don’t have to come with us if you aren’t up to it. I’m just thinking how nice it would be for everyone to go together. I want the people working at the new pizzeria to feel like family too.”