“I know,” Ellie said. “It’s good to think of him as a real person. I… well, I wasn’t thinking very kind thoughts about him after we left the studio.”
“I understand. I didn’t like him very much either, but after hearing about everything that he’s gone through, it’s hard not to understand it at least a little.” She sighed. “I really hope the police end up catching whoever killed him.”
“Did Johnathan have any idea who might have had a motive to do it?”
“He didn’t mention anything about it. I didn’t want to push.”
“Yeah.” Ellie fell silent, thinking. “Well, it sounds like he might have made a few enemies in his time. I bet the police will look at his previous bosses, and maybe his son. If his wife died suspiciously, they might look at her family as possible suspects too.”
Linda gave a snort of amusement. “I forgot that your husband works for the police. You sound like you’re actually thinking the case through.”
“Sorry.” She grinned. “Habit. Kittiport is such a small town, and I hear a lot of gossip at the pizzeria, so sometimes I can help Russell on cases. Most murders are committed by people who knew the victim, so if you know who was having an affair with who, or who owes who money, sometimes crimes practically solve themselves.”
“I’ll let you know who killed him, if the police end up arresting someone,” Linda promised. “You probably won’t get news about it up in Maine. I don’t think his murder has had much publicity.”
“Thanks,” Ellie told her friend. “And give Johnathan my condolences. I know Mr. Jacobson and I had that argument right before he died, but I really am sorry for what happened to him.”
“I will,” Linda promised. “How much longer are you staying?”
“Until Fri-” She broke off, feeling her phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out and to her surprise saw the number from the studio. “Sorry, I’ve got to get this.”
She stepped into a quiet corner of the kitchen and answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Am I speaking with Mrs. Ward?”
“Yes, this is she. May I ask who’s calling?”
“This is Trevor Jacobson, from the film studio. Did I catch you at a good time?”
Ellie hesitated. She had just been in the middle of a conversation with Linda and had wanted to spend some time helping out at the pizzeria, but she was curious about the reason he was calling her. “I have a few minutes,” she replied.
“Great. I was wondering if you’d like to schedule a time to finish shooting the advertisement?”
She blinked. “Pardon me?”
“I’m looking at our files, and it looks like you already paid the deposit. So, I was assuming you’d like to finish the project. I know you’re from out of town. We could get you in this week, I just need to know so I can schedule it in.”
“I’m sorry, I’m confused. I thought the director passed away?”
Trevor was silent for a moment, then said, “Business goes on, Mrs. Ward. And I’d be lying if I said we didn’t need it.”
“I see.” She frowned. “First, just let me say how sorry I am for your loss. But I’m going to be honest with you. I wasn’t that happy with how we were treated, and how my wishes for the ad were ignored. I’m not sure I want to go through with filming the advertisement there.”
“I figured you’d say as much.” He sighed, and when he spoke again, he just sounded tired. “Is there any chance you’d be willing to come in, and we could discuss this face to face?”
“Well… all right. When’s a good time for you?”
“Does two work?”
“Sure. I’ll see you then.”
She said a quick goodbye, then hung up, turning to see Linda giving her a puzzled stare. She took a deep breath, wondering what exactly she had gotten herself into, and related the conversation to her friend.
Chapter Eight
Ellie spent the next few hours helping out at the pizzeria, chatting with the employees and taking the occasional photo with customers who knew who she was. She was thrilled to learn that the pizzeria had a devoted group of regulars who seemed to know Linda and the other employees there quite well. She had been worried that the large city would make the pizzeria a more impersonal place, but there were definitely a few tightly knit groups. The time she spent there made her happy, but she was weighed down by the thought of the meeting she had committed herself to.
She left shortly before two, promising Linda that she and her grandmother would stop in at least once more before she went back home. The ride to the studio seemed to take longer than she remembered, but she got there in time and parked in front of the door, hesitating for only a moment before letting herself in.
The two men had been lounging in the chairs that were set up in the waiting area, and both of them jumped up when they saw her. Trevor rushed over to shake her hand and thank her for coming, while Johnathan gave her a somewhat apologetic smile.
“Sorry for the call,” he said as they walked towards Trevor’s office. “I would have stopped him if I’d known he was going to contact you. I don’t feel as though it’s very appropriate.” Ellie frowned, and he caught her look. “Not because of your argument with Mike, you were completely justified in that. Just because we shouldn’t be jumping right back in so soon after what happened. I wanted to take some time off, maybe go visit the rest of the family, and not even think about opening back up until after the funeral.”
“It’s what Mike would have wanted,” Trevor said as he opened a door and ushered them inside. “You know how he was about work, Johnathan. Do you think he’d take time off if one of us died?”
“I think he would have.”
Trevor frowned, then shrugged. “Well, I don’t want to spend all of my time sitting in my apartment feeling sorry for him. You and I both know we need to get some more clients if we’re going to keep this business afloat.”
Johnathan shook his head, but said, “We didn’t come here to argue. Mrs. Ward, I’d like to apologize to you on behalf of my cousin…” He frowned at Trevor. “Both of my cousins.”
“You can just call me Ellie. And it’s okay. I’m definitely not holding any grudges against Mr. Jacobson now.”
“Would you be willing to consider rescheduling the shoot with us?” Trevor asked, looking hopeful.
“Why do you want me to so badly?” she asked him. “I know what I’m paying you, and while it’s definitely not small change, it’s not going to be enough to really get your business off the ground either.”
“Because of the publicity,” he said simply. “If we get a good advertisement out there, one with a good television slot so lots of people see it, we’ll get more interest in our business. You’re already scheduled in, and you’ve already paid a deposit, so it just seems like it makes sense to move ahead.”
“If I’m being honest, I really didn’t want a lot of what your brother had planned,” she said. “I just want a simple advertisement, filmed at the restaurant, not in front of a green screen. I don’t need any special effects. I just want to show people our faces and our food, and let them know we exist. We’re a small, family owned business and I want that to show in the ad. I’m not trying to copy the big chains.”
Trevor was nodding enthusiastically as she spoke. “I know, and we can do exactly that. It will be great. I promise, you’ll love the final result.”
She sighed. “I’m still not sure. We’d have to close the pizzeria down for a few hours, at least, and I already did that once.”
“Here, let me show you something,” Trevor said, going behind his desk then clicking with his mouse a few times before turning his computer’s screen around to face Ellie. “Here’s an example of what you can expect.”
She watched a short advertisement for what looked like a local brand of bread.
“And another one.”
She watched it, then nodded. “Okay, those are really good.”
“Johnathan made those a few years back
. He’s the real genius with the camera. I’m good with some other technical stuff, but John’s the one you want in charge of the cameras.”
She frowned. “If he’s so great, why was your brother the director and the one in charge?”
Trevor shrugged. “Mike had the money. We needed a startup. So, what do you say?”
She bit her lip, then nodded her head. “Okay. I’ll talk to my employees and call you to set up a day and a time. But we’re doing it at the restaurant, and no one is using a double. I want this to be real, okay?”
“It’ll be so real, the viewers will practically be able to taste the food,” Trevor promised her.
Chapter Nine
Ellie had a lot on her mind as she returned to her grandmother’s house. She didn’t regret agreeing to continue filming the ad, but she still didn’t feel completely right about it. A man had died. Business shouldn’t just carry on as usual. Though, if they really were as close to having to shut their doors as they seemed to hint at, she could almost understand it. It was a family business. If they had to shut it down for good, it would be like losing a part of Mr. Jacobson all over again.
She arrived at the condo and let herself in, calling her grandmother’s name out. When she didn’t get a reply, she realized Nonna must still be out doing errands. She had told Ellie she was going to spend the day out and about with her friends while Ellie helped at the pizzeria.
It was strange not to have anything she had to do. Normally when she had unexpected time away from work, she would clean or cook, or do something fun with the dogs. But her grandmother’s house was already clean, and she wouldn’t have anything to cook until the older woman got back with the groceries. Her grandmother had no pets, since it would be unrealistic to bring them back and forth with her from Florida to Maine.
Though it was hot out, the sky was still grey and cloudy, and Ellie didn’t feel like going back to the pool. She considered taking a walk, but by the look of things, it might start raining again. She knew that there was a gym that was open to members of the community, and decided she might as well head there.
An hour later, Ellie returned to the condo, a bit sweaty and very tired. Working out wasn’t something she usually did. Most of her exercise came from walks with the dogs. It was, she decided, something she would have to change. A mile jog on a treadmill had nearly done her in, and she had been too embarrassed to do more than fiddle with the weights.
Her grandmother greeted her at the door with a cheerful hug, then looked her granddaughter up and down. “Why do you look like you were just running through the rain?”
“Because I decided to take advantage of the gym, and it started to rain on my walk back,” she said. All in all, she felt very disgruntled. “It was only a block away, it seemed silly to drive.”
Nonna just chuckled. “Go get changed, dear. I bought ingredients for homemade shrimp Alfredo for dinner. I’ll get started on it.”
Ellie felt much better after taking a hot shower and putting on dry clothes, but she still was bothered by how difficult just jogging on a treadmill had been for her. She needed to start exercising more, and she thought she could probably drag Shannon and Joanna into it with her. Seeing how healthy her grandmother was, even into her old age, made her want to take better care of herself. She loved her life and her family, and she wanted to do everything she could to stick around for as long as possible.
Though sometimes it doesn’t matter how healthy you are, she thought, thinking of Mr. Jacobson. No amount of working out would have saved him. His murder bothered her deeply, partially because of the simple fact that someone she knew had been stabbed to death, but also partially because she hadn’t liked him. She had thought horrible thoughts about him, and then he had been killed. Of course there was no way she could have known what was going to happen to him, but it still made her feel bad. If she had handled the argument differently, would it have changed anything? Had he been upset by it? If she had been kinder, she may have made his last day better, at the very least.
She sighed and mentally shook herself. She knew from experience that dwelling on things that she regretted but couldn’t do anything about wouldn’t help her at all. It would just put her in a bad mood, and she wanted to enjoy what was left of her vacation if she could. She had missed her grandmother, and didn’t want to bring both of them down by being morose.
They worked together to prepare dinner, then sat down at the table to enjoy the pasta, green beans, and steaming hot rolls they had made. Dessert was store bought Crème brulée, and a nice wine that Nonna said one of her friends had picked out. As they sipped their drinks and chatted about their lives, Ellie felt a sudden sharp pang for the way their lives had been previously, when it had just been the two of them in that big house. She wouldn’t trade her current life with Russell for anything, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be nostalgic. I need to make sure the tenants remember that they have to move out soon, she thought. And then get the house ready for Nonna again.
She added it to her mental to-do list, then decided not to worry about it until she got back. This was a vacation, and she wanted to take the time to relax when she could get it.
They were cleaning the dishes together when someone knocked on the condo’s front door. Ellie put her plate down and made to dry her hands, but her grandmother beat her to it.
“I’ll get it,” she said. “It’s probably Walsh, he borrowed a pan from me last week and said he’d return it to me by Friday.”
Ellie shrugged and turned back to the sink. Moments later, she heard her grandmother calling her from the hall. She shut off the water and dried her hands, then walked through the condo to the front door. When she saw the uniformed police officer standing in the entranceway, her steps faltered.
“Mrs. Ward?” he said.
“Yes. Um, that’s me.”
“I’m Officer Carlisle. Would you be willing to come down to the station with me to answer some questions about a homicide?”
Ellie felt the blood rush out of her face. If he just wanted to ask her questions as a witness, chances were he’d just speak to her here. If he wanted to bring her to the station, they must be considering her a suspect.
“Sure,” she said, hoping her concern didn’t show. “Just let me grab my purse.”
Chapter Ten
The police station the officer took her to wasn’t far away, which Ellie was grateful for. She spent the entire ride there feeling as if her insides were tying themselves in knots. It was amazing how guilty she felt, considering she hadn’t even done anything.
When they got there, he walked her inside and had her wait in a chair while he disappeared into the back, past the metal detectors. Only minutes later, he came back and gestured for her to follow him.
It was a very different sort of building than the sheriff’s department in Kittiport. While the sheriff’s department had a rustic, almost comfortable feel about it, this building was modern and cold. Ellie was glad when they got to the interview room, just because it meant that they were another step closer to having this done with.
“The detective will be with you shortly,” he said. “Can I get you anything to drink? Water? Coffee?”
“Water, please,” she said.
He left and returned shortly with a paper cup of water. When he left the room again, she glanced through the doorway and spotted a familiar face walking through the hallway, escorted by another officer. It was Francis, Nonna’s almost stand-in. Ellie frowned, but didn’t have long to think about it because another woman stepped through the door a moment later.
“Hello, Mrs. Ward, I presume?” she said, her voice cheery and a smile on her face that seemed genuine.
“You can call me Ellie.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ellie. I’m Detective Vega. I looked you up before coming out to talk with you. You own a pizzeria? That must be interesting.”
She took a seat across from Ellie, the friendly expression on her face not wavering. Ellie felt herself b
egin to relax. Maybe she wasn’t a suspect after all.
“I do, and it is,” she said with a small smile of her own. “Two of them, actually. One here, and one in Maine.”
The other woman nodded. “So I saw. How did you get into the business? I’m guessing it’s a family one, based on your maiden name.”
“It is. My grandfather opened the first restaurant. After he passed away, my grandmother ran it for a while and then I moved to Kittiport to help manage it. After about a year of that, I decided to make the move permanent and she put the restaurant in my name.”
Sweet Chili Murder Page 4
