Christmas Pizza Murder (Papa Pacelli's Pizzeria Series Book 20)

by Patti Benning

  “As you may know, your cousin’s husband passed away under mysterious circumstances nearly a month ago. His body was only found a couple of days ago, however. By that time, your cousin was far away, and no one knew where she was. The police have nothing to connect her to the crime, but my client believes that she does. However, she is worried that if she goes directly to the police with her evidence, it won’t be enough to get Darlene convicted. I need your help to find her. I know that she is your relative, but are you really willing to shelter a killer?”

  “What are you going to do if you find her?” Ellie asked, her frown deepening.

  “I won’t hurt her, or do anything illegal,” he promised. “I’m a professional. I value my private investigator’s license too much. I’m simply here to gather further evidence to strengthen my client’s case.”

  Ellie hesitated. The police had already spoken to Darlene, and from what her grandmother and said, they hadn’t had any reason to keep her in custody. Who was this man’s client, and why was she so involved in the case? Something felt off to her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Was it possible that someone was trying to frame Darlene for her husband’s death?

  “I know where she is, but I am not comfortable with telling you. I’m sorry. If your client has information that might be pertinent to the case, she should go to the police with it. If Darlene really did have anything to do with her husband’s death, which I doubt, then this needs to be treated just like any other murder case. Isn’t keeping important evidence from the police a crime?”

  “What my client has wouldn’t even be considered evidence in court,” the man said. “Which is why I need to find Darlene.”

  “I’m not going to tell you where she is, or how to get in contact with her. I need more than your vague explanation. Give me proof that she has something to do with this, or I’m not going to help you, and I’ll make sure that no one else in town will either.”

  Glenn fell silent, then nodded after a moment. “I guess I will have to look elsewhere. Thanks for talking to me. I understand why you’re trying to protect her, but I hope that you will realize soon that it’s not the right thing to do.”

  Chapter Seven

  * * *

  Ellie had always loved Shannon’s house, especially her kitchen. Right now, the generous counter space was covered with cans and boxes of food. There were empty bags and cardboard boxes all over the place. Her friend shot her a frazzled look.

  “Thanks,” she said. “I know you’re busy, and this was super short notice, but this is a huge help.”

  “It’s no problem,” Ellie said. “I have a lot to tell you, so we might as well sort cans while I do it.”

  She had been planning to go directly to the sheriff’s department to speak to Russell after closing the pizzeria that evening, but Shannon had called her just as she was about to pull out of the parking lot. When her pregnant best friend desperately asked her for help in organizing donations for a food drive that ended tomorrow, she knew that there was no way that she could say no.

  As she helped tape cardboard boxes together, she began to tell Shannon everything that had happened over the past few days. With the holiday approaching, both of them had been busy enough that she hadn’t had the time to do so before. Shannon was shocked when she heard about Paul’s death.

  “Do you think Darlene knew?”

  That was one of the questions that had been gnawing at Ellie. Darlene had fled from her home, her job, and everything that she knew. When her cousin had first showed up at her door, Ellie had thought that it would only be for a few days. However, the visit had lasted much longer than that. It had seemed like an extreme reaction to finding out about the affair, but Ellie had told herself that everyone processed things differently. In retrospect, was her cousin’s flight from her home an indicator that she had known about, or even been involved in, her husband’s untimely death?

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I just wish that she was here, so I could talk to her.”

  “You don’t think there’s any way that she did it, do you?”

  Ellie grabbed a permanent marker and scribbled on one of the boxes that she had just put together, Canned Veggies. She didn’t answer until she had finished.

  “I… I want to say no. I want to think that she’s innocent. But at the same time, I know it’s possible that she might have had something to do with it. Just because she’s family doesn’t mean she’s perfect, and it looks bad. Her husband dies right after she finds out that he’s sleeping with another woman? If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t hesitate to consider them a suspect.”

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  “What do you mean? There’s nothing I can do. She’s in Florida, and I’m not going to involve my grandmother in all of this… well, not any more than she already is.”

  “Ellie, I know you, and sitting around and letting other people figure this sort of thing out, especially when it involves someone you care about, isn’t like you.”

  “Trust me, I don’t like it one bit. But I’m not going to fly down to Florida to accuse my cousin of murder.”

  “I’m not saying do that, but you could talk to that investigator some more.”

  “I’m not going to tell him where she is. It’s not like with the police, when they called about her. He’s just some guy I don’t even know. I don’t really have any idea why he wants to find her. He could have been lying to me completely, and I would never know.”

  “You don’t have to tell him where she is, but you could try to figure out what he knows.”

  “Maybe.” Ellie frowned. The private investigator had left her his card, but she wasn’t sure that she wanted to contact him. Maybe Shannon was right, though. Maybe it was the only way for her to find out what was really going on. She had no idea what to think about Darlene. If her cousin was innocent, then Ellie owed it to her to do everything she could to find out the truth. If she was guilty… well, then the best thing for her would be to admit to what she had done and turn herself into the police. Either way, it didn’t seem that Darlene was doing anything to help herself. Was it her job to do it for her?

  “What does Russell think?” Shannon asked, tossing Ellie a can of green beans.

  “He doesn’t seem to suspect her, strangely enough,” Ellie said. “I haven’t had a chance to tell him what the private investigator said, though.”

  “I trust his judgment. He is usually a pretty good judge of character. I mean, he liked me right off the bat when James brought me home.” Her friend grinned at her, and Ellie laughed.

  “Everyone likes you,” she pointed out. “You’re a good person, and people see that.”

  “I try,” Shannon said. “Sometimes I get in over my head, though. Like with this.” She gestured at the food all around them.

  “All of this has to be sorted and taken to the community center tomorrow?”

  “Yep. Bright and early in the morning, too. They are going to start handing the donations out at eight.”

  “Well, we had better get it finished tonight. Is James going to be here to help?”

  “He should be here in about an hour. You don’t have to help me with all of it. I’m grateful for any help at all.”

  “I’ll stay until he gets here, but I should probably head home then. The animals have been alone since about ten-thirty. I hate leaving them home so long, but I don’t really have any other options. When Nonna was here, she would take care of them. Now that it’s just me, they are alone so much more often.”

  “Well, she will be back in April. Summer is usually busier anyway, isn’t it?”

  “It is. I’m sure the animals will enjoy having her back.”

  “And you?” her friend asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Of course, I will love having her back. It’s just that…” she trailed off. She would feel bad saying it out loud.

  “What?”

  “Well, I still don’t know how I feel about living with both her and Russ
ell. It will be awkward, won’t it?

  “How does Russell feel about it?”

  “He says he’s fine with it,” Ellie said. “But how can he be?”

  “If he says he’s fine, then he probably is,” Shannon said with a shrug. “He’s not usually one to beat around the bush if something bothers him.”

  “I just can’t imagine him being happy going from living alone and having his own space, to living with me and my grandmother, and sharing a house. I mean, it’s a big house, but it’s still going to mean a lot of change for him.”

  “Is there another option?” Shannon asked.

  Ellie bit her lip. She had thought about this ever since she had said yes to Russell’s proposal. The truth was, there wasn’t a better option. Her grandmother couldn’t live alone in that big house. Even if Ellie stopped in every day, there would just be too much risk. What if her grandmother fell down the stairs again? Or worse, what if she had a heart attack or stroke, and there is no one there to help her? Even without any medical issues arising, if her grandmother lived alone in the house, she wouldn’t have anyone to talk to. She couldn’t drive, so she could only get to town if one of her friends or Ellie gave her a ride. She would spend most of her time alone in a big, empty house, filled with memories of a better life. It was heartbreaking to think about.

  “I think this is the best one,” she said. “Unless we want to put off the wedding until…” She didn’t want to finish that thought. Shannon seemed to understand.

  “She’s healthy for her age. I don’t think that she would want you to put your life on hold for her.”

  “I know,” Ellie said. “I guess there is no perfect answer, so we’re just going to have to go with the best option.”

  “Plenty of cultures have multiple generations living in one home,” Shannon said. “It really isn’t that odd. She offered to sell you the house, didn’t she? Once it’s actually yours, it might feel a little bit different.”

  “That’s a whole other issue,” Ellie said. “I’m not going to feel good about taking her home. She has already given me so much, and I owe her so much. How can I accept that as well?”

  “Ellie, I think you are looking at this all wrong. She loves you. She doesn’t view giving you the pizzeria and letting you live with her as a hardship. Do you know how many women her age are stuck in some musty old folk’s home because they don’t have any family that’s willing to take care of them? And if you hadn’t come along to help with the pizzeria, she would have been forced to either close it down or sell it. Now, thanks to you, instead of watching her husband’s pride and joy fizzle and die, she gets to watch it thrive and grow. And if she sells you the house before she passes away, she will be able to rest easy knowing that there won’t be any squabbles over it after she’s gone. She and your grandfather have a big family, and things don’t always go smoothly, even if there’s a will.”

  “Thank you,” Ellie said, breathing out slowly. “That actually makes me feel better. Less guilty, anyway. You are the best person to talk to. You always seem to have the answers.”

  “It’s easier when it’s someone else’s life,” her friend said. “It’s harder with my own. That’s why I need you. We tell each other how it is, and keep each other looking forward.”

  “I couldn’t have asked for a better best friend,” she said, smiling at Shannon.

  “Me either.”

  Chapter Eight

  * * *

  Nonna

  Christmas in Florida was a strange affair. Ann had never spent the holiday somewhere it didn't snow, and it was surreal to look out the window and see green grass in her backyard in the middle of December. She wasn’t sure whether she liked it. The fact that she didn’t have to put on a parka to go to a restaurant was nice, but there was just something about a silent winter’s night that was magical.

  “Nonna? Are you ready to go?”

  “Just about,” she said, turning away from the window. Darlene and Emily were taking her out to lunch at the pizzeria. She was looking forward to it. Her husband’s restaurant was one of her greatest prides in life. Granted, this wasn’t the same one that he had opened all those years ago, but it felt like going home whenever she went in.

  She made sure that she had her keys and her cell phone in her purse, then, still marveling at how odd it was to be going outside without a coat in December, followed the two women to their rental car.

  As they navigated the winding roads of the retirement community, she waved at her friends. She had met so many nice people down here. It was wonderful to have so much freedom. Up in Maine, she had been restricted to only going places when she could find a ride from Ellie or one of her friends, most of whom were just as elderly as she was. Down here, there was a taxi service dedicated to the retirement community, and she could get almost anywhere she wanted to go just as quickly as if she was driving herself. She didn’t feel as if she was a burden to anyone, and that was a wonderful feeling.

  “Which way up here?” Darlene asked.

  “Turn left,” she directed. “Then just follow this road into town. Your next turn isn’t for a while.”

  She looked over at her granddaughter, glad that the younger woman was finally beginning to come out of her room. She still wouldn’t talk about her feelings, or say anything about her husband, but Ann had been beginning to worry that Darlene would hide away for her entire trip.

  She felt as if she was bursting with questions for her granddaughter, but knew that bringing them up wouldn’t do any good. She wondered who was making the funeral arrangements, and if any progress had been made in finding his killer. Would Darlene fly up for his funeral? Ann had a feeling that she might regret it later if she didn’t.

  She was still mulling the problem over when they pulled into the pizzeria’s parking lot. Walking through the doors was like walking into Kittiport. Ellie had done a wonderful job reconstructing the restaurant. It felt just like home.

  “Hi, Mrs. Pacelli,” Linda said from behind the counter. “Come on in. Sit wherever you want. I’ll be with you in just a second.”

  They chose a table near the window. The coast was just visible, and Ann loved being able to see the ocean. She had lived by it her entire life, after all.

  “What can I get you ladies?” Linda asked, coming over to their table with a notepad.

  The three of them decided to split a large Hawaiian pizza. Ann had been skeptical at first when Ellie had told her how she had met Linda, but it turned out that she had made a wonderful choice. Even though Linda’s own pizzeria had failed, she did a very good job of managing Papa Pacelli’s. The pizzas tasted just like they did back home, and every time she visited, the restaurant was nice and clean.

  “This really is just like the one in Maine,” Darlene said, looking around in amazement.

  “How many of these places are there?” Emily asked.

  “Just the two,” Darlene said. “I’m sure she’ll open more one day. Ellie likes to keep herself busy.”

  “I’m so glad the two of you have been able to spend more time together,” Ann said. “I always regretted that my family was so spread out. Family should be close to each other, and not be strangers.”

  “I still feel bad for showing up so unexpectedly,” Darlene said. “After Paul…” she broke off. Ann waited, but her granddaughter had fallen silent. She cleared her throat.

  “So, Emily, how do you know Darlene?”

  “We’re neighbors,” Emily said. “I met her when she moved into the neighborhood, helped her unpack. We bonded over that first glass of wine.”

  “That’s nice. Are you married?”

  “I was, but my husband passed away a few years ago.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I had no idea.”

  Both of their husbands are gone, she thought. I’m glad Emily is here. She’s probably the best person to help Darlene through this.

  The pizza came out not long after. As always, it was perfect. Ann thanked Linda, and took out her wall
et.

  “No, no, you know you eat free here, Mrs. Pacelli.”

  “And you know I always insist on paying,” she replied. “Here, take it.”

  “Fine, but I’m going to donate it to a charity. The three of you have a nice day, all right? And I’ll see you soon, I’m sure, Mrs. Pacelli.”

  The three of them got back into the car. This time, Ann took the back seat. She wanted to let the two friends talk, and she was too full and tired to be an active part of the conversation. Instead, she looked out the window. They were on the outskirts of Miami. Many of the businesses had set up Christmas decorations, but it just wasn’t the same as back home. Maybe she should have flown back to Kittiport for the holiday. Yes, the warm weather was nice, but there was something to be said for being with her family during Christmas.