It Cannoli Be Murder (Bread and Batter Cozy Mysteries Book 3)

by Karoline Barrett

“That’s it exactly. And remember the license plate?”

  “The one we saw on the security tape that matched the one in Zoe’s garage?”

  “Yes. Dena took it. She told Zoe that her own car needed some work and she needed to go shopping. Zoe willingly handed her the keys to her own car.”

  This was truly mind-boggling. “But how did she know there were security cameras that would pick up the license plate?”

  “Guess what? She worked part-time at Castle Shore years ago. That’s why she had that housekeeping uniform. It had changed, but it was a uniform, and she used it. She remembered when the cameras were installed. It was after a dignitary from England’s room was broken into.”

  I couldn’t believe how the pieces were coming together. “The woman was no dummy it seems. Cunning, too. So, it was never Rocco, or Lucas, or Piero. Or Robert Meara. I was really betting on Piero or Lucas.”

  “Nope. None of the above. Cunning is right. I have to give the woman credit for thinking this whole thing out like she did.”

  “What about the suicide note? Did she write that?” I was pretty sure I knew the answer.

  “Yes. She planted the pad she’d written the suicide note on in Zoe’s kitchen. That was clever of her, too. She recited the words of the note to Sean and me, verbatim. No way she would’ve known what it said unless she’d written them.

  “There were only a few people who knew what the note said, and I’m sure Zoe or Graeme hadn’t memorized them. We found it and used it as evidence against Zoe when we saw the imprint on the next page of the pad of the words she’d written on the suicide note.”

  “What about the gun that killed Rachel? Did you find it?”

  “It was in Zoe’s closet.”

  “How did it get in Zoe’s closet?”

  “Easy peasy. Dena planted it there. It matched the bullets we found. The one that killed Rachael. It was easy to for Dena to get access to Zoe’s closet. Zoe was gone a lot, and she trusted Dena. The truth is, she didn’t give Dena a lot of thought. She certainly didn’t suspect her of being capable of murder.”

  “Where did she get her hands on a gun?”

  “Edward. When he bought one for Meg, he also bought one for himself. She knew exactly where he kept it. I bet he’s kicking himself now for buying it.”

  “Are you very sure Dena’s telling the truth?”

  He nodded. “Yes, we are.”

  I wasn’t done yet. “One more thing. How did she get Melanie and Rachael to meet with her?”

  Alex took a breath. “She called Rachael with her cell phone and said she wanted to meet with her before the party. She said that she told Rachael she still worked there part-time, so Rachael wouldn’t question the uniform. I already knew there was a call on Rachael’s phone from Dena’s phone, I just didn’t realize the significance.”

  “Amazing.” I really had no words. My head was spinning. “What about Melanie? She poisoned Melanie with tea made from the Datura flower I saw out the bathroom window, didn’t she?”

  “Yes. She poisoned Melanie the night before. She made the Datura tea for Melanie, and regular tea for herself.”

  “Why would Melanie and Rachael agree to meet Dena?”

  “Dena explained that she’d known the girls for years. There was no reason for them to suspect her, or distrust her. They trusted her implicitly.”

  “And Dena had their phone numbers? That seems a little odd even if they were close at one time.” I felt like I was grilling Alex, but I had to have all the pieces fit together in my own mind.

  “She got them from Zoe’s address book. Again, not hard to do when Zoe was gone a lot and Dena had access to her home.”

  “Wow. Just wow. I cannot believe this. Does Zoe know all of this?”

  Alex got up, stretched, and leaned against the office door. He yawned deeply. “Sorry. Sean and I have been up all night. After we interviewed Dena for about two hours, we picked up the gun, and got her signed confession, and told Zoe the whole story. She was in shock.”

  “I’m sure she was.” I still had questions, though. My puzzled mind seemed to be missing a piece or two. “Why poison Melanie and shoot Rachael?” That seemed like a lot of trouble to go to. And this had obviously been well planned. “Why not use the same weapon on both women?”

  “That’s exactly what Sean and I asked. You won’t believe this, but Dena wanted us to think we had two killers. She didn’t want Mrs. Rydell going to prison for too long. She thought if she was convicted of just Rachael’s murder, she’d get a shorter sentence.”

  I squinted at Alex. “What? So, in a twisted way she was trying to do a favor for Zoe?”

  “It looks that way. I will say that this has been a big learning experience for me.”

  “So, Dena obviously knew the two women were going to be in town for the reunion.”

  “She did. She’d heard Zoe talking about her daughters coming to town. Zoe was hoping to mend their relationship, as she mentioned to us.”

  Mama mia! I’d heard everything now. “I’m exhausted just talking about all this. So unfortunate. Now she won’t have that chance with her daughters. I didn’t like her, or Mr. Rydell, but I sure wouldn’t wish this on anyone. You and Sean were certainly busy. No wonder you look beat.”

  I shivered. “Zoe came close to going to prison for two murders she didn’t commit.”

  He swiped a hand through his hair. “Yeah, thank heaven Dena confessed and Edward called. I too couldn’t help but think about what Zoe’s life would be like if he hadn’t. I only hope she would have kept fighting to clear her name.” He sniffed an armpit. “I need a shower.”

  I made a face at him. “Too much information, Detective Britton. Go on home. Thanks for letting me know all this. I’m overwhelmed.”

  He managed a lopsided smile. “Yeah, I know the feeling. One last thing.”

  I wasn’t sure I could handle ‘one last thing’. “What?”

  “Attorney Maloney revoked your involvement in this case.”

  I grinned at him. “That’s fine. At least I know that’s an option. You know, in case there’s a next time.”

  He laughed. “You’re too funny, you know that?” He reached out for a hug. I gave him one despite his not-so-clean smelling self.

  CHAPTER 34

  * * *

  I went back to my cupcakes after Alex had gone. I filled a pastry bag with the buttermilk pastry cream, and squeezed just enough filling into the center of the cupcakes. I was glad everything had been wrapped up, but I was still a little shocked at how things had gotten wrapped up. There may be only a few reasons for murder, but those reasons manifest themselves in so many different ways.

  What would happen to Edward and Zoe now as far as their feelings for each other? Would Zoe finalize her divorce from Graeme? Would she want to reach out to Meg? I stopped thinking. I was sure there were other factors at work that I was not privy to in the Zoe/Graeme/Edward/Dena square. Nor did I want to be.

  As my great-grandmother says, I don’t need to know what tea people in Timbuktu are drinking. Or something along those lines. In other words, I don’t need to know everyone’s business. It had no bearing on my life. The important thing is the murderer would be behind bars, and in Destiny, order would once again be restored.

  Olivia and Kendra came back to see me a few minutes later. “What was that all about?” asked Kendra.

  “I take it there are no customers out in front?” I asked.

  “Not at the moment,” replied Olivia. “What’s up? Why did Alex have to see you so urgently? Is everything okay?”

  “I won’t go into the whole story, but they have Rachael and Melanie’s real killer, finally.”

  “Who?” asked Olivia.

  “Who?” echoed Kendra. They sounded like owls.

  “I can’t say right now. I have to wait until Sean and Alex officially announce it.”

  “Can you give us a hint?” asked Kendra.

  “No, she can’t,” Olivia answered for me. She grabbed
Kendra’s hand. “Come on you, let’s get back out front and leave Molly to her cupcakes. We’ll find out soon enough, I’m sure. I for one am just as happy not to hear any details involving anything criminal.”

  Kendra put on a manufactured pout and looked at me over her shoulder. “She’s really no fun at all, you know.”

  I laughed, and got back to my cupcakes.

  ###

  Sean came over about fifteen minutes after I’d arrived home from Bread and Batter. I’d finished my cupcakes after Alex left, with no more interruptions, and the bakery had done a brisk business, which was nice. I told him about Alex’s visit, and for a few minutes, we discussed the fortuitous way everything had worked out for Zoe.

  I finally laid my head back and closed my eyes. “If Dena hadn’t confessed, you and Alex would have the wrong person behind bars. Olivia and Kendra especially thank you both. I’m afraid Olivia may be ready to install Kendra as my permanent replacement.”

  “She wouldn’t do that,” he assured me. “They need you. There’s something I have to show you.”

  I forced my eyes open, and groaned. “Not a dead body, I hope. I’ve had my fill. No more bodies, I beg you.”

  “Definitely not. Nothing like that. Come on, let’s go for a ride.”

  Both Noelle and Beau perked up at his words, but I wanted to curl up on the couch with some potato chips and a nice big bowl of cannoli ice cream. And maybe a spinach and carrot salad to offset all that sugar and salt. I’d definitely been overdoing lately. Why my clothes weren’t getting tighter, I had no idea. Maybe murder solving ate up a lot of calories. It was a good theory.

  The dogs woofed at me in disapproval, and Sean was still waiting. I had to be back at the bakery at the unholy hour of four a.m. tomorrow, and I was looking forward to vegetating on my couch for the evening. “Aren’t you tired? You were up pretty much all night from what Alex told me.”

  “No, I’m all rested. You’ll be glad you came for a ride, trust me,” he cajoled when I didn’t move. He held out a hand and I reluctantly let him pull me up. The dogs wasted no time in trotting to the door where they looked back and forth between us and the doorknob expectantly, tails a-wagging.

  “Okay guys, you can come along,” he told them. As if there was a chance that we’d leave them behind. “We’ll take the truck.”

  He ushered us all out the door, down the stairs, and into his truck. He still hadn’t developed any kind of relationship with my little hybrid. I didn’t mind his truck that much, it had a back seat for Beau and Noelle to stretch out on, and it was quite plush and comfy for a truck, and it was kind of nice sitting up high once in a while. Not that I’ve admitted any of the above to him. I strapped my seatbelt on, feeling curious now. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

  Sean opened the sunroof and turned to look at me. “First, I have some news to share with you.”

  My heart clutched. “Something bad? Did something happen to your parents? Is it about the cybergangs?”

  “No, silly. Not anything bad. Everyone’s fine as far as I know.” He reached out and slid a piece of my hair between his index and middle finger and toyed with it. His eyes got soft and dreamy the way they did just before he kissed me, but I doubted that he’d brought us all out here to sit in his truck so we could kiss.

  “Then what? I’m dying of curiosity.”

  “I’ve bought a house.”

  I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I wasn’t sure what to even say. I had absolutely no idea he’d been actively looking. I was a little hurt he hadn’t included me in the process, or asked my opinion. What if I hated the house? Of course, with all the stuff going on with the Destiny Police Department, I could understand his mind was elsewhere, but still. And when had he had the time to house hunt? “Really?” I brilliantly managed to ask. “A house?”

  He spread a hand on my knee and squeezed. “For us, babe. Right on the lake. It needs work, but I can do the renovations, no problem. I might be able to convince dad and Anthony to lend a hand. I’ve done a lot of the painting already. My realtor was a big help. Not only with getting the buyers to agree to my price, but in picking the interior colors, and helping me with renovating ideas.”

  Realtor? He had a realtor? I had no idea. “Does she have red hair?” I blurted out.

  “You want to know if my realtor has red hair?”

  “Yes.”

  “Kind of a copper red, I guess. I wasn’t paying close attention. Why would you ask that?”

  I let out a long, satisfied sigh. “I know this is going to sound stupid, but I kept getting reports from various…um… sources around town that you were keeping company with a redhead, and that I should be worried. At the very least, a little concerned.

  “Then when Alex told me you wanted him to keep me occupied, I didn’t know what to think. Now I know it’s because you were buying a house. I didn’t want to hound you about her and sound shrewish.”

  He looked amused and the lines around his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Shrewish?”

  “Yes. You know. Like a fish wife.”

  He laughed, then tried unsuccessfully to disguise it as a cough. “Are you trying to tell me you were jealous? I’m glad you didn’t ask me about her except for when she and I were in the paper—I still haven’t forgiven Crandall for that— I don’t know what I’d have come up with, and I didn’t want to tell you until everything was set; I wanted this to be a total surprise.”

  “Oh, I assure you that it is. And for the record, I trust you completely. I wasn’t worried at all.”

  He gave me a devastatingly sexy cocky half-smile that showcased his dimples to their max advantage. “Not at all?”

  “Maybe a tiny bit. She was the ‘informant’ you told me about?”

  He looked pleased with himself. “Yes. Good cover story, wasn’t it? She was informing me on paint colors.”

  “And this is why you told Alex to keep me busy, isn’t it?”

  “You figure out everything.” He turned serious and his eyes searched mine. “You know there’s no reason, don’t you? To be jealous, I mean. You know I am deeply and completely in love with you, right?”

  I grinned at him, happiness flooding through my body. “I kind of got that impression. I feel exactly the same about you.”

  He shifted into reverse. “Glad we have that settled. Listen. If you don’t like the colors, or anything I’ve done in the house, you can change them. Whatever you want is fine with me. I just wanted to have it all ready for you. Can we go now? I can’t wait until you see it!”

  I was getting a big kick at his unbridled enthusiasm. He sounded like a kid eager to show off a new bike. “I can’t wait to see it, too.” I’d be enthusiastic no matter what I thought of it.

  I glanced at his profile as he drove wondering how I’d gotten so lucky. What if he’d picked another town to move to from New York City? How different my life would be. “So that’s why you’ve been so busy every weekend? I mean, other than investigating arson, a little murder, cybergangs, etc.?”

  He reached for my left hand and held it as he drove. “Yep. It wasn’t easy not to tell you about it.”

  “You did a good job hiding it. No wonder you’ve been so tired.”

  “It wasn’t that bad. I’m in pretty good shape you know.”

  “You’ll get no argument from me on that count.” My thoughts went back to the house he bought. I hoped he hadn’t been ripped off. What if I did hate it? How could I hurt his feelings and tell him that? I decided to love it no matter what. How bad could it be? He had pretty good taste in most things. “How much renovating do you need to do? I can help, too, you know. I’m quite handy.”

  “I’ll take you up on that. But it’s not horrible. We can work on it during the weekends. Your parents offered to help, too, which I thought was nice of them. We’re almost there. Beau and Noelle will love it, they’ll go crazy over the nice big fenced in yard. We can even get another dog if you want to. I was thinking a rescue dog.”<
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  “Definitely! I’d love to do that. There are so many dogs that need homes.”

  “We’ll start with one,” he warned. “Just one.”

  “At a time,” I added.

  “Molly…”

  “One or two. No more.” I turned to the Beau and Noelle. “Right guys? You can handle two new dogs.”

  I laughed when Noelle and Beau barked their agreement from the back seat.

  Sean laughed. “Okay. I know when I’m beat. Two at the most.”

  I loved this guy. A few minutes later, we pulled into a wide, half- gravel, half-dirt driveway. To the left of the driveway was a stately white wooden-sided colonial with dark green shutters. We were parked beside a screened-in porch that ran for three-quarters of the length of the house. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I was astounded, breathless, and blown away.