Very Veggie Murder: Book 3 in Papa Pacelli's Pizzeria Series

by Patti Benning

  When the conversation turned more reminiscent after dessert, Ellie began to feel a bit left out. She didn’t share any memories past her teen years with these people. It was evident that they were having a good time, and she decided that they would probably enjoy their conversation just as much without her.

  She got up during a lull in one of her aunt’s stories about some family gathering that had happened years ago and excused herself to the study, telling them that she had to finish up an order form for the pizzeria. It was a half-truth; she didn’t have to get the order in until noon the next day, but it wouldn’t hurt to get it done early. Besides, she wanted to spend some time with Marlowe. The parrot had been alone in the study for most of the day, and deserved some attention and treats before bed.

  Bunny followed her out of the dining room and down the hall, pausing to glance back just once when a roar of laughter sounded from behind them. Ellie couldn’t help but smile. The little dog so obviously wanted to be back in the room with the food, but loyally stuck by her side anyway.

  “You’re a good girl,” Ellie told her. “I’ve got treats in the study. I’ll give you a couple, just don’t let Marlowe catch you eating them. She thinks that all food is hers.”

  The papillon at her heels, she slipped into the study and shut the door quietly behind her. Marlowe greeted them with a squawk and raised her wings up, a clear sign that she wanted to get out of her cage. Ellie paused by the desk to grab a few treats out of the dish and drop them onto Bunny’s bed before walking over to the large metal bird cage and opening the door.

  “Come on out, sweetie. I’m sorry you’ve been locked in here all alone for so long.”

  She held out her arm, which the parrot stepped onto from her perch. Ellie pulled her out of the cage, the bird’s scaly feet gripping her arm tightly. Once free of the bars, Marlowe stretched her impressive green and blue wings out, then tilted her head to the side and eyed the woman holding her for a long moment before lowering her beak and chomping firmly down onto Ellie’s arm.

  “Ow!”

  She jerked her arm down instinctively, which just caused the bird to bite down even harder for balance. Gritting her teeth, Ellie forced herself to walk slowly over to the perch by the window and let the macaw step off onto it.

  “What was that for?” she asked, her voice sharper than she would have liked as she examined her arm. “Are you still mad that we moved your cage back in here?”

  She sighed. At least Marlowe hadn’t broken the skin on her arm, though she was sure there would be a big beak-shaped bruise in the morning. Her feelings were hurt more than anything. It had been a long time since the parrot had tried to bite her. She’d thought they were over that. Apparently she just didn’t like being alone; Marlowe was almost twenty years old, and very much used to getting her way.

  Still hurt, but trying not to show it, Ellie walked over to the desk and pulled open one of the top drawers, where she kept a small package of unsalted walnuts, one of Marlowe’s favorite treats. She opened the package and took out a nut, which she then brought over to the bird.

  “Here’s a peace offering,” she said, holding out the nut. “Life will be back to normal soon enough, I promise.”

  Marlowe took the nut, turned it over in her beak with her surprisingly dexterous tongue, then with a quick shake of her head, tossed it across the room where it tumbled under a bookshelf.

  “What on earth has gotten into you?” Ellie sighed. “We’re going to get mice now, unless I can find that nut.”

  She grabbed her phone off of the desk and turned on the flashlight app as she walked over to the bookshelf. Getting down on her hands and knees, she looked underneath. She saw a lot of dust, some cobwebs, a piece of paper, and way in the back, the walnut. With another sigh, she lay flat on her belly and stretched her arm out as far as she could. Her fingers brushed against the piece of paper and some dust bunnies, but try as she might, she just couldn’t reach the nut.

  “I’ll have to go get the broom later,” she muttered. She slid the paper out from under the bookshelf and stood up, still annoyed at the bird’s behavior. Bunny, who had finished with her treats, trotted over to see what all of the commotion was about. She stuck her nose under the shelf and sniffed, then blew out breath in a big snort, sending a puff of dust out from underneath.

  “It looks like this room could really use a thorough cleaning,” Ellie said, chuckling as she watched the dog sneeze, then poke her nose right back under the shelf. “Just one more thing to get to this weekend. Maybe I’ll do some upgrades at the same time—the study could use a few basic things like a paper shredder and a new lamp. I swear, Papa kept everything.”

  She was just about to ball up the paper and toss it in the garbage can as she walked by, when the first line written on it caught her eye and gave her pause. It was a handwritten note, addressed to her grandfather. Instead of throwing it away, she sat down at the desk, smoothed it out, and began reading.

  Arthur,

  I won’t stand for blackmail any longer. I am writing to give you one last chance to stop before I take more drastic measures. We used to be friends, but that won’t stop me from doing what it takes to protect myself and everything I have built. Whether you see it or not, I’ve earned everything that I have. This is your one warning. For your sake, I hope that I never hear from you again.

  -T

  Ellie reread the note twice, trying to make sense of the words. Her grandfather had been blackmailing someone? It didn’t seem possible. Everything she remembered from her childhood, and everything that anyone had ever said about him indicated that Arthur Pacelli had been a good man.

  “This can’t be real,” she said aloud, turning the paper over. There was nothing else written on it, not even a date. How old was the note? Her grandparents had lived in this house for over fifty years. Who knew how long it had been sitting under that bookshelf? It could be decades old… or only a few months old. For a fleeting second she wondered if the note had something to do with her grandfather’s death, then she immediately dismissed the theory. He had died of a heart attack in this very office. There had been nothing suspicious about it.

  Her first impulse was to show her grandmother. Nonna might be able to shed some light on the issue; she might even know who “T” was. But as Ellie read through the note again, she got an odd, sour feeling in her stomach. What if Nonna didn’t know anything about it? Did she really want to risk wrecking the good memories her grandmother had of her late husband? Papa was gone; whatever the note was about didn’t matter anymore. Maybe it was best to let sleeping dogs lie in this case.

  A knock on the door made her jolt in surprise.

  “Come on in,” she said, quickly moving her laptop so it covered the paper.

  “I just wanted to say a quick goodbye,” Danny said as he opened the office door. “I’ve got to take off. Thanks for dinner. Those pizzas were definitely something special.”

  “I’m glad you could make it,” she said, offering him a polite smile.

  “Maybe I’ll see you at the pizzeria sometime,” he said, grinning. “You’ve got me hooked. I’ll never be able to buy from a chain restaurant again.”

  “That was my devious plan,” she said with a chuckle. He turned to go, but Ellie, struck by a sudden idea, stood up and said, “Wait.”

  He turned, half out the door and looking curious. “What is it?”

  “You knew my grandfather pretty well, didn’t you?” she asked.

  “Pretty well, I suppose,” he said with a shrug. “I worked for him for about a decade.”

  “Do you have any idea who this letter is from?” she asked, pulling the note out and handing it to him before she could change her mind.

  He took it, his frown deepening as he read through it.

  “I wouldn’t even be able to begin to guess,” he said at last. “Where did you get this?”

  “I found it under that bookshelf, just a few minutes ago. I’m not sure yet if I want to tell Nonna…”r />
  He nodded, understanding. “Do you think it might have been someone he worked with at the paper mill?”

  “Maybe. I have no idea how old it is. You knew him better than I did. Did he seem like the sort of man who would blackmail someone?”

  “If you had asked me that ten minutes ago, my answer would have been no,” he said. “But this… I really don’t know what to think of this. Who’s ‘T’? Your Uncle Toby?”

  “I could be, I guess,” she said reluctantly. “But he has to have known more than one person whose name begins with the letter ‘T’.”

  “If you want, I can ask around and see if any of my old friends from the mill know if Arthur might have had a falling out with someone whose name starts with ‘T’,” he said. “It’s worth a try, at least. And you could ask people at the pizzeria.”

  “If you don’t mind, I’d be grateful,” she said. “Just don’t tell anyone why, okay? I don’t want to hurt his reputation, and I definitely don’t want Nonna catching wind of this.”

  “I’ll be discreet,” he promised, handing the note back to her. “I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything. Goodnight, Ellie.”

  “Goodnight, Danny. And thank you.”

  With that, he left, and Ellie was once again alone with the mysterious note and the sinking feeling that she might have just unearthed a secret that would have been better off staying buried for a long, long time.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The next day, Ellie found herself late to work once again, this time thanks to Darlene cornering her to besiege her with questions about what she had thought of Danny. By the time she managed to slip out the door, she had come to the conclusion that her cousin was trying to play matchmaker.

  She got to the pizzeria shortly after it opened to find Clara and Jacob arguing over who would take the first delivery—a three-meat pizza that had been ordered by a customer notorious for not tipping. Neither of them wanted to make the twenty-minute drive out to his house when they knew he wouldn’t even tip enough to cover gas.

  “Whoever goes gets credited a free pizza,” Ellie told them. “I don’t see why either of you are complaining. It’s a nice day, and you still get paid your hourly wages while you make the drive. Isn’t that better than sitting around in a hot kitchen for the next forty minutes?”

  The two employees traded a glance, both of them looking a bit embarrassed.

  “Sorry, Ms. Pacelli. I’ll go,” Clara said, reaching for her keys. “My car is better on gas anyway.”

  The pizzeria manager turned her head to hide her smile as her employee grabbed the delivery bag and took off, leaving Jacob behind. The young man looked slightly disgruntled.

  “Sorry we were arguing,” he said. “It’s just such a long drive to deliver a pizza to someone who doesn’t tip.”

  “I know,” Ellie said. “I don’t like it any more than you do when a customer doesn’t tip. It’s not fair to you guys, but he’s still a paying customer, and we have to make sure his pizza gets to him on time. Okay?”

  Her employee nodded.

  “Shoot,” she said suddenly, looking at the clock above the stove. “I need to get a delivery order in by noon.”

  Feeling harried, she rushed through the kitchen and pushed her way past the doors that led to the dining area. Seating herself behind the register, she wiggled the mouse to turn the computer on and quickly typed in the supplier’s website. In the aftermath of finding the note to her grandfather, she had completely forgotten to do the order the night before.

  After hurrying through the form and not bothering to double-check her work, Ellie pressed the send button with just a minute to spare. She breathed a sigh of relief. It wouldn’t have been fun to have to tell hungry customers that they would have to go without pepperoni, bacon, and sausage on their pizza for a few days because she’d forgotten to order the meat.

  Once that was done, she switched with Jacob and let him handle the register while she lost herself in making pizzas. It was easy to get lost in the rhythm of it—spread the sauce, sprinkle the cheese, add the toppings, slide the tray into the oven, and repeat. It was always satisfying to pull a perfectly cooked pizza out, knowing that it would be enjoyed by one of her customers. I think one of the reasons that I love this job so much is because everything I make brings someone happiness, she thought. She might not be changing the world, but she was giving people joy all the same—one bite at a time.

  She was so lost in her work that the sound of her ringtone startled her and made her drop a dollop of pizza sauce on her apron. Grabbing a paper towel, she did her best to wipe it off as she hurried over to her purse and dug through it with one hand, looking for her phone. When she found it, she glanced at the screen and frowned. It was a local number, but not one that she recognized.

  “Hello?”

  “Ellie?” a somewhat familiar voice asked.

  “Yes, who is this?”

  “It’s Danny. Darlene gave me your number. Sorry, I didn’t know how else to get in touch with you.”

  “That’s fine. What’s going on?” Her heart rate increased. “Did you find out something about my grandfather?”

  “I think so. But I’d rather tell you in person. Can you meet me somewhere? I’m on my way to Kittiport now, but I’ve got to be back in Benton Harbor in under an hour.”

  “Um…” Ellie glanced around the kitchen. Clara had just left on another delivery, and Jacob was about to go out on one himself, but once one of them returned, then the two employees should be able to handle the place just fine. Could she really drop everything and leave like this? Well, she was the boss, after all. She might as well use that to her advantage in a situation like this. “I can leave in about ten or fifteen minutes. There’s a little diner attached to a gas station right outside of town, on Cormorant Street. We can meet there if you want. It should be quicker for you.”

  “I know the place. See you soon,” he said, then hung up.

  Ellie was deep in conversation with one of her customers when Clara got back, then had to run to the restroom before leaving. She winced when she looked at the clock when she was ready to leave at last. She was later than she had meant to be, and hoped that it wouldn’t make Danny late for his appointment in Benton Harbor.

  “I shouldn’t be too long,” she told her employee. “Call me if anything comes up that you can’t handle.”

  The diner was only a few minutes away, but the drive felt like it took far longer. She was anxious to hear what Danny had to say, but was also dreading it. Would whatever he was about to reveal change her opinion about her grandfather? Was it possible that he hadn’t been such a good man after all? The thought made her feel ill. Her grandmother would be crushed to find out that Arthur Pacelli had kept secrets from her.

  There were only a couple of cars in the diner’s parking lot when she pulled in. Belatedly, she realized that she didn’t know what sort of vehicle Danny drove, and had no way to tell if he was even here yet. She was just about to park and go in when she spotted a white car sitting alone at the far end of the lot. There was someone sitting in the driver’s seat, a shadowy form that she was prepared to bet was Danny.

  She drove her car over and pulled it up beside to the white vehicle. The person in the car next to hers was definitely Danny—she recognized his haircut. He was sitting slouched in his seat with his head drooping down, sleeping. She felt a momentary pang of guilt. Had he stayed up late trying to find out who the note was from for her? It had probably been unfair of her to bring him into the mystery. He wasn’t much more than a stranger, after all.

  She got out of her car and walked around to the driver’s side of his vehicle, stepping around a pool of some sort of liquid on the ground before rapping on the car’s window. Danny didn’t respond. She knocked harder, but he still didn’t so much as twitch. After only a moment of hesitation, she reached for the door handle, concerned that he would miss whatever it was that he had to get back to Benton Harbor for if he kept sleeping.

  �
��Danny?” she said hesitantly. He still wasn’t moving. There was some sort of stain on his shirt… something dark red. Her breath caught in her throat. “Danny?” This time it came out as a whisper. She put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle shake. His head lolled toward her, and what she saw made her stumble back, a strangled scream ripping itself from her throat. There was a matted, bloody wound on the side of his skull, and his eyes were open and staring, but not seeing. Danny Kork was dead.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Ellie leaned against her car, shivering from both shock and cold, as she watched Sheriff Ward examine the crime scene inside the car. He was bent over, his head inside the vehicle, being careful not to brush against anything that could possibly be evidence. His deputy, Liam, was busy taking pictures of the area around the car, including the puddle of liquid that Ellie had almost stepped in, which turned out to be blood. The body—she refused to think of it as Danny—had already been taken away.

  “Did you touch anything other than the door handle?” Russell suddenly called to her across the dead man’s car.

  “I rapped on the window,” she said. “And I touched his shoulder. Other than that, no.”

  “Did you find something?” Liam asked, looking up with curiosity from his camera.

  “Bloody fingerprints just inside the door,” the sheriff said. “Make sure you point them out to forensics. I think it’s about time I go with Ms. Pacelli to the station. We’ve made her wait long enough.”

  His deputy nodded. “I’ll take care of everything.”

  Sheriff Ward straightened up and stepped around the pool of blood outside the vehicle with a grimace. He joined Ellie by her car, his eyes on her face as he tried to gauge how she was feeling.

  “Are you ready to go, Ms. Pacelli?” he asked her. She nodded mutely. She was more than ready to leave this rundown parking lot and get out of this clammy weather. “Do you want to follow me, or shall I give you a ride?”