Thin Crust Killers

by Chris Cavender

  “You’re welcome any time,” I said.

  She nodded. “I’m going to take you up on that, but the next time I’ll bring a date and leave the kids.”

  Maddy tried to put the singles into the register, but they wouldn’t all fit.

  “I’ll cash them in for you,” I said. While I had the safe open, I went ahead and made out a deposit slip and gathered the cash and checks on hand. It was just as well that I hadn’t gone out to the bank yet. I was going to make a deposit at my bank, and then snoop around a little while I was there.

  I returned with four twenties and two tens, then told Maddy and Greg, “You two need to cover the pizzeria while I’m gone. I need to go to the bank.”

  “Are you going to make a deposit, or snoop around a little?” Maddy asked.

  “I was thinking about doing a little bit of both,” I admitted.

  “Do you honestly think that you’ll be able to dig around some while you’re there?”

  “I don’t see why not. There’s only one thing. Do you think the bank’s even open after what happened?”

  Maddy shrugged. “Why don’t you call and find out? You can save yourself a trip if they’re not.”

  “But then I wouldn’t get out of the Slice for a few minutes, would I? Don’t worry. I won’t be gone long. See you soon.”

  I got in my car and drove to the bank, hoping that they were open, but a part of me dreaded going there so soon after Hank’s murder.

  There were three squad cars parked out front, and no foot traffic coming in or out of the building. As I got closer, I saw a sign that said closed until further notice. So much for that line of investigation. I was just about to drive off when I noticed Haley Young standing by her car in the parking lot talking to another woman. Haley was normally the teller at the drive-through window where I did most of my business.

  I pulled near them and approached the two women on foot.

  Haley saw me before I could say hello first. “Sorry, we’re still closed, Ms. Swift.”

  “Any idea how long it will be?”

  “Mr. Murphy, the bank manager, called us to come back in this afternoon, but it looks like the police aren’t finished yet. We just found out we’re going to reopen in the morning. I hate you made a trip for nothing.”

  “It’s not a problem. I was sorry to hear about Hank.”

  Haley frowned and bit her lip, and I noticed that her eyes were red. “It was terrible. I’m the one they robbed.”

  Her fellow teller touched her shoulder gently. “It wasn’t your fault, Haley. Even the police said so.”

  “If I’d just been quicker handing the money over, Hank might not have gotten killed.”

  “Haley, you can’t blame yourself,” I said.

  She shrugged. “I can’t help myself.”

  “Do you remember much about the person who robbed you?”

  “Trust me, I went over it pretty thoroughly with the police. They had me look at the security camera videos a thousand times, but I still couldn’t tell who it was. The robber wore a mask and dark clothing; that’s all I knew.”

  “How about the voice?”

  She shook her head. “He didn’t say a word, just handed the pizza menu over to me. For a second I thought it might be someone from the Slice.”

  That sent a chill down my spine. “Why was that?”

  “Not because of how they looked. It was just that a pizza menu was an odd thing to use in a bank robbery.”

  “You’re telling me. There are a ton of rumors swirling around town.” I lowered my voice, though no one was close enough to hear us talking. “Do they have any idea how much was taken?”

  Haley shrugged. “If they do, they haven’t shared the information with me. Besides, the money’s not important,” she said as she started crying.

  Her friend hugged her, but it seemed to have no impact on Haley. Her tears were real, and they were plentiful. She was grieving her lost friend, I was making matters worse with my questioning.

  I touched her arm lightly. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Haley, I’m really sorry it happened.”

  “So am I,” she managed to say between crying jags.

  I nodded to her friend, then got back in my car and headed back to the Slice. Haley was right. The money didn’t matter. It was insured, and all of it would be replaced soon enough. What couldn’t be replaced was Hank Webber’s life.

  When I got back to the pizzeria, there was a sparse crowd in the dining room, with just a few tables taken.

  Greg looked at the bulging deposit bag. “They were still closed?”

  “Until tomorrow. How are things going here?”

  “Slow at the moment, but you know how fast that can change.”

  I nodded.

  Maddy was in the kitchen sweeping the floor. “I got so bored I started cleaning up,” she said. “I’m glad you’re back.”

  “Don’t be too glad. I’m making a couple of pizzas, then I’m taking them to the Webber house. Do you mind watching the kitchen a little more while I’m gone?”

  “I just wish I could go with you,” Maddy said.

  “Somebody needs to stay here and cook,” I said as I put the deposit back in the safe and washed up.

  “I could always deliver them for you,” she said.

  “Thanks, but this is something I need to do myself.”

  “I understand.”

  Maddy stepped out of the way as I prepared two pizzas, one just cheese, and the other our specialty combo.

  After they were on the conveyor, I asked, “Did anything happen while I was gone?”

  “Eleanor, you left fifteen minutes ago. What could have possibly happened?”

  “I don’t know. There could have been another parade of kindergartners.”

  She shook her head. “I think Greg would quit if that happened again soon.”

  Josh Hurley came back into the kitchen to work his shift, and I marveled how much the son looked like the father. It was like staring at a living high school yearbook picture sometimes when the light caught him just so.

  “Things are really dead out front,” he said as he grabbed his apron. Some of the young men who worked for me weren’t thrilled about the aprons, but I thought they added a nice touch, and after all, I was the boss.

  “I’m sure they’ll pick up soon,” I said. “In the meantime, you can give Greg a hand bussing tables.”

  “I’m on it,” he said.

  Before he could go, I asked, “Josh, did your dad talk to you about the murder at the bank today yet?”

  He frowned, then said, “Are you kidding? He grilled me for twenty minutes. Like I told him, I didn’t hand out any menus yesterday, and I didn’t see anybody suspicious taking one here, either. It’s a shame about Hank. He was a good guy.”

  “You knew him?” Maddy asked.

  “Just to say hi to, nothing more than that,” Josh said. “Is that it, or do you two have more questions for me?”

  “Go to work,” I said as I threw him a clean towel.

  He saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”

  As soon as the pizzas were done, I cut them, put them in boxes, then I slid the pizzas into an insulated bag that would keep them warm until they were delivered.

  Maddy asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to deliver those for you?”

  I had half a mind to take her up on her offer, but instead, I said, “No, this is something I should do myself.” I trusted my sister to ask the right questions, but I wasn’t sure she could be as circumspect as I was, despite evidence to the contrary about how poorly I’d done with Haley.

  “Okay. We’ll see you soon.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t be long.”

  When I walked out into the dining room, a few more tables were filling up, and I wondered if I should let Maddy make the delivery after all. I knew she didn’t mind working in the kitchen during slow times, but when the orders started rolling in, she tended to omit or add items that weren’t included, sometimes with disastrou
s results.

  It wouldn’t be long, I promised myself, and it would be good practice for her.

  At least that’s what I kept telling myself as I headed for my car.

  “You brought pizza,” Valerie Marne said as I walked toward Hank’s house. “How creative of you, Eleanor.” Hank had been widowed two years before, and some of the older ladies in town had taken a sudden interest in his welfare soon after, but he hadn’t let himself get tied down to any of them.

  “I realize that not everyone thinks of pizza at a time like this, but I thought Hank’s grandkids might enjoy having something they like,” I said.

  “How interesting that you’d think that,” Valerie said.

  Jenny Usher, another of Hank’s part-time lady friends, said, “Val, are you going to keep her standing there all night, or are you going to let the poor woman in?”

  It was pretty clear there was no love lost between the two rivals. “Jenny, don’t be so melodramatic. I’m not keeping her out.”

  “Good,” Jenny said. “Then why don’t you come with me into the kitchen, Eleanor. The kids are going to love you for this.”

  “How are they holding up?” I asked.

  Jenny said softly, “They don’t quite get it yet, but their momma’s taking it pretty hard. I don’t blame Karen one little bit. First there was the separation last year, then she had to file bankruptcy because of that no-good husband of hers, and now this. Her ex is nowhere to be found, of course, but what would you expect?”

  “Nothing less, clearly,” a voice said sternly behind me. I recognized it as Karen’s immediately. I hadn’t seen her much lately, and it was hard to believe that the vivacious girl I’d known in high school had become this mousy woman with dull brown hair. She’d been a freshman my senior year, so I hadn’t really been that close to her, but even then she’d managed to shine.

  “Now Karen, there’s no reason to get upset. I didn’t mean anything by it,” Jenny said quickly.

  “Oh, I’m not disagreeing with you,” Karen said. “But you’ve got it all wrong. Chuck wanted to come as soon as he heard, but I wouldn’t let him. Dad hated him, and he has no business showing up here now.”

  “There, there,” Jenny said.

  Karen started to pull away, then she focused on me. Her wan look broke into a brief smile. “My kids are going to think you’re a hero,” she said as she took in the pizza boxes. “All of the kids will. They’re back in the den playing video games. I know some people think it’s shameless,” she said as she looked over at Valerie, “but Dad wouldn’t have wanted them to be sad. He loved them so much.”

  “He loved you, too, Karen,” Jenny said.

  “We had our moments,” she said as she took the pizzas from me. “Thanks, Eleanor. It was really sweet of you to think of us.”

  “It’s my pleasure. I was a big fan of your father’s,” I said.

  “He loved eating at the Slice,” she said, and I saw fresh tears start to appear. “I’ll get these to the kids before they get cold.”

  She was gone before I could say anything else. “She looks rough. How’s she managing with all of this?”

  Jenny paused a moment, then said, “She’s dealing with it, and that’s really all anyone can do at a time like this.”

  I looked around at the crowd of people milling about. “And this is just the beginning, isn’t it?”

  “Her best friend is coming home tonight, and in the meantime, Val and I are acting as surrogate hostesses.”

  “How’s that going?” I asked, barely being able to hide a slight smile. “Are you two getting along?”

  “She handles the door, and I take care of everything else. For some reason, it was very important that Val get front-door duty.” Jenny shook her head, then said, “Let’s get you some food.”

  “I can’t stay,” I said. “We’re busy at the Slice, but I wanted to stop by and offer my condolences.”

  “Honestly, you’re the first person Karen was actually happy to see who’s showed up here tonight. She’s feeling abandoned by the world.”

  “If she needs anything, tell her to call me,” I said.

  “I will.”

  I said hello to a few folks there, then decided I’d better get back and help my work crew before they revolted on me. As I walked out, I was surprised to find Bob Lemon—our best local attorney and my sister’s steady companion—coming up the steps of Hank’s home.

  “What brings you here, Counselor?” I asked.

  “I came to pay my respects, just like you,” Bob said. “I didn’t realize you and Hank were friends, but Timber Ridge is a small town, isn’t it?”

  “It’s tough not knowing most of the folks who live here,” I agreed. “Were you two friends?”

  “Hank did a few odds and ends for me from time to time,” Bob admitted.

  “Like what?”

  “That’s what I like about you, Eleanor. You’re subtle to the point of being enigmatic sometimes.”

  “It was just a question,” I said.

  “Hank was a solid investigator when he was a cop, and I kept telling him he was wasting his talent working as a bank guard. When I needed help digging into a case, I’d use Hank from time to time. He was going to take his private investigator’s test and get a license so he could work with me in the open, but he never got the chance.”

  “Hank was going to be a PI?” For some reason, the idea surprised me.

  “As a matter of fact,” Bob said softly, “I understand I wasn’t the only person in town he was working for. He hinted that he had a few other clients when I asked him for help last week and he declined.”

  “Wow, you just don’t know about some people,” I said.

  “Try walking in my shoes,” he said. “Most of the time I know far too much about the ones I deal with. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could you tell your sister I’m going to be late this evening?”

  “You two have a date after we close at ten o’clock?” I asked.

  “We’re going to watch a movie,” Bob said. “I admit, your sister’s internal clock is set to a different time than mine, but I’m getting used to it.”

  “I hope you can at least take a nap during the day.”

  “Only in court,” he said with a smile. “I’d better get in there. I never relish this, do you?”

  “I hate it almost as much as I detest funerals,” I admitted. “But sometimes you don’t have any choice. It has to be done.”

  As I drove back to the Slice, I couldn’t help wondering who Hank’s mysterious clients had been. What kind of private investigations were needed in our sleepy little town? What curtains had Hank peeked behind lately, and what had he seen?

  And then it hit me, a theory so wild on the face of it that I nearly discounted it immediately.

  But it wouldn’t go away.

  What if Hank hadn’t been murdered in the middle of a bank robbery?

  Instead, what if a bank robbery had happened in the middle of Hank’s murder?

  Chapter 3

  “I never thought you’d make it back,” Maddy said as I came into the kitchen. The place was a wreck, with pepperoni slices dropped on the floor, green pepper chunks mixed in with the olives, and the onions mixed in so thoroughly with the sausage that I wasn’t sure we could even use it.

  “What happened?” I asked as I grabbed my apron. “It looks like a bomb went off in here.”

  “Customers, that’s what happened,” my sister said. “They came in droves, and I couldn’t handle it.” It was the first time in a long while that I’d seen her that close to tears.

  I had to do something, and fast, or she’d never take a step into my kitchen again. “Hey, I get overwhelmed sometimes myself.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Eleanor,” she said.

  “Well, I used to.” That much was true enough. Handling large orders required an almost Zen-like calm that had taken me time to master. If the orders were taken in their entirety, it was enough to sweep anyone away into the chao
s. But when everything was broken down into single, easy steps, it somehow became more manageable. At least it had for me.

  “Did you really have a meltdown?”

  “I can remember that there was sauce on the ceiling at one point, and some on Joe, too. I was insane. Trust me.”

  She laughed at the image. “Why does that make me feel better?”

  “Because you’re my sister. Now let’s see what we’ve got.”

  I studied the orders, peeked at the oven, and got to work. In five minutes, I had things pretty much back to normal, with the exception of the sausage and onions. “Tell the guys we’re having a sausage and onion pizza special tonight. We can mark it down two bucks and see if we get any takers.”

  “I never meant to cost you money,” Maddy said.

  “Are you kidding? I’ve been looking for an excuse to give my customers a break after the price increases, so you did me a favor.”

  “I’d like to believe that, but I can’t,” she said.

  “Go help Greg and Josh. They’re getting swamped out there.”

  “You’ve got it. And Ellie?”

  “Yes?” I asked as I started cutting more onions.

  “I’ll do better the next time.”

  I put down my knife and hugged her. “You’re the best sister I could ask for.” After a few seconds, I added, “Well, it wouldn’t hurt if you were rich, and since we’re dreaming out loud, let’s say you are generous with your money to the point where it’s a fault. But other than that, you’ll do exactly the way you are.”

  That got a full-scale Maddy chuckle, and I knew we were good.

  After she was back where she belonged in the dining room, it occurred to me that I hadn’t said anything about my theory about a possible motive behind Hank’s murder. Maybe it would be better if I kept that one to myself.

  At the moment, it sounded too crazy, even for the two of us.

  By the time we were ready to close, we’d sold more sausage and onion pizzas than I ever would have imagined. I was beginning to think that maybe I should add a special to the menu every week. Not that I expected my sister to keep messing up, but it might be nice to offer my customers at least one pizza at a price below the market value, even if I lost a little money in the process.