Halloween Pizza Murder

by Patti Benning

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  HALLOWEEN PIZZA MURDER

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  Halloween

  Pizza

  Murder

  Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria Series

  Book Eighteen

  By

  Patti Benning

  Copyright 2017 Summer Prescott Books

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  **This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

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  HALLOWEEN PIZZA

  MURDER

  Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria Series Book Eighteen

  CHAPTER ONE

  * * *

  Eleanora Pacelli pulled on her jacket and slid her purse’s strap over her shoulder. She bent down to say a quick goodbye to her dog, then walked out the front door, locking it behind her. It was the beginning of her first full day back from Florida, and she was in a good mood. It had been wonderful to sleep in her own bed for the first night in a week, and it had been even better to have Bunny, her black and white papillon, sleep on the pillow beside her head.

  She had to admit, it was disconcerting to know that Nonna would no longer be waiting at home for her when she got done with work. She was truly alone now, and she wasn’t sure what she would do with the big, empty house all to herself.

  Earlier that morning, she had spoken to her grandmother, who was as happy as a clam in the retirement community down in Florida. She was glad to be able to regain some of her independence, and was looking forward to a snow-free winter. Ellie was planning to visit her again around Christmastime, and was eager to see how Nonna had transformed the modest little condo into a home.

  Outside, she was greeted by the crisp, autumn air. She inhaled deeply, glad to be back in Maine. It was a beautiful fall day, with only a few fluffy white clouds in the sky, and a breeze that made the dry leaves scuttle across the ground. Halloween was quickly approaching, as her nearest neighbor’s yard attested. Her own yard was bare; she had been so distracted by the trip to Florida that she hadn’t even paused to think of the coming holiday.

  Tomorrow, she would have to go down into the basement and bring up some of her grandmother’s boxes of decorations. She loved decorating for the holidays, and she didn’t want to miss out on Halloween this year, even though she was a bit late to the game.

  She got into the driver’s seat of her car, letting the engine warm-up for a couple of minutes before she went anywhere. She shot one last look at the house, realizing that Bunny and Marlowe, her grandfather’s greenwing macaw, would both be alone until she got home that evening. They were used to having Nonna there to take care of them and keep them company, but now they were going to have to be alone every day while she worked. She hoped they would adjust to the new routine quickly. If she had time, maybe she would start to come home during her breaks to check on them.

  Ellie felt her heart lift as she pulled into the Papa Pacelli’s lot. Even though the pizzeria in Florida had been renovated to look like the original restaurant, there was still something special about the pizzeria that her grandfather had opened over twenty years ago. It would always hold its own place in her heart.

  She was glad to see that her employees had already decorated the restaurant for the holiday. She had mentioned it to Pete before she left, but she hadn’t been sure if he would remember. The table centerpieces had been replaced with little ceramic jack-o’-lanterns, and bats had been hung from the ceiling. Fake spider webs clung to the corners of the counter, and a banner that read Have a Happy Halloween! had been hung just under the menu.

  She smiled, feeling a rush of pride at how well her employees had done in her absence. She knew that she had been right to trust them with the pizzeria while she was gone. In fact, they had done so well that she thought she would feel comfortable taking even more trips in the future. She wanted to be an active part of the Florida pizzeria, which meant flying down there at least a couple of times a year so she could be hands-on for a couple of days.

  The next few hours were some of the most relaxing ones she had ever had at work. It was nice to be in a familiar kitchen, serving her regular customers, knowing that her fiancé was only a few blocks away at the sheriff’s department. She had a lot to catch up on now that she was back, including seeing her best friend Shannon and thanking her for watching the animals. She couldn’t wait to tell her friend about the beautiful wedding dress she had picked out in Florida. It was the first major step she taken in planning her wedding, and it made her look forward to the big day even more.

  She had a list of other tasks she wanted to complete this week, which included renting a venue for the wedding. She and Russell still needed to set a date, but she was thinking it would be sometime early next year. She wanted a late winter wedding, so that she and Russell would have time for a honeymoon before her grandmother returned.

  At four, her newest employee, Pete, joined her for his shift. He had been the only one not to join them on their trip to Florida. Ellie felt a bit bad about that; he hadn’t been working there very long, and he didn’t seem as much a part of their team as the others did, but that would resolve itself in time. He was good-natured and responsible, and she was glad that she had decided to hire him.

  However, they were still an employee short. A few weeks ago, one of their employees had been killed on the job, and it had devastated the entire crew. She would feel terrible replacing her, but it couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t fair to ask her employees to work so much, and with the holidays coming up, she needed someone who could take the pressure off of all of them.

  It was just one more thing to add to her to-do list for this week. She knew that she would spend the next few days playing catch-up. She had missed a lot while she
was gone though she wouldn’t have traded the trip for anything. It was worth it to be there for the opening of the second pizzeria.

  “Hi, Ms. P.,” Pete said when he got in. “How is it going?”

  “It was hectic, but the restaurant is doing well. How were things here?”

  She had left Florida on a good note, although they had run into several problems while she was there. The three employees were off to a great start. She had high hopes for the success of the restaurant, even though she knew it would be at least a couple of months before they began to break even with all of the money she had poured into the place. Hopefully by this time next year, the profits would have started to come in. She wasn’t sure whether she would open other restaurants in the future. While it was satisfying to see the Papa Pacelli sign in another state, and it was gratifying to know that she had successfully opened a second restaurant on her own, it had been a lot of work, and it had been very stressful. She had spent months planning and preparing. If she decided to go ahead and open a third restaurant, it would be a couple of years down the line.

  “Everything has been going fine,” he said. “People are excited for Halloween. Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you, do you have anything planned for the restaurant?”

  “I don’t have any big plans this year,” Ellie told him. “I’ve been too busy. We’ll just hand out candy the day of.”

  “Do you mind if we wear costumes to work?”

  “Not at all, as long as they don’t interfere with your work. Just make sure it’s safe for the kitchen.”

  “Okay,” he said, grinning. “I’ll have to come up with something fun.”

  She would have to find a Halloween costume too, she realized. She couldn’t be the only one in the restaurant without one. I wonder if Russell wants to do anything that evening? He would probably be working. Halloween was one of the busier nights for the police, and Russell was never one to shirk his job. Maybe she could tag along after the pizzeria closed for the evening. She enjoyed riding along with him, and getting a glimpse into his life. It would definitely beat sitting at home alone, which was her other option now that her grandmother was living in Florida. Besides, spending time with him was always the highlight of her week.

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  It had been an easy day, and she was still full of energy when she got home that evening. After taking care of the animals, who had both been thrilled to see her after being alone all day, she went down into the basement to fetch the box of Halloween decorations that she had stored down there the year before.

  Her grandmother’s basement was dark and crowded. There were decades worth of boxes, old furniture, and plenty of clutter everywhere. Some of the light bulbs had burned out, and she had no way to reach them without climbing over a sea of junk. Then, of course, there were the cobwebs, which seemed to multiply every time she went down there. She didn’t like the basement at all, and she had big plans to clean it out at some point, but never seemed to get around to it. Now, it would have to wait until her grandmother’s return in the spring. She didn’t want to take the liberty of tossing her grandparents’ possessions without Nonna there to tell her what to keep.

  Thankfully, the Halloween box was close to the stairway, since she had used it only the year before. She lugged it up the stairs and set it down in the living room. With Bunny following doggedly at her heels, she began removing the decorations and placing them around the house. Remembering how frightened Marlowe had been of the hanging decorations last year, she refrained from putting any near the bird cage. She wouldn’t bother putting spider webs inside, either; they were just too messy to be worth the hassle and she hated running into them unexpectedly in the dark.

  Once she had finished with her favorite indoor decorations, she went back to the basement and found a couple of things to go outside, including an old, creepy scarecrow. She put it in the middle of the yard, and found an old black sheet in the basement, pulling it up in a hood around the scarecrow’s head to make it look like the Grim Reaper. She stepped back, smiling at the effect. Her yard wasn’t the only bare one on the street anymore.

  Not that it mattered much. They never had very many trick-or-treaters this far out of town. She would just leave a bowl of candy on the front porch for the few people that ventured out this way. The pizzeria was another story; she knew it would be busy the night of the holiday, and they would have to stock up on candy in advance. She was looking forward to seeing all of the costumes, though she still had to find something to wear herself.

  She realized with a start that this was it. She had nothing left to do that evening. The house was clean, all of her bills were paid, and she had no other commitments. Without Nonna there, she had absolutely nothing to do until she went to work the next day. It was an odd feeling, and not completely good. Was this going to be her life from now on? She rarely got to the pizzeria before eleven, and usually didn’t work weekends. She was used to driving her grandmother to appointments a couple of times a week, and spending a lot of time talking daily with the older woman. With so much free time suddenly on her hands, maybe she could get into a hobby. But what?

  Suddenly she remembered an idea that she had played around with a couple of months ago, which she had temporarily forgotten while she worked through all of the issues with the second pizzeria. The small business club. There were a lot of small business owners in town, and it would be nice to get to know them all better. It would give her something to focus on besides work. While she loved her job, she needed more in her life.

  Where could we meet? she wondered. The answer was obvious; since she no longer had to worry about disturbing her grandmother, the small business club could meet in the Pacelli house. It would be nice to have people over once or twice a month and talk about all of the goings on at each of their businesses. If they got organized, maybe they could even start planning a couple of events each year.

  Feeling better now that she had decided to do something, she went back inside, shutting the door firmly behind her and turning the deadbolt. She still wasn’t completely comfortable living alone outside of town; the last time she had lived alone, she had been in an apartment surrounded by everyone else in her building. If she needed help, she could have gone to anyone else on her floor.

  Still, it was nice to have her own home again. It was pleasantly warm inside, and smelled like the lasagna that was currently cooking in the kitchen. It should be just about ready to come out, then she would have just enough time for a nice dinner and half an hour of reading before she went to bed.

  “Sorry you were alone for so long today,” she said to Marlowe, walking up to the bird’s cage on her way to the kitchen. “We’ll try to figure out a new schedule. Things are going to have to change without Nonna here, but we’ll make do, won’t we?” She scratched the bird between the bars of the cage, then continued on to the kitchen to take the lasagna out of the oven.

  She grabbed the oven mitts and pulled open the oven door. The cheesy top of the lasagna was the perfect golden-brown color that she liked. She pulled it just as Bunny started yapping behind her.

  “What are you doing?” Ellie asked, turning to face the little dog, who was standing in front of the glass kitchen door.

  Standing on the other side of the door was a woman, dressed all in white. Ellie screamed and the lasagna slipped out of her hands, splattering on the floor. She hardly registered the hot pasta sauce that stung her toes. Her eyes were glued on the woman at the door.

  The woman’s dark hair was loose and windblown, partially covering her face. She was standing just inches from the glass, staring straight at Ellie. Ellie couldn’t look away, her heart hammering in her chest. Bunny was still barking, dancing fearlessly in front of the door. The woman raised one hand, reaching towards the glass. There was something dark staining the sleeves of her white dress. Was it blood?

  Knowing that something was deeply wrong, she backpedaled, only turning when she felt the counter behind her. She reach
ed for the knife block and pulled out the biggest one she had, before turning back around. The woman was gone.

  Shaken, Ellie approached the door cautiously. Bunny had fallen silent, but was still staring intently into the darkness outside. She reached over and clicked on the patio light. There was nothing there. She took a deep breath. It had probably just been a Halloween prank. Some people took the holiday little bit too seriously. Still, she made sure that the door was locked, then went to the front door and double checked that one as well. She was glad that her bedroom was on the second floor. She probably wouldn’t get much sleep that night.

  She glanced at her phone, considering whether to call Russell. He wouldn’t be able to do anything; it would just worry him. And if he came over to check on her, it would add hours to her evening. She was already tired. It was something that she could mention to him in the morning. For now, she had to clean up the lasagna, find something else for dinner, then go to bed. If she noticed anything else unusual during the night, she would call him then. She slipped her cell phone into her pocket, just in case.

  CHAPTER THREE

  * * *