by B R Snow
“Yeah, I miss my guy,” Josie said, then beamed at the dog who was heading straight for her. “Ciao, Rico.” Then she frowned when she noticed the dog was limping. “What’s the matter?”
“I think he stepped on something,” Commissario Bruno said as he made his way up the steps. “And it’s still in there. He won’t let me get near it, so I was taking him to the vet.”
“But you decided to stop here first?” Josie said with a frown.
“I got a call earlier on my way there,” Commissario Bruno said. “And by the time I finished up, the vet was closed.”
“He doesn’t seem to be in a lot of pain,” Josie said, kneeling down in front of the Newfie.
“No, I don’t think he is,” the detective said, rubbing the dog’s head. “But he won’t stop chewing and licking his foot. As soon as I finish up here, I’ll see if I can find a vet on call for emergencies.”
“No need to do that, Commissario,” Josie said, getting to her feet. “I have my bag right upstairs.”
“You travel with your medical bag?” he said, surprised.
“Always,” Josie said. “I’ll be right back.”
She headed off, and Commissario Bruno watched until she disappeared inside the house. Then he turned to Chef Claire.
“Can I assume she knows what she’s doing?” he said, stroking the Newfie’s back.
“She’s the best,” Chef Claire said, then turned to Marco. “Where are your Goldens?”
“They’re inside,” he said. “But we’ll let them out soon.”
“Good.”
“Would you like something to eat or drink, Commissario?” Rosa said.
“No, I’m good for the moment. Thanks,” he said.
“Do you have an update on Bronwyn?” Rosa said.
“No, actually I’m here about a different matter,” he said, then stood when he saw Josie return carrying a small black bag. “What do you need me to do?”
“I’ll probably need your help holding him still,” Josie said, sitting down in front of the dog. “Unless you decide to play nice, Rico.”
The dog cocked his head at her and woofed softly.
“Don’t give me any sass,” she said, laughing as she reached into her bag.
“What the heck is that thing?” Lance said. “Do you moonlight as a coal miner?”
“It’s a flashlight,” Josie said, all business as she slid the elastic band over her head. “A hands-free flashlight. It’s getting dark, and I need to see what I’m doing.” She turned the light on and looked at Lance who immediately held his hand up to block the beam. “It’s a good one, huh?”
“Yeah, I got it,” he said, waving her away.
“Okay,” Josie said, glancing around the immediate area. “Let’s get him on his side.”
“Rico. Stendersi,” Commissario Bruno said firmly.
The dog immediately stretched out on the tile.
“Good boy,” Josie said. “I assume stendersi is lie down?”
“It is,” he said.
“How do you say stay?”
“Restare,” the detective said, kneeling down next to the dog.
“Got it,” Josie said, reaching into her bag and removing a long pair of tweezers. “Let’s do this.” She gently grabbed the dog’s front left paw, and the Newfie tried to pull it back. She placed a hand on the side of the dog’s face and whispered, “Restare, Rico. Restare.”
The dog relaxed, and Josie lifted the paw and gently probed. When the dog flinched, she spread the pads apart and focused the light on it.
“Restare,” she whispered again. Then she lowered the tweezers and soon removed a long, thin sliver of wood from the paw. She placed the sliver on Commissario Bruno’s outstretched palm and tossed the tweezers back into her bag. “Nasty. It was wedged in there pretty deep. How the heck did you manage to do that, Rico?”
“He was chewing on a piece of driftwood he found at the lake. That’s probably when he did it.”
“Well, he’s all better now,” Josie said, still examining the paw.
“You’re done?” Commissario Bruno said.
“Apart from cleaning it up a bit, yeah,” Josie said, reaching into her bag again. She unwrapped a sterile wet-wipe and rubbed it all over the dog’s paw. She tossed the used wipe onto the table then turned the light off and placed it back in her bag. The Newfie started licking her hand and she laughed.
“You’re very welcome, Rico,” she said, getting to her feet. “It doesn’t look like it’s bleeding, so I’m not going to bandage it. But keep an eye on him. If you notice any blood, or if he keeps limping, let me know and I’ll take another look.”
“Thank you so much,” Commissario Bruno said.
“Happy to do it,” she said, sitting back down in her chair.
“What a relief,” the detective said. “I hate seeing him in pain.”
“I know,” Josie said, nodding. “But he’s fine. Aren’t you, Rico?”
The dog hopped to his feet, his tail wagging furiously. Josie gave him a gentle thump on the side then reached for her wine glass.
“Why are you here, Commissario?” Marco said. “You said you had a different matter to discuss.”
“Yes, I do,” he said, glancing around the crowded table. “But perhaps we should talk inside.”
“Actually, we were just about to eat dessert,” Marco said. “And they’re all set up in the dining room. We have quite a collection tonight, so we thought we’d make it self-serve.”
“Okay,” the detective said. “Then why don’t you have everyone go inside while we talk out here?”
“Certainly,” Marco said, then addressed the group. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to ask all of you to head inside to grab some dessert while Commissario Bruno and I talk.”
Everyone at the table nodded and got to their feet.
“No, I’d like those of you attending the cooking school to remain,” Commissario Bruno said.
“Uh-oh,” Josie whispered.
“I don’t like the sound of this,” Chef Claire said.
“Yeah, I hate missing dessert.”
“Funny.”
“Enjoy it while you can. It might be the last chance we get to laugh for a while.”
Chapter 19
Commissario Bruno poured himself a glass of water and waited until he had everyone’s attention.
“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to put it out there. Emerson Kingsley was found dead this afternoon.”
He waited out a long round of whispered murmurs, and he looked around the table at the reactions his news provoked.
“What?” Georgio said softly. “How did it happen?”
“His body was discovered on the twelfth green this afternoon,” Commissario Bruno said without emotion.
“Heart attack?” Marco said, sounding hopeful.
“Perhaps,” the detective said. “But I’m afraid the circumstances look similar to what happened to his wife.”
The table fell silent. Marco ran his hands through his hair as he looked at Rosa who sat stunned with her arms folded across her chest.
“There goes dessert,” Josie whispered to Chef Claire.
“Yeah, this is bad,” Chef Claire said.
“You think he was poisoned?” Georgio said, his voice low and shaky.
“We think it’s a distinct possibility,” Commissario Bruno said. “And given what happened to Mrs. Kingsley, combined with the fact he was staying here, I need to ask all of you where you were this afternoon.”
“We understand, Commissario,” Marco said. “Rosa and I have been here all day. We taught class this morning then immediately started preparing tonight’s dinner. Family members started showing up around noon, and our staff can confirm we didn’t leave the property all day.”
“And your staff?” the detective said. “Did any of them leave at any time?”
“No,” Marco said. “We were all working in the kitchen. I don’t believe anyone left the villa. Did yo
u see anyone leave, Rosa?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head.
“How about you?” Commissario Bruno said, glancing at Betty.
“The four of us went for a drive,” Betty said, gesturing at the other women. “We headed north on the eastern side of the lake. Actually, Emerson passed us on his way to the golf course.”
“But you didn’t drive to the course, right?” Commissario Bruno said.
“No, we kept going north,” Betty said. “We made a couple of stops and did some window shopping. We can give you the names of the stores we went in. I’m sure you can confirm it with the shopkeepers.”
“Okay. It should be easy to check,” Commissario Bruno said, scribbling in his notepad. He turned to Georgio. “How about you, sir?”
“Lance and I took a taxi into town this afternoon,” he said. “We walked around then had lunch at a place called Antonio’s.”
“Good spot,” the detective said, nodding. “I eat there often.” He glanced around the table and frowned. “Where’s the Italian couple? The ones who run the catering company.”
“They’re spending All Souls’ Day with family down in Verona,” Marco said. “They left right after class this morning. They left a contact number if you need it.”
“I will,” the detective said, jotting down another note. Then he sat down. His Newfie took it as an invitation and plopped his massive head in his lap. Commissario Bruno rubbed the dog’s ears as he stared off into the distance. “Strange.”
“Who found his body?” Marco said.
“A foursome playing behind him,” the detective said. “Given the holiday, the course was pretty much empty today. Mr. Kingsley went out as a single, and he was discovered next to his golf cart.”
“Geez,” Chef Claire said. “But for someone who loved golf as much as he did, I guess it’s not a bad place to go.”
“It appears Mr. Kingsley felt the same way,” Commissario Bruno said.
“I’m not following,” Chef Claire said.
“He died with an enormous smile on his face,” the detective said.
“Really?” Georgio said, frowning.
“He was beaming,” Commissario Bruno said. “Strangest thing I’ve ever seen.” He exhaled loudly then slapped his thighs and stood. “Okay, I need to handle some paperwork then track down the Peccati couple. If you could give me the number they left, I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Of course,” Marco said, reaching for his phone.
“I need to remind all of you not to leave the area,” Commissario Bruno said, glancing around the table.
“I have a flight back to the States on Saturday,” Lance said.
“And I fly out on Sunday,” Betty said.
“I’ll do my best to clear you before the weekend,” the detective said. “To clear all of you. I’ll be in touch as soon as I know more.”
Everyone nodded and he headed down the steps with a wave and the Newfie trailing at his heels. Josie glanced at Chef Claire who was staring down at her glass of wine.
“I think I might head upstairs,” Josie said.
“Good idea,” Chef Claire said. “Maybe we’ll give Suzy a call.”
“Great minds think alike,” she said, getting to her feet. She looked around the table and forced a smile. “We’re going to call it an early night. See you in the morning.”
“Good night,” Rosa said, giving them a small wave.
They headed inside where the rest of the group were eating dessert and drinking coffee.
“The desserts look amazing,” Chef Claire said, coming to a stop next to the table. “What are you going to have?”
“I think I’m going to skip dessert,” Josie said.
“What? Are you sick?”
“No,” Josie said, giving the table a loving stare.
“What’s the matter?”
“I realized something today,” Josie said softly.
“Oh, do tell.”
“It happened this morning when I was getting dressed.”
“I’m gonna need a bit more, Josie.”
“I think my days of being able to eat and not worry about gaining weight are over,” Josie said with a sad smile.
“It’s about time,” Chef Claire said, reaching for a cannoli.
“It’s tragic.”
“Start working out with me,” Chef Claire said through a mouthful as she started her climb up the stairs. “It’ll be good for you.”
“Doubtful,” Josie said, following her. She removed her phone from her pocket and made the call. “Hey, it’s me. Hang on, I’m going to put you on speaker.
“How’s it going?” Suzy said.
“It’s been a day,” Chef Claire said, opening the door to her room.
They entered and sat down. Josie placed the phone on the end table between their chairs and watched as Chef Claire polished off the last of her cannoli.
“What happened?” Suzy said.
“Somebody else died today,” Josie said.
“Really? Who was it?”
“The husband of the woman who was killed the other day,” Chef Claire said, folding her legs underneath her.
“Wow,” Suzy whispered. “How did it happen?”
“According to the local cop, it looks like he went the same way she did,” Chef Claire said.
“He was poisoned?”
“That’s what it sounds like,” Josie said. “They found his body on the golf course.”
“He was poisoned on the golf course?” Suzy said. “Do you know how strange that sounds?”
“It gets stranger,” Chef Claire said. “He died with a big smile on his face.”
“Maybe he’d just drained a long putt,” Suzy said.
“Funny,” Josie said. “The cop said he’s never seen anything like it. You got any ideas?”
“Well, my first thought is the same person probably killed both of them,” Suzy said. “Since they were killed in similar fashion.”
“There’s just one problem with your theory,” Josie said.
“What’s that?”
“Everyone’s alibi checks out,” Josie said. “It doesn’t look like anybody staying at the villa could have done it.”
“Maybe the person who killed the woman isn’t staying there,” Suzy said.
“Somebody came to the villa, killed Bronwyn, and slipped out without being seen?” Chef Claire said.
“I suppose it’s possible,” Josie said, frowning.
“Or one of the alibis is phony,” Suzy said.
“They seem pretty airtight,” Chef Claire said. “But the cop needs to check out the Peccatis.”
“Who are they?” Suzy said.
“The nice Italian couple who run a catering company,” Chef Claire said. “But it couldn’t be them.”
“No, no way,” Josie said, shaking her head. “Could it?”
“I seriously doubt it,” Chef Claire said.
“What about the inventor?” Suzy said. “You said he was a pretty shady operator.”
“Shady operator?” Josie said, laughing. “You’ve been binging cop shows again, haven’t you?”
“Maybe.”
“We don’t think Georgio killed Bronwyn,” Chef Claire said.
“That’s right,” Suzy said. “You said they were about to rekindle their relationship.”
“Yeah, they were,” Chef Claire said. “And it looked like Georgio and Emerson were working on some sort of business deal.”
“How did your conversation with Agent Tompkins go?” Suzy said.
“It was really strange,” Josie said. “As soon as we mentioned we were spending the week with Georgio, he knew exactly where we were. Right down to the name of the villa.”
“Really?” Suzy said. “It must mean he has somebody working there from inside.”
“That’s our take as well,” Chef Claire said. “And the Feds definitely want to get something on him they can use.”
“It sounds like this guy, Georgio, covers his tracks pr
etty well,” Suzy said. “You got any ideas about who the undercover agent is?”
“We think it has to be the surfer dude. Lance,” Josie said. “He spent the day with Georgio.”
“Do you feel comfortable asking him?” Suzy said.
“You mean, just go up and ask if he works for the FBI?” Josie said.
“You might want to try something subtler. But that’s the general idea.”
“I doubt if he’d admit it,” Chef Claire said. “But I suppose we could give it a shot.”
“Or just let the whole thing go,” Suzy said.
“But what if this guy isn’t done killing people?” Chef Claire said.
“Now there’s a cheery thought,” Josie said, shaking her head.
“Just be careful and keep your eyes and ears open,” Suzy said. “Have you seen anything suspicious?”
“Not really,” Chef Claire said.
“Hang on,” Josie said, glancing at Chef Claire. “The black SUV with the tinted windows.”
“Of course,” Chef Claire said. “I completely forgot.”
“What SUV?” Suzy said.
“We went for a drive this afternoon, and this official looking SUV passed us on the road.”
“And then it turned into the golf course,” Josie said. “Wow. I think we might have found a clue.”
“Who was with you in the car?” Suzy said.
“Betty from Ottawa and Natalie,” Josie said.
“Well, there goes my theory,” Suzy said. “Given her background, Natalie was going to be my choice.”
“I don’t think she’s involved,” Josie said.
“Me either,” Chef Claire said. “She says she came here to be with Georgio.”
“But he was thinking about hooking up with Bronwyn, right?” Suzy said.
“Yeah, he’s pretty much been ignoring Natalie the whole week,” Josie said. “She’s not happy about it, but her anger is focused on him. I could have made the idea she killed Bronwyn work, but she wouldn’t have any reason to kill her husband.”
“Who would want to kill both of them?” Suzy said. “Since it sounds like they died the same way, it has to be a package deal.”
“A package deal?” Chef Claire said. “English, please.”
“Somebody needed to take both of them out,” Suzy said. “Since they were a couple, killing only one of them wouldn’t necessarily fix whatever problem the killer is trying to solve.”
