by Fiona Grace
“Says who?”
“Everyone. Look it up.”
“No. I don’t need to. Hello… Jack the Ripper?”
“Oh, whatever. Doesn’t matter. This person was clearly insane. It’s scary to think someone planned to murder someone. Normal people don’t actually think that way. Who do you think did it?”
He shrugged. “Like you said, not counting either of us, the woman had a lot of enemies. It wasn’t like she was beloved by all. I’m surprised we’re not hearing the chorus of ‘Ding, dong, the witch is dead’ from out here.”
“That doesn’t really narrow it down at all, does it?” she said, thinking. “Really. About half that room last night hated her guts.”
“The other half was probably just lying about not hating them. And there are about that many people who are better off now that she’s gone. Like you.”
“And you, too,” she pointed out.
He chuckled as he upshifted. “Yeah, but when I said I wanted to wring the witch’s neck, I meant it in the figurative sense. Besides, I’m not the insane, murdering type.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Oh. Right. You’re just too good-looking.”
He nodded matter-of-factly. “Make love, not war.”
Just then, the dog leaned his drooly chin on Audrey’s shoulder. She peered into his big sad eyes and rubbed his wet muzzle. “Oh, baby. We’re almost there. Don’t worry.”
Mason downshifted as they passed the Mussomeli city limits sign, and the asphalt streets became cobblestone once again. The facades of the ancient baroque architecture, golden in the sinking sun, and the brightly painted shutters were a welcome sight after what they’d seen. He mumbled, “I love it when you call me baby.”
“I was talking to the dog.”
“I know. No accounting for taste. You got me here, and instead you’re drooling over that ugly dog the way he drools all over my car. Gross.”
She let out a groan of disapproval. Mason was so used to being adored, he simply hated when attention wasn’t on him. How could anyone hate this creature? The dog was quiet, attentive, and well-mannered, and he just wanted love. It was clear he had an owner. Someone had trained him well. “I’m sorry, did you forget what just happened? We found a dead body. Stop being inappropriate.”
“Me? Not appropriate?” He scoffed, feigning shock. “Never.”
“Always.” She shuddered again at the thought of Mimi, lying on that cold beach. Wanting to fill her mind with something else, she cycled back to the nicest thing she’d seen that morning, and winced. “I mean, really. Answering the door this morning, half-naked? What are you trying to do, give people heart attacks?”
“Just you.” He flashed her that dimpled smirk. “You deserve it. You’re the one who interrupted my beauty sleep. Plus, you enjoyed the show. Admit it.”
She snorted to hide the fact that she was blushing again at the thought. Thank goodness they were turning onto Via Barcellona. “Drop us off at my clinic. I’m late for my two o’clock appointment. And I need to check on Polpetto here.”
“Polpetto?”
“It means ‘Meatball.’ I googled it.”
“Great.” He pulled to the curb. “And to think I actually used to like meatballs.”
“Stop. You love him.”
Polpetto clumsily jumped out with her, then sat on the curb like a good boy. He didn’t even need to be leashed. Definitely a good boy. Some dog owners paid big bucks for that kind of training.
She leaned into the car’s window. “Maybe you can do me a favor?”
He dipped his sunglasses. “Sexual?”
She couldn’t help it. Her cheeks flamed and she let out a giggle. “Really. Stop being gross. Have some respect for the dead.”
“But it’s so fun.” He winked, then turned serious. “All right. What?”
“He’s a big dog. One you really can’t miss. Someone has to know who owned him. So if you wouldn’t mind… keep an ear open? If you hear of anyone who’s missing a dog, or see anyone suspicious …”
He nodded. “You’ll be the first to know.”
“Thanks. And thanks for the ride.”
He shifted the car into drive. “Always an adventure with you, Boston.”
As he drove off, she looked down at the giant mastiff, who was waiting patiently for her.
Nick suddenly arrived on the curb and started hissing at him. Though the fox was clearly outsized, he stood his ground, getting into attack mode.
Polpetto just stared at his opponent like, I’m not going to get into this with you.
“Easy, Nick,” Audrey said to him. “You’re always number one in my heart. But this guy needs a place to stay at the Hotel Smart. Let’s make him welcome.”
Again, she gave the stray dog her hand, and he put his own in it, to shake. Yes, you are a very good dog. Someone must be missing you. I wonder if we can find out who that person is, because maybe they were on that beach, too. And maybe they have a story to tell…
“Come on, baby,” she whispered to him. “Let’s go get you a nice collar.”
*
By the time Audrey finished with her afternoon appointments and taking care of the new batch of strays in the clinic, it was after six in the evening. She said goodbye to Polpetto and the other animals, then locked up and went to La Mela Verde. When she stepped inside, the café was standing room only, buzzing with the dinner crowd.
She saw G, working so hard with the evening rush that he didn’t even look her way. A beautiful woman with bright red hair was waiting the tables, someone Audrey had never seen before. Was that Valentina? She had to wonder as she found an open seat in the corner of the bar and as she slipped onto the stool. She could see the two of them together, as a couple.
Suddenly, a voice said, “Well, if it isn’t the lady of the hour. You’ve been busy today, huh?”
Audrey groaned inwardly as she lifted a menu, wishing she could shield herself from view. She knew that voice, but she’d never heard it here at the café, her refuge. She spun on the stool to see Nessa sitting at a table with a couple of handsome, suited men, a salad and glass of wine in front of her.
“Nessa,” she muttered. “Hello.”
“Hi!” Nessa said. “This is Frederic, my agent, and Boone, my producer. We were just going over details of my HGTV show, and we were talking about interesting neighbors that I might have to include, to add some color to our episode. Of course, most of it’s going to be focused on me, but I mentioned you might make an amusing couple minutes of airtime.”
Audrey stiffened. Around her, people seemed to be taking notice, paying attention, likely because Nessa’s voice was ten times louder than the regular chatter. Audrey’s only thought was to get Nessa off her back as soon as possible. “Thanks, but I don’t think so.”
“Why not? You’re like Mussomeli’s own Grim Reaper. Wherever you go, death follows,” she said, lifting her glass of wine to her lips and smiling.
Audrey winced. Did she…? No. She couldn’t. Not this soon. They’d only discovered Mimi Catalano lying dead on the beach this afternoon.
“So is it true that you found the body of that councilwoman today? It’s all over the news around here.”
Audrey had moved to Sicily, at least partially because she thought the slower pace of things would do her good. Apparently, news traveled even faster here than in the States. This was like a world record. “It’s on the news?”
She nodded. “Oh, yes. Of course. People can’t stop talking about it. So didn’t the police think it odd that you were the one who discovered both bodies? I mean, that can’t be a coincidence. First, just innocently stumbling on a dead man in my backyard when you had no business being there, and then stumbling upon another one on a deserted beach? Odd!”
“I—”
“And wait. That councilwoman. Wasn’t she the one reaming you out the other day because of some missing permits?” She tilted her head inquisitively. “So you knew her. Curiouser and curiouser.”
Audrey�
�s lips twisted. “I got an anonymous call about an injured dog. It led me out there. And I wasn’t alone. I was with Mason.”
She blinked her little doe eyes. “Anonymous phone call? Yeah, right. Oh, Mason, hmmm? Is that the American contractor?” She leaned over to the men and said, “He’s the one I told you definitely needs to be in the series. Give the American housewives some beefcake to drool over. They’ll thank me, big time.”
The men nodded obediently, and the one in horn-rimmed glasses typed something into the small laptop near his butter dish. Men always listened extra hard when Nessa spoke.
“So are you saying you were framed?” she asked Audrey. “Who would frame you?”
Audrey blinked. She hadn’t thought of it that way, but yes. That’s what it looked like. Who would’ve done that? She hadn’t lived here long enough to have enemies. At least, she didn’t think so. Well, except Nessa.
“Principessa!”
Thank goodness for the distraction. She turned on her stool, but as she did, the man and the woman on either side of her vacated their stools almost in unison. What, did she have cooties? She looked around and realized several other people in the restaurant were glaring at her, but they looked away the moment she made eye contact.
Great. Nessa had nearly made her a pariah before, upon the murder of the foreman. Audrey had barely had a chance to get over the stigma, and now it felt like it was slipping over her again. Maybe they all did think she was the Grim Reaper of Mussomeli.
“What can I get you, cara?” he said, touching her hand flirtatiously. “Missed you for lunch.”
Audrey hadn’t been planning on drinking when she came in, but now she wanted to order a long and tall of whatever would take the edge off quicker. “Whatever it is, make it a double. It’s been a day. Sorry I wasn’t able to come over for lunch. I really wanted to meet that boy you had in mind for the volunteering.”
“It’s okay,” G said with a warm smile. His eyes shifted over to where Nessa sat, and he shook his head. “Sounds like you’ve been busy. The boy isn’t here now—he only works lunch. But I’ll send him over to you tomorrow. Early in the morning. Okay?”
“Yes.” She sighed with relief. “Thank you. I really need the help.”
“He’s a good boy. Worked for me two years. You like.” He poured her a glass of red wine. “Here. On the house, as you say!”
“Thank you.” She brought it to her lips and took a sip that turned into a gulp, swallowing the bitter taste down, hoping to calm her nerves.
“Ah, Dottore Smart!” a voice called behind her.
She whirled again to see Orlando Falco standing in the doorway, a worried expression marring his handsome features, his normally slicked back white hair tumbling over his brow. He headed over to her, navigating around the tightly packed tables.
“I’ve been looking all over for you,” he said, resting an arm on the bar. He nodded at G. “Hello, G. How’s business?”
G waved and set out another glass, pouring it for the councilman. “As you can tell. Pretty good.”
“I guess you’ve heard about Mimi,” Audrey said, polishing off her glass of wine in record speed. It helped a little, but her nerves were still shot.
“Yes. Regrettable. And such a shock. I heard you found the body.”
Audrey nodded. How did he know that? With a grapevine like this town’s, who needed the media? “Yes. It’s terrible.”
He let out a laugh tinged with sadness. “To be honest, I know a lot of people won’t be missing her that much. But it does worry me. For you.”
“For me?”
“Yes. It’s no secret that you had no love for her …” he said, looking at his glass. “And I worry …”
For a politician, he was uncharacteristically awkward with whatever he was trying to say. But she understood. She saw it in the faces of the people around her, watching her. “I get it. Even just being suspected of murder probably wouldn’t be very good for my business?”
He nodded. “Regrettably.”
“I understand. But I didn’t kill her. I just found the body.”
“Yes, I know. Of course. But that doesn’t mean people won’t talk.” People like Nessa. Especially Nessa. “A stranger, new to town, who had a very public spat with the victim? Not only that, Ms. Catalano had a lot of supporters on the board, pushing for that tax, so it’s still very much alive. If it does go through, not only will you have to contend with the tax, but I fear, after this, no one will want to adopt the strays you’ve taken in.”
“I understand,” she said, motioning to G to refill her glass. “I don’t plan on backing down on the tax, whoever I have to fight. And if I have to prove myself innocent of murder in the process, again, then I will.”
“All right.” He patted her hand. “I just wanted to let you know.”
As he turned to leave, Audrey looked over her shoulder. Nessa was now talking to the waitress, and the two of them were staring right at her. The waitress looked terrified, as if she was staring into the eyes of the devil herself.
This is nothing new, Audrey thought.
But now she had so much more on her plate. She had to think about the lives of the animals in Mussomeli, too. They depended on her. How could she do that, and clear her name, at the same time?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The next day, when someone knocked on her door, Audrey plastered a bright, welcoming smile on her face as she opened it, expecting the awkward Sicilian teenager that G had promised to send her way. She had to make this work.
When she saw Mason standing there, she sighed in disappointment. “Oh. It’s just you.” She left the door open and trudged to the coffee maker, where she’d just poured herself an espresso.
He lingered in the doorway for a second before coming in. “I think that’s the warmest welcome I’ve ever received, Boston.”
She snorted. Likely, his arrival at places was met with great fanfare—confetti and cheers and balloons. Especially where women were present. “Sorry. I was waiting for someone. I had an eight o’clock appointment.”
Nick tried to cuddle up to his ankles. Mason extricated himself and gave the fox Stay away eye daggers before checking his phone. “It’s eight-thirty.”
“I know. Ugh.” She slumped into her chair and took a too-big sip of the hot espresso, scalding her tongue. “He’s not showing. And I really needed him.”
He leaned against the door jamb and said, casually, “Hot date?”
Was that jealousy? No, not with Mason. Probably a joke, considering people rarely dated at eight in the morning. “A teenager. He was going to volunteer at the clinic. You know, taking appointments and answering the phone, caring for the animals, stuff like that.” She stood up, looking frantically for her bag as she thought of her massive to-do list. “I can’t stay here. I’ve got to get to the clinic.”
He started to back out as she realized something.
“Wait. What are you doing here? It’s early for you, isn’t it?”
He nodded. “On the way to the hardware store. I’m thinking without that Catalano woman to hold my feet to the flame, I can finally get some work done.”
“Oh. That’s nice.” He was still standing in the doorway, in her way. “Excuse me.”
He hesitated there just long enough for her to be curious.
“Was there something else you wanted?”
He shrugged. “Just checking on you. Making sure you’re okay, after yesterday.”
“I’m fine. I mean, I have enough on my plate. I could probably do without people accusing me of another murder,” she muttered, peering past him, out the door. “I mean, that’s probably why this kid never showed up. People look at me like I’m a felon. And thanks to Nessa, who has some sort of death wish for me, people actually think I’m responsible for it. Even if I’d wanted to murder someone… like I have the time?”
She threw her hands up, forgetting she had her coffee mug in one of them. It dribbled over the side, scalding her hand. She let out a
scream and a curse, set the coffee down, and went to run it under the cold tap.
“Whoa. You don’t look fine. You’re stressed.”
Really? Thank you, Sherlock. She shut off the faucet and, lacking any nearby towel, shook her hand maniacally in front of her. “It’s not just the murder. It’s everything. It’s always times like this that I want to pack things in and go home. But once again, I can’t, because DiNardo says I can’t leave the city.”
“Nah. You can’t go home. Look at everything you’ve accomplished so far.”
She frowned. Of course, he was right. Starting her own clinic had been her dream, and now it was coming true. So what if it was a little rocky? She was almost there. She couldn’t give that up now, even if she wanted to.
She picked up her coffee and, not having learned her lesson the first time, brought it to her lips and scalded them. She winced. “Well, fine. But not being on a suspect list would probably ease my worries significantly.”
“I get it.”
She eyed him doubtfully. He’d been there, same as her, and yet no one seemed to think he was the culprit. It was those little-boy dimples. Made him look innocent. Capable of no wrong. “Really, though. Can they believe they actually think I went all the way there, murdered her, and then came back to get you? I’d have absolutely no way of getting down there.”
“I looked it up on the map. It’s fifteen minutes by car, but there’s a jogging path that connects the lake to Mussomeli. It’s probably only ten minutes, on foot, if you’re running.”
Right. DiNardo had mentioned a path. “Oh. That makes me feel so much better.” Her lips twisted. “Besides. You know how I run.”
“Okay, a half hour, for you.” He yawned. “But you see their point. According to the police, anyone from town could’ve been watching her, seen her heading out there, followed her down the path, and bonk.”
Great. So that meant that because she was alone for a few hours prior to driving out there, which was more than enough time to get to the lake and back, she didn’t have a solid alibi. “You don’t have an alibi either. Unless the police want to question your pillow. You know what it is? It’s Nessa. That’s the reason why all this focus is on me. She loves spreading any dirt she can about me.”
