On the Wings of Murder Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ON THE WINGS OF 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

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  On The Wings

  of

  Murder

  Book Twelve

  in

  Papa Pacelli’s

  Pizzeria Series

  By

  Patti Benning

  Copyright 2017 Summer Prescott Books

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

  **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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  ON THE WINGS

  OF MURDER

  Book Twelve in Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria Series

  CHAPTER ONE

  * * *

  Eleanora Pacelli paused to look out across the Miami Airport tarmac. Hours ago, they’d left a clear blue sky in Maine. Moments ago, they had touched down in Florida to see a wet, grey world. Rain beat against the windows, so strongly that she could hardly see the outline of the plane that they had flown in on.

  "This isn't what I expected," Nonna said, slightly disappointed. "I thought there would be sun and palm trees."

  "Well, there are palm trees," Ellie pointed out. "I saw them as we were landing. I'm sure there will be more than enough sun later this week."

  It was the first day of their weeklong vacation. They had dropped the animals off that morning at the pet sitter's house, and Ellie already found herself missing her little black and white papillon, Bunny. Her pets weren’t the only things that she missed. She had checked her phone for updates about the pizzeria the second the plane stopped moving.

  Papa Pacelli's had been opened over twenty years ago by her grandfather, Arthur Pacelli. The year before, her grandmother had made her the manager. Recently, she had taken full ownership of the little pizza shop. She hadn’t taken a vacation since she'd started working there, and while she knew her employees were capable of handling almost anything that might come up, it made her anxious to be so far away from the restaurant that meant so much to her.

  "I think the luggage pickup is that way,” she said to her grandmother, pointing down one of the moving sidewalks. The Miami airport was much larger than the airport they had flown out of in Portland earlier that day, and the signs didn’t do much to help point them through the confusion.

  “Let's hurry, I’m starved. Those nuts that they give you on the plane don't really go that far.” The older woman took off in the direction that Ellie had pointed. The pizzeria owner followed, hefting her purse on her shoulder. She was looking forward to this vacation, but what she really wanted at the moment was to get their stuff, rent a car, and retire to their hotel suite for the evening. She had never been able to sleep well in moving vehicles, and the airplane had been no exception.

  The two women had planned the trip quickly over only a couple of days. Ellie hadn’t intended to go anywhere that summer, but she had been happy to change her plans when her grandmother expressed an interest in traveling. Nonna had a few friends that had all moved from Maine down to the same retirement community together a couple of years ago, and the main reason Ellie and Ann were visiting the alleged Sunshine State was so that Ann could visit with her friends. Ellie hoped that seeing how happy they were down here might inspire the older woman to buy or rent a home of her own in Florida. The winters in Maine were cold, and Nonna wasn't a fan. She’d stayed in the northern state for so long because of her husband, who had passed away the year before. Ellie thought her grandmother might enjoy the more laid-back, relaxed lifestyle of a retirement community in Florida.

  The other reason that Ellie had been so quick to pack her bags and go was that she wanted to spend more time with the older woman while she still had the chance. She had lost that chance with her grandfather, and didn’t want to make the same mistake with her nonna. She knew their time together might be limited, and she did not want to have any regrets. What better bonding experience could there be than a trip across the country together?

  They found the luggage pickup and grabbed their bags. After that, they followed the signs that pointed them to the car rental agency. Ellie had made all the reservations online, so it was a simple matter of giving her name and showing her ID before being handed the keys.

  It wasn't until they stepped into the parking garage that Ellie realized just how humid Florida was. Maine had been warm when they left, but it was nothing like this. She was certain the rain compounded the issue, but if it were any more humid, then she and her grandmother might as well have been swimming.

  They found the vehicle, dumped their luggage in the trunk, then got in. Ellie turned the air-conditioning on high, and then routed to the hotel using the vehicle’s built-in GPS. It was about twenty minutes away; a longer drive than she would've wanted, but at least it was close to the retirement community where her grandmother would be going the next day to visit her friends.

  They pulled out of the airport’s parking ramp into a completely different world than the one they had flown away from that morning. There were indeed palm trees lining the roads, just as her grandmother had hoped. The rain was still coming down hard, and Ellie hoped that it would lighten up by tomorrow. She was looking forward to spending some time on the beach, but she supposed that today, a nice relaxing bath would have to do. She had paid extra for a room with a Jacuzzi tub, and she was determined to enjoy it.

  Checking into the hotel went just as smoothly as picking up the car had gone. She left Nonna waiting by the front desk as she parked the car, then rolled their two suitcases into the hotel on her own. The two women loaded everything into the elevator, and Ellie hit the button for the third floor.

  It was a relief when they
finally opened the door to their suite, with both a king-sized bed and a pullout couch. Ellie had already volunteered to take the pullout couch. She didn't mind, and she thought that her grandmother would probably appreciate the extra comfort of the bed. There was a mini fridge, a microwave, and a big flat-screen TV in the living room, as well as a smaller one in the bedroom.

  Ellie left her suitcase by the couch and dragged her grandmother’s into the bedroom. After that, she went out onto the small patio and looked towards the beach. The rain had already started to let up some, but the sun was also beginning to set. The ocean wasn't a new sight for her; Kittiport was located on the northern coast of Maine, and she saw the Atlantic Ocean every day. However, the expansive sandy beach was a pleasant change from the rocky coastline of Maine.

  “Do you want to try room service instead of finding a restaurant?” Nonna asked from the bedroom. She poked her head through. “There’s a menu in here, and they seem to have quite a variety.”

  “Sure, room service sounds wonderful right now,” Ellie said. “I’m tired, and I’m looking forward to settling down on the couch and watching some television. We can explore some more tomorrow.”

  “Now I just have to decide what to get. This is going to be a lot more difficult than choosing between nuts and pretzels on the airplane.” Nonna went back into the bedroom, and Ellie smiled. The older woman seemed to be enjoying their vacation already. Tomorrow, they could go and see the sights. Right now, that Jacuzzi tub was calling her name.

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  The next day, the sky was still overcast. Ellie checked the weather before getting dressed in the morning, and saw that it was in the low nineties already. It was a good thing that she had bought some shorts specifically for this trip. She was going to need them.

  After getting dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked every inch the tourist that she was. A short-sleeved shirt, shorts that went down to mid-thigh—she wasn’t brave enough to wear anything shorter—and flip-flops. She had even bought a fanny pack, but decided to just use her purse for today. Once she was satisfied that she was carrying everything she needed for the day, she knocked on her grandmother’s door.

  “Nonna, are you ready to go? We should grab breakfast before we head out to the retirement community.”

  “Almost ready, dear,” her grandmother said. “Have you seen my cellphone? I’m sure I had it yesterday, but I can’t find it now.”

  “It’s by the television out here,” Ellie called. “I’ll grab it for you and I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

  They found a small, friendly café in which to have breakfast. The waitress greeted them with a southern accent, and seemed every bit the friendly personality that Ellie had always seen in movies. She ordered the eggs and toast, then stood up to help herself to a couple of the tourist pamphlets that she had spotted by the door. One of them had a photo of an alligator on the cover. Looking at the huge, toothy mouth, she was glad that she had left Bunny at home. That gator could probably have swallowed the little papillon as an hors d’oeuvre.

  After they were done eating and she left their waitress a sizable tip, they continued on their way to the retirement community. Nonna had called her friends that morning to let them know that they had landed safely and were planning on stopping by in a couple of hours. Her friend, Gerry, had invited both her and Ellie to stay for a cookout, but Ellie turned down the invitation. She was planning on leaving her grandmother to catch up with her friends on her own while she explored the city for a few hours.

  They found the retirement community without issue. A large sign at the gate proclaiming Welcome to the Century Coast Retirement Village—Condos Currently for Sale! assured them that they were at the right place. She followed the curving streets through the community, passing countless identical, neatly trimmed yards until she found the right driveway. She shut off her engine and took a moment to look at the condo in front of her. It looked pleasant, though a bit too cookie cutter. The back yard was fenced in, and there were both stairs and a ramp leading up to the front porch. They had passed a tennis court on their way in, and Ellie had spotted a pool house as well. At every corner there had been a small cluster of palm trees, which her grandmother had instantly fallen in love with. It certainly did seem like a nice, low-key community in which to enjoy one’s golden years.

  She followed her grandmother up to the door, which opened before they reached it to reveal an older woman carrying a small, white Chihuahua. When she put the dog down, it rushed forward to sniff at their shoes.

  “Ann,” she exclaimed. “I’m so glad you found us okay. And you must be her sweet granddaughter, Eleanora. I’ve heard so much about you. Come on in.”

  The air-conditioning inside the condo was cranked way up. It was almost too cold after standing outside in the humid heat. The dog followed them in, then trotted away, no longer interested in them. They headed toward voices coming from further inside the house.

  They reached the kitchen and found three more people waiting for them. Ellie approved of the spread of food ready for the cookout later that day.

  “If I had known you would actually come and visit, I would have sent you that letter much sooner,” the woman who answered the door said, turning to them. “It’s so wonderful to see you again, Ann. I’m so sorry about Arthur. I wish I had been able to attend the funeral myself.”

  “Thank you,” Nonna said. “And you can credit this young lady here for convincing me to come. I would never have attempted this on my own, but she’s made it so easy for me. It will be wonderful to visit with everyone for a few days.”

  “Everyone was so excited when I told them you were flying down this month. By the way, I’m Gerry,” the woman said, turning to Ellie. “Short for Geraldine. My parents were the only ones who ever called me that, though.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” she replied. “And everyone just calls me Ellie.”

  “I remember you when you were just a wee little thing,” Gerry said, ignoring Ellie’s extended hand and pulling her into a hug instead. “It was so sweet of you to accompany your grandmother all the way to Florida.”

  “I was happy to come with her. I’ll enjoy this trip as much as she will, I’m sure.”

  Gerry turned to introduce her to the other people in the room. Ellie shook hands with people whose names she knew and that she would forget within the hour. Some of them remembered her from when she had been a small child, which she found disconcerting. These were her grandmother’s friends, not hers. While she was happy that her grandmother was getting the chance to visit with them after so long, there were other things that she would rather be doing.

  “It was very nice to meet all of you, but I should get going,” she said at last. “You have your phone, right, Nonna? Just give me a call when you’re ready to go back to the hotel.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Gerry asked. “We were going to go on a tour of the community in just a few minutes.”

  “Thanks, but I planned on driving around and doing some sightseeing myself today. I may even go to the beach,” Ellie said. “It will give Nonna a chance to catch up with everybody. Thanks for the offer, though.”

  She paused on her way out the door, looking back at her grandmother. The older woman looked… happy. Having the chance to catch up with these people whom she had known her entire life must be nice for her. Ellie was glad that they had come. She thought that Florida might turn out to be good for both of them.

  CHAPTER THREE

  * * *

  Ellie pulled out of the retirement community and turned towards town, not bothering to turn on the GPS. She wasn't in any hurry to get anywhere in particular, she just wanted to explore the new area. They were near Miami, and it was toward the city that she turned. Portland, Maine, was the biggest city that she had been in for over a year. Miami was many times larger than Portland, and she was eager to find out what neat little stores were hidden on the busy streets.
r />   The sun was finally peeking through the clouds, which didn't help the heat any, but did make the semi-tropical scenery all the more beautiful. How nice it must be to live somewhere where the trees are always green. Of course, the pine trees in Maine were always green, but they didn't really count. She thought that she might like to live somewhere like this after retiring. She loved Kittiport of course, but there wouldn't be much to keep her attention there if she didn’t have her grandmother and the pizzeria. Living somewhere like this, she would never run out of things to do.

  Of course, Russell may not want to leave that town even when he retires from being sheriff, she thought. She wondered if they would still be together when they were both grey-haired and wrinkled. A couple of weeks ago, she had been convinced that she had found a ring box in his pocket, but nothing had ever come of it. Of course, they had both been overwhelmed by the death of a friend; and almost immediately afterwards, she had put this trip together. It might have been that he simply hadn’t found the right moment yet.

  She drove through the city for a bit before stopping at a small antique shop that had a beautiful dress in the window. It wasn’t her size, but she found a neat painting of an Italian man spinning pizza dough. She decided to stop back and buy it if she still had extra money by the end of her trip. With all the people that she wanted to buy souvenirs for, keeping within her budget might be tough.

  After that, she went to the beach. It was busy, but not crowded enough to be unpleasant. She slipped off her flip-flops so that she could walk along the shore with the waves lapping at her ankles. The water was much warmer than the water off Maine’s coast, and the sand was soft between her toes.

  The clouds faded as the sunlight grew stronger, and Ellie hadn't bothered to put on sunscreen before leaving the hotel. She thought that she might return to the hotel and grab her bathing suit, but first she wanted to get lunch. She started heading back towards the hotel, but kept her eyes peeled for promising places to eat. When she saw the small pizza place on the corner of the block, she almost passed it by, but something about it made her stop and go in. Here I am in Florida on vacation, and I still can’t get pizza off my mind, she thought.