Classic Crust Murder Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CLASSIC CRUST 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

  EPILOGUE

  Classic Crust

  Murder

  Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria Series

  Book Twenty-Six

  By

  Patti Benning

  Copyright 2018 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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  CLASSIC CRUST

  MURDER

  Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria Series

  Book Twenty-Six

  CHAPTER ONE

  * * *

  Eleanora Ward pulled open the oven and bent down to remove the baking sheet from inside. The warm, golden brown chocolate chip cookies smelled heavenly. It was all she could do not to scrape one off the baking sheet and eat it while it was still hot. She had one more batch to make, and only once they were in the oven would she let herself relax for a few minutes with a glass of milk and a plate of cookies.

  I might have overdone it just a little bit, she thought as she looked at the four racks of cookies that were already cooling on her counter. But too many cookies are better than too few.

  The cookies were for a pizza making class that she was hosting for a group from the local library. She wanted to have fun with it. In addition to the cookies, she planned to make lemonade and have hot coffee available for anyone who wanted it. She had volunteered to host the class at the pizzeria, and she wanted to put her best foot forward for it.

  Ellie heard the front door open and the dogs began to bark. A minute later, Russell Ward walked into the kitchen with Bunny, the little black and white papillon, at his heels.

  “Are these all for us?” he asked, looking around the kitchen.

  “They're for the class I'm hosting,” she said. “I thought we could take some over to Shannon and James, too. There will be a few left over for us, don't worry.”

  “This is certainly a nice surprise to come home to,” he said. “Have I ever told you that I love you?”

  “Yes, but I'm always happy to hear it again.”

  Smiling, he came over and kissed her, then walked toward the back door and whistled for Sawyer. The Labrador puppy bounded over, and the two of them went outside. Ellie was glad that he was bonding with the puppy. Before they got married, he hadn't felt as if he could have a dog, due to how frequently he had to work and his unpredictable hours. Now that they lived together, he didn't have to feel guilty about having Sawyer. Even though the Labrador was technically both of theirs, the puppy adored Russell in particular, and Russell felt the same way about him.

  “Bunny, come here,” she called out. The little papillon trotted over to her. Ellie opened the cupboard and pulled out a bag of dog treats, taking one out and tossing it to the dog. She had gotten Bunny years ago, back when she lived in Chicago. The little dog had been perfect for apartment living, but now occasionally struggled with the sometimes-brutal northern Maine weather. Regardless, Ellie was constantly grateful that Bunny was still with her. They had been through a lot together, and they were both reaping the rewards now that life had settled down.

  Ellie washed her hands, then began scooping out the last of the dough from the bowl and placing it on a fresh cookie sheet. She hummed as she worked, glancing out the kitchen window occasionally to see Russell tossing a stick for Sawyer in the backyard. It was a beautiful day out, but that wasn't the only reason for her good mood. Just a couple of weeks ago, her best friend and sister-in-law, Shannon Ward, had given birth to a beautiful little baby boy. The delivery had been rough, and Shannon had only been able to go home with the baby a week ago, but now she was settled in and they were both doing wonderfully. Ellie had already visited her twice and was looking forward to the next visit. She was enamored with her nephew and was excited at the prospect of being able to watch him grow up.

  Her nephew being born wasn't the only positive change in her life. The house next door to her grandmother's house, where she and Russell were living right now, had gone up for sale, and they were hoping to buy it. It would be the perfect place for them to live. Since they would be within shouting distance of her grandmother, they would be able to run over if she needed help with anything, but they would still have their own space. Nonna was returning from Florida soon, and Ellie had been worried that three people living in the Pacelli house might be a crowd.

  That wasn't to say that she wasn't looking forward to her grandmother's return. She and Russell were planning to spend a week down in Florida before flying back up to Kittiport with the older woman. She owed a lot to her grandmother and was glad that Nonna was beginning to live her life again after her husband, Ellie's grandfather, had passed away.

  With a trip to Florida to look forward to, a new baby to spoil, and a fun new class to teach at the pizzeria, spring was getting off to a great start. Soon it would be warm enough that she and her friends could take the Eleanora out again. The Eleanora was her grandfather's boat, named after her, and during the summer, one of her favorite things to do on her days off was to grab a good book, change into her bathing suit, and sun herself on the deck.

  It will be a while yet before I do any sunbathing, she thought. Even though the weather was much improved when compared to the frigid winter they had just gotten through, Maine still couldn't compete with the sandy beaches of Florida.

  “I can't get over how fast this dog is growing,” Russell said as he came back in. “Look at him, he must be twice the size he was when we decided to keep him. He's really starting to get the hang of fetch, too. I almost wish I had time to hunt, just so I could take him out with me.”

  “Then I'd never see you,” Ellie said, carefully moving the cookies from the still warm baking sheet to a cooling rack.
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  “That's why I said almost,” he said, grinning at her as he snatched a cookie from the rack. “Besides, I don't need to go out and hunt my own food. Not when I've got you making a whole bakery's worth of food in the kitchen.”

  “I’m glad to hear that my baking is saving all of the wild cookies from being hunted,” she said wryly, then she groaned. “You might want to rethink that whole hunting thing; I completely forgot to plan for dinner.”

  Her husband chuckled. “I can go pick something up from town. If you pack up some of those cookies before I leave, I can swing by Shannon and James’ house on my way and drop them off.”

  “Okay. I’ll have a container ready in a couple of minutes. If you want to wait until this batch gets out of the oven, I’ll go with you.”

  “Sounds good,” he said, brushing his fingers along her arm on his way by. “I’m going to go change. Call me when you’re ready.”

  Ellie smiled as she watched him walk away. She was still getting used to living with Russell. It was amazing how much closer they had gotten since their wedding. She saw him a lot more now; even though he still worked the same amount of time, he was with her every evening, and they stayed up talking late into the night.

  Even if they didn’t end up buying the house, she knew that things would be okay between the two of them. They were a team, and together, she was sure that they would be able to conquer any problem.

  She began carefully removing the cool cookies from the racks to a plastic container to take over to Shannon’s house. Chocolate chip cookies were the best comfort food she could imagine, and she was sure her friend would appreciate them. Ellie didn’t have any children, so she could only imagine how many changes Shannon and James were going through right now with a new infant to care for. She knew that neither of them had been sleeping well, so while she had been shopping for coffee supplies, she had picked up a couple of things for her friend as well. Shannon hadn’t asked her to do shopping, but Ellie had done it anyway, because they were family, and family took care of each other.

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria never opened before noon, and Ellie was rarely there before eleven, so it was odd for her to walk through the doors at eight the next morning. She carried a sports bag that was laden with the boxes of cookies, and had a folder clasped in her hand. Before going to bed the night before, she had stayed up late, organizing her thoughts and coming up with a simple lesson plan. It was exciting to be doing something new. If this works out, maybe I can start holding regular classes, she thought.

  The class wouldn't start until nine, but she had wanted to get there early enough to make sure that she had time to drag the tables into position and set up all of the supplies and materials the class would need. The pizzeria's assistant manager, Jacob, would be helping her with the class. She hoped that between the two of them, they would be able to give ample attention to each person who came.

  Jacob arrived just as Ellie finished hauling the last table into position. Instead of having everyone spread out across multiple small tables, she had pushed them together in the center of the room, so they could all share the same workspace. She had considered hosting the class in the kitchen but thought that the counter space might get a bit crowded. The class was supposed to end at eleven, so she should have just enough time to clean up and get the restaurant ready for the normal guests before they opened.

  “I didn't expect to be this nervous,” Jacob said as he helped carry the chairs into position. “I've never taught anything before. Well, I tutored for a little bit when I got out of high school, but I quit that as soon as I got a real job.”

  “This is the first time I've ever taught a class as well,” Ellie said. “I don't think there's anything to be nervous about, though. We're teaching something that we both know well, and I'm sure everyone who comes today will be perfectly nice. It's just a fun, free class. It shouldn't be too bad.”

  They finished setting up just as the first people began to arrive. Ellie recognized Andy, the woman from the library who had set up the event. She was a decade or so younger than Ellie, with short, spiky hair, and a cheerful personality. Ellie had taken a liking to her immediately and was glad that the other woman had started attending the small business club meetings that she hosted at the Pacelli house.

  “Hi, Ellie. Thanks for agreeing to this. The place looks great.”

  “It's my pleasure,” Ellie said. “Come on in. We've got some refreshments, and I thought we could do introductions and chat for a bit while we wait for everyone to show up.”

  “Coffee,” Andy exclaimed. “You're a lifesaver.”

  She made a beeline for the refreshment table while Ellie introduced herself to the two woman that had come along with her. “I'm Eleanora Ward, the owner of Papa Pacelli's Pizzeria. Make yourself comfortable. You can throw your jackets on one of the booths if you'd like.”

  “Thanks. I'm Jessie, Andy's sister, and this is our friend Lola. Andy and I are only a year apart in age, and we all went to high school and college together.”

  “It's nice to meet you both,” Ellie said. “We'll get started as soon as everyone else arrives.”

  Fifteen minutes later, the last of the attendees had walked through the door. While Jacob made sure everyone was seated around the large table, Ellie walked into the kitchen and brought out ten round balls of pizza dough. She had considered letting everyone make their own dough, but with only two hours in which to work, she had decided to keep it simple. Maybe if this class is a success, she could host another one that was more in depth. Besides, she wasn't sure if she wanted to share the Papa Pacelli's dough recipe with just anyone.

  She took her spot at the foot of the table, with Jacob walking around to help anyone who had a question. Andy, Jessie, and Lola were all seated at one end of the table, and Andy gave her a supportive smile.

  Even though she had told Jacob that there was nothing to worry about, Ellie felt nervous as she began to speak. “Thank you all for coming today,” she began. “Since we’re starting a bit late, I'll just get right to it. You should each have a ball of pizza dough in front of you. We are going to start by rolling out the dough and brushing the crust with butter. Don't worry about getting it perfect. Just watch what I do, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask either me or Jacob.”

  Once she got started, her nerves faded away. It was actually fun, showing people how she made the pizzas and answering their questions about why she did things a certain way. Just two years ago, she had been completely new to all of this as well. She remembered wrestling with the first ball of pizza dough she had ever tried to form into the correct shape and had to admit that many of the people here did a better job than she had on her first try.

  After rolling out the crusts, Ellie brought out a large selection of ingredients as well as the restaurant's homemade marinara sauce and three different types of shredded cheese. This was where people began to really have fun. While the guests came up with their own types of pizza, Ellie ran back and forth from the kitchen, pre-baking the crusts and placing finished pizzas in the oven. They didn't have the oven space to make all ten pizzas at once, and it took them a while to get through everyone.

  “That was great, Andy. If you ever want a job, you know where to look.”

  The younger woman grinned. “Thanks. I’m going to have to give this a try at home sometime. Who knew making pizza could be this much fun?”

  By the time eleven o'clock rolled around, there were still two pizzas baking in the oven. Ellie brought out pizza boxes so people could take home their creations, then slipped into the kitchen to take a peek at the pizzas. She didn't want to hurry people out of the restaurant, but they did need to make sure they were ready for opening, and there was a lot of cleaning up to do.

  She heard the bell on the front door jingle, and a moment later Rose walked into the kitchen. Ellie opened her mouth to greet her but was shocked by the dark expression on her employee's face. Ever si
nce Ellie had made Jacob assistant manager, Rose had been unusually sullen, especially when she saw a reminder of her coworker’s new position. Ellie didn't know how to make her employee feel better. She could understand that Rose was feeling left out and upset that Jacob had gotten the position, but she didn't know what she could do to make it better. They had both been deserving of the position, and it had been a hard decision for her to make.

  “We'll be cleaned up pretty soon,” she said to Rose at last. “You can just do the opening tasks like normal.”

  The oven beeped, and she took the pizzas out of the oven and went into the dining area with relief. The class was slowly packing up. Ellie handed the last two pizzas to the people who had made them and made sure everyone had a pizza box.

  “Do you have a bathroom we could use?” Andy asked. “All of that coffee just went right through me.”

  “Of course,” Ellie said. She cleared her throat and raised her voice. “The restroom is through that door there if anyone needs it. I'm going to start getting ready to open for the day, but feel free to come find me if you need anything. I had a wonderful time doing the class today, and I hope everyone else enjoyed it as well.”