Chicken Alfredo Murder Read online

  Chicken Alfredo Murder

  The Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria Series Book 29

  Patti Benning

  Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  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.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Also by Patti Benning

  Chapter One

  Two suitcases stood by the front door; one full-size, and the other a carry-on. An oversized purse rested on top of the larger one, filled to the brim with all of the necessities that Eleanora Ward would need for her flight.

  She had been excited for this trip ever since she booked the flight and hotel six weeks ago. Now, fully packed and ready to leave early for once in her life, she was strangely reluctant to tell her husband that she was ready to go. Two weeks was a long time to be gone from the man she loved, not to mention her two dogs and one very loud macaw. A longer vacation than usual had seemed like a good idea at the time, but right now she was feeling some serious homesickness – and she hadn't even set foot out the door yet.

  Things had finally begun to settle down in Kittiport. Her home life was great, and now that Russell had been re-elected as sheriff and would hold the position for another four years, and the pizzeria had been fully repaired and reopened after a car had smashed through the front window, both her and her husband's lives had become routine once again. Nothing more exciting than a broken stack of plates had happened at the pizzeria for weeks. Business was booming, and they were doing even better than they had been at this time last year, and all of her employees seemed happy and content.

  Things had been going almost too well. She had gotten used to a certain amount of excitement in her life, and it seemed almost too good to be true that things were really settling down.

  She was worried that Murphy’s Law would take effect, and as soon as she left the state, things would dissolve into chaos here.

  Still, two weeks in Miami with her grandmother, a nice rental car, and a suite in a hotel that included a day spa would be bliss. All she had to do was glance out the window at the falling snow and her resolve hardened. Yes, she would miss Russell and her animals, and she would certainly miss the quiet, peaceful rhythm of their lives, but she really was looking forward to two weeks of being pampered and doing whatever she wanted to do without any responsibilities to speak of.

  Realizing that they really should get going – she might be ready early, but from the look of the snow that was still falling, the roads would probably be pretty bad – she made her way to the kitchen, her little black and white papillon, Bunny, following at her heels.

  Bunny seemed to know that something was up. Ellie wasn't sure whether she recognized the suitcases from all of the other trips that Ellie and Russell had taken to Florida, or if she simply sensed the tension and excitement in her owner, but the papillon hadn't left her side all morning. Ellie felt bad, knowing that Bunny would miss her while she was gone, but at least she would be able to stay here with Russell, Sawyer, and Marlowe, instead of going to a pet sitter's house.

  She made a mental note to look into whether it would be possible to bring Bunny with her in the future. If she could take the little dog in the cabin with her, that would be ideal. She didn't want Bunny to have to ride in the cargo compartment, scared and alone. The papillon had her moments of bravery, but overall, she was a dog who liked her comforts.

  She found Russell in the kitchen, three thermoses on the counter beside him. He was making them coffee for their trip down to Portland. Ellie was touched. She knew that he was going to miss her too, but he had been nothing but supportive of this trip.

  “Hey,” she said, coming up behind him and putting her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his back. “I'm all set.”

  He turned around, and pulled her into a hug, giving her a quick kiss.

  “I take it you’re ready to go? Or did you want to wait around here for a little while longer?”

  “I thought we might as well get everything packed up into the car and head over to Nonna’s. She might need help to finish packing, and even if she doesn't, it wouldn't hurt to get going. I'd rather get to the gate early than late. I hate being rushed when I’m trying to make my way through security.”

  “All right,” he said. “Let me just finish up with these coffees, then I'll start loading up the car.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “I'll let the dogs out and make sure Marlowe has a few extra nuts in her cage to entertain her while we’re gone. Are you sure you're okay with watching all of them on your own?”

  “I'm very sure,” he said laughing. “I'm sheriff for an entire town. I think I can handle two dogs and one bird without help.”

  “I know, but criminals won’t usually tear up your house while you're at work if you forget to leave them chew toys while you're gone.”

  “At least I know the dogs won't pull a gun on me,” he joked.

  “I notice you didn't include Marlowe in that.”

  “I wouldn't put it past her. She's not my biggest fan.”

  Ten minutes later, the car was packed, and the animals had been cared for. Ellie had left Sawyer behind the gate in the kitchen with a rubber toy stuffed full of frozen goodies to entertain himself with. Bunny was settled on her bed in the living room with a similar toy, happily trying to get the food out and completely unaware that her owner was about to be gone for two weeks. She had said her goodbyes to Marlowe and had given the bird a couple of macadamia nuts to work on with her strong beak while she and Russell were gone.

  She took one last look around the house, then stepped out onto the front porch and locked the door behind her. Russell was already in the car, the suitcases already packed away in the trunk.

  She slipped into the warm passenger seat, and Russell backed the car out of the driveway. Nonna lived next door, so the first part of their trip was short and sweet. Moments later, he pulled into the driveway and put the car in park. Before going in, Russell put his hand on hers and leaned over to give her a real kiss, letting her know that he was going to miss her while she was gone. He had always been a private man, and she knew he would rather say his goodbyes now than at the airport.

  “I want you to enjoy your trip,” he said. “I've got everything under control here. Call me when you land, all right? I'll stop in at the pizzeria every couple of days and give you reports from there, and I'll take wonderful care of the animals. I love you, and you deserve this vacation.”

  “Thank you,” she said, squeezing his hand. “I love you too. I'm going to miss you and everyone here, but I really do love these trips with Nonna. It will be nice to see everyone at the Florida pizzeria again, too. I'll take plenty of pictures, and I'll call you every day.”

  “Now, shall we see if your grandmother is ready?” he asked.

  She nodded, opening the door and letting herself out of the car. Russell left the car running while he follo
wed her up to the front porch. She knocked on the front door of the familiar house that had once been her home, and a few moments later the door opened. Her grandmother was bundled up in a thick winter coat with a wool hat on her head and heavy boots on her feet. Ellie spotted two big suitcases, a carry-on, and a rather large purse that put her own to shame waiting by the door. While Ellie was only going away for two weeks, Nonna was going to be there for months. The condo was already furnished, but there were still a lot of items that her grandmother had to bring from home.

  “All set?” Ellie asked.

  “I'm ready,” Nonna said. “Now, Russell, I set the thermostat to sixty degrees, but if someone comes to look at the house, you should turn it up a little bit. You could also turn lights on and off, so it looks like someone's here, and shovel the walkway if you get a chance.”

  “I'll take care of it,” Russell said, chuckling. “I think you've left me more instructions for watching your house while you're gone than Ellie left me for the animals. Are you sure that you want to rent it out while you’re gone?”

  “I'm sure. There's no sense in having this whole house sitting here empty. I'd rather help some nice people than have all this space go to waste.”

  Since Ellie and Russell had their own home, Nonna had decided to rent her house out for the six months she would be gone. Ellie knew that it had taken her grandmother a while to come to this decision; she loved the house and was afraid that renters might destroy it, but at the same time, it really didn't make any sense at all to leave the beautiful, large home sitting empty until spring. They had already posted the listing online, and Ellie would double down on the search for tenants when she got back.

  “I'll take your bags to the car,” Russell said. “You might have to share the back seat with one of the suitcases. Go ahead and get buckled in. I’ll lock up once the car is loaded.”

  Ellie helped her grandmother down the snowy steps and into the car. It was going to be a long drive to Portland and an even longer flight down to Miami, but it felt good to finally be on their way.

  Chapter Two

  They flew out of Portland, Maine, leaving a snowy, frigid airport behind them, and set down on a sunny runway lined with palm trees. No matter how many times she made the trip down to Florida, Ellie never stopped being surprised at the change. Even at the height of summer, Maine never reached the peaks of humidity and heat that Florida experienced. It was almost surreal, going from a winter landscape to one that was still comfortably warm and almost tropical looking, with palm trees, sandy beaches, and a gentle breeze.

  By now, visiting Miami had become routine. After waiting at the baggage carousel and grabbing their suitcases, Ellie and Nonna made their way to the car rental station. Ellie had booked the vehicle in advance, and it was waiting for them when she got there. After verifying her identity and picking up the keys, she loaded the suitcases into the van, helped her grandmother into the passenger seat, and settled in behind the driver's wheel. The vehicle was this year’s model and smelled brand-new. Ellie settled back against the plush leather seat and smiled. Although she did plan to stop in at the pizzeria every couple of days, this was first and foremost a vacation, not a work trip. She was prepared to enjoy every minute of it.

  She knew the route from the airport to her grandmother's condo complex well enough that she didn't need to use the GPS to navigate there. Once she reached the winding coastal road that would lead her almost directly to the complex, she relaxed, cracked the windows, and enjoyed the scenery. The building her grandmother was staying in was a different one from last time – the company who leased them did short-term leases, and couldn't always guarantee the same condo would be available later – but would be much the same on the inside.

  She drove straight to the office building when they reached the condo complex and waited in the van while her grandmother went in to get the keys, then drove the two of them to the condo. Inside, while her grandmother looked around and set the thermostat to where she liked it, Ellie brought in her grandmother's bags. She shut the door behind her and looked around. Right now, it felt a lot like being in a very large, nice hotel. She knew that within the next few days, her grandmother would unpack, and once the other woman's knickknacks and family pictures were scattered around the condo, it would start feeling more like a home.

  She found Nonna in the kitchen. The condo association had left a gift basket on the center island for her, as well as an activity pamphlet that listed the fun events that would be happening within the past next week.

  “Look, a margarita mix,” Nonna said, peering into the basket. “You should have some drinks with me this evening.”

  “All right, but we've got to go shopping first. You can’t very well live off of margarita mix, European cookies, and artisan popcorn, now, can you? I'll go see if you need toilet paper and paper towels too, then we can make a list.”

  Before they could do anything else, there was a knock at the front door. The two of them walked back through the condo and Ellie looked out the peephole. She saw a woman she didn't recognize standing on the front step. Stepping to the side, she let Nonna open the door.

  “Hello? Can I help you?” Nonna said.

  “Hi, I'm Candy Boyce. I run a food delivery service that just opened for business last week. I saw the vehicle in the driveway and thought I might as well stop by and introduce myself. I've got a folder with all of our meal options, if you're interested. We do deliveries on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and offer quality, home cooked meals that are easy to reheat. We also cater to dietary restrictions including seafood allergies, gluten sensitivities, and vegan and vegetarian options.”

  “I’ll take a look at that folder,” Nonna said. “It would beat hiring a taxi to go into town for shopping every few days.”

  Candy handed Nonna the folder, peering curiously into the condo as she did so. She saw Ellie and gave a small wave.

  “Would you like a folder too? We deliver to the entire area, not just the complex.”

  “Unless you deliver to Maine, I'll have to pass,” Ellie said with a smile. “Good luck with your business, though. I think it sounds like a great idea.”

  Beaming, the woman said her goodbyes and walked back down the driveway to her to a large, cherry red van, which had Candy’s Meal Delivery printed on the side. Before Nonna could shut the door, someone else called out to her.

  Ellie peered out the door around her grandmother’s shoulder to see an elderly woman, who looked to be in her seventies to early eighties, walking across the grass toward them. Nonna brightened up immediately and handed the folder with the meal delivery options to Ellie before walking out onto the grass to embrace the other woman.

  “It's so good to see you, Kris.”

  “You should've called me when you got in,” the other woman said. “I couldn't remember if your flight was today, yesterday, or tomorrow.”

  “We just pulled in about ten minutes ago,” Nonna said. “I was going to call you once things got a bit more settled. You remember my granddaughter, Eleanora, don't you?”

  “Of course,” Kris said. “You talk about her all the time, and I remember eating at that lovely pizzeria last year.”

  “Well, she's going to be staying here in Florida for the next couple of weeks.”

  “That's just lovely,” the other woman said. “I’m sure the two of you will have such a nice time while she’s here. My grandson lives here, but he's planning on moving out of state soon. I'm going to miss him once he goes.”

  “I'm sure he'll come back and visit,” Nonna said. “How long have you been here?”

  “Oh, I got here at the beginning of October,” Kris said. “I'm thinking of making the move permanent. This area is just so nice, and more and more of my friends back home are either going into assisted living or moving south, like me. I'd really like to spend the rest of the time I have feeling good and living on my own somewhere beautiful like this. There's not much point in being independent if all I'm doing is huddling in fr
ont of a fireplace for half the year.”

  Realizing that this conversation was going to continue on for quite a while, Ellie shook her head, smiling, and stepped back into the condo, deciding that she might as well begin unpacking her grandmother's things and putting together a grocery list while the older woman caught up with her friend. There was a lot to do before Nonna could settle in here, and Ellie knew that she would be eager to turn this condo into a home as soon as possible.

  Chapter Three

  After a pleasant evening spent shopping, cooking, and sipping margaritas with her grandmother, Ellie drove back toward Miami, punching the address for the hotel she had booked into her GPS. Nonna had offered to let her stay in the spare room at the condo, but when she had seen the special that the five-star hotel was offering on suites, she knew she couldn’t turn down the deal. Two weeks of waited on hand and foot in a top of the line hotel with room service, a day spa, and a gorgeous beach right across the road would do wonders to help her recharge and prepare for the long Maine winter waiting for her when she got back.