Meat Lovers and Murder Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  MEAT LOVERS AND 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

  Meat Lovers

  and

  Murder

  Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria Series

  Book Twenty-Five

  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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  MEAT LOVERS AND

  MURDER

  Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria Series

  Book Twenty-Five

  CHAPTER ONE

  * * *

  Papa Pacelli's Pizzeria was the most popular pizza place for miles around. It was a brisk northern Maine spring day, but inside it was warm and cozy. Eleanora Pacelli had gotten home from her honeymoon the day before, but it was being in the restaurant that really made her feel as if she was back where she belonged.

  “One classic round pepperoni and sausage pizza,” she said, easing the pizza tray onto a metal stand on one of the tables. “Do you folks need anything else? Can I get you a refill on your drink?”

  “Yes, please,” the middle-aged woman said. “It was a diet cola.”

  Ellie grabbed the glass and walked toward the kitchen, surreptitiously looking over the other tables as she did so to make sure no one else needed a refill or some extra napkins.

  She loved her job. She enjoyed everything from cooking and coming up with new pizza ideas, to interacting with the guests on a daily basis. She loved making her customers happy. Running the pizzeria was one of the most fulfilling things she had ever done for a living, and she had no regrets about moving out of busy Chicago to the small town of Kittiport, Maine. Newly married, with two thriving restaurants to call her own and a handful of close friends, she couldn't imagine her life being any better.

  “Here's a diet cola refill for table three,” she said, handing the glass off to one of her employees. Rose, a young woman who had been working in the pizzeria even longer than Ellie had, was one of Ellie's most faithful workers. She was wonderful with the guests and knew her way around a pizza better than most people did. “I’ll be taking my break pretty soon. Shannon is supposed to meet me here in a couple of minutes.”

  “Okay, I’ll take care of the refill for you,” the young woman said.

  “Thanks. I want to wash up and get out of my apron before I sit down for lunch. It's been a busy day so far.”

  “It's been like this the entire time you were on your trip,” Rose said as she rinsed out the cup, put new ice in it, then refilled it at the soda machine. “The nicer weather is really bringing people out.”

  Most of the snow was finally gone, and though the weather still wasn't comparable to the wonderful, sunny days that she had enjoyed in Florida and in St. Lucia, it had improved since she had left two-and-a-half weeks ago.

  Ellie hung up her apron on the wall hook and scrubbed her hands in the sink. One of the occasional downsides of her job was that she always smelled like pizza. At the end of a long day, she felt as if she had pizza on the brain, and pizza everywhere else as well.

  Once she was done cleaning up, she checked her cell phone to see if she had any notifications from her best friend, Shannon, who was supposed to be meeting her for lunch. She didn't see any new text messages, so she assumed the other woman would be right on time.

  She poured a glass of soda for herself, then slipped back out the door that led to the dining area and took a seat at one of the remaining empty tables. She leaned back and closed her eyes, then a moment later felt someone grab onto her leg.

  Ellie set up with a jolt and looked down to see a small, two or three-year-old child clinging to her pants.

  “Juliet!” the woman exclaimed, swooping down to grab the child. “I'm so sorry. She loves people.

  “Don't worry about it,” Ellie said with a chuckle. “It just surprised me, that's all.”

  “That's life with Juliet. It's full of constant surprises.”

  The woman moved the child to her hip and held out her other hand. “My name is Joselyn. We just moved to town. We heard good things about this place from a couple of different people, so we thought we would check it out. Is the pizza here really as good as they say?”

  Ellie grinned. “Well, I own the place, so I might be a bit biased, but I think it is.” She shook the other woman's hand. “Eleanora Pacelli. Oops, it’s Eleanora Ward now. You can just call me Ellie.”

  “Oh, my goodness,” the other woman said. “I had no idea. I'm so sorry we disturbed you.”

  “There's nothing to be sorry about. It's always nice to meet someone new. I think you'll love this town. It might be small, but it has its charm. And you are welcome to stop in here any time. We don't have a children's menu, but we do offer pizza by the slice, and also individual sized pizzas with any toppings you can imagine. We’re family-friendly, and always welcome children. Things get rowdy here sometimes on Friday nights when the high school football game is over, but other than that it is a pretty calm atmosphere.”

  “Well, I think you’ve got yourself a new, loyal customer,” Joselyn said. “It was really nice meeting you. I think we're going to go order now. I'm sure I'll see you around again.”

  Just as the woman and her daughter walked away, the bell at the front of the store jingled, and Ellie saw Shannon come in. Her best friend was very pregnant and walked with a decided waddle. Ellie always marveled at the fact that she still managed to get around. It was so odd to think that in just a couple of weeks, there would be a new, tiny human for her to get to know. Now that she and Russell were married, she would actually be the child's aunt. Shannon was married to Russell's brother, James Ward. They were best friends, and also sisters-
in-law.

  “Hey,” Ellie said, rising to give her friend a careful hug. “How are you doing?”

  “Not too bad, considering that I look and feel like a boat. I'm going to be quite a lot happier when this baby is finally outside of me. There just isn't enough room for all of my organs plus the little kiddo.”

  “Should you really be walking around and driving?” Ellie asked. “I would've been happy to come over with a pizza for lunch.”

  “I've been sitting and lying around far too much. Walking feels good. I need to get my blood moving and keep my muscles loose.”

  “Just don't overdo it,” Ellie said.

  “Everyone is so concerned about me,” Shannon said, shaking her head as she lowered herself into her seat. “I'm fine. I know my own limits. I'm still flesh and blood, not made of glass.”

  “I know, I know,” Ellie said. “I just can't help it. I'm so excited for you. You're going to have a baby.”

  “Really?” Shannon asked, giving her a half grin. “I had no idea. Thanks for telling me.”

  Ellie laughed. “Okay, I’ll quit being so overprotective. Let's order. I would have put something in the oven before you got here, but I wasn't sure what you would want.”

  “I think I want something with white sauce today,” Shannon said. “Maybe with artichokes and bacon. And cheese, of course.”

  “An artichoke bacon pizza with white sauce and plenty of cheese,” Ellie said. “I'll go tell Rose. It will be probably about ten or fifteen minutes before it's out.”

  While they waited for their food, the two women chatted about their lives. The past year had brought about major changes for both of them. Shannon was having a baby far later in her life than she had planned, and Ellie had finally gotten married. Ellie was still adjusting to the fact that she now had a husband. She couldn't count the number of times that she had accidentally signed her name as Eleanora Pacelli instead of Eleanora Ward.

  Things had moved quickly with her and Russell. She didn't feel as if their relationship had been rushed but looking back she wondered if she would have been surprised at herself five or ten years ago. She had never been one to jump into relationships, but things had just felt so right with her and Russell. Everything was so easy with him. She felt completely comfortable around him and couldn't imagine her life without him.

  Rose brought the pizza out, and Ellie reached for a piece, glad to see that Shannon was loading her own plate up.

  “This looks amazing,” Shannon said. “I knew coming out today was the right thing to do. James doesn't understand how much it helps me to get out of the house.”

  “I'm glad you're taking care –” Ellie broke off. Her phone was buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw Russell's name on the caller ID. Giving her friend an apologetic glance, she said, “Sorry. It's Russell. I've got to take this, but it should only take a second or two.”

  She answered the call and tucked the phone against her ear, lowering her voice as she greeted her husband.

  “Am I interrupting anything?” he asked.

  “I'm just having a quick lunch with Shannon. What did you need?”

  “Well, I thought I would make dinner for us tonight. I stopped at home to make sure the grill worked after not being used all winter, and we’re out of propane. I don't feel like heading all the way out to the farm store to get more, so I thought I'd make something else. What are you in the mood for?”

  “That's a tough question,” Ellie said. “Not pizza. I'm eating that right now. Would you be up to making some sort of pasta?”

  “Pasta sounds good to me,” he said. “Maybe I can find a recipe for that lobster alfredo you like so much. Is there anything else you want me to pick up when I stop at the store?”

  “I don't think so,” she said. “I haven't done inventory of our fridge and pantry yet, so I don't know what we need to stock up on after our vacation. Just pick up the basics for now. Thanks, Russell. My husband making me dinner… I could get used to this.”

  He chuckled. “Unfortunately, it won't last long. Once the next big case comes in at the sheriff's department, I won't have as much time on my hands.”

  “I know,” she said. “Don't worry, I'll still love you even if you don't make dinner every night. I should get going now, though. Shannon and I were in the middle of talking, and I don't have too much longer to be on my break. I'll see you later tonight.”

  “See you later,” he said. “If you can think of anything you want me to pick up at the store, just text me. I'm on my way there now.”

  A moment later, Ellie hung up the phone and slipped it back into her pocket, smiling. Shannon was looking at her, her eyes crinkled with happiness.

  “I take it the two of you are enjoying being married?”

  “Definitely,” Ellie said. “I know the last few weeks have been crazy, what with the wedding and the honeymoon and everything. I enjoyed all of that, but it is really nice to be back home. I feel like we are finally starting our lives together. I can't wait to see what the future holds.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  Ellie got home that evening to a house that smelled like brownies. She inhaled deeply as she knelt down to greet the two dogs. Bunny, her little black and white Papillion, danced on her hind legs, eager to get her owner's attention. Sawyer, the black lab puppy that she and Russell had adopted just over a month beforehand, clumsily skidded into her legs, his tail whipping back and forth.

  Laughing, Ellie made sure to pet them both before straightening back up. She loved the dogs. Their silly antics and endless loyalty made her heart feel good even after a long day at work.

  From the other room, she heard a long, drawn out squawk. She hurried to take her shoes off and hang her purse up on the coat hook, then went into the hallway to find her greenwing macaw, Marlowe, hanging by her beak from the top of her cage. When the bird saw her, she clung to the cage bars with her feet and pressed her beak against the side of the cage. Ellie walked up and planted a kiss on top of the bird’s beak, then grabbed a bag of walnuts from the small storage area under the cage and gave the bird one.

  “I'll get you out after dinner,” she said. “You probably shouldn't be in the kitchen while we're cooking. It will be crowded in there, between me, Russell, and the dogs.”

  She left the bird to eat her nut in peace, then went into the kitchen to find her husband bending over the open oven and pulling out a pan of freshly baked brownies, swirled with caramel.

  “Those look amazing,” Ellie said. “Please tell me that we are planning on eating dessert first.”

  “Nope, pasta first,” Russell said. “Dessert will have to wait until after. Though if you're quick, you might be able to sneak a small piece while my back is turned.”

  “If I tried to steal a brownie now, I'd burn my tongue out of my mouth,” she said. “I'll just have to be patient. Do you want help?”

  “Sure. Do you want to start on the pasta, or the sauce?”

  She chose to start boiling the pasta; she had spent the day cooking and would be glad for the simpler task.

  Cooking side-by-side with her husband was a pleasant way to start the evening. It was odd, but nice, to think that they would be doing this for the rest of their lives. Not every night, no; they both had work and occasional other commitments, but even if they could just do this a couple of times a month until they were well into old age, she would be happy.

  In what seemed like no time at all, the two of them, working together, had managed to whip up a delicious lobster alfredo pasta dish, boil fresh peas, and throw together a green salad. Ellie set the table while Russell put the food into serving dishes, then the two of them sat down together at the small table in the kitchen. The formal dining room was usually reserved for dinner parties and guests, and the kitchen felt much cozier with just the two of them.

  “This is wonderful,” Ellie said.

  “I'm glad we both had time for this tonight,” Russell said.

  “Me too. How
was your first day back at work?”

  “Busy, but not quite as bad as I was expecting. Liam and Bethany handled things well while I was gone, and they made sure that I didn't have too big of a pile of open cases on my desk when I got back. It's nice to be back, but I'm glad that I'm not getting slammed with work right from the start. How was your first day?”

  “Busier than yours by the sound of it, but nice. I know I spent a lot of time at the pizzeria while we were in Florida, but it's not the same as working here. It was wonderful to be back with all the people I know and love, and it was nice to see Shannon again. I loved our trip, but I don't think I realized just how much I missed Kittiport while we were gone. I'm glad that we both agreed that we want to stay here, whatever else happens.”

  One of the things of the two of them had talked about in length during their honeymoon was their future living arrangements. Right now, they were living together in her grandmother's home, while her grandmother stayed at a condo in Florida. Nonna would be coming back soon, and then the two of them would be sharing the house with a third person. Ellie wanted to say that she would be fine with it, but the more she got used to having time alone with Russell, the more that she knew that she wanted them to have their own home. At the same time, her grandmother really did need someone nearby. The elderly woman couldn't live safely on her own with no one to check up on her. It was a conundrum that the two of them had puzzled over for a long time. They had finally decided to simply take life as it came. They would be okay living with her grandmother for a short while, and if the opportunity to buy their own home nearby in town arose, then they would discuss what move they wanted to take at that time.