Boldly Basil Murder Read online

  Boldly Basil Murder

  The Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria Series, Book 37

  Patti Benning

  Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Copyright 2019 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

  Also by Patti Benning

  Author’s Note

  Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Chapter One

  Eleanora Ward looked up from where she was elbow-deep in the linen closet when she heard the wooden floorboards creak behind her.

  “I just got a call from the station,” Russell, her husband, said as he stepped through the master bedroom’s doorway and into the hallway.

  “Is it serious?” she asked distractedly as she returned to her search for the oversized beach towel that she could have sworn was in there.

  “Domestic disturbance,” he said. “A couple got into a shouting match at the grocery store. Bethany answered the call, but both people involved are threatening to get violent, so I’m going to swing by and give her some backup, since I was about to head in anyway.”

  “Good luck,” Ellie said, finally looking up from the closet again as his words really hit home. “Be careful, Russell.”

  “I always am,” he said, coming close enough to pull her in for a quick hug and kiss before heading back down the hallway. “Have a nice time on the water. Tell everyone that I say hi.”

  “I will,” she promised, giving him a smile that didn’t feel as though it quite reached her eyes. She knew that he went out on dangerous calls almost every day. Still, hearing about it in detail before the fact always made her worry. Taking a deep breath, she turned back toward the closet, determined to find that beach towel. It wasn’t as though worrying would actually help matters at all, so she decided to do her best to ignore the niggling concern and enjoy the day.

  A few minutes later she pulled the pink and orange monstrosity out from behind a stack of tablecloths with a triumphant, “Aha!” She shook the towel out and refolded it, then stuffed it into the beach bag by her feet. The Eleanora had a box of towels already onboard, but they had been sitting there most of the season and she wasn’t sure how watertight the container they were in was. She hadn’t had much time to go out on the boat, and the summer was almost over. It was hard to believe how quickly the year had passed by.

  “Don’t think about the fact that it’s almost fall already,” she told herself as she straightened up the linens, which she had made a bit of a mess of in her search for the towel. “Just don’t think about it. Summer’s still got some fight left in it, and today is for relaxing, not worrying.”

  Well, other than worrying about Russell, she thought as she shut the closet. Sometimes it’s easier just to pretend that he has a normal job, one where he’s not putting himself at risk daily. Days like today, where he got a chance to tell her about a call before he responded to it, always served as a reminder that her husband’s job was significantly more dangerous than her own.

  She grabbed the beach bag and carried it downstairs, just in time to hear Russell’s shouted “Goodbye!” and the sound of the front door swinging shut. The dogs, who had followed him into the foyer, came trotting back into the downstairs hallway. Sawyer, their young black lab, looked up at her with sad eyes. He was really more Russell’s dog than hers at heart. On the other hand, Bunny, her little black and white papillon, had eyes for only Ellie… unless food was involved, of course.

  “Do you two want to go out on the boat today?” Ellie asked. She hadn’t been planning on bringing Sawyer along — he was big and hyper, and had a bad habit of trying to jump into the water every chance he could get — but looking at his hangdog expression, she knew she couldn’t very well take Bunny and leave him behind.

  The dogs couldn’t understand everything she said, but she had no doubt that they could recognize her tone. The change that came over them was instantaneous, and she couldn’t help but smile even as she tried to remember if they had ever bought a life jacket for Sawyer. The thought of jumping overboard to save an overly enthusiastic lab from the ocean waves was not a pleasant one.

  It took her another half hour to unearth both dogs’ life jackets and finish packing the beach bag, as well as a small cooler with snacks and drinks. She was just about ready to go when the intercom beeped.

  Setting the bag and cooler on the ground, she walked over to the kitchen’s intercom interface. They had installed the system when they bought the house, and it was connected to an identical one in her grandmother’s house. It had been the best solution to Ellie’s concern about her grandmother living alone, especially since cell service could be so spotty in northern Maine. This way, she and Russell would always just be the press of a button away from the older woman.

  “Ellie, dear? Are you there?”

  Ellie pressed the button to respond. “I’m here, Nonna. What do you need?”

  “The light in my bathroom went out, I was wondering if you could come over and replace the bulb for me. I have extra bulbs; I just can’t reach the fixture and I’m not sure I want to risk climbing up on a chair…”

  “Of course. I’ll be right over.” She glanced at the clock. “I’ll probably just have to do the light and run, though. I’m taking the Eleanora out with Shannon and Joanna this afternoon.”

  She didn’t mention to her grandmother that she really should be leaving now. She didn’t want to make the older woman feel bad, and being a few minutes late to meet her friends was a lot better than putting off helping Nonna and having the older woman try to fix the light herself.

  After double checking that everything was ready, she slipped out the front door, leaving the dogs behind for the time being, and hurried across the lawn to her grandmother’s house. Since Nonna knew she was coming over, Ellie didn’t bother knocking; she just opened the front door. As always, she was immediately hit with the sense that she was home. She had spent the better part of the last two years living in the old house, and even though she knew it didn’t really make sense, she still felt a surge of nostalgia whenever she walked through the doors.

  “Nonna?” she called out as she stepped inside.

  “Coming!”

  She heard the sound of movement from down the hallway. Amie, Nonna’s tiny little chihuahua, was the first to appear. The dog froze for a second when she saw Ellie, then, as soon as she recognized her, she started wagging her tail so hard that her whole body wriggled. Ellie crouched down to greet the tiny dog. The chihuahua even looked tiny next to Bunny, and the papillon was only seven pounds.

  “Thanks so much for coming over, Ellie. I’m sorry to bother you with something so small.”

  Ellie straightened up and smiled at her grandmother. “It’s okay. I don’t mind at all. I’m just glad you came to me instead of trying to change the bulb yourself. Which bathroom is it?”

  “It’s the one connected to my bedroom. You go on ahead, I’m going to go get the extra bulbs from the kitchen.”


  She made her way to the bathroom, Amie following behind her. The thought of her grandmother all alone in this house always made Ellie sad — it was one of the reasons she had been so worried about moving out in the first place — but knowing she had the chihuahua for company made her feel a lot better. The little dog and her grandmother had had an instant connection, and she was easily small enough to travel on the plane with Nonna when she moved to Florida for the winter. Sometimes things just work out perfectly, she thought.

  When she reached the bathroom she automatically reached for the light switch before remembering exactly why she was there. Rolling her eyes at herself, she retreated into her grandmother’s bedroom to grab the stool in front of the older woman’s vanity and took it into the bathroom so she could take the old bulb down. Nonna returned with a new light bulb just as she finished.

  “Here you go. I’ll take the old one so you don’t have to get down.”

  “Thanks.”

  While Ellie screwed in the light bulb, Nonna slipped the old one back into the box. “You and Russell should come over for dinner soon. I bought the loveliest roast the other day. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to sit down and spend time together as a family.”

  “I know. I’m sorry; it’s just been such a busy summer. I’ll talk to Russell and see what his work schedule is, but if he’s free maybe we can come by tomorrow. I’ll help you cook a nice dinner, and he can take a look at that leaky pipe you have in the basement.” She tested the bulb to make sure it was screwed in all the way. “Can you hit the light switch?”

  The bathroom flooded with light, and Ellie, her job done, got off the stool and picked it up to carry it back into the other room. Nonna followed her.

  “Thank you so much for that, dear. Before you go, do you want a cup of tea? I’d love to chat with you. I haven’t even gotten a chance to hear your opinions on that new restaurant yet.”

  “I’m sorry, Nonna, but I really do have to go. Shannon and Joanna will be waiting. But I’ll stop by when I get back if you’d like.” She paused, then turned to face the older woman, frowning. “Wait. What new restaurant?”

  “The new buffet that’s opening up near that big resort. Haven’t you seen the advertisements?”

  “I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about,” Ellie said, feeling as if she had stepped into the Twilight Zone. “Have they been on TV?”

  “No, no, but there is a billboard on the highway down to Benton Harbor, and another one right near the resort.”

  “That would explain it then; I haven't been to Benton Harbor for a couple of weeks. What are they called?”

  “Ms. Maine's All-American Buffet. I'm not sure whether they're a chain or not. I do think they're planning on serving pizza, though. You might be in for a bit of competition.”

  Ellie chuckled. “We'll see. I'd be very surprised if a buffet could compete with Papa Pacelli's when it comes to pizza. Papa's dough and sauce recipes are unbeatable.”

  Chapter Two

  It was almost too nice of a day. The bright sunlight reflecting off the white of the boats made her squint, even with her sunglasses. She spotted the Eleanora up ahead and quickened her pace. It looked like her friends were already there; that, or two strangers had decided to make themselves at home on her grandfather’s boat.

  Shannon spotted Ellie first and came over to help her make the long step from the solid dock to the slightly unsteady deck of the boat. Ellie handed over the cooler and the beach bag first, then accepted her friend’s hand as she picked up Bunny and crossed the gap herself. Sawyer followed on his own, making the jump easily.

  “Thanks, Shannon,” she said as she caught her balance. “Hey, Joanna. Are you guys ready to go?”

  “Just waiting on you,” her sister-in-law said with a smile.

  “Then let’s get out of here. The open water is waiting.”

  Before they could take off, a commotion further down the dock caught their attention. A man riding a jet ski had nearly crashed into one of the pylons, and people were rushing over to see what was going on. He was waving them away angrily, glaring at one of the men who worked at the marina as he bobbed on the jet ski.

  “Where’d they go? I know that son of a gun has been sleeping with my wife. I know they were going out on the boat today. So, where did they go?”

  “Sir, calm down,” the man on the dock said. “You aren’t allowed to have that vehicle in the area where the large boats dock. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

  More cursing followed, and the three women exchanged glances.

  “Let’s just go,” Shannon said. “This doesn’t involve us.”

  Ellie shrugged, turning away from the scene. Her friend was right; it had nothing to do with them. The ocean was waiting.

  The three women worked together to get the boat untied and the engine started. Ellie steered her way slowly through the marina. She still wasn’t very confident with being in control of such a large, ponderous vehicle, but somehow she managed to get clear of all the other boats without causing any damage. The small bay was dotted with other boats, but the way out to the sea was clear. It was a calm day, with clear weather forecasted all the way through that evening.

  Behind her, her friends cheered. Shannon and Joanna walked in through the cabin’s open door and stood on either side of Ellie. She looked up to see that both of them were grinning. Their smiles were infectious. She knew she couldn’t ask for a better group of people to spend a day out on the water with.

  The ocean was calm that afternoon. The waves lapped at the sides of the boat, the gentle sounds lulling them all into a lazy half-sleep as they laid in the sun. They had gone a few miles down the coast before lowering the anchor and dragging out the lounge chairs. Sawyer was tethered to the table in the cabin, which was bolted down, and Bunny was curled up on one of the towels, her bright orange life vest making her easy to see. The three of them had chatted about everything from their relationships with their husbands, to Andrew, Shannon's son, and all of the new milestones he had hit. Since Joanna and Ellie both owned restaurants, they tended to gravitate toward business talk whenever they were together. Ellie usually tried to keep the topic on something that they could all participate in when Shannon was there too. Today, however, she decided to make an exception.

  “Joanna, have you heard about a new buffet that's going to be opening up just outside of town?” she asked as she reached for her ice cold lemonade.

  “That All-American buffet that's going in near the resort? Yeah, I've heard about them,” the other woman said. Her voice had a sour note to it.

  “You're not eager for it, I take it?” Ellie asked.

  The other woman sighed and shook her head. “I met the owner, some guy named Jason Hanks, and I’ve just got to say, I’m not a fan of his. I wouldn't mind the buffet; there are already cheaper places to get hot dogs in town and I’m doing fine, it’s just him I can’t stand. I’ve never met someone so rude in my life.”

  “Where did you meet him?” Ellie asked, suddenly curious.

  “He stopped at the hotdog shop,” Joanna said. She ran a specialty restaurant called Hot Diggity Dawg that served hot dogs with every sort of topping imaginable. The food was great, and Ellie would have stopped in weekly even if her friend wasn’t the shop’s owner.

  “He stopped in there and he was rude to you?” Ellie asked, aghast, craning her neck to look at the other woman.

  Her friend nodded and gave a slight shrug. “He came in and was looking around. I thought he was a customer at first, but after I greeted him and asked how I could help him, he just kept looking around with this sneer on his face, and told me who he was. He asked me a few questions about the shop and said a couple of things I'd rather not repeat, then left. I got the feeling that he was scoping out the competition. Which I get, I did the same thing when I first moved here, but I was nice about it. There's no sense in making enemies of the other small businesses. We've got to stick together.”

 
; “I wonder if he’ll stop in at the pizzeria,” Ellie said. “If he does, I hope it's while I'm there. I don't want my employees to have to deal with someone like him. It's a shame. It would've been nice to have another restaurant owner in our little group.”

  The year before, she had started a small business club for some of the small business owners in town. The meetings had tapered off and she had yet to reinstate them, but all of them still kept in contact with each other. They were all friends, or at least friendly with each other. She knew that they would have been more than happy to welcome the buffet owner to town with open arms and give him some hints and tips for making it work in northern Maine… if only he had been willing to extend the same courtesy to them.