A Thin Crust of Murder Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  A THIN CRUST 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

  EPILOGUE

  A Thin Crust

  of

  Murder

  Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria Series

  Book Fourteen

  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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  A THIN CRUST OF

  MURDER

  Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria Series Book Fourteen

  CHAPTER ONE

  * * *

  “No, you’re going to need twice that much cheese each month,” Eleanora Pacelli said into her cellphone. She was hiding in the back of the kitchen at Papa Pacelli’s Pizzeria, trying to find somewhere quiet to talk to Linda, her new franchisee in Florida. The grand opening of the second Papa Pacelli’s in Miami was only a few months away, and there seemed to be an endless list of things to do. Finding suppliers was one of the major tasks. She wanted to uphold the same level of quality in the second restaurant that the original Papa Pacelli’s was known for.

  “Okay, let me know when he sends you his quote. I know it seems expensive, but trust me. It will be worth it. The entire foundation of the restaurant is built on quality pizza, and to have quality pizza, you need to have quality cheese.”

  She sighed in relief as she hung up and turned her attention back to managing her own restaurant. It was a busy Friday evening, and the kitchen was bustling with activity. Iris, her hair a bright fuchsia pink, leaned over the oven to pull out a pizza. Pete, their newest employee, busily folded pizza boxes as he waited for the next delivery order to be ready. Ellie could hear the steady murmur of conversation coming from the dining area.

  “We’ve got another supreme deep-dish pizza order,” Rose, the third employee on shift for that evening, said, poking her head around through the door that led to the dining area. “Table six on the patio. They both want lemonades too.”

  “All right,” Ellie said. “I’m just about to make a new pitcher, I’ll be right out.” She grabbed one of the clean pitchers from the drying rack and filled it with ice cubes and some of the lemon juice that she had squeezed fresh just that morning. She topped it off with water, added a few scoops of sugar, and began to stir. She poured a sip in a clean glass for herself to taste. Perfect.

  Their freshly made lemonade was a hit, and they went through quite a few pitchers of the stuff every day. The town of Kittiport, located as it was on the coast of northern Maine, might not get as hot as somewhere like Miami, but it could still be uncomfortable during summer’s heat. Not much was more refreshing than an ice-cold glass of lemonade, especially for the guests that opted to eat outside on the patio.

  She placed the pitcher and a pair of clean glasses on the tray and pushed her way through the door that led to the dining area, and from there went onto the patio which had been installed earlier that year. It was packed, which was not surprising for such a lovely day. The sun was out, with only a few wispy clouds in the sky, and there was just enough breeze coming from the ocean to make the temperature tolerable under the large sun umbrellas. The Kittiport marina was just visible from the patio, and Ellie could see the white boats bobbing gently at their moors.

  She felt an urge to clock out early and spend the rest of the evening sunning herself on the deck of her family’s boat, the Eleanora, but knew that would have to wait for another day. Her employees might be able to scrape by without her, but she wouldn’t feel right leaving them to work hard on the busiest evening of the week while she relaxed. Besides, she couldn’t deny that she found work rewarding, doubly so when it was her own restaurant that she was running. She would have worked at the pizzeria every day if her presence were necessary to keep it running.

  Ellie made a beeline for table six where the newly seated guests were waiting for their drinks. “Two lemonades?” she asked, placing the glasses down on the table.

  “Thank you,” the man said as she poured. “We heard wonderful things about this place from my mother. We live in Virginia, we’re just up here for the weekend to visit.”

  “Well, please let me know if you’re not completely satisfied with your order. I hope you enjoy your stay here in Kittiport. It’s a small town, but it’s got a lot of character.”

  “We’re in love with it so far. Thank you.”

  “Your pizza should be out soon,” Ellie promised. “I hope you have a wonderful evening.”

  She circled the patio, refilling glasses of lemonade and chatting with the guests. She knew that she would likely be on her feet the entire evening, but she didn’t mind in the least.

  It was dark out by the time the pizzeria closed for the night. Ellie was exhausted, but her day wasn’t over yet. She sat in her car, resting her head against the back of the seat and enjoying the peace and quiet that came with being alone. After a moment, she reached into her purse and pulled out a black velvet ring box. She looked at the diamond engagement ring inside, then carefully took it out and slid it onto her ring finger.

  She was engaged to Russell Ward, the town’s sheriff. It still didn’t quite feel real. They hadn’t told anyone yet. Ellie had said that she wanted to wait and tell everyone all at once, but the truth was, she was afraid. Her last engagement hadn’t exactly ended well. Would people think that she had gotten engaged to someone else too soon? Would they think she was moving too fast? Was she moving too fast?

  She sighed and took off the ring. They would make their announcement soon, and after that, she would wear it proudly. It didn’t really matter what other people thought, not if she was happy.

  Once the ring was safely back in its box and buried at the bo
ttom of her purse, she started her engine and pulled out of the pizzeria’s parking lot. She turned right, away from the marina and the road back to home. She had a couple of stops to make before returning to her house.

  To get to her favorite coffee place in town, Ellie had to drive by the location of the restaurant that had once been her greatest competitor. Cheesaroni Calzones had closed down a couple of months ago, but she still got a tingle of unease whenever she passed by the empty building. This time, however, there was something new. The storefront was no longer dark and empty. There were lights on inside, and a new sign had been installed over the door that read Hot Diggity Dog. It looked like a completely different place. She slowed down to read a sign that had been placed in front of the building. It announced that the grand opening would be next week.

  She hated that the thought of this restaurant opening up made her feel anxious. She liked to think of herself as a good person, one who enjoyed the success of the others. So why did she feel like wishing the shop would just close up and go away? She hadn’t even met the owner yet. For all she knew, he or she might be a perfectly nice person. She didn’t mind some healthy competition in town. It would be good for her, and besides, it wasn’t like hotdogs and pizza were too much alike.

  Maybe I’ll stop by sometime before it opens, she thought. I can bring a gift basket and welcome them to town. At least that will start us off on the right foot. I definitely don’t want a repeat of anything that happened with the guys at Cheesaroni.

  She pushed down on the gas pedal, speeding past the place. Only time would tell how things would go with this new store. For now, she wanted to concentrate on picking up a pair of coffees and seeing her fiancé.

  Being the sheriff was a hard job, but she knew that there was no better man to do it than Russell Ward. Sure, it kept him busy, but her pizzeria kept her busy too. Considering that they were both married to their jobs, she couldn’t help but wonder how their actual marriage to each other would go. It was one of her many concerns about the upcoming wedding. However, despite her worries, she couldn’t help feeling giddy whenever she thought of the ring in her purse. They might have some problems to work through, but she was certain that her marriage to Russell would be filled with happiness and love. It might not be easy, but they were both the sort of people who would take their vows seriously and not give up, even when things got tough.

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  Ellie woke the next morning looking forward to the prospect of two full days when she wouldn’t have to go in to work. She loved the pizzeria, but everyone needed a break now and then. It was a Saturday, and the town would be full of activity. Kittiport wasn’t as popular a tourist spot as some of the bigger towns, but any picturesque coastal town gets its fair share of visitors every year. She knew from experience that the marina would be bustling, the restaurants downtown would be busy, and the farmers market in the local park would be full of both local customers and people visiting from far away.

  There were a few errands that she wanted to complete that day, but there was nothing stopping her from taking a leisurely morning at home first. Her papillon, Bunny, was more than happy to lounge on the couch with her while she watched the morning news. One of the little dog’s hind legs was in a cast and was still healing from a break that had happened a few weeks ago. Her grandfather’s greenwing macaw, Marlowe, was perched on top of the armchair, and watched the television almost as if she could understand what the people on the screen were saying.

  “Are you sure you don’t want any more muffins?” her grandmother called out from the kitchen. “If you don’t, I’m going to cover them up and put them on the counter.”

  “I’m good,” she called back. “I’ll probably grab one on my way to town, but right now I’m stuffed. That was a wonderful breakfast.”

  Indeed, all the homemade meals at the Pacelli house were wonderful. Nonna wasn’t as much of a cook as her husband had been, but she still had significant skill in the kitchen. She and Ellie took turns making meals. Her grandmother preferred to stay with more traditional ingredients, but Ellie liked to experiment. She had only discovered her love for cooking in the past year, and had been having a lot of fun exploring all the possibilities.

  Thinking of her grandfather made her think again of the pizzeria that they were opening down in Florida. She wasn’t sure that was what he would have wanted, but she had no way to ask him. He had passed away the year before, which was what had spurred her arrival to the town. She wished that she had taken the chance to get to know the man before he had died, and she would always regret not coming to visit sooner. As it was, she tried to keep his beloved pizzeria as close to his original vision as she could.

  She had doubts about the Florida restaurant herself. Florida was a long way away, and she wouldn’t have the hands-on control over that restaurant that she had with the one in Kittiport. She would have to trust the restaurant’s manager, Linda, to be honest and maintain the quality of food and service that she expected.

  Around noon, she began getting ready to go out for the day. She would be meeting her best friend, Shannon Ward—Russell’s sister-in-law—at the farmer’s market where they would spend a few hours before grabbing lunch. Shannon worked at the local newspaper and had helped Ellie out in the past by leaving her name out of stories that might have reflected poorly on the pizzeria. Shannon’s husband, James, was a contractor who had built the pizzeria’s patio and the drive-up window. Ellie liked the entire family, and had no qualms about marrying into it. She would be proud to be a Ward.

  Shannon was waiting for her by their favorite stand, the one that sold the best egg rolls in town. They each bought one, then took a seat to chat while they ate their snack. Ellie knew a lot of the farmers at the farmers market since she tried to source as much produce as she could from the local area. It was always nice to say hi to the people that she did business with, and making sure they knew her personally helped her to get some of the best deals around.

  “Do you know anything about the new hotdog shop that is opening up where Cheesaroni used to be?” she asked her friend as she dipped her egg roll in the small container of duck sauce provided by the vendor.

  “Yes, I did a small article in the paper about it. The owner’s name is Joanna Winfield. I met her a couple of weeks ago. She seems pretty nice. She’s a little bit younger than we are, and moved to town a few months ago with her husband. Have you met her?”

  “No, not yet. I’m glad that someone will be there other than Jeffrey and Xavier. I was thinking of putting together a gift basket to welcome her to town. What do you think about that?”

  “I think that sounds wonderful. I’m sure that she would appreciate it. I doubt that she knows very many people around here yet.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Ellie said. “She would probably appreciate another local restaurant owner reaching out to her. I definitely want to start on the right foot with her. I don’t want a repeat of the experience I had with Cheesaroni.”

  “Well, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that,” Shannon said. “Those two guys were unusually terrible.”

  “I’m just glad that they’re gone now. Things have been so much more pleasant lately. Ever since I got back from Florida, I’ve really been enjoying the little things around town. My vacation made me realize just how much I love Kittiport.”

  “I love it too,” Shannon said. “It really is a wonderful little town. But sometimes I wonder if it’s too small, you know? I probably missed out on a lot, growing up here.”

  “I don’t know, I think it’s a lot nicer to grow up somewhere like this than in a big city.”

  “I suppose.” Her friend fell silent and stared at her empty egg roll wrapper. Ellie took the last bite of hers, then looked around. The market was just as busy as she had thought it would be. If they wanted to finish their shopping in time for lunch, they would have to hurry. All the best goodies would be gone before long.

  An hour
later, they pulled into Shannon’s driveway loaded down with bags of fruits and vegetables, homemade cheeses, and locally raised meat. They had picked up some food from the food vendors as well, and were planning on having lunch at Shannon’s house before Ellie went home.

  Ellie set their bowls of soup and the box of teriyaki chicken on the table while her friend grabbed the plates and glasses out of the cupboards.

  “What do you want to drink? We have juice, water, wine, and I think some cans of soda buried at the back of the fridge.”

  “A glass of wine sounds nice. Just one though, since I’ll have to drive home later.”

  “Sure thing.” She grabbed a chilled bottle of white wine out of the fridge and brought over to the table. Ellie poured herself a glass, then reached for Shannon’s cup.

  “Not for me. I’m just having water right now.”

  “Oh, all right.”

  Ellie waited for her friend to sit down before digging into her food. The loaded baked potato soup was rich and flavorful, and a pleasant change from pizza.

  “What kind of things do you think you’re going to put in the gift basket?” Shannon asked.

  “Well, I’ll give her a gift certificate to the pizzeria, of course, and probably some gift certificates to some of the other small businesses around town. Since she and her husband are so new, they might not have had a chance to check out some of the little restaurants and shops yet. Do you think gift certificates are too impersonal? I don’t know what else I could get her.”

  “No, not at all. I think it’s a sweet idea. Maybe also add a little something else, like one of the mugs they sell at the coffee shop, or a bottle of wine, just to make the basket look fuller.”

  “Sure, that sounds like a good idea. I’ll go and drop all my groceries off at home, then go back out and start shopping again. I’ll stop by later this evening to see if she’s there.”