Sweet Chili Murder Read online

  “Right, well, we’re all here. Sorry again for being late, John.”

  “Our last clients stayed a bit late anyway, so it’s okay. Shall we go in?”

  He stepped back and pushed open the door behind him, holding it while they filed through. Ellie couldn’t help but grin when she saw the cameras, the props, and the green screen. This was going to be fun.

  Chapter Three

  There were more introductions to be made. Ellie hadn’t been clear on how exactly Johnathan was tied to the studio. Linda’s emails had only ever mentioned that he worked for them. She quickly learned that he was a cousin of the director and the assistant director, who were brothers. The assistant director was a young man named Trevor, maybe a decade and a half younger than Ellie, and charismatic. He bounded forward when they came into the room, shaking each of their hands and asking their names, which he repeated a couple of times as though trying to make sure he remembered them. He couldn’t have been more different than his older brother, who had a dour expression and seemed impatient to get started.

  “Mr. Jacobson,” he said, shaking Ellie’s hand gruffly. “I understand that you were delayed, but we do have a schedule to keep. I’ve gone over the emails you sent about what you want in the ad, and I think doing it here will be best. We can take some film of the restaurant when the lighting is right, but we won’t have to contend with the hustle and bustle of a busy street. Now, I understand you’re the owner? Who are all of these other people?” He glanced at her employees and Nonna with mild disdain that made Ellie bristle, though she tried to hide it.

  “Linda is the manager for this location, and my grandmother owned the business before turning it over to me. Her husband is the one who opened the first restaurant, over twenty years ago. We’re a small, family-oriented business, and I felt it important to have the other employees included as well.”

  “Surely you don’t expect them to stick around for long?” He looked the small huddle of younger people up and down. “None of them can be older than college-aged. You’ll have new faces working there within a year.”

  “Well, they’re here now, and I want them involved.” She knew she was being short, but she couldn’t help it. Sure, she may not know the employees at the Florida location as well, but she still had weekly updates on them from Linda and knew that they were a good bunch. They were all looking forward to this, just as much as she was.

  “If you insist. Only the three of you —” He pointed at Ellie, Nonna, and Linda in turn “— have speaking parts, right? You’re not going to forget your lines?” They all shook their heads. Ellie and Shannon had written the script together, then Ellie had emailed it off to both Linda and Nonna so they could have a say. There was no way she was forgetting any of it.

  “I’ll get the lighting set up,” Mr. Jacobson said. “You can go with John, he’ll take you to get your makeup done. Chop, chop, Johnny-boy. Time is money.”

  Johnathan just rolled his eyes as his older cousin walked away, then gestured for their group to follow him. “Sorry about him. He’s in love with the industry, but he’s used to working on a much larger scale. He’s not really great with new clients.”

  “I thought that this was a new business?” Ellie said as they followed him back through the door and toward the other side of the building, where the offices were located.

  “It is. Mike — Mr. Jacobson, here, I guess — used to work for a much larger studio, but had a disagreement with a few important people and decided to branch out on his own. He convinced his brother and me to join him and, well… here we are. He’s got the know-how, Trev’s got the money, and I’ve got the experience in marketing. Here we are, makeup’s through this door. Darla’s a real doll. She’s Trevor’s wife, and has been doing professional makeup for years. It might seem a bit heavy, but the lights we use when we’re recording are a lot brighter than what you’re used to. Even if it looks like too much when you’re looking in the mirror, it will look perfect on television.”

  Getting her makeup professionally done was sure enough an experience Ellie would never forget. It was nothing like when her makeup had been done for her wedding. She winced when she looked at herself in the mirror — usually she preferred very minimal makeup — but trusted in what Johnathan had said.

  Before long, they were all trooping back to the studio, where Mr. Jacobson and Trevor were adjusting cameras and microphones. Johnathan gave them a thumbs up, then faded into the background to do whatever it was he did. Ellie hadn’t asked him in all the chaos. She was very much regretting being late. If they had been on time, perhaps the director would have been in a better mood.

  Still, when they were finally all in position and Mr. Jacobson said, “Action!” for the first time, she felt a surge of excitement. She smiled at the camera and spoke her first line, turning slightly to Nonna when it was the older woman’s turn.

  The older woman started to speak, then broke off into a cough. With a sigh, Mr. Jacobson barked an order and they restarted the scene. They got further into it before Nonna coughed again.

  “Sorry,” she said. “It’s very dry in here. Could I have some water?”

  “Sure,” Johnathan said with a smile. “I’ll go get you a bottle. Does anyone else want any?” Ellie nodded, as did a few of the others. Johnathan promised to be back soon, then left.

  “We might as well take a small break,” Trevor said. “Mike — hey, Mike! Where are you going?”

  Mr. Jacobson turned to frown at his younger brother. “I’m going to go get Francis,” he said. “She might be a better fit. We’ll start up again in ten.”

  Ellie heard Trevor sigh, but before she could ask him what his brother had been talking about, Johnathan reappeared with several bottles of cold water, which he handed out to them all. “There you go. Nothing wrong with a refreshment break.”

  Moments later, Mr. Jacobson himself returned with an elderly woman in tow. She looked flustered, and had obviously just had her makeup done.

  “Trevor, get her a printout with her lines on it.”

  His brother hesitated for an instant, then nodded and hurried away. Ellie shared a puzzled glance with Linda.

  “Excuse me, but what’s going on?” she asked the director.

  “We’re going to switch Francis here out with your grandmother. She’ll be able to get through the lines, then we can wrap this up.”

  Ellie blinked. The room soaked in silence as they processed his words. Once what he had said fully hit her, she shook her head and took a step forward.

  “What? No way. Nonna is going to be up here with the rest of us. Why would we switch her out for a stranger?”

  “Calm down, Mrs. Pacelli,” Mr. Jacobson said dismissively. “Your grandmother is a very lovely woman, I’m sure, but she doesn’t have much of a presence and she can’t even get through her lines. No one watching the ad will know we used a stand-in for your grandmother. Now, everyone back to their positions. Let’s get this thing rolling.”

  Linda took a step toward the green screen, then shot a hesitant look back at Ellie. The pizzeria owner was opening her mouth to tell the director that her grandmother was going to be in the ad, or there wasn’t going to be an ad, when she felt a touch on her arm.

  “It’s okay, Ellie, I don’t mind,” Nonna said softly. “I can just sit out. It’s enough for me that I’ll be able to see you in the advertisement.”

  Ellie looked at her grandmother, who suddenly seemed very old. Pressing her lips together, she shook her head.

  “Sorry, but no. I don’t think this is going to work out. I’m sorry for wasting everyone’s time, but this isn’t what I want for an advertisement. I want it to be real. We should be filming it at the pizzeria, and Nonna needs to be a part of it.”

  She strode over to her purse, which had been left on a chair in a corner of the room, and slipped the strap over her shoulder. She turned, and was surprised to see Linda right behind her.

  “Sorry, Johnathan,” her friend said, shooting him an ap
ologetic smile. “I’ll still see you tomorrow night?”

  “Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry this didn’t work out.”

  It didn’t take them long to pack up and leave. Ellie felt bad — she could tell the younger employees were disappointed — but nothing about this entire meeting had felt right. In her heart, she knew that walking away was the right thing to do.

  As they left the building, she heard one of the men say, “This is what I was talking about, Mike! We have to give clients what they want, not what you want. I swear, you’re going to drive this business into the ground before it’s even gotten started.”

  The heavy metal door shut behind her before she could hear the director’s reply, but she couldn’t help but feel a little glad that they weren’t the only ones upset with him.

  Chapter Four

  Even though Ellie felt that she had done the right thing, the drive home was tense and silent. She kept glancing over at Nonna, trying to gauge how the other woman was feeling. She didn’t think her grandmother was angry, but she was… something.

  They had planned to be out for most of the day, which would have included a late lunch with everyone at Papa Pacelli’s, but none of them had felt quite in the mood for that after their unexpectedly short stay at the studio. The light breakfast from earlier in the morning had left them hungry, and so the two of them retreated to the kitchen immediately when they got back.

  Both of them were silent for a moment as Ellie dug through the fridge and got out the necessary ingredients for sandwiches. As she began to slice tomatoes, her grandmother spoke.

  “You didn’t need to do that for me.”

  Ellie turned to look at her and put the knife down, frowning. “Nonna, of course I did. He wanted to replace you! He wanted some stranger in the ad instead of you.”

  “Well, maybe it would have ended up being for the best. Francis seemed like a very nice woman. She’s younger than me, and I don’t know where they got her from, but if she has been involved in the film industry, she probably would have done a better job than me.”

  “How would she have done a better job at playing you than you would have?”

  “It’s not like this is a movie about my life, Ellie. It’s a television ad. She would just be a friendly face, advertising the restaurant.”

  “But you’re part of the restaurant, Nonna. If it wasn’t for you, none of this would ever have happened. I know Papa is the one who opened the pizzeria and ran it for all of those years, but you’re the one who kept it going after he passed away, and you’re the one who got me involved in it. If it wasn’t for you, the second pizzeria would never have been opened. I wouldn’t have moved to Kittiport. I… I wouldn’t have met Russell. I may run Papa Pacelli’s now, but you’re the heart of the place, Nonna. For that man to say you aren’t good enough to be in the ad…” She shook her head. “Besides, I’m paying him, not the other way around. It’s not up to him to decide who’s in the advertisement.”

  The older woman had a small smile on her face, and her eyes looked moist. She blinked a couple of times. “I could never have asked for a better granddaughter, Ellie. Thank you for saying all of that. I still think you should give him another chance, though. We were all so excited for the ad. I’m sure if you call him and explain those things to him, he’ll be willing to give the shoot another try.”

  Ellie hesitated, then nodded. “I guess I was a bit rude. I’ll call him tomorrow. It will give both of us time to cool down.”

  “Thank you. Now, what do you want to do today? We have all this free time that we didn’t expect. You’re on vacation, you should have some fun.”

  The pizzeria owner considered, then looked out the window at the sunny weather. “Let’s eat our lunch, then head to the pool. I want to get some sun.”

  A few hours later, Ellie was feeling much more relaxed. The time at the pool had done her wonders. She had spent most of it sunbathing, listening to an audiobook in the times that she wasn’t chatting with her grandmother. They had been joined by a couple of Nonna’s friends, all of whom had been happy to finally meet Ellie. When it got too hot, she took a dip in the pool, which was pleasantly refreshing.

  By the time they got back to the condo, she was beginning to feel very bad for Russell. She had been keeping an eye on the weather in Kittiport, and knew it was well below freezing there.

  “I’m going to take a short nap,” her grandmother announced once they had both changed out of their pool clothes. “What do you want to do for dinner?”

  Ellie considered. “Pizza? I can run to the store and pick up the ingredients.”

  “That sounds good to me.”

  “What toppings should I get?”

  Nonna smiled. “Surprise me. Get something exotic.”

  The pizzeria owner chuckled. “All right, I’ll have fun with it. Have a good nap, Nonna.”

  The time in the sun had made Ellie pleasantly sleepy. It was tempting to follow her grandmother’s example and take a short nap, but she wanted to call Russell more than anything. The trip to the store would be the perfect time to speak privately with him. Not that she thought her grandmother would listen in on purpose, but the walls in the condo were thin and she knew she tended to talk loudly.

  Before leaving, she sat down with the small notepad that she carried in her purse and made a list of the ingredients she wanted to buy. She had had an idea for a new pizza floating around in her mind for a while, and since her grandmother had wanted something exotic… well, it was time to try it out.

  She put up the convertible’s top and made sure her phone was connected to the car’s Bluetooth connection before leaving the driveway, and as she pulled onto the main road, she dialed Russell’s number. He answered after only a couple of rings.

  “Hey, Ellie,” he said, his voice warm. “How’s your trip going so far?”

  She made a face, even though she knew he couldn’t see it. “Not as expected.” She continued on, telling him about the issues they had encountered at the film studio. She was surprised when her husband gave a chuckle when she had finished.

  “Is it bad to say I’m relieved? By the tone of your voice when you first started talking, I expected something much worse.”

  “Come on, I’m not that bad about finding trouble.”

  “I know, I know. I just like to tease you about it. You and your grandmother do tend to be a bit more adventurous than I’d like, especially when you’re on the other side of the country than I am, but I know you’re smart about what you get involved with. So, do you think you’re going to give the studio another chance?”

  She sighed. “Probably. I know I overreacted. I’m going to call tomorrow and apologize and see if the director is willing to talk to me. It’s important to me that Nonna is there.”

  “I know. I don’t think you were wrong, exactly, maybe just in how you handled it. I think you should go in person, though. It’s better to be face to face with someone when you’re having important discussions.”

  “All right. That’s probably a good idea,” she said. “I should get going, I’m at the grocery store. I’ll text you before bed, and I’ll give you a call tomorrow to let you know how the discussion with the director went. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Ellie. Talk to you later.”

  She ended the call, feeling better about what she had to do the next day. Then she pulled out her list, double checked it, and went into the store, her thoughts focused on food.

  The kitchen in her grandmother’s house was smaller than what she was used to working with, but it was well organized. She didn’t have any trouble finding the dishes she needed, and soon got started on preparing the sweet chili sauce. She used Hatch chilis, dicing them as small as she could before adding in the vinegar, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and seasoning. She put the sauce on the stove to simmer while she rolled out the crust — store bought, since she didn’t have time to make the quality homemade crust she preferred — and put it in the oven to pre-bake. T
hen she turned her attention to the mangoes. She had bought the ripest mangoes she could find.

  She cut the fruit into small cubes and set it aside, grabbing the white Stilton cheese from the fridge. She grated that, finishing just as the oven beeped to let her know the pizza crust was ready. She pulled it out of the oven and began assembling the toppings, using the chili sauce as a base, and then drizzling extra over the mangoes and cheese. She completed the finishing touch, painting the crust’s edges with olive oil, then put her creation back into the oven to cook while she cleaned up.

  By the time the kitchen was clean and the table was set for the two of them, the kitchen smelled wonderful. Her grandmother joined her, pouring drinks for the both of them, and Ellie got the pizza out of the oven. She inhaled deeply, smiling. The food couldn’t have smelled better. If it tasted even half as good, then she knew what the pizzeria’s new weekly special would be when she got back to Kittiport.