Murder at the Cooking School: Book 7 of the Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series (9 page)

“Kelly, that was a fabulous meal. The
lamb was perfect, and everything else was too. I have to tell you that Granny’s
Tart was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. It wasn’t too sweet, and it
left a wonderful taste in my mouth. I’ll be the first one down to breakfast
tomorrow because Chef Bianchi said that the leftover tart was even better the
second day, and I intend to have at least one more piece of it. Of course
that’s not including the pieces I’m going to have as soon as we’re back home
and you make it.”

“Look around, Mike. You’re
not the only one who’s going to be down here early. There’s not a crumb left on
any of the dessert plates. Almonds, pine nuts, ricotta cheese – what’s not to
like? It’s definitely going on the menu at Kelly’s Koffee Shop when we get
home.”

They were walking down the
hall on their way back to their room when Mike’s cell phone rang. He looked at
the screen on his phone and said, “It’s Chief Varano.” He gave the room key to
Kelly, so she could open the door while he talked to the chief.

“Chief, I’m just walking
into my room. Let me close the door. I don’t know what you’re going to tell me,
but it’s been my experience whenever the chief of police calls it’s probably
not a call other people should overhear.”

“Good thinking, Mike,” the
chief said. “We got a break in the Nardo murder case. You and I tried every
which way today to figure out a way to look at Giovanni Rizzo’s financial
records, and we couldn’t come up with anything. After I dropped you off at the
castle and went back to the station, ironically enough there were two messages
for me from clients of Giovanni. These were from two of the three people who
had filed complaints against him with the Bar Association. What they told me
was almost identical.”

“Carlo, just tell me one
thing. Did they give you something we can use?”

“Without a question. Both
of them said large sums of money had been drawn out of the trust accounts that
were in their names as well as Giovanni’s name. Neither of them had authorized
the withdrawals. Both of them had immediately contacted him and questioned the
withdrawals. He told them it had been an inadvertent withdrawal, and that he
had simply made a mistake and taken the funds from the wrong account. He said
it should have come from the account of one of his other clients.”

“Seems like I’ve heard
that before,” Mike said. “I’ve known a few attorneys in the United States who
have used the same excuse when they’ve been caught with their hand in the
cookie jar, or as you’d probably say, taking money out of one of their client’s
accounts.”

“The timing couldn’t have
been better. I have a very good friend who’s a judge and happened to be the one
on-call tonight if any search warrants needed to be issued. I called him and
told him what had happened with the two clients, and that tomorrow I would like
to search Giovanni’s law office as well as the office in his home, if he has
one.”

“Were you able to get a
search warrant?”

“Yes, it went into effect
a few minutes ago. I had to go to the judge’s home to get his signature, and I
had to get signed statements from the two people who had filed complaints with
the Bar Association and called my office. I intend to search Giovanni’s office
at 8:00 tomorrow morning. I’d like you to come with me. Two heads are better
than one when it comes to something like this, and when we were talking earlier
today you mentioned you had conducted a number of searches when warrants had
been issued. You’re probably far more qualified to carry this out than my
deputies, although I will bring one of them with us.”

“I’d be happy to accompany
you, but I also need to tell you what Kelly found out today. I didn’t want to
bother you and figured I’d just tell you when I saw you tomorrow; however, this
seems like as good a time as any.” He told Chief Varano what Kelly had
overheard at the Rizzo home and what she’d discovered in the files she’d taken
from
Signora
Nardo’s bedroom.

“You know I could arrest
her for breaking and entering, plus stealing. That was not only a dangerous
thing for her to do; she also committed an illegal act. I won’t arrest her for
it, but she needs to know I could.”

Mike ran his fingers
through his graying hair in frustration. “Carlo, you’re not telling me anything
I don’t know, but if you knew Kelly, you’d know you wouldn’t get anywhere by
trying to tell her not to do something like what she did today. She justifies
doing such things by saying she’s helping me solve cases. Believe me, it drives
me nuts.”

“I can only well imagine.
If my wife did something like that, I‘d be furious. I think here in Italy we
have a little more control over our wives than you Americans do.”

“You’re probably right,
but it’s also what makes her interesting. I really never know what she’s going
to do.”

“Well, maybe it would be a
good thing if you got her to promise to stay out of the case from now on. With
the information both of us now have, we may be getting close to solving the
murder. Anyway, I certainly hope so.”

“So do I, Carlo. I’ll talk
to her. So, you’ll pick me up around 7:45 in the morning?”

“Yes, see you then. Enjoy
the rest of your evening.”

Mike ended the call and
turned to Kelly. “Did you happen to overhear what Chief Varano said?”

Kelly had suddenly become
very busy examining her wedding ring and answered in a tiny voice, “Of course I
heard him. Sounds like he’s a male chauvinist.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never
discussed that subject with him, but at least give lip service to me by
promising you won’t do anything more on this case. Can you promise me that?”

“Of course, sweetheart,”
she said, mentally crossing her fingers behind her back. “You have everything
you need to solve it. I’ll bet it’s Giovanni, and I wouldn’t want to do
anything that might jeopardize your position with the chief, but you have to
admit, the information I gave you was pretty good.”

“Once again, you got
lucky, Kelly. It was nothing more than being in the right place at the right
time.”

“Sheriff, as I recall,
you’re the one who doesn’t believe in coincidences. Do you think that hearing
about
Signora
Rizzo and finding those files are coincidental? Just
answer that,” she said defiantly.

“Kelly, this conversation
is officially over. I am not going to argue with you while we are on our honeymoon
in Italy about whether or not your actions today were deliberate or
coincidental. Instead, I’d like to invite you to step out on the terrace with
me and look at that full moon shining on the vineyards and the olive grove.
It’s really beautiful.”

“It may be beautiful, but
does that mean neither one of us will get much sleep tonight? I know I sure
don’t sleep very well when there’s a full moon.”

“With Caesar staying in
our room, I don’t think there will be any other reason we won’t get much sleep
tonight. Once again, so much for the romantic honeymoon I’d looked forward to.”

“Mike, when we get to
Florence, we’ll have our honeymoon. I’ll have my new gold bracelet that you’re
going to buy me from one of the shops on the
Ponte Vecchio
, and I’ll
thank you properly for it then. Caesar will have to stay here. From the looks
the staff gives him every time they see him, he’ll have a good home. Oh, one
other thing. Does this mean you won’t be talking to
Signor
Nardo
tomorrow?”

“I have no idea. It
probably will depend on what we find out when we search Giovanni’s office.
Why?”

“No reason. Just curious.”

“Kelly,” Mike started to
say, but she leaned over and kissed him.

“Mike, we’ve talked
enough, and we’re both tired. Tomorrow looks like it’s going to be just as busy
as today. We need to get some sleep.”

“All right, but don’t
forget. I want to get up early, so I can have some leftover Granny’s Tart with
my cup of coffee in the morning.”

“No problem. You know how
prompt I am. I’m sure we’ll be the first ones to get down there.”

He raised an eyebrow and
looked at her. “Sweetheart, I know how good your intentions are, but if for
some strange reason I happen to get ready before you do, I’ll meet you in the
dining room.”

“Okay. Love you. See you
in the morning.”

He glared at Caesar who
had opened one large eye as if he were winking at Mike. Mike turned off the
lamp on the nightstand. His last thought before falling asleep was how romantic
it was with a one hundred fifty pound dog at the foot of the bed. He was sure
if he touched Kelly, Caesar would attack him and take his leg off. He hated to
admit it, but the dog thoroughly intimidated him.

When Kelly stepped out of the
bathroom the next morning, she realized Mike had already left for breakfast, so
he wouldn’t miss out on getting a piece of Granny’s Tart. She just hoped he’d
saved her one.

She walked downstairs and
took Caesar out to his dog run before she went into the dining room. “Aah,
Kelly, there you are. I saved you a piece of Granny’s Tart, but when you hadn’t
come down for twenty minutes, I thought maybe you were going to skip breakfast
this morning, so I ate it.” He smiled and tried to look sorry. He wasn’t able
to pull it off.

“Mike,” she said, “let’s
be honest. How long was it before you ate the second piece, my piece, of
Granny’s Tart?”

“I’m going to be just as
truthful with you as you oftentimes are with me. I waited twenty minutes.”

“I seriously doubt that,”
she said taking a sip of the coffee she’d gotten from the serving table when
she walked into the room. “Mike, I’ve really gotten to like Italian coffee.
It’s more like an espresso. We might have to get one of those machines when we
get back home.”

“Okay, your call. I see
the chief standing in the reception area. See you whenever. Love you.”

“Be safe, Mike. You may be
helping to solve the murder, but promise me you won’t try to be a hero.”

“I promise, but then again
if my promises are as good as yours, not sure what it’s worth. See you later,”
he said grinning. He stood up and gave her a half-salute.

Kelly walked over to the
table where the continental breakfast was laid out. It was hard to decide what
to choose with such an array of mouth-watering dishes in front of her. There
was a platter with skewers of sweet Italian sausage and peppers, biscotti,
croissants, miniature pizzas with bacon and scrambled eggs kept warm in a
chafing dish, and a big bowl of fresh fruit with a pitcher of cream. The only
thing that kept Kelly from trying one of everything was the knowledge that
lunch and dinner would be equally wonderful, and she knew if she ate a large
breakfast she wouldn’t be able to do justice to the other two meals. After a
lot of mental debating she ended up with a biscotti and a small dish of fresh
fruit, so she could enjoy what she’d be making in class that morning.

When she was finished
eating, she walked outside and let Caesar out of the dog run. “Come on, boy.
I’ve got a little time before class, and I need to email Julia.”

Her daughter Julia and her
husband Brad, along with his young daughters, had just moved into Mike’s
deceased aunt’s home in Calico Gold, California. When Mike married Kelly he’d
become an instant stepfather to her two adult children, Julia and Cash. With
the marriage of Brad and Julia, Mike’s family had once again increased, as he
became a step-grandparent to Brad’s two daughters who were now four and six.
Never having had children, he loved every minute of family life, but it
certainly was a change from his life as a divorced man of many years.

I can’t believe this ancient
castle has Wi-Fi. It’s almost sacrilegious, but I’m glad I don’t have to go to
the village to email Julia
, Kelly thought.

She spent the next half
hour telling her daughter about Italy, the castle, and the cooking school. She
deliberately left out the part about
Signora
Nardo being murdered,
knowing how worried Julia got about Mike’s cases and her involvement in them.
She looked at her watch. “Caesar, it’s time to go to cooking school. You can
stay outside the kitchen while I’m in there. Let’s go.”

“Aah Kelly, there you
are,” Chef Bianchi said. “Today I would like you to prepare the stuffed
focaccia with grilled zucchini, peppers, pesto, and mozzarella. You’ve made the
focaccia before, so go ahead and make it according to the directions. When you
finish making it, you will put the stuffing ingredients on it. It’s kind of
like a pizza, but there’s one thing to remember, never put the mozzarella on
the bottom. It gets really soggy if that’s done.”

“I thought we were going
to change partners every day, but for the last two days I’ve worked with you,
and quite frankly, you’ve been busy with the other students. I’m worried I’ll
make a mistake. I think I’ve been lucky so far.”

“The reason I haven’t
gotten another partner for you is that you’re very good in the kitchen. You
have great instincts, and you really are a seasoned cook. Trust me, you can
easily do this. We’ll have it for lunch. When you finish the focaccia, you can
prepare the braised artichokes with potatoes, parsley, and garlic we’ll be
serving for dinner. It’s served cold, and it’s even better when it’s made a few
hours ahead of time. Do you have any questions?”

“Not now, but I probably
will once I get into the recipes.”

Chef Bianchi patted
Kelly’s arm and said, “You’ll do just fine. I have no doubt. Oh, by the way,
how are your husband and the chief doing with solving
Signora
Nardo’s
murder?”

“There was a breakthrough
last night. I think they’re getting very close to solving it.”

“Who do they think
committed such a horrible crime?” the chef asked.

“The one thing I’ve
learned as a sheriff’s wife is that it’s not my case. It’s my husband’s, and
believe me he tells me often that it’s not my case. You better ask him.”

“Do you think he’ll be
back in time for dinner?”

“I really don’t know. He
enjoys law enforcement work, but he’s loved the food here and has really been
sorry that he couldn’t attend class. Between you and me, I think what he’s
sorriest about is that he isn’t here to enjoy the fabulous meals.”

Two hours later, tired and
hoping she hadn’t disappointed the chef, Kelly joined the other students as
they made their way to the porch for the luncheon they had just prepared. Kelly
looked at the table and wished she’d brought her phone with her so she could
take a picture of it and send it to Julia. The luncheon meal was served family
style with large bowls and platters of the food they’d prepared set on the long
table. Today they were having spinach gnocchi, the stuffed focaccia Kelly had
made, a fennel salad with lemon and mint, and for dessert, panne cotta, which
was a light pudding-like dish sweetened with vanilla. The colors and textures
made her mouth water.

The wine steward told them
about the wines he’d selected for the meal, and soon everyone was happily
eating and drinking. Kelly had noticed during the morning class that Chef
Bianchi seemed very nervous, and when she looked across the table at the chef,
she noticed what appeared to be lines of tension around her eyes and mouth.

I wonder what she’s
worried about. Well, you never know what’s going on in someone’s personal life.
I really don’t know anything about her other than she’s married to Signora
Nardo’s brother, and I’m not supposed to even know that.

When everyone had finished
eating lunch, Chef Bianchi stood up and tapped her knife against her water
glass. “Students, I want to remind you that this afternoon we will take an
excursion to the
Mercato
Centrale
in Florence. It’s well worth
seeing, and I hope all of you will join me. Since it is a one hour trip each
way, our last dinner of the cooking school will be later than usual. Wine will
be served at 7:30 in the library and dinner will be 8:30. Those of you who are
going on the excursion meet me at one-thirty in the hotel entrance, and we will
board the van.”

This is one thing I
definitely want to do
, Kelly thought as she walked to the hotel entrance with
Caesar by her side. “Caesar, you stay here and I’ll be back in a couple of
hours.” She got on the van with the other students, looking forward to visiting
the world famous
Mercato Centrale
in Florence.