Murder Al Fresco by Jennifer L. Hart Read Free Book Online Page B

threats."
    I blinked. "What kind of threats?"
    Stu lowered his voice even further. "Anonymous messages mostly, saying they are going to expose him to the world."
     This sounded like more than somebody making a buck off a celebrity. "Where is he? I'm sure Jones will want to ask him a few questions." And if he didn't, then I sure did.
    "He said he was getting a hotel room the next town over. Between production, the fans, and the media, this town is a zoo." Stu patted his pockets and then sighed. "You wouldn't happen to have a cigarette would you?"
    When I shook my head, he blew out a breath. "It's for the best. I'm trying to quit. The stress of all this has me off the wagon."
    "I hear you." I'd never smoked and rarely drank, but I could so go for a heaping plate of pasta. Carbs were my vice of choice. Never mind that it was barely noon, I was jonesing for a fix.
    "Okay, well, the first thing we need to do is go before the town council and get all the permits. You might have to pay a fine for this snarl. And here's the number for a local real estate agent. She'll see to it that everyone else has a place to stay." Donna at least would appreciate the business.
    Stu took the card. "I'll have one of my runners get in touch with her. And don't worry about the town—we've been flashing cash around all morning. The chamber of commerce will go to bat for us because we're good for business. What about the investigation? Did you get the files I sent?" He waved the pesky details off like they didn't really matter to him.
    "Like I said, I just started looking into the files last night, but things have been hectic at home. We'll dive in as soon as all this gets straightened out." I waved my hand at the mouth of the alley, indicating the crush of people. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to check on my kitchen."
    Without waiting for a response, I stormed past him and into the back door of the pasta shop.
    Aunt Cecily stood by the stove, muttering in nonstop Italian while she stirred a big batch of gravy. Pops was at the sink scrubbing pots. Both glared at me as I entered the room.
    "I'll fix it," I blurted, already digging my cell out of my sopping wet jeans. "Just give me some time." Not waiting for their reply, I strode through the kitchen and down to the office. Even through the closed doors, I could hear the buzz of voices from the front room. We weren't officially open, yet the place was packed.
    I paced the eight-and-a-half steps, staring at my phone, wondering who I should call for help. Mimi, my sous chef, was out of town until late Sunday night. Donna would have her hands full with the short-term renters, and Lizzy was staying with Clayton. My heart actually stumbled in my chest, and for a moment there was nothing I wanted to do more than go back home and snuggle with the little guy all day.
    But I'd made this mess and couldn't just abandon the town to the show. Decided, I punched in a number and waited.
    "'Lo?" Kaylee picked up on the third ring, her voice froggy as though it were the middle of the night. Ah, to be a teenager on summer vacation.
    "Hey, sweets, sorry to wake you, but it's kind of an emergency, and I need help at the pasta shop in the worst way. You think you could come in a bit early today? Like now?"
    There was a shuffling sound as though she were sitting up. "What's going on?"
    "Well, remember I was telling you about applying for Diced ? Long story short, they picked me, and they are holding the competition in town."
    "Now?" Her tone was incredulous.
    "Well, not this second. But I'm going to be tied up with it, and there's no way Pops and
    Aunt Cecily can run the entire place themselves with this kind of crowd. Do you have any friends who might want to earn a little extra cash? We're going to need a full staff, someone to do dishes and serve."
    "What about Lacey?"
    I choked on my own saliva. "Lacey L'Amour? You want Lacey L'Amour to work in my pasta shop?" Just the idea of it horrified me.
"Well, she knows her way