Murder in the Pearl District (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series Book 5) by Dianne Harman Read Free Book Online Page A

went
into a mixed drink, reviewed the wine list, how to operate the cash register,
where they put used glasses, and anything else that came to their minds about
the bar business.
                “You must take in a lot
of money here at the bar. Who picks it up, and where does it go?”
                “Mrs. DeLuca picked it up
every couple of hours. She did the same with the reception desk, because the
servers took their credit card payments or cash to the register there. She has
a floor safe in her office, and she put the money in there. Rango Security
Company comes every morning to collect the receipts from the day before and
then deposits the money in her bank account.”
                “Thanks, based on that
procedure, I’ll continue to do the same.”
                She walked into
Donatella’s office and pulled back several throw rugs until she found the floor
safe. Swell, I’ve found the safe, but I have no idea how to open it. I’ll
have to make some other arrangement for the money until I can find out the
combination.
                While she was
contemplating what to do next, the phone on Donatella’s desk rang. She crossed
the small room in several steps and answered it. “This is Kelly Reynolds.”
                “Mrs. Reynolds, it’s
Carlotta. I’m sorry to bother you, but there’s a man here at the reception desk
who says he’s Mrs. DeLuca’s lawyer, and he needs to talk to you. I told him you
and Mrs. Marchant were going to run Mangia! Mangia! for the time being, and he
said he’d like to talk to her as well. I’ve called the kitchen, and she’s on
her way.”
                “Please send him back
here to the office. Thanks, Carlotta.”
                A moment later there was
a knock on the door. Kelly opened the door, and a large man dressed in a very
expensive-looking grey pinstripe suit walked into the room. His thinning white
hair was swept back from his forehead and his sharp blue eyes openly assessed
her. He put out his hand, “Hello. I’m George Mitchell, Donatella’s attorney, or
rather I was.”
                Sophie walked into the
room and greeted the man. She turned to Kelly, “I’ve been to several dinner
parties at Donatella’s where George was also a guest. It’s good to see you
again, George, although I would prefer if it was under different
circumstances.”
                “So would I, Sophie, so
would I.” He set the large briefcase he’d been carrying on the desk. “Ladies,
would you please be seated? I need to talk to you.” He opened the briefcase and
took out what looked like legal papers with a blue backer attached. “Normally
when someone is deceased, I would do a reading of their Will with all of the
heirs and family members present in my office a day or two after their death,
but time is of the essence here because of the restaurant. Francesca is the
primary heir of the estate, and as you know, she isn’t capable of understanding
what’s contained in the Will.”
                “I’m confused, George, I
don’t see how this affects either one of us.”
                “Sophie, it will all be
clear in a few moments, you see, Donatella DeLuca willed the Mangia! Mangia!
restaurant to you. She made some changes to her Will a month ago, and she told
me at the time that you were a superb cook. She said you’d always wanted to
cook for people, but you were afraid to, so she wanted you to have the chance.”
                “ Mon Dieu , I can’t
believe it. Mangia! Mangia! left to me? She believed in me enough that she left
her restaurant to me? Non , this is too much. Shouldn’t this go to
Francesca?”
                “I’m sure it would have
if things had been different, but obviously Francesca is not capable of
handling it. Donatella provided for Francesca in other ways. She left her house
to her as well as the proceeds