The Wedding Soup Murder: An Italian Kitchen Mystery by Rosie Genova Read Free Book Online Page A

on was the fact that I’d been there. That I’d taken part in a significant conversation with the Natales and the deceased. That I’d overheard an argument and listened to a whole lot of gossip, all of which might have some bearing on this case. The county prosecutor, Regina Sutton, would be taking statements from anybody who came into contact with Merriman.
Well, Vic, you escaped Sutton before, but not this time.
No, this time I would have to face the tiger in her den and tell the truth of what I’d seen and heard—that Merriman had threatened Dr. Chickie with a court action, giving him a whopping motive for murder.
    I stood up from the table. “I’m gonna get started on the setups, Dad.”
    I headed down the narrow hallway toward the pantry and kitchen, and looked up to see my brother coming through the kitchen doors. He was in street clothes, but his look meant business. “I came in through the back,” he said quietly.
    “I already know why you’re here, Danny.”
    He peeked out into the dining room, where my dad was still studying the
Press
, then stepped back into thehallway where he wouldn’t be seen. “You heard the news, I take it?”
    “We just saw the paper. But there’s something else.” I hesitated, knowing full well my brother’s reaction to my next words. “I was there last night.”
    I was well acquainted with my brother’s “you are kidding me” face. It’s the same one I’d get when he landed on my Boardwalk hotels in Monopoly, or when I said I hated fishing, or when he caught me meddling in a murder investigation. “What the hell, Victoria!”
    “Ouch. You never use my full name. Believe me; I’m not happy about it, either. But Tim and Nando and I were there to cater the soup service. And I was out in the ballroom for a few minutes and—”
    “And what?”
    “I, uh, heard Elizabeth Merriman sort of threaten Dr. Chickie. She mentioned something about a court action. And a bartender at the club told me that Merriman caught him cooking the books.”
    He ran his hand down his face and sighed. “So that’s out there.” He glanced out toward the dining room. “What do Mom and Pop know?”
    “Just what they read in the paper this morning. And they know I was there, but not what I heard. But Mom’s probably talking to Brenda right now, so she’ll probably get more of the story.”
    He rested his hand on my shoulder. “You know you’re gonna have to give a statement, right?”
    “Yes, Detective. I know the drill. Unfortunately, I think I’m what you guys call a material witness.” Danny’s face told me he was doing some cop calculations,adding up a dead body, a motive, and opportunity. “This doesn’t look good for Natale.”
    “C’mon, Danny, this is Dr. Chickie we’re talking about. Do you really see him pushing an old lady to her death?”
    “
If
that’s how she died, Vic. We don’t know that yet. It could be an accident. But you’d be surprised at what people do when they’re desperate.” He shook his head. “Look, they’ve got him on the embezzlement. He could even be looking at time.”
    “Don’t they usually make some kind of deal? Like, if he pays the money back?”
    He shrugged. “Maybe. But this is a lotta money we’re talking about.”
    “How much?”
    Danny crossed his arms. “You know I can’t tell you that. In fact—”
    “You shouldn’t even be telling me this; I get it.” But I kept going, my words coming faster and faster. “Danny, the newspaper article isn’t clear on where the body was found. Unless she went out a window on the ocean side of the building, I don’t think it’s likely she’d end up on the beach. And those windows just aren’t big enough. If she’d gone off the tower, I think she would have hit the main roof first, and there’s no telling where she’d land.” I grimaced at the image of the old woman’s body going off the tower and bouncing off the roof. Even Elizabeth Merriman didn’t deserve an end like