Pepperoni Pizza Can Be Murder Page 3

  I was mad now, my fear displaced by my anger. “How about me, Chief? Do I need to learn my place as well?”

  The police chief took a step back, apparently surprised that I still had a bite to go along with my bark. I didn’t know why he’d ever think otherwise. I’d never given him any indication in the entire time he’d known me that he could boss me around.

  “I’m sorry,” he said after a long sigh. “I’m just worried that this could have been much worse.”

  “I’m not stupid,” I answered, managing to speak a little softer than I had before. “I wasn’t about to argue with him. He wanted my money, and he had a gun pointed at me, so I gave my deposit to him. End of story.”

  Kevin nodded, then said, “I have a thought, if you’re in any mood to hear one from me.”

  “Go on. I’m listening,” I said.

  “You really should get a safe for the pizza place and take your deposits to the bank the next day on your afternoon break. Eleanor, you shouldn’t be carrying money around with you at night when you’re all by yourself.”

  I could tell he was bracing himself for a blast, but I didn’t have any more fight in me. “You know what? You’re right. It’s a little like locking the barn door after the horse is loose, but I’ll buy a safe tomorrow.”

  “And you need a better alarm system,” he added.

  “Don’t push your luck. I can barely afford to stay in business as it is.” I waved a hand at his paperwork. “Are we finished here? I just want to go home.”

  “Just sign this and you’ll be finished for now,” he said as he handed me the report he’d been working on since he’d first arrived.

  I did as he asked, and he handed me a copy of it. “There’s not much chance you’ll get that money back, you know that, don’t you?”

  I nodded. “I know. Right now I just want to forget this ever happened.”

  “In Timber Ridge? You’re kidding, right? You’re going to have to tell this story two dozen times before the week is over, and you know it.”

  “Just let me have my fantasy a little while longer, okay? Good night, Chief.”

  “What happened to calling me Kevin?” he asked.

  “When you come in for pizza, or ask me something about your son, I’ll call you Kevin, but not when you’re here on business.”

  He waited until I got into my Subaru and drove away. I half-expected him to follow me home, but he must have had other, more pressing business to attend to besides acting as a police escort to a shaky ex-girlfriend.

  I debated calling my sister, knowing she’d left the Slice with a raging headache, but I realized that if I didn’t, she’d never forgive me. I pulled out my cell phone and punched in her number as I drove.

  “Hey, it’s me,” I said.

  “Miss me already?” Maddy asked.

  “I just got robbed.”

  She laughed, then hesitated. “Don’t do that, it hurts when I laugh.” There was a brief pause, and then she added, “Wait a second. You’re not serious, are you?”

  “I wish I were kidding, but I’m not. He got all of today’s cash, including the money the Elvis entourage spent, and all of our receipts.”

  “Forget the money. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. He stuck a gun in my face, and that was about all I could see. Not that much skin was showing otherwise. The robber was wearing a heavy coat, jeans, work boots, and a ski mask.”

  “Did you at least recognize his voice?”

  “Do you think someone I know robbed me?” The volume of my voice tripled as I said it. Being robbed by a stranger was one thing, but having someone I knew hold a gun on me was a thousand times worse.

  “Hey, settle down. I didn’t mean anything by it. It was just a question.”

  “Sorry, my nerves are a little frayed.”

  Maddy said, “Come over to my place. I’ve still got your pajamas here, and there’s a new toothbrush still in its wrapper waiting for you.”

  “I should go home,” I said.

  “Why?” she asked. “You shouldn’t be alone tonight.”

  “You’ve got a headache.”

  “It’s getting better by the minute. No more excuses. Come on.”

  “You know what? You’re right, I don’t need to be alone tonight,” I said as I turned my car around and started for her apartment. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

  “I’ll put the popcorn on,” she said. “We’ll make it a party.”

  “Thanks, but I just want to go to bed and try to forget what happened.”

  Maddy shifted gears instantly. “We can do that, too.”

  I shoved my telephone back into my purse, and then as I drove to my sister’s place, I thought about what had happened. Something she’d said had really shaken me up. I hadn’t told Kevin, but I was just beginning to realize that there had been something familiar about that voice.

  I’d heard it before, even though the robber had tried to disguise it.

  The question was, where?

  The more I concentrated on isolating it, the fuzzier it got. I decided that the only way I was going to identify it was to forget all about it and let my subconscious have a crack at it.

  But I couldn’t help feeling nauseous when I realized that someone I knew had threatened me with a gun and had taken all my cash.

  Maddy was waiting by the front door of her apartment, and as I got out of the car, she flashed her lights for me.

  I walked up the stairs, fighting the irrational urge to run. Until that moment, I hadn’t fully realized just how terrified I was. Stress was like that for me sometimes, hitting me with a delayed reaction long after I was out of danger. It took everything I had not to keep looking behind me, afraid I might see that masked gunman again.

  My sister didn’t say a word; she just wrapped me in an embrace the second I reached her. “I’m so glad you’re all right. We’ve got to come up with a better way to handle our money.”

  “I know,” I said as I disengaged myself from her grasp. “Kevin suggested we buy a safe, and said that we should make afternoon deposits instead of night drops. For once, I have to agree with him.”

  “Hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day,” she said with a smile. “Why should the chief of police be wrong every time he says something? Come on in, I’ve got some hot chocolate simmering on the stovetop.”

  “I said I wasn’t in the mood for a party, and that includes those famous chocolate bombardment bashes you’re so famous for.”

  “This is just a little toddy to help you sleep,” she said. “Hot cocoa always did have that effect on you.”

  “Sure, okay, that sounds good.”

  I took the mug she offered and sipped it gratefully. It was warm, but not too hot to savor, and just holding the toasty mug in my hand made me feel better.

  “Was it horrible?” Maddy asked softly.

  “It was pretty scary,” I admitted.

  She nodded, as if that was enough. “Then there’s no reason to talk about it. Let’s change the subject, shall we?”

  “I’m all out of topics of conversation,” I said.

  “That’s all right,” she said with a laugh. “We both know that I can more than monopolize any conversation.”

  I laughed along with her, and realized that coming to her place had been the perfect decision. Maddy had her faults—I knew them more than anyone else, even her ex-husbands—but she loved me, and she could nearly always make me smile, a rare enough event on days like today.

  After the hot chocolate was gone, I stifled a yawn, then excused myself and made my way to her guest bedroom. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to sleep after what had happened, but to my surprise, I was out before my head hit the pillow.

  There was a note on the door of the Slice when we opened the next morning. My hands shook a little as I opened it, but I was relieved to see that it was from David Quinton: Eleanor. You weren’t home last night. Call me as soon as you get this. David.

  Maddy asked
, “Who is that from?”

  “Nobody,” I said as I started to crumple it up and put it in my pocket.

  “Come on, don’t hold out on me,” she said, and snatched it out of my hand.

  She read the note aloud as I unlocked the door. “I think it’s sweet.”

  “You would,” I said as I started to lock up behind us.

  She followed me to the kitchen, where I immediately started making our dough for the day. As I got out the ingredients, she asked, “What are you doing?”

  “I don’t know. I figure there’s a good chance that somebody’s going to want pizza today, so I figured I’d better make some dough. I’m kind of crazy that way sometimes.”

  She shook her head. “You know what I mean. Before you do anything else, you need to call David.”

  I ignored her suggestion and continued working on the dough. “You can call him if you want to, but I’ve got work to do.”

  “Eleanor, it’s clear that he’s worried about you.” She grabbed the telephone and shoved it toward me. “It will just take two seconds.”

  “You don’t honestly think that, do you? Even if it were true, it’s two seconds I don’t want to spend talking to him. Maddy, I’m not ready to have a conversation with anybody about what happened.”

  “You talked to me last night.”

  “Just barely, and you’re my family.” I attempted to ignore the phone, but the more I tried, the more adamant my sister became that I call him.

  I finished adding yeast to the water, mixing the flour and other ingredients together, and turning on the mixer before I finally took it from her. “Fine. I’m calling him right now, so back off, all right?”

  “That’s all I’m asking,” she said.

  As I dialed David’s number, Maddy asked, “Do you want me to give you some privacy?”

  “Why on earth would I want you to do that?” I asked.

  David picked up on the first ring, and before I could even say hello, he asked, “Eleanor? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, David, but I can’t really talk. I’m up to my elbows in dough right now.” That wasn’t strictly the truth, but I had work to do.

  “You never came home last night,” he said, an undertone of accusation in his voice. “I waited until one A.M.”

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” I said.

  “I didn’t mind. As soon as I heard about what happened, I needed to see you. I had to make sure you were okay.”

  “I stayed with Maddy last night,” I said, cradling the telephone between my shoulder and my neck so I could check on the dough, steadily stirring away in the floor stand mixer.

  “Of course you did, that makes sense. I should have looked for you there.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have,” I said. My patience was just about worn out with him, and I couldn’t keep from letting it show in my voice.

  “Are you seriously going to act like you’re the one who’s hurt? I’m really surprised you didn’t call me after what happened to you, and more than a little disappointed. Eleanor, I have a right to know how you are.”

  “And tell me, why is that, David?” I saw Maddy warning me off, but I was on a roll and wasn’t about to stop. She’d wanted me to make this telephone call, so she was going to have to live with the consequences of it. I didn’t even try to ease the anger in my voice as I said, “We’re not dating, as I’ve told you a hundred times before. We have a meal together once a week, but if you think that gives you some kind of proprietary interest in my well-being, then you’re mistaken.”

  “Sorry,” he said, the hurt clear in his voice. “I was just concerned about you.”

  “You needn’t be. I’m fine, which I believe we already established. Is that all you wanted to talk to me about? I can’t really talk. I’m busy right now. I have to get the Slice ready to open.”

  He paused a moment, then said softly, “The reason I was looking for you last night was that I wanted to tell you that I won’t be able to make dinner this week. Something came up at the last minute.”

  He hung up before I had a chance to say anything else to him.

  “How do you like that? He just canceled on me,” I said as I hung the telephone back into its cradle.

  “Are you honestly surprised?” Maddy asked. “What’s gotten into you? You just treated him like caring about you was something criminal.”

  “He doesn’t have the right to worry about me,” I said, getting back to my dough. “We’re just friends.” It was time to turn off the mixer and take the mixture out so I could knead the dough on the counter.

  “You didn’t have to stomp on him so hard,” she said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you drove him off for good.”

  “I can’t do anything about that now, can I?” I said, trying to keep my voice confident as I spoke. I’d been frustrated with David—there was no doubt about that—but I hadn’t meant to be so mean to him. It generally wasn’t in my nature, but I was still upset about being robbed the night before, and his implication that I should have come running to him didn’t sit well with me. I was a little too old to have to check in with someone whenever something went wrong in my life, even him.

  Maddy bit her lip; then she said softly, “Eleanor, I wonder if you should call him back and apologize.”

  I’d had enough of this particular conversation, from just about every angle. “If you want to chat with him, just hit redial. Me, I’m done talking to him at the moment.”

  “I think I’ll work out front a little,” Maddy said, even though she still had vegetables to prep for the day.

  “You know what? That’s just a swell idea,” I said, making sure she caught the sarcasm in my voice. As close as we were, there were sometimes when I needed space away from my sister.

  After Maddy left the kitchen, I started working the dough. It felt good kneading the soft mass, folding and refolding it again and again. I got out a lot of frustrations that way most mornings, but today it was a little less than satisfying. I felt rotten, and I knew exactly why. Maddy was right. I’d been far too short-tempered with David, and while I didn’t need to check in with him every hour on the hour, I did owe him more respectful treatment than I’d just given him. I hated when she was right, especially when it meant that I was wrong. It was pretty clear that David wasn’t the only one who merited one of my apologies.

  I put the well-kneaded dough in a bowl coated with oil, lightly brushed the top, then covered the whole thing and put it under the proofing lamp to give the yeast a chance to kick in. I had an hour before I had to touch it again, which gave me plenty of time to make that telephone call.

  David didn’t answer, though I suspected he was listening as I left my message. “Listen, I’m sorry I was so abrupt with you. It was nice of you to worry about me, but I meant what I said. I’m fine. Call me later if you feel like it.”

  Leaving a message wasn’t nearly as satisfying as making the apology to him directly. It somehow felt like I was taking the coward’s way out.

  That left one more apology I needed to make.

  I was getting ready to head out front to take care of it when Maddy started to come into the kitchen.

  She stopped short and peeked in through the door. “Is it safe to come in?”

  I grabbed the cleaver we used to chop the meat for our steak pizza special. “Sure, I’m just fooling around with this big knife.”

  “I thought I heard you on the phone,” she said as she edged in. “Did you call someone?”

  “You have the ears of a bat,” I said. “If you must know, I called David.”

  “You didn’t chew him out again, did you?”

  “No,” I said, putting the cleaver down. “I called him to apologize.”

  “That’s wonderful,” she said with a smile.

  “He wasn’t home. At least he didn’t pick up.” Maddy frowned, and before she could say anything, I added, “I left him a message, so don’t say anything else about it. I was wrong, and I admit it. I apologized to
him, and this is about the only apology you’re going to get from me about this. Can we just move on?”

  To my surprise, she agreed. “The front’s all set up now, so I’m ready to get the toppings going.” As she started pulling peppers out of the refrigerator, she asked, “Is Greg coming by today?”

  “I’m not sure. He’s got class this afternoon,” I said.

  “So it’s just the two of us.”

  “No, Josh Hurley is coming in sometime. I’m just not sure when.” I’d chatted with him briefly on the telephone after his father had come by the Slice, and he’d promised to come by as soon as he could.

  “That’s great. We can handle things until school’s out,” Maddy said. “I’m surprised Marybeth and Kevin are letting him come back to work.”

  “From the sound of it, he’s driving them both crazy pacing around the house. Kevin made it sound like I was doing him a favor when I agreed to let Josh come back.”

  “It will be good seeing him again,” Maddy said. “I’ve missed his odd sense of humor, haven’t you?”

  “Let’s just say I won’t mind not being spread so thin.” Josh and my sister had the same skewed sense of humor, one that I didn’t always get. They seemed to find the oddest things hilarious, leaving me in the dark about why some of the moments that sparked spontaneous laughter worked for them and not for me.

  Bob Lemon stuck his head into the kitchen an hour after we opened. “You doing okay?” he asked as I was making a specialty pizza–club sandwich.

  “I’m fine. How are you?”

  I’d already had four telephone calls and two visits, all with the express purpose of checking up on me. It was one of the good things about living in a small town, and one of the bad ones, too. Most folks knew what was going on before the newspaper printed it, and all in all, they were supportive of me, which was a nice feeling indeed, but sometimes it felt like we were all living just a little too close.

  “Oh, I’m just dandy, but then again, I didn’t get robbed last night,” he said.

  “Don’t feel left out. Maybe he’ll get around to you tonight.”

  Bob laughed. “Lawyers are notorious for not carrying much cash on them. I doubt I’d be worth the bother.”