Pepperoni Pizza Can Be Murder (23 page)

After I told the police chief what we’d seen as we just happened to be driving by Wade’s place, I turned to Maddy. “Is there anything else we should do, or is it time to make pizza dough?”

“Are you kidding me? I’m not about to miss this. Let’s go sit in the car and wait for Sandi to show up.”

We did as Maddy suggested, and four minutes later, Sandi Meadows drove up, with Kevin close behind in his squad car.

She didn’t even look at us as she raced up the stairs to the house.

But Kevin did.

It might have been my imagination, but as he turned away, I could swear I saw him smiling.

“T
he show’s about to get started,” Maddy said four minutes later. I looked over at the front porch and saw Sandi coming out of the house, with Clara right behind her. Kevin Hurley stood there stoically, and we watched as Clara appeared to confront him.

They were too far away for us to hear what they were saying, but Kevin evidently began scolding her pretty hard, because Clara’s face turned three shades of red, the last one with a touch of purple in it. She finally reached into her purse and handed him something.

“What did she just give him?” Maddy asked.

“I’m willing to bet that those were the keys to the house,” I said, and, sure enough, Kevin turned and locked the door behind all of them.

Clara was fuming as she stormed toward her car, and I wondered what kind of retribution she’d have for us next. As hard as it was to believe, though, she was so mad that I don’t think she even saw us there.

“Duck,” I said as she started to pull out.

“I don’t care if she sees me,” Maddy protested, but I pulled her down with me, anyway.

“I know you don’t, but the last time we crossed her, she did her best to have us shut down. There’s no need for her to know that it was us stirring the pot.”

“Be that way,” Maddy said.

As Clara drove away, there was a tap on my window, and I looked up to see Kevin Hurley staring down at us.

As we sat back up, I rolled the window down.

“Good morning, Officer,” I said in my politest voice.

He shook his head, and it took me a second to see that he was trying to suppress a laugh. “I’m not sure she could have been any madder without actually exploding,” he finally managed to say.

“What did Sandi say?” I looked around for her car, and noticed that while we’d been hiding, she’d left as well.

“She wasn’t happy about it, I’ll tell you that. I’ve decided to keep everyone off the property until this gets resolved. They’re both threatening lawsuits and legal action until we’re all old and gray.”

“How can you keep them out?” Maddy asked.

“I’m designating it a potential crime scene,” he said.

“But Wade was killed in my pizzeria,” I said.

“That’s what it looks like, but who’s to say he wasn’t killed here and then someone moved the body?”

“Do you think that’s possible?” I asked, holding out for the slightest glimmer of hope that he hadn’t died in my shop.

“There’s not a chance of it,” he said, “but they don’t have to know that, do they? I owe you one for calling this in.”

“Enough to let us inside and look around?” I asked.

“No, not that much.”

He got into his squad car before I could ask him if Sandi had told him her little secret, but it was just as well. I knew there was no way he’d tell me, and as things stood now, it looked like I was doing a public service for the good of the community, instead of the self-serving act of retaliation that it was. Not that Kevin had missed my rationale. He knew me better than I liked to admit.

“My, my, my, we’ve had a busy morning,” Maddy said.

“And our real work hasn’t even started yet. Is there anyone else we can antagonize before we get started on making pizza today?”

Maddy considered it a few moments, then admitted, “Not that I can think of. If we knew where Katy was, we could make it a clean sweep.”

“I’ve got a feeling we’ll know that soon enough. Come on, let’s go make some pizza dough.”

“We might as well,” Maddy said as she started the car. “I think we’ve done enough damage for one day. I just hope something comes from it.”

“Even if it doesn’t, it’s better than just sitting around waiting for something to happen, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Absolutely,” she said.

As Maddy and I prepped for the day in the Slice’s kitchen, there was a pounding on the back door.

I started to open it, when my sister said, “Should you do that?”

“It could be our vegetable delivery,” I said. “He was supposed to come yesterday, but he never showed up.”

“We need a peephole so we can see who’s out there before we let them in,” she said.

“My, aren’t you being just a little paranoid?”

Maddy shook her head. “I don’t think so. Somebody killed Wade Hatcher not ten feet from us, and we’ve been doing our best to aggravate everyone we suspect. How hard would it be for someone to come back here and do the same thing to us that they did to Wade?”

The pounding started again, and I began to open the door when Maddy’s paranoia struck home. Was she being paranoid, or perceptive?

“Who is it?”

A muffled voice called back, “It’s Greg. Open up.”

As I moved the wooden beam blocking the door, I said, “See, it’s just Greg.”

“But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t start being a little more careful than we have been,” she said.

“Agreed.”

As I opened the door, Greg came in. To my surprise, he wasn’t alone. Katy Johnson was with him, shadowing his footsteps.

“I’m glad you’re here, Katy. We were hoping to see you today,” I said when we made eye contact.

“Why? What do you want with me?” Apparently, she had had a rough night, based on the disheveled state of her hair and her faded complexion.

“We just have a few questions about what happened the other night,” Maddy said gently.

Greg moved in between us and Katy, clearly blocking us from her. “Listen, she didn’t come here so you two could interrogate her. She had enough of that yesterday from the police.”

“I understand,” I said. “But there are some gaps in the time-line we’ve been making, and Katy could help us fill them in.” I looked past Greg and stared directly at Katy as I added, “You do want to help prove Greg is innocent, don’t you?”

Greg shook his head in disgust. “Are you serious? I never would have brought her here if I thought you were going to grill her.” He handed Katy his keys and told her, “Go back to my place. I’ll be there in a little while.”

“You’re not working today?” I asked.

“I was planning to, but I just changed my mind.”

“So much for your heartfelt gratitude,” Maddy snapped.

I thought about saying something to her, but then again, I happened to agree with her at the moment.

Katy tugged at his arm. “Come on, Greg. I appreciate you trying to protect me, but it’s okay. I don’t mind answering their questions. I don’t have anything to hide.”

He turned to look at her, and I saw his expression soften. “Are you sure? You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”

Maddy started to say something else, but I touched her arm lightly and she kept her comment to herself. We had to let the two of them work it out, or we were going to drive them both away, and while I could do without Katy’s presence in my restaurant, I needed Greg.

She bit her lower lip for a second, then said, “I want to help if it means figuring out who killed your brother.”

Greg nodded, then turned back to us. “Okay, ask your questions, but don’t bully her. She’s had a rough time of it lately.”

I couldn’t get over how protective he was of her. It appeared that he’d forgiven her for the kisses she’d given his brother, though I never would have believed it. I knew young hearts could be malleable, but I couldn’t believe the way Greg was acting right now.

“When was the last time you saw Wade?” I asked.

“It was when Greg came to the house. I took off after him, but he wouldn’t stop and give me a chance to explain.”

“I was mad,” Greg said. “You can’t hold that against me.”

“I don’t,” she said. “I just hope you’ll be able to forgive me someday.”

“I told you, I won’t talk about that until whoever killed my brother is caught.”

She nodded, and then started to cry. “I still can’t believe it happened. Hang on a second. I need to get myself together.” She ran out of the kitchen into the dining room, but none of us made any move to stop her.

I saw something in Greg’s eyes, just a flash of something gone before I could categorize it. “What’s going on? What are you up to?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I walked up closer to him and said, “What game are you playing, Greg? You’re not about to forgive her, are you?”

Greg shook his head in disgust, but he refused to answer my direct question.

Maddy was about to speak, but I shook my head curtly, and she obeyed my request for silence.

Finally, he said, “Do you want to know the truth? I couldn’t turn her away when she came to me for help, no matter how much she hurt me. I loved her at one time, but the second I saw her kissing my brother, she was dead to me.”

“Then why protect her?” Maddy asked.

“She’s got nowhere else to go,” Greg said. “I can’t just turn my back on her.”

I patted his shoulder. “You’re a good man, Greg Hatcher.”

“Don’t give me too much credit,” he said. “There’s another reason I’m keeping her close to me.”

“Why?”

“If she did it, I don’t want her running away. She’s got to pay for what she did, if she killed Wade.”

I was taken aback by the admission. “Do you think it’s possible she did it? If she’s a killer, you’re not safe being alone with her.”

“As long as she thinks there’s a chance I’ll take her back, I’m as safe as can be. Besides, I’m trying to get her to trust me enough to open up. I’m sorry I’ve been treating you both so rudely this morning, but it’s the only way my plan is ever going to work.”

I frowned. “You’re taking a real risk, no matter what you think. Greg, forgive me for saying so, but I know how you felt about your brother.
Why
are you doing this?”

“Sure, there wasn’t any love lost between us. But until we figure out what happened to him, folks around here are going to think I’m a murderer, and I can’t have that. I love Timber Ridge, but if Wade’s murder goes unsolved for very much longer, I’m not going to be able to stay.”

“You really wouldn’t leave, would you?” I asked him. I couldn’t imagine not having him around.

“I don’t have much choice. The whispering behind my back is already driving me crazy. My Sunday school teacher from grade school crossed the street a few hours ago so she wouldn’t have to say hello to me. How much more of that do you think I can take?”

“Believe me, I know what you’re going through.”

“Then I shouldn’t have to tell you what it’s like.” He gestured to the dining room and added, “I should go out there and check on her.”

“I don’t like this,” I said.

“I agree,” Maddy added beside me.

“It’s not my first choice, either, but it’s all I’ve got. Maybe she’ll loosen up and talk to me now. I need to know if she killed him.”

“Be careful,” I said.

He grinned at me. “I always am. Well, almost always.”

Greg went up front, and I looked at Maddy. “What should we do?”

“Greg’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.”

I looked hard at her. “Just like Wade did?”

She didn’t answer, but the creases around her mouth deepened.

Greg came back in a minute later. “Would one of you let us out? We’re going to take off.”

“So, you’re not working, after all.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back before we open,” he said. Lowering his voice, he added, “I think she’s ready to tell me something, and I don’t want to lose this chance.”

“Go, then,” I said.

I let them out, and then I came back into the kitchen. Maddy moved aside when I came through the door, and it was clear that she’d been watching us.

“I don’t like it,” she said.

“Neither do I, but there’s not much we can do about it.”

It seemed to take forever, but true to his word, Greg came back a few minutes before we were set to open.

Before I could even ask, he shook his head. “Sorry, I didn’t have any luck with her. She clammed up the second we left, and I couldn’t get another word out of her. It’s so frustrating, I could scream.”

“We’ll join you,” I said.

“What do we do now?”

“We make pizza,” I said, “and try to figure out what our next move is going to be.”

Maddy came back with an order, and as I prepared the two panini sandwiches and put them on the press, she said, “I told you they were for takeout, right?”

“No, but that’s not a problem.”

“They’re for Roger Henderson,” she said, “and he’s acting odd.”

“What do you mean?”

She shrugged. “He kept asking me about this morning. He wanted to know if we’d told anyone about the cash we found him counting. I told him we hadn’t, but I’m beginning to think I should have said we took an ad out in the paper.”

“Why would we do that?”

“If he thinks he can shut us both up, he might just believe that he’s going to get away with something. Is that a chance we want to take?”

The kitchen door opened, and I saw Roger himself walk in, with Greg on his heels. Greg explained, “I told him he couldn’t come back here, but he wouldn’t listen to me.”

“That’s fine. It’s okay.”

“Are you sure?” Greg asked as he scowled at Roger.

“I told you, I just want a word with Eleanor,” Roger said.

I motioned for Greg to go, and though he didn’t look happy about it, he did as I asked. After he was back out front, Roger said, “I didn’t realize he was so protective of you.”

“Greg’s a good man to have around.”

“Then he’s nothing like his brother, is he?”

I wasn’t about to defend Greg’s honor any more than I had to, and certainly not to Roger Henderson. “What can I do for you?”

“It’s about this morning,” he said.

“I told him we didn’t discuss it with anyone, but I didn’t realize you’d already told the police chief,” Maddy said.

“You told Hurley?” he asked me.

“It came up in our conversation,” I lied.

Roger seemed to lose some of his urgency. “I just want you to know that I’m doing everything I can to pay back the people who lost money because of what happened.”

“You already told us that,” I said.

He nodded, and as he started to go, I asked, “Is that what you were doing this morning in the parking lot out in front of your business? Paying back one of your customers? I didn’t realize any of your clients could afford their own limousine.”