When Magic Is Murder (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 4) (5 page)

CHAPTER
9

Luigi Benedetto was pacing on the
sidewalk in front of his namesake restaurant when I arrived a few minutes
before eight. His hand was wrapped in a white towel, he was sipping a glass of red
wine and the few words I heard him mumble were common vulgarities that sounded
slightly less offensive in Italian.

“Hey, Luigi!”

He wobbled around in my direction.
“Miss Kate! I’m glad to see you!”

I nodded at his swaddled hand.
“What happened?”

He touched the glass of wine to his
forehead. “My stupid brain is what happened! I was on the line, sautéing a
beautiful piece of veal, when I somehow slipped on the floor. Instead of
reaching out to the left for the opposite counter, I went to my right.” He chuckled
loudly. “And,
kaboom
! Wouldn’t you know it! My hand went down on the
grill before I could stop myself!”

“Oh, no! How bad is the burn?”

He chuckled and made a face.
“Nothing I can’t handle! My wife sent me out here with a splash of
Châteauneuf-du-Pape and an ice pack.” He raised the injured hand. “As soon as
the wine is gone, I’ll be right back inside. I can’t leave Bruno alone in the
kitchen too long. We’ve got a full house and a bunch of chattering hens took
over the private dining room for a party.”

“Right,” I said. “The group that
was originally supposed to be at Connie Larson’s tonight.”

“Yes, I couldn’t believe the news
when she called me earlier,” Luigi said with a frown. “It’s so tragic that
someone died over there this afternoon.”

“He was found in the gazebo,” I
said. “The police are trying to identify him and figure out what happened.”

His eyes widened. “Oh! So they
don’t even know who it is yet?”

I shook my head.

“That’s interesting,” Luigi said.
“I heard it was Ira Newman.”

I wasn’t familiar with the name, so
I asked Luigi to explain.

“You don’t know Ira?” His booming
laugh rang out again. “He’s a scrawny beanpole from up in South Dakota. Moved
to Crescent Creek a couple months back, supposedly to open a business with his
brother-in-law. But then their loan fell through and Ira started getting really
depressed. I was talking to a guy at the bank last week. He said it wouldn’t
surprise him if Ira ended up killing himself because of the business troubles.”

Since I didn’t know Ira Newman, I
didn’t feel comfortable commenting on the rumors. Instead, I told Luigi that I
hoped he was wrong about the man. “Maybe things will turn around for Mr.
Newman,” I said optimistically. “Maybe he can get a new loan and open his
business anyway.”

Luigi shrugged. “Maybe. But does
this town really need another gin joint?”

“Ira was opening a bar?”

“That’s right. When Red Hancock
heard the news, he got real upset.”

“I can see that. The Wagon Wheel
has a very loyal following, but there’s always a chance some of his regulars
might try a new place and change their stripes.”

“Change their
what
?”

“Their stripes,” I repeated as the
front door opened behind me. “Like, they’ll go to a new bar and decide they
prefer it instead of—”

“Hey, Katie!”

I glanced over my shoulder. Zack Hutton
stood in the doorway, grinning and gesturing me inside. My heart fluttered as
it always did when I saw his face and heard his voice.

“Will you excuse me, Luigi?”

The heavyset man in the chef’s coat
raised his glass. “Here’s to the happiest couple in Crescent Creek!” He took a
long drink. “And here’s to my hand not throbbing so badly that I can’t cook
your dinner!”

After I gave Zack a quick kiss, we
went inside and settled in at our usual table near the fireplace. The crowded
dining room was warm and toasty, buzzing with conversation and laughter. Our
first official dinner date had taken place at the popular Italian restaurant;
we’d also returned several times in the past few months to enjoy the delicious
cuisine and cozy ambiance.

“I’m sorry about changing the
time,” I apologized. “There was some trouble at Connie Larson’s place when I
stopped by to deliver an order.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he said.
“I ran into a guy that works at the hotel earlier. Is it true they found a
body?”

Before I could answer, our favorite
server approached with menus and a wine list.

“Hey, guys!” Rita greeted us with
her customary cheerful tone. “I was so excited when I saw you on the
reservation list.”

“How’s it going?” I said. “Long
time no see!”

She laughed. “Yeah, long time
since…when? Last week, wasn’t it?”

Zack shot me a quizzical smile.
“Last week?”

“I popped in for lunch with my
sister,” I said with a little shrug.

“Was that the day I went to Vail?”

“Yep. Olivia surprised me by
driving up for the afternoon. When the lunch rush calmed down at Sky High, I
invited her to come here and try the Gorgonzola and Porcini Mushroom Risotto.”

“How’d she like it?”

I looked at Rita. “You’ve probably
got better things to do than listen to us discuss my sister,” I said, glancing
at Zack. “How about a bottle of the soave that’s so good?”

He nodded. “Whatever you want, my
love!”

Rita swooned, pressing the back of
one hand against her forehead. “You guys are
so
cute together. I’m
really glad Blanche Speltzer worked her magic and introduced you two.”

I winked at Zack. He responded with
a smile. Our running joke was that Blanche claimed to have introduced us
through her matchmaking service although we’d actually met when he took my
picture for the
Crescent Creek Gazette
article.

“That makes three of us, Rita.”
Zack smiled at her while nudging my leg under the table. “We’re so lucky that
Blanche waved her magic wand.”

When Rita realized he was joking,
she giggled again and headed for the bar.

“She’s great,” Zack said. “Luigi’s
got one of the best groups in town. Don’t you think?”

“Other than the gang at Sky High?”

“Well, yeah! Other than you, Julia
and Harper.”

“I know what you meant,” I said.
“And I agree; Luigi’s got the knack for the business.”

“And the place is packed tonight,”
Zack said. “A bachelorette party come through the door about ten minutes before
you got here. From the way they were carrying on, I’d say the cocktails started
flowing long before they climbed out of their stretch limo.”

“They were supposed to be at
Crescent Creek Lodge,” I said. “But Connie quickly found alternate venues for
each of the three special events she had on the books for tonight.”

Zack nodded somberly. “Do you know
what happened?” he asked. “With the guy in the gazebo?”

I shook my head. “Dina’s on the
case,” I said. “So far it’s a deceased John Doe, a big headache for Connie and
a bunch of unanswered questions.”

“I hope they find whoever’s
responsible soon.”

“Can’t argue with that,” I agreed.

“You know, I saw a couple of guys
that work for Connie get into a pretty intense scuffle the other night,” Zack
said, lowering his voice. “I don’t know their names, but it involved somebody
from Boulder. They really went at it until Eli bounced ’em out the door.”

“Who’s Eli?”

“Bartender,” Zack said, smiling.
“The guy’s a beast! Two hundred and fifty pounds of pure muscle.”

“And where did this happen?”

“At Bier Haus,” Zack answered.
“That new place on Overlook.”

“The one with the giant sourdough
pretzels and ten kinds of mustard?”

He smiled. “Somebody’s hungry,
huh?”

“Starving!” I admitted. “I was
going to grab a smoothie or something earlier, but my plans got derailed once
Jasper—”

“Can I interrupt?” Rita asked,
returning with our bottle of wine and two sparkling glasses. While she opened
the soave and poured for us, we listened to her describe the specials for the
night.

“Do you need a few minutes to
decide?” she asked after reciting the two featured desserts, a Strawberry
Pistachio Semifreddo and Hazelnut-Honey Struffoli.

Zack smiled at the mention of the
sweet treats. “I don’t know what either of those things are,” he said, “but I
think the answer is yes!”

Rita snickered. “The Semifreddo is
kind of like frozen mousse,” she explained. “And the Struffoli is a scrumptious
mound of little fried doughy nuggets drizzled with honey and chopped
hazelnuts.”

Zack’s eyebrows shot upward. “Well,
then the answer is
absolutely
yes!” he cheered. “We’ll have one of
each.”

“And what would you like for
dinner?” Rita shifted her gaze between the two of us like a ping pong ball. “Or
do you need a few more minutes?”

Zack reached across the table and
took my hand. “A few more minutes would be perfect,” he said. “We’re in no
hurry tonight.”

CHAPTER
10

Three hours later, following a
leisurely dinner at Luigi’s, a moonlit stroll through downtown Crescent Creek
and an unhurried goodnight kiss that seemed to last forever, I pulled into my
usual parking spot in the back of Sky High Pies.

“How is it possible?” I said to my
reflection in the rearview mirror. “A great man, a thriving business
and
a—”

The jarring clatter of my phone
crushed the reverie. Since it was a few minutes after eleven, I figured it was
my sister. She was usually in bed by nine-thirty, but called me to chat
whenever Mr. Sandman ignored her pleas for a long and restful beauty sleep.

“Liv?” I said, pressing the phone
to my ear.

“No, it’s Connie Larson,” a soft
voice answered.

“Are you okay?”

She sighed. “I’m sorry it’s so
late, Katie. But I need to talk to you about something.”

I pulled the keys from the
ignition, heaved myself out of the car and headed for the steps leading to my
second-floor apartment. Living above Sky High Pies was both convenient and
affordable. Since my parents had paid off the mortgage years before turning the
business over to me, I could essentially live scot-free in the comfortable
suite of rooms tucked under the eaves of the old Victorian.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked as I
climbed the stairs.

“It’s Jasper,” she said.

An image of the ruddy-faced chef
popped into my mind.

“What about him?” I felt a chill
along the back of my neck; a premonition that something dire was in the works.

“Well, he was once…” Connie’s
whisper was so faint I didn’t hear the rest. I waited until I was inside my apartment
to ask if she could repeat what she’d just told me.

“Sure, of course,” she said.
“Almost no one in town is aware of this, but Jasper was in prison once for
felony assault on a police officer. It was a horrible mistake he made a few
days after he turned twenty-one. He got drunk, got arrested, tried to steal the
patrol car while handcuffed and accidentally ran over a deputy’s foot.”

“Was it his first offense?”

“Yes.”

“And they charged him with felony
assault?”

“The judge was trying to make a
point,” Connie said.

“Sounds like he accomplished that
goal.”

Connie moaned quietly. “No
kidding,” she said. “And I’m not trying to argue that Jasper didn’t do
something truly idiotic, okay? Because he pleaded guilty and did his time. But
he’s completely turned his life around. He went to junior college and then on
to culinary school. Since he’s my cousin and all, I wanted to help by hiring
him as the chef at the Lodge. But now that this horrible thing happened today,
I’m afraid the police might try to implicate him for the murder.”

“Jasper’s your cousin?” I kicked
off my shoes and flopped into the overstuffed easy chair across from the sofa.
“Which makes Eloise your cousin, too?”

“That’s right.”

“Why didn’t you mention that
earlier?”

She mumbled something indecipherable.
Then she apologized and said it hadn’t crossed her mind after Jasper announced
that Eloise had found a body in the gazebo.

“I maybe wasn’t thinking straight
this afternoon with all the fuss,” she said finally. “But I am now, Katie.
Jasper and Eloise are cousins on my mother’s side. And I’m worried that the
police might try and railroad Jasper once they find out about his past.”

“First of all,” I said, leaning my
head back and closing my eyes, “Dina Kincaid is one of the most principled
detectives you’ll ever meet. And Trent Walsh…” I still found it hard to believe
sometimes that my ex-boyfriend from high school was the Deputy Chief of Police
in our little hometown. “…he’ll make sure the investigation is both thorough
and fair.”

Connie sighed on the other end. “I
know,” she said. “But you have to admit that things can sometimes get messy,
Katie. People often overlook principles and morals if there’s a crime to solve
and they’re already busy enough as it is.”

“Not in Crescent Creek,” I said.
“Dina, Trent and everyone else with the department are good and fair and
honest.”

She didn’t say anything for a few
seconds, so I waited. I was surprised by both the disclosure that her cousin
was a convicted felon and her fear about a rush to judgment by the local police.
When it seemed like the silence might linger, I asked Connie if she could tell
me more about her apprehension.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Why do you think Dina would
incriminate Jasper?”

“Because he wasn’t entirely honest
with her.”

The chill on my neck returned.
“What are you talking about?” I sat up in the chair. “Did your cousin have
something to do with the man’s death?”

I heard another weighty sigh. Then
Connie said, “No, but Dina asked if he’d ever met the man and…”

“And Jasper lied?” I said. “Because
he
had
met the deceased?”

“Yes, Katie. I don’t know all the
facts yet, but there was some kind of disagreement at a bar.” She paused,
gathering her thoughts. “Jasper and one of the front desk guys went out to
shoot a few games of pool. They were doing fine until some hothead’s girlfriend
started flirting with Shane.”

“Shane’s the guy that works the
front desk?”

“Yes,” Connie said. “Shane Scott.
He’s been with the Lodge for the past three years, and he’s a levelheaded,
smart guy. I talked to both of them the next morning because Shane had a black
eye and Jasper’s knuckles were pretty banged up.”

“What can you tell me about the
fight?”

Connie sighed. “Not much. They both
said the other guy started it after the woman he was with began hanging all over
Shane.”

“Sounds like a wild night out,” I
said.

“I suppose. You know how boys will
be boys.”

“But Jasper’s—what? Late thirties?”

“He’s thirty-six. And he knows
better. But they’d been drinking and…” Connie paused and I listened while she
took a few deep breaths. “Anyway,” she continued, “I was wondering if I could
maybe…hire you to help prove that Jasper isn’t involved in the murder.”

“Hire me?”

“Yes,” she said. “I know that you
once worked as a private investigator. I was hoping that I could hire you to
look into the situation and prove that Jasper is not responsible for what
happened today.”

“I’m sorry, Connie,” I said. “But I
don’t do that anymore. Sky High keeps me plenty busy. And I decided that ten
years as a PI was enough.”

“I know, Katie. I wouldn’t ask you
if I wasn’t sick with worry, and…well, I’m feeling pretty desperate.”

“What if Jasper called Dina
tomorrow?” I suggested. “He could arrange to go in, sit down with her and be
completely honest.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” she
said. “Except for one minor detail.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“It’s too late for a little chat,”
Connie said in a faltering voice mixed with shame and culpability. “Jasper was
arrested about thirty minutes ago.”