Awards, Adventure, and Accusations (Dune House Cozy Mystery Series Book 35) by Cindy Bell

Author:Cindy Bell [Bell, Cindy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-09-24T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

After watching Pippa walk away, Mary turned her attention to Martha.

“Do you know Antonio well?” Mary asked.

“We work together a lot, and he told me about his past and what Rick and Pippa accused him of when he worked there,” Martha explained. “He was very upset about it.”

“So you really don’t think he could have killed him out of revenge?” Suzie asked.

“No, never,” Martha said. “Look, I need to go. I need to find Esme and Saul.”

“Okay. Thank you for the tea.” Suzie watched Martha as she headed inside the inn.

“Well, that was interesting,” Mary said. “She obviously cares about Antonio.”

“I wish she would tell us more about who might have murdered Rick. She clearly knows what happens around here, and I think she’s keeping secrets. Those secrets might be the key to finding out what happened.” Suzie started to say more but fell silent as Mary’s phone began to ring.

“It’s Wes. He probably has an update for us.” Mary answered the phone with a smile. “Hi, Wes. Suzie’s here with me.” She glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot. “Hang on, I’ll put you on speaker.” She set the phone down on the table, then touched the speaker button. “Please tell us you found something.”

“I do have a few details to share with you.” Wes took a deep breath. “Here we go! So, Mary mentioned that John, the man who owns the inn that is in direct competition with Rick’s, is a possible suspect. He’s filed for bankruptcy on a few of his previous businesses, so my guess is that he’s not the best at handling money, and he also has some current financial troubles.”

“So if Rick’s wild guests really were driving John’s guests away, that could put John at risk of losing yet another business.” Suzie leaned back in the rocking chair and gazed up at the bright, clear sky.

“Exactly,” Wes said. “However, I’ve dug into his legal history and there’s no indication of him being violent or even getting so much as a traffic ticket.”

“Sounds like a straight-and-narrow kind of guy.” Mary shrugged. “They can snap sometimes, if they’re pushed too far.”

“And it’s possible that he just hasn’t been caught,” Suzie suggested. “But, Wes, we just witnessed Antonio, the chef, getting taken in for questioning. Do you have any information for us about him?”

“Ah, yes, I can see why the detective’s focusing on him. He has a criminal record. It’s mostly small things from when he was a teenager, but it’s still there, and may be a good indication that he doesn’t have a problem with breaking the law to get what he wants. Uh, let me just check on something.” Wes paused, then continued. “Right, so he hasn’t had any recent charges against him. It’s possible that he’s turned his life around.”

“Except that, according to Pippa, when he worked for her and Rick, he stole from them. They never reported him, so there wouldn’t be an official record, but given his past, it tells me he probably hasn’t changed.

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