Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns

Author:Catherine Bruns
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2019-05-28T16:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

The next morning, I showered, dressed, and planned to spend the day watching mindless television until Gabby came to pick me up at three o’clock for Eric’s wake. I’d just finished my first cup of coffee when the phone rang. Anthony.

“Hi, honey, how’s it going? Did you get any rest yesterday?”

“Some,” I said. “How’s everything at Slice?”

He hesitated on the other end. “Well, the media stopped by yesterday, about the Eric situation. Only one reporter. Of course, there’s nothing to tell. It’s a shame what happened to the kid, but that type of random shooting is nothing new. There’s a lot of crazy people in this world.”

It sounded like Anthony was trying to brush over Eric’s death, and I found myself wondering why. “Well, don’t worry. I’ll be at work tomorrow.”

Anthony cleared his throat. “I know it’s your day off, but I was wondering if you might be able to make some more sauce. I’m expecting a big crowd tonight.”

Again with the sauce. I suspected he didn’t have a big crowd for dinner. There was no way he could have gone through the batch I’d made the other day. Vince had stored several containers in the cooler. What was Anthony really doing with my sauce? “Ah, what time?”

“I’m closing at two so that Vince and I can go to Eric’s wake. No one will be back until about four. How about you come over at four thirty? Unless you want to come by now? That would be great.”

I gripped the phone tightly between my hands. No one would be at Slice for two whole hours. A golden opportunity for some snooping. Quickly, I thought up a lie. “Gee, my day is pretty full, Anthony. You see, I’m having people over for dinner too. My entire family. I could stop over about three o’clock, but that’s the only time that works for me.”

“Damn.” Anthony was silent for several seconds. “Maybe I can get Butchy or Sam to meet you there and let you in.”

Shoot. That would ruin everything. “Oh, it’s not necessary. I’ll be fine by myself. I’ll make the sauce, clean up, and then lock the door.”

He paused for a moment. “Uh, well, okay. I’ll tell you what. I can leave a key in an envelope taped to the dumpster. Place it on the stove when you’re done, okay?”

“I’m planning to stop by the wake for a few minutes. Shall I give it to you then? What time will you be there? Oh, and what should I do about the alarm?”

“No, leave the key in the kitchen.” He paused. “The code for the alarm is Izzy’s birthday, 1229. So you’ll be here at three o’clock?”

It was my turn to hesitate. “Yes, at three.” I’d have Gabby pick me up earlier than we planned, in case Butchy or Sam turned up to check on me. “Where would you like me to put the sauce?”

“You know what?” Anthony asked. “Why don’t you call me as soon as you get to Slice, and I’ll tell you where to leave it.

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