Caramel Pretzel Killer by Summer Prescott

Author:Summer Prescott [Prescott, Summer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cozy, Culinary
Goodreads: 36157749
Publisher: Summer Prescott Books
Published: 2017-08-30T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

* * *

“Dude, you’re not gonna believe this,” Ringo burst into Chas Beckett’s office, a stack of papers in one hand, a powdered donut shedding on Chas’s carpet in the other.

“Good morning to you too, Ringo,” Chas replied dryly, trying not to resent the interruption.

Ringo plopped into a chair across the desk from his boss and took a huge bite of donut, apparently preferring to speak with his mouth full.

“So, you know how you were having me check out the bad guy that the cops couldn’t nail when he offed his girlfriend?”

“Allegedly offed,” Chas corrected, wishing that the young man didn’t end his sentences in question marks quite so often.

“Sure, allegedly… whatevs,” Ringo brushed the comment aside, licking the powder from his fingers after stuffing the rest of the donut in his mouth. “Anyway, the chick that just got iced at the art gallery, was the first chick’s cousin.”

Ringo’s voice was muffled, and Chas wasn’t certain that he’d understood him correctly. He leaned forward.

“Wait, are you telling me that the two victims are related? Shannon Bentner and Maria Markham are cousins?” Chas clarified.

“Freaky, right?” Ringo nodded. “I mean, seriously… you open up this cold case to see who offed this chick, and then her cousin gets iced too.”

Chas frowned. “Look for other suspicious deaths in the family, and find what you can on the financials. See if there are any connections, other than family, between the two women. I’m going to go have a conversation with the suspect.”

“You got it, dude,” Ringo stood and headed for the door, leaving a trail of crumbs in his wake. “I’ll check social media too, people are seriously dumb about what they put on there.”

Chas flipped through Shannon’s file again, finding the address of her former boyfriend, Anthony Calizzi. He lived in a gated community, which could sometimes be a challenge to get into, but Chas intended to approach him at work, where he’d hopefully be caught off guard.

***

Chas typically enjoyed going to the marina. The sight of sleek boats bobbing in the water usually automatically lowered his blood pressure, but today he had a point and purpose in being there, one that certainly didn’t allow him to relax.

“Hey man, long time, no see,” Andrew Koslowski, a laid-back, tanned young man who rented out boats to tourists greeted him. “I heard you’re not doing the detective thing anymore.”

“True enough,” Chas nodded. “Now I’m doing the ‘private investigator’ thing,” he smiled.

“Sweet. Are you here for business or pleasure?”

“Business. Gotta talk to Tony Calizzi.”

Chas was interested to note the change in Andrew’s demeanor at the mention of Tony’s name. “You know him?”

“You could say that.”

“What’s his story?”

“Works on charter boats. Helps the tourists catch fish. Steals my customers whenever he gets a chance,” Andrew’s typically sunny disposition turned sour.

“Steals your customers? How does he do that?”

“He hangs out at the end of the pier and catches them first. They’re coming in to rent a boat and he tells them that they can catch fish and won’t have to do any of the work, so they go on his boat rather than renting their own.

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