Murder at Capri Cottage by Kathryn Danko

Author:Kathryn Danko [Kathryn Danko]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kathryn Danko
Published: 2023-12-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter seventeen

Becker spent the next morning hobbling around the apartment as she swept up the remaining glass, cut the burned rug into remnants for disposal, and scrubbed the soot from the burn mark on the floor. She threw the windows open to get rid of the smell of smoke and gasoline, except for the front window, boarded up with plywood. She almost cried when she saw some of her beloved books singed. Almost.

The refrigerator was full of food, the universal love language of Italians in a crisis situation. Her living room held bouquets of flowers, filling up the empty space. A few of her officers had hauled out the damaged couch while she was in the hospital; a replacement would arrive in a day or two. The new window would be installed tomorrow.

She drove to the hardware store for a new fire extinguisher, and on the way home, she picked up an egg sandwich from the Shanty for her and Kevin to split.

Becker and Mama went shopping in the afternoon as promised. They limited themselves to one store, Becker’s feet dictating a quick trip. Becker wanted a new rug now as a symbol of her ability to move on, Mr. Dagger be dammed. A bathing suit found its’ way into their cart for Becker as well as a green dog collar for Kevin and a pink silicone straw for Bella. Mama found a yellow checkered sun dress and Becker chose a muted sky blue, aqua and sage green rug to replace the burned one she pitched.

Becker’s belly was rumbling as she pulled into Celestino Gardens later that day. She had not eaten since the egg sandwich she snagged from the Shanty this morning. When she and Mama shopped, they didn’t want to be distracted with food.

The smell of apple pie made her mouth water as she walked toward her Gruppo, at a table in the back of the room, tucked next to the window, away from other diners. A Baltimore Oriole caught her eye. She watched him through the window as he swooped toward a picnic table under the trees, a saucer of grape jelly his destination.

Everyone but Johnny ordered tonight’s special of Chicken Marsala with a side salad and fresh sautéed green beans. Johnny opted for a cheeseburger, hold the cheese and bun, and a side of applesauce with 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar. Becker thought he’d be lucky if the cook decided not to spit in his bowl. They all agreed to apple pie when prompted. “It sells out quickly,” their blue-haired server told them, “You all will regret not ordering it now.”

The Gruppo shared small talk until after apple pie.

“Chief, the Gruppo has asked me to be our spokesperson but feel free to ask any of us questions,” Arima pulled out her notes and continued, “We believe we have identified several suspects. Our initial list included eight names and their relationship with Miss Nellie Mae; however, we have whittled it to two. Here are the names we started with, with the ones highlighted being the two we seriously consider potential murderers.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.