Free A Saucy Murder: A Sonoma Wine Country Cozy Mystery by A. J. Carton Page A

why I was calling. She was at the fundraiser. She no more wants a killer wandering around backstage at City Opera than we want one here in Blissburg. The police have already contacted Chiara, the understudy. Clearly she had the most to gain from Natasha’s death. Singing on Opening Night will be the biggest break of her career.”
    “I’ll say,” Emma nodded, thinking about Sacha Kuragin’s comment that Chiara would kill to perform Natasha’s role.
    “Chiara’s freaked out because she knows the police are investigating her,” Piers added. “But according to Clare, underneath her bubbly exterior, Chiara would stop at nothing to claw her way to the top. She’s been carrying on with Massimo, the conductor, who is besotted with her. By the way, according to Clare, Massimo has a temper that could catapult him to the top of the suspect list. She’s heard Massimo blow up at the musicians. The union even got on his back. Last year he threatened to dismember the French horn player during a Gotterdammerung rehearsal.”
    “Did Clare say anything to the police?” Emma asked.
    “No,” Piers answered. “She says she’s used to that kind of behavior. It’s Grand Opera, for goodness sake. Everyone acts that way. But as far as Chiara is concerned, Clare said she wouldn’t put murder past her. There’s a rumor that during the Ormon Rising Young Star auditions, Chiara was the one who tainted the picnic lunch so that half the candidates had the runs the day of the competition. No one knows who started the rumor. Maybe it was just a sour grapes loser. But every other Ormon Fellow believed it. And by then, they all knew Chiara pretty well.”
    “Why didn’t someone report that to the police?” Julie asked.
    “Someone did,” Piers replied. “But no one could prove it.”
    That’s when Emma repeated Sacha Kuragin’s jab at Chiara the night before. That she’d kill to sing the first act aria on her back. Emma wondered what more Sacha knew. And if he’d tell.
    “Anyway,” Piers continued, “according to Clare, the police are already milking this angle. Personally, I think it’s a little too obvious. But Chiara isn’t the sharpest tack. As for Barry, first of all, he’s a client. I know the guy. He just wouldn’t do it. But for what it’s worth, Clare is convinced that Natasha never gave in to him.”
    “Piers, hogwash,” Julie replied. “She took the ring, didn’t she?”
    “Yeah, but Clare doesn’t think he got past third base. And she would know. Clare and Barry had a thing going themselves. Pre-Lexie during Mrs. Buchanon II’s reign. Now Barry confides in Clare. She said he’s devastated about Natasha. But according to Clare, she took the ring and never delivered the goods.”
    “And that wouldn’t be enough to drive him into a jealous rage?” Julie asked.
    “Not according to Clare. And not based on anything I’ve ever seen in the guy’s temperament. He’s a depressive. He mopes. He whines. But he’s not a killer.”  Piers shook his head. “I also talked to Chief Tompkins. In fact, I had coffee with him today at the Plaza Café. By the way, the apricot galettes this morning were amazing . Anyway, the police are getting a subpoena to search the gypsy’s…”
    “Roma,” Emma interrupted.
    “The Roma’s,” Piers continued, “trailer. Somebody made off with that ring, and based on something Vera told him, Tompkins thinks the gypsy, I mean the Roma, got it. Oh, get this. Barry reported a few stolen articles from his house last night. Some silver and a couple of Japanese netsuke miniature ivory sculptures from the living room. Guess where they turned up this morning?  In a garbage can near Tonio’s and Carmen’s trailer. When the police tried to contact Tonio about it, no one could find him. Which brings us to you, Emma. What did you find out about Carmen today?”
    Emma froze. Stolen silver at Tonio and Carmen’s trailer?  If Carmen knew the police had found it, why hadn’t she