Free The Wedding Soup Murder: An Italian Kitchen Mystery by Rosie Genova Page A

necklace.”
    Sofia’s dark eyes were serious. “What do you really want, Vic?”
    “Well, I want to finish this novel I‘m writing and publish it under my own name. I want to learn to cook like Nonna. And I want to get some beach time this summer.” I shook my head. “But when it comes to my romantic life, I don’t have a clue.”
    “Speaking of clues, Vic, where do we start?” The old enthusiasm was back in Sofia’s voice.
Here we go again,
I thought.
    “Look, I’ll admit I’m curious about what happened to Elizabeth Merriman. And I’d like to help Dr. Chickie.” I lowered my voice. “According to Danny, an embezzlement charge is pending, which gives him a motive, but—”
    “But what?” Sofia was leaning on her elbows, her eyes wide.
    “Regina Sutton came to see me at the restaurant this morning, just to give me this.” I held out the card. “I have to go down there and give a statement.”
    “That doesn’t mean you can’t do some research,” she said, waving her hand in dismissal.
    “Doing research nearly got us killed.”
    She grinned. “So we know better this time.” Shepointed her fork at me. “And don’t tell me you haven’t been going over it in that mystery-writer brain of yours. You’re driving yourself crazy over how that woman ended up on the beach.”
    “You’re right about that one.”
    “Okay, so if she
was
pushed, who are the suspects?”
    “Anybody’s guess, Sofe. But not one person I spoke to that night had a good thing to say about the Iron Lady. Any one of them might have ‘helped’ her off that platform.” I scooped up the rest of my mashed potatoes, as my appetite was returning. “But she was threatening Dr. Chickie and had a loud argument with Chef Kate. Plus, there’s a boyfriend.”
    “I thought you said she was pushing eighty!”
    “She’s not allowed to have a boyfriend because she’s old? Not only that”—I leaned in closer for emphasis and to get a good look at Sofia’s face for this part—“he’s almost twenty years younger than she was.”
    “Get out.” She shook her head. “On second thought, good for her. Wait a minute,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Didn’t you say she was rich? I wonder if she left him anything.”
    “According to Mustang Sally, the club bartender, she’d paid for his bayside condo.”
    “Maybe he was in a hurry for the rest of it.” She leaned forward, her eyes interested. “So, who else we got?”
    “Not sure. It could be any one of a number of people who were at that wedding—guests, club staff. Or even somebody who wandered in off the street.” I hadanother thought. “She had a giant emerald ring on her finger. Maybe it was a robbery gone bad.”
    “But that doesn’t explain what she’d be doing out on that seawall.” She shook her head. “We’re flying blind without the time of death.”
    “True. And I don’t imagine Regina Sutton will be sharing that information with me.”
    “Danny might.” Sofia looked down at her plate and speared a bit of lettuce, but didn’t put it in her mouth.
    “I don’t know about that. He came to see me in the restaurant after the news broke, and he couldn’t tell me much. Don’t forget, it didn’t happen on his patch.”
    “He’s got friends on the Belmont force.”
    “True. But I think Danny will be careful about what he says and doesn’t say. He has to be.” I winked at her. “Maybe you can charm it out of him.”
    She shook her head. “He was not happy I got involved in that last one. Come to think of it, why are
you
so hot to get involved? You told me never again.”
    I sighed. “I know I did. But I’m a witness. And there’s Dr. Chickie to consider. My dad’s after me to try to help.”
    “And your mom wants you to stay out of it.” At the mention of my mother, her eyes looked sad again.
    “Mom will come around, Sofie.”
    “I hope so. I wish she were happier that we’re trying to work things out.”
    “She will be, once things are