Murder at the Cooking School: Book 7 of the Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series (12 page)

“There you are,” Kelly
said to the big dog as he stood up and walked to the front of his dog run.
“Time to go up and see how Mike’s day was. Caesar, come.”  The two of them
walked into the castle and started up the stairs.

“Darn,” she
said when they were halfway up the stairs. “I left my apron in the kitchen, and
I don’t want the cleaning crew to throw it out. I want to take it home as a
souvenir. I’m sure they’ll be doing a thorough cleaning job since the cooking
class has ended. Come on, Caesar, I need to go back to the kitchen. Mike will
just have to wait a few minutes.” She turned around, waked down the stairs, and
headed towards the back of the castle where the kitchen was located.

On her way to
the kitchen she passed by the library and saw Domenico, the wine steward. She
walked in and said, “Need some help? Caesar and I are on our way to the
kitchen. We were halfway up the stairs when I realized I’d left my apron in the
kitchen, and I was afraid the cleaning crew would throw it out. I didn’t want
that to happen. The apron, along with some cookbooks I bought at
Cucina
,
are my only souvenirs from the cooking school. We paid plenty to attend the
cooking school, and since Mike has barely even eaten a meal here, I have to say
they’ve done well by us.”

“No, but
thanks. Every night I take the wine out of the library and decide if there’s
enough left in the bottles to return any of them to the wine cellar which is
next to the kitchen. If there are only a few drops left in a bottle, I throw it
out, which is usually the case, but tonight there are two bottles that are
almost full.”

“Since the
class has ended and there won’t be a lot of people around, who gets the
leftovers?”

“It seems like
there are always people willing to drink what’s left of the wine. Some of the
staff has a glass of wine after they finish work, and the
Signor
and
Signora
always enjoyed their wine. People know it’s here. I won’t serve a wine that’s
been opened for more than three days.” He put a trash barrel containing the
empty bottles in the hall. “The cleaning crew takes care of the empty bottles
for me, and they also take the glasses to the kitchen where they’ll be put in
the dishwasher. All I have to worry about is doing something with the leftover
wine.”

She looked
down at Caesar. “You’ll have to stay in the hall. You know the rule about no
dogs in the kitchen.” She turned to Dominico. “Where is the wine cellar? I
don’t think I’ve seen it.”

“It’s not
really a cellar. We just call it that. It’s on the other side of the kitchen.
When the
Signora
renovated the kitchen, she had it installed. It’s
temperature controlled, soundproof, and there’s room for 1,500 bottles. I have
to walk through the kitchen to get to it. I’ll put these two bottles in the
wine cellar, and then I’ll go home. It’s probably too late to see my children
tonight, but at least I’ll have a chance to see my wife for a little while. If
you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you something.”

“Certainly.
What is it?”

“You said ‘we
were halfway up the stairs.’ Does that mean you let Caesar stay in your room at
night?”

“Yes, why do
you ask?”

“I’m just
thinking he must love it. He was very much the
Signora’s
dog, but she
never allowed him to sleep in her room. Maybe it’s an Italian thing, but I
don’t know of anyone who lets their dog sleep in the same room where they do.”

“Could be.
Both of our dogs at home sleep in the bedroom with us. It must be cultural
thing. I never thought about it.”

“I’m sure
Caesar’s happy with the arrangement.”

The three of
them walked down the hall towards the kitchen. Kelly opened the kitchen door
for him and at the same time motioned for Caesar to stay where he was. She
looked back at him as she and Dominico walked into the dimly lit kitchen. They
heard a voice at the far end of the kitchen and saw someone who looked like
Chef Bianchi talking into a cell phone with her back to them. From the tone of
her voice, they could tell she was very angry. Dominico laid the bottles down
on the counter and the two of them stood silently side by side as they listened
to Chef Bianchi speak into the phone.

“What do you
mean you won’t be inheriting the castle? You told me before we were married
that if anything happened to your sister, you would be the one to inherit it.”
She listened a minute. “Of course
Signor
Nardo told you that. What did
you expect, you stupid fool! Did you think he’d tell you the castle would be
yours now that Tonia’s dead, and he was happy to move out and give it to you?”
Again she listened.

Kelly knew she
should leave, but she was rooted to the spot on the floor where she was
standing. Also, she wanted to hear what Chef Bianchi was saying, as she had a
sense it could be very important in solving the murder.

“You called
the lawyer who wrote up your parents’ Wills and Tonia’s Will, and he told you
that you had no legal right to the castle property? Are you sure?” Her next
words utterly shocked Kelly and Dominico. “The reason I killed Tonia was so we
could finally be the owners of the castle. Do you know what will happen to me
if anyone finds out? And I did it for you, you idiot. Don’t start sniveling.
I’ll think of something. Maybe it’s time to take care of the
Signor
. If
he’s not around, you would be the only one left, and then we could have the
castle. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. You told me a long time ago to keep a gun
with me for protection. Well, guess what? I just took it out of my purse, and
it’s time the
Signor
joined the
Signora
.”

Just then one
of the bottles of wine that Dominico had placed on the counter rolled off and
shattered on the kitchen floor causing the chef to whirl around. They both saw
the gun in her hand. “Don’t move. Stay where you are or I’ll shoot,” she said
to them in a menacing manner. She spoke into the phone, “Sal, I have some other
work to do. I’ll be home in a little while.”

“You were the
one who murdered the
Signora
?” Dominico asked incredulously. He couldn’t
believe what he’d just heard. “I’ve worked for you since the cooking school
opened, and the
Signora
hired you as the chef. She was your
sister-in-law. How could you do such a thing? I can’t believe this.”

“Well you
better, because you two are next. I can’t let you live knowing what you do now
and Kelly, I know you speak Italian. I heard you at the
Mercato
.”

In a shaky
voice filled with fear, Kelly said, “All right, Chef Bianchi, I can understand
that you murdered
Signora
Nardo because you thought your husband would
inherit the property, but what I don’t understand is why did you do it now and
not years ago?” Kelly wished she hadn’t left her purse with her cell phone back
in the room. There was no way for her to get in touch with Mike. She didn’t notice
that Caesar was no longer sitting at the spot outside of the kitchen door where
she’d left him.

“I did it
because I overheard her talking to Elena Oberti, the chef who’s on television,
and the chef everyone is talking about these days. I knew she was going to let
me go, and I couldn’t have that. Anyway, the castle is rightfully my husband’s
and with Tonia alive, there was no way he was going to get it.”

“What made you
think your husband would get the castle rather than her husband?” Kelly asked.

“When Sal
proposed to me he said his mother had told him there was a clause in her Will
stating that in the event of Tonia’s death, the castle would be bequeathed only
to a Nardo, and my husband was the only other living Nardo. I knew someday it
would be ours. I simply made it happen a little sooner rather than later,” she
said giggling. “Just like the two of you are going to die a little sooner than
you thought you would. We’ve talked long enough. I want both of you to go into
the wine cellar. The walls in it are very thick, and it’s soundproof, so when I
pull this trigger, no one in the castle will hear a thing.”

“Since you’re
going to kill us anyway, would you tell me how you poisoned
Signora
Nardo? I’ve been trying to figure that out, and I can’t.”

“It was easy. I
ground up sleeping pills and put them in special cookies which I gave to her
maid. Everyone knew Tonia liked to have a little sweet before she went to bed.
Her maid always came into the kitchen to get something to take up to her. I
waited for an hour and went up to her room. She never locked her door. I went
in and put a needle in her arm with the poison in it. It was so easy I should
have done it a long time ago.”

At that moment
the loud blast of a gunshot reverberated through the kitchen. The gun which had
been in the chef’s hand flew to the floor and she clutched her bleeding hand
and cried out in pain as she fell to the floor.

“Don’t move,”
Mike yelled, walking over to the chef and kicking her gun away from where she’d
dropped it. “Kelly, pick her gun up and keep it on her while I call Chief
Varano.”

“Carlo, it’s Mike. You
need to come to the castle immediately and bring a couple of men. Kelly’s
holding a gun on the person I’m pretty sure murdered
Signora
Nardo. It’s
Chef Bianchi. I don’t know the details, but I’ll find out and fill you in when
you get here.” He turned to Kelly. “I’ll take the gun, but I have to ask, what
were you two doing here in the kitchen?”

“We didn’t
know she’d be here or that she was the one who murdered
Signora
Nardo.
I’d left my apron from the cooking class in the kitchen, and Dominico was
getting ready to take a couple of bottles of wine back to the wine cellar when
I saw him in the library. We walked here together, and when we got here we
overheard her talking to her husband. Unfortunately, one of the bottles of wine
rolled off the counter and shattered on the floor. When she heard the crash she
turned and saw us. Honest. Now I have a question for you. How did you know I’d
be here, and what made you come here with a gun?”

“Your friend
here,” he said, motioning to Caesar who was standing at the entrance to the
kitchen. “I’d just opened the door to our room when he came racing up the
stairs and literally head-butted me toward the stairs. He ran down them and
then looked back to see if I was following him. I had my gun with me, and I
figured when you weren’t around, and Caesar was in that much of a hurry,
something must be happening to you. I was right. I just followed him, and he stopped
at the kitchen door. I stood there for just a few moments before I ran in, so
you’ll have to fill me in on everything she said. I don’t speak Italian, but
the gist I got was that she was going to kill both of you.”

“Mike, she’s
the one who killed
Signora
Nardo.” Kelly told him what she and Dominico
had overheard and what
Signora
Bianchi had said to them about
Signor
Nardo being next.”

“I thought it
was her when I realized what was happening, but prior to that I never suspected
her. It seems out of character, and she was the
Signora’
s sister-in-law.
You just never know about people. Even after all I’ve seen, I still get
surprised,” Mike said.

Dominico was
pale and shaking when he turned to Mike and said, “May I leave? I really want
to get home to my wife and children. I’ve never been involved in anything like
this, and I feel sick.”

“I’m sorry,
but I know the chief’s going to want to talk to you and have you tell him
exactly what you saw and heard. I imagine your story and Kelly’s will be
identical, so it’s pretty much a formality. Would you like to use my phone to
call your wife?”

“Please.”

Mike handed it
to him, and Dominico walked to the far side of the kitchen to make his call.
Kelly turned to Mike and said, “Where did you get the gun? I remember you decided
not to go through the hassle of trying to bring one into the country, and you
left yours at home.”

“The chief
gave it to me. Since the murder took place at the castle, and people knew I was
involved in trying to solve it, he was worried that someone might try to do
something to me. I never imagined you’d get in a situation where you’d need a
gun.”

“Believe me,
neither did I. You know I almost feel sorry for her,” she said, looking at
Luisa softly sobbing on the floor. “She’s lived most of the last twenty years
or so believing that someday she would be the one to live in the castle and run
it. Not only is that never going to happen, she’ll probably go to prison for a
long time for committing murder and attempting to commit more. The
Signor
has no idea how lucky he is that we wandered into the kitchen and Caesar found
you, because if that hadn’t happened she would have killed him.”

“Actually, I’m
the lucky one. If Caesar hadn’t found me, more than likely you wouldn’t be
standing here right now.”

They heard the
sound of sirens getting louder and within minutes Chief Varano strode into the
kitchen, followed by two of his policemen. “Mike, what’s going on?”

Mike told him
what had happened. The chief turned to his men. “I want you to handcuff
Signora
Bianchi and take her to the station. Book her for murder and attempted murder.
When you finish, go to her home and tell her husband what’s happened. Kelly,
Dominico, I need to take statements from both of you. May I have your
permission to record your statements? If you allow me to do that, it will save
you a trip to the station to sign a written statement there.”

Kelly and
Dominico both told him that would be fine, and each of them gave him their
version of what had happened from the time they had entered the kitchen. When
they were finished, the chief turned to Mike and said, “I’m going to need a
statement from you as well. How did you happen to show up at the perfect
moment?”

Mike told him
about Caesar, and how he had overheard enough standing outside the kitchen to
cause him to come in and shoot the chef’s gun out of her hand.

“What is going
on?” they heard a voice ask, and a moment later
Signor
Nardo walked into
the kitchen.

“I heard
sirens and looked out my window to see the blue and red lights on two police
cars. I saw one of them leave. What has happened? Why are all of you in my
kitchen? Chief Varano, we’ve met before. I know you’ve been calling me wanting
to talk to me about Tonia’s murder, but I am so heartbroken, I couldn’t do it.”

The chief told
him what had happened and that Chef Bianchi was the one who had murdered his
wife. The man was clearly distraught about his wife’s death and finding out
that his sister-in-law had been the one who murdered her only added to his
grief.

Kelly told him
about the conversation they had overheard between the chef and her husband. She
also went on to tell him she had overheard the argument between Salvadore and
him earlier in the day.

“I told him
the castle had been willed to me by Tonia, and that he had no right to it. He
didn’t want to believe that. From what you are telling me he must have called
Signor
Conti and found out from him that what he’d believed for over twenty years
wasn’t true. In a way I feel sorry for him. I wonder what will happen to him
now that Luisa will be going to prison.”

The police
chief’s phone rang and he listened for a few minutes. He pressed end and turned
to face
Signor
Nardo. “
Signor
, I’m sorry to tell you this because
I know you’ve had enough shocks the last few days to last a lifetime, but my
deputy went to Salvadore’s house to tell him about Luisa and discovered his
body. He had committed suicide. It was very apparent from the position of the
gun and his hand. Additionally, there was an empty bottle of grappa next to
him.”

Signor
Nardo walked over to a
chair and sat down heavily in it. Everyone was quiet, and then he spoke. “The
family I have known for the last twenty years is gone, gone in a few days.
Tonia murdered, Sal committing suicide, and Luisa going to prison, probably for
life. I don’t know how I can go on.”

Dominico
walked over to him and said, “
Signor
Nardo, your staff loves you. We
want you to continue to use the castle as a hotel. See if the chef your wife
was talking to will take over as the chef of the cooking school. You have
several rooms that are not being used here at the castle. Why don’t you make
those into a restaurant? I will be your sommelier, and we will create a
restaurant worthy of Michelin stars. I’m sure that would appeal to the new chef
as well. Have her create signature dishes. Yes, you can never go back to the
life you had, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a new and wonderful life.
Many of us would like to help you. Please, let us.”

Signor
Nardo looked up and said,
“Thank you. I appreciate that. Maybe getting completely involved in something
new would help me get over these losses. Come back tomorrow, and let’s talk
about this. Do you really think we could have a Michelin star restaurant here
at the castle?”

“No, I don’t
think so, I know so. It would be an honor to help you.” He held out his hand,
and the
Signor
shook it. Dominico looked at the chief and said, “May I
leave now?”

“Yes, and
thank you.”

“I did
nothing. I think the hero tonight was Caesar. By the way, I have two little
boys who would love to have a big dog. If no one has spoken for him, I would
love to have him.”

“Consider it a
gift from the
Castello di Nardo
for your life being in danger. From what
I learned tonight, I imagine
Signora
Reynolds would like one more night
with him, but since I inherited everything that was Tonia’s and that includes
Caesar, it would be my pleasure for you to have him. When you come tomorrow you
can take him with you.”

Dominico
walked out of the kitchen, petting Caesar on the head as he left.

“I think
that’s everything,” Chief Varano said. “It’s getting late, and it’s been a long
day for all of us. Mike, I’d still like to talk to you tomorrow and wrap up a
couple of loose ends. Is it okay with you if I pick you up about ten?”

“Of course,
Carlo. I’m happy to help in whatever way I can. With everything that’s
happened, I think I’ll keep the gun with me tonight and return it to you
tomorrow.”

“Let’s hope it
won’t be needed. Kelly, thank you very much for everything. I hate to say this,
but without you I’m not sure this murder ever would have been solved. You
American women are different from the Italian women. You don’t listen to your
husbands, but in this case I’m glad you didn’t. Good night.”

Kelly, Mike,
and the
Signor
walked out of the kitchen and were joined by Caesar.
“Would you like me to accompany you to your residence?” Mike asked
Signor
Nardo.

“No, thank
you. I think it’s very safe now. We have security here at the castle, but who
would have thought we’d have to worry about one of our own?”

“Absolutely no
one. Good night,” Mike said. He, Kelly, and Caesar headed up the stairs,
looking forward to a good night’s sleep.