Murder at the Cooking School: Book 7 of the Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series (4 page)

“Mike, you’ve got to see this,” Kelly
said the next morning as she looked out the window. “This view is incredible,
and you can see forever. Oh, my gosh! There’s a whole covey of quail in the
vineyard. There’s a bunch of little ones walking behind their mother. It’s one
of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.”

He walked over to the
window and joined her. “Honey, I agree. This view is absolutely beautiful. It
looks like something you’d see in a travel magazine or on one of the travel
television shows. Just think, for the next few days we have no cares and
nothing to do but eat good food, look at a beautiful landscape, and drink some
great Italian wine. I am so ready for this vacation, but before I do anything
else, I need coffee.”

“Give me five minutes, and
I’ll be ready. I’m curious what the cook’s prepared for breakfast. I can always
use some new ideas for the coffee shop.”

“I think you’ll be going
home with a notebook full of ideas and recipes. I’ve never tasted pork as
tender as the one we had at dinner last night. Have you ever cooked pork in
milk? I don’t remember seeing you do that.”

“No, I’ve read about it, but
I’ve never done it. It doesn’t seem to be all that difficult. I wonder if
that’s one of the recipes we’ll get.”

“I have no idea. That’s
your department. Crime is my department,” he said flippantly.

“Well, glad your
department is closed for a week. You need some time off, and I think we’ve
found the perfect place for it.”

When they got to the
bottom of the stairs they heard the sound of strained voices and sensed the
tension in the air. Mike raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders in answer
to Kelly’s unasked question. Two policemen stepped out of a nearby room and
approached them. One motioned for Kelly to follow him, and the other one asked
Mike to follow him. They took them to separate rooms.

“What is going on?” Mike
asked. “What’s happened?”

“We’re not sure, but there
is a strong possibility that
Signora
Nardo has been murdered,” the
policeman said. He asked Mike where he had been for the last several hours and
then said, “Please don’t take this personally. We have to question everyone who
was in the house last night.”

“I understand. I’m a local
county sheriff back in the United States, and I would do the same. Can you tell
me more about what happened to
Signora
Nardo? I’d like to talk to your
chief and offer my help.”

“He would probably like to
have help from someone who is staying here. You might be able to learn things
we can’t. All we know is that her maid discovered her body when she went into
her bedroom this morning at 6:00 a.m. She told us that every morning she takes
Signora
Nardo a tray with a cappuccino and two cornets or croissants filled with
jam. She said it never varies.”

“Was anyone with the
maid?” Mike asked.

“No, she was by herself
when she went into the
Signora’s
bedroom. The maid said it was very
strange because the
Signora
looked like she was asleep, and in all the
years she had been employed by
Signora
Nardo, she was always awake when
the maid entered her room. She walked over to
Signora
Nardo’s bed and
noticed that her skin was almost blue, and she wasn’t breathing. She picked up
the phone and dialed security. Immediately one of the castle guards came in the
room and said that the
Signora
was dead. He called us. That’s all we
know. Follow me, and I’ll take you to the chief.”

A few minutes later as
Mike walked down the hall to the room where the police chief was interviewing
people, he saw Kelly in the dining room. “Excuse me,” he said to the policeman,
“I need to tell my wife that everything’s all right. I’ll be back in a minute.”
He walked over to where Kelly was standing. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

“Yes, but I can’t believe
she died last night right here in the castle. The policeman asked me a few
questions and realized I didn’t know anything. Do you think the police suspect
foul play and perhaps she was murdered?”

“I don’t know, but I’m
going to offer my services to the chief of police. I know I’m on vacation, but
I’m sure I’m the only law enforcement person who’s actually staying here at the
castle. Also, the fact that I speak English like most of the other guests might
be of some help. Maybe I can find something out.”

“I was thinking the same
thing. We’ve had good luck solving crimes before. I’ll do what I can to help
you.”

“No, emphatically not. You
are not to help in any way, shape, or form. You are here to enjoy our honeymoon
and pamper yourself for one week while we’re here in Italy. You are here at the
castle to cook, not to solve a crime. I’ll take care of that. Am I making
myself clear? I want your sincere promise you won’t get involved in this.”

“If you insist,” she said,
mentally crossing her fingers behind her back and wondering who she should talk
to first.

“Good. I’m glad we have an
understanding. I’m going to talk to the chief. I have no idea how long I’ll be
gone. Get something to eat, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen when the cooking
class starts a little later. When I told you I probably wasn’t going to be
doing all that much cooking, I certainly didn’t think I’d be spending my spare
time helping the local police.”

“I would think the chief
would be thrilled to have your help. Go on, I’ll see you later. Here’s a cup of
coffee to take with you.”

“Thanks. You’re always
looking out for me, and I love it!”

“You must be Mike Reynolds. My deputy
told me you’re a sheriff in the United States. I’m Police Chief Carlo Varano.
The castle is in my district. I understand you would be willing to help me if
the
Signora’s
death turns into a murder investigation,” he said,
extending his hand to Mike. “And until I hear otherwise from the coroner, I’ve
decided to treat
Signora
Nardo’s death as a murder. That way I can start
my investigation now, rather than later.”

“Yes, I’d be happy to help
in any way I can. It would be presumptuous of me to say that I could help solve
the case, but feel free to let me help you in whatever way you need. I thought
since I’ll be staying here in the castle for a few more days I might be able to
be your eyes and ears,” Mike said. “By the way, I’m surprised you speak perfect
English.”

“I’m fluent in English. I
was born in Italy, but my mother, who was a widow, sent me to live with my
uncle in the United States when I was a young boy. I lived there for nearly
twenty years then returned to Italy when my mother became ill. You may notice I
even have a little bit of a Brooklyn accent.”

The chief continued, “I
can use all the help I can get. The Nardo family is quite well known throughout
Italy, and I anticipate there will be a great deal of media coverage regarding
Signora
Nardo’s death, particularly if it turns out she was murdered. Let me tell you
what I know.
Signora
Nardo’s death occurred sometime late last night or
early this morning. The coroner has already been here and will be doing an
autopsy this afternoon. That’s how important the Nardo name is. If she didn’t
die from natural causes, his initial feeling is that she was poisoned, since
there were no signs of injury to her body. Naturally we will be developing a
list of suspects.”

“It’s been my policy to
always start with who has the most to gain when someone is murdered. Did she
have children? What about her husband?” Mike asked.

“The Nardos did not have
any children, and from what her staff has told me, she always felt it was a
great tragedy that she couldn’t bear children. They said she had contacted many
specialists throughout the world, but she never could get pregnant. Her husband
is supposedly devoted to her, although that’s what they usually say.”

“Do you know if she had a
Will?”

“
Signo
r Nardo says
both of them had Wills which named the other as the sole beneficiary of their
assets. Actually, his real name is not Nardo. He took her family name after
they married. The castle has been in her family for centuries, and the Nardo
name was far better known than his family name of Drago. With her death the
castle and the surrounding properly all becomes his.”

“I know it’s very early in
the investigation, and what I’m going to say is extremely simplistic, but it
sounds like he would have a very good reason to murder her. I imagine this
castle and the land is worth a great deal of money.”

“Yes, it definitely is.
That would be in addition to the thriving olive oil business and the wine that
is produced here, both of which are sold world-wide at a substantial profit,”
the chief said.

“Again, I know it’s early
in the investigation, but have there been any instances of marital discord?
Have there been rumors of either of them having affairs?”

“You’re right, it is very
early in the investigation, but from what the staff has told us, even though
the Nardos seemed as different as night and day, he was certainly devoted to
her, and there were no outwards signs of marital discord.”

“The policeman who talked
to me mentioned that
Signora
Nardo was discovered by her maid. Where was
Signor
Nardo?”

“In Italy it is very
common for people who have been married a long time to have separate bedrooms,
if they can afford to do so, and obviously the Nardos could afford to do so. He
was in his bedroom having breakfast. From what her maid told me, she takes
Signor
Nardo his breakfast and the morning papers and then takes
Signora
Nardo’s to her.
Signor
Nardo did not find out about the murder until he
was told by the castle security guard.”

“How is he taking her
death?” Mike asked.

“As expected. He’s in
shock and can’t believe it. I briefly talked to him, and if it turns out she
was murdered, he can’t imagine who might have killed her or who would have any
reason to want her dead.”

“That might be true, but
I’ve seen too many wives and husbands over the years put on a very good act
when it comes to the death of a spouse. I’m not saying he did it, it’s just
always the first place I look when a spouse has been murdered.”

“In that we are alike. I
will be investigating both of their private lives as well as those of the staff
here at the castle, but as of right now, there are no suspects. Here’s my card.
I’ve written my cell phone number on the back. Please call me if you hear or
see anything I should know about.”

“Something just occurred
to me. When we arrived yesterday afternoon,
Signora
Nardo had two dogs
with her. I haven’t seen them this morning. Would they have slept in the room
with her?”

“I wondered about that as
well. Every time I have come to the castle her dogs have always been with her.
One of them is quite a protector. People in Italy buy the courser breed for
just that purpose. They don’t attack unless they are told to by their owner.
Many wealthy Italians own them as guard dogs. The other dog is her hunting dog.
The
Signora
was known to be an excellent shot and loved to hunt. Her
maid told me that after she retired, one of the staff members always took the
dogs to the dog run. The dogs were brought to her room when she had finished
breakfast.”

“So if she was murdered,
the dogs would not have been in her room. Seems kind of odd she would own a dog
for protection, and yet it wasn’t with her at night. Where are they now?”

“They’re in the dog run
behind the castle. Even though they are both perfectly trained,
Signora
Nardo knew that Caesar, her courser, terrified a lot of people. To be honest,
he terrified me the first time I saw him. He weighs about one hundred fifty
pounds and it’s all muscle. When she entertained she often put them in the dog
run to put her guests at ease. There is a dog house for each of them in the
run. Bruno is her Italian pointer and has a very sweet disposition. I don’t
think he’s ever intimidated anyone. Her maid told me that
Signora
Nardo
thought only peasants slept with dogs in their room, and she refused to do what
the peasants do. If she was murdered, being a peasant during the nighttime
might have saved her life.”

“I have a guard dog,” Mike
said, “and he sleeps with us. Maybe I’m a peasant. Each to his own. I’m sure
you’ve considered that her death might have been a suicide.”

“Yes, of course we’re
looking into that possibility, but so far we’ve found nothing to support it.
We’ll know more after we get the coroner’s report. Usually when a person
commits suicide, they want to punish someone, or there is a history of mental
instability. There was no note or anything else to indicate that suicide was
the cause of death, and I’ve never heard anything about
Signora
Nardo
being mentally unstable.”

“Here’s my cell phone
number,” Mike said. “If you want me to look into something specifically, feel
free to call me. I’m sure things will begin to surface soon.”

“I appreciate your
willingness to help. Enjoy the cooking school. I’ve heard very good things
about it.”

“Thank you, and I’ll talk
to you soon.”