Death with a Cherry on Top: A Beach Themed Cozy Mystery (Twisted Sisters Ice Cream Cozies Book 1) (2 page)

Pops settled into his favorite chair. Sitting in Gina's kitchen, he faced out so he had a view of everything around him. As a former detective, he didn't like his back to the action. He always knew were every entrance and exit was located. When he was promoted to a detective, he went back to wearing plain clothes, but the tricks he learned while walking the beat taught him more than anything. He knew to always expect the unexpected and not to overlook the smallest details. The tiny details usually solved a crime.

Lottie leaned against the counter, while Gina dished out cannoli and poured coffee. Important conversations always ended up in the kitchen, and always over food. It was the way her mother did things, and her grandmother. Gina was the spitting image of her mom. Lottie tended to be carefree, not one to stick to tradition, but Gina was always steering anyway.

"So, what do we know so far?" Pops started.

Gina reviewed the details with her father. "The director's dead body was found near the costume rack. We know that for certain. We know that they think the knife Carla picked up was the murder weapon. She thought it was a prop for the play. They’d been rehearsing, getting ready to open the playhouse for the summer. This year, it was Macbeth they’d chosen to lead with. Anyway, there was an argument that a couple of others overheard. Some sort of disagreement, but I’m not sure if it was personal or professional. She didn’t say. If she says she didn’t do it, I believe her. I don't need more than that. She’s my kid; I’d know if she was lying."

Lottie noodled over the information, while Pops nodded following along.

"We're going to need a list of the people who were there at the time. We’ll need to get statements. What did they hear? What did they see? The more stories that match the better, but somebody will have a detail somebody else doesn't. Everybody sees and hears things from their perspective. You'd be amazed how many details come out when they spill. The hard part is to get them talking. That's a little messy at times, because they may have been told not to talk to anybody until it goes to trial. Then again, some people won't want to get involved, and then others will make the circumstances suit their needs. Oh yeah, one more detail you should know. Everybody lies. Some lies will feel real, but just because it's a lie, it may be the truth in their eyes. Listen to me closely… Everybody lies at some point. Don't forget that. Let's round up a list of people, and we’ll go from there." Pops slid a piece of cannoli into his mouth, and savored the sweet dessert.

Lottie moved to the table and sat down. She took a sip of coffee, then placed her mug onto the table. "What if we had a benefit to help raise money for her release. Get the summer stock crew to join in, serve ice cream to the masses. Those willing to help out will help separate those who aren't interested. If you did the crime, I'm guessing you'd do everything to keep the light shining on somebody else. Maybe one or two will opt out with a lame excuse and at least give us idea of where to start. Then again, like Pops said, everybody lies.”

“Everybody,” Pops reiterated.

“My daughter isn’t lying,” Gina snipped.

Pops rephrased. “Suspects lie. Gina is telling the truth.”

“Thank you,” Gina said, knowing that was for her.

Lottie sighed. "It was a stupid idea, never mind."

"No, actually, it's genius. Let's make the ice cream stand a safe haven, get the kids to hang out there, get talking, and see what we can learn. Who doesn't love to hang out on the boardwalk on a summer night in New Jersey? Somebody's got to know something. Let's just hope it doesn't take long, otherwise my baby girl is going to be tried for a murder she didn't commit." Gina wiped away a tear with her finger and sniffled.

Giuseppe strolled into the kitchen. "Hey Pops. Yo, Aunt Lottie. Ma, is there more cannoli?"

Gina pointed to the counter.

Giuseppe picked up a cannoli and turned to his mother. "Why so glum?"

Gina’s tears went into overdrive. Lottie took over, seeing Gina struggle to get the words out. "Your sister is in trouble. It’s Carla. Could you could help us out? We need a favor. Can you slip into the playhouse and see if you can wrangle a list of cast members for the Macbeth production?"

"Nice, I'm not the one in trouble this time. What did she do?" He was amused to be in the clear for whatever was going on. Usually all fingers pointed his way.

There was silence. Pops chimed in. "It's what she didn't do. She was charged with murder…"

"Pops, really?" Gina choked on hearing it aloud.

"Whoa," Giuseppe chirped, not sure what to make at the news. "I didn't know she had it in her."

"Stop that, right now, young man." Gina stood defiantly. "Your sister did no such thing. Now, sit down and listen. This is serious. Everybody is going to have to pitch in. We need to clear her name and get her freedom back. She’s no killer. Can you do what your aunt asked of you?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll find the prettiest one there and have her twisted around my finger in no time," he answered with swagger.

Lottie groaned. "The sooner you get the list, the sooner we can follow-up on it."

"I'm on it," he said, popping the last piece of cannoli into his mouth. "You can count on me. In fact, I’ll get on it now."

“Thanks love,” Lottie answered with a wave, as Giuseppe made his way out of the kitchen.

When Giuseppe returned, the women were amused at how quickly he’d done the job.

Lottie grinned. "That was fast."

"First cute girl I saw; I was on it. I smiled, flirted, and had her swooning. Here’s your paper. Oh, I also snagged a date for later this week." He winked at his grandfather. "The ladies love me, just like Pops here."

They joked that the widows surrounded Pops with fishing poles cast, ready to hook and reel him in. He was charming and good natured, and still could turn a head. It didn't matter, he was still tied up in memories of his late wife. Nobody could light his fire like Liliana did for so many years. It never stopped the ladies from trying, and truth be told, he didn't mind the extra attention or sweets the women offered. One week there was a casserole, the next Vodka Penne, or a container of Tiramisu, not to mention the amount of lasagnas he’d received in hopes he'd ask the women to stay and share it with him.

"Okay," Gina started. "Let's split up the list and track down these people. We'll cross match it against the police report of witnesses. We should only have a couple, maybe three or four at most."

"Right, and I'll go look for clues that might have been overlooked." Lottie said. "I'm like a regular Sherlock Holmes."

"More like Miss Marple," her father corrected.

"Or Monk," Giuseppe said, joining into a conversation.

"A monk? How am I possibly like a monk?" She was confused.

"Not a monk, like a religious monk. Monk, it's a show on TV...never mind." He flipped open the fridge to grab a drink. "I need to get back to work. I told Dog Face I'd take over his shift for him."

"No name calling," his momma scolded.

"Hey, don't blame me for getting all the good looks. It's on you and Dad for making that mistake and not spreading around the good genes." He laughed and left the room.

"Kids," she grumbled.

Lottie teased her sister. "You had enough of them. You couldn't stop. I love being the fun, crazy aunt and going home to no bickering, no mess, and no name calling."

"Quiet, lonely, boring," Gina snorted. "I love a busy household. I can't imagine -- well, okay, I'm not going to lie. Some days I cherish the thought of quiet, but I'd miss it faster than I'd be willing to admit."

"You ever think about giving me grandkids," Pops directed the question toward Lottie.

"Eh, my eggs are old," Lottie answered. "I'll take sleeping in on weekends and lazy mornings over waking up in the middle of the night at this age. Well, okay, so now I wake in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, but I fall right back to sleep!"

"I'll get on the police report." Pops shifted and got up from the kitchen chair.

Cops stuck together. He knew them all. They usually drank at the same pub. Paramedics, police, and detectives hovered around McNulty's, while the contractors, landscapers, and highway guys hung over at Schmitty's. The white collar crew rarely made their way to that side of town, and preferred the bar at the fancy seafood restaurant. Even now, there was a divide, just like the area that Pops had worked in back in Philly. The New Yorkers tended to hit the northern Jersey beaches, while the Philly crew lingered at the southern end of New Jersey. Somewhere in the middle were million dollar homes that were out of reach to most families.

Lottie patted her sister's shoulder and then turned to leave. "I've got to finish getting things together at the ice cream stand. We'll be opening soon."

Gina nodded. Rarely had she felt this overwhelmed. Between the deli, the ice cream place, and now Carla's arrest, it was too much. She normally held the reigns of the chaos, but today felt completely out of control.

They'd narrowed down the list of people to check out. Kitty Summers was Carla's understudy, there was Simon Wagner, not only the prop guy, but Carla's ex, along with Jessica Lemon. Jessica was one of the girls that happened to be there working on costumes the afternoon it all went down. What was interesting was a name listed as a potential suspect was Ian Collie. Gina sighed. That kid had caused more problems over time. Ian was Carla's super-fan, and was apparently hanging around outside waiting for her when the police showed up. He was always "lurking" nearby, but never quite nailed for stalking.

They recognized all the names, other than Jessica. Gina couldn't place her, and wondered if she was new in town. Having a deli, an ice cream place, and a huge family that seemed to be connected in every direction possible meant they were familiar with a good part of the town.

Simon, well, he'd practically been a member of their family for a couple of years. Carla and Simon split up when she went to New York. He was a good guy, but Gina knew that Simon took it hard when Carla went off without him. He'd stayed in Wildwind to help his mother. She wasn't doing so well these days. His life was here, but Carla had bigger dreams.

When they moved down to the shore, they gathered their finances and went into a couple of family businesses together. Lottie and Pops came down first, then Gina followed after finding a deli for sale. The ice cream stand was Lottie’s spot. She partnered with her sister. The deli was a year-round business, while the ice cream place was seasonal.

"I think we need to learn more about Jessica, maybe invite Simon to dinner, and well, Ian, let's talk to him over at the deli. That way the boys will be on guard in case he acts weird. What about Kitty?"

Lottie groaned. "That girl is so self-infatuated; we're going to need to make the experience about her. Let's maybe crown her as opening day Ice Cream Queen or something, and ask her to help us bring in customers. We can give her a sash and get a crown at the craft store or something. She'd love the attention; don't you think?"

Giuseppe walked in on the conversation, again, digging through the fridge to look for something to eat. "Is there anything good?"

"Lasagna, second shelf, but no more than a slice. I need to bring that over to Antoinette later. She hurt her foot and hasn't been cooking.  I told her I'd bring her some stuff to hold her over." Antoinette was the little old lady that lived at the end of the block. She was an icon in Wildwind, having lived there longer than just about anybody. She used to powerwalk, but after tripping on a loose board up on the boardwalk, she messed up her foot.

Well, she made sure everybody knew that she was going after the owners that didn't keep the boards well maintained, because she could have broken a hip or something. She was more of a talker than a doer, and liked to bark and cause a ruckus more than actually follow through. Her threat was splashed over the local paper, which made it a bit awkward for Gina and Lottie, as one of the boards near their shop needed repair. The problem was, they weren't allowed to do it themselves. It wasn’t their property, as much as they wanted it taken care of. Gina figured she'd keep the peace, one slice of lasagna at a time.

The old bird was as sharp as a tack, and her age rarely held her back, but a woman scorned is a woman scorned. The big business owners that took over the boardwalk didn't want to hear squawking all over the place and quietly payed her a visit. Nobody knows what was said, but she seemed to clam up pretty quickly.

"Thanks, Mom." Giuseppe scooped out a slice with a spatula. "Hey, you know that date I had for later this week? Anyway, we moved it up, so I won't be here tonight."

"Who's the girl?" Lottie poked.

"That chick I met at the playhouse. Her name is Jess."

Gina's eyes went wide. "Jessica Lemon?"

Giuseppe shrugged. "Not a clue. I didn't ask her last name. She was cute, she smiled, I asked her out."

"So you have no clue who this girl is?"

"Sure, I do. She's a pretty girl, works over at the playhouse, and we've been texting all day. She moved here from out of town. She's getting used to the area, but has been here since January. Her mom moved down here after inheriting her grandmother’s house or something. Anyway, her mom was ready for a change. Oh, and she's hot, so there's that." He dug his fork into the pasta after nuking it in the microwave.

Gina cocked her head to the side. "What do you think of bringing her here for dinner?"

"What? Mom, no. Come on, it's a date. You know where we're going with this. I'm not looking to have her meet my mom on the first date. It makes me look like a mama's boy." He took another bite, and continued. "Why? What's up?"

Gina looked to Lottie and grimaced. Lottie nodded. Gina turned back to her son. "If she is Jessica Lemon, she's one of our possible suspects. Your sister is being charged with a crime, and we're trying to undo all of this. Somebody else is responsible for that poor director's death. And your date may very well be a killer."

"Are you kidding me?" He rolled his eyes upward. "A killer? Great, I always pick the winners."

"We don't know! She may be fine." Gina sighed.

Giuseppe shook his head. “Man, how does Dog Face get hot girls all the time, girls that are fun, happy, and not crazy. I go straight after the possible killers. Nice.”

"Stop calling your brother Dog Face," Gina growled at her son.