The parking lot at Bella’s Fine Italian restaurant was half full. Considering this was a private party, I was surprised. How many people had been invited? I parked Olivia’s car and hurried to the door. After Myra had dropped me off, I realized I didn’t have any transportation. Olivia read me the riot act about endangering myself but eventually agreed to lend me her car.
Marcus had said to come around five thirty as they were serving dinner at six. It was two minutes before six when I arrived. The door was locked and had a sign stating they were closed for a private event. I cupped my hand on the glass and tried to peer inside. It was dark, but something moved, and a moment later, the door opened. Mike grinned at me.
“Cutting it close, Leah. You’re the last one here.”
“Sorry,” I said. “Got held up.”
He waved me in, and we walked to the main dining area. The place looked very different. Normally, there were tables for two or four all around the room, and the lighting was low to offer a refined, elegant dining experience. Now all the tables were pushed together to make two long rows with chairs on either side. There were colorful flowers on the tables and larger arrangements on stands in the corners. A happy birthday banner hung on one wall. Under the banner were two tables covered with presents.
Several people looked up as I stopped in the doorway but most were chatting to each other or settling into their chairs. Waiters, carrying large trays with salads, started to serve those already seated. Arabella saw me and waved, her face filled with a bright smile. Marcus materialized in front of me looking handsome in his dark blue suit. He nodded to Mike who took my present and placed it on the gift table. Marcus took my arm, leading me to one of the few open seats near the end of the second row of tables. At least I was near the door.
“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it,” he said softly.
“Car trouble,” I whispered.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes. Fine.”
I didn’t tell him about my car. It would upset him, and he had enough on his mind dealing with Arabella’s party, Brandy’s murder, and his relationship with a cop. I looked for Megan, but I didn’t see her anywhere. Had she been invited or were they still trying to keep their relationship a secret?
“How did your talk with Ricky go?” I asked.
Marcus’s mouth tightened. “I’ll tell you about it after the party.”
“In other words, not well.”
“I was going to have you sit with Robert Davis,” Marcus said, ignoring my comment, “but Glen called to say he wasn’t feeling well. So you’re on your own.”
Marcus didn’t know about Robert. I bit my lip, torn between letting him know who Brandy had been seeing and keeping Robert’s confidence. In the end, I remained silent.
“Mama was pleased you were coming. She’s looking forward to talking to you.” He squeezed my arm and returned to his seat next to Arabella.
She was in the center of the table with one son on each side and her grandchildren across from her, including Ricky. He was dressed all in black. I couldn’t see his face, but the set of his shoulders indicated he wasn’t happy. Autumn was seated next to Damian, and there was a pretty girl in the chair beside Mike. The rest of the table was filled with other family members. I recognized a couple of Cantono cousins, and the woman sitting next to Marcus looked so much like Arabella that she had to be her sister.
As soon as I settled into my seat, a salad appeared in front of me. My dinner companions had already started eating so I joined in. The table where I was seated was for friends. Most of the people were around Arabella’s age, but there were a couple of exceptions. Near the middle, there was a couple with two teenage girls, and the woman next to me had to be close to ninety. During the meal, I learned she was Arabella’s first grade teacher.
“It was my second year teaching,” she told me. “I was still learning the ropes.”
“It’s amazing that you kept in touch.”
“I try to keep track of all my students. There are several here tonight. When you teach as long as I did, you have a lot of students.”
“How long did you teach?”
“Forty years,” she said with a laugh. “Oh, the stories I could tell.”
With a little prompting, I got to spend the next hour listening to her stories. She was entertaining and fun. I was tired and fading fast so it helped that she kept me alert. At the end of the main course, Marcus stood and toasted his mother. We all raised our glasses in response. Arabella blushed prettily and clapped her hands.
“Time for presents,” she said and hurried over to the gifts.
Mike followed his grandmother and set a chair near the table. Arabella sat and faced her guests. The woman I pegged as her sister joined Arabella. She was holding a notepad and pen. As Mike returned to the family table, I saw Ricky move toward the door.
Frowning, I glanced at Marcus. He watched Ricky a moment before he was distracted by one of the waiters. Damian shifted in his chair, staring at the doorway. My eyes followed his. Ricky was gone.
“My first gift is from Leah.”
Crap. I twisted around in my seat to see Arabella holding my present and reading the card. I had tried tying a bow around the square pot, but the ribbon didn’t look right. After some digging, I found a gift bag that was designed to hold a bottle of wine. The shape was perfect; however, the bag was too tall so I stuffed the bottom with tissue paper. It wasn’t the prettiest present, but it worked.
Arabella reached in and pulled out the plant. The room was quiet with just a few people whispering. My gift drew a couple of puzzled looks. Arabella held the plant in both hands and looked at me. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. She wouldn’t be rude, but I was getting a little worried about the look on her face.
“Lovage,” she said softly. “I have been wanting this plant for months. Where did you find it?”
All eyes turned to me. “Uh. I ordered it online.”
She laughed. “Of course. So simple. I should’ve thought of it myself, but now I don’t have to. What a wonderful gift. Thank you, Leah. I love it.”
“I’m glad,” I said with a sigh of relief.
Arabella moved on to the other gifts. I watched her exclaim over clothing, perfume, and cookbooks. She was having a great time. I felt my eyes start to close. The day was catching up to me. Arabella was only halfway through the presents, and dessert still had to be served. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it without falling asleep.
Deciding some fresh air might help, I rose from the chair and stepped into the lobby. The front door was still locked, but it wasn’t hard to open. I slipped outside and took a deep breath of air. I walked a few steps along the front of the restaurant and turned around. Not wanting to leave the door unlocked without anyone nearby, I stayed close. After the third trip, I was starting to feel more awake.
As I neared the door, I heard a strange hissing sound. I stopped and looked around. The lights from the awning kept the area well-lit. I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Shaking my head, I reached for the door when I heard the sound again.
Walking to the end of the building, I looked around the side. It was empty, but the sound was louder. It was coming from the back of the restaurant. I continued to the back and leaned around the corner.
It was almost dark. The one light over the back door was faint. I could barely make out a man-sized shadow kneeling next to the door. His back was to me so I couldn’t see his face, and he was dressed all in black. His arm started moving up and down, and I heard the ping of the small pea as he shook the spray paint can.
“Ricky,” I muttered softly.
Anger infused me. He had been the one causing all this trouble. I rushed forward, calling his name. The shadow suddenly jumped up, turned around, and tossed the paint can aside. I skidded to a stop. He was wearing a black ski mask and was much larger than Ricky Cantono. I started to backpedal, but he reached out and grabbed me by the arm. Twisting me around so that he was behind me, he wrapped an arm around my body, pinning my arms to my sides. I let out a squeak and opened my mouth to scream as his hand moved to grasp me by the throat. He squeezed, cutting off all air.
Panicking, I started to thrash. With my arms now free, I reached up to tug at his wrist. He squeezed harder, holding me close. I struggled more, trying to break free. His other hand rose, and I saw the flash of a knife as it neared my face. I froze in place.
“You had to meddle in other people’s business, didn’t you? Nosy bitch.”
Heart pounding and afraid to move, I said nothing. I could barely breathe and was in danger of fainting. Silently, I cursed the fact that my Glock was safely locked in Olivia’s car with my purse. I felt him chuckle and tried to quash my panic.
“Let her go.”
The voice came from the shadows. I almost sagged in relief until I saw Damian step into the light followed closely by Ricky. I didn’t know which would be better. The unknown assailant or the two Cantonos who hated my guts.
The hand around my throat tightened, and I couldn’t hold back a petrified gasp. My body was shaking all over. Even in the warm night air, I was cold. I couldn’t seem to draw a breath. The hand loosened slightly, and I gulped in air.
“Let her go.”
This time the voice was a welcomed one. Marcus stepped out from behind Damian. The two brothers stood side-by-side. They presented an intimidating image. The hand with the knife trembled just a tad.
“Cantonos joining forces? Never thought I’d lived to see the day,” my assailant sneered.
With Marcus near, I was finally able to think through the terror. I recognized the voice. My eyes widened. I stared at Marcus, but his eyes were on the man behind me.
“You turned my boy against family,” Damian said. The menace in his voice was chilling.
“Your boy jumped at the chance. Too bad he didn’t do his job.”
“I did what you wanted,” Ricky yelled. Damian said something, and Ricky backed away muttering to himself.
“Ricky told us everything, Snyder,” Marcus said.
The man stiffened. He hadn’t expected to be recognized. I felt his breathing accelerate. Up until then, he had been calm and cool. I tried to control my own breathing, but I was still struggling with pulling air into my lungs.
“He doesn’t know anything,” Snyder growled.
“He knows enough. He knows Penelope Lansford hired him to follow Leah.” Marcus paused. “Only Penelope wasn’t the one vandalizing my business.”
My brain was whirling. Nothing made sense. Snyder was the saboteur, but Penelope hired Ricky?
“For one,” Marcus continued, “she isn’t tall enough or strong enough. And two, she doesn’t have the knowledge or expertise to circumvent my security cameras.”
Marcus took a step closer. I never saw the knife move. When I felt it, I was so shocked I cried out. The cut wasn’t deep, but it stung. I could feel a trickle of blood slide down my neck. Blackness threatened. Not from the pain, but from the fear.
“No closer, Cantono. Unless you want your girl here to lose an ear.”
Marcus’s eyes flashed to me for a moment before returning to Snyder. The smile that crossed his face almost made my knees buckle—and not for the normal reasons. The smile Marcus gave Snyder was cold and deadly. It reminded everyone that Marcus Cantono was not a man to cross.
“So we did a little digging,” Marcus continued as if nothing had happened, but he had stopped moving. He slid his hands into his pants pockets and stood perfectly still. “Penelope Lansford is your cousin. You invested heavily in her restaurant. When her profits started to dwindle, she couldn’t pay you. So you had two choices. Cut your losses or invest more hoping to recoup.”
“It should’ve been a temporary setback,” Snyder said harshly. “The newness of Bella’s should’ve worn off by now.”
“But it hasn’t, and Penelope is up to her eyes in debt. She had overextended herself when she purchased the other stores on the square. The solution was to ruin my business.”
“I guess you have it all figured out.”
Snyder took a step back, pulling me with him. My feet shuffled on the ground as I tried to stay upright. We moved closer to the corner of the building. Marcus and the others were still near the door.
“Listen up, Cantono. I don’t want to hurt Ms. Norwood.” Snyder paused and then laughed. “Well, I do, but I’m a police officer and sworn to serve and protect. At one time, that actually meant something to me so this is how it’s going to go down. Leah and I are going to get in her car and drive away. Once I’m sure no one is following, I’ll let her go and disappear.”
“If it had only been the vandalism, I would agree, but you killed Brandy.”
Snyder’s body shook. It took me a moment to realize he was laughing. I felt his head move back and forth as he huffed out a breath.
“No, that wasn’t me. That was pure luck. Just another nail in your coffin.”
My eyes met Marcus’s. We both heard the truth in his voice. Marcus was still bound in place. He couldn’t move without causing harm to me. I wasn’t getting in a car with Snyder. He might have meant it when he said he would let me go, but I wasn’t going to take that chance.
As Snyder took another step back trying to force me to move, I went completely limp. The momentum caused me to fall forward, pulling Snyder with me. I heard the knife clatter as he released it to reach for me. Before I fell on the ground, he let go and turned to run.
On hands and knees, I scrambled away. Behind me, there was shouting and running feet. I turned around and landed on my butt just in time to see Griggs tackle Snyder. Keith Cisneros was behind him. Griggs rose and planted a knee in Snyder’s back while Keith stood over him with a gun.
“Leah!” Marcus grabbed my arm. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I think so.”
Griggs’s eyes locked with mine. We stared at each other across the dark pavement. It was only a moment, but it felt like an eternity. And I didn’t have a clue what it meant.
Snyder moved, causing Griggs to look away. He pulled out handcuffs and slapped them on Snyder’s wrists. Keith reached down, and the two of them pulled the man to his feet and led him away.
I turned back to Marcus. “Do you think your mother would mind if I skipped dessert?”