Murder at the Cooking School: Book 7 of the Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series Read Online Free PDF Page B

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