Chicken Caccia-Killer Part 11

All eyes turned to Jordan.

"It's true. My source said she saw another woman go up the staircase right after Kate."

"And I don't suppose your source mentioned who this other woman was?" The tips of his lips curled in a smile, as if he was certain he had just caught her in a lie.

It felt like she was about to throw Emilio's daughter under the proverbial bus, but there was no other option. She looked up at Alex for rea.s.surance. When he encouraged her with a half smile, she said, "Tina Calabrese."

"What?" Jeff Hamilton turned to her "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

Jordan didn't like his tone. "Because I only found out myself yesterday. I was waiting to tell Alex tonight at dinner. I figured he'd know what to do with the information."

"So does your source have a name?" Darnell asked.

"I'd rather not say right now," Jordan said, hoping she didn't have to admit that Ginny Bruno had actually confessed to Victor and not to her.

Darnell took a step in her direction. "Look, Ms. McAllister, I know you write a culinary column over in Ranchero. It isn't like you have to protect your sources here. I just need the name of the woman who made that statement so I can investigate your claim."

Jordan looked at Hamilton, who was staring at her as if she had just confessed to the murder herself. "Her name is Ginny Bruno, and she's one of the festival planners. She was at the party and was sitting directly across from the staircase. She saw everyone who went up there that night. When I was interviewing her for my column yesterday, she blurted out that she'd seen Tina head that way right after Kate did with another man she thought was Petrone."

Darnell glanced down at his watch before turning to the desk sergeant. "Get c.u.mmings and Jaworski to pick up this Ginny Bruno in the morning and bring her in for questioning." He twirled around to face Jordan. "Where did you say she lived?"

"I have no idea," Jordan replied, shaking her head. "If I had to guess, though, I'd say she and her sister were staying at a local hotel in Plainville."

"Have c.u.mmings check that out. If necessary, call the head of the festival's planning committee to find out where we can reach her. I want this woman at the station first thing tomorrow." He paused as if contemplating his next move. "And send a couple of uniforms to pick up Tina Calabrese in the morning as well."

Alex turned to his mother who, up to this point, hadn't said a word. "Mom, Jordan is going to drive you home now. There's no sense in you hanging around here all night. I'll stay in case Kate needs anything."

"I won't go home," she protested. "Every time I look at her empty bed, I'll think about her." She grabbed her son's arm. "Let me stay. Please, Alex?"

Alex shook his head. "I need you to do this for Kate, Mom."

Jordan stepped up and reached for Natalie's hand. "How about if you spend the night at my apartment? You can sleep in my bed, and I'll take the couch."

Natalie looked up at her son, probably hoping he would give in and let her stay. When he didn't, she slumped her shoulders in a gesture of defeat. "Okay, but I expect you to call me the minute you know something-anything at all, no matter what time of the night. Promise me."

"You have my word. Now go with Jordan so Jeff and I can work on getting Kate out of here."

Natalie handed Jordan the keys to Kate's car and followed her out of the building.

The fifteen minute ride to Jordan's apartment seemed like forever with little conversation between the two. Jordan wanted to believe everything was going to be okay for Kate, but she had a niggling feeling that it wasn't going to happen that way. So much could go wrong.

What if Ginny was still furious with Victor over his mustache remark and denied seeing Tina go upstairs that night? If, in fact, the valet really had seen a woman on the balcony, was it possible that Tina herself was actually the killer? She had certainly been mad enough at Marco earlier that evening, but was that anger enough for her to flip out and kill her fiance? If that were true, what if Tina decided to save her own b.u.t.t and verified the valet's statement? She might even say she actually saw Kate push Marco over the ledge. Then there was the mysterious man Ginny saw going up the stairs with her. A man who could or could not have been Marco Petrone.

Jordan's mind was still reeling with scenarios when they pulled into the parking lot at Empire Apartments. They got out of the car and walked through the back door and down the hallway to her apartment. For some reason it was eerily quiet, making Jordan wonder where all her neighbors were. A quick glance at her watch answered that question. It was already after midnight, and the next day was a workday for everyone.

She opened the door and allowed Natalie to enter first. She could only imagine what the older woman was thinking after getting her first look at the tiny apartment. Probably that it was a dump compared to the quaint little house Alex had rented. But if Natalie's thoughts ran along those lines, she kept them to herself.

"I appreciate everything you've done for me. Discovering that Tina had followed Kate up the steps should help, don't you think?" Her eyes pleaded with Jordan to agree.

"I hope so." Jordan saw a ray of hope cross the woman's face and decided to tell her the story of how Victor had gotten that information out of Ginny Bruno. At the very least, it would take her mind off her daughter's predicament, and it might even make her laugh a little.

"Victor was really the one who dug up that little tidbit, but not before he had to endure the woman's outrageous flirting. He-"

Startled by a knock at the door, she jumped. Any other time and she would have thought nothing of someone at the door at this hour, but under the current circ.u.mstances, her nerves were on high alert. It wasn't until she felt Natalie's fingers gripping her upper arm that the realization hit her. Someone was outside her door, and she and Alex's mother were alone and defenseless if that someone was looking to hurt them.

Grabbing a butcher knife from the kitchen counter, she shielded Natalie with her body as they inched their way to the door. She took several quick breaths for courage before standing on her tip toes and peering through the peephole.

Hoping to see one of her neighbors checking up on her, she was surprised to see who it actually was. But the surprise quickly turned to fear when she realized the man was not there for a social visit.

She took another quick peek and swallowed hard.

With a scowl on his face, Emilio Calabrese looked mad enough to kill.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

Slowly, Jordan opened the door.

An enraged Emilio Calabrese stormed into her apartment.

"What the h.e.l.l did you think you were doing at the police station, Jordan?"

Jordan half expected smoke to shoot from his nose.

Natalie stepped from behind her and narrowed her eyes at her former lover. "She was doing what any other person would do if they were questioned by the police. She told them what she'd heard." She huffed. "And if I were you, I'd lose the att.i.tude, or you can show yourself out right now."

His face registered the shock at seeing Natalie before he turned his gaze back on Jordan. "I apologize if I came on too strong, but you can imagine how I felt when I heard you had implicated my daughter in her fiance's murder."

"I did no such thing," Jordan said, feeling a little braver with Natalie next to her. If Alex's mother wasn't afraid of Emilio Calabrese, why should she be? "I merely relayed a conversation I had with one of the vendors who said she'd seen Tina go up the staircase shortly after Kate."

"That's a bold-faced lie," Emilio shouted before lowering his voice a notch. "Tina was with me when all that commotion was going on."

Natalie moved toward him, and Jordan could have sworn she saw Emilio take a step back. "That would have been hard to do, since you and I were standing at the bar and sharing a drink at the time. I was sitting on a barstool and you were beside me with your back to the staircase." She shook her finger at him. "Shame on you, Emilio. I want to help my daughter, too, but I won't resort to lying."

He stared at her for a moment before placing his hands on his hips defiantly. "Tina didn't kill Marco. I know it," he finally said softly.

"No woman likes to be made a fool of in front of all her friends," Jordan blurted before her brain had time to close her mouth. Once she started, she couldn't stop herself. "We all saw how upset your daughter was. If she walked in on Marco while Kate was still in his bathroom and imagined what had just happened in his bed, it could have sent her over the edge." She took a step backwards, sure Emilio would lash out.

Instead, he shook his head. "I know my Tina. She wouldn't even hurt a spider."

"And you think my Kate could kill someone?" Natalie fired back.

"Probably not," he agreed. "But trying to put the blame on my daughter isn't the way to go about proving she didn't." He stumbled and almost fell before he grabbed onto the side of the couch. "Mind if I sit down? I've had a long day."

Jordan motioned with her hand for him to sit. As soon as she was settled, she started in on him. "Let's get this straight, Mr. Calabrese. I only told the police the facts. At the very least, it casts reasonable doubt that Kate Moreland committed murder that night. Likewise, having Kate there does the exact same thing for your daughter. No one's out to get Tina. I can a.s.sure you. Best case scenario, they'll decide that Marco accidentally fell over the railing."

Emilio hung his head. "They've already officially labeled it a homicide," he said, calming down a little. "Jeff called tonight to tell me the police want Tina at the station first thing in the morning so they can question her. That's when he mentioned that they'd concluded that a spot of blood they'd sc.r.a.ped from the patio floor belonged to Marco. After the ME found a gash on the back of the man's skull during the autopsy, he ruled that at least one of Petrone's injuries occurred before the fall. Since he landed face down, that could only have happened before he went over the railing. More evidence indicates he didn't fall straight down like someone who had jumped. Thus, the homicide ruling."

Natalie threw her hands in the air. "Why didn't Jeff tell us that at the station?"

Emilio shrugged. "He may not have known about the autopsy at the time." He reached out for Natalie's hand. "This puts me in a precarious situation, Nat. It would have been unethical for Jeff to represent Tina in this matter after hearing privileged information from the accused. I had to bring in a local to make sure Tina's well represented."

Natalie opened her mouth to say something then closed it. After a moment, she reached out and grabbed his hand. I'm sorry, Emilio. Really I am. I know you love your daughter as much as I love mine. Let's just hope the police decide there isn't enough evidence to try either one of them."

"She didn't do it," Emilio repeated. "It wouldn't have mattered if Marco had cheated on her. She didn't care. That's why she was so mad at me for making her..." He sucked in a gulp of air to cut off the rest of that sentence. After glancing down at his watch he turned toward the door. "I'm sorry for barging in like this. I guess we'll just have to see what happens in the morning." He opened the door and walked out more slowly than he'd walked in. He seemed to be dragging his left leg, making Jordan wonder if he'd injured it somehow.

She raced over and locked the deadbolt as soon as the door closed behind him, then turned to Natalie. "Did you pick up on what he just said-and didn't say-a minute ago?"

"I did, and I'm still trying to figure it out. What could Emilio have meant when it slipped out that his daughter was mad at him?"

Jordan walked over to the couch and sat down. Leaning her head back she stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before responding. "I don't know, but my imagination is running wild. What if Emilio was making Tina marry Marco for some reason, and that's why she was so mad at him?"

"How could Emilio make her marry anyone? This is the twenty-first century, and we're not in an Old World country. Girls aren't forced into arranged marriages. They can marry whomever they choose."

"Unless the one who's holding the purse strings threatens to close the purse," Jordan said. She shut her eyes, trying to figure out what else it could be.

"But why would a girl like Tina balk at marrying someone who looks like Marco?" Natalie asked, plopping down beside Jordan on the couch. "From what I understand he had women all over the world trying to get him to settle down."

"I don't know why, but I promise I'm going to find out."

"How?"

"I'm going to ask her stepbrother."

Natalie straightened in her chair. "That's a brilliant idea, Jordan. I'll go with you."

Jordan shook her head. "This time I have to go alone, Natalie. If I'm going to squeeze any information out of Frankie O'Brien, I have to make him believe he's getting something in return. That won't happen with a chaperone present."

A twinkle brightened Natalie's eyes. "Wear that new lip gloss again."

Jordan jumped up from her makeshift bed on the couch when the phone rang. "h.e.l.lo." She wiped the sleep from her eyes.

"Oh G.o.d! Your voice sounds so good to me," Alex said. "I would give anything to kiss the sleep off your face right now."

Natalie charged out of Jordan's bedroom. "Is Kate all right?"

"Tell her Kate's fine. Jeff did all they could last night before leaving. The police were gracious enough to let me crash on one of their office couches as a courtesy."

Tears threatened to spill over Natalie's face when Jordan relayed the message.

"Jeff's on his way back to the station now to find out about the woman who saw Tina Calabrese follow Kate up the steps that night. Hopefully, with that new information, the police won't have enough evidence to hold Kate. At the very worst, Jeff can persuade a judge to release her on her own recognizance." She heard the frustration in his voice, as well as the longing. "I can't tell you how much I need to see your smiling face."

"Me too," she said, sneaking a glance Natalie's way. She'd heard her tossing and turning most of the night just like she'd done on the couch, and the stress showed on the older woman's face.

"Tell my mother that I'll call her as soon as we find out anything. I know you have to go to work, but I can't leave Kate now."

"Your mom will be okay," Jordan said. "I'll have Rosie come over and sit with her until--"

"No! I want to be at Alex's apartment in case Kate gets to come home," Natalie interrupted holding up her hand." If you'll let me follow you so I don't get lost, I'll be fine, and you can go to work."

"Your mother wants to wait at your house. Maybe she could take a nap while she's waiting," Jordan twisted to see Natalie's reaction to the suggestion.

"Doubtful," Natalie said, sitting down beside Jordan.

"Best case scenario, I'll bring Kate home and catch a few z's myself," Alex said. "I can't say for sure when I'll be able to get away tonight."

"You need to be with your family, Alex. I understand. Besides, I have something I need to do, anyway." She winked at Natalie before adding, "It's for my column tomorrow." If Alex knew she was going on a hunt for information from someone who might be the killer himself, he would freak out.

"I have to run. Jeff just walked in."

"Okay. Give Kate a hug for me."

"Will do."

She stared at the phone for a few minutes before shoving it into her T-shirt pocket and walking into the kitchen to fix Natalie a cup of coffee. "I'm sorry. The only things here that might double as breakfast are Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pop Tarts and Hostess Ho Hos." She felt the flush warm her cheeks, sure Natalie would wonder why she only had chocolate in the house. She made a mental grocery list that included English m.u.f.fins and orange juice.

Instead Natalie clapped her hands. "I haven't had a Pop Tart in years." She sat down at the kitchen table and waited for the pastry to come out of the toaster. "And I can't even remember the last time I had a Ho Ho."

Jordan smiled and patted her back when she put the breakfast in front of her. "I've got to get ready for work. Help yourself to seconds if you want."

"I just might do that," Natalie said. "I always said that chocolate could make you forget all your troubles." She took a bite of the treat. "Well, maybe not all of them, but it certainly makes you feel better." She waved her hand toward the bedroom. "Go get dressed. And wear something s.e.xy. You have a big job ahead of you tonight."

"Awesome post, Loretta," the woman who sat two cubicles down said when Jordan approached her own work station.

Loretta Moseley's smile couldn't get any wider as she thanked the woman, making sure Jordan heard. "I worked really hard on it."

"I can't wait to try it on my family. It sounds so delicious," the woman added before turning and heading back to her own desk.

That immediately caught Jordan's attention, and she tried to hide her surprise. Since arriving an hour late that morning she hadn't had time to look at the morning edition. But there was no way she'd give Loretta the satisfaction of knowing she was curious what her recipe was.

Thirty minutes later, Loretta got up to use the restroom, and Jordan pulled up the newspaper on her computer, going directly to the culinary page.

Her own article about the history of the Italian Festival was on the left side of the page. It was a good article with an in-depth look at the successes of past festivals. Jordan had been able to gather most of the information off the Internet and was proud of the way it had turned out.

She glanced to the right for Loretta's article and had to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle the scream that bubbled up in her throat. In bold letters besides Loretta's name, the words, Ginny's Chicken Cacciatore, glared at her, followed by the recipe for the wonderful dish.

No wonder people were congratulating Loretta. Swearing under her breath, Jordan wondered how Loretta had convinced Ginny into letting her print the recipe before the festival ever started. She'd upstaged Jordan and had taken round one of the compet.i.tion. Next to the fantastic recipe, Jordan's article seemed dull and boring.