Killer Cannoli (A Terrified Detective Mystery Book 2) Read Free Page A

finished when another siren sounded and stopped.
    My heart stopped too, as I realized Detective Brian Corrigan had been given this case. He strode in, ready to take charge when he spotted me. But his face belonged on Mount Rushmore. Pure stone.
    I, on the other hand, felt my face flush and my palms sweat.
    Ed had been hovering over Aunt Lena like he was a hen and she was his first egg, but he tore his attention away when Corrigan entered the kitchen. He stuck out his hand. “Hey, glad to see you .”
    Corrigan shook hands with him. “Good to see you out of the hospital, Ed.” He looked past me and introduced himself to my aunt. “I’m Detective Corrigan. I’m going to see the victim first, but I’ll be back to ask you some questions. Okay?”
    She glanced at me and my throat constricted. My poor aunt, who never asked anyone permission to do anything, looked now like a lost child on the first day of school. “Okay.”
    Corrigan glanced at me. His startling blue eyes twinkled. “So it’s the famous PI, Claire DeNardo. Is this guy another victim you’ve been hired to protect?”
    I wanted to poke my fingers in his eyes. “Lena Antonucci is my aunt. Remember, from the Adler case?”
    One of the uniformed cops came in, tapped Corrigan’s shoulder before he could respond to me, and they both exited.
    I was relieved he hadn’t had time to make some snarky comment since I’d have no comeback. Even if I had the rest of the day, I’d have no witty, so-theres. I wondered if there was an app for snappy, one-size-fits-all zingers.
    After fifteen minutes, Corrigan re-entered the kitchen, his eyebrows knitted. “Are you ready to answer some questions, Mrs. Antonucci?”
    She wiped her forehead and blew out a breath. “I’ll do the best I can.”
    He pulled out a notepad and a pen from his suit pocket. “Tell me what happened.  From the beginning, please. How did you know the victim?”
    Aunt Lena hugged herself and looked up at the ceiling. “He was a regular customer. I’ve known him maybe three weeks. This was supposed to be our first date. That’s all.”
    Corrigan stopped writing. “Why don’t you have a seat, Mrs. Antonucci?”
    Aunt Lena nodded. “Everyone sit down.”
    Corrigan pulled up two chairs. I thought one was for me, but he slid one toward Aunt Lena and he sat in the other. Ed shrugged and slipped into the dining room to get two more.
    The detective leaned in. “Okay, tell me about tonight.”
    She wiped her hands on her dress and then rested them both on her knees. “He, Larry, I mean, we were supposed to have dinner tonight. At 7:00.” She blew out a breath and bit her lower lip. “ Cannoli’s closes at 6:00. Told him I’d meet him here. Didn’t want him coming to my place.” She held up her hand. “Not that there was anything wrong with him. You just have to be careful nowadays.”
    She cleared her throat and Ed asked, “How about some water?” Before Aunt Lena answered, Ed jumped up like his seat had a spring in it and got her a glass.
    She took a sip and thanked him, then sighed. “I got here about 6:45. Unlocked the door to the dining area so Larry could come in. I went back into the kitchen. Into the pantry. Anyway, I heard the restaurant door in front open and figured it was Larry. I called out that I’d be ready to go in a minute.” She drank more water. “The kitchen door opened then and I think he said something like ‘take your time.’ He must have gone back out to the dining room because when I stepped out of the pantry nobody was there. But I heard the restaurant door open again.” She bit back a sob. “So I thought maybe he went back outside for something. I went into the dining room and there he was…” She looked over at me, tears streaming down her face. “Could you get me another Kleenex?”
    Before I could move, Ed grabbed the box and passed it to my aunt. She took one and blew her nose hard. “Larry was dead. I called 911 and my niece.” She whimpered into