Chapter 5
“The fettuccine was on the storage shelf beneath the buffet table, hidden behind the decorative tablecloth,” Carlita repeated.
“Correct.” Arnie shifted his feet. “I tasted it before I put it out for the guests and feel fine.”
“I sampled it myself, although only a small bite.” Carlita tapped her lip. “Sonny could’ve eaten somewhere else and started showing symptoms after he got here.”
“Except for the fact that the other guest, the woman, also got sick.”
Mercedes popped her head around the corner. “Hey, Ma. The rest of the guests are leaving.”
Carlita slipped out of the kitchen and caught up with the stragglers who were on their way out. Shrimpy was one of them.
“Sorry to hear about the guest who got sick.”
“Did you try the fettuccine?”
“Fettuccine? I never saw any and believe me, I was on the lookout ‘cuz I love it.”
Carlita’s brows knitted. “You never saw the dish?”
“Nope.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “You need me to hang around and help clean up?”
“I appreciate the offer, but we have enough volunteers.” After he left, Carlita tracked down Steve Winter and his girlfriend, Paisley.
Similar to what Shrimpy had said, they didn’t recall seeing a dish of fettuccine, which made sense.
From what she had observed and discovered, it had barely been touched.
The last guest departed, leaving Pete, who arrived not long after the party started, the guests of honor, Mercedes, Elvira, Tony, Shelby and the kids, to help clean up. Working together they had Ravello’s shipshape in no time.
“Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.” Elvira dashed out the front door, returning a short time later. “I talked to Sonny. He’s at the hospital and starting to feel better. They’re pumping him full of electrolytes.”
“Thank God.” Carlita briefly closed her eyes. “We needed some good news.”
“The doctor is keeping him overnight for observation. I might swing by and say ‘hi’ to him later.”
Dernice nudged her sister, giving her googly eyes. “Sure you are.”
Elvira punched her in the arm. “Stop. I’m doing this for Carlita.”
“You’re visiting him for me?” She arched her eyebrow.
“To avoid a potential l-a-w-s-u-i-t.”
“Good point. Although we don’t know for sure it was something he ate here.”
Elvira lifted her finger. “Sonny plus Yvonne? It’s too much of a coincidence if you ask me. At the very least, I wouldn’t be surprised if he asks you to pay his out-of-pocket medical expenses.”
“If my food is responsible, I’ll pay for his care.” Carlita thought about the uneaten fettuccine. “I am concerned about the fettuccine.” She shared her suspicions with the others.
“You think someone intentionally poisoned Sonny and Yvonne?” Dernice started to say something and stopped.
“What is it?” Mercedes asked.
“Remember when I told you about Creed’s accident and him arguing with another biker?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not sure if I mentioned who it was. It was Sonny’s brother, Rocky.”
“Who wasn’t here,” Luigi added.
“I think you mentioned it, although it didn’t register. Sonny’s brother, Rocky, was the person Creed accused of causing his accident?” Carlita asked.
“Correct,” Dernice said. “Rocky Skidz. Rocky and Sonny claim it was Creed who caused his own crash, calling him reckless. It was a big mess.”
“Huge,” Luigi said. “The cops showed up and everything.”
“Was anyone arrested?” Pete asked.
“Nope. No one wanted to press charges.”
“Do you think Creed was angry enough to poison Sonny?”.
“Creed was ticked, I’ll give you that. I mean, he could’ve died,” Dernice said.
“If these guys are out to get each other, I hope they do it somewhere else,” Carlita said. “And if they intentionally contaminated my pasta, they injured an innocent person.”
“Fair warning…Yvonne is basically blaming your food.” Elvira snapped her fingers. “Seeing how cleanup is out of the way, I would like to show Luigi and Dernice my engagement / wedding gift. It’s over at my place.”
“You got us a gift?” Dernice playfully pressed her palm against her sister’s forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
Elvira pushed her hand away. “You won’t be laughing when I show it to you.”
“I’m curious,” Carlita said. “How big is it?”
“Bigger than a breadbox.”
“And smaller than?” Mercedes joked.
“Planet earth.”
On her way out, Carlita swung by the kitchen to let Arnie know they were leaving. She updated him on Sonny’s condition. “It looks as if he’s going to be all right.”
“What about the other person, the woman?”
“Yvonne? She left, claiming she was feeling better. I still want to keep the food separated in case there is an issue. Thank you for all your help.”
“Other than the people getting sick, it turned out to be a great party,” Arnie said. “I’m happy for Luigi and Dernice.”
“Me too.”
Elvira appeared. “Are you coming with us?”
“I am.” Carlita grabbed her purse and jacket and caught up with the others who stood waiting for her in the back alley.
Elvira unlocked her back door and ushered them inside. “We’re going upstairs.”
Dernice wrinkled her nose. “Our gift was so big you had to hide it upstairs?”
“Sort of.” Elvira flipped the light switch and led them up to the second floor landing. “This.”
“Is what?” Dernice squeezed in next to her.
“Your engagement / wedding gift.”
“An empty upstairs?” Luigi laughed.
Elvira tapped her foot on the floor. “An apartment.”
“Hang on.” Pete held up his hand. “I think what Elvira, in a very roundabout way, is trying to say is that she’s putting in an apartment and giving it to Luigi and Dernice.”
“Hold your horses.” Elvira made a chopping motion with her hands. “I never used the word ‘give.’ I said I had their engagement / wedding gift.”
“You plan to finish the upstairs by turning it into usable space and then rent it to them,” Carlita said. “There…I fixed it for you.”
“At a discounted monthly rental rate?” Dernice pressed her palms together, giving her sister a pointed stare.
Elvira’s eyes slid to the side. “I’m gonna have some steep renovation expenses.”
“You’re a trip.” Her sister shook her head in disgust. “There’s always an angle with you.”
“Always,” Carlita echoed.
Elvira frowned. “I thought you would be excited.”
“I was until I realized you plan to charge us full price,” Dernice sighed.
“Okay. I’ll offer a discount.” Elvira made a clicking sound with her teeth. “How about ten percent below market rent?”
“For Elvira, it sounds like a generous offer,” Pete joked.
“Darn tootin’ it is.”
“You’re free to move into Luigi’s efficiency,” Carlita offered. “I would love it if you stayed even though it might be a little tight for two people.”
“As much as I appreciate the offer, tight is right,” Luigi said. “Dernice and I will need more space. This place is in the perfect location.”
“And Elvira is offering a discount,” Mercedes said.
“Brand spanking new to boot,” Tony chimed in.
“When?” Dernice asked.
“When what?”
“How soon will you start the renovations?”
“Next week. I have the quote on my desk. If you tell me you and Luigi want it, I’ll sign on the dotted line and get the ball rolling.”
“Let’s discuss this in private.” Luigi grasped his betrothed’s arm and whisked her into the other room.
Although Carlita could hear them talking, their voices were too low to hear what was being said.
Finally, they returned.
“We’ve discussed it at length.”
“After careful consideration, Dernice and I are ready to negotiate,” Luigi said. “But first, we have questions.”