Chapter 10
“So maybe it’s true.” Carlita sniffed the container again. “Maybe someone poisoned the fettucine.”
“But who and why?” Mercedes asked.
Carlita reminded her daughter about the guest who had been injured in a recent motorcycle accident. “Sonny is the brother of the guy Creed accused of causing the accident.”
“Good point. Don’t forget about the woman, Yvonne, who is hinting at hiring an attorney,” Mercedes said.
Carlita heaved a heavy sigh. “I can’t quit thinking about how Sonny seemed to be recovering. Only minutes later he’s on his deathbed.”
“What about the other hospital visitors? I wonder if he complained about not feeling well to them.”
“It’s possible. If the cops come knocking on my door, I’ll suggest they talk to anyone and everyone who visited Mr. Skidz before he died.” Carlita held up the jar. “In the meantime, I want to get this tested, to rule out my fettuccine as a possible cause.”
“I’m sure Sam knows the name of a reputable local lab.” Mercedes tapped out a text to her former beau, who was also a retired cop. “I’m asking him.”
Tink. Moments later her phone chimed. “He gave me the name and address of a place near here.”
Tink. “He wants to know why.”
“You might as well tell him. Ravello’s will be all over the news by this evening.”
Mercedes replied to Sam’s text. Her phone rang. “He’s calling.” She tapped the screen. “Hey, Sam. I got you on speaker. I’m here with Ma.”
“Hello, Carlita, Mercedes. So something happened at Luigi and Dernice’s engagement party? By the way, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. I was hosting a large tour group.”
“No worries. We understand.” Taking turns, Carlita and Mercedes brought Sam up to speed.
“The bottom line is Sonny Skidz is dead. The other person, Yvonne, is hinting at hiring an attorney, and I have a jar of creamy fettuccine that smells like almonds which, according to Mercedes, could be cyanide.”
“What a mess.”
“A big one at that,” Carlita said. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt to rule out my food as the potential culprit.”
“What about the other dishes?” Sam asked.
“I guess I should probably have them all tested.”
“I’m friends with the lab manager. As soon as we get off the phone, I’ll give him a heads-up to let him know you’re stopping by.”
“Could you? I would appreciate it.”
“No problem. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“We will.” Mercedes thanked him and set her phone on the counter. “Might as well get samples of everything.”
“Better safe than sorry.”
With her daughter’s help, Carlita gathered ample samples of each dish she’d served, labeling the jars before placing them in a reusable shopping bag.
“I’ll go with you to the lab.” Mercedes grabbed her purse. After letting Arnie know they were running an errand, she used the walking GPS to direct them to the lab a few blocks away.
Mercedes stopped in front of a nondescript brick building. “This is the place. Priority Labs Inc.”
“Blink and we would’ve missed it.” They slipped inside and approached the front desk.
The woman behind the counter slid the clear glass partition open. “Can I help you?”
“Sam Ivey, a family friend, recommended your lab. We need a few jars of food tested.”
“Yes, Sam told us you would be stopping by. What do you have?”
Carlita set the bag on the counter. “Samples of manicotti, deep-dish lasagna, creamy fettuccine, and a few other dishes.”
“All to be tested for…”
“Poison,” Carlita and Mercedes answered in unison.
“Because…”
“Two guests who were at a surprise party we hosted became ill. We’re not sure if someone intentionally tainted the food, and we want to find out.”
“I see. Was this in…a private residence?”
“A restaurant.”
A flicker of surprise flitted across the woman’s face. “What restaurant, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Ravello’s on Mulberry Street.”
“The Italian place. I love their food.”
“Thank you. I’m the owner and this is an extremely concerning situation.”
“Unfortunately, we’re a little backed up so it might take a week or more to get the results.”
“A week?” Carlita’s heart plummeted. “My restaurant’s reputation could be in ruins by then. Do you offer expedited service?”
“We do, but it’s not cheap.” The woman rattled off a substantial amount, but not so high that Carlita wasn’t tempted.
Mercedes nudged her arm. “I think you should pay for the faster service, especially if the local news stations are planning to run a hit piece about Ravello’s.”
“My daughter is right. I’ll pay for expedited service.”
“Debit or credit?”
“Credit.”
“We charge an additional two percent fee to use a credit card.”
“Good grief.” Carlita rummaged around in her purse and pulled out her wallet. “Do you charge extra for debit cards?”
“No. There’s no additional fee.”
“I’ll use debit.” She completed the transaction, and the woman handed her a receipt, promising to deliver the samples to the lab as soon as they left. “You should have the results by the end of the business day tomorrow. I hope it works out for you. Ravello’s is one of my favorite restaurants.”
Carlita thanked the woman and promised she would keep her phone handy, anticipating a positive report.
Mercedes waited until they were out of the building and on their way home. “Well?”
“Hopefully, the woman won’t go blabbing to everyone she knows what we told her.”
“She seemed nice, like she was trying to help.”
During the walk home, Carlita got an urgent text from Elvira, asking her to call. “It’s Elvira.”
Stepping to the side, she dialed her number.
“Hey, Carlita. Where are you?”
“On our way back to Ravello’s. Mercedes and I dropped food samples off at a lab Sam recommended. We’re having the party food tested for poison.”
“What lab?”
“Priority Labs.”
“They have a reliable reputation,” Elvira said. “I heard about the reporters who were parked out in front of Ravello’s earlier.”
“They’re going to run a story about the restaurant on tonight’s news, mark my words. How is Yvonne doing?”
“Pffft.”
“What does pffft mean?”
“She called out, whining and crying about how her stomach hurts. She’s faking it.”
“Maybe not. Mercedes and I thought the Alfredo sample we dropped off at the lab smelled like almonds, which is a sign of poison.”
“Poison, huh?”
“I paid extra to get the results back quickly. By the way, did you know Sonny Skidz was a city employee?”
“He worked in the property tax division.”
“Why didn’t you mention it before?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes. Only for the fact that it makes for a more interesting story. I can almost read the headlines now…local city employee poisoned at downtown eatery, Ravello’s.”
“Hopefully it doesn’t tank your business.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“The reason for my call is that I’ve been doing a little digging around into Creed’s accident and the Skidz brother’s involvement.” Elvira’s voice faded. “Hang on. Sorry about that.”
“What about the accident?”
“Dernice and I are in my office. You might wanna swing by to see what we found. The bottom line is I’m beginning to think someone took Sonny out.”