Westerham Witches and a Venetian Vendetta by Dionne Lister (top rated books of all time TXT) 📕

think my beautiful Elena has killed him. I know she would not. She is a good girl, and she loved him. And now your friend is missing. What are we going to do? Who will be next?” Were they sniffles I could hear on the other end?

Wow, she was the suspect’s mother? No wonder she was upset. Hmm, I debated her claim that her daughter loved him. Elena didn’t love him enough to either break it off with him or not see other men, even though it broke his heart. “It’s okay, Isabella. I’m sure Angelica will turn up soon. Are you going to be all right?”

“I don’t know. Oh, Miss Bianchi. I’m very worried. I don’t feel well. My daughter is with those agents, and my grandson is out. What should I do?”

Damn it. My conscience knew what the right thing to do was. At least I could legitimately go back there without getting in trouble. “Why don’t I come and have that coffee with you until you feel a bit better? I’m not busy at the moment. I can stay till your grandson gets back.”

“Oh, would you? Grazie, grazie.”

“I’ll see you in a minute.” I hung up and sighed. Now it was going to be awkward when Imani and Millicent messaged or called. I couldn’t very well say too much in front of Isabella. Well, at least I’d be doing my job and distracting the old lady. Maybe this would work in our favour. Who woulda thunk it? The universe was playing nice for a change. Although what would it ask in return?

I made my doorway to the hotel reception room and stepped through. I didn’t even have to buzz because Isabella was waiting for me. She had a white apron on over her pink-red-and-white floral-printed dress. She slapped her hands on her cheeks, and a look of relief washed over her face, although it did nothing to erase the dark circles under her eyes. “Grazie, grazie! I’m so glad you came. I wasn’t happy when I saw you in the office camera, but I understand now.” She shook her head. “I just don’t know what to do. I’ve been cooking to, how you say, not think of my sadness, and also, with Antonio gone, we have more work to do. This could not have happened at a worse time. The ’otel, she is almost full at the moment. Finally, after a quiet winter.” She seemed to come to, her eyes widening. “Forgive me. Please, come and have coffee and zaleti. I baked it today.”

Mmm. I could never turn down a dessert, especially a homemade one, well, assuming zaleti was a dessert. The word baking had been used, so I assumed the best. “That would be lovely. Thank you.” As we walked down the hallway and through to the dining room, I couldn’t help listening for Imani and Millicent, or glancing around. Which part of the hotel were they in? Were they having any luck? How long would it take to find Angelica?

My stomach twisted, and the urge for dessert deserted me. I was even too stressed to laugh at the similarity of dessert and desert. As we entered the restaurant, the fragrance wafting out of the kitchen sent my tastebuds into a frenzy. “That smells delicious.”

She smiled. “I love to cook. I’m preparing tonight’s menu. Our two most popular food is bigoli in salsa and fegato alle Venezian.” I had no idea what they were, but they smelled divine.

“Maybe I should book a table for tonight. I’d love to try them.” Would we be eating dinner like normal people tonight, or would we be in a frenzy of searching for Angelica? I couldn’t see any of us having much of an appetite if she was still missing, or even worse, if we found her body. Argh, do not go there, Lily!

She led me to a table for two near the kitchen door. “Sit, please.” She smiled, and once I was seated, she disappeared through the swinging door to the kitchen.

I gazed around the restaurant. Maroon carpet, tables set with thick, clean white tablecloths. Small vases with flowers sat in the middle of each table—it was all very quaint. It looked like a lot of work, but for a witch establishment, it would’ve all happened with a thought. Come to think of it, why was she physically cooking and not magicking it? Maybe her magic was even weaker than her daughter’s and it was too tiring, especially since she was cooking for a lot of people?

She returned to the table with the best-smelling coffee ever and a dinner plate full of what must be zaleti. I’d never heard of them before, but I was game. They were diamond-shaped, yellowish biscuits with icing sugar sprinkled on top. “Thank you.” I took one and put it on the small plate that had already been on the table when I sat. I inhaled the coffee steam through my nose before I sipped it. The taste dazzled my tongue, and then the warmth travelled down my throat. “Ahhhh. Wonderful. Grazie.” I enjoyed using what little Italian I knew, plus it was probably nice for my host that I tried to dabble in her language.

“Prego.”

I bit into the cookie and chewed. “Mmm. That’s different. Oh, are those raisins?”

“Si. They are soaked in liquor first.” She winked. Shame cooking them would kill the alcohol. Not that I was desperate for a drink. The clearer my head, the better right now.

My phone dinged. I looked at Isabella, hoping the unease snaking through my belly wasn’t showing on my face. Had they found something? I smiled awkwardly. “Sorry. I just need to check this… just in case it’s about Angelica.” I carefully looked at my phone, making sure I was the only one who could see the screen. It was from Imani.

So far, nothing. We’ve looked in all the rooms on our floor and the floor above, although three were occupied. When we explained we were