From Mangia to Murder (A Sophia Mancini ~ Little Italy Mystery) by Caroline Mickelson Page B

present. You’ve both been tremendously generous with your information.”
    Sophia darted a quick glance in his direction. If he was being sarcastic, her aunts didn’t appear to notice.
    “Would you care for something to drink? Cappuccino perhaps?” Orellia asked.
    “No, I’m fine, thank you,” Sophia answered.
    “We meant the captain, cara, not you.”
    Now he looked downright smug. Sophia would have been annoyed except that she noticed Sergeant O’Brian slowly guiding her Uncle Nunzio over to the table. She smiled. If Zio Nunzio was true to form, Captain McIntyre would get his.
    “Nothing to drink for me, ladies. Thank you.”
    “Nonsense.” Zia Orellia helped her sister to her feet. She frowned down at him. “You have to want something to eat.”
    The Captain shook his head and lifted a hand in refusal.
    “But you’ve obviously been playing baseball all day,” Orellia insisted, making him seem like an eight-year-old boy instead of a very grown man. “You don’t know what you want. We’ll bring you some biscotti. You like biscotti, don’t you?”
    “Of course he does. What a question,” Corella scolded her sister. “Come, we’ll bring you some to try. Then you can tell us you’re not hungry.”
    Arm-in-arm, they went off toward the sweets table. Sophia couldn’t help but smile. Murder didn’t worry her aunts as much as a man with an empty stomach. To them, that was the true crime.
    “And who is this, Sergeant O’Brian?”
    “I want to know what my rights are,” shouted Zio Nunzio.
    Sophia made a mental note to talk to her cousin Umberto about his father’s hearing aids.
    “Please sit down, sir.” Sergeant O’Brian held a chair out.
    After Zio Nunzio was settled, Captain McIntyre leaned forward and spoke in a slightly raised voice. “We just would like to know what you saw, sir.”
    Zio Nunzio scoffed. “Never mind what I saw. Let’s talk about what I’m seeing.” He pointed to Sophia. “Why are you interrogating this poor girl?”
    “We’re not interrogating Miss Mancini. You needn’t worry on that account.”
    Zio Nunzio carried on as if he hadn’t heard, which he probably hadn’t. “Just because she threatened the chef, doesn’t mean she did him in.”
    Sophia groaned. “Oh, Zio, not that again.”
    “Threatened him, did she? Tell me more about that.”
    “Zio,” Andrea shouted from the other side of the room, “chiedi loro quanti agenti di polizia sono italiani?”
    Uncle Nunzio didn’t miss a beat. He looked at Captain McIntyre. “How many of your police officers are Italian?”
    The captain stared in surprise at the change in subject. Sophia shot a look of annoyance at Andrea but he only grinned in response. She’d give him an earful later but this wasn’t the time or place.
    “McIntyre is your name?” Nunzio turned around in his chair and snapped his fingers at Sergeant O’Brian. “Young man. Yes, you. What’s your name?”
    “Sergeant O’Brian, sir.”
    “O’Brian. McIntyre. Humph. No Italian cops on the Harrison Heights police force?”
    Sophia felt almost sorry for the police captain, because Uncle Nunzio was just warming up. Perhaps she should put a stop to the lecture that she knew was coming. After all, Captain McIntyre had saved her from Mrs. Featherstone. She did owe him.
    She opened her mouth to speak, but Nunzio beat her to it.
    “I wish to file a complaint with your police captain.”
    “I am the police captain, sir.”
    “Dressed like that?” Uncle Nunzio pointed to his baseball uniform. “So, it’s all fun and games being a police officer, is it?”
    Sophia leaned in closer so that the captain could hear her but her uncle couldn’t.
    “Is it really necessary to question my uncle right now?”
    “Did you threaten Vincenzo?” he shot back.
    “If I did, do you really want to hear Nunzio’s version?”
    A half-smile flashed across his face, but it was gone as quickly as a shooting star.
    An hour and a half later, they were sitting in