Limoncello Yellow (Franki Amato Mysteries) by Traci Andrighetti
Authors: Traci Andrighetti
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Hutch. She's a feminist crime analyst from the New Orleans PD."
" So, we're going to a church to pay off a corrupt feminist employee of the police department," I recapped. "What's the occasion?"
" She's going to give us the police report on the Evans murder and photos of the crime scene. I called her and asked for them after David texted me the results of Ryan Hunter's background check. His record is clean, by the way. That is, except for the assault charge on Jessica he told us about and a surprising number of moving violations."
I remembered how angry and aggressive he 'd seemed yesterday. "I'm sure he's got a serious case of road rage. People like that are capable of anything."
" That's a big accusation coming from a woman who once intentionally ran her car into her ex-boyfriend's house."
I glared at her. "It wasn't his house , Veronica. It was his fence . The little picket fence we'd painted white together when I was still stupid enough to think he was going to marry me." I couldn't believe she would bring up my college boyfriend, Todd Rothman. Todd had wanted to marry me, but his wealthy parents hadn't approved. They had wanted him to settle down with a nice, upper-class girl who was more befitting of a soon-to-be doctor. So Todd found himself said girl, but he forgot to tell me about her until after they'd started sleeping together in the house that was supposed to have been ours. "But knocking down Todd's fence certainly doesn't make me like Ryan Hunter."
" Of course not," she said as she rubbed Napoleon's belly. He had sidled up next to her and was looking at her with pure love in his eyes, the traitor. "I'm just trying to point out that road rage doesn't make someone a killer. So, until we find evidence to prove otherwise, we have to proceed on the assumption that Ryan is innocent, no matter how despicable he may be."
" I know, I know." It was so annoying when Veronica was right. I had all but convicted Ryan and was fully prepared to throw away the key. "But the jury's still out on that guy. And for the record, I've come a long way since Todd. Just look at how well I've handled Vince's cheating."
" I know, and I'm very proud of you for that," she said, taking the angry wind out of my sails.
" So where is this church?" I asked, eager to change the subject from my procession of cheating boyfriends to the business at hand.
" On Rampart Street in the Quarter. It's The Old Mortuary Chapel."
" A mortuary chapel, Veronica?" She knew how creeped out I was by cemeteries and churches, so I couldn't believe she would willingly take me to a combination of the two. "Really?"
" Really. It's close to the police station where Betty works. And they haven't kept dead bodies there since the yellow fever epidemic of the 1800s, so you'll be fine. And you'll like it because it became an Italian immigrant church," she added, using our heritage to persuade me.
Such an attorney , I thought.
" Now let's go." Veronica gave Napoleon a final scratch and jumped off the bed. "I'll drive. You're kind of jumpy today."
" Okay, but we're going out the back door. There is no way in hell I'm passing by the cemetery on my way to a mortuary chapel."
* * *
When we arrived at The Mortuary Chapel twenty minutes later, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were no gothic spires or gargoyles on the exterior of the building. I was also surprised to see "Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church" written on the sign out front.
" Veronica, why did you tell me this church was called 'The Mortuary Chapel'? The sign says 'Our Lady of Guadalupe.'"
" Because I know you, and if you'd read the historical plaque over there and learned that the original name had the word 'mortuary' in it, you would've caused a scene. Possibly even in the church." She turned off the engine and put her keys into her brown Balenciaga bag.
Good point , I thought as I walked over to the plaque. I was eager to find out if there was
" So, we're going to a church to pay off a corrupt feminist employee of the police department," I recapped. "What's the occasion?"
" She's going to give us the police report on the Evans murder and photos of the crime scene. I called her and asked for them after David texted me the results of Ryan Hunter's background check. His record is clean, by the way. That is, except for the assault charge on Jessica he told us about and a surprising number of moving violations."
I remembered how angry and aggressive he 'd seemed yesterday. "I'm sure he's got a serious case of road rage. People like that are capable of anything."
" That's a big accusation coming from a woman who once intentionally ran her car into her ex-boyfriend's house."
I glared at her. "It wasn't his house , Veronica. It was his fence . The little picket fence we'd painted white together when I was still stupid enough to think he was going to marry me." I couldn't believe she would bring up my college boyfriend, Todd Rothman. Todd had wanted to marry me, but his wealthy parents hadn't approved. They had wanted him to settle down with a nice, upper-class girl who was more befitting of a soon-to-be doctor. So Todd found himself said girl, but he forgot to tell me about her until after they'd started sleeping together in the house that was supposed to have been ours. "But knocking down Todd's fence certainly doesn't make me like Ryan Hunter."
" Of course not," she said as she rubbed Napoleon's belly. He had sidled up next to her and was looking at her with pure love in his eyes, the traitor. "I'm just trying to point out that road rage doesn't make someone a killer. So, until we find evidence to prove otherwise, we have to proceed on the assumption that Ryan is innocent, no matter how despicable he may be."
" I know, I know." It was so annoying when Veronica was right. I had all but convicted Ryan and was fully prepared to throw away the key. "But the jury's still out on that guy. And for the record, I've come a long way since Todd. Just look at how well I've handled Vince's cheating."
" I know, and I'm very proud of you for that," she said, taking the angry wind out of my sails.
" So where is this church?" I asked, eager to change the subject from my procession of cheating boyfriends to the business at hand.
" On Rampart Street in the Quarter. It's The Old Mortuary Chapel."
" A mortuary chapel, Veronica?" She knew how creeped out I was by cemeteries and churches, so I couldn't believe she would willingly take me to a combination of the two. "Really?"
" Really. It's close to the police station where Betty works. And they haven't kept dead bodies there since the yellow fever epidemic of the 1800s, so you'll be fine. And you'll like it because it became an Italian immigrant church," she added, using our heritage to persuade me.
Such an attorney , I thought.
" Now let's go." Veronica gave Napoleon a final scratch and jumped off the bed. "I'll drive. You're kind of jumpy today."
" Okay, but we're going out the back door. There is no way in hell I'm passing by the cemetery on my way to a mortuary chapel."
* * *
When we arrived at The Mortuary Chapel twenty minutes later, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were no gothic spires or gargoyles on the exterior of the building. I was also surprised to see "Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church" written on the sign out front.
" Veronica, why did you tell me this church was called 'The Mortuary Chapel'? The sign says 'Our Lady of Guadalupe.'"
" Because I know you, and if you'd read the historical plaque over there and learned that the original name had the word 'mortuary' in it, you would've caused a scene. Possibly even in the church." She turned off the engine and put her keys into her brown Balenciaga bag.
Good point , I thought as I walked over to the plaque. I was eager to find out if there was
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