Murder in the Pearl District (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series Book 5) by Dianne Harman Page B

martini. She started yelling at me and told me I didn’t
know who she was. I know who she is, all right. Every bartender at Mangia!
Mangia! knows who she is. She generally comes in after the lunch crowd leaves
and has a couple of martinis. She gets real mouthy the more she drinks. Her
name is Tina Ramos. She’s the ex-wife of the man Mrs. DeLuca was seeing before
her death. She’s as mean as a rattlesnake, and she’s got a really bad temper.”
    “Stay here. I’ll go talk
to her and ask her to leave. What exactly did you say to her?”
    “I told her I couldn’t
serve her another martini, because I thought she was becoming intoxicated, and
I was the one who could be sued.”
    “Thanks. I imagine this
isn’t part of your job description.”
    “You’ve got that right.”
    Kelly walked up to the
beautiful redhead with brilliant deep blue eyes and a porcelain complexion. She
was wearing a pink sheath dress which hugged her well-developed curves. “Mrs.
Ramos, I’m Kelly Reynolds, a friend of the new owner of Mangia! Mangia! I’m
sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave, and I’d prefer it if you
didn’t come back.”
    “What are you talking
about?” she slurred. “I’m just doin’ a little celebratin’. You know the woman
who stole my husband from me’s dead. Seems they found her body this mornin’.
Serves her right for doin’ that to me. Wish it would’ve happened sooner.
Nothin’ wrong with me. Tell that idiot bartender to get me another martini.”
    “No. You’ve had enough. I
don’t want to have to call the police and have them arrest you for disturbing
the peace. I’m trying to help you. Please leave and don’t come back.”
    “You’d be celebratin’ too
if the woman who took your husband wound up deader than a doornail. Me and
Mitch were happy until she started showin’ up like a female dog in heat. Mitch
never was able to resist a woman in heat. Shoulda’ told her that’s the way he
is. Wasn’t the first time it happened, but he never wanted a divorce before. I
always took him back. So who gets the restaurant, Mitch?”
    “No. The new owner is a
woman by the name of Sophie Marchant, a friend of Donatella’s.”
    “Yeah, sure. Like she
could have any friends. Her with her sexy Italian eyes and walk, teasin’ every
man she saw. Heard Mitch was gonna star her in some TV show called Dining with
Donatella. He probably thought her show was gonna save him and his station from
bankruptcy. He never paid me any alimony, so I’m not gonna lose anything, but
he sure is. Like his television station. Bet she didn’t know how broke he was.
Whoever put her under the sod actually got both of them. Mitch’ll probably have
to declare bankruptcy, and Donatella’s dead. I like those words. Got a real
nice sound to them. Donatella’s dead. Kind of rolls off the tongue real nice
and easy.”
    “Mrs. Ramos, if you don’t
leave now, I’m going to tell the bartender to call the police. I’m giving you
one more chance to leave. Now.”
    Tina struggled to get down
from her perch on the bar stool and almost fell in the process, stumbling when
her foot reached the floor. Kelly put a hand on her elbow to steady her. “Don’t
touch me. I didn’t give you permission to touch me. I’m leavin’, and I won’t be
back. I was jes’ celebrating’ the death of Donatella. You can color me happy.
Mitch will get his, and she sure got hers, just like she deserved.”
    She staggered unsteadily
towards the front door and opened it. “Tell yer’ friend this probably won’t
last long. Donatella’s dead, and her restaurant will soon be just as dead as
she is,” she said with a parting salvo. Tina walked out into the afternoon sun
and Kelly watched her through the window, weaving along the sidewalk as she
attempted to hail a cab.
    Thank heavens she has
sense enough to get a cab and not try to drive. If the restaurant review
doesn’t ruin us, a drunken customer in an auto accident might be the