Pepperoni Pizza Can Be Murder Read Online Free

front of him. “That wasn’t our deal. I want to know what you said.”
    He looked at me steadily, silently pleading for me to drop it, but I couldn’t do it. I’d just figured out what he’d said.
    “I’m not going to tell you.”
    “Then I’ll tell you. You said that I’ve given up on romance.”
    He hung his head even lower. “So you heard me after all.”
    “It took a minute to figure it out.” I took his hands in mine. “Paul, look at me.”
    He was reluctant to at first, but finally he lifted his head.
    When he did, I said, “I found my one true love with Joe. That’s what’s different about my situation.”
    He held my stare. “Eleanor, do you really believe we just get one love in our lives?”
    “If we’re lucky,” I said, releasing his hands. I glanced at the conveyor and saw that his pizza was ready. After I sliced it and boxed it up, I handed it to him.
    “I still think I should pay for this,” he said as he took it.
    “Tell you what. Next time I want to indulge in one of your éclairs, you can look the other way when it comes time to pay.”
    That brought out a smile. “That’s what I love, the barter system. Still, one éclair isn’t worth as much as one of your pizzas.”
    “That’s a matter of opinion,” I said. “But if you insist, I’m sure Maddy wouldn’t say no to one, too.”
    “It’s a deal.” He took the box, and then as I let him back out through the rear door, he said, “I’m sorry if I ruined your evening. I shouldn’t have bothered you on a night when I feel so sad.”
    “Nonsense. Friends are for rainy days, and sunny ones, too. Anytime you need to talk, you know where I am.”
    “Thanks.”
    I let him out, and then locked the door behind him. Paul was a good man with a strong and caring heart, and I hoped that one day he’d find his own true love.
    I’d meant what I’d said about mine. For me, it had been Joe, and would always be Joe.
    I had a great life, and for the most part, I enjoyed every minute of it.
    It was good being me.
    At least it was until later that night when someone stuck a gun in my face.

Chapter 2
    “D on’t do anything stupid and I won’t hurt you,” the masked man said as he poked the handgun toward me.
    “Why don’t you rob a bank like everyone else does?” I asked, still clutching the deposit bag with the night’s receipts. Maddy and Greg had worked so hard during the rush that I’d sent them both home early. Ordinarily, my sister never would have taken me up on my offer, but she’d had a headache and had leapt at the chance to escape.
    The funny thing was that I hadn’t even been nervous walking at night to my car through the breezeway between two buildings to the alley behind the pizzeria, where I parked my Subaru.
    Apparently, I’d been wrong not to expect something.
    “Don’t make me shoot you, lady,” the robber said, his voice muffled by the mask he was wearing. I tried to figure out how I could describe him to the police after this was over, but he was so average in height and build that it was almost painful. It didn’t help matters that he was covered from head to toe in black, including the ski mask that had to have obscured his vision. I couldn’t even see the color of his eyes through the mask, though I kept trying to ignore the gun shoved in my face. It was tougher to do than it sounded.
    “Last warning,” he said, and I saw a gloved finger start to move toward the trigger.
    “Take it,” I said as I tried to give the deposit bag to him in a rush.
    The problem was that my hand was shaking so much that I dropped it before he could grab it. He swore as the bag hit the ground and sprang open. I’d been meaning to replace it since the zipper had busted two months ago, but I hadn’t gotten around to it.
    He knelt down in front of me to scoop up the cash and receipts, and for a second, I thought about hitting him over the head with my purse. It wasn’t as bad a choice of weapons as it might have