Jordan detected a slightly bitter tone in Bernardo's voice when he spoke about his brother. She decided to go with her instincts and try to get some info out of him. Maybe there was a chance the long drive all the way out to the fairgrounds wouldn't be a total bust after all.

"Were you and your brother close?"

He tsked. "If you call him always putting me down in front of everyone close, then yes, we were. He always acted like I was hired help when I am-and always have been-an equal partner in the company."

She nearly spewed her lemonade. If Marco and his brother were at odds over control of the company, it was yet another reason for a jury to believe there was reasonable doubt that Kate was Marco's killer.

Determined to find out more, she leaned in. "With him gone now, will you and your father run the company yourselves?"

"My father is eighty-five years old and gave up the reins to the winery in Palermo five years ago after a mild stoke. He decided life was too short to spend working eighteen-hour days." He smirked. "That and the fact that he had a brand new thirty-year old wife who kept him happy in the bedroom."

Any normal self-respecting girl would have at least blushed a little after that remark, but Jordan was too busy trying to figure out how this all related to the murder. "What about the distribution company? Did your father turn that over to you both as well."

"My father has nothing to do with that. Marco and I started that up before he ventured off into other things with..." He stopped short as if he realized he was telling her things he shouldn't have. "With another businessman," he said instead.

"Frankie O'Brien?" She held her breath, hoping he didn't tell her it was none of her d.a.m.n business.

He eyed her suspiciously. "My brother did have something going on with Frankie, but he pulled back when he got chummy with Calabrese."

"Do you think his future father-in-law forced him to?"

"h.e.l.l no," he shouted. "Emilio had no idea what Marco was doing on the side. All he cared about was marrying off his daughter to my brother so he could get a piece of the cash cow himself."

"I thought Emilio was a rich man in his own right."

"That's true, but after he found out about..." He stopped abruptly and took another drink of the lemonade. "I've talked about me too long. What about you? Since only the festival vendors and workers are allowed on the grounds until opening day, I a.s.sume you're here on official business. I hope everything we've talked about is off the record."

She shrugged. "Absolutely. You need to know that I write the culinary column. None of my readers would be interested in what you or your brother did or didn't do behind the scenes unless, of course, it involves a juicy recipe that I can print."

His eyes crinkled with amus.e.m.e.nt. "Good to know. I suppose you're a great cook?"

This time she threw back her head and laughed out loud. "Depends on what you call cooking. I make a mean fried bologna sandwich."

He laughed with her. "I like you, Jordan McAllister. If I wasn't already in a relationship, I might even ask you out to dinner one night before I go back to New Jersey."

"Not sure your wife would approve," she fired back, thinking that Rosie would be proud of the way she was flirting, before she realized this wasn't what her friend would consider flirting in any stretch of the imagination. More like pumping him for information.

He lowered his eyes. "Gio's mother and I were high school sweethearts and never married. When she got pregnant, we decided a happily ever after was probably not in our cards, since she had already fallen in love with a rich, older man who wanted to show her the world. Gio was the best thing that ever came out of that relationship, and I got full custody when the old guy wanted no part of a newborn baby messing up his lifestyle."

"I must have misunderstood you. I thought you said you were in a relationship."

"I did," he responded. "And it looks like that's gonna work out just fine now that Marco..." He sucked in a gush of air before he lifted his paper cup and drained the rest of his lemonade. After he threw the cup into the trash can, he looked down the fairway where Gio and Vince were kicking a can around in the dirt. "As much as I would enjoy talking with you a while longer, I have to get Gio back to the hotel and into bed. We've got a big day tomorrow before the picnic. I hope I'll see you there."

With that, he turned and drove down the fairway, leaving her wondering what he'd meant by that last remark. She'd bet money he'd been about to say his relationship would work out now that his brother was out of the way.

Oh my G.o.d! What if Bernardo Petrone was the man Ginny had seen going up to Marco's suite with Tina Calabrese? Ginny had commented that they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Little things were beginning to make sense now. Like Emilio letting it slip that his daughter had not been happy that he'd tried to make her go through with the marriage to Marco, even after the man had been caught cheating. Could it be that she and Bernardo were having a secret affair? That perhaps she was in love with him instead of his brother?

Jordan clapped her hands in delight. Wanting Marco out of the picture permanently made for one h.e.l.luva motive for either Bernardo or Tina-or both.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

After stopping at the Burger Hut for a quick dinner, Jordan finally made it home a little after nine. No sooner had she walked into her apartment and settled in on the couch than she heard a knock at the door.

"Hurry up," Victor said, knocking impatiently once again. "I have something to tell you."

When she opened the door, he breezed past her and walked straight into the kitchen where he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. He held it out to her. "Want one?"

She shook her head. Beer always made her sleepy, and she had a few things to do before she could crawl into bed. Knowing the best time to talk to Carlita Bruno was in the early morning hours, she'd decided on the way home from the fairgrounds to swing by her hotel before work-a.s.suming she was able to find out exactly where they were staying. She'd already prepared an excuse for being late if Egan gave her any grief about it. She'd simply say she was on a.s.signment, which was partially true.

She walked past Victor into the living room and sat back down on the couch. "So what's so important that you rushed over here at this time of night to tell me?"

He took a quick swig of the cold beer and slumped down beside her. "Guess who came by the shop today and paid full price for that bedroom set I snagged at the estate sale last weekend?"

"No way! Mrs. Cheapskate talked hubby into giving you the asking price?" She high-fived him. "I couldn't believe you let them walk away without caving and reducing the price the other day. I guess this shows you were right. I wish I'd known you were about to come into some money before I stopped and inhaled a burger, though. You, my boy, would have been paying for my dinner at some fancy restaurant."

He smirked. "Yeah, like you in a fancy restaurant on purpose is ever going to happen. With your taste for all the cheaper things in life, you must be the perfect date." He paused and took another drink. "Where were you, anyway? With Michael working, I had no one to tell about my unbelievable talent as an antiques dealer. Do you have any idea how much money I made off that old set?"

She laughed. "Keep talking, and I guarantee you're going to spring for dinner tomorrow night." She paused. "Darn it! I have to go to the pre-festival picnic. I'll never get that free meal out of you."

"Can I go with you?"

She shook her head. "I can't even take Alex. It's only for the planners, vendors, and the press."

"Okay, I'll buy you a big plate of Ginny's Chicken Cacciatore on Friday, then." He slapped his head. "But you'll have to go to her booth to get it. She'd probably put a.r.s.enic in it if I showed up there."

They both giggled before Jordan got serious. "She's missing, you know."

"Who's missing?"

"Ginny. I told the cops about her seeing Tina Calabrese and another man going up to the bedroom suite that night, but she disappeared before they could question her."

He looked confused. "Disappeared like in went to visit a friend and spent the night or like something out of Creatures of the Dead? That's on tonight at midnight, by the way. Wanna stay up and watch it with me?"

"Can't. I have a big day tomorrow." She fought down the guilt that suddenly overwhelmed her. "As for Ginny, I don't know why she's missing, but if something happened to her because of me, I'll never forgive myself."

"You? Why would you think you had anything to do with her disappearance?"

She shrugged. "It just seems odd that it happened right after I sicced the cops on her."

Victor took another swig of the beer and again offered her the bottle. After she shook her head, he leaned back into the couch and propped his feet on the coffee table. "Did you ever think she might've found someone to party with and is just off doing what adults do when they're h.o.r.n.y?"

That made Jordan laugh, and she leaned back and followed suit, positioning her feet next to his. "I'd forgotten how you have such a way with words. You're probably right, though. Regardless, I'm going by her hotel before work to talk to her sister. With any luck, Ginny will be there, too, and I can smooth things over."

"You're not going over there to apologize for what I said, are you? Because the lady very clearly came on to me, and I was fl.u.s.tered. And I meant what I said as a compliment. She should be the one apologizing for hitting on a gay guy."

"Don't be silly. I'm going because I think Loretta Moseley stole Ginny's cacciatore recipe out of my locked desk drawer and posted it in today's Globe. Since I promised both Ginny and Carlita that I wouldn't publish the recipes until after the festival ended, I feel like I need to explain to them why it showed up today. They're going to kill me."

"That sleazebag! Sounds like Loretta's taking the compet.i.tion to a new level." He slapped his knee. "We need to move to Plan B, and since I know you're not as devious as me, I'll tell you what we're going to do."

She turned to face him. "Oh, no. I know that look. You're about to get me into trouble, aren't you?"

He shook his finger at her. "No, I'm not. I'm just gonna show you how to get revenge, my dear, and how to beat Loretta at her own game while doing it. She may have an advantage because Uncle Earl owns the newspaper, but you, Princess, have a lethal weapon-me. I'm about to save the day for you."

She laughed out loud. "You're not going to wear red tights or anything, right?" she teased. "Because I'm not sure I can handle that tonight."

"I don't need red tights. You and I are going to war with Loretta Moseley without even breaking a sweat. And if my plan works out the way I think it will, this battle will take place while we sleep."

He had her full attention now, and she leaned even closer to him. "Go on."

His eyes sparkled with mischief. "You have the recipe for that awesome braided spaghetti bread Ginny served that day, right?"

She gave it a lot of thought before agreeing.

"Here's what you need to do. I'll rewrite the recipe in my own handwriting so Loretta will think it's authentic, but I'll leave out one or two of the key ingredients. Then before you leave, make sure she sees you putting it in that same drawer she pilfered. I guarantee we'll see that recipe in Friday's column, and guess what, sweetcakes? The readers are going to crucify her after they spend money to buy the ingredients, take the time to make it, and it sucks."

"I'm not sure I can lower myself to her level and do that," Jordan said, sadly. "I do have standards."

"What do you mean? The lady stole your recipe, and if this plan works, it means she's going to steal another one. Think about your readers in Ranchero. They deserve a culinary reporter with more ethics than that. Of course you can do it."

She pondered the idea for a moment before deciding that Victor had a point. If Loretta did as he was convinced she would, it would be her own fault for stealing a recipe once again.

"I'll do it," she said, finally.

She got up from the couch and walked to where her purse was laying on the kitchen counter. After pulling out Ginny's Spaghetti Bread Recipe, she handed it to him. "But I hope you're wrong, and she doesn't break into my desk again." Even as the words left her mouth, she knew the chance of that not happening was slim. It was obvious Loretta Moseley would stop at nothing to get her old job back.

Victor lifted himself off the couch and joined her in the kitchen. After throwing his empty beer bottle into the trash, he kissed her cheek. "I'll put the recipe in an envelope outside your door so you can take it with you to work tomorrow." He moseyed over to the door, and halfway there, he looked back. "Call me on your way home tomorrow. I want to know exactly how she acted and if you did it or not."

"Okay." Suddenly, she remembered that she hadn't told him about playing flag football with Bernardo Petrone's kid on the festival grounds. She was about to call him back, then remembered she had to make a few phone calls before it was too late. She'd see Victor tomorrow and could bring him up to speed on her snooping then.

After he was gone, Jordan called Alex to tell him she was going to tell Carlita about the recipes in the morning, and she asked if Kate could find out where the sisters were staying.

"Jeff talked to Captain Darnell after dinner tonight. They pulled the hotel security tapes and were able to see Ginny Bruno when she got off the first floor elevator and met someone in the lobby."

"Could they tell who it was?"

"They're not a hundred percent sure, but it looks like it could've been Georgette Calabrese"

"What? She's not even on the planning committee, is she?"

"Not according to Kate, but she is one of the major organizers of the festival. Darnell is having her brought in as we speak to question her about it. But here's the kicker. After Ginny walked away from Georgette or whoever, a man approached her at the elevator. They spoke briefly before they left by the side door, and the cameras lost sight of them."

"Holy c.r.a.p! And the police have no clue who the man was?"

"They're not even sure it really was a man. Whoever it was had on a hoodie and must have known where the cameras were because he or she made sure not to look directly at them."

"I hope Ginny's alright," Jordan said.

"Me too. The police will see how Georgette fits into all this, but I doubt they'll find anything useful. The camera showed Georgette walking out the front door by the time Ginny reached the elevator." He paused. "We won't know anything more until the morning. In the meantime, I'll find out from Jeff the name of Ginny's hotel and get back to you."

Ten minutes later she had that information and was already planning what she'd say to Carlita. She said a quick prayer that Victor was right and that Ginny was just off somewhere with the mystery man having the time of her life. She hoped the woman had already called her sister to let her know where she was.

Jordan twisted around suddenly, feeling a sharp pain in her lower back. Grinning to herself, she decided that playing flag football with a bunch of twelve-year olds might not have been one of her better decisions. She turned off the lights and walked gingerly to the bedroom.

Since the drive to Plainville fairgrounds would take about a half hour, she set her alarm for an hour earlier. Then she climbed into bed, but as tired as she was, she couldn't get to sleep. Her mind raced with thoughts about her earlier meeting with Bernardo Petrone and what it all could mean.

Finally, after forty-five minutes of tossing and turning, she got out of bed and padded to the kitchen for a beer.

As Jordan pulled into the Dream Weaver Inn at the outskirts of Plainville, she immediately noticed the difference between this hotel and the Crown Royale where Marco had fallen to his death. The Crown had a cobblestone port-au-cochere and several valet attendants waiting to park cars. The Dream Weaver had neither.

After parking her Camry out front, Jordan walked into the lobby, pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't the dump she was afraid it might be. Her eyes scanned the area and finally located the security cameras that had captured Ginny Bruno before she disappeared.

With the security footage in mind, she thought of the police questioning Georgette Calabrese about why she was in the lobby with Ginny. Curious how that interview had gone, she made a mental note to call Alex on her way to work to find out.

She walked up to the reservations desk. A middle-aged, bleached blond clerk looked up from the computer where she'd been playing Solitaire.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Carlita Bruno," Jordan said, trying hard not to prompt her to put the black jack on the red queen.

The woman clicked off the screen and pulled up the list of guests, turning the monitor slightly so Jordan couldn't see. When she looked up again, she said, "Sorry. Hotel policy prevents me from giving out her room number. I can call her, though, and let her know you're down here. What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't, but you can tell her that Jordan McAllister from the Ranchero Globe is here for a follow-up interview with her."

The clerk looked totally unimpressed before she picked up the phone and called Carlita's room. After announcing that Jordan was in the lobby, she talked for a few minutes before disconnecting.

"She's in 782." She pointed to her left. "Take that elevator over there." She didn't even wait for Jordan to thank her before she returned to her online card game.

On the elevator ride up, Jordan went over in her mind once again what she'd say to Carlita Bruno. The last thing she wanted to do was let her see how worried she was about Ginny. That would only make matters worse, especially if Carlita was already freaking out and thinking the worst.

She stepped off the elevator and followed the arrows to 782, swallowing the big lump that had formed in her throat. This was not going to be easy. When she got to the room, she knocked lightly on the door, and within seconds, it opened.

Carlita Bruno's eyes widened when she saw her. "Didn't expect to hear from you again."

Jordan tried to smile and almost made it. "May I come in?"

Carlita stepped aside to allow her to enter. As soon as she was completely inside, Jordan turned to the woman, noticing the bags under her eyes from an apparent lack of sleep.