“According to Arnie, we don’t use rat poison at the restaurant. We have a pest control company that treats using a non-toxic, environmentally safe product.”
“Meaning someone brought rat poison with them and mixed it into the pasta,” Pete grimly replied. “The police have samples. I’m sure they came up with the same results and you’ll be hearing from them.”
“Within hours, no doubt.” Carlita held up her notepad. “Sonny’s motorcycle brakes went out. Creed’s accident happened around the same time, followed by the poisoning at the party.”
“Ending with Sonny’s death at the hospital.”
“Correct. I would bet money one of his visitors took him out.”
“Short of having a list, it will be nearly impossible to figure out who it was.”
“The dots have to connect. The person had to have been riding with the biker group, attended the engagement party,andvisited Sonny at the hospital.”
“Or it could be coincidental. Not the rat poison, of course, but the accident and maybe he had bad brakes.”
Carlita wrinkled her nose. “What are the odds of all these happening within a short timeframe? The police are already calling his death a homicide.”
“What you’re saying is if you can figure out who visited Sonny, you’ll be able to narrow down the list of potential suspects.”
“Exactly.”
“Short of hacking into the hospital’s surveillance system and accessing the recordings from the time Sonny was admitted until his death, I don’t see how you’ll be able to accomplish your goal.”
“I can’t, but there is someone who can.”
“Elvira,” Pete and Carlita said in unison.
“Sounds like you’ve figured out your next move.”
“I’ve already asked her. She flat-out refused.”
“Did you offer her cold, hard cash?”
“I threw out an amount I thought was too good to turn down, but she did.”
“There must be a reason,” Pete said.
“She claims she could lose her business license if she’s caught hacking into any government or NPO institution.”
“An NPO?”
“A government-affiliated non-profit organization. I have no idea if this is true, but according to Elvira, hospitals are off the table as far as hacking into their systems because they’re viewed the same way government agencies are.”
“If I were you, I would try again,” he suggested. “Sweeten the pot.”
Carlita drummed her fingers on the counter. “It’s worth a shot. I need to know who visited Sonny.”
“Tell you what—after dinner, we’ll take Rambo for a walk and swing by Walton Square. You can ask her in person.”
“I don’t want to drag you into my mess.”
“It’s not your mess. It’sourmess,” Pete corrected. “Besides, I have a trick or two up my sleeve if she refuses again.”
“It will be harder for her to say no when I’m on my knees begging,” Carlita sighed. “If we don’t nip this in the bud and figure out what happened, Ravello’s business is on the downhill slide.”
“Not to mention there’s a killer walking free.”
“Agreed.” Carlita scooped up her papers. “Let’s grab a bite to eat and head out. The sooner we crack this case, the better.”
