Chapter 4
A Town Full of Suspects
Sal and Mike interview a cast of quirky Sea Town residents. A rival baker, a disgruntled ex-employee, an odd collector – everyone seems to have a potential motive. Red herrings abound.
The aroma of baking bread and simmering tomatoes usually hung like a warm hug in the air around Sal’s Pizzeria, a comforting scent that drew people in from the salty tang of the Pacific. But today, the air felt thin, brittle, as if the very essence of Sea Town’s culinary heart had been ripped away. Sal, his normally jovial face etched with a worry that ran deeper than any spilled sauce, stood by the empty safe, the faint metallic scent of its forced lock clinging to the air like a bad omen. The Golden Marinara recipe, his Nonna’s legacy, his own life’s work, was gone.
Chief Mike Riley, his old high school buddy, stood beside him, his brow furrowed with a familiar blend of official concern and personal exasperation. Mike’s uniform, usually a symbol of order in Sea Town’s often delightfully chaotic existence, seemed a little too sharp, a little too out of place amidst the flour-dusted countertops and the silent, accusing pizza oven.
“Anything, Mike?” Sal’s voice was a low rumble, the usual lilt absent.
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